Touch Screen Phone

[lennois]

I have not got a clue what you are on about OS this and OS that, maybe a touch complicated phone is not for me, looks, camara and easy of operation is all I want.

This is my point exactly, if you are looking for hardware then dont worry about symbian, android and all that. Look at the quality of the camera, sat nav, storage and looks etc.

Dont agree personally.. A smartphone is only as good as its apps..

For example you say look at its GPS.. How many GPS apps are there on symbian ?? With Thai maps ?? If you talk about iOS and Android you have 10's of options globally for mapping solutions.. Even here in Thailand you have multiples (tomtom, nDrive, etc) any minute now we expect to have the garmin app released on android.

The camera.. Can you load photoshop mobile onto symbian ??

With a smartphone its ALL about its expandability.. Its about customizing it for your needs and NOT being fixed with what the phone does out of the box, and to do that you need a large dev community and really that means currently android phones or Apple phones (win series 7 phones being an unknown at this stage).

I have nothing against conventional phones.. Nokia make some solid units.. As do Sony (I like their cybershots had 3 of them over the years) but once going to a smartphone then its all about the apps and expandability.

A smartphone is all about different things for different people tbh. A lot of people simply don't care about a lot of apps (myself included.)

Symbian has ovi maps which is the only decent offline worldwide sat nav available. It really is quite good. You can install google maps, garmin, or a host of others if you so desire. No need though. I have FREE built in nav in Thailand, NZ, Aus, England which i visit frequently. I don't have to buy different options for different countries.

App development is all QT now so apps are all compatible over s^3 and meego phones. Nokia have also thrown 10 million dollars into an app competition so expect the apps to explode.

For about 16K you get a global offline nav device, a camera which matches mid range point and shoot camera, with awesome hardware. The UI isn't as nice as competitors, and app store not as vast, but for 16K you are getting an awful lot.

Edited October 8, 2010 by lennois

[LivinLOS]

Symbian has ovi maps which is the only decent offline worldwide sat nav available. It really is quite good.

Garmin.. Tomtom.. NDrive.. Sygic.. CoPilot.. Google turn by turn (which you cant install on symbian with Thai maps). Theres 10's of them out there. Of course many wont run on that phone platform.

As you say, you dont care about apps.. So dont buy a smartphone.. Not everyone wants or needs a smartphone, in fact if you see my post I am saying if you dont need the power of one, get s dumb-phone and dont suffer the battery / price / etc disadvantages. But comparing dumb-phones and saying they can do everything just shows your not pushing the limits of what modern ones can do.

We have an online financial enterprise, we have coded an iOS app and will have a android one in the new year, these mobile clients are mission critical online banking type apps our logs show what hardware is connecting to our mobile site and symbian is a single digit %, its just yesterdays tech in the mobile internet field.

[Peterocket]

Garmin.. Tomtom.. NDrive.. Sygic.. CoPilot.. Google turn by turn (which you cant install on symbian with Thai maps). Theres 10's of them out there. Of course many wont run on that phone platform.

As you say, you dont care about apps.. So dont buy a smartphone.. Not everyone wants or needs a smartphone, in fact if you see my post I am saying if you dont need the power of one, get s dumb-phone and dont suffer the battery / price / etc disadvantages. But comparing dumb-phones and saying they can do everything just shows your not pushing the limits of what modern ones can do.

We have an online financial enterprise, we have coded an iOS app and will have a android one in the new year, these mobile clients are mission critical online banking type apps our logs show what hardware is connecting to our mobile site and symbian is a single digit %, its just yesterdays tech in the mobile internet field.

Garmin.. Tomtom.. NDrive.. Sygic.. CoPilot.. Google turn by turn...what good are any of tho's when you are doing a rainforest walk and have no signal, offshore or in a remote area, bet you love those roaming charges when you leave Thailand eh! In my opinion Nokia maps are the best available and for me personaly are a massive selling point for Nokia. I hate carrying a seperate camera, satnav and phone...

