Which phone - Nokia N95 or a Blackberry?

[Mark]

ok, it's coming up to my yearly phone change and it's looking like it's between Nokia N95 or a Blackberry. Has any one had experience of these? I've currently got a Nokia 6230i (my 6233 broke) and I generally prefer Nokia, tried a Samsung once, never again.

I know the N95 has wi-fi and web browsing but data calls are expensive; on a Blackberry email & data calls are cheap(ish)

N95:

Does it have wi-fi so you can look at t'internet in a pub with wi-fi?

Can you do Skype calls?

What's it like browsing on the small screen?

Blackberry:

Do you find you're checking you emails when you should be having fun/chatting to others/a life

Can you surf the information superhighway? If so what's it like?

thanks in advance

[Ant]

Have you seen this? http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/05/technology/circuits/05pogue.html?pagewanted=2&ei=5090&en=39e3cc8226651f90&ex=1341288000&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss

Slightly OT, but you did mention you might be interested in Skype and this is similar. US only for now, but I imagine it'd head over this way soon enough.

[SeanMacGabhann]

Mark

I don't have the N95 - I have (like half the people I see these days apparantly)got an N73. Like you I have flirted with non Nokia phones and been horrified. Although the N95 and N73 both use the Symbian graphical interface which is definitely slow when you are used to the old text menus. However after living with it for 6 months now I wouldn't go back. It doesn't have wi-fi but with TMobile it does have web'n'walk which has allowed me access to t'internet in far more places than wifi would allow (I'll come clean now - of COURSE I browsed the forum at Glastonbury - from the comfort of my tent when I'd wake up in the morning. You couldn't do that with wi-fi.) Unlimited browsing for ?7 odd quid a month. All of which applies to the N95 as well

I have a PSP which has proper wifi and a bigger screen and I will state categorically that I prefer browsing on the phone - against my expectations

Blackberry - I have been offered one by work but have refused on th egrounds that everyone I know, my boss included, has lost any self-control and are slaves to the things. Not sure about web capabilities mind you.

[Keef]

Never liked Nokia phones, soo common darling ;-)

Sony Ericsson all the way!!!!!! (tu)

[argibargy]

Mark

I've a had a N95 for a month or more now and find it ok - it does everything - yes, it does have wifi and you can use skype/msn etc. using a third party app. called fring .The Symbian user interface is also very slick and intuitive in my opinion. (In the same way that OSX is slick compared to Windows >:D< )

As is the fate of many/most gadgets I suspect, it quickly fell into disuse after some initial days of honeymoon following purchase. Despite having almost laptop-like functionality, it is, for me, just too small, and without a full keyboard like a 'Berry, slightly impractical to use for more than an odd google/email when you just must.

Great bleeding-edge convergence gadget if you possess the nerd gene. I just feel like a bit of a dick carrying all that technology around with practically no need of any of it:))

[ratty]

get an e65

[macroban]

A potato?

[argibargy]

recherch?

[mockney piers]

I can't believe there's a site called europotato.org !!

I'm definitely on a less is more tip for phones now. The fancier they are they quicker they go insane (which as you know I believe is programmed into the firmware to simulate going mad anyway)

I want it to be able to ring people; get footie scores on wap; have a good interface and look a bit snazzy; be of a comfortable size; have a loud enough ring to hear when you need it to be heard; vibrate and ring at the same time, not mentioning any names samsung; good battery life (I've switched off the 3G functions on my phone and practically doubled the battery life, like anyone's ever going to videophone me and like I'd want them to).

[Ant]

So that's why I can't videophone you. Tcha! You luddite. ;-)

[dulwichmum]

Dear Mark,

My Blackberry is just fabulous, but I must admit that I find myself answering work emails at 2.30 in the morning because one of the children woke me up and I simply cannot resist checking it out. It is easy to log on to face book and the PMs from the forum and it keeps me very busy on the bus too.

I love my Blackberry, but I must admit I am addicted.

[Red_Cat]

why you getting new phones every year? This is bad for the environment or someting apparently, make do with what you've got

[mumra]

I have a blackberry from work and I love it. You can set it to awitch off at 6pm if you want and switch back on at 9. I don't however and have had the berry wrestled off by my husband when I think it's a good idea to email my line manager drunkedly at 11 o clock at night. i also think it is a nicer shape as a phone to put against your ear.

[Ondine]

I get really good work/life balance with my blackberry. Mine's quite old as my employer were early adopters and it's not great for web. But I've been sitting in the park catching up on work mail while the kids play for 3 years now so can swear by it as a stress reducer!

[Jah Lush]

The amount of addicts I see desperately tapping away on their Crackberries makes me very sad indeed and I worry for their sanity. I'm with Keef on this, get a Sony Ericsson.

[Mark]

ok, so it's no to the Blackberry. I've got webmail so I can just get my mail via a website anyway. Which Sony should I be looking at if I should ever decide to move away from Nokia (which I probably won't)

[Ant]

Sony Ericssons are great. Mine's the only non-Nokia I've ever really liked. I've got a K800i; does nice pics as well as all the other 'talking to people' gubbins.

[Keef]

Mines a w8ooi or something, but is about a year old, so there will bemore flashy versions by now. Mine's more designed for the walkman than the camera. That said, the camera isn't bad at all for a phone, in fact, it took some of the nicest photos I got when I went to Australia (evil camera destroying beaches!!!!!!).

[Tom]

blackberry all the way.

i hate it.

but i also love it. I can sit in st james' park whilst still pretending to be at my desk.

if you work from home/ alone, it also takes some of the fear when you go travelling / holiday so you don't have a mess to return to and fractious customers...!

[mockney piers]

If you haven't bought one yet the you just HAVE to have this Parkoz phone from Korea.

Fear, I think you might like it too, watch the vid.

http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/concept/cellphone-transforms-into-deadly-robot-277972.php

[Serendipity]

I've got a bb pearl - it's fab you get instant email (gmail works, very easy to set up), i got a personal one through t-mobile online...very good deal. Picture quality not great, but it does the job and it's very easy to email someone a photo even from abroad. Blackberry roaming not very expensive either (on t-mobile)

web browsing...better stick to home broadband as it's very slow....but that's not blackberry related (t-mobile web n talk)

for me it rather helps me getting a life outside work, my firms blocks access to all gmail, hotmail accounts...

[Mark]

Today is the day my contract comes up and I had decided on the N95, but then I found out today that Blackberry are shortly bringing out the 8820 with wi-fi so can surf with it too. I guess just wait for that.

[fractionater]

Or you could wait for the new Sony Erricson 850i(?) its got a 5megpix camera, etc (out in Sep 07 I think).

I was in an Orange shop today looking at an N95 and one of the sales guys advised against it - apparently loads of software bugs and problems. The return rate is quite high for the N95 apparently.

[Ondine]

Ooooh I now have both. 3 yr old retro blackberry from work so my boss can't find out where I am. And N95 for personal use - looked into the point about faults and Orange seem to have the worst record, so I went with TMobile's web'n'walk service and seems fine. Very cool device.....

The bberry failed last week when the corporate contract migrated and the IT guys reckoned it wouldn't cope with the new firmware but one of them came and played with it and all good again.