iphone or android? smartphone and/or tablet?

PurpleBee_2

I currently have a 5230 Nokia and my contract with T mobile is coming to an end. I need to decide what to get next but know very little about these tech things and don't want to make the wrong decision and be stuck with high costs for a spec I don't really need.

My needs are:
- need constant access to internet on the go to check email and information about local area, websites, news etc
- moving home and will spend more time communting and therefore checking emails and reading work and leisure related websites and documents
- Reading and responding to emails, including attachments, and doing some work if possible eg write notes/documents
- use reminders/organise my diary
- maps/find places and local amenities
- use some apps for efficiency
- download some apps, games or videos for professional reasons (I work in marketing and need see what others are doing and what customers are downloading, mainly apps wise), but limited use, more apps and podcasts than anything else
- check and respond to social media, but again I'm not a heavy user, just for perofessional purposes
- I can use a mp3 for music so not bothered about that; but radio would be nice
- make very few calls usually 100/200 minutes/month and not big on texting, skype would be great
- need to be able to take photos and video but no need to be top spec

I don't want to pay over the odds for technology or benefits I don't really need. For example, do I really need unlimited downloads? 0r would 500MG suffice? Is 8G enough? Should I get an android phone and or an iphone? Which model? What else should I be looking at??

Should I get an android phone and then an Ipad or an Iphone and a non apple tablet, or just Apple products? Or just an android phone?

I'm mostly interested in the right products/spec/package suitable for my needs and then I can find the right deals but any tips are welcome.

Cheers!

grumbler

Everything except, probably, "documents and attachments" can be easily done on a smartphone, but you'll find it more comfortable to do on a tablet. Samsung Galaxy Note is a compromise: a big phone or a small tablet.

iPhone - only if you have some extra money to waste (IMHO).

500Mb is likely to suffice for browsing, e-mails and google maps. For streaming and downloading (including really big attachments) you need more.

Phil3822

I would go Android. Either Samsung Galazy S2 or HTC Sensation XE. I use my HTC desire to read basic PDF's etc and the two phones I mentioned have bigger screens than mine. Only thing the Iphone has is a higher price tag IMO.

500mb is plenty for regular surfacing needs. I would not go any more unless you want to do extra as suggested by the above post.

custardy

as said,a smartphone can do it all
its really personal preference
nobody can tell you what fits you

Im_just_careful

I've tried both. I had (and still have) a cheap PAYG android phone.

I got frustrated with Android compared with the iPod touch we have in the family and so I went for the £15 a month T Mobile iPhone 3GS offer.

The issues with the Android were that it came with lots of "operator rubbish" and tended to be laggy. Having said that it was a cheap smartphone. Then it ran out of application memory (there was loads of room on the SD card but the version of Android (2.1) it had didn't support apps on the SD card).

All in all it wasn't good enough to spend money on a higher spec phone (which would have solved the laggyness).

I considered a Nokia N8 (I actually quite like Nokia phones) but the T Mobile deal on the iPhone was just what I wanted.

http://www.t-mobile.co.uk/shop/pay-monthly/iphone-3gs-8gb-black/mobile-tariffs/

This may not suit you (I made 4 minutes of calls last month and I tried quite hard !) but for me the bundled data and overall deal was fantastic.

I've decided to stick with the phone firmware as supplied on the iPhone as I've heard that can be laggy with iOS 5.

Once my PAYG data deal on the Android has run out (I had the T-Mobile £20 for 6 month data deal) I'll use the Android at home and when traveling using my Vodafone PAYG SIM..

For others the relative freedom of Android may be more important.

custardy

Im_just_careful wrote: »

I've tried both. I had (and still have) a cheap PAYG android phone.

I got frustrated with Android compared with the iPod touch we have in the family and so I went for the £15 a month T Mobile iPhone 3GS offer.

The issues with the Android were that it came with lots of "operator rubbish" and tended to be laggy. Having said that it was a cheap smartphone. Then it ran out of application memory (there was loads of room on the SD card but the version of Android (2.1) it had didn't support apps on the SD card).

All in all it wasn't good enough to spend money on a higher spec phone (which would have solved the laggyness).

I considered a Nokia N8 (I actually quite like Nokia phones) but the T Mobile deal on the iPhone was just what I wanted.

http://www.t-mobile.co.uk/shop/pay-monthly/iphone-3gs-8gb-black/mobile-tariffs/

This may not suit you (I made 4 minutes of calls last month and I tried quite hard !) but for me the bundled data and overall deal was fantastic.

I've decided to stick with the phone firmware as supplied on the iPhone as I've heard that can be laggy with iOS 5.

