Smart Phone - what to buy?

Of course if you want one of the high end phones (Iphone 4S, Samsung Galaxy SII etc) it's best to just buy it outright if you don't want to be locked into a 2yr contract.

We have found that the Iphone 4 (even though it's not blue tick) has about the same reception at our place as the blue tick phones. I imagine it's likewise with SGSII. That's probably why you get conflicting advice. Although sometimes people who live in cities and are selling the phones just have no idea about reception woes out in the country!

Thanks Pebble, do u find Motorola Defy easy to operate, I have only ever had Nokia and Samsung. Also is there anything telstra do to get the blue tick - eg if I buy same phone online from another supplier will it be the same? Sorry too many questions ??

My Husband had an Iphone4 for a bit, he reckons the Defy is as easy to use as that and that it's similar in a lot of ways (to operate). So can't be too bad considering Iphones are meant to be known for ease of use.
He also had a HTC Desire briefly (reception not as good on those) which he found harder to use.
I've come from non smartphone phones (Samsung A411, Sony Ericsson W508A) and didn't find it too hard to pick up and figure out how to use.

I am not sure if Telstra do anything special with the blue tick phones, I would tend to think they just undergo testing and get the blue tick if they pass above a certain level for receptoin but I could be wroing? There is probably some sort of rules where others aren't allowed to use the blue tick rating ... and I'm guessing it doesn't mean the phone isn't blue tick if you buy it somewhere else, but just make sure it's compatible with the Telstra Next G network frequency if that's what you plan to use it on.

Hope that helps, and I hope others will chime in if I'm wrong on any points...or to give you a few other opinions at least!

bought my samsung galaxy s2 online, paid for it outright so is not locked to any network, put in my next g sim and a 32 gig sd card and away it went, excellent phone, no probs with reception and works as good as any other phone i know of out in the bush.

thanks Paul, I like the samsung s2 but telstra told me it wouldn't work in the bush - no blue tick! How much would I pay on line for one please

i picked mine up for $550 about a month ago, dont remember where i got it from though, I think all phones online.

Expanding on my collection of apps:

Convert Units: everything metric to imperial and a whole lot more.

Spirit Level

WiFi Finder

Flashlight

Dictionary

Walkmeter

Bigpond

ABC News

SBS News

Channel 7 News

Al Jazeera News

Westpac

NAB

Coles

Woolworths

Jaycar

6PR Perth Radio

Stocks & Shares

Toyota

BP

RAC WA

Australia Post: mainly for postcodes.

Footy Live: AFL

Bunnings

Pocketweather

ExperienceWA

Living Earth

Currency Converter

Spicks & Specks Quiz

All very useful and most are free.

Gone Bush,

Good info, but most, if not all those APPS, and more, are available for Android phones and most are free as well.

Some of the GPS and Geo programes on Android are fantastic plus Tunein allows radios from anywhere in Australia and the world. provided you have service...

GB, you have left out a most useful app in Viber which is good for iPhones and also android I believe. I know places where I can talk Viber without any tower connections. Great on wireless and better than Skype.

Texts too, though wirless iPhone to iPhone texts have been coming to me the last few days, once again no cell reception at one end

Looks interesting John.

Although the reviews in the App Store are a mixed lot. I'll keep it in the "maybe" list.

Cheers

Bill we get through on iPhone 4 and 4S where we couldn't with blue tick Telstra classification

What type of Nokia smart phone?

Non of our Nokia's are smart phone.... when we upgraded 2 years ago Nokia weren't that smart and had no smart phones available..... hence Iphone and standard Nokia's.

Very hard to find one phone that does everything well!

Hullo Graeme,

I run the risk of becoming an Apple fanboi, I just got an iPad.

I think Telstra has improved immeasurably since the Mexican left the helm. They really are trying to do the right thing.

Now, I feel that Apple is the new bully boy with the way they sue anyone that looks like producing a product that threatens theirs. Apple vs Samsung is a good example. However, there is so much support for their products from suppliers everywhere it's the line of least resistance. And the devices work so well too.

I carry a little Samsung with a patch lead in the van but have never used it. These days I could care less if I'm out of range for a few days, apart from internet deprivation.

