Help selecting a phone

I am going to be getting a new phone. I want a camera phone, and I want
to be able to do three things:

1. Take pictures and upload them directly to a laptop with a USB cable.
The pictures will probably NEVER actually be transmitted over the phone.

2. Connect the laptop to the phone by USB cable and get on the Internet
with the laptop. I have no plans to directly connect to the internet
with just the phone itself (e.g. no plans to use the phone as a
browser), only use the phone as a "modem" for the laptop.

3. Be able to manage the phone's phonebook and other features from a
laptop connected to the phone by a USB cable.

I'm looking at the Samsung VGA1000 and two Sanyo phones, the 5300 and
8100, I believe.

I can't tell if they can do any/all of this. Can they?

For these functions, do I need the "Vision Plan", or is just the "Free
and Clear" plan all that I need? What accessories do I need besides
what comes with the phone? How is the picture quality at maximum
resolution (obviously it's only 640x480; I was unimpressed with the
Sanyo phone that I played with, the Samsung looked a lot better).

Are there other phones that I should be looking at?

Thanks for your help.

---

› See More: Help selecting a phone

You don't want a Sprint phone then. They don't use industry standards for their
pictures, and won't let you use your phone as a modem.

Check with T-Mobile if they have coverage in your area.

It is against Sprint's policy for you to use the phone as a modem. You
can do it, but they look down on it.

If you get a phone, you will need to buy the software at either Best Buy
or Radio Shack to connect it to the computer. Radio Shack is cheaper,
but Best Buy should price match. It runs about $40 for cord and
software.

The Samsung VGA-1000 takes the best quality picture and has a flash and
zoom that the 8100 won't.

--
-Brandt

I work for SprintPCS,
I DON'T speak for them.


[email protected] (Loving Moonlight) wrote in article
<[email protected]>:
> You don't want a Sprint phone then. They don't use industry standards for their
> pictures, and won't let you use your phone as a modem.
>
> Check with T-Mobile if they have coverage in your area.

[posted via phonescoop.com]

> I work for SprintPCS,

Or is it your father that works for Sprint?

Re: "It is against Sprint's policy for you to use the phone as a modem.
You can do it, but they look down on it."

I don't really care whether sprint likes it; the only question is can I
connect my laptop to the phone, dial my [non-Sprint] ISP on their dial
access number and connect? In order for this to work, the phone
hardware has to support use as a modem.

[I guess that a 2nd question is at what speed the connection will occur]

It's not clear that the Radio Shack software and cable will let you
upload pictures taken on the phone from the phone to the computer over
the cable. Are you certain that they will support this?


Brandt wrote:
>
>
> If you get a phone, you will need to buy the software at either Best Buy
> or Radio Shack to connect it to the computer. Radio Shack is cheaper,
> but Best Buy should price match. It runs about $40 for cord and
> software.
>
> The Samsung VGA-1000 takes the best quality picture and has a flash and
> zoom that the 8100 won't.
>

On Mon, 13 Oct 2003 16:11:28 GMT, Barry Watzman <[email protected]>
wrote:

>
>I don't really care whether sprint likes it; the only question is can I
>connect my laptop to the phone, dial my [non-Sprint] ISP on their dial
>access number and connect?

I believe the matter of whether SPCS likes it or not was mentioned
because they don't, and if they find out you're doing it they penalize you.

"David G. Imber" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On Mon, 13 Oct 2003 16:11:28 GMT, Barry Watzman <[email protected]>
> wrote:
>
> >
> >I don't really care whether sprint likes it; the only question is can I
> >connect my laptop to the phone, dial my [non-Sprint] ISP on their dial
> >access number and connect?
>
> I believe the matter of whether SPCS likes it or not was mentioned
> because they don't, and if they find out you're doing it they penalize
you.
>

No they don't penalize you. I think you are thinking of using Vision for a
tethered device like a laptop. This guy seems to be talking about using his
phone as an analog modem (which will just use the voice portion of the
network) and thus it will just use his voice minutes.

Tom Veldhouse

"Thomas T. Veldhouse" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "David G. Imber" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > On Mon, 13 Oct 2003 16:11:28 GMT, Barry Watzman
<[email protected]>
> > wrote:
> >
> > >
> > >I don't really care whether sprint likes it; the only question is can I
> > >connect my laptop to the phone, dial my [non-Sprint] ISP on their dial
> > >access number and connect?
> >
> > I believe the matter of whether SPCS likes it or not was mentioned
> > because they don't, and if they find out you're doing it they penalize
> you.
> >
>
> No they don't penalize you. I think you are thinking of using Vision for
a
> tethered device like a laptop. This guy seems to be talking about using
his
> phone as an analog modem (which will just use the voice portion of the
> network) and thus it will just use his voice minutes.
>
> Tom Veldhouse
>
>

BTW ... you can use all the data you like using Vision on a tethered device
for $0.01 / minute. There is no penalty to do so, unless you think $0.01 is
a penalty.

Tom Veldhouse

In article <[email protected]>, Barry [email protected]=
..com=20
says...
> I don't really care whether sprint likes it; the only question is can I=
=20
> connect my laptop to the phone, dial my [non-Sprint] ISP on their dial=20
> access number and connect? In order for this to work, the phone=20
> hardware has to support use as a modem.
>=20

It'll work. For 39=A2/min. This is not treated as a phone call. It is a=
=20
circuit-switched data call, and will get billed as "casual" Wireless Web us=
age. =20
You max out at 14.4kbps on ther best of connections, and are usually much=
=20
slower. Oh, and since we charge you by the minute, this does not count as =
AT=20
or N&W minutes.

--=20
-+-
R=D8=DF
O/Siris
I work for SprintPCS
I *don't* speak for them.

However, it's phsically impossible to use the phone as a modem (analog
or digital) unless the phone supports it. It's a USB connection to the
laptop, there is no other modem involved (e.g. no PC-Card or USB modem),
the phone has to supply digital data over the USB port, thus the phone
has to be acting not only as a phone, but as a modem as well.

The question is, does it do that?


Thomas T. Veldhouse wrote:
> "David G. Imber" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>
>>On Mon, 13 Oct 2003 16:11:28 GMT, Barry Watzman <[email protected]>
>>wrote:
>>
>>
>>>I don't really care whether sprint likes it; the only question is can I
>>>connect my laptop to the phone, dial my [non-Sprint] ISP on their dial
>>>access number and connect?
>>
>>I believe the matter of whether SPCS likes it or not was mentioned
>>because they don't, and if they find out you're doing it they penalize
>
> you.
>
>
> No they don't penalize you. I think you are thinking of using Vision for a
> tethered device like a laptop. This guy seems to be talking about using his
> phone as an analog modem (which will just use the voice portion of the
> network) and thus it will just use his voice minutes.
>
> Tom Veldhouse
>
>

we both do.

--
-Brandt

I work for SprintPCS,
I DON'T speak for them.


[email protected] (Sunday Auto) wrote in article
<[email protected]>:
> > I work for SprintPCS,
>
> Or is it your father that works for Sprint?

[posted via phonescoop.com]