Need some help figuring out what to get.

A

aja brae.

New member
I'm going crazy in my search for a new phone. I have a general idea of what I'm looking for, but I'm having trouble narrowing the choice down.

I'm under contract with Cingular, but am not up for a new phone with them. Besides, they currently don't have anything I like, nor, it seems, does any US-market provider. My problem is that my budget is only US$300 or so, at most.

I'm looking for a phone that has the basic features I want, but, more importantly, has a certain style. I'm active in the import road racing scene, and so have been reading Japanese magazines for ages, and have watched quite a few Japanese movies and TV shows, as well. Somewhere in there, I fell in love with the design of the phones that show up so commonly in these media, especially as they have a look that's not seen at all in the US. I really like the flatter, more squared, large flip phones that are popular in Japan, as opposed to the very rounded, small, phones that are standard here in the US. A good example of the styling I like is the ever-popular Sharp 903, but it's way outside my price range.

So, I think a Japanese Vodafone model would be perfect for me. Aside from the style point, some of the features, especially the QR Code Reader (Japanese car magazines are filled with QR Codes...) and the Japanese text display/input would be very nice to have. The areas I'll be using the phone in all have 1900 coverage on Cingular, so a triband phone is fine for me, as well.

More common features I want are:
-Bluetooth, preferably with data transfer/sync.
-MP3 (or similar format) support, mostly for ringtones.
-Expansion card support would be very nice to have
-And at least a 1.3mp, preferably a 2.0mp or so, camera, or no camera at all. I doubt there's a Japanese phone out there that has less than 1.3 these days, anyway...

So, the question is, what phone in my range makes the most sense? I'd also appreciate any recommendation possible on a source, for any recommended phone, and it'd be nice if said source was actually in North America...



PS... by the way, a somewhat related question: I'm hoping to try to make over to Japan for a week or so, during Christmas Break this year. If I do indeed end up getting a Japanese phone and using my Cingular SIM, will I be able to use my phone in Japan, or would that require a Vodafone SIM?
 
Well, I've been doing quite a bit of research myself, and have come up with a few seemingly viable options. Here are a few of them:

-Sharp 703SH
-Sharp 703SHf
-Toshiba 903T
-Toshiba 904T
-Toshiba 803T

The SE K750i seems like a somewhat viable option, too, based on features and availability, but the formfactor's not what I'm looking for, so I'd rather not get it unless I can't find any of my other choices.

I'm still, of course, open to other recommendations.

So, based on my requirements, which of these should be the best option for me? Also, where can I find reputable dealers, preferably in the US, who are selling these for good prices? Outside eBay, the only dealer I'm coming up with is plemix, and they seem to be a bit... shady, based on forum posts and feedback. I'd really like a 904T, but those that I can find at a viable price are all in HK or Japan, which raises the issue of shipping, import duties, and for HK, "Water Goods". (The latter of which I only really mind because of the possibility of the phone being a factory reject or whatever, warranty isn't going to be an issue, as I doubt a user in the US will have much luck with Voda JP customer service, especially owing to my very rudimentary Japanese language abilities.)
 
The Samsungs that are on Voda do look quite nice, I'll try to find some info on them...

As for the 90xSHs... believe me, I'm drooling over the 903sh, it's the all the features I want, and precisely the style I like, but the price is just prohibitive. Cheapest I've found is about $450, and I'm pretty much capped at 300 for my new phone. I'm a full-time student, starting next month, so money's tight, only reason I'm getting a new phone is that I haven't "splurged" on much of anything in quite a while, and so I want to use my meagre tax return (which was only about 220) to buy a new phone. If I didn't have that money to spend, I'd just try to get Cingular to honor my insurance plan and give me a new S710a or equivelant. Reason I'm replacing my 710 is that, aside from the general wear and tear it sufferred in my old job as a studio courier, it's lately decided to get very buggy, "losing" contacts, and "forgetting" my ringtone settings, etc, and because it won't take the charging plug properly anymore. (I have to get the plug at a very specific angle, jiggling it around until it makes a positive contact with the phone, then very carefully set it down, with the plug resting on something to keep the angle, and hope that nothing jars it loose.) More than once, I've plugged my 710 in to charge overnight, only to be awakened by the loud "low battery" sound, in the middle of the night, or taken it off the charger in the morning and found the battery indicator showing the phone nearly dead.
 
try the motorola v3x, a big upgrade over the older razrs, it has a 320x240 resolution screen compared to the old 176x220, with transflash option for mp3s, and 2 megapixel, although the camera is not gonna be as good as sharps, it's pretty good, or try the sharp 902sh
 
Sorry, but I won't touch a RAZR. I despise the things, and, plus, I want something uncommon and "exotic", which is exactly the opposite of the RAZR, which everybody and their brother has these days. I also simply don't like the style. Same goes, sadly, for the Samsung 804SS, which is pretty much a RAZR clone.

As for the 902, it, too, is prohibitively expensive. I haven't seen one for under $400, which, again, is way out of my price range.

If someone can find me a 903SH, or maybe even an 902SH, for under $400, I'll be all over it, but I don't think that's going to happen, seeing as both phones seem to go for more than that, even used. I wish someone would unlock the 904SH, so the 903's prices would drop...

Oh, how's the Toshi 902? I like the look, and it's well within my price range. Is it lacking any features that wouldn't work outside of Japan anyway?
 
Any more input?

I'm pretty much narrowed down to the Toshiba 90x series. Right now, it's between the 902t and the 904t. Keeping in mind that I'm in the US, will the 904t offer anything that the 902t doesn't, considering that none of the Voda live stuff will work? I actually prefer the looks of the 902, as well.

Any other suggestions, beyond those?
 
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