Smart Phone help

[Max Mercy]

Yet another cell phone thread. Sorry.

So here's my situation. I have Sprint, and I like Sprint. I'm locked in for another year and a half.

But I want to get a smart phone, with full Qwerty keypad and Windows Mobile so I can get my work e-mail on the go. A Blackberry, a Treo, a Blackjack, a Q, something like that.

Two questions for those a lot more cell savvy than me?

1. If I stick with Sprint, what's my best bet? I hear bad things about the Treo, and I don't think BB carries Windows Mobile. Is the Q any good?
2. If I wanted to do this relatively cheap, is there a way? I don't want to drop 600 bucks on a phone, and I'm not eligible for the extend-your-plan-and-get-a-juicy-rebate deals for a while. Is eBay a viable option? Or other online sources? Or is there a way out of my Sprint service so I can get the new-customer discount with another provider?

Thanks for any help.

 

[Lugnuts]

I'm no expert, but I did get a Treo 700p for Christmas. 100 bucks after mail in rebate. I like the touch screen - it's a feature the Q doesn't have. The Q has the side wheel, and a friend of mine said her thumb was getting sore from using the side wheel.

I've been using it a lot, and I noticed a friend of mine, an older gent, had the Treo as well. I said, "Don't you love it?"

And he said, "It's okay. I'm just biding my time until the iPhone."

"From Apple?"

"OH yeah."

I sort of wish I'd waited for that.

Btw, I have Verizon, so my post probably doesn't help you at all, does it?

 

[patchs]

Max, as someone who has owned a Treo 650 for almost 2 years and used Palm OS devices for 7, feel free to PM me or ask any questions about smartphones.
I love the Treo, great phone, great device.
Also, try www.howardforums.com and go to the sprint forum, there's a ton of phone geeks who will help you.

 

[patchs]

And to answer your questions...
1) The Blackberry does not use Windows mobile. The Q sucks, it's a stripped down smartphone, you can't edit or work on excel or word files, only look at them. Motorolas suck.
2) I would post your quandry on www.sprintusers.com I have VZW and the folks on that site would know more about getting a new phone at a decent price. You'll probably have to extend your contract.

The Treo that uses Windows (the 700w or 700 wx) is OK.

One more thing, Microsoft just announced a new version of Windows Mobile (6), so expect to see discounts on version 5 phones, version 6 isn't expected out until late spring, summer at best.