What are the best deals out there? Has anyone recently gotten a new phone what did you get and how much did you pay. I dont need the latest and greatest top of the line phone.
i’m going to get the HTC chacha in black, its a really cool phone and around 8200NT incl. shipping from HK as they only have it in white in Taiwan. I like the qwerty keyboard and deep facebook integration. It also comes with the newest android version 2.3.4 and has touch,wifi,gps and everything else and is quite handy.
My wife recently got an HTC Sensation (yes, the latest and the greatest) from Chunghwa/Senao, and it was basically a bit over $8,000 with the two-year contract discount. The monthly plan is $1,363 (or something similar), whereby it’s $775 for unlimited data and $588 for the talk time. We had to pay about $18,000 up front (with the monthly fee being deducted from the up-front monies until it runs out), because they’re scared of people signing a contract, getting the phone for cheaper and then running off.
Damn it! It’s cheaper now: senao.com.tw/pdtClass1.aspx?cid=7
If you sign up for a $1,349/month contract, you get the HTC Sensation for $4,990. It’s an amazing phone.
Anyone else get a smart phone lately ? I am not looking for any advanced smart phone information here just
How much per month ? How long is the contract? How much extra for the phone ?
I recently got a Samsung Galaxy Ace GT-s5830 from My Phone. The phone comes free with almost all the 2 year contracts that include unlimited internet use. I pay something like NT1200 per month. It’s not the latest phone (released Feb this year I think), but has a good camera. Anyways read the reviews.
That looks like an ok deal thanks . The phone looks great although I read that it doesn’t support flash. I dont know if this is a big problem or not. ?
Anyone else out there ? Any recommendations ?
keep it simple for technology impaired people like me. Price of phone? Term? Cost per month? Are you happy with it?
I am also thinking about getting a smart phone. I think the Galaxy S2 is good, but is it worth it to wait for the iPhone4S and Nexus to come out in Taiwan? Will the price for the Galaxy S2 drop when the other 2 phones come out?
Can I ask do people think it worthwhile to spend another NT1200-400 for a cell phone when presumably you already have internet at home and a phone? Are you out all time that you need this devise and service?
This is not a rant against technology. I am genuinely wondering. Everytime I think about getting a smart phone I wonder how it would be worth it. I work at home which may make my situation different from yours. The only time I would need such a phone is when I travel but then I would have to use a local plan anyway which means doubling up on payments (paying here while abroad).
Appreciate all feedback. Either I am missing something or my work and lifestyle makes buying a smart phone plan a waste.
Hi Mucha,
I agree with you, and have always asked myself the same Q “is it worth it”. I have never owned a smartphone but i have recently wanted one for a few reasons, most of the reasons are not really “NEEDED” but more like a WANT. My main purposes are:
- I go biking around Taiwan, so apps like maps, navigation will be useful for me. I also dont own a camera, and whenever i come across beautiful scenery i would like to take a shot.
- Having ability to tether my laptop can come in handy at times
- Translation/Chinese learning tools.
- Social - keeping up to date with emails, facebook etc.
- Games - keep me from getting bored while on the MRT
- Music - dont need to carry a mp3 player around anymore
I think it comes down to each person and what you need/want the smartphone for.
So anyone else recently get a phone ?
[quote=“Mucha Man”]Can I ask do people think it worthwhile to spend another NT1200-400 for a cell phone when presumably you already have internet at home and a phone? Are you out all time that you need this devise and service?
This is not a rant against technology. I am genuinely wondering. Everytime I think about getting a smart phone I wonder how it would be worth it. I work at home which may make my situation different from yours. The only time I would need such a phone is when I travel but then I would have to use a local plan anyway which means doubling up on payments (paying here while abroad).
Appreciate all feedback. Either I am missing something or my work and lifestyle makes buying a smart phone plan a waste.[/quote]
My attitude was initially the same. Paying ~1000NT for Internet at home and then another ~1600NT for Internet for my phone seems wasteful. My wife ended giving me a budget LG Android phone as a gift. 4000NT for the phone and 300NT/month for voice but no data. I have a wi-fi router set up both in my house and at work, so connecting to the Internet isn’t too much of a hassle. But having a Chinese dictionary, flashcard program, crossword puzzle app, Facebook, Google Reader, GPS unit with offline maps and bicycle route mapper, and web browser on me at all times is pretty indispensable. When I get around to upgrading, I might just outright buy an iPhone (maybe iPhone 4 units will come down in price once the 4S hits?) and keep my voice-only plan.
anyone else just get a new cell phone plan out there ? My I am going next week sometime.
look here for how to evaluate this for yourself:
[quote=“Mucha Man”]Can I ask do people think it worthwhile to spend another NT1200-400 for a cell phone when presumably you already have internet at home and a phone? Are you out all time that you need this devise and service?
