Anyone have a camera phone?
I’m tempted by sprint. I’ve had a sprint account for years….finally decided to upgrade my plan so I stop writting million dollar checks each month for going way over my limit…..and they now require ya to sign on for the 2 yr agreement even as a returning customer….
so I called and struck a deal…I get the same deal as a new customer…
$100……new customers get to use it toward a new phone…..mine will be an account credit….but same difference.
So..as I’m talking to the girl…she tells me I can get the photo plan for $5 more than the regular plan would be….
so aside the extra cost of the phone….I’m thinking.
no digital at the moment……and I’m sure after I get the digital it’ll be at home when I most need that one pic……
so pretending to put that $100 toward a camera phone might not be such a bad deal.
I can get what looks to be a decent camera phone for $200….
Anyone know if these things take half decent pics? I ain’t paying $400 for the one with a flash…..and I will have a good digital cam in the near future….
So are these things handy to have strapped on the hip?
Or is it a big pain to use the system and send yourself a pic?
Thanks,
Jeff
Buck Construction Pittsburgh,PA
Fine Carpentery…..While U Waite
Replies
I really should be reading, but that ain't happening tonight...
A friend has one, pic's look ok at best.
A few things I have learned, keep your phone as simple as possible, color screens, planner features etc. all eat big time battery which cuts down on talk time, I don't know if this applies to the camera option.
If I were you, and I am in basically the same boat, cause I need a new phone... Skip the cam/phone, its a gimmick BS item for teenage girls to play with and get a basic phone that serves your needs.
It's just a phone, and companies are trying to make them into things they need not be, think of those combination woodworking machine things, If you try to do to many things with one "tool" your giving up quality somewhere else.
Sprint made you get a 2 year contract? I just talked to customer service yesterday because I am thinking of upgrading from 1000 anytime to 2000 anytime, everything else is unlimited. I could add another phone to the account share minutes with my G/F who I would give the other line too and "we" could save about 30 bucks a month, plus I get more minutes and stop going over because she hardly uses her phone
might want to look into that if your wife doesn't use much, 100 a month + tax
I've been with them for about 3 years now. The women I talked to said, I could change my plan with no contract. If I signed a 2 year I could get the 100 rebate to put towards a phone. She wasn't sure I would get any rebate with a 1 year contract but said they were "available" and there is an option on sprints webpage for 1 or 2 year.
Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark, Professionals build the Titanic.
I pay 90 bucks a month for unlimited calls on my cell. My wife pays 30 bucks for 1000 minutes and any calls between phones by this company are free so we can talk all day without affect her minutes. I got the same deal for my crew. Local outfit. Nearly all in the construction trades around here use them so you can call your GC, your plumber, etc. without using minutes. Pretty cool and decent phones too.
My boss just went for that deal and he picked up two camera phones. (For reasons much to convoluted and complicated to get into here)
Anyhow, the imaging chip in the phone is 640x480, about a third of a "megapixel". By current camera standards, not very big. However, your TV only has 480 line of resolution, so it may be good enough.
If you want to take pictures for emailing and posting; and to add thumbnail images for job documentation (estimates, insurance purposes), it will work fine.
If you want a digital camera to take images for DIY "advertising" material or save pics of your vacation, it will leave you disatisfied.Steelkilt Lives!
SWMBO just got a new camera phone yesterday, Nokia 3650.
http://www.nokiausa.com/phones/3650
Took one quick pic of one of our cats about 6 feet away. Not impressed, but I only saw it on the phone, didn't try downloading to PC. On screen display, could make out that it was a cat, but couldn't make out her eyes, no details of markings. Just a grey-brown silhouette. Also the cat looked about 12 feet away, so it must be a fairly wide angle lens. As CAG said, more gimick than useful, I think.
If everything seems to be going well, you've obviously overlooked something.
