CELL PHONES MOBILE DEVICES

[regfootball]

Quickly- have to switch to a new carrier and get new phones despite having decent plan and phones i am ok with.

Looking at Verizon, AT&T. Or Net10 or Tracfone prepaid. due to cost.

My current service is Qwest which is actually Sprint. In town here its good. But where we frequently travel, we sometimes roam and never get data that often.

SO's family is mostly on Verizon. Verizon store is a mile from my house.

Coverage maps indicate Verizon has superior service in the home, and where we travel a lot. In our general metro area, Verizon and At&T are both fine. I have not checked T Mobile.

Plans- Verizon seems to nickel and dime more than AT&T. AT&T has 'A-list'. Free wifi at starbucks. Can prob get AT&T plans a tish cheaper for my situation, but overall plan pricing is more dependent on features.

Verizon seems to have more wifi braodband devices available which may come into play down the road.

AT&T of course has the iPhone which is what i really want, but cannot justify the cost of the phone or plan right now. Having apps and iPod on the phone would really be nice instead of some klunky piece of $h! phone.

Thinking of going prepaid for a few months just to delay the inevitable. Net10 looks simple. Not a lot of features and $h!ty phones but it could work for 6 months or so. Virgin mobile looked great until i found out it was Sprint, which would mean i lose data when i travel to relatives (Your results may vary).

Current line of thinking is get 2 cheap verizon phones as phones and a basic plan. Buy an iPod touch to satisfy techno lust using wifi instead of the phone. But then suffer being locked in to phones i didnt really want for two years. Kind of like a bad car lease.....like being stuck with a camry.

Blackberries, I would like a Pearl Flip but otherwise if i was getting a smartphone i would have a lot of choices i just don't know much about. plan prices for balckberries i would just get an iphone anyways.

what is everyone's input on their phones and carriers and anything useful to share. I feel like i should go with the carrier and coverage and local store close....and suffer with lesser devices (Verizon) instead of AT&T (lesser price plan, better phone choices, free wifi at places) etc.

Haven't heard much about T mobile.

I have shopped used phones to run no contract on a plan but craigslist sellers price their phones way too high to make sense.

thanks in advance for everyone's experience with this, I'd like to get the skivvy on what carriers are doing well and not.

[Croc]

Blackberry Bold on AT&T. Awesome, though it's too bad you cannot wait a little longer--Bold 2 comes out this winter, and it does away with the "pearl" trackball infavor of a touch pad. Trackball works well...but stuff can get behind there and cause it to cease functioning in one direction or another until you expend a lot of time/effort "fixing" it. Are you near sand? Blackberry trackballs need to stay far away from sand.

Minor nitpick on an otherwise perfect phone. I previously owned a Pearl. As for the Pearl Flip, I hear the flip part feels flimsy. I'm over flip phones.

Edited October 7, 2009 by Croc

[Drew Dowdell]

On the month to month plans, T-mobile seems to be the best. (does it have to be pre-paid or just no contract?)

Back in July, I bought two unlocked GSM phones from this seller on E-bay. They were listed as refurbished, but to look at them they looked completely new.

[PONTIAC06]

I have Verizon and I love it, although there is definitely some nickel & diming going on. Also, the blackberry storm is a great phone. I know several people that have them and love them. I have an LG Voyager which I love, but I think the new version of it is the EnV Touch. Can't tell you much else, but despite some little problems, Verizon has been a solid provider for me since I switched to them.

[Croc]

Really? I don't know anyone who likes the Storm. Plus there are so many newer Verizon Blackberries offered now.

[Justin Bimmer]

There is a reason why Verizon "nickle and dimes" you and the other services have good prices:

SERVICE

I have been to almost every state in the US with my Verizon phones and never had a service issue. My coworkers had you name it: sprint, at&t, t mobile, whatever you want and they were always borrowing my phone because they had service issues.

I'm surprised Croc has good luck with AT&T in socal because that's not what I hear.

Also, Verizon's 3G internet is faster.

[Paolino]

There is a reason why Verizon "nickle and dimes" you and the other services have good prices:

SERVICE

I have been to almost every state in the US with my Verizon phones and never had a service issue. My coworkers had you name it: sprint, at&t, t mobile, whatever you want and they were always borrowing my phone because they had service issues.

I'm surprised Croc has good luck with AT&T in socal because that's not what I hear.

Also, Verizon's 3G internet is faster.