I doubt vey much Kenny wants to download mission critical online baking to his mobile but i do expect he would use a camera regularly and some of the other features like movies, maps, internet etc. Nearly all the new phones are now classed as smartphones so whether you use the software abilities or not doesnt really matter.

[kenny999]

Garmin.. Tomtom.. NDrive.. Sygic.. CoPilot.. Google turn by turn...what good are any of tho's when you are doing a rainforest walk and have no signal, offshore or in a remote area, bet you love those roaming charges when you leave Thailand eh! In my opinion Nokia maps are the best available and for me personaly are a massive selling point for Nokia. I hate carrying a seperate camera, satnav and phone...

I doubt vey much Kenny wants to download mission critical online baking to his mobile but i do expect he would use a camera regularly and some of the other features like movies, maps, internet etc. Nearly all the new phones are now classed as smartphones so whether you use the software abilities or not doesnt really matter.

When I started this thread I did not think I would be dealing with a few brains of britain, no I do not want to download critical information and yes I would like a good camara,maps maybe email etc, to me it will be mostly a new toy to play with so please just keep the info simple, many thanks for all the people that have tried to do just that so far.

[madmitch]

I have been watching this thread with interest as I am also interested in buying a touchscreen phone, mainly for internet use without having to carry a laptop everywhere.

I'm pretty sure I'll get either an HTC Desire or Samsung Galaxy 3 but, without a proper 3G network in Thailand, my question is, should I wait until 3G is sorted and continue with my scruffy but still functional old-fashioned Samsung, at which time the aforementioned models will have come down in price and/or they'll have been replaced with even better models?

I don't want it as a toy, nor to show off, but for functional business reasons, and that's why, unless anyone can give me a good reason not to, I will probably wait.

[Samuian]

Dont agree personally.. A smartphone is only as good as its apps..

For example you say look at its GPS.. How many GPS apps are there on symbian ?? With Thai maps ?? If you talk about iOS and Android you have 10's of options globally for mapping solutions.. Even here in Thailand you have multiples (tomtom, nDrive, etc) any minute now we expect to have the garmin app released on android.

The camera.. Can you load photoshop mobile onto symbian ??

With a smartphone its ALL about its expandability.. Its about customizing it for your needs and NOT being fixed with what the phone does out of the box, and to do that you need a large dev community and really that means currently android phones or Apple phones (win series 7 phones being an unknown at this stage).

I have nothing against conventional phones.. Nokia make some solid units.. As do Sony (I like their cybershots had 3 of them over the years) but once going to a smartphone then its all about the apps and expandability.

Agreed, BUT since when does one by a car only because the build in kitchen has microwave oven creating it's own dishes and autopilot?

[kenny999]

Agreed, BUT since when does one by a car only because the build in kitchen has microwave oven creating it's own dishes and autopilot?

Car built in kitchen, Microwave autopilot what !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[iSabai]

I have been watching this thread with interest as I am also interested in buying a touchscreen phone, mainly for internet use without having to carry a laptop everywhere.

I'm pretty sure I'll get either an HTC Desire or Samsung Galaxy 3 but, without a proper 3G network in Thailand, my question is, should I wait until 3G is sorted and continue with my scruffy but still functional old-fashioned Samsung, at which time the aforementioned models will have come down in price and/or they'll have been replaced with even better models?

I don't want it as a toy, nor to show off, but for functional business reasons, and that's why, unless anyone can give me a good reason not to, I will probably wait.

The way things get done in this country, you may be waiting a looooong time!

[steelepulse]

So what speeds are the smartphones connecting to the internet here in Thailand? For the OP, I don't believe they connect any faster than one of the old dumb phones using gprs, but then again I use my phone for just that, makes calls and sending msgs.

[lennois]

Symbian has ovi maps which is the only decent offline worldwide sat nav available. It really is quite good.

