Noah answers:

Thanks for watching and reading - glad you like the reviews!

As you probably know, Verizon is getting ready to launch the BlackBerry Storm, which could offer you everything you're looking for.  Early reviews on the touchscreen response are mixed; I haven't yet had the chance to play with one.  As soon as I do, I'll report on it, you can be sure of that.

There are also reports that VZW is getting ready to launch the Samsung Omnia and HTC Touch Pro, both of which are Windows Mobile devices that should meet your technical requirements.  Samsung is also readying a new WinMo smartphone for Verizon, as well.  As always, you have to try these phones out for yourself as they each have very different "feels" once you get them in hand.

You could also check out the LG Voyager and Dare, though they might not offer the level of Email/Web support you're looking for.

I'd say wait another month or so if you can before making a purchase.  We should see several new models in time for the holiday shopping season.

Thanks for the email!

Cheers,
Noah

Sarah Asks:

Noah, do you personally like the LG dare or Voyager Titanium better? I am having trouble deciding. Thank you.

Noah Answers:

Hi Sarah

I personally like the Dare better.  Why?

1.  Built-in headphone jack.  I listen to a lot of music.

2.  Better camera.

3.  Smaller.

Hope that helps. Try before you buy, is my strongest piece of advice.

Thanks for the email!

Cheers,
Noah

My Verizon contract is FINALLY coming to an end this November. I really want to move to a new company or atleast a new phone depending on what I see. I was really interested in Helio because of their 500minutes/unlimited everything for $65 but now I hear they got bought out and might not be around. I mainly txt and web browse but I had to get a loner (Razr V3m) after losing my W580i. So my ultimate question is what is the best txting/web browsing phone out there and who has the most affordable price? Thanks!

Would you recommend the HTC Mogul or the samsung instinct for internet on the go.?

 Noah from PhoneDog answers:
Tough call.  I think right now the Mogul is more flexible b/c it's Windows Mobile so you can install Opera Mobile or Opera Mini, which are both great browsers.  Instinct's browser is somewhere between okay and pretty good, but it needs some work.  Hopefully Samsung and Sprint can upgrade it via a firmware update in the next few months. 

The flip side, though, is that Instinct is sleeker and easier to use overall than Mogul.  WindowsMobile can be a pain in the neck, whereas Instinct is pretty easy to use.  Instinct's touchscreen is also bigger and easier to use than Mogul's. 

Honestly, try to get to a store to check out Mogul in person to see if you like Windows Mobile or not.  If you don't mind it, or if you like tinkering with stuff, you can install all kinds of Browsers, RSS Readers, and other Web apps on it.

***

jerryrawlings3 asks:

samsung instinct
Hey.

Great vidz by the way....

Im getting the phone when it comes out, one reason for satelite radio (sirius), will I be able to listen to it live since it has full internet, please let me know, its almost a make or break senario.

Thanks

Jerry

  Noah from PhoneDog answers:
Hey Jerry,

Instinct has a Radio app, and it includes some Sirius content, but not as much as a dedicated Sirius radio receiver.  You can see it in my "Instinct Multimedia Part 2" video review.

Hope that helps!

Cheers,
nk

***
mileymcgee asks:
 do you like the samsung instinct or the blackberry curve?
I wanted to ask you do you what phone is the best the samsung instinct or the blackberry curve?

 Noah from PhoneDog answers:

It depends what you want the phone for.  Curve is a great smartphone - great keyboard for messaging, pretty decent music and video players, and the best Email system in the business.  Instinct has a bigger screen and its a touchscreen, and it does more media stuff - live TV, streaming music, that kind of thing.  Also, Instinct's menus are cooler looking.  But Instinct doesn't have a keyboard, so it's harder to type on.

If you do a lot of Email on your phone, Curve is the way to go.  If you want something that looks nicer and has a few more media features - and a big touchscreen - you might like Instinct more

***

inamaj91 asks:

Noah from PhoneDog answers:

 
Learn how to write as well as you can!  Seriously, even though I do lots of stuff on YouTube now, I started out writing and still write reviews and a blog on PhoneDog.  Also, I Email all of the time with the other people at PhoneDog and with my contacts at all of the phone companies.  So being able to write well is really important - both for posting articles and for communicating with people.

Beyond that, find a Web site to work for or start your own.  Once you build a name for yourself, you might start to make a little money or get the attention of larger sites (to hire you) or phone companies (to send you review samples). 

I wrote for a bunch of tiny little papers and magazines for years, and wrote for a few other Web sites before I got this job with PhoneDog.  I also have done other jobs, including teaching school and working as a software consultant.  But I always was writing and covering technology on the side.   It takes time, but if you like doing it, you'll stick with it and it'll pay off.  Good luck!

