Please Advise

[Sonink]

Hello. I want to get an Android phone and am unsure about which network and phone to choose, and I have a few questions.

I live in Lincoln, Nebraska and these are my current options last I checked:
Verizon - Droid Incredible (or wait for Droid X?) ($90 /month)
Sprint - Evo 4G ($80 /month)
AT&T (No T-Mobile in NE) - Nexus One (? /month) How does one buy it and then get SIM cards for monthly service? I looked all over AT&T's website and couldn't find anything.
All three have 3G service in my area.

I was thinking I would buy the phone outright as I don't want to be tied to a contract and will be able to afford it. Would this allow me to sell an unlocked phone in the future and then purchase a newer one if I wanted a newer/nicer phone instead of being forced to wait 2 years? Is this economically sound? Could I get a decent amount if I sold it used? Or could I buy an unlocked phone used?

I'm also unsure about network lockdown, Android OS updates, tethering, and network specific UIs.

As far as I understand, the Nexus One is the most open phone in that it gets Android OS updates first, will have tethering with Froyo, and no features locked but on the most disliked, draconian network AT&T. I saw that it was multi-touch issues. Is that much of a problem in actual use?
How do the other phones/networks compare? Are the limitations really significant?

Are the drawbacks of waiting for service providers to update the Android OS a big drawback on Verizon and Sprint? I hear the Sense UI is far superior in reviews on the Internet, but are there any drawbacks?

I'm really not sure what to do and maybe my choice will be much clearer to those who already own and use the phones. Thanks.

 

[takeshi]

You need to consider coverage specifically where you need it first to select a carrier.

AT&T (No T-Mobile in NE) - Nexus One (? /month) How does one buy it and then get SIM cards for monthly service?

You'd get a SIM when you signed up if one doesn't ship with the N1.

Would this allow me to sell an unlocked phone in the future and then purchase a newer one if I wanted a newer/nicer phone instead of being forced to wait 2 years?

It doesn't really have any effect on selling an unlocked phone. You could sell it at any time even if you had a contract (if you wanted to for some reason).

Is this economically sound?

Crunch the numbers for your situation.

Could I get a decent amount if I sold it used? Or could I buy an unlocked phone used?

Depends on the specific phone, the state of the market when you're selling etc, etc. There are no guarantees. Look around and see what devices are selling for if you want some idea.

I'm also unsure about network lockdown, Android OS updates, tethering, and network specific UIs.

What specifically? Tethering depends on the carrier. Check their sites.

As far as I understand, the Nexus One is the most open phone in that it gets Android OS updates first

Getting updates first doesn't make it more open. It just gets updates first.

How do the other phones/networks compare? Are the limitations really significant?

You'd have to compare real world coverage on your own. Generalized discussions regarding coverage are fairly pointless. As for the devices, the specs are out there. Compare them. Limitations are significant if they matter to you so that's another question impossible to answer. In short, you need to do your own homework. We can answer specific questions but it's unreasonable to ask us to go out there and compare all carriers and devices currently available for you.

Are the drawbacks of waiting for service providers to update the Android OS a big drawback on Verizon and Sprint? I hear the Sense UI is far superior in reviews on the Internet, but are there any drawbacks?

Again, this is highly subjective. Go out there and see for yourself. We can't tell you what you will consider to be drawbacks to UI's.

The carrier's don't update the OS. The manufacturers do. The drawback with a UI is that it (theoretically) adds time to getting an update released for the device once the Android OS is released.

I'm really not sure what to do and maybe my choice will be much clearer to those who already own and use the phones. Thanks.

Again, always consider the carrier first. Your choices will automatically be narrowed once you do that. At that point (as it is with any device comparison), compare the features and specs and choose based on what matter to you. You'll want to see them in person to assess some aspects.

 

[Sonink]

Thanks for all the answers. I know it was a lot of vague questions so I appreciate you taking the time to respond. You're right about me just needing to do more homework. Sorry about the huge, overarching reach of the questions. I'll try to be more specific.

You need to consider coverage specifically where you need it first to select a carrier.

I looked at all of the coverage maps. Honestly all three show adequate coverage in the areas I would visit so the coverage isn't a deal maker or breaker for any of the carriers. I'm currently on Verizon which is great reliabity-wise. My coworker just got an EVO 4G on Sprint and I've never heard complaints from him about it. AT&T, I'm not so sure about call reliability.