Garmin.. Tomtom.. NDrive.. Sygic.. CoPilot.. Google turn by turn (which you cant install on symbian with Thai maps). Theres 10's of them out there. Of course many wont run on that phone platform.

As you say, you dont care about apps.. So dont buy a smartphone.. Not everyone wants or needs a smartphone, in fact if you see my post I am saying if you dont need the power of one, get s dumb-phone and dont suffer the battery / price / etc disadvantages. But comparing dumb-phones and saying they can do everything just shows your not pushing the limits of what modern ones can do.

We have an online financial enterprise, we have coded an iOS app and will have a android one in the new year, these mobile clients are mission critical online banking type apps our logs show what hardware is connecting to our mobile site and symbian is a single digit %, its just yesterdays tech in the mobile internet field.

OK, I should have said only one that is FREE WORLDWIDE. Yeah great, I can buy sygic and use it in SEA. Buy another one/more maps when I go back down under. Buy another/more maps when i head to England. No thanks - if you are a world traveller then ovi maps just isn't going to be beat (unless you have plenty of cash to burn I guess.) If google make their maps offline then I will make the jump to android, but if they wanted to, they would have already.

Most apps are bought, used for a day, then quickly forgotten about. There are of course apps that symbian have which android doesn't - a native skype client for one, and garmin runs on symbian.

Don't forget symbian still has by far the largest market share of smartphones and now the development environment is nice (QT) I expect the app store to take off.

But yeah, overall if you need tonnes of apps that symbian doesn't offer or care about how pretty your UI is, don't buy a nokia. Make no mistake though, the N8 is going to sell like hotcakes.

Edited October 9, 2010 by lennois

[LivinLOS]

Garmin.. Tomtom.. NDrive.. Sygic.. CoPilot.. Google turn by turn (which you cant install on symbian with Thai maps). Theres 10's of them out there. Of course many wont run on that phone platform.

As you say, you dont care about apps.. So dont buy a smartphone.. Not everyone wants or needs a smartphone, in fact if you see my post I am saying if you dont need the power of one, get s dumb-phone and dont suffer the battery / price / etc disadvantages. But comparing dumb-phones and saying they can do everything just shows your not pushing the limits of what modern ones can do.

We have an online financial enterprise, we have coded an iOS app and will have a android one in the new year, these mobile clients are mission critical online banking type apps our logs show what hardware is connecting to our mobile site and symbian is a single digit %, its just yesterdays tech in the mobile internet field.

Garmin.. Tomtom.. NDrive.. Sygic.. CoPilot.. Google turn by turn...what good are any of tho's when you are doing a rainforest walk and have no signal, offshore or in a remote area, bet you love those roaming charges when you leave Thailand eh! In my opinion Nokia maps are the best available and for me personaly are a massive selling point for Nokia. I hate carrying a seperate camera, satnav and phone...

Its becoming obvious you have never used them.. Those systems have maps per country loaded on the phone !! Not over data.. And if you think Nokia maps has the same level of details as these worldwide again your showing you havent used them.. Garmin europe is a few Gig alone.. Worldwide it would be more memory than the phone has.

I have NDrive and the Thai maps running in my android phone.. Tomtom is great on the iPhone.. Eaaglerly waiting garmin to drop the android app.

All WITHOUT data access (which you have anyway).

Edited October 9, 2010 by LivinLOS

[LivinLOS]

OK, I should have said only one that is FREE WORLDWIDE. Yeah great, I can buy sygic and use it in SEA. Buy another one/more maps when I go back down under. Buy another/more maps when i head to England. No thanks - if you are a world traveller then ovi maps just isn't going to be beat (unless you have plenty of cash to burn I guess.) If google make their maps offline then I will make the jump to android, but if they wanted to, they would have already.

Whats the 'use offline' problem you have ?? Isnt that the whole good side of a smartphone ?? They are overkill if you dont have data..

