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So my 3 year contract has finally ended with Telus and I am free to grab a new phone and to go to another provider. I'm mainly considering an android phone so I can pursue android development more seriously (much better than testing on a slow emulator). My question to TL is whether there are any android phones out there that stand out as being absolutely terrible / very good. It's hard to decide from website reviews as most phones are rated 4/5 overall and it would be nice if someone knowledgeable on mobile devices could give me more detail on what to look for when choosing a phone.
I'm also looking for a new provider and for those in Canada I'm considering smaller providers that provide cheaper / better services such as Mobilicity / Wind Mobile vs. the big ones like Rogers, Telus / Bell, etc. If anyone has experience with smaller providers that they could give me that would be really helpful too. The reason I'm considering smaller providers is because of the flexibility. I really don't want to get locked into a 3 year plan (and pay $55+ for a 1GB data plan or anything)
Also something to rant about: I still can't believe we have to pay for voice mail and callerID in Canada .. its ridiculous. Phone plans from big providers are designed to rip people off.
Thanks TL
edit: living in Ontario Toronto (4-8 months) / Waterloo rest of the year
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konadora
Singapore66170 Posts
Samsung Galaxy S 2
Motorola Droid Bionic
Samsung Galaxy Note
just three of the phones that instantly come to mind that have insanely good performance. Galaxy Note isn't out though, I think. It was only recently newly announced.
When you're looking for a smartphone/mobile device, there are several key things you have to take note of.
1) Hardware
2) Software (OS)
3) User interface
4) Stability and functionality
5) SPEED.
1) Phones nowadays come with over 1GHz of processing speed, generally over 500MB of RAM. These are the key specs you need to look for to ensure that your phone will survive beyond a year. My BlackBerry 9780 Bold has pretty shitty hardware and only after half a year, it's starting to fail. Lag, massively slow response time during not-so-intesive resource usage (Maybe two browser tabs + another app or two open), extremely slow reboots, etc.
Secondary priority is to look at stuff like display, keyboards (physical), touchscreen, buttons and layouts, etc. Basically anything to do with comfort and convenience. These aren't a must, but will definitely help in making the user experience a much more pleasant one. Technology like iPhone's Retina Display and BlackBerry's Liquid Graphics are such examples.
2) Software (OS) plays an important part. Mainly it's iOS and Android, with BlackBerry OS 6 and 7 and Windows Phone 7 (and Windows 8 for tablets soon) taking the other smaller chunks of the market. Since you're a developer, Android will definitely be the way to go, being open-source. It's also updated constantly, I think Ice Cream Sandwich version is coming out soon? Though it's more for tablets than smartphones. Look at which version of the Android OS the smartphone is using. Mainly it's between Froyo, Gingerbread and Honeycomb (for tablets), with Froyo being the oldest and Honeycomb being the latest.
3) User interface preference is honestly up to you. You can maybe go to nearby shops and try out the demos, or look at youtube videos to see how the interface is like. Personally, I love the BlackBerry phones' interface, OS and hardware-wise. :p
4) This is linked to point 1), so won't talk too much about it.
5) Also linked to point 1).
Service provider-wise, I can't help 
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I agree with the galaxy s 2. I have a galaxy S and have had no problems whatsoever and really enjoy it.
konadora seems to know what hes talking about ^^
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I love my iphone4 but I wish I waited for the Galaxy s2.
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Where are you in Canada and your habits determine what carrier you should go with.
Phone selection with Mobilicity is limited but if you don't ever leave the city, it's a good option to consider. In Toronto, the speed is extremely slow and coverage is sort of subpar. You'll have poor reception in most major buildings, underground, major malls, and there is absolutely no reception in the Path.
No experience with Wind Mobile but I've heard they're better on all accounts except for the phone selection which is about the same.
You've been with Telus for three years so I think you should consider calling retentions and negotiating for a better plan. Obviously, you'll be required to sign a new contract but you can get free voicemail and caller id, they'll probably throw in early evenings & weekends as well if you don't already have it, and than you can negotiate for whatever you want. But remember, be reasonable and polite...
Carriers charge for caller id because it's a feature people will always pay for but basically this is a free feature to anyone who's resigning with them so this is sort of a moot point. You just have to endure your first crappy contract and than it'll get slightly better. Switching carriers throws this all out the window btw so just take this into consideration.
You only really need a lot of data if you are tethering a notebook constantly or you don't have wifi. But who are we kidding, there's basically free wifi everywhere we go these days.
If you're getting an Android phone, you should root it because everything is just that much better. The Galaxy S2 has some problems with its stock rom (2.3.3) such as it getting too hot, short battery life, random reboot, and all the garbage crap that comes pre-installed. The 4.5" screen variant (Galaxy S II X or whatever the hell they decide to call it) is going to be available on Telus soon if this is the phone you want, this screen might be a little big but I don't know your preferences. The 4.3" Galaxy S II is already a little too big imo.
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Thanks for the advice everyone, I've decided that Mobilicity is off my list for now as they don't provide coverage in Waterloo which is where I attend University. So right now I'm strongly considering Wind as they provide the coverage I need (although if its slow / unreliable as skyR described Mobilicity I'm not sure if its worth it).
Wind does have a great $29 package right now that includes pretty much unlimited everything, but Samsung's Galaxy S2 (which you've all recommended and every website seems to say its the best phone out there right now) isn't compatible with their network.
I might just consider re-signing with Telus if they can give me caller ID / better package since that way I can get the Galaxy S2. On the other hand I think my other option right now is going with Wind and going with the HTC Sensation 4G (I really like their Sense UI).
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I know the Droid Bionic is not available in Canada but it defiantly is a great phone, but if you can get your hands on a Galaxy S 2 that is probably the highest end readily available smart phone at the moment.
Just as something to think about you might want to look into getting a Nexus phone, they come with stock android and are constantly being updated by google to the latest version of android it is a very developer friendly phone if that is one of your factors. I know for myself here in the states that when the new Nexus device comes out thats what ill be grabbing.
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Wind's $29 plan is only good for one year than you'll end up paying $40 or whatever the regular price is unless you switch to another promotional plan. Wind just expanded to Waterloo in like August so I highly doubt their coverage and reception in that area is any good in comparison to the big three... You could just get a loaner phone from Wind and test out the coverage / reception yourself and see if it satisfies you or not.
If you resign with Telus, you could get free caller id, unlimited early evenings & weekends, unlimited to ten numbers nationwide, unlimited text, 1gb or 6gb of data, and ~400 minutes for ~$50 - ~$60.
The Galaxy S2 is going to be on T-Mobile so it'll eventually make its way to Wind and Mobilicity since all three carriers use AWS.
Google Nexus S is another option as mentioned, it's not the fastest phone anymore but it's a very nice phone because of its pure Android experience (it's on 2.3.6 while the Galaxy S2 is still on 2.3.3 and most other phones are too, some other phones are on 2.3.4 and Galaxy S X is expected to launch with 2.3.4 I think).
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EPT
