I want to buy a smartphone off of ebay and activate it on Verizon wireless’ website. I currently have the basic $39.99 plan. Will Verizon detect that my new phone is a smartphone and automatically upgrade me to a data plan? I don’t need the data features, I just really like the smartphone.

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TigerDirectBlog asked:

Featuring a metallic finish, clean lines and soft edges, the BlackBerry® Curve™ 8320 smartphone is the smallest and lightest BlackBerry® smartphone ever to come with a full QWERTY keyboard.It’s packed with incredible features including a camera, media player, Wi-Fi capabilities, expandable memory, Voice Dialling, BlackBerry® Maps and trackball navigation. Plus, you get all the core functionality you’ve come to expect in a BlackBerry smartphone—email and text messaging, instant messaging, web …

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phonedog asked:

Unlocked phones mean no contracts to sign, and the HP iPaq Business Messenger 910 is packed to the gills with features. WinMo 6.1 Pro, touchscreen, GSM Quad-Band with 7.2 Mbps HSDPA, GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth, and a full QWERTY board. Phew. Let’s check it out. MORE @ www.phonedog.com

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TigerDirectBlog asked:

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Missy R asked:


I’m going to be graduating from college next semester and will finally be forced to leave my parents cell phone plan. Everyone in my field of study (Public Relations) has a blackberry or something similar and I’m ready to join the club.

The phone I have now is an archaic Motorola flip phone with Verizon and I don’t want to overwhelm myself with a phone I can’t figure out.

So my question is what would be the best smartphone for a first time buyer?

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Michael Lemm asked:




The answer to this question is really a personal one. Everyone’s likes, wants, and needs will be different. Now… how do you decide which is right for YOU?

In all honesty there is no ‘best” smartphone, just the best one currently available for your needs. For 5 different use cases, there will be 5 different “best” choices, so I can only guess as to your use case.

Is there a particular carrier you have to use?

Also, there are lots of different definitions of “smartphone”. To me a smartphone means that I can load my own applications on it. It can get my e-mails, contacts, and appointments over air from a MS exchange server. And that it has a means for significant text entry, for responding to e-mails.

There are some great phones that don’t meet my definition (IPhone doesn’t yet have an official way to load your own applications, Sidekick doesn’t let you load apps, Nokia N95 doesn’t have a high volume text input method, etc…). There is lots of room for experienced users to disagree with me on this definition, so be warned.

The Windows Mobile OS (current version is 6) is used in the Motorola Q series, the Blackjack I/II, Palm treo 750 and many of the HTC phones.

The RIM OS is used in all Blackberries.

There are other OS out there (OSX for the IPhone, Palm for the Treo 755/Centro, Symbian for several of the Nokia phones, etc…). But only the MS OS has a universal way for syncing over air to a corporate exchange server. All the others require an additional piece of middleware. Of those solutions, the RIM Blackberry Enterprise Server is by far the most popular. So if I have to guess for you, I’d limit myself to those two OS’s.

The RIM OS is pretty easy to use, reliable, and straight forward. It does what it’s intended to use well. That’s why for non technical users, I almost always recommend a RIM based phone. It may not have every bell and whistle but it’s a workhorse for sending and receiving e-mail.

In Blackberries you basically have the choice of a full size keypad (Blackberry 8800 or “Curve” style), or you have a streamlined keyboard (8100 or “Pearl” style). The Curves are much better if you have to write a lot of e-mail. The Pearl’s are better if you need a smaller form-factor, and are reading more e-mail than you are writting.

In the windows OS there are many different shapes and sizes. I prefer units with a full keyboard like the Motorola Qm or the Blackjack II. Slider phones like the Wave, Wing, etc… You’d need to try some to pick the form-factor you like, but they all will perform similarly since they are based on the same OS. In general the windows based phones can do more, but are more flaky and less reliable. It’s not uncommon for some windows based phones to occasionally crash and the user needs to remove the battery to reboot the phone (insert your favorite anti-Microsoft joke here).

Once you’ve picked a carrier, OS, and form-factor, here’s some final criteria to look at…..

A removable battery is a must (another deal break with the iPhone). Is there an option for a higher capacity battery if you don’t mind a bit more bulk.

How does it charge? A standard mini USB port will make it way easy to charge in a variety of circumstances and save you money on chargers.

Does it support the latest/fastest wireless data for your carrier? EVDO Rev A for Sprint and Verizon, HSDPA for AT&T.

Does it have a removable media slot (micro SD, etc…).

Does it have an integrated GPS chip? Has the wireless carrier turned off that chip so you aren’t allowed to use it? Is the chip the highly sensitive (a good thing) Sirf III chip?

Do you need a camera? 2 Meg is a nice bump over 1.3 as it gives you good enough resolution to actually take pictures of business cards and then have software convert the picture to contact data.

Do you need WiFi?

If I answer all of the above for me, no phone exisits that has it all.

If I had to guess for you with no more information… I’d go with a Blackberry 8800.

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shinymedia asked:

Anna takes on the Dext (or Cliq as it is known in the US) Motorola’s first Google Android powered smartphone. It has a great keypad, an innovative interface called Motoblur and lots of cool features, but it has one big flaw

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John asked:


I am somewhat planning to buy a smartphone on eBay or at retail pricing and then activating it on my basic plan. Is this possible now? Will it remain possible once Alltel becomes Verizon? How do I do this, just buy the phone, activate it online/over phone?

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