Two little side notes… If you remember recently i talked about buying headphones, and i had picked up a pair of Sony MDR-EX715L earbuds. Good headphones, but… i ended up hating them. The cord was so unwieldy and uncomfortable. Also, while the sound was good, i REALLY hated the sound isolation. So, i decided to go back and look again at what might work for me, and decided to pick up a pair of Grado SR60s. These are nice phones, i am definitely liking them.
My second side note… i need to get a new cell phone. My Samsung SPH-A460 is finally starting to show it’s age. Right now i use Sprint, but i’m considering moving to Cingular because i like some of thier phones better (in particular the Sony Ericson V500 or whatever it is). Honestly, i hate the phones they sell here in the states. I wish i could get some of the japanese phones, but alas… Suggestions welcome 
- pirotunes: Steve Roach - Two Rivers Dreaming Part 1 -
Well, Fred, you should search for a Sony Ericsson T68(i) - it works really well with iSync (for us Mac-Users out there), and I
Glad you like the Grados. Would have felt bad if you had taken something that might have been my suggestion and then not liked it ;-p
As for cell phones . . . don’t look at me. I use a clunker Nokia on a prepaid service just so I have one for emergency use at the lowest possible cost. However, wouldn’t it be possible to import a Japanese model and use it here? I mean its not like they’re actually different in the way the service provider interfaces with them, just in the functionality and design the user has to put up with. Just a thought.
Kensai
Kensai: No, because they are not operating within the same frequencies (900hz, 1800hz, and some other frequency I forgot). But, so called “tri-band” mobiles
(ask if they support the frequency used in the US) should work.
Fred…gotta warn ya. If you have other options than Cingular…I’d look at them (Verizon has seemed to be one of the top ranking providers lately, and Vodaphone is under the Verizon name so that’s good too). I’m in Socal…and dam the service really sucks here. I have a decent CDMA Nokia…and often (since the AT&T/Cingular merger) my phone will actually kick into Roam in while in many urban areas.
Cingular is a mixed curse and blessing:
1) I like their family plan — a lot (but I have five phones on it).
2) I like their coverage (on the West Coast at least).
3) I got a small pile of free V220s when I migrated from the absorbed AT&TWireless.
Downside - they’ve debundled all the services and don’t offer a decent flat rate plan for using Internet or file transfer functionality.
Downside - despite being an electrical engineer and an Internet geek since 80s, I can’t get the USB port and the “official Motorola software” to sync up. It sees that its a V220… but after registering it, it shows as unplugged. I suspect that Cingular has crippled the USB access on their freebie phones to force you into buying their ringtones and file transfer services but can’t confirm it. If I eventually achieve success, I’ll update that impression.
Downside: was broadsided by some “hidden” startup fees. make sure that *all* costs are understood and make sure that if you take a free phone that *any* limitations are clarified.
There’s a part of me that thinks i should just stick with sprint. thing is, with my current phones i dont even have SMS, web access or anything of that nature (really, nothing more than just a cell phone) so my real life understanding of what i’d find usable is pretty low. Truth is, i could go with any provider (i forgot about t-mobile, checked them out today, not a lot of phones, but the sidekick is nice).
Right now, im even considering the moto v3 (that is, if its feature set is as nice as it seems to be) or the Sony Ericson V500 - but that one doesnt sync with my mac.
What i wonder is - will any of these phones allow me to access the net via bluetooth with my 12″ powerbook.
as far as a phone goes, i wouldn’t mind some SMS or AIM connectivity, and also i’d like to be able to make my own wallpapers and stuff, but meh… its hard to figure out what is what, and the selection of phones here in the states just seems so… abysmal.
i say check out ur phone first cause u dont wanna get suckerdin to a annoying plan from any corp.
me want warmth!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes you could import a phone, but check first if it will work here. Also why hasn’t anyone said anything about T-Mobile. I’ve been with them since forever and they have treated me great and I’ve got no complaints. But then I’m not one who has to have the lastest and greatest phone, nor do I text or take pictures with my phone.
Well I find how well the providers service is varies depending on region. So its best to just ask around locally what people like. Usually you can find one nut thats gone through all the different providers on various phones
Personally here in New England, Cingular seems good to me.
I dunno about Bluetooth features though but practically every fone has SMS or AIM support
As far as the V500a I’ve heard good and bad stuff. Its definetly not the best SE fone and peeps either seem to love it or hate it (I’m an SE fan). Trouble is that there really isn’t a great selection in the U.S. so you could always try Ebay for an Unlocked Phone without the SIM card (like the V600). Of course then ya gotta pay quite a bit
I just recently went from a Motorola V60 (this phone has very little to offer) to a Virgin Mobile Audiovox “Vox” 8610 (Color Screen, Downloadable Games, Rign Tones, Wall Papers, and Screen Savers along with Internet, MSN IM, AOL IM, Yahoo IM and Email Check.