Everyone I've ever spoken to who's had AT&T has complained about their service. They've switched to Verizon. I've been with Verizon since early 2000's and have never had a problem.

[regfootball]

Really? I don't know anyone who likes the Storm. Plus there are so many newer Verizon Blackberries offered now.

a buddy has a storm and loves it but also admits it hasn't been glitch free. plus the thing is HUGE!

[regfootball]

I have Verizon and I love it, although there is definitely some nickel & diming going on. Also, the blackberry storm is a great phone. I know several people that have them and love them. I have an LG Voyager which I love, but I think the new version of it is the EnV Touch. Can't tell you much else, but despite some little problems, Verizon has been a solid provider for me since I switched to them.

the enV touch is definitely the class or the top of the class of verizons phones. its still not an iphone, but the env3, env touch and versa all have my interest. right now the samsung rogue is in the lead.

[SAmadei]

Really? I don't know anyone who likes the Storm. Plus there are so many newer Verizon Blackberries offered now.

I like the Storm... so does my mother and sister.

I have the Storm as my personal cell phone, through Verizon. IMHO, most Verizon phone are awful. The Blackberry Tour is nice, as its faster than the Storm, but with the traditional keyboard and smaller screen... I expect a new Storm with a faster CPU will be forthcoming. Yes, Verizon nickel and dimes you... and that seems to have translated into less free apps on the BB App store, which was really disappointing. Their 3G is pretty good... but overall coverage is the best. Bonus: Storm comes with 8 Gig memory card.

I also have a Google G1 on T-mobile as my business phone. Awesome phone... plenty of free apps, easy to code for and easy to hack. Love it. Touch screen is more accurate than the Storm, but I kinda miss the feedback click the Storm does. Also the web browser is multisession, so you can actually have 8 web browser windows open at once... I simulate the same thing on the BB by installing Opera Mini as my "second window". T-mobile, whom I have never cared for much, was the provider I had at my last job, and T-mob has impressed me over the last few years... and since I kept the number and G1 was a T-mob exclusive, I stuck with it. 3G is spotty outside of the big cities. Other pet peeve... Weather Channel app is very slow (not G1 standard), but at least there is a good weather app for the G1... the Storms weather apps are lacking. The G1 also can become a wireless access point, allowing you to share the broadband.

Finally, I also have a Sierra Wireless 3G USB Broadband device. I stick with Sprint for this, as it is unlimited, whereas VZ and T-mob tend to clamp down on serious overuse. Fast enough to not need broadband at any of my homes. My 2 years recently came up, and I'm tempted to upgrade to a 4G device with a built in Wifi access point, but we'll see. Sprint's network has also been suprisingly good... even in the sticks. They have a sweet antenna webpage that shows coverage very granularly.

ATT is my least favorite provider. Sure, they have the IPhone, but I just don't care for the IPhone. Sure the IPhone can do everything the G1 does, but I prefer the open flavor of the G1. Also, the IPhone is just not great enough to put up with the worst cellular network outside the third world.

I've heard lots of good things about the Palm Pre, but I forget which networks it is on. I also fear that Palm has been out of the loop long enough that a comeback to relevance is unlikely.

[regfootball]

On the month to month plans, T-mobile seems to be the best. (does it have to be pre-paid or just no contract?)

Back in July, I bought two unlocked GSM phones from this seller on E-bay. They were listed as refurbished, but to look at them they looked completely new.

thanks for the tip.

i am not sure it makes a difference, i just want to keep the cost down for a short period of time and not commit to A phone just yet since tech changes so much. in six months if i can afford the iphone and plan i would prefer to do that.

thing is prepaid or no contract looks like it may cost as much or more. verizons prepaid interested me but the access charge is ridiculous.

lots of the prepaid type phones lack features too.

i actually tried hunting for some old phones to buy but people seem to want a lot for them.

[pow]

I know someone who had a Blackberry Storm (touchscreen) and hated it... nothing but trouble. He replaced it with a Tour, which I played around with and found really nice. You want a keyboard.

I have an ancient Palm Treo 680 through AT&T (still has "cingular" written on it) and it's been very reliable. Has both a touchscreen and keyboard, but it has no apps and no internet. There's a new Palm through Sprint, but I'd stick with something more common and serviceable.

[SAmadei]

a buddy has a storm and loves it but also admits it hasn't been glitch free. plus the thing is HUGE!