Like any other communications device, its usefulness is proportional to how many other people have them. Now may be a little early, but some day you'll be working on projects where everybody has the ability to take and send good quality pictures. A lot of questions that now are handled by meeting on site will be answered with a picture call. You'll be framing a bathroom and doing a conference call with the tile guy and the plumber. Coordination between the trades will be a lot better, you'll be getting answers on ever more minor details. There'll be a lot fewer "ah s--t if only this were half an inch over"'s We've all seen threads here where something would be much easier to understand if only the person asking could take a picture of the problem in question.
-- J.S.
I'm thinking it'd be useful if I left the real camera at home.....
and be working on something that I wanna take a second look at later..probably that nite.......for materials or estimating purposes....instead of drawing a rough sketch.....just snap a pic.
or..when I'm up on a ladder and see something that really isn't worth climbing back down to get the camera.....which I'd probably find out I left back at home......
Hey..whoever took that cat pic.....up load it onto yer computer and let me know if you can tell it's feline!
I checked the strint and electric sites..looks like there's one phone they all sell for $200......that'll probably be the one I get.
JeffBuck Construction Pittsburgh,PA
Fine Carpentery.....While U Waite
Jeff,
As someone else said, the resolution is at best 640x480. I think some are half that. I had the first mavica, same resolution, and its about the same quality as a polaroid with a carl zeiss lens. I would think the phone cam would be worthless, except maybe for phone sex.
I got some panasonic duramax phones for myself and my guys about six months ago. Durable and comes with 1700mah battery which lasts all week for my guys. I go about 1500 minutes a month and I've went three days without charging, and it still wasn't dead. Durability and battery life are my determining factors.
As far as the digital cameras go, I have a nikon 5700 that I like a lot, but I keep a sony uc 20 on me pretty much all the time for job estimating and documentation. Its two mega pixel unit that about the size of a large pack of gum. Takes photo quality 4x6's and can be had for about $180 if you shop around. Its really a great all around snapshot camera, my only complaints being that it lacks an optical viewfinder and a zoom.
If they combine this camera with a phone, I might buy one. Maybe in a year or two.
Tom
Uhh it's not a good idea cause sometimes I'm places that I'm not supposed to be and when the phone rings I dont want to have to prove where I'm at. Do you see what I mean?
P.S. If they demand that you sign a two year contract to change your plan dump them. That's bogus.
Who Dares Wins.
They want any "new" customers to sign an agreement.
But CAG was right.....when I first checked into it...no mention of the 1 yr agreement..but I test drove the on line sign up...and I had the choice.
I figured no matter which national service I went with I'd have to sign on..so that's why I called sprint and told them I was shopping unless I get the "new" customer perks.
CAG was right on another thing....that deal for $100 might be the best..free second line....plus more minutes that I'd never use. I have 300 min at the moment..and have been over the last coupla months.....that ads up big time.....
I'll probably take the $100 deal ..get a photo phone...just to have on hand..then give my current phone to the wife and get the second line added. We'd share the minutes..but never get close to going over.
JeffBuck Construction Pittsburgh,PA
Fine Carpentery.....While U Waite
Careful you tell me I'm right to often it just might go to my head.
Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark, Professionals build the Titanic.
That makes more sense. In my area Cingular has the best deal going. I'm actualy in a little different predicument I have an old plan that they don't offer anymore. Nationwide 850 from anywhere to anywhere 1500 nights and weekends. It's all a local call. If I want to do anything to my plan I have to drop that.I almost dropped it cause I don't travel that much out of state anymore untill I found out last week I'm scheduled for DVR school in the next month or so. It saves a bunch when your out of town or have relatives out of town. Who Dares Wins.
I'm in a similar deal...
can get a cheaper pay as ya go type phone....but only works in 2 area codes....
almost switched....
then went outta town over memorial day and needed to use the phone a coupla times for business and a coupla more for personal.
figured I'd stick nationwide for the few times a year I might need it.
I'd hate to be stuck on the side of the Jersey Parkway kicking myself because my bargain cell can't dial out to AAA!
JeffBuck Construction Pittsburgh,PA
Fine Carpentery.....While U Waite
Resist the urge to answer. I always look at the ID of the caller, If you programmed it in the phone the name shows up on the display. In my line of work, no answer passes for being in front of a customer.Jack of all trades and master of none - you got a problem with that?