You'd get a SIM when you signed up if one doesn't ship with the N1.

I guess I'll have to call AT&T to get specifics if I want to pursue this further.

It doesn't really have any effect on selling an unlocked phone. You could sell it at any time even if you had a contract (if you wanted to for some reason).

I've never bought or sold a used phone, so I'm just really unfamiliar with the process. If I bought a used one, I would just take it in to the carrier and have them set it up with my account? Or if I sold a used one, I assume I'd have to have the carrier disable my account on the phone first as well?

Depends on the specific phone, the state of the market when you're selling etc, etc. There are no guarantees. Look around and see what devices are selling for if you want some idea.

I glanced at eBay and it looked like the phones still sell for a considerable portion of their original value, even after they've been out for a few months. So that idea looks like it would work if I wanted to pursue it in the future.

What specifically? Tethering depends on the carrier. Check their sites.

Isn't it possible to tether on any of them with PDAnet now? And isn't it native in Froyo? I'm curious if any of the carriers will be able to or plan to block that feature. If any of them charge a monthly fee, I assume just going the PDAnet route would be cheaper overall. I'll look more closely on my own later.

Getting updates first doesn't make it more open. It just gets updates first.

I thought I saw on an article on Android Central that some of the UIs were coming with some options and features disabled in the OS. I was assuming that the Nexus One didn't do that since Google seems to be keeping that one under its control more. But you said the manufacturers update the OS on the phones so maybe I'm just completely misunderstanding how things work.

I just need to find out if/what differs between the phone UIs/OSs first. I think that is what's most important to me to begin narrowing my decision. Do you think it would be possible to get ROMs or AVDs of the different phones and try them in the developer emulator?

I imagine if I went into the stores I wouldn't be able to try out configuring my email etc with the in-store phones to get a true sense of how using them would be for me.

Thanks again!

 

[Kyle Gibb]

Thanks for all the answers. I know it was a lot of vague questions so I appreciate you taking the time to respond. You're right about me just needing to do more homework. Sorry about the huge, overarching reach of the questions. I'll try to be more specific.


I looked at all of the coverage maps. Honestly all three show adequate coverage in the areas I would visit so the coverage isn't a deal maker or breaker for any of the carriers. I'm currently on Verizon which is great reliabity-wise. My coworker just got an EVO 4G on Sprint and I've never heard complaints from him about it. AT&T, I'm not so sure about call reliability.


I guess I'll have to call AT&T to get specifics if I want to pursue this further.


I've never bought or sold a used phone, so I'm just really unfamiliar with the process. 1) If I bought a used one, I would just take it in to the carrier and have them set it up with my account? Or if I sold a used one, I assume I'd have to have the carrier disable my account on the phone first as well?


I glanced at eBay and it looked like the phones still sell for a considerable portion of their original value, even after they've been out for a few months. So that idea looks like it would work if I wanted to pursue it in the future.


2) Isn't it possible to tether on any of them with PDAnet now? And isn't it native in Froyo? I'm curious if any of the carriers will be able to or plan to block that feature. If any of them charge a monthly fee, I assume just going the PDAnet route would be cheaper overall. I'll look more closely on my own later.


I thought I saw on an article on Android Central that some of the UIs were coming with some options and features disabled in the OS. I was assuming that the Nexus One didn't do that since Google seems to be keeping that one under its control more. But you said the manufacturers update the OS on the phones so maybe I'm just completely misunderstanding how things work.

I just need to find out if/what differs between the phone UIs/OSs first. I think that is what's most important to me to begin narrowing my decision. Do you think it would be possible to get ROMs or AVDs of the different phones and try them in the developer emulator?

I imagine if I went into the stores I wouldn't be able to try out configuring my email etc with the in-store phones to get a true sense of how using them would be for me.

Thanks again!

1) Yes, for Verizon and Sprint you MUST buy a Verizon or sprint phone, if you want 3G with AT&T you would be best off getting one of theirs as well. You would basically just take your old phone and new phone in and ask them to transfer your number to your new one and wipe your old one (although you can do this yourself).

2) PDAnet works great and I highly reccomend it. Yes, tethering is coming in 2.2 but it is almost assured the carriers will force you to pay more for it. Currently, I believe tethering goes for $20-30/month depending on the carrier. Unless you want the Evo and the wifi hotspot feature, just use PDAnet and save yourself a good amount of money.