***

tuberonthego asks:

Hey love the video's on the Instinct it looks like a great phone and thanks for getting those videos up so fast. My question for you is about the internet I know that it is faster than the Iphone this week. But what is the quality like is as full of a version as the Iphone or does it use a lot of the mobile sights. This kind of thing is a big thing that no one talks about. Who wants a fast phone if you can't go to your favorite sights.
Thanks for all the info so far, Chris

***
Famousiscool asks:
 Iphone and Instinct (:
When I had AT&T i got the Iphone, but the screen cracked all the way thanks to my friends, and had to replace it twice. I switched over to Sprint and got the Blackberry, but i want a new phone. Will the Instinct's glass be easily breakable like the Iphone? I am very interested in it, but I need to know that first. Thank You!

 Noah from PhoneDog answers:
Famous,
What'd your friends do to your iPhone?  iPhone's glass screen is the toughest screen I've seen on any phone.

Instinct's screen is plastic, so I don't think it'll be quite as durable as iPhone.  Then again, it shouldn't crack - but it might get scratched.

Tell your friends to lay off, huh?  Good luck!

Three Questions About LG's enV2 for Verizon:

Q:
Dragon55092
hey noah, do you know when the eV2 is coming out? my birthday is 
coming up and i hope i can i get it in time.  oops, i mean enV2

A:
Hey, Dragon:  Just found out it'll go on sale Wed. April 30th.  Happy Birthday!

Q:
Brack51Productions
do u kno wen u will get the enV (2) for a review

A:
Brack51:  My Verizon rep said she's shipping one out to me and I should have it on Wed April 30.  I'll open it up and start testing and reviewing it as soon as it arrives.

Q:
Hey I just watched your review of the env2, and it was very informative (best I've seen for sure), but I was wondering--with the front part of the phone lacking left/right buttons on the navigation pad, does it make it harder to text? I would think so since you wouldn't be able to move the cursor back back to previous words to make correction, etc.

Any input on this?

Thanks very much,
Tyler

A:
Tyler,

Good question, and something I didn't think to test out when I demo'd the phone at CTIA.  Funnily enough, I haven't been able to find anything out about this.  Strange.  I'll test it out when I get my review unit.

- Noah

* * *

Q:
Hey Noah, I'm researching the Samsung U900 Flip Phone.  I currently have the Samsung SCH-A970 Phone.  The one thing I LOVE about the SCH-A970 is that it has "voice Recognition" so when I send Text Messages, I don't have to TYPE them, just "Speak" them into the phone and send them. Thats the only reason I haven't done away with my current phone. Can you tell me if the U900 has this Feature also?

Thanks
Roger

A:
Roger,

You're in luck.  The U900 "FlipShot" supports speech to text dictation as well as voice-activated dialing and other voice commands.

* * *
Q:
I have a question I was looking at the Samsung Glyde U940 online a couple of days ago and I was wondering did you know how much its going to cost and is it worth buying?

A:
Verizon Wireless hasn't yet announced anything official regarding the U940.  A rumor went around the Web a week ago that the Glyde, as it's called, would be free after contract and rebate through Best Buy, but there's nothing to back that rumor up and I personally don't think it'll come true. 

Based on what I've seen and heard so far, Glyde will be a high-end phone along the lines of LG's Voyager.  So it makes sense to think that U940 pricing would be similar to that of Voyager - around $200-300 after contract and rebate.  But that's just a guess and I have no factual information at this time.

Will it be worth buying?  That depends on a few things:

1. Performance.  Some Voyager owners have complained that the phone's software is buggy and/or not responsive enough.  I've played with the Samsung F700 (on which Glyde is based), but that phone runs a different operating system than Glyde will.  So while we have a pretty good idea of what specs and features Glyde is likely to have, it's impossible to say how "good" the device is until we've been able to try out a production model and get a feel for how the thing actually responds to commands and button presses.

2. What matters to you in a phone?  It looks like Glyde will be a full featured, but rather large device.  Then again, it may lack support for VCAST TV, which Voyager has.  Honestly, I'd say if you're interested in this phone wait until it comes out and go to a Verizon store to try it out in person.  It's hard to get a sense of what a phone really feels like - how big it is, how the keyboard action is, how responsive the touchscreen is - without trying it out for yourself.  If you can't do that, wait for my video review (as soon as I get a review model) - it's the next best thing!

Alright, everyone, keep those questions coming.  Remember, post 'em on the PhoneDog blog comment roll and they'll get answered more quickly.

Thanks for watching and reading!