This is not a rant against technology. I am genuinely wondering. Everytime I think about getting a smart phone I wonder how it would be worth it. I work at home which may make my situation different from yours. The only time I would need such a phone is when I travel but then I would have to use a local plan anyway which means doubling up on payments (paying here while abroad).
Appreciate all feedback. Either I am missing something or my work and lifestyle makes buying a smart phone plan a waste.[/quote]
This is primarily a lifestyle thing. You have to view a smartphone not as a phone, but as basically a full featured computer that fits in your pocket, knows where it is, is always connected to the internet, and happens to also make phone calls.
The smartphone has the (I feel) desirable property of condensing a whole bunch of disparate devices and things into one. It simultaneously minimizes and simplifies things while being an exceptional enabler. It’s a web device, photo camera, video camera, video conferencing machine, book reader, compass & GPS, game machine, music jukebox and whatever else an app can make it (eg: pocket (almost) universal translator, currency converter, banking machine, weather forecaster, pedometer, airline boarding pass, 3d scanner, panoramic picture taker, etc. etc. etc.) combined into one tiny box, available to you whenever and wherever.
This means the desk is no longer binding. As Timothy Ferriss professed, the whole world is your desk with one of these. While I have been known to be a bit overly evangelistic, I think anyone who has made the leap will agree with the simplification and untethered freedom the smartphone affords them.
[quote=“mabagal”]…The smartphone has the (I feel) desirable property of condensing a whole bunch of disparate devices and things into one. It simultaneously minimizes and simplifies things while being an exceptional e nabler. It’s a web device, photo camera, video camera, video conferencing machine, book reader, compass & GPS, game machine, music jukebox and whatever else an app can make it (eg: pocket (almost) universal translator, currency converter, banking machine, weather forecaster, pedometer, airline boarding pass, 3d scanner, panoramic picture taker, etc. etc. etc.) combined into one tiny box, available to you whenever and wherever.
[/quote]
But that’s the whole issue for me. You speak of an improved lifestyle with these things, but a smartphone just isn’t any good at a heap of activities that are very important to me.
No one who cares about good photographs for example will use one for taking pics. So for work purposes I still have to carry a proper slr around if I want to sell anything (or have decent pics I can print and hang on my wall).
Same with using one as an e-reader. Yeah it’s better than nothing but compared to a Kindle there is no contest which is better.
It works well as an music player and the gps function is alright. I don’t play games and apps are time wasters even if a few are cool (such as star charts).
In essence these devices do a few things well, and they do enough things reasonably well they seem like they simplify your life. But you don’t address the cost issue which is at the heart of my inquiry.
Why would I pay for an inferior experience in a lot of activities that mean a lot to me? That’s just weird.
Anyway, thanks everyone for all the feedback. I am going to get one but only for travel when the convenience of not having to carry multiple devices outweighs the poor performance of any individual feature on a smartphone.
While the smartphone will never be a dedicated SLR, the improved workflows make it an overall better point-n-shoot than pretty much any point-n-shoot. And therein is the difference. Most people don’t need the absolute last iota of performance but prefer instead the convenience of carrying all of this in your pocket and of far improved workflows from the norm. Workflows that are actually IMPOSSIBLE without specifically, a smartphone. This is even more true as the cloud becomes more and more real and as location based services become more and more ubiquitous.
Your priorities are your priorities, and since you say they don’t align, then we will never convince you. So, why do you bother to ask? It’s clear that you were just looking for a platform to further bad mouth how apparently useless a smartphone is. Fair enough. I’ll simply stop indulging you.
I still don’t see the need for a smart phone. I can’t use it while I’m teaching, and if I’m not teaching then I’m home or near home with a full featured PC. If I’m out eating or socializing then it seems silly to mess with the internet/facebook etc… There just isn’t anything urgent enough to make it worth the cost. I guess it all depends how much time you spend away from your PC and how urgently you need to get on facebook.
I’ve got a camera that’s usually close by in my scoot. It does everything I could ask for.