I think something like this is what you was talking about and I alos think that you would enjoy it.
The only thing is, is I think you said that you would like to make your own wallpapers… I dont think you can do that, nore with anyother phone. At least form what I have seen over the few years of owning my own cell. ^^
Anyways, good luck on your next phone. Oh yeah, now that I looked, the side kick might be good as well. I seen them up at best buy… I wish I was able to get me one.
headphone-wise: my friend has the MDR-EX715L earbuds — we’ve spent many a 5th period listening to them. or, would have, if the cord wasn’t so lopsided. seriously, the left side is about 3 timse as long as the right o_o;;. i recently got a pair of Sony “streetstyle” wrap-around headphones, which are crap, because a) i’m like you, and can’t stand not to know whats going on around me (either both ears or none, and they wreck your perhipheral vision), and b) they bleed sound like a severed limb. was listening to “Wish” by NIN in the car the other day; Trent sings his random explitive, and my mom gives me the strangest look ever.
but i digress.
as for cell phones–as much as i detest american phones, i’ve been using an Audiovox CDM9900VW (which is a Verison phone — http://www.audiovox.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10001&storeId=10001&productId=13730&langId=-1), and its fine. has photo, AIM, and a good speaker (with realaudio ringtones, not just polyponic :3). overall, its a good, sturdy phone (hasn’t broken yet, after about 7 months of pretty brutal wear-and-tear).
also, don’t get the Sidekick — friend has one, and it’s not worth a shit. ugh.
sorry, i was rambling -_-;;.
best of luck.
sorry to double-post, but i forgot to mention the primary reason i like my phone — its screen is bigger than most phones, with much better (read: less grainy) picture quality. see, i’m too poor to have both a good phone and a digital camera, so…:P
all right. let us know what you decide on.
-h.
Import phones are very cool, but expensive.
http://importgsm.com/shop/home.php
Heh,
yah..i kinda need to get a new phone as well…My poor poor little Kyocera KX414 has been through it all
The multiple random falls i take while doing stupid stuff
The number of times i’ve dropped it
The time (I have no idea what i did to deserve this) My Girlfriend chunked it at my head (OUCH…we’re still friends though)
The 3 times i’ve forgoten to check my pockets when i do my laundry and washed the sucker
I’m pretty sure the phone will sue me soon…..Phone abuse or something of the like
(Please excuse any miss-spellings, run on sentences, made up words, or any other butchering of the english language)
I’m looking at getting the Motorolla v330 from T-Mobile. I’ve read that it’s easy to get iSync to work with it (see http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20050520214153122&query=v330 ) via bluetooth, and it seems to have most of the features my free phone in Japan had. T-Mobile offers internet access for your laptop via bluetooth through the phone as well, but it’s out of my price range
Hmm… just had a look at what phone you get in the states to confirm. I have a Sony Ericsson S700i (S700i and S710a in the US) and I love it. mp3 player, mp3 ringtones, 1.3 megapixel camera (with light and nightmode option), games, nice big colour screen and syncs with computer (might want to check it’ll sync with a mac… should do).
Or the W800i is coming soon which is basically the model above this. Both are very nice phones.
I went out and baught my first iPod. A baby blue mini iPod.
Just wanted to say, a while back fred was sayin that they come with some good head phones. Ha, they kick ass. ^_^ I love APPLE.
i love the apple headphones, too…they just have, like, no low-end to them. still, they beat the crap out of these $15 sony ones…
‘/0 F|23d,
|-|0\/\/ 15 /\/\39470|<’/0 |\|0\/\/ d4′/5, 1 \/\/45 90|\||\|4 |234d 7|-|3 0|\|3′5 0|\| 7|-|3 5173 8u7 7|-|3 p4p3|2 84k|< ju57 |<1k|<5 455 411 7|-|3 \/\/4′/, /\/\3 4|\|d 50/\/\3 8ud5 F|20/\/\ k011393 7|-|1|\||< ‘/0u|2 k0/\/\1k 15 4/\/\4z1|\|9 4|\|d \/\/3 134|2|\|3d 1337 k0z 175 ju57 k001! 4|\|’/\/\/4′/ ju57 54′/1|\|9 |-|1 70 137 u |<|\|0\/\/ ‘/0u |-|4\/3 900d F4|\|5 547 |-|3|23 1|\| d3\/\/58u|2′/ k011393 1|\| 7|-|3 u|<!
\/1|\||\|’/ |-|111
p5: 14|290 |<1k|<5 455.
something yous hould keep in mind about cell phones and their companys is that almost any phone can be taken to any company.
and GPRS compatable phone (almost all made now adays) can be taken to any company after it has been “unlocked” from the base company you bought it from
the best bet is to buy it directly from the company that makes the phone and have them send it to you unlocked and capable of being taken to any company ^_^
it realy makes life so much easyer when you deicde to swap companies as well