Once my PAYG data deal on the Android has run out (I had the T-Mobile £20 for 6 month data deal) I'll use the Android at home and when traveling using my Vodafone PAYG SIM..

For others the relative freedom of Android may be more important.

I don't think a cheap sim locked Android handset vs an Ipod vs an Iphone is a realistic comparison

Cash-Strapped.T32

Cheap laptop or netbook running XP, hooked up to a cheap 3g handset & a tethering package? Anyone? Gotta be miles cheaper than top-third tier phone of any brand/OS & more effective for the things the OP would actually find useful (realistic browsing, and document handling).

custardy

Cash-Strapped.T32 wrote: »

Cheap laptop or netbook running XP, hooked up to a cheap 3g handset & a tethering package? Anyone? Gotta be miles cheaper than top-third tier phone of any brand/OS & more effective for the things the OP would actually find useful (realistic browsing, and document handling).

well that depends what the OP wants
you can get an HTC evo 3G for £250 sim free,so it doesnt have to be a £400+ handset
Im assuming the OP asked about phones/tablets as they decided that suits them?

PurpleBee_2

Thanks for all the replies so far, was not expecting such prompt responses.

What does OP and tethering package mean?

FYI I have not decided I necessarily need a tablet as well as a smartphone. I'm looking at all options to see what's most suitable for my needs. When I posted the orginal message I was wondering if I'd need a tablet as well, perhaps at a later stage, if it becomes evident that a smartphone does not fit the work emails and documents side of things.

custardy

PurpleBee wrote: »

Thanks for all the replies so far, was not expecting such prompt responses.

What does OP and tethering package mean?

FYI I have not decided I necessarily need a tablet as well as a smartphone. I'm looking at all options to see what's most suitable for my needs. When I posted the orginal message I was wondering if I'd need a tablet as well, perhaps at a later stage, if it becomes evident that a smartphone does not fit the work emails and documents side of things.

original poster AKA you!
tethering means using the phones internet for access via a laptop or whatever
if you arent decided then you need to
folks can only give you opinionsand options
end of the day you have to make the call
theres a gazzilion options and combinations

thegoodman

PurpleBee wrote: »

I currently have a 5230 Nokia and my contract with T mobile is coming to an end. I need to decide what to get next but know very little about these tech things and don't want to make the wrong decision and be stuck with high costs for a spec I don't really need.

My needs are:
- need constant access to internet on the go to check email and information about local area, websites, news etc
- moving home and will spend more time communting and therefore checking emails and reading work and leisure related websites and documents
- Reading and responding to emails, including attachments, and doing some work if possible eg write notes/documents
- use reminders/organise my diary
- maps/find places and local amenities
- use some apps for efficiency
- download some apps, games or videos for professional reasons (I work in marketing and need see what others are doing and what customers are downloading, mainly apps wise), but limited use, more apps and podcasts than anything else
- check and respond to social media, but again I'm not a heavy user, just for perofessional purposes
- I can use a mp3 for music so not bothered about that; but radio would be nice
- make very few calls usually 100/200 minutes/month and not big on texting, skype would be great
- need to be able to take photos and video but no need to be top spec

I don't want to pay over the odds for technology or benefits I don't really need. For example, do I really need unlimited downloads? 0r would 500MG suffice? Is 8G enough? Should I get an android phone and or an iphone? Which model? What else should I be looking at??

Should I get an android phone and then an Ipad or an Iphone and a non apple tablet, or just Apple products? Or just an android phone?

I'm mostly interested in the right products/spec/package suitable for my needs and then I can find the right deals but any tips are welcome.

Cheers!

If I was you I would stick to Apple proudct for your need.
The Google Android is going through the changes mainly to do with the Terms where your Android Phone & Tablet might get taken over with adverts because all terms are linked. Your use of Google proudcts such as Youtube, Gmail, Google+ can be used to target adverts on your Android phone and tablet. Also the purchase of Motorola by Google, is Google is going to focus on Motorola more than others?

The htc is already planning to reduce Android devices:
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2142019/htc-cut-smartphone-portfolio

The Samsung is also planning to reduce the focus on Android devices:
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/cbafe26c-4026-11e1-82f6-00144feab49a.html#axzz1kqDXEvnC

If you are still thinking of getting an Android device I will wait to see where other manufactures are with Android devices.

It seem the Google also like to go iphone way and focus devices via Motorola (purchased by Google).

Where else with the Apple products you know what you are buying and updates etc are much easy to get. YOu would not get problem like this app only work with 4in screen or only with this OS version, very common with Android devices.