I haven't had glitches with either Storm (mine or my mothers) that couldn't be explained by user error. My mother is good at user error... plus the sales person mixed our phone numbers up during the upgrade, which was a PITA.

It not that big compared to the G1 or enV phones. Hey, you want a big screen, you need a big phone. Only the IPhone has a comparable screen size to volume ratio.

the enV touch is definitely the class or the top of the class of verizons phones. its still not an iphone, but the env3, env touch and versa all have my interest. right now the samsung rogue is in the lead.

enVs are nice, but I could not get over the odd keyboard layout. I also felt the screens were smaller than they could be. My sister is the enV fan in the family... after using my mother's Storm on a regular basis, she is likely to upgrade to a Storm.

[Drew Dowdell]

thanks for the tip.

i am not sure it makes a difference, i just want to keep the cost down for a short period of time and not commit to A phone just yet since tech changes so much. in six months if i can afford the iphone and plan i would prefer to do that.

thing is prepaid or no contract looks like it may cost as much or more. verizons prepaid interested me but the access charge is ridiculous.

lots of the prepaid type phones lack features too.

i actually tried hunting for some old phones to buy but people seem to want a lot for them.

What kind of phone are you looking for? The GSM motorolas I bought are decent little phones. No camera, but I never use that feature myself anyway.

[Justin Bimmer]

Don't forget if you are looking at buying a phone that Verizon is CDMA and AT&T are GSM.

I don't know what type of cell service the other companies use.

[Justin Bimmer]

This phone rocks BTW

[Lamar]

I've been only two places where I didn't get good Verizon service, even on my now-crappy RAZR:

1 - A remote mountainous region in SW VA

2 - My job

But still, Verizon FTW.

/thread

[CaddyXLR-V]

Get the G1. It's the only phone I have owned for over 6 months and not got bored with.

[Justin Bimmer]

I have the LG Voyager for Verizon. I text, use MSN Messenger, and use it for phone calls. You can also hack the phone and do any type of ring tone you want.

[Drew Dowdell]

Get the G1. It's the only phone I have owned for over 6 months and not got bored with.

I just checked out the myTouch... the successor to the G1. Reg, it's clearly not for you cost wise.... but if Google keeps at it, Apple is going to get their ass handed to them.

[fightingbee]

Verizon does have good service. I have AT&T now only becuase VZW doesn't have great coverage when out in the boonies of the FL panhandle and southern AL. The Alltel purchase may hopefully fix that soon. Their coverage was flawless when I lived in eastern IA, the best by far.

I did once use a "GoPhone" prepaid from AT&T back when they were Cingular. It worked great for calls and was cheap if you use few minutes a month. I gave up on the text however, they never seemed to be able to get mine to work outgoing reliably.

IIRC are you somewhere in IA? iWireless also used to have a postpaid $20/Mo. 100min. no-contract plan that I used for a few years there. Worked great if not a heavy user and can do without a nationwide plan.

Edited October 7, 2009 by fightingbee

[SAmadei]

I just checked out the myTouch... the successor to the G1. Reg, it's clearly not for you cost wise.... but if Google keeps at it, Apple is going to get their ass handed to them.

I don't find the MyTouch to be compelling to upgrade... Its mostly like the G1, but without the physical keyboard... I like the physical keyboard. IMHO, the MyTouch needs a bigger screen if its going to double as a touch keyboard. Otherwise, I'd like the MyTouch a lot better if it had a slide out keyboard... in other words, a streamlined G1.

[CaddyXLR-V]

I don't find the MyTouch to be compelling to upgrade... Its mostly like the G1, but without the physical keyboard... I like the physical keyboard. IMHO, the MyTouch needs a bigger screen if its going to double as a touch keyboard. Otherwise, I'd like the MyTouch a lot better if it had a slide out keyboard... in other words, a streamlined G1.

That's the same reason I wouldn't get the MyTouch. I need the keyboard. I play games and use the internet a lot on my phone, which is a lot harder to use with an on screen keyboard.

[Croc]

I always have service with AT&T. I may not have the fastest data network, but I always have service. The only spotty are in canyons. One of my friends lves in Hacienda Heights, in a canyon between two tall hills. Obviously service there is going to be limited. I also know service is spotty along certain stretches of beach below the sea bluffs. Palos Verdes Dr. S, W, and N have some limited service areas, but again it is a function of topography.

Verizon has a faster network, but AT&T does have the most overall global coverage. Have fun in the middle of the desert along an empty highway with Verizon. But in most urban areas, they are fine. Sometimes their signal sucks in penetrating the walls of older homes, though.

