[drewprops]

Cup of Cocoa + Orange PEBL != New Taste Sensation

Don't ask.
I need a new phone again.

What's up new in the world of Quadband now that we're in Q3:2007?
I'm talking about normal handsets, not iPhones or blackberry phones.

[turtle]

Maybe you should stick to Go Phones Drew. Or find one of the indestructible ones designed for construction work.

[Luca]

http://www.andybrain.com/extras/gzone-review.htm

If you manage to destroy one of these I will be truly impressed.

[Freewell]

Wow... If we ever switch to Verizon again, my husband will be buying that for me for sure!!! (He accuses me of 'test-dropping' my phone all the time!) My cell phone is also currently experiencing technical difficulties because a few months ago after having left my phone case at home, I tucked it into the side of my waistband right before doing 1-2 hours of intense exercising. It didn't take too kindly to that! Oh well... I vote for Luca's suggestion too, Drew!

[Robo]

Aww. There weren't enough PEBLs in the world as it was. Screw the RAZR, I really liked that phone.

I'm a big Sony Ericsson fan, and the W580 (and it's closely related cousin, the S500) are awesome. I thought the caller ID "color effects" would be super gaudy, and maybe they are - but the phone looks better than, say, the Chocolate. I'm glad Apple jumped off the glossy plastic square bandwagon - the look really is becoming passe. (The W580 and S500 are matte plastic. They feel kinda cheap, but the construction is solid.)

Of course, a phone is more than just looks, and the rest of the S500/W580 lives up to it's image (except, apparently, the "shake control," which seems gimmicky anyway). PhoneScoop.com just put up their review.

You can get the W580 unlocked from SonyStyle.com for $299. That's actually less than it is at most importers and the like. The port is on the side, though, which means it won't work with SE docks.

How much did you want to spend?

[drewprops]

Well this little bugger is drying out nicely and I'm holding out hope that its quick immersion and subsequent slow-drying may give it another chance.... but in the meantime, I *am* liking the look of the 580i - that review is interesting.

[drewprops]

Originally Posted by Luca http://www.andybrain.com/extras/gzone-review.htm If you manage to destroy one of these I will be truly impressed.

Damn!!! Thanks Luca!!
I want one of these!!!! This is *exactly* the kind of phone an active space pirate on the go needs! Blast it all though, I'm on Cingular and not interested in switching to another carrier just yet... fudge.

The people who built this thing are thinking in the real world... they're considering usage first then designing to fit that use. Why aren't lifestyles considered more often when designing products? They can ALL have the same innards... just design them to fit use.

The mobile phone business is broken in North America.
Broken I tell you.


Robo:
I'm not sure how much I really want to spend.
I like the customization-friendliness of the SE phone... the Motorola PEBL has a limited OS insofar as how "deep" it allows you to go in tweaking things... and the appearance of the interface is akin to that of a jumped up calculator... it's very "engineery" and not nearly as robust or dynamic as you'd hope. Of course, if it works after its dunking in the cocoa I'm going to have to take back some of this smack I'm laying down....

[Robo]

Actually, Motorola's OS is one of the most hackable out there. But if you don't plan on modding your phone, their Synergy UI is incredibly dated. I like Moto's hardware, but their OS has got to go (and it is).

[drewprops]

You know what?
I was really close to driving up to our Sony Style store for lunch and picking up a 550i but I think that I'm going to order another orange PEBL instead.

It's half the price of the Sony Ericsson and I was doing okay with the way it worked. I'm going to continue to let this one dry out and may eventually have two of these buggers. Already happy to have a working T-616 as a backup phone.

[drewprops]

Done.
Ordered a new one just now.

If you use the promo code "THANKYOU7" you'll get a bit off... it saved me $14 which made it feel like I'm not spending quite as much for that cup of cocoa.

So when it arrives and I have it up and running I'm going to disassemble the one that's drying out. Maybe I'll post some photos here.... hope that I can figure out how to get it back together....

[drewprops]

I just looked at the G'zOne again and I'm really, really, really wanting one of these. I wonder if there's a way to find out if it might go quadband and work with Singular.

[chris e boy]

Originally Posted by Roboman You can get the W580 unlocked from SonyStyle.com for $299. That's actually less than it is at most importers and the like. The port is on the side, though, which means it won't work with SE docks...

Or free with a contract/upgrade...

I recommend this phone too. In fact most Sony Ericsson phones are pretty good.

[pkatzman]

Originally Posted by drewprops I just looked at the G'zOne again and I'm really, really, really wanting one of these. I wonder if there's a way to find out if it might go quadband and work with Singular.

Nah, I can tell you for sure, that unless Sharp (or whoever it is that actually manufactures it) releases a version with a GSM (network used by Cingular/AT&T and T-mobile) instead of a CDMA (network used by Sprint and Verizon) chipset, it won't function in any capacity. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news,

[turtle]

Originally Posted by drewprops I just looked at the G'zOne again and I'm really, really, really wanting one of these. I wonder if there's a way to find out if it might go quadband and work with Singular.

You could always head over to the other side and get the phone. I don't know about your area, but around here Verizon has the best coverage. I only have AT&T because it has cheaper data rates and better coverage over T-Mobile.

[Windowsrookie]

New Pebl"ish" Drew.

http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/11/m...h-u9-official/

[Robo]

I heart the PEBL, so I'm glad it's getting a successor. There's a new low-end CDMA PEBL, too - the U5. Alltel is picking it up.

[drewprops]

Yeah, the PEBL really is a great little phone for what it costs.... the new PEBL-ish is kind of interesting though I have to say that the flip mechanism is nowhere near as artful as the current iteration. Of course the synchronization with WMP is going to do me a fat lot of good, but it's an interesting phone nonetheless.... ah, I see there's a raft of new low-end Motorolas due soon... not sure if they're quad or not but the option for a CHEAP, low-featured phone is a certain need and if the right company figures out the right feature set and design they could sell a blue bazillion of them!

[Dorian Gray]

The PEBL is a lovely phone. What a pity the world went gaga over the RAZR instead, which has to be the ugliest phone the world ever went gaga over. Gag!

[PB PM]

The PEBL is kind of a girly looking phone, IMO.