Which smartphone is best for 3rd year?

[medstudent87]

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I have a basic cell-phone right now...its only good for calls and texts. Next year, though, I figure I'll upgrade to a smartphone since they apparently come in handy on the wards. Which one would you recommend? My dad has a blackberry and he says that its terrible for using the internet...

 

[gurman13o]

Android based smartphones will be BIG soon, and they're good enough for right now. But iPhone is up there right now

 

[supermang]

who is your carrier? are you willing to pay $15-$30 extra per month for a data tariff? do you need 4G network speed or is 3G fine for now? are you comfortable typing on a touchscreen or do you require a physical hardware keyboard? If so do you prefer portrait or landscape orientation? What size screen are you looking for (2.8", 3.2", 3.5", 3.7", 4", 4.3", 5")? Answer these questions and you'll have an expert's recommendation right down to make and model.

 

[sdsw]

who is your carrier? are you willing to pay $15-$30 extra per month for a data tariff? do you need 4G network speed or is 3G fine for now? are you comfortable typing on a touchscreen or do you require a physical hardware keyboard? If so do you prefer portrait or landscape orientation? What size screen are you looking for (2.8", 3.2", 3.5", 3.7", 4", 4.3", 5")? Answer these questions and you'll have an expert's recommendation right down to make and model.

That's great!

 

[MDpride]

i carry IPOD TOUCH and regular cell phone.

I had no problem.

IPOD TOUCH can carry all apps that iphone or any smartphone can carry.

For most of the apps, once they are downloaded, internet connection is not required except for updates.


I highly recommend IPOD TOUCH instead of smartphone and save considerable amount of money.

 

[ACSurgeon]

i carry IPOD TOUCH and regular cell phone.

I had no problem.

IPOD TOUCH can carry all apps that iphone or any smartphone can carry.

For most of the apps, once they are downloaded, internet connection is not required except for updates.


I highly recommend IPOD TOUCH instead of smartphone and save considerable amount of money.

The ipod touch has a ****ty calendar/reminder system. Otherwise I agree.

To the OP: you really won't NEED a smartphone (or a PDA for that matter). However, smartphones are awesome toys that can organize your life and give you easier access to information. So, if you're okay paying $660 in data plan fees to spoil yourself, than go for it. As to which model to get, see the post above that asks about YOUR specific preferences.

Disclaimer: I chose to get a smartphone early in 4th year because my phone broke AND I was okay paying the UN-NECESSARY $300 in data plan fees (I can convince myself that it becomes sort of necessary once I'm an intern 😀 )

 

[seelee]

You can get a refurbished iphone 4 for $79 with 200MB of data for $15/ month or 2GB for 25/month. You can get google voice for phone calls and text messaging (don't need a voice plan).

A lot of the good medical resource apps have features that require an internet connection.

 

[medstudent87]

who is your carrier? are you willing to pay $15-$30 extra per month for a data tariff? do you need 4G network speed or is 3G fine for now? are you comfortable typing on a touchscreen or do you require a physical hardware keyboard? If so do you prefer portrait or landscape orientation? What size screen are you looking for (2.8", 3.2", 3.5", 3.7", 4", 4.3", 5")? Answer these questions and you'll have an expert's recommendation right down to make and model.

1)who is your carrier?
A: Right now, Verizon, but I'm willing to switch. My dad currently pays my cellphone bill, but if I get a smartphone, I'd be paying.

2)are you willing to pay $15-$30 extra per month for a data tariff?
A: I guess so.

3)do you need 4G network speed or is 3G fine for now?
A: I'm honestly not familiar with how "fast" either of them are. I assume 3G would be fine for my purposes...

4)are you comfortable typing on a touchscreen or do you require a physical hardware keyboard?
A: either is fine

5)If so do you prefer portrait or landscape orientation?
A: Portrait I guess, but either is fine.

6)What size screen are you looking for (2.8", 3.2", 3.5", 3.7", 4", 4.3", 5")?
A: The bigger the better, although not any bigger than the iphone screen

So?

 

[tco]

I bought a Dell Streak about a month ago.

It's friggin' awesome.

 

[jamescube]

I'd definitely recommend an iPhone 4, but opinions are split, I know there are some pretty useful medical apps out there for iOs, but I am sure there are also some good ones available for Android. Still, my vote goes for the iPhone 🙂

I have a basic cell-phone right now...its only good for calls and texts. Next year, though, I figure I'll upgrade to a smartphone since they apparently come in handy on the wards. Which one would you recommend? My dad has a blackberry and he says that its terrible for using the internet...

 

[supermang]

1)who is your carrier?
A: Right now, Verizon, but I'm willing to switch. My dad currently pays my cellphone bill, but if I get a smartphone, I'd be paying.

2)are you willing to pay $15-$30 extra per month for a data tariff?
A: I guess so.