ETA: "global"

Edited October 8, 2009 by Croc

[Intrepidation]

I have Virgin Mobile. Cheap but the coverage sucks.

I'm seriously considering getting an refurbished iPhone 3G. They really are the jack of all trades device, and I've been quite impressed with what they do. Just not fond of $70 /month for the cheapest plan.

[Justin Bimmer]

I always have service with AT&T. I may not have the fastest data network, but I always have service. The only spotty are in canyons. One of my friends lves in Hacienda Heights, in a canyon between two tall hills. Obviously service there is going to be limited. I also know service is spotty along certain stretches of beach below the sea bluffs. Palos Verdes Dr. S, W, and N have some limited service areas, but again it is a function of topography.

Verizon has a faster network, but AT&T does have the most overall coverage. Have fun in the middle of the desert along an empty highway with Verizon. But in most urban areas, they are fine. Sometimes their signal sucks in penetrating the walls of older homes, though.

Been in the middle of the desert on I80 thru Nevada and on 40 and 10 thru NM and AZ no Verizon issues. Co-worker in the truck lost service on 40 and parts of 80 with ATT.

I also hear that west LA has AT&T issues.

I also think the type of phone you have can create signal issues.

[Croc]

I also think the type of phone you have can create signal issues.

This is very true. I know that my friends with the iPhone have far more issues than I do on my Bold. I think the iPhone is overall a more data-heavy phone, and that may be why.

[regfootball]

What kind of phone are you looking for? The GSM motorolas I bought are decent little phones. No camera, but I never use that feature myself anyway.

tonight (haven't decided if i will open them yet), i picked up a couple of net10 motorola em?326g's. as far as i can tell, the only prepaid phones for reasonable price that have mp3, micro sd, bluetooth, decent camera, lite net.

the phones are cheesy, but if they last me even six months, the net cost per is only 20 bucks after the free airtime is accounted for.

since the G is in the suffix, they are gsm....which means in this area they are mostly likely mostly at&t network.

since these phones i would not have a high expectation for because of price, i would mainly just want to make sure the call quality and reception and coverage are all acceptable.

i actually use the camera and camcorder on my cell phones now a lot. the mp3 player a fair amount too with the bluetooth. i have stereo BT headphones, and also ford sync in the car.

One reason i want the iPod or iPhone is so my kid can watch movies and spongebob on it in the backseat (no huge dvd player to lug so often) and stream the audio via bluetooth to the ford sync. Apple's new tablet device will be perfect to do that on a bigger scale when that comes out.

a lot of where we travel is rural and for some odd reason verizon has insanely good coverage in those areas where the others do not. in metro area it seems pretty close to a wash. but we were at the bro in laws place last weekend which is basically in the middle of nowhere on gravel road and his kids were surfing on their phones, no issues at all. lots of the farm folk need the good coverage so i guess at least one company stepped up to the plate.

[regfootball]

This phone rocks BTW

that's a vibrator or something, not a phone, right?

[Robert Hall]

I've had great service with Verizon..had them since '00. About the only dead spots I've found were on I-80 in Nevada, I-40 in NM, and some back country areas in Colorado. Been fine everywhere else I've used it--Ohio, S. Florida, Arizona, California, Hawaii, etc. I currently have an LG Chocolate slider w/ them. I've never been able to get a phone to work inside my Mom's house in Ohio, but that is due to the 150 yr old construction w/ foot thick sandstone outer walls and lathe inner walls, I think. Always have to go on the porch to call or check email or surf the web when out in there in the sticks.

I want to upgrade to a Smartphone when I get a new phone (I'm eligible now for a new one), thinking about the Blackberry Tour. I like the form factor on BBs and the keyboard, don't think a touch screen would work well for me...I prefer a clicky qwerty. Interesting in seeing what new comes on Verizon in the next few months, esp. something with Android. I really want something compact enough to fit inside the front pocket of my khakis (no goofy belt holster for me) w/ a real keyboard, and a screen big enough to be useful for some surfing. I don't care about having music on it, since I have my iPod Classic for that.

