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Smartphone Decision for Young Programmer?

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Smartphone Decision for Young Programmer?

#1

Post by alnayyir »

Switching to T-mobile soon and want to take advantage of their excellent data plan, I also have need of a "rough" GPS device although a fully functioning one is a plus. I know my way around enough that just having google maps 'should' be enough.

Anyway, my choices are any smartphone that is unlocked and GSM. My primary contenders are

Palm Treo, for the price factor since I can get one for under $200 unlocked.

Apple iPhone, for under $500, although the totalitarianism is a serious turn-off.

Any Good Windows Mobile Phone?

Nokia N95, heard it was good, but the reports of cheap construction and laggy interface are a huge turn-off for me. I hate laggy interfaces. Love the GPS though.

Who among you are very happy with their smartphones?

Ability to do wifi is important, GPS is a plus, a good ecosystem of applications is a near-must since I'd like to tether without paying the ridiculous fees for it.

Hackability/Open Platform is a plus, I'm a programmer so something I can tinker and learn on, and provide my own solutions to small problems is a big boon for me.

A decent web browser is a small plus, but Opera Mini is near ubiquitous, so it shouldn't be a huge deal.

Please offer your suggestions for phones!

Re: Smartphone Decision for Young Programmer?

#2

Post by martythemaniak »

As I've posted elsewhere, I think the Blackberry if vastly underestimated by people around these parts, which I don't really understand.

The OS is rock solid, they have very durable hardware construction, a huge number of features compared to the iPhone and a $20 API key will get you access to APIs which iPhone users only dream about (regular APIs require no key).

I don't know what you mean by hackability. The iPhone is good because with the amount of attention it has received, you can get a huge number of cracked applications, something you won't find on the BB. If you were planning on actually buying apps, this won't be a problem.

I used about 12 different BBs for a year and half, and about 2 weeks ago brought an iPhone. I am trying to give it a fair shot, but to be honest I will probably have to sell it soon - the amount of sacrifices you have to make up to use that pretty GUI are just too many.

Re: Smartphone Decision for Young Programmer?

#3

Post by saundby »

I'll be interested in what folks have to say, too. I have a Nokia 3650 I'm looking to replace. It's been a nice system for years, but it's time to move on. The main thing I've missed on the 3650 is a keyboard. Actually coding on the system is prohibitively slow except for the shortest bug fixes or constant changes. T-Mobile's data service has been good and affordable for me, so at this point I'm not looking to change providers.

If the Nokia 810 had a phone I'd get one in a heartbeat.

Re: Smartphone Decision for Young Programmer?

#4

Post by alnayyir »

saundby wrote: post #3

I'll be interested in what folks have to say, too. I have a Nokia 3650 I'm looking to replace. It's been a nice system for years, but it's time to move on. The main thing I've missed on the 3650 is a keyboard. Actually coding on the system is prohibitively slow except for the shortest bug fixes or constant changes. T-Mobile's data service has been good and affordable for me, so at this point I'm not looking to change…

Roommate has one, it's nifty but one of the laggiest mothers I've ever used. I'd go berserk using it as a phone, personally. :\

Re: Smartphone Decision for Young Programmer?

#5

Post by alnayyir »

martythemaniak wrote: post #2

As I've posted elsewhere, I think the Blackberry if vastly underestimated by people around these parts, which I don't really understand. The OS is rock solid, they have very durable hardware construction, a huge number of features compared to the iPhone and a $20 API key will get you access to APIs which iPhone users only dream about (regular APIs require no key). I don't know what you mean by hackability. The iPhone…

What's this $20 API Key? what does it do for me? Also, can I find an essentially unauthorized tethering app for a BB? Also, if I get a BB, I'll have to "hide" that fact from T-mo, they use a different set of plans for them. (I don't need exchange server syncing, so I want the cheap data plan). Do any blackberries have a good web browser? Is it an open platform? Do any BBs have native GPS?

Re: Smartphone Decision for Young Programmer?

#7

Post by alnayyir »

babul wrote: post #6

Anything with a full touch screen is a good start. Found the iPhone 3G was disappointing (more like a toy) compared to my Blackberry. However, the HTC I've been using for about a year ( http://www.coolsmartphone.com/article727.html ) is excellent and definitely the best of the lot.

Intriguing. Can I find a tethering app to access my phone's internet via my laptop using Windows Mobile on this HTC? I was interested in the HTC Touch, but the reviews killed it for me. This one looks fascinating.

Re: Smartphone Decision for Young Programmer?

#8

Post by martythemaniak »

alnayyir wrote: post #5
martythemaniak wrote: post #2

As I've posted elsewhere, I think the Blackberry if vastly underestimated by people around these parts, which I don't really understand. The OS is rock solid, they have very durable hardware construction, a huge number of features compared to the iPhone and a $20 API key will get you access to APIs which iPhone users only dream about (regular APIs require no key). I don't know what you mean by hackability. The iPhone…

What's this $20 API Key? what does it do for me? Also, can I find an essentially unauthorized tethering app for a BB? Also, if I get a BB, I'll have to "hide" that fact from T-mo, they use a different set of plans for them. (I don't need exchange server syncing, so I want the cheap data plan). Do any blackberries have a good web browser? Is it an open platform? Do any BBs have native GPS?

$20 for an encryption key which allows you to digitally sign your app and get to the more interesting parts of the API - system event listeners, background processes, auto-startups, system modules etc. For the iPhone you need a $99 key to do anything, and I don't know what the situation is with WinMO.

BB's have been tetherable for years, though I don't know about unauthorized ways to do this. The browser is decent, and every model has a GPS variant.

As for the platform, its fairly open. Its much more capable than the iPhone and regular cell phones, but not as open as Android (which is obviously about as open as you can get).

Re: Smartphone Decision for Young Programmer?

#9

Post by alnayyir »

martythemaniak wrote: post #8
alnayyir wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What's this $20 API Key? what does it do for me? Also, can I find an essentially unauthorized tethering app for a BB? Also, if I get a BB, I'll have to "hide" that fact from T-mo, they use a different set of plans for them. (I don't need exchange server syncing, so I want the cheap data plan). Do any blackberries have a good web browser? Is it an open platform? Do any BBs have native GPS?

$20 for an encryption key which allows you to digitally sign your app and get to the more interesting parts of the API - system event listeners, background processes, auto-startups, system modules etc. For the iPhone you need a $99 key to do anything, and I don't know what the situation is with WinMO. BB's have been tetherable for years, though I don't know about unauthorized ways to do this. The browser is decent, a…

Android effectively doesn't exist yet and is as good as vaporware to me until I see some phones on sale.

Hm. So far I'm leaning towards a jailbroken iphone, but! What particular blackberry model would you recommend?

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