This decision is making me bonkers. My iPhone 4 has clearly slowed to a crawl (thank you Apple & Verizon for illegally colluding to make these phones snail paced bricks) and my contract is up October 15. Oh, how convenient my phone has started to suck just weeks away from my upgrade date!!!

Naturally I'd like a slightly larger screen and double my 8GB storage.

My initial thinking was go for a 16GB 5S at $99 on a 2 yr contract with AT&T. If I need to move to Asia later next year (50/50 chance) I can sell the phone to pay off my penalty since AT&T iPhones hold their value a hell of a lot more than Verizon iPhones.

My iPhone 4 will get me $60 max on eBay. Were it an AT&T iPhone 4 I'd get double that.

Then we have options of buying a fairly new BlackBerry Z10 for around $150; no contract which means $25 less per month with AT&T (that's a nice savings) and I can just sell it when or if I leave. The downside is a presumed lack of apps. The one I cannot live without is Viber and thankfully they are now on BB.

Here's the thing... I just spent some time with both iPhone 6's and was surprised at how comfortable the smaller 6 felt in my hand and pocket. It wasn't as bad as expected. The Phablet sized version is obscene! But oh that screen is cool. Using Viber would be fantastic. So maybe my distaste for ultra large phones is misplaced...?

Which brings me to the new and hard to get OnePlus One! Good God what a phone! It's a beast, top end and $350 for the 64GB version with NO CONTRACT! Yes it's a Phablet so that will cause me trouble in warmer weather when I am wearing jeans. But I have never splurged on a truly awesome brand new phone. I am always buying older technology. I have grown used to Android on my HP Touchpad so I won't be completely in the dark with a new OS.

I should mention that to this day I miss my BlackBerry Storm2, despite it's limitations and now horridly antiquated browser. I would buy a used one right now were actual AT&T 3G models available (I still have my OtterBox Defender case). Unfortunately it seems to be Verizon only models on Fleabay and that means shitty slow edge speeds only. Edge sucks.

Any opinions welcome.

 

BB Passport just came out today....as a former BB user you should check that out as well.

Cheers, Al

 

Al, I just did. Thanks for the tip. i wouldn't have realized.

That is an interesting design. I hope it will be on display locally so I check it out.

 

As one of the last remaining BB users on the planet earth, I must say the Z10 is actually a really good phone. I've had it for two years with no problems aside from a new battery that I had to buy. The no app support has basically been solved. There's an app called Snap that you can sideload onto the BB10 OS which then basically acts as a conduit between the BB and the Google App Store (or whatever it's called) and let's you download any Android App. I have access to any app that an android phone would.

With that said, I'm on the wait list for an iPhone 6... Let's see what all the fuss is about.

 

Just make sure don't put it in your trouser pocket

 

I had a chance to play around with my sister's brand new iPhone 6 and while i loved the blazing fast action on the screen and apps, I was not pleased with how flimsy it felt. Earlier iPhones felt sturdy. This one not so much.

 

Agree with you on this one. Will let them work out a few bugs, but there is a 6 in my future.

My 4 has been bulletproof, although a friend's did break when he put it in his pocket and beat it with a hammer - guess that is a design flaw.

 

They are going back to where they should have stayed in the first place - going back to focus on the business market and not the consumer market.

I'm not sure why you would be embarrassed that they are a Canadian company....

 

We'll see how it does in the market. Personally I don't see the keyboard as being the negative you do, and the screen is the big feature here, not the keyboard. It seemed to be fairly well received at the launch yesterday.

Oh and just so you know, RIM does not exist anymore - they have been called BlackBerry for some time now...

I'm not sure who you think should put them out of their misery...the market decides what works and what doesn't. You seem to have a hate on for them for some reason, so I think I'll bow out there as this conversation does not make a lot of sense and seems to be going no where. I was just offering an alternative to the OP....I'm done

Cheers, Al

 

Okay one more post...you do realize that you could easily substitute "Apple" for "RIM" in this quote at one time. Apple lost it's edge and was considered past it's prime just like BB is now. They managed to turn it around, and they are not magical in that regard. Maybe BB will pull off a comeback (their business is much more than the devices after all) and maybe they won't.

And honestly, it's just a fecking cell phone...we are not talking about nuclear war or a cure for cancer here...I'll never understand the angst displayed over these things when talking about a bloody cell phone...

Cheers, Al

 

I got the iphone 6 on the 19th September! (Uk release date) and got rid of it two days later in favour of my iphone 5s. Personally I wouldn't waste your time on a new iphone that isnt much better internally than the last model!

Sam

 

Well... Now that you guys got that out of your system...

In regards to my conundrum it looks like it's down to the Z10 or going for a OnePlus One. Two completely different phone experiences. The key here is NO CONTRACT. Spend my maximum of $350 and own a phone I can use anywhere I want, including overseas. If I go the Z10 route I can actually spend a lot less than that should I go the Next 12 AT&T route. The early cancelation fee would just be the remainder of the cost of the phone.

The iPhone 6 is too expensive and I don't feel like paying $140 up front (there is a $40 activation fee) for the 5S with a 2 year contract. Screw 2 year contracts. The cancel penalties are steep and yeah, it's overpriced now. Yes yes yes the usability is tops. No denying that. And unlike these newer thin phones it is sturdy as hell.

The new BB is not going to suit me simply because of the costs involved. $250 plus a 2 year contract. Looking at the reviews I have to agree that the space bar placed in the middle of the bottom key row is an odd choice. Ouch.

 

Well I ended up going for a gold 32gb iPhone 5S. The sales guy went way beyond for me, gave me a plan discount I do not qualify for and a sh*tload of goodies. In the end I really had no choice but to get the 5S. And it's a choice I won't regret. Restoring via the cloud was EASY.

The only thing I haven't figured out how to do is move my ring tones over from my 4 to the 5S. These are not ringtones I downloaded via iTunes. I made them all years ago from various songs, movies, etc.

 

Okay I will check that out now. I have an older iTunes that still had the Ringtone navigation and refuse to upgrade to the newer iTunes. Of course I need to the iTunes for iOS7. and 8. So I'm in a quandary.

All the ringtones I need are on my PC in the proper Apple format so I will check this program out and hope it helps me navigate through my new 5S.

EDIT/UPDATE: Well, iBrowse is cool, except I can't see any possible way to play with ringtones. In fact, I cannot find any place for them.