Cheers

hi bungarra, thanks for your great info. Yes we will go with Telstra pre paid. I like the Samsung GalaxyS2 but wasn't sure of reception so if your son has bought one - over his Iphone then that sounds good enough to me. I see everyone has different views I guess it depends on what part of the country they are in - we are in Melbourne, but will start travelling North in March. Is there anyone else out there that has travelled remotely with the Galaxy S2 and can confirm its the one to buy. thanks Joy

Hi Joy

Whilst I am more than happy with my Samsung Galaxy S II (in fact I purchased another yesterday).....as Telstra have them out on a $59 post paid atm) be aware......there are limitations for reception away from the towns on all phones that dont have the ability to receive a patch lead (PLUG IN SOCKET TYPE...not the useless passive/induction type)

The only Telstra "smart phone" that I am aware of that is blue tick is the Motorolla Defy + and you can get them pre paid at the moment....if you go down the Defy path make ertain it is the newer release with the + as the earlier model had issues with speakers and a couple of other issues (do a google search on reviews)...it does NOT have the socket for a patch lead

You used the word "remotely".....all phones (smart or otherwise) without a dedicated socket patch lead will drop out first...usually the non blue tick ones first, followed by the "blue tick" models (not always, but usually).......followed by the phones with the patch lead connected to a suitable antenae....then finally all of them

As i said... I have a small clam shell samsung with the socket at the back for the patch lead and switch to that when travlling when the smart phones drop out...when the little back up samsung drops out then you are more "remote" as far as mobile phone reception goes anyway

as for "remote" as far as mobile reception goes that will depend upon where you are from a Telstra tower ..+ the terrain (hilly, undulating or flat) and your antennae / phone setup.......reception from anywhere between around the damn corner in a dead spot! ...to maybe up to 100kms with a good antennae and lead

hope all that helps

Graeme

Graeme, FYI, the Motorola Atrix is also Blue Tick smart phone, but not as tough as the Defy.

Hi Bungarra,

'My son has been an apple iphone fanatic for ever...and has just diched his latest iphone for the Galaxy..work that out '
Was this the new iPhone S ?

Rob

Sorry,
iPhone 4S

Hi Rob

the model before the latest iphone he ditched

cheers

ps check out my new thread.... something I just discovered and tested today

Very easy to buy the larger battery and back cover for the Defy.

holden 4th

can you confirm that the Motorola defy will take a socket patch lead....not the passive / inductive type lead?

thanks

Hello Bungara

When I bought the Defy I took a quick look at the pix that went with it and assumed that it took a socket patch lead. What I was looking at was this



and I mistakenly thought that a solid antenna connection was through the micro USB port. However, it seems that I was wrong and that this is a passive lead. That said I do have an external glass mounted antenna on my windscreen and am interested to see if it will work with my Defy

Agreed, looking at the smartphones in person I thought a lot of them were quite similar (from the look and feel perspective). You might set your mind on a particular brand but that can change after you have a play with a few in the shop.....some people like their phones more compact, some like the biggest screen no matter what etc.

Regarding the motorola, I don't think it's any more shatter proof than any other phone (it you were to drop it), but the water resistant feature is great, I can even use it to listen to music / podcasts while I'm having a hot bath.

G`day Peter,

You have got me thinking about the Motorola Atrix, I think that it is 4G phone that works on the USA 4G but not on Telstra 3G.
Telstra 4G is reportedly coming in March but is a different frequency to USA 4G.

Also heard that the cheapest 4G plan with Telstra is going to be $90.00 per month when it is introduced.

Please correct me if my info is not correct.

Regards,

Scrubby.

forget 4g by the time it becomes meaningfull you will be looking to upgrade this latest phone youve got noe anyway

Ive got the atrix and it was buggy at first but since the 2.3 upgrade (anything you buy will have it now anyway) its been much better

ive protected it with a rubber boot thingo and plastic screen cover available from those asian mobile phone accessory stores in the middle of the shopping centre isles

happy with it but dont have anything to compare it to and im not tech enough to get full use from it anyway

oh sorry - yea for some reason its called 4g but it just works off of everyday 3g gotta blue tick but i reckon thats overrated the worst reception phone i ever had was blue tick the Atrix seems OK from bush trips but dont reckon id put it in the exceptional reception catagory. I reckon youd find when a normal phone lost reception the atrix wouldnt be far behind

Ive got it on an $80 plan which is $800 of calls and 2gig of data

went over the plan once despite having 50% of my data left with 3 days to go so i rang telstra and they reckon my phone ran some 1 gig upgrade while i was sleeping - phone showed no record of what had been upgraded but did confirm the data usage ............
Hmmmmmmmmmmm

Hi everyone, what a fantastic response I have had and a big thank you to everyone. I got a big surprise y'day my girlfriend posted me her old HTC Desire to try out. Its a bit tricky but will perserve and see how it goes. So my big son suggested I buy a Samsung 3G WiFi Tablet / or Apple iTablet and get a cheaper Samsung phone if HTC gives me headaches. Tomorrow we are heading to the beach for a week - New Years Eve (also son's B'day) so guess I will have a few drinks and go thru all these replies again and see where the wind lies.
Son has a Apple I tablet so I will have a play with it.
Happy New Year everyone, can't wait to discover this lovely big country of ours. Joy