I'm talking about the wife calling when you're at the nudie bar. Wink, Wink, Nod, Nod.Who Dares Wins.
Saw something on the news last night, quasi-related. Seems GM and Chrysler among others ban all cameras from their buildings, and now also include camera-equipped phones and PDAs as forbidden. If found on premises, supposed to be a terminable offense.
May not matter to Jeff, he's mostly residential IIRC. But some of youse might need to consider this, depending on clientele.
If everything seems to be going well, you've obviously overlooked something.
wow.
Doubt that's aplay to me ever......but still.
But I can see their logic.....R&D concerns.
Talking big bucks getting stolen with the click of a phone.
JeffBuck Construction Pittsburgh,PA
Fine Carpentery.....While U Waite
OK Kids...
got the camera phone. Sanyo 8100...for $200.
Following Sprints logic of the $100 credit..the swap cost me $100.
called today....confused the guy..but we now have the new phone with the same old number....
and the old phone has a new number.....so by default...the wife now has a cell.
went with the $100/month......2K minutes plan..which lets me add that second line for free.....both phones share the same minutes.
now comes the fun over the next coupla days getting the address book emptied outta one and put into the new.....I still have a phone sitting out that was retired fro the one I just replaced...still have numbers in there I never transfered!
Maybe I'll make the commitment now.....
new one plays "Low Rider" for incoming calls...had to try the whole "download" thing.
I've taken one pic and sent it to my self via email.....pretty painless.
I'll attach it so ya can see the quality..or lack there of.
I think it'll do plenty good for the purpose intended....
not to replace a digital camera.....but be there when I'd really like to snap a job site pic but don't have a digital around.
The phone itself is a little flip phone....I went ahead and got the service agreement thru best buy.....I rerely buy them..but with a hinge and a camera....I could see this thing breaking. Volumes on both ringer and speaker/mic are great....and this one is the right length..since it folds....to hit both your ear and mouth...
unlike my old one.
..that's my finger in the bottom of the pic......can ya tell it was the first one....
JeffBuck Construction Pittsburgh,PA
Fine Carpentery.....While U Waite
That's really not a bad picture. The way it was described by someone else I expected worse.Who Dares Wins.
cute kid. yours?Rats! I gotta sell my entire collection of Fine Homebuilding magazine. Issues 1 through 150! So I decided to put it up on eBay. They are being sold in lots of 10. All lots start at 99 cents. So get on in there and pick yourself up a bargain or two...
Check it our here... FHB on eBay
Picture looks better then my friends camera can take, how much is the Best Buy program, sprint offers them at, I think, 4 a month, but there is a ~30 "deductible" when you replace it. So it's really not that great of a deal.
Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark, Professionals build the Titanic.
Edited 6/15/2003 9:31:25 PM ET by CAG
as far as the warrenty?
I think it was $40. 2 yrs. Was told the same thing......Sprint makes ya pay then jump thru hoops.....best buy.....either they fix it right off or you get a new/comparable.
Just like on any of their other stuff.....had a few go-arounds with them yrs ago on the wifes walkman CD......went thru about 5...in the end they wanted us to deal direct with sony....I said nope...U kids had the bad luck on selling us the warrenty.
she finally traded for another model that worked fine.
Test emailed the pic to the wifes work email....she too was surprised at the pic quality.......I had her expecting a blury cat pic!
Definitely not gonna be for portfolio pics....but will do in a pinch.
JeffBuck Construction Pittsburgh,PA
Fine Carpentery.....While U Waite
I've got a total of 7 sprint phones for myself and my guys. One of the best things I have picked up is a USB cable and software called Futuredial Snapsync. It allows you to download names and numbers from Outlook directly to the phones. It probably saved me hours of typing on the phone. You can also supposedly use the phone as a modem for your laptop, but I haven't tried that yet.
I have also been interested in the picture phones, the picture really is better quality than I expected.