Edited October 8, 2009 by Cubical-aka-Moltar

[regfootball]

I just checked out the myTouch... the successor to the G1. Reg, it's clearly not for you cost wise.... but if Google keeps at it, Apple is going to get their ass handed to them.

well i suspect apple realizes they created a monster with mobile devices and therefore i see apple not giving up without a huge fight.

to do so will require less cost and exposure on more networks.

i suspect apple is quietly in favor of this net neutrality being spoken about lately. because then, the platform and device become more important. the carriers are scared $h!less because their monopolies may be being starting to get broken.

i would really like to take my itunes music and videos on my phone though.

Edited October 8, 2009 by regfootball

[regfootball]

I have Virgin Mobile. Cheap but the coverage sucks.

I'm seriously considering getting an refurbished iPhone 3G. They really are the jack of all trades device, and I've been quite impressed with what they do. Just not fond of $70 /month for the cheapest plan.

right. that is the big problem. the cost. that becomes 130/35 bucks a month plus tax for two phones.

[pow]

I always have service with AT&T. I may not have the fastest data network, but I always have service. The only spotty are in canyons. One of my friends lves in Hacienda Heights, in a canyon between two tall hills. Obviously service there is going to be limited. I also know service is spotty along certain stretches of beach below the sea bluffs. Palos Verdes Dr. S, W, and N have some limited service areas, but again it is a function of topography.

Werd. I don't get service in, like, all of Rolling Hills with AT&T. Friends with Verizon don't have a problem.

[regfootball]

Verizon does have good service. I have AT&T now only becuase VZW doesn't have great coverage when out in the boonies of the FL panhandle and southern AL. The Alltel purchase may hopefully fix that soon. Their coverage was flawless when I lived in eastern IA, the best by far.

I did once use a "GoPhone" prepaid from AT&T back when they were Cingular. It worked great for calls and was cheap if you use few minutes a month. I gave up on the text however, they never seemed to be able to get mine to work outgoing reliably.

IIRC are you somewhere in IA? iWireless also used to have a postpaid $20/Mo. 100min. no-contract plan that I used for a few years there. Worked great if not a heavy user and can do without a nationwide plan.

live in the Mpls area which is well represented but travel a lot to ND and other plains type vacant areas.

[Croc]

Werd. I don't get service in, like, all of Rolling Hills with AT&T. Friends with Verizon don't have a problem.

How often are you in Rolling Hills? I thought you were up near the foothills most of the time? Some family just bought a bluff-top condo on the peninsula, near the PVE/Redondo Beach border.

One thing I've found that helps is to turn off the broadcasting, then turn it back on. The phone tends to pick up on the strongest signal better, instead of trying to hold onto the one it last had longer.

Edited October 8, 2009 by Croc

[Drew Dowdell]

For verizon ppl. If you're having signal trouble do a *228 snd and select "update roaming capability"

Frequently works for me on my work Blackberry, doesn't cost anything except the 40 seconds it takes to update.

[Robert Hall]

For verizon ppl. If you're having signal trouble do a *228 snd and select "update roaming capability"

Frequently works for me on my work Blackberry, doesn't cost anything except the 40 seconds it takes to update.

I do that when I'm out of town...find if I don't do it, the sound quality of the calls are horrible. Oddly, I've only noticed that I have to do this w/ the LG phone, never had to do it w/ the Motorolas I had previously on Verizon.

[Justin Bimmer]

the LG Migo is a kids phone that only has 4 pre-programed numbers in it plus 911. The kid can only call those 4 numbers and those same 4 numbers are the only ones that can call the phone. Also, the phone has GPS tracking in it.

[Drew Dowdell]

well i suspect apple realizes they created a monster with mobile devices and therefore i see apple not giving up without a huge fight.

to do so will require less cost and exposure on more networks.

i suspect apple is quietly in favor of this net neutrality being spoken about lately. because then, the platform and device become more important. the carriers are scared $h!less because their monopolies may be being starting to get broken.

i would really like to take my itunes music and videos on my phone though.

The MyTouch has user upgradeable memory and user replaceable battery on an open source platform supported by a company with a lot more money than Apple.

[Drew Dowdell]

I don't find the MyTouch to be compelling to upgrade... Its mostly like the G1, but without the physical keyboard... I like the physical keyboard. IMHO, the MyTouch needs a bigger screen if its going to double as a touch keyboard. Otherwise, I'd like the MyTouch a lot better if it had a slide out keyboard... in other words, a streamlined G1.

I'm thinking of it as an iPhone alternative. If you're already familiar with touch screen typing, the MyTouch will be a natural fit for you. That said, there are a bunch of reasons to go with a MyTouch over a G1.

