Which Smart Phone on Orange?

out of contract on Orange at the moment and so looking at new phone options. I know the iphone is the current obvious choice, but I’m reluctant to leave orange, as I get a very good deal from them at the moment, along with free internet from them.

I’m guessing others must have had this dilemma. I’m assuming not everyone has jumped ship to O2. I was wondering which phone people opted for.

I need it primarily to be used as a phone, but would like to be able to surf the net as well. 3G or 3.5G. Reasonable camera would be handy, and largish clear screen. Not bothered about touchscreen- I’ve got an LG Viewty at the moment and the interface is poor compared to the iphone.

Looking at Blackberry Bold, Nokia 5800 (although looks like it might be a bit flimsy and gimmicky) or the Nokia E75.

Any other suggestions? Is it worth waiting a couple of months to see the new phones coming out? I’d like to try and avoid being stuck with a lemon for the next 18 months!

I’ve just got an E71 and love the fact I can have fring and gmail app running, and the phone, and it’s all ace in a way that wouldn’t work on an iphone.

Still need to sort the right data package.

GPS Sportstracker thing is very good too!

Everyone I know is moving over to the Nokia E71, it seems its the phone to have at the moment and three have a great offer on it. What I’d be doing is getting your current provider to match threes offer. if its what you want of course.

http://www.store-3.co.uk/3-three-nokia-e71-grey.html?id=011570000043&br=0&gclid=CKef3-G6wJoCFRWRZgodrH3Ksg

E71 was another I’d looked at, thanks for that Brant. Looks quite solidly built and not too brick-like.

I’ll have to find some time to pop into a phone shop. Always easier to see how sturdy they feel: if they look as if they’ll stand up to being thrown down the stairs by our 18 month old!

why not a N96? Not sure touch screen interface of 5800 is any better than veiwty

I was looking at the N96 but users report them ‘locking up’ a lot.
The Samsung innov8 looks good.

Eldest daughter has got a 5800 on contract on Orange and she loves it.

Youngest has a Viewty on 3 and frankly it’s cr@p.

I’ve got a 5800 on Vodafone and I think it’s miles better than the iphones I’ve now played with.

Looking at Blackberry Bold, Nokia 5800 (although looks like it might be a bit flimsy and gimmicky) or the Nokia E75.

I’ve dropped my 5800 at least once a week since I’ve had it, twice into water, and it has suffered no damage.

The carphonewarehouse (and http://www.mobiles.co.uk) can do the HTC Touch Diamond2 on Orange.
I’ve just got it on O2, even though O2 themselves don’t offer it.
It’s by far the best of the iphone pretenders – the only reason not to choose it (IMO) is if you don’t want to give up having a button-keypad (as it is touchscreen only).
It’s Windows Mobile 6.1 Pro, but you get v6.5 in a few months when it’s released.

The N96 isn’t enough of an improvement over the N95, and anyway it’s replacement the N97 is out in a month or so…

Blackberrys – make sure you actually test one instore so you know if you like it or not. The email & organiser functions don’t fit as well with Outlook, and I changed my mind about getting one after playing with one for a bit.

Oh and if you use http://www.mobiles.co.uk for your replacement, can you let me know as I have a referral link you can use (and i’ll cut you in on it 😉 )

got a blackberry curve on orange as an upgradeabout a week ago and its great – does everything i need

Don’t touch the Blackberry Storm. Vodafone have experience a 30% failure rate and now can hardly give them away.
The 5800 is very good for multimedia stuff but is not so good for more mail/applications type professional use.
If you wait until June/July you will probably be able to get the iphone on Orange
The HTC Touch Diamond 2 is meant to be very good, and the HTC Touch Pro is very good if you want a full keyboard. Both the HTC phones should be upgradable to Windows Mobile 6.5 when it is released in October which has much better usability and better battery life.

DONT TOUCH THE HTC TOUCH PRO PHONES.. We have them at work and they are the biggest pile of shonky sh1te any of us have ever used. Problems we have with them are –

Shockingly poor battery life
Constant Lockups
Rainbow screen of death
Touch screen failure
Doesn’t answer calls
Doesn’t hang up after calls.
Totally unintuitive UI
touch screen doesn’t de-activate during a call, so you end up cutting them off with your ear.

There are rumours of the iPhone coming to Orange, perhaps hang fire for a while?

I handed my HTC Touch back and refused to use it. Have a Nokia phone instead!

😆 I was just scrolling down to warn everyone off HTC, RooleyMoor got there first.

I had most of the above problems with my Touch Cruise. It then stopped picking up the network. It was sent off to HTC and returned after three weeks with the original fault intact, but the screen replaced! The new screen developed a fault, it was sent back and another month later they told me they wanted £55 to fix the phone. I have 17 handsets on a business contract so I usually get good customer service, HTC have been absolutely dire.

Now probably going for a Nokia, I just want something that works.

Managed to pop into a phone shop and have a quick look at the E71 and was really impressed. My only concern is that I’m guessing that I’ll use the phone as a phone and for general web browsing more than regular email. Might be better looking at one of the phones with a larger screen. Looked at the Nokia 8500 but it looks a little bulkier than I’d like. N96 looks good, but as it’s been superceded by the N97 (which I don’t think orange are offering as they dont like that it comes from Nokia Skype-equipped) I might leave that one.

Did have a quick play with an iphone and although a part of me would like not to follow the crowd, I have to admit it’s a superb interface, and does all I wan’t a phone to do very well indeed. The comments on the iphone becoming available on Orange. I know the new phone is our in the next couple of months and have heard rumours about apple having a clause to enable them to break their exclusivity deal with O2 after 2 years. Saying that, I’ve been hearing rumours like that for the past 12 months. Nothing’s happened yet!

Good to hear everyone’s experiences living with their phones though; thanks! Better than reading reviews when they’ve only had a play with the phone!

I have a E51, not a big screen, but good for email & being a phone, I was offered an Iphone for nothing as an ‘upgrade’, but not even with yours, horrid on the pocket 😉

Nokia 5800 Expressmusic!

I finally made my mind up & went for the N85, seems to have all the best bits of N96 but in a more compact package – early days yet but looking good so far.

*high fives phone buddy*

Where did you get it?

I’ve a Nokia 5800 and although I was initially skeptical about its usefulness for work the large amount of S60 compatible applications that can be downloaded for it, often for free, more than make up for its shortcomings ‘as brought’. Where it can’t be faulted out of the box are its multimedia handling abilities (my iPod has a layer of dust building nicely upon it) and it mapping/gps/sat nav abilities. I don’t bother with either my work-supplied Tom Tom nor my Garmin for sat nav as the Nokia 5800 comes with great mapping coverage and its very easy to use. I did look at iPhones but quite frankly they are bricks compared to the 5800 and they have very few really useful extras over the 5800.

I rang Orange with every intention of canceling but they matched the deal I could have got on O2 & gave me free landline calls + unlimited data + doubled my free minutes & texts, so I renewed with them.