I take a picture and its in my picasa drop box online, my email pings when I get one.. I add something to my calender and its there on my google calender, all synced in real time, as it should be thats the most basic. But its the elegant stuff like I add a phone number and there they are in my online google contacts, if I have their email it then checks facebook, finds their profile pic, adds it to the google profile (and changes it when they do) so I have all their pics in the phone book and one click access to their facebook profile and updates. The N97 had nothing like this level of integration and 'finish'.

I can turn on google googles augmented reality take a photo of many languages and it OCR's the text, and gives me the english translation.. Struggling with a menu when travelling.. Camera, click, ohh thats what it means !! Does Nokia do that ??

Check the video http://techland.com/2010/05/06/exclusive-google-goggles-translate-in-action/

Do you use Paypal ?? Andriod and iPhone (and Blackberry) payment apps make mobile payments easy.. Not for Nokia tho..

Google finance portfolios all updates live (and with latest android update all the flash charting works great) its just a case of and.. and.. and.. and.. You can go on and on about they do, just crazy out there stuff from flying a RC helicoptor

to being the keyless operation of a scooter

http://www.fastcompany.com/1690774/bmw-mini-scooter-ev-concept

To remote control of google TV or other smarthome features.. I know these are crazy things, but the point is, do you see people doing crazy things with Nokias ?? No ones using the symbian OS to push the envelope, its a gen behind now.

Most apps are bought, used for a day, then quickly forgotten about. There are of course apps that symbian have which android doesn't - a native skype client for one, and garmin runs on symbian.

Again wrong.. Skype on android on my phone.. Best mobile skype client also.. Garmin has also moved to android development if you follow the tech news..

Maybe with nokia apps you get them use them for a day and forget about them.. I have loads I use all the time, its the apps that make the phone.

Don't forget symbian still has by far the largest market share of smartphones and now the development environment is nice (QT) I expect the app store to take off.

They have the legacy users.. Look at developer surveys about what they are developing for now and what they are planning to develop for.. iPhone and Android.. Nokia is way at the bottom.

But yeah, overall if you need tonnes of apps that symbian doesn't offer or care about how pretty your UI is, don't buy a nokia. Make no mistake though, the N8 is going to sell like hotcakes.

I used a N97 (flagship phone) for a while, big clunky thing, with hardly any real power in the apps or depth of them.. Nokia is still a 'phone' whereas the new gen of smartphones are pocket communication computers that can also call. The things these little devices can do these days is just incredible..

The N8.. The new flagship is only 320x640 !! Just shows how far behind they are that even thier soon to be released HOT item is already so far behind the curve.. Google nexus one (already old and not in production) is 800x480.. So in landscape gives a very acceptable web experience.. The iPhone4 is 960x640 just a generation ahead of nokia before the N8 is even out !! Anything less than 800w gets funky with websites as they are not coded for such low rez.

For a long time I avoided going to a full apps running smartphone, figured I didnt need it, a phone was a phone, mine took pics and could play MP3s.. Dont know why I waited so long.. The new stuff I keep discovering every few days online, ways in which it saves me time are just shocking. And thats in Thailand where things are low tech and not geared for it.

I maintain.. You want a smartphone / mobile computer get android or iPhone.. Want a phone that does some other stuff get a nokia or Sony Ericson.

Edited October 9, 2010 by LivinLOS

[lennois]

OK, I should have said only one that is FREE WORLDWIDE. Yeah great, I can buy sygic and use it in SEA. Buy another one/more maps when I go back down under. Buy another/more maps when i head to England. No thanks - if you are a world traveller then ovi maps just isn't going to be beat (unless you have plenty of cash to burn I guess.) If google make their maps offline then I will make the jump to android, but if they wanted to, they would have already.

Whats the 'use offline' problem you have ?? Isnt that the whole good side of a smartphone ?? They are overkill if you dont have data..

...

Google should be paying you chap.

