No pre3, now whats a compatible replacement on sprint?

[holley2583]

As it's been said over and over now, the disappointment of never getting the Pre3 is practically unbearable. But, I have to look forward since my meta-doctored Pre- is shutting down on it's own constantly and just isn't functioning anymore.
I need something that has synergy, love to have a qwertry, compact, and definitely tweekable. I have spent countless hours creating themes for Pre devices, and I'd like to continue to do so even if it's a different platform.
So, what do you think is out there that won't completely disappoint?

[intellidryad]

I am also on the lookout for a replacement, however, I still haven't seen anything else on Sprint that has a keyboard, can search for & call contacts just by start typing, and has a good charging dock. However, I have a little better luck then you that my launch day Pre is still in a usable state, so I can wait a little longer for Android/WP7 phones to mature a little more.

[ljbad4life]

I was dead set on having a keyboard, but I learned to live without it when I bought Motorola Photon. I would still want one, but I'm getting good at swype. The phone is great and android isn't as bad as I used to remember.

[EN4CER]

Think I gunna move to Android.. Looking at SE Xperia Pro or Sammy GS II with a slider, when they are released!!

[rigo0523]

I love webos but that doesn't mean it's the best OS. If it were we would be number one right now :/

[intron]

there are several very cool looking sliders coming out for windows mango soon. And that os looks pretty nice and very feature rich.

[sdguy101]

I would say if you like physical keyboards...Blackberry Bold 9930 launching tomorrow.

[Keegan99]

I've spent the last day looking at Sprint's web site and scouring sites for reviews. Also dropped by a Sprint store today to check out models in person.

Basically three choices if a vertical physical keyboard (candybar) is a priority:

1) Motorola XPRT. It's a little underpowered and the screen is small. Runs Android. Worldphone.

2) Blackberry Bold 9930. Launches tomorrow. Looks to have top notch specs, but being a RIM product you're hitching your wagon to another shaky company. Worldphone.

3) [some phone that will be released before the holiday buying season]

No option has me super excited. Also considering going the franken-pre2 route or just sticking with my overclocked pre minus until it gives up the ghost. Still going strong and stable, thankfully.

[Hobbz]

Don't forget, there is the option of getting an unlocked Pre 2 and converting it to the famous FrankenPre on Sprint.

That's what I'm investigating.

[intron]

Originally Posted by Hobbz

Don't forget, there is the option of getting an unlocked Pre 2 and converting it to the famous FrankenPre on Sprint.

That's what I'm investigating.

Honestly, when my pre- dies, that is probably what I will do as well.

[milominderbinder]

My thought would be to go to a Sprint store and spend several hours playing with all of the phone. Ask the reps and especially service people what they have and more importantly what they want as their next phone.

Then go to another store and do it again. This is something you will have every day, all day for the next two years.

Look at the specs: Phone Comparison.

Start with whether you need a keyboard. The stock virtual keyboards are awful but you will get the idea. Most who buy an Epic or Transform report that within one month they never slide out the keyboard any more. On a bigger screen, with a virtual keyboard like SwiftKey or Swype, it is not worth it to open the keyboard.

Note that with Android, there are QWERTY keyboards, slider keyboards, and no keyboards. In the Android Readers Choice Awards Surveys that are going on right now, only 1 of the Top 20 phones overall has a physical keyboard.

Next consider display size. Androids come is every possible size but the Readers choice found that: 4.3" Displays Are Now the Sweet Spot. Of nearly 5,000 surveyed, 67% want 4.3" or bigger displays. Here is a list of the Top 10 overall.

Next look at the Operating System. Look at the standings: Gartner: Android Growing, Nokia, BlackBerry, & Microsoft Shrink. Android grew to 43% while Symbian has lost another 5%, RIM another 1%, and Microsoft lost half of it's marketshare in the past quarter.

Do you want to be rooting for the underdog again or do you want all the apps everyone else has this time?

If you want apps, that leaves Apple or Android.

If you want the freedom to try different virtual keyboards and tweak the phone any way you want, Apple will be at war with you. If you are one of the 92% who do not want a 3.5" display, Apple is out.

For many that leaves Android.

Android Central just did an article with a lot of info: Moving from webOS to Android [From the Forums]. You can customize Android Synergy, Notifications, Just Type, and Cards. Note that the Nexus S is missing 17 basic including Synergy with Facebook. There is also the Getting Started.

From the Readers Choice Awards, The EVO 3D and the Photon are two of the top 5 phones overall, so see what webOS users had to say about their experiences switching over : EVO 3D & Photon.

Note that the Samsung Galaxy S II is expected to be announced on August 29th and available on September 9th.

And also take a look at our sister sites: AndroidCentral, iPhone TiPb, wpcentral, and Crackberry. There are so many new phones coming out every week, the next always better than the last. It is like drinking water from a fire hose.

[ijip]

i got the nexus s4g... i was waiting for the HP pre3....
so far im very happy, dont really use the 4g cuz its so spoty but everything else about the phone is solid.
The OS does take some getting used to. and Android is def not as simple or as elagant as went OS =\
But looking at the market now... even if webOS is able to rise like a pheonix, the earliest product cycles we can count on for phones would be 12 to 18 months from now.

if your on sprint and dont need a "media" type device the nexus s is just right. nice size, weight, easilly customizable...

im happy about the switch, butnot happy why i had to do it -=\


oh yeah, sprint has it for 30 bux right now, and i believe best buy will have a sale for a dollar....

i went to best buy got them to price match sprint took just 33 bux out of my pocket. no extra charges or anything. and when the sale comes around on monday they told me to just go back with the reciept and they give me the rebate..

edit: oh and one more thing, sprint just released swype for the nexus S. its really neat, just have to get used to it

[holley2583]

Yeah, well, i had to doctor my phone back to 1.4.5 and it seems to be working again...but only until I find a phone that isn't half the size of a tablet and has a qwerty slide along with tons of other features I want. Basically, i'm completely lost here...my contract with Sprint was over almost a year ago, don't ask me how I pulled that off considering I bought my Pre in August 2009. So, I could technically go with any carrier if I can find a phone at least somewhat comparable to my precious Pre. Checking out Andriod forums for hacking and theme options...looks lame and obviously foreign, I don't want to learn about a new platform, I want webos.

[rbyrne]

Sony Ericsson Experia Pro.

[nyquistJack]

I went with the HTC Arrive (Windows Phone 7). It has a full keyboard that is surprisingly nice. A 3.6" screen so its not a complete monster. That being said it is very solid so it has some heft to it.

The OS actually has a unified UI, not just a mashup of stuff like Anroid. In that way its webOS-ish. I was pleased with the speed until I updated the phone to Mango...now I am completely blown away. EVERYTHING is liquid smooth, its incredible.

The synergy is actually better on Mango than it is in webOS if you ask me. You can combine multiple mailboxes together into custom mailboxes (so if you have 2 for work and 2 for personal, you can create 2 combined mailboxes or mash them all in to 1). The social network interaction is completely awesome. If they add google+ I may actually use it. It even has a wireless syncing to your PC and the option to automatically upload all photos to skydrive.

The one thing I am afraid its missing though is the customizability. Of all the platforms it seems to be the most shallow as far as customizing goes. There isn't even a way to wifi tether

[milominderbinder]

The front page blog for PreCentral published this today:

Switching away from webOS? SPE has you covered

SPE is SmartPHone Experts, the parent of PreCentral.

It includes these links:

• from webOS to Android
• from webOS to BlackBerry
• from webOS to iOS
• from webOS to Windows Phone

That is straight from Derek.

[barkerja]

All signs point to Sprint getting the iPhone 5.