If you ask me a question via YouTube messaging, I'll probably get to it.  But it'll take awhile.  Nothing personal, I just respond to the PhoneDog messages and comments faster.  And we like the traffic on our blog comment rolls, too.  So ask away, but do it right here on the Dawg.

That said, here's the latest YouTube mailbag of your Q's and my A's, some of which might even be helpful to you:

Q:
i just watched your rumor review and i was wondering if you can make a more detailed one because i'll be getting my rumor in a couple of days and i have no idea about any of the features and i also think many other youtubers will find that resourceful too thanks blandfordski

A:
Blandfordski,

Thanks for watching the Rumor video.  We try to keep it to one video per phone, so we probably won't do another Rumor video. 

BUT ... I wrote a full-length review of Rumor that goes into more detail and gives my opinion of the phone after testing it for a few weeks.  You can read the review right here on PhoneDog.

Q:
Hi...can you please tell me the process of unlocking the iphone so that it can be used with t-mobile?..im due to get it this week and also can you tell me which plan features i would need to have all of its functions working such as stocks, youtube, internet. etc. thanks

A:
You need to use an unlocking program - I used Ziphone to upgrade and unlock/jailbreak my iPhone to the most recent firmware version.  I used the Mac OS X version and it was free, easy, and worked like a charm.  There's a Windows version available, as well.

You'll also have to make sure you have a T-Mobile data plan and then perform an additional step to get data services working on your iPhone.  I have the $5.99 T-Zones plan and it works great.  There are different methods of enabling the data plan on iPhone, but the one I used is super easy.  Once your iPhone is Jailbroken you'll have a program called Installer installed on it (you'll see the blue Installer icon on the home screen).  Open installer and you'll see lots of software you can download and install on your iPhone.  One of the programs is a "T-Zones hack" that tweaks the settings you need to use iPhone with the T-Zones plan.  Worked for me. 

You also may need to perform another hack to enable YouTube.  YouTube worked just fine at first for me, then it stopped connecting.  I haven't tried in in awhile.

If you search the Internet for "T-Mobile iPhone Jailbreak YouTube" you should get links to lots of different methods you can try.

Good luck!

* * *
Q:
 if you jailbreak/unlock iphone (I have TMOBILE) can you factory reset the phone after you unlock it???

A:
What do you mean by factory reset? Restore it to original, locked firmware? Yes, you can, but I'm not positive if you can restore the baseband to the factory settings in all cases. I know that I'm able to relock my iPhone to AT&T and restore the jailbroken firmware to the original Apple firmware.

Hope that helps!

* * *

Q:
hey i just ordered a moto z9 from att and was wondering if the phone was capable of applying ringtones saved to your memory card as your ringtones because i know for sure that the rizr z3 from tmobile did that i was just wondering because i like that feature and also can u apply ringtones longer that 30 like a full song cuz again the old rizer did that thankz

A:
Looks like the answer is no, unfortunately.

I asked my reps got this official response, which actually came from AT&T:

Checked with AT&T on this one and this is what we were told:

"Setting a size restriction for ringtone use allows us [AT&T] to display
only the smaller sized content that would logically be a ringtone when
someone pulls up the folder of ringtones on their phone."

So the official answer seems to be "No, you can't, but it's for your own good.  We want to easily separate ringtones (shorter) from full music tracks (longer), and the best way to do that is by setting a length limitation on ringtones."

* * *
Q:
hey im Ron,
 
ok my question is i hear that the Nokia N810(the pocket pc) is similar to the iPhone. but, it cannot make cell phone calls, is this true? i hope not because i have the iPhone and i really really want this nokia n810 phone. but, if it does not make or receive calls (like a regular cell phone would) then ill just stick to my iphone. anyway, i have a laptop i would not need a "pocket pc" just for the internet and does not make calls. p.s. i like all of your videos about this phone, they are very imformational that's why im asking you these questions.

A:
Hey Ron,

The N810 is not a cell phone.  It's an "Internet tablet" with WiFi and Bluetooth, but no cellular radio.  The new WiMax Edition will have a WiMax radio in it when it launches, but no cellular radio.

Nokia ships the device with Skype software pre-installed so you can make Internet (VoIP) calls from the device.  In order to use Skype you'll have to have a Skype account and also be connected to a WiFi network for Internet service.  So no, it's not a phone capable of making and receiving cell phone calls.

I actually just posted a full text review of the N810.  You can read it here if you want more info and my full opinion of the device.

Thanks for watching the videos!  Glad you find them informative.

* * *

Alright, that's it for now.  Stay tuned for Part Two of the April YouTube Mailbag in a few days ....