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Engadget's smartphone buyer's guide: fall 2011 edition
Shopping for a new smartphone is an exciting and arduous experience. It holds the promise of something better and the fear of a two-year commitment. For gadget enthusiasts, it also involves pouring over specs and reviews, and fretting over what's coming out in the near-term. As we publish this buyer's guide, we face potential upheavals in the mobile space. Samsung's Galaxy S II lineup will arrive at three major US carriers, the next iPhone perpetually looms in the distance, and a new generation of Windows Phone handsets is close upon us. You might ask, "Why would anyone buy a smartphone today, when something better is coming tomorrow?" Friends, that's the blessing and curse of the mobile world -- there's always something better coming. You can't wait forever, though, and if you want to purchase a smartphone today, we're here to make the process easier and help you make an informed decision. While our choices are sometimes contentious, they're backed with experience that you can rely upon. If you're looking to make a quick decision without much effort, you can rest assured that our selections won't steer you wrong. Still, we encourage you to educate yourself before you decide on a smartphone that best fits your needs. Our Primed series is an excellent place to start, where you can learn about dual-core processors and mobile displays. As always, you're encouraged to share your own experience in the comments, and we hope you have fun listing your own favorites, too. Just remember that we have an $80 ceiling for our budget selections. Compared to our previous buyer's guide, Samsung has begun to lose ground, and while Android maintains dominance, it's found some unexpected competition. Curious to see how it played out? Read on, as we round up the best smartphones of the day.
T-Mobile intros DriveSmart Plus service to block texting while driving, FamilyWhere to track down your kids
The texting-while-driving epidemic is starting to get a lot of carrier attention, and T-Mobile's taking it to the next level today by throwing its weight behind a new subscription-based upgrade to the DriveSmart app that's been available on the LG Optimus T since launch. DriveSmart Plus runs $4.99 a month for all lines on your account (provided the lines are attached to compatible devices) and upgrades the basic DriveSmart app by automatically detecting when your car's in motion -- no need to enable it by hand -- at which point incoming calls are automatically sent to voicemail and incoming text messages are met with an automatic response that the recipient is currently driving. Naturally, there's an emergency override built-in -- but to make sure young drivers aren't abusing it, DriveSmart offers parents the option of being contacted by text or email when it's overridden and can let them monitor overall phone usage through a web interface. The service is only available on the Optimus T initially, but more hardware support is "coming soon." On a related note, T-Mobile is also introducing FamilyWhere, matching similar services already offered by Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint by letting parents see where their young'uns are and set up customized alerts by location and time; it's apparently compatible with "nearly any type" of phone on the T-Mobile network, so you shouldn't need to equip the tykes with superphones just to get this action set up. It runs $9.99 a month and covers all the lines on your account; follow the break for both press releases.
Best Buy Mobile will offer free smartphones, mostly Android, every day in December
Holiday spirit over in Best Buy land must mean "getting rid of old stock by discounting it." The Droid Incredible and Xperia X10 are among the handsets to be featured in the big retailer's December mobile sale, which will involve offering up four free phones each day (one for each carrier) at a price of $0 upfront and subject to the usual two-year agreement. LG's Optimus T and Optimus S will also get their moment in the spotlight this month, though the discount there isn't exactly massive when you consider that the S started life costing $50 on contract. Speaking of S-branded Android phones, wasn't it Best Buy that first leaked out the next Nexus? Now that'd be a holiday offer worth talking about.
LG Optimus T and Optimus S review
It wasn't long ago that buying a smartphone meant spending at least a Benjamin and committing to an expensive 2-year contract. But things are changing, and shopping for a smartphone on a budget is getting easier than ever, thanks in great part to a recent flood of reasonably-priced Android devices that are pouring into the market. We've already talked about the HTC Wildfire, Huawei Ascent, ZTE Racer and Blade/San Francisco, and the Motorola Citrus -- not to mention the lovely Comet (and its international cousin, the Ideos) on T-Mobile. Enter the LG Optimus T ($30 post-rebate on T-Mobile) and Optimus S ($50 post-rebate on Sprint), two Android siblings that might prove once and for all that "affordable" doesn't mean "cheap." Let's dig in. %Gallery-106845%
LG Optimus T hitting T-Mobile on November 3 for $30
Look out, dumbphones of the world: your days may really be numbered now that we've got US carriers blowing out brand new honest-to-goodness smartphones for $30 on contract. The phone in question here is LG's Optimus T, stablemate to the Optimus S, Optimus One, and Optimus Chic featuring a 3.2-inch HVGA display, 3 megapixel cam, and pre-loaded Swype all sitting atop Android 2.2. In order to get down to the promised $29.99, you'll need to sign up for a new two-year contract (naturally), score a qualifying data plan, and wait around for a $50 mail-in rebate when the phone goes on sale Wednesday, November 3 in your choice of black or burgundy (pictured).
LG Optimus T budget Android phone comes to T-Mobile
If this little puppy looks familiar, well, it should -- it's basically an Americanized version of the Optimus One announced earlier this year. In that regard, T-Mobile's Optimus T is a bit of an anti-myTouch -- a relatively low-end Android smartphone fit for the masses with a 3.2-inch HVGA display (touted as being fashioned of tempered glass), a 3 megapixel cam with video capture, Froyo, and Swype pre-installed. As you can see from the press shot up there, the UI isn't quite stock -- but happily, it doesn't look like LG has done anything too egregious to muck it up. We don't have a price yet, but needless to say, we're sure it'll be reasonable... and it'll be ready in time for the holiday season. Follow the break for a picture of the burgundy version.
HTC HD7 resurfaces on a T-Mobile accessories list, could be with us by November 1
Aha! The phone you heard about here first has made its second document-based appearance, this time crossing the Atlantic and showing up on a T-Mobile inventory sheet. We can apparently look forward to accessorizing our HD7s with a leather sleeve, a "charge shell," a pair of different screen protectors, and two flexible protective covers made by Speck. Most of these parts are expected to arrive on November 1, and since accessories aren't much good without something to put them on, we can probably expect that to mean the HD7 will be dropping some time before November. It's expected on October 18 in the UK, which dovetails neatly with the idea of it being a headline Windows Phone 7 device from HTC -- that's about the time Microsoft promised WP7's European launch. As to that "Dell Claire" you see near the top, we're hearing it's the T-Mo version of the Dell Streak. [Thanks, John and Jakub]
