What's Next?

I am very seriously considering the purchase of a new smart phone. It does not look like there will be a webOS option on Bell any time soon. Which means that I will have to get something else. I could possibly wait a month or two before getting a new phone, but not much longer. This Pre is really hurting. I do not think I love it quite enough to get another, even if I could. I would gladly buy a Pre2 - if I could. 

If I had a working Pre I'd be more willing to wait for spring (and I see no reason to believe I'll see any new WebOS phones on Bell before March). But I don't, and I'm tired of using a broken phone. I really am. Getting myself one of those new-fangled smart phones is sounding like a better idea every day.

Microsoft's Windows Phone looks promising. But I just can't imagine owning a phone that doesn't multi-task. I hear that this is a priority for the updates, but how long will that take (webOS microphone API)?

My biggest reservation about the IPhone is the lack of a keyboard. I'm not a big fan of on-screen keyboards. They eat up too much real estate. I prefer to see as much of my text as possible. I can be a little wordy at times and my notes tend to be a tad long. However, Bluetooth keyboards are quite prevalent so I am willing to consider joining Steve's little army of I Clones. Technically, the hardware is state of the art and the OS is polished and stable. I-Tunes though is another knock against it in my books. I hate it. I prefer to be able to add any song I wish, at any time and from any computer.

Blackberry Torch doesn't look so bad to me. I realize that the tech press doesn't have many good things to say, but that's true of the Pre as well. I've seen a few in action, and they seem to  run very fast. The OS seems to run crisp and responsively. I need to see it's YouTube performance before I can decide if it's acceptable for what I need.

Google's Android OS and the phones that run it would seem to be the most attractive option. Especially considering how much I use Google products on the web. It's seemless and hassle-free integration with Google has always been one of webOS' strongest features for me. It would seem safe to assume that an Android would do this at least as well. The fact that I can get one with an actual keyboard is another plus.

Here's some of what I'm looking for in a smartphone:

Google account synch. I need to be able to access my full google account. Gmail, Calender, Docs, Blogger, and YouTube. Effortlessly. With a touch or a flick. Not allot of typing (I don't expect to have to login more than once). I have no intention on taking a step back here. A step forward (threaded e-mails) would be nice. To be able to do it all at once with 5 or 10 "cards" (or "windows" or whatever you want to call them) all open at the same time, with the ability to instantly switch between them (alá webOS 2.0) would be ideal. Stacks and Just Type (search and UI) that accesses your apps as well as your contacts, tasks and calender would be gravy.

I need to be able to fully access (and watch the videos I've saved, which goes without saying) my YouTube account. Blogging YouTube music mashups is what I do. And I do it mostly from my phone. It would be safe to call this feature a deal-breaker. I have no interest in any phones that don't do this. I need to be able to easily download as well. This I have currently through homebrew, but it's still not a feature I am willing to give up. To be able to run YouTube in the background would be a real sweet bonus. I installed a patch for his but it didn't work due to conflicts with other patches. If I come across any other phone that does this I'll definitely give it another look!

FaceBook is a very important smartphone feature for me. I may be spoiled here as it is my understanding that this is another area webOS excels at. In my experience FB has actually gotten worse. I used to be able to post links. Not any more. Back in August I could pretty much do anything and access anything on FB all from my phone. Now I can barely do anything. Change my status and respond to ongoing threads is about all I can do now. Accessing some of my groups is very difficult, when it's even possible. I want the full FaceBook experience - on my phone! I used to have it and I want it back!  Uploading straight from my camera directly to FB is also nice. I'm pretty sure every smart phone does it though so I'm not worried.

Twitter is also important for me. I am confident that all the phones will have something at least as good as BadKitty for webOS. 

I want a phone that does all of this - at once. I want to be able to write a decent essay (like this one) while being notified of new tweets, FB actions, text messages, emails and appoinments. I don't want to have to save anything or worry about losing any data (or game progress) when a phone call comes in. I want to be able to switch between different apps and "screens" without having to start up or shut down anything (and without having to "wait"). A dozen or two ("screens or "cards") at least with no noticeable hit in performance would be the bare minimum. My pre can do a dozen, the Pre2 can do 50, with Stacks!

That's about it. Any phone that does all this well will surely be able to handle whatever else I think of later. I would love to get some feedback on what phone would be best for me.

http://ferenczyram.blogspot.com - my personal blog
http://ferenczypre.blogspot.com/ - webOS & Palm
http://ferenczymu.blogspot.com/ - youtube mashups

-- Sent from my palm Pre