Offline maps are important because no one wants to get stung with large roaming charges when they are travelling. It is one of the most asked for features for google maps but it isn't going to happen. Yes, garmin etc have offline maps but it is gonna get expensive very quickly if you travel worldwide.

Yes, I see android has just got skype. Symbian has had it for ages...

Screen res isn't that important on such a small screen tbh. No one had any issues with browsing on a 3GS with a 480x320 res, but now suddenly they up the res and that's all that matters.. And small correction - the n8 res is 640 x 360. Wouldn't want you cutting pixels off now would we.

I would say the n8 is a flagship multimedia phone - and it does this aspect better than most all. Competing for the hardcore mobile computer user isn't really it's goal - The n9 coming in a few months running meego will be doing that, and currently the n900 is.

I don't even disagree with most of what you write. Android/iphone are better for apps and UI. N8 is a camera phone with sweet hardware for 2/3 the price of iphone or galaxy S with plenty of good apps of it's own (and all the important ones I can think of.) Both have their markets. However, I don't see the op firing up his android phone to fly his helicopter, do you?

Edited October 9, 2010 by lennois

[Peterocket]

Google should be paying you chap.

Offline maps are important because no one wants to get stung with large roaming charges when they are travelling. It is one of the most asked for features for google maps but it isn't going to happen. Yes, garmin etc have offline maps but it is gonna get expensive very quickly if you travel worldwide.

Yes, I see android has just got skype. Symbian has had it for ages...

Screen res isn't that important on such a small screen tbh. No one had any issues with browsing on a 3GS with a 480x320 res, but now suddenly they up the res and that's all that matters.. And small correction - the n8 res is 640 x 360. Wouldn't want you cutting pixels off now would we.

I would say the n8 is a flagship multimedia phone - and it does this aspect better than most all. Competing for the hardcore mobile computer user isn't really it's goal - The n9 coming in a few months running meego will be doing that, and currently the n900 is.

I don't even disagree with most of what you write. Android/iphone are better for apps and UI. N8 is a camera phone with sweet hardware for 2/3 the price of iphone or galaxy S with plenty of good apps of it's own (and all the important ones I can think of.) Both have their markets. However, I don't see the op firing up his android phone to fly his helicopter, do you?

Yep I completely agree...

Plus the fact that the OP has already stated he isnt interested in the OS or apps. Plus Apple are years behind with their hardware in my opinion, their newest must have model still only has a 5 megapixel camera and costs almost double the price, a joke if you ask me...

[Maestro]

From the OP, by kenny999:

Never had a touch screen phone so any advice on the best one to get, Have seen Iphone 4 but much to expensive for me, so any other phones around the 10,000 bht mark.

The best touch-screen phone probably will cost more than 10,000 Baht, so let's assume Kenny is looking for the best at a price of maximum 15,000 Baht.

"Best" is relative, based on what Kenny wants to use it for. At one point he said his priorities were phone calls, camera, MP3. Later he mentioned that he also likes maps, GPS, email. As he said, he is new to smartphones and reading between the lines I gather he is open to experimenting with just about any function a smartphone within his desired price range will offer. He will need explanations in a language that is not too technical.

The short battery life on smartphones has been mentioned. This is particularly true when a GPS application is running, when lots of data are downloaded (eg Google Maps, web browsing), photos are viewed, music is played, etc. In stand-by mode, without power-hungry applications running in the background, my phone running on the Android operating system still shows 95% battery power in the morning, eg after eight hours. On the other hand, after reading a couple of newspapers the battery level is often down to 60% within a short time. When I am out with with the GPS application MyTracks running, the battery lasts about four hours only, even with the screen off most of the time.

The qualities and usefulness of various brands of off-line maps have been mentioned. Once Kenny has his smartphone, it will be a good idea for him to read the ThaiVisa forum "Thailand Maps, GPS Placemarks" and ask questions there relative to his brand and model of phone.