Need a phone for emails

newmumincov

I've only got a basic phone, and have used a Tesco PAYG number for the last couple of years.

I'd find it very useful to be able to get my email through my phone but I'm really not interested in an iPhone etc., and I don't want an expensive contract.

Would a Blackberry be the best option for this? How would I get internet access - ideally I'd want both wifi and data connection (is this 3G right?). Can I get this on PAYG? If not, what are the best contracts for low volume?

Any suggestions would be most appreciated.

gas4you

I still think BB is best for email, but if you want a lot of internet then although BB will do it, I think other smartphones are better.

T_T_2

BB isn't a particularly cost-effective way of accessing email on the go. You might be best exploring the option of a phone that uses the android operating system. I know it gets recommended every other day but the Orange Sanfrancisco (ZTE Blade) would be ideal for this. You can pick up the phone for circa £100 delivered, you can unlock it for free and yes, as a smartphone you can sync it up to almost any email account and even multiple email accounts. It will also sync with your email accounts calendar if you so choose. It supports microsoft office documents inc word, pdf, excel.

newmumincov

Thanks for the replies - the san fransisco looks interesting.

Oh one other thing is battery life - I currently only have to charge my phone once or twice a week. How do blackberries compare? I know the big android phones need to be charged daily.

T_T_2

I'm afraid that any kind of smartphone or phone that relies heavily on an internet connection will have a relatively poor battery life. Battery technology simply hasn't kept up with phone technology.

Like you say, most android phones that are used extensively will need charging every day or two. It is a fairly similar story for Blackberries but the exact performance varies model to model. Take a look at gsmarena.com to take a look at the full specs of almost any phone, including battery performance.

Im_just_careful

The San Francisco is an excellent smartphone for the money but mine likes a charge every night.

For just e-mail some of the Nokias with small QWERTY keyboards might be what you want.

Check if your e-mail provider has a specific application for the phone.

Google has mail applications for a number of different phone platforms.

Yahoo has a nice application for Android and Nokia support many different e-mail accounts but this can take a bit of setting up.

I'm not sure there is a "right answer" but if you fancy a cheap smartphone you could do much worse than the San Francisco for the money.

Im_just_careful

As for data "contracts". T-Mobile on PAYG might be worth a look, £20 for data for 6 months.

http://www.t-mobile.co.uk/shop/mobile-phones/price-plans/pay-as-you-go/boosters/ and click on "Internet Boosters" and see "6 month Internet Booster"

Sadly, I couldn't see a decent offer from Tesco for PAYG data and personally I don't like phone contracts because of the potentially large liabilities.

If you make £10 of calls a month and T-Mobile doesn't have decent coverage where you want to use the phone another option is O2 (the same network as Tesco use I think) or Vodafone who both give "free" data for a £10 top up which lasts a month. This really only works if you need a £10 top up every month on average but I've used this to get some data in poor coverage areas.

starlight_xx

A BB is great for emails on the go and has good internet access. You can get them on PAYG if thats what youre looking for...Id highly recommend them

split_second

make sure the email service you desire is supported by your mobile network and that the handset is accredited too, if the network cant get internet connection on there then its a non starter for email, also if the service isnt supported it is the same story.

bb/android/iphone are all competant with email but it is personal choice at the end of the day, try the phones out first

Jake_Oswalt

Surfing on the BB is sad. If you just want to check emails it a good buy. Personally i would go with a cheap android.

gas4you

My BB Torch only needs charging every 2-3 days and this is using it for my business, emails and a lot of Internet activity.