[regfootball]

the LG Migo is a kids phone that only has 4 pre-programed numbers in it plus 911. The kid can only call those 4 numbers and those same 4 numbers are the only ones that can call the phone. Also, the phone has GPS tracking in it.

in other words it would be a perfect phone for my 6 year old. thanks for the tip.!

[regfootball]

The MyTouch has user upgradeable memory and user replaceable battery on an open source platform supported by a company with a lot more money than Apple.

yeah but what does the max memory come out too, and its OS is prob less efficient. by the time you pay for the phone and add memory later it costs more. and then you'd want a new phone anyways because technology keeps moving. good point on the battery however.

at least apple is BASED in US. LG?

iphone is really a true computer, a mini mac. you can even use it to control your home automation system in your house. it can be a remote for your itunes and apple devices in the house, probably for other devices as well through apps.

web browser with pinch and swipe etc is easy to use. glass screen looks a lot better than plastic.

problem is like all smartphones, its way too spendy.

[Lamar]

Oldsmoboi, I forgot all about the *228. I haven't done it in years, and not at all with the phone I currently have.

Let me do it now...

[Blake Noble]

Verizon bought out Cellular One in my area, so I'm getting a new phone to replace my already trashed Motorola RIZR, a Motorola RIVAL. Everything is effective next month. Here's to hoping Verizon isn't total garbage. Cell One had great texting plans, but coverage sort of sucked.

[Drew Dowdell]

yeah but what does the max memory come out too, and its OS is prob less efficient. by the time you pay for the phone and add memory later it costs more. and then you'd want a new phone anyways because technology keeps moving. good point on the battery however.

at least apple is BASED in US. LG?

iphone is really a true computer, a mini mac. you can even use it to control your home automation system in your house. it can be a remote for your itunes and apple devices in the house, probably for other devices as well through apps.

web browser with pinch and swipe etc is easy to use. glass screen looks a lot better than plastic.

problem is like all smartphones, its way too spendy.

The max memory is whatever the largest Micro SD card you can currently buy is... right now, that's 32gb... Android seemed to be pretty snappy for me when I was using it and I haven't read of any speed complaints. With android you can control your home automation and music....yes... there's an app for that. Android can be ported to run on x86 machines if you really wanted to. There are a few Android based netbooks on the way. The Android browser is a cut down version of Chrome.

Google is based in the U.S. also.

The 16gb iPhone 3Gs is $199 with 2 year contract. The 4 gig MyTouch 3G is $149 with 2 year contract + $35 for a 16gb microSD card. Seems pretty much like a wash to me. Oh.. and no need to buy the MobileMe plan from Apple if you want to sync your contacts and calendar wirelessly.

[CaddyXLR-V]

I really like the OS on the G1(it's based on Linux) I had a phone with windows mobile 6 before, and it's not even in the same class as the G1's OS. I'm not sure how it compares to the OS on the IPhone though.

[pow]

How often are you in Rolling Hills? I thought you were up near the foothills most of the time? Some family just bought a bluff-top condo on the peninsula, near the PVE/Redondo Beach border.

One thing I've found that helps is to turn off the broadcasting, then turn it back on. The phone tends to pick up on the strongest signal better, instead of trying to hold onto the one it last had longer.

I grew up in RPV but now go to school in LA (Eagle Rock). Often on weekends I visit my parents in the Peninsula and family in the South Bay in general.

Redondo is cool... in the summer, it's LBJs for calorie-laden Mexican food and then Ave I/Esplanade for the sun.

[fightingbee]

Google is based in the U.S. also.

I think the Google/T-Mobile phones so far have actually been made by HTC.

[tmp]

I also hear that west LA has AT&T issues.

It does. I have no signal at my place at all. If I want to make a cell call I have to walk over to Santa Monica Blvd.

[SAmadei]

I'm thinking of it as an iPhone alternative. If you're already familiar with touch screen typing, the MyTouch will be a natural fit for you. That said, there are a bunch of reasons to go with a MyTouch over a G1.

That list is comparing the early G1 to the MyTouch... most of those issues have been taken care of, and rooting the phone really is the only way to go to unlock the features.

As for the virtual/physical keyboard issue, I go both ways... I have the Storm and the G1... I just maintain that the current G1/MyTouch screen is too small for the virtual keyboard... too little space is left over when it comes up... the Storm suffers from this, as well, but to a lesser degree.

Of course, Google anything trumps Apple's IPhone.