Hi.

Are there any phone experts here? I'm thinkinnbg about making a jump to a smart phone but I am very iffy when it comes to it. The only Phones I'm really interested in right now are blackberry phones, just I am not liking their looks, so I'm thinking about modding it so it can look better, and so I can have my normal 3x4 number button layout, or something similar to it, something simple.

Any reccomendations on forums and networking sites when it comes to phones and such?

That website that was "Stealing" the blogs off here to use on their website has me ewary about jumping ontot sites without good reccomendations. And, I trust here. (That's a thanks to the mods and the community).

And yeah, I'd like to know if we have any experts on here when it comes to these things

http://www.howardforums.com/forums.php

Defron probably the one you'll want to wait for to respond.

I've only ever had experience with Android phones.

Whatever you decide to go with, don't get a Blackberry. They have terrible ecosystems, as far as apps are concerned, and they are years behind iPhone and Android in near every way. The whole "Blackberries are business phones" mantra is an outright lie.

Personally, I use an iPhone. I don't need the modularity that Android offers, and I appreciate the amount of apps and developers iOS is supported by.

so... you wanna take a blackberry and put a "normal" phone button layout on there? That'd completely defeat the purpose in getting a blackberry. Blackberries one claim to fame that they have left is their high quality full keyboards.

Hrm...IMO Blackberry is way behind other smartphone platforms. They were one of the early choices for people that did a lot of texting and e-mailing from their phones, but they didn't keep up as the industry evolved. Now their OS and software infrastructure is compartmentalized and limited compared to Apple's iOS, Android, and Windows Phone. They need to reinvent the software side of their business or I fear they're not going to be around much longer.

If you're and non-techie and looking for usability and don't mind sacrificing some freedom in the way you do things for it (and you don't mind Apple) the iPhone 4 is a nice device. I personally prefer Android. Depending on your carrier and budget there are several really solid choices in Android-based handsets. I use a Samsung Galaxy S II and I have no complaints. I've read a lot of good things about Windows Phone, but I don't have much experience with it. I'd probably lean toward iOS or Android simply because Windows Phone 7 is the first iteration of that platform and I'd anticipate it getting better as it matures.

What do you mean normal button layout? Like, number buttons with no touch screen or keyboard?

You do know this is 2012 right and not 1999?

Also, buying a Windows Phone 7 right now is stupid. Windows Phone 8 is releasing in fall and it IS NOT compatible or upgradable on 7.5 devices.

Buying a windows phone right now is a bad idea even if you like them. No Windows Phones will be upgraded to WP8 which is gonna be released shortly after Windows 8, meaning all the current stock will become obsolete and unable to run modern apps fairly quickly.

I would recommend the Iphone (not that I would buy one). Terribly overpriced, yes but you can't really get better than that (though you can get something closely resembling it for a way lower price, i.e. Android). Also, don't get a Blackberry, I've heard they're about to go down due to their unwillingness to innovate.

For sure. Windows Phone 8 is a major change from WP7. That said, I'd still rather have a WP7 device than a Blackberry.

I'd honestly wait for the new line of iPhones. I bought an iPhone 4 when it came out in 2010 and it still has major juice and features compared to phones released today. IMO I find it fustrating how Android devices are released with some having different OS versions and iPhones have by far the best OS support and updates of any of them.