Mobile phone suggestions for the cackhanded
Thread poster: Susanna Garcia
Susanna Garcia
Susanna Garcia  Identity Verified
Local time: 09:15
Italian to English
+ ...
In memoriam
May 4, 2012

I currently have an HTC not so smart phone which is driving me mad. It's fiddly to use and has the attractive habit of phoning people at odd hours of the night and turning itself off just for the pleasure of it.
We're going to part company tomorrow and I'm looking for suggestions for a smart phone which is easy to use as I am not very coordinated manually, It needs to be able to receive e-mails, Internet, texts and have bells and whistles in general.
I'm considering a Blackberry as
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I currently have an HTC not so smart phone which is driving me mad. It's fiddly to use and has the attractive habit of phoning people at odd hours of the night and turning itself off just for the pleasure of it.
We're going to part company tomorrow and I'm looking for suggestions for a smart phone which is easy to use as I am not very coordinated manually, It needs to be able to receive e-mails, Internet, texts and have bells and whistles in general.
I'm considering a Blackberry as it has a proper keyboard although I was wondering about the stylus-operated mobiles as well. Anybody have any views on iPhones perhaps?

Any advice gratefully received.
Thanks.
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Henry Hinds
Henry Hinds  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 03:15
English to Spanish
+ ...
In memoriam
Cackhanded??? May 5, 2012

What's that? It sounds like an awful disability.

 
Phil Hand
Phil Hand  Identity Verified
China
Local time: 17:15
Chinese to English
I wouldn't buy a blackberry now May 5, 2012

Blackberries use their own independent network. The company is in trouble, and if it goes out of business there is no guarantee that the blackberry will remain usable.

I have a Motorola that I'm quite happy with - I'm writing this post on it.


 
Tomás Cano Binder, BA, CT
Tomás Cano Binder, BA, CT  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 10:15
Member (2005)
English to Spanish
+ ...
I just ordered a Samsung Galaxy Note May 5, 2012

I've always had a regular Nokia, but my work increasingly relates to apps (the applications you see in iPhones and Android devices) and I decided to make the change to a touchscreen phone and also be able to read and partially answer my email on the go. I just hope my children respect my serious warning about not playing --or even touching-- the phone.

 
Erik Freitag
Erik Freitag  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 10:15
Member (2006)
Dutch to German
+ ...
Agree with Phil May 5, 2012

I had been using Blackberry devices for a long time before I switched to an Android phone last year. Never regretted that. I wouldn't buy a Blackberry today.

 
Sebastian Witte
Sebastian Witte  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 10:15
Member (2004)
English to German
+ ...
I have decided to go from the "more state of the art hardware for less" craze back to good software May 5, 2012

... that comes at a price.

For example, the Galaxy Note, which is highly popular among Android aficionados, has a 5.3 inch screen. If a traditional (non-emailing-enabled) cell phone was a mouse, this would be an elephant. Too bulky to carry around with you IMO.

You might even wanna consider NOT waiting for the new iPhone 5 (4 inch screen, possibly Near-Field Communication-enabled) to come out in Fall as the forté of the iPhone has been and probably always will be the i
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... that comes at a price.

For example, the Galaxy Note, which is highly popular among Android aficionados, has a 5.3 inch screen. If a traditional (non-emailing-enabled) cell phone was a mouse, this would be an elephant. Too bulky to carry around with you IMO.

You might even wanna consider NOT waiting for the new iPhone 5 (4 inch screen, possibly Near-Field Communication-enabled) to come out in Fall as the forté of the iPhone has been and probably always will be the iOS, Apple's proprietary operating system also used on Ipads and ensuring data exchange with these, plus the giant and quality-oriented Appstore and its being pretty (as opposed to the rather technical-looking, neutrally designed Galaxy phones and the, well, ... if I may say this ..., noticeably less attractive HTC and Motorola ones) so why not get a iPhone 4S that does NOT cost a fortune (despite not competing in the penny-pinching market).

Only two downsides of the 4S I've noticed so far compared to my older Samsung Galaxy S (which is a good phone and not outdated), during a week of testing: 1) cannot find a calendar widget anywhere meaning you have to open the calendar app everytime you want to check or create appointments. 2) the folder management in the iPhone's email client is a bit weird, you hear a sound while sending email to then be left wondering what folder of your email accounts inside the email client the sent email is in, or rather, was it really sent?

The iPhone 4S has a 3.5 inch screen, which is sufficient IMO and the email client actually works a charm (other than detailed above, which I can put up with), as opposed to all of my earlier phones, plus attachments really do open from in there.