3)do you need 4G network speed or is 3G fine for now?
A: I'm honestly not familiar with how "fast" either of them are. I assume 3G would be fine for my purposes...

4)are you comfortable typing on a touchscreen or do you require a physical hardware keyboard?
A: either is fine

5)If so do you prefer portrait or landscape orientation?
A: Portrait I guess, but either is fine.

6)What size screen are you looking for (2.8", 3.2", 3.5", 3.7", 4", 4.3", 5")?
A: The bigger the better, although not any bigger than the iphone screen

So?

Verizon has the best coverage in general in the US, but YMMV depending on where you live. I have been a customer of all the major carriers and nothing has compared to Verizon, especially when it came to dropped calls. I live in a pretty mountainous part of the country and so no carrier could keep up to Verizon in terms of minimizing dropped calls.

Traditionally, Verizon's phone selection have lacked in the past, but within the last year and a half, they've been getting alot better. So sticking with Verizon, based on your screen and keyboard preferences/requirements I would say go for the Motorola Droid Pro. It has a 3.2" touchscreen (iPhone is 3.5") and features a portrait hardware keyboard. It is speculated that a new CDMA iPhone will be coming to Verizon within the next month or so, so that is another solid recommendation I would make. If you're willing to go a tad bigger in the screen dept (3.7") you can choose between a wide variety of Android phones on Verizon, including the Motorola Droid2Global and the HTC Droid Incredible or a Samsung Galaxy S Fascinate (4").

At this point in the mobile market, the most prominent OS's with the largest selection of apps are Android and iPhone. For a new smartphone user I would suggest the iPhone because the apps ALWAYS work properly, are regulated/tested more by Apple than by other users, everything backs up to iTunes just like an iPod would, and you aren't given access to a file system or task manager which could make things confusing. However, if you in the slightest bit a techy person, I choose for an Android offering.

I currently carry an HTC Incredible on Verizon, and I love it. It reminds me of my old iPhone 3G that I had on AT&T 10 phones ago lol. But because I generally don't hold onto a single phone for longer than a few months, and have owned 22 handsets in my lifetime, I will be switching to either the new Verizon iPhone, a 4G or dual-core Android, or a WindowsPhone7 device next because I like to try/critic new things, and am a pretty techy/geeky person. Feel free to respond or PM me if you need suggestions for another carrier that you might have in mind.

 

[supermang]

I bought a Dell Streak about a month ago.

It's friggin' awesome.

5" screen is too big for OP's screen requirements (<3.5") I personally would love one of these bad boys though 👍

 

[supermang]

You can get a refurbished iphone 4 for $79 with 200MB of data for $15/ month or 2GB for 25/month. You can get google voice for phone calls and text messaging (don't need a voice plan).

A lot of the good medical resource apps have features that require an internet connection.

you must sign a 2-year AT&T contract for this price, which requires a voice plan at minimum of 450 minutes at $39.99/mo

if you wanted to go the data-only route, you would have to buy an unlocked iPhone, and somehow get AT&T to provision your SIM card to be data only (like an iPad or something)

 

[fahimaz7]

Iphone is coming to Verizon in a matter of weeks. Just wait and get one of those.

 

[C5toC9]

i like the idea of getting a itouch and just using the hospital's internet connection for all your data needs. any cons to this idea?

 

[abcxyz0123]

i like the idea of getting a itouch and just using the hospital's internet connection for all your data needs. any cons to this idea?

this is what i do, works great.

 

[MDpride]

this is what i do, works great.

same here.

Most of the time, I don't even have to use internet.

 

[jdover52]

1)who is your carrier?
A: Right now, Verizon, but I'm willing to switch. My dad currently pays my cellphone bill, but if I get a smartphone, I'd be paying.

2)are you willing to pay $15-$30 extra per month for a data tariff?
A: I guess so.

3)do you need 4G network speed or is 3G fine for now?
A: I'm honestly not familiar with how "fast" either of them are. I assume 3G would be fine for my purposes...

4)are you comfortable typing on a touchscreen or do you require a physical hardware keyboard?
A: either is fine

5)If so do you prefer portrait or landscape orientation?
A: Portrait I guess, but either is fine.

6)What size screen are you looking for (2.8", 3.2", 3.5", 3.7", 4", 4.3", 5")?
A: The bigger the better, although not any bigger than the iphone screen

So?

If you're considering an iphone, I'd wait 5 mos for the new one to come out. Also, iphone is coming to verizon very soon (but I'd still wait for the new one if I were you). Like someone else mentioned above, check to see which carrier gets the best service in the hospital(s) you'll be working in. Lastly, if you have to pay for the entire bill, that's another $30+ for minutes on top of the data, not to mention if you want text, it could easily top $70-80 a mos if not more. If you can, I'd try to work out a system with your dad where you just pay for the data/extra services you use and try to stay on the family plan.