I’m happy that people enjoy their smart phones, I just personally don’t see much reason or need. My ancient old Nokia is great for talking and it’s my faithful alarm clock every morning. I don’t need much else.
mabagal, my question was sincere. You went off topic and used this for a little ad hoc proselytizing and I responded. But you never bothered to address the salient issue, which was is spending money to duplicate services such as internet access useful? I was trying to figure out if I was missing something. It appears I was not.
As one friend told me, if I lived where he does, out in daxi, I could tether my smart phone to my laptop and use it as my only internet connection given there are so few users out there. Not so practical in Taipei.
No technobabble, just practical consumer information which is what I was after.
So yeah, genuine question, and I appreciate those who gave me useful feedback. What’s here is doubtlessly useful for a lot of people as I am not the only one considering this given what others have said.
As an aside, this is why I recommended before that the technology forum be split into two: one for tech and spec heavy threads, and one more consumer minded.
These are probably the most important factors for you. When I got my iPhone the purpose was, first and foremost, to have my MP3 player (something I use ALL the time) and my phone (something society - OK, my wife - expects me to always carry) on the same device. I use the thing for far more than that now, but I suspect in your case, since you’re already working from home, a smart phone isn’t so necessary. It’d be fantastic to have a smart phone when I travel, but as you say, you need to be on a local plan to use it, so then - when I most want it - the features aren’t available.
What do you need a camera for? If you use one for random shots day by day, then a smart phone is great, in a “the best camera is the one you have with you” sense; if you just use an SLR when you’re travelling, then an iPhone won’t help. When do you need a GPS? If it’s occasionally to get your bearings, a smart phone is good; if you’re trekking and route mapping in Alaska, you want a dedicated GPS device.
Having the internet always with me is cool (but seldom essential) for numerous reasons (alidarbac above has listed most of them), but I suspect that for your lifestyle, when you’re out you don’t particularly want the internet always with you; when you travel and are doing research, it’d probably be great, but as far as I know you can’t yet just pick up a temporary smart phone plan like you can a near-disposable SIM card. When/ if that happens, I think a smartphone would be fantastic for you, but until then, it’s likely not necessary.
The fact that I can carry a half-assed camera, an adequate GPS, a great MP3 player, a web browser, several books worth of Chinese flashcards and dictionaries, a reasonable e-reader, and oh yeah a phone, in one pocket is something that’s [strike]essential[/strike] [strike]important[/strike] useful to me every day. If you don’t feel like you need that, great, you’re probably financially more sensible than I am. Basically I wouldn’t bother until you see someone doing something with a smartphone and you think that’d be very useful to you, rather than just fun.
Another way to put it: what goes in your bag when you go out on a normal day? If it’s just a phone, forget smartphones. If it’s a phone and an MP3 player, consider it. A phone, an MP3 player, and a Kindle? Think harder. A phone, an MP3 player, a Kindle, a camera, a GPS, a stack of Chinese flash cards, several board games, and a book of crossword puzzles? Get a smartphone, but first get professional help.
I feel that a fast, reliable home Internet connection and a slightly slower, but goes with you everywhere Internet connection are complimentary and not redundant. If the extra 1000NT per month is a concern and you live in a place with good coverage, the yes you could use it as your only internet connection.
Tethering is a luxury that many of us in Asia enjoy without having to pay extra as we did back in the States or elsewhere. This to me is infinitely valuable and a lifestyle transformer. Nice day out? Want to go somewhere to think? Maybe the park or riverside? Work at the beach? On top of a mountain? In Taiwan the coverage is amazing, so no problem to any of these.
In fact, when traveling I use the smartphone and a local SIM or data roaming as my only internet connection. If you are a traveler, then you know that in many places, particularly in Asia, the mobile Internet is more reliable, faster and cheaper than the land Internet more often than not, particularly in hotels and places with shared WiFi. In China, the easiest way out of the firewall is simply to roam on Taiwan Mobile or Chunghwa Telecom using China Unicom’s network. It will give you an exit point in Taiwan and you get the real Internet. For a traveler, having mobile Internet and location based services while traveling is like being uncaged from whatever the locals or hotel concierges fancy to tell you in that instance.
With regard to workflows, when traveling, I can take a picture and it just shows up on every other one of my machines, wherever they may be, a few seconds later. No wires, no download, none of that. If I lose or break my phone while I’m out there, the photos and pretty much everything else I made on the phone are already in the cloud, so nothing lost except a phone. I could go on and on but you will still not be convinced.