Regarding Near-Field Communication (NFC, i.e. most notably paying for tickets in the tube and on buses as well as for parking lots by holding phone to a reader): this service hasn't taken off in my country yet, it being available hardly anywhere, and it looks like it won't within the next 12 to 15 months, if reading up on the matter on the web. It is, by the way, even for people that actually are into technology very questionable whether people that are nice will ever want to use this service in actual practice cuz it's kinda over the top, not down to earth, not regular, not every-day people style. Put differently: despite it sounding like it made life easier, I think it's too futuristic.

Best

Sebastian


[Edited at 2012-05-05 08:08 GMT]

[Edited at 2012-05-05 08:14 GMT]

[Edited at 2012-05-05 09:08 GMT]

[Edited at 2012-05-05 09:10 GMT]
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Steve Derry
Steve Derry  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 10:15
German to English
+ ...
iPhone May 5, 2012

I've had an iPhone for a few months now and I have to say I am more than happy with it. I previously had a Blackberry and had some reservations about using the touch-screen keypad after using a Blackberry for so long, but I soon got used to it. I wouldn't say it's necessarily better than any of the other suggestions made, but with regard to receiving emails from clients, viewing attached documents etc. and drafting quick responses I think it is very good.
Also (certainly if you're in the U
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I've had an iPhone for a few months now and I have to say I am more than happy with it. I previously had a Blackberry and had some reservations about using the touch-screen keypad after using a Blackberry for so long, but I soon got used to it. I wouldn't say it's necessarily better than any of the other suggestions made, but with regard to receiving emails from clients, viewing attached documents etc. and drafting quick responses I think it is very good.
Also (certainly if you're in the UK) my experience, and that of friends, is that the support from Apple is very good.

Regards
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Steve Derry
Steve Derry  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 10:15
German to English
+ ...
Henry - cackhanded May 5, 2012

Henry,
Cackhanded originally meant "left-handed" in UK English, but is now also used to refer to clumsiness with the hands in general.
My parents were from "up North" and were always saying it I'm not sure if it's a regional thing.


 
Phil Hand
Phil Hand  Identity Verified
China
Local time: 17:15
Chinese to English
I think I speak for all parents... May 5, 2012

Tomás Cano Binder, CT wrote:

I just hope my children respect my serious warning about not playing --or even touching-- the phone.


...when I say: good luck with that!


 
Henry Hinds
Henry Hinds  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 03:15
English to Spanish
+ ...
In memoriam
Thanks May 5, 2012

Thanks, Derrio. I've never heard the term "cackhanded" in the USA, and to me, British English is a foreign language. But if it now also refers to clumsiness with the hands in general, then I guess that includes me! If I had the dexterity in typing that some people have, I could be twice as productive as a translator.

 
Susanna Garcia
Susanna Garcia  Identity Verified
Local time: 09:15
Italian to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
In memoriam
cackhanded May 6, 2012

Thank you everyone for your suggestions. I am cackhanded in both senses of the word and find DNS invaluable in my written work but as far as I know, there isn't a real mobile equivalent.
My real priority is finding something easy to handle in the manual sense. I didn't have time to get a phone yesterday as I had a Jethro Tull concert to get to!
Thank you again
Suzi


p.s. I think cackhanded is recognised UK-wide and is not a regional expression. I live in W
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Thank you everyone for your suggestions. I am cackhanded in both senses of the word and find DNS invaluable in my written work but as far as I know, there isn't a real mobile equivalent.
My real priority is finding something easy to handle in the manual sense. I didn't have time to get a phone yesterday as I had a Jethro Tull concert to get to!
Thank you again
Suzi


p.s. I think cackhanded is recognised UK-wide and is not a regional expression. I live in Wales and give you 'daps' if you want something more regional to chew over on a Sunday evening.
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Phong Le
Phong Le  Identity Verified
Vietnam
Local time: 16:15
Vietnamese
+ ...
case May 6, 2012

Susanna Garcia wrote:

My real priority is finding something easy to handle in the manual sense.


If you buy the iphone, you need to buy an additional case,
http://www.google.com.vn/search?rlz=1C1SKPL_enVN405DE407&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=iphone%20case#hl=en&rlz=1C1SKPL_enVN405DE407&sclient=psy-ab&q=iphone%20case&oq=iphone%20case&aq=f&aqi=g4&aql=&gs_l=serp.3..0l4.11566.12225.1.12828.2.2.0.0.0.0.143.223.1j1.2.0...0.0.gYsUixtmGjQ&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&fp=9f1dce1b50d31bfa&biw=1280&bih=705


 
Åsa Campbell
Åsa Campbell  Identity Verified
Australia
Local time: 19:45
Member
English to Swedish
iPhone May 7, 2012

I've been through a few Android phones but decided last time to give the iPhone a try - and have never looked back. It is so easy to use, everything is where you would expect it to be and is easy to use.

Only problem is to keep it away from the children! Almost impossible


 


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Mobile phone suggestions for the cackhanded






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