Android phone or any 3G smartphone?

[tigercametotea]

I wonder if anyone can help me. I am thinking of upgrading my phone as I've been surviving on a basic 3G-capable mobile phone on PAYG for ages and just think it will be nice if my surfing experience on the phone could be enhanced as scrolling through screens and reading is a bit of a headache at the mo' and could be improved with a bigger screen and touchscreen capabilities, I imagine. I only use it for doing online shopping, going on forums and checking the news and weather, sometimes when I'm out I use the maps. Don't really care about camera quality and I never use my phone for listening/downloading to music and vids as I prefer to use pc and mp3 player for those.

Another thing is, I am currently on Vodafone and can survive on a £10 or £15 Freedom Freebee pack (inclusive of 50 MB or 100MB a month). If I switch to an Android phone will it mean it will end up using more data and I will have to be prepared to spend more per month on that? Vodafone's 3G reception is decent over here (often get maximum or near maximum reception) and I am not sure if I should change phone providers as a check on the ofcom site about the position of mobile phone masts in my area says that there are several 3G phone masts within 1 mile of my phone belonging to Orange, Vodafone, O2. Three and T-Mobile, so does that mean whoever I go with my reception will be fine??

[niceguy2]

Hi Tiger

I think you will end up using more data. The reason is that if you get a more modern smartphone then this will probably download more images. In addition, you'll be using it more so again more data.

As for reception, it's impossible to tell really as much will depend upon whats in between you and the masts. It might be a mile away but if there's a big hill inbetween you then your reception will be poor.

Normally I'd suggest sticking with what you know but Vodafone are pretty expensive nowadays and their customer service are the worst I've seen.

What's your budget and how many minutes/text do you use per month?

I think perhaps a basic starter phone like the HTC Wildfire S would suit you. Do you prefer a contract or continue on pay as you go?

[tigercametotea]

Hi niceguy2, yes I would prefer to stick with PAYG. I'm not sure about going with a contract because I probably won't use most of the text and call allowances and wonder if its worth it. I don't text a lot - probably about 50 texts a month on average and only make few calls on average - not more than 100 minutes most of the time, but I make the occasional overseas call lasting a few hours! I am considering the option of completely cancelling my landline, using just the mobile and something like Skype to make low-cost local calls and the occasional international call but I know my current mobile is not supported by Skype so will have to buy a smartphone to do that. Right now am on Virgin Media and pay £9+ a month on top of line rental for Talk Anywhere 200 minutes per month and hardly ever use up to that limit but when I do need it it costs much lesser than paying as I go.

I am prepared to pay up to £200 max upfront for a smartphone as long as it allows me to surf/browse forums, online shop, check news and weather, use the maps occasionally, use Facebook and check my emails. I'm not particularly interested in any particular OS though (I'm using a Nokia at the moment with Opera Mini) but am more attracted to Androids because of the availability of cheaper/free apps - however the downside seems to be battery life and higher data usage??

I live in an urban area with busy roads and old rows of houses not more than 3 stories high at most and its not a hilly area. Reception in my area doesn't seem to be too bad for most networks I'd imagine but I am tempted to just stick with what I've got and also my husband is on Vodafone through his work so he can't switch network providers.

[NetworkGuy]

Vodafone has their own Android budget phone ("Vodafone Smart" - in Asda for 70 pounds a week ago) so you could do worse than visit a Vodafone shop and see what it is like. Depends how often you'd use some of the features when away from home but if you have wi-fi then the data usage may be manageable.

Then again if you are considering cancelling homr phone and using a smartphone as primary means of contact you might be better off with Three as Skype is included on several of their phones and isn't counted against your data usage (even on PAYG). Data is generous too on their 15 quid a month tariff.

[tigercametotea]

Thanks NetworkGuy. I have just ordered a few free SIM cards from other network providers (including 3 mobile) and intend to try them out on my current phone to test their 3G reception before considering changing network providers.