Any question answered...

Anyone know anything about simplon bikes? Any good?

There was some guy selling two or three simplon road bikes on retrobike all under £100 posted, recently. I think they were in switzerland or something.

Seemed reasonable quality frames.

I'm due for renewal on my mobile contract. I can get an HTC desire free with a fairly cheap contract, but are there any other phones worth having?

I have the choice of, among other crap, the Nokia C7, E5, or N8 (postcode names - catchy), Samsung Galaxy, and the LG optimus (?!).

There are some other crud ones which I've ruled out on account of crudness, although the Samsung Solid Immerse got points for indestructability.

Anyone have any of these? I've heard the desire rivals the iClone, but I really know next to nothing about these matters, instead choosing to hide under a rock. Any advice welcome...

Get a Desire. Nokia's are shit and you don't want to get embroiled in London's famous postcode wars. The Galaxy S is not well made, very flakey if you ask me. There are some good offers about now on Desires (you should be able to get it free). Not as good as a Desire HD or maybe iPhone 4 but much much cheaper and a very solid phone that works well in the real world...

I like my galaxy. Even in a tough case, its still smaller and lighter than a desire hd, maybe the spec isn't as good but its still easily good enough for what the average person wants. And the colours on the screen are AWESOME

Yeah, the phone will be free. Thanks Fox :)

I had also heard some good sounds about the galaxy, which is why I mentioned it. I can't really remember the sounds though. Any other tidbits pedals?

The desire is good, but the desire 2 is just about to be released.

http://www.lfgss.com/thread31996.html

@spybot - what are you going to use it for? Texts, calls, camera, internet? All of these plus more?

@cyclotron I probably wouldn't qualify for it on my contract. I get the option of older phones like the desire which are gradually being replaced, which is fine by me.

@AndyP: Mostly texts, camera and internet. I have done without these for a while but I have hankered after them for longtime now. Maps/photos and maybe some casual browsing ability would be good.

I'm going to be spending the same on the contract so cost isn't an issue really. The thing that worries me most about these new fangled devices is longevity. I'd rather have a phone that works for 2 years than a shiny crock of shit that can access my fridge from work but will self destruct when it falls out of my pocket. Which is why I wouldn't discount Nokia's (although my current one is fubarred).

Also, O2 are offering a significantly shitter deal than other providers (3, Orange) for essentially the same package. Could save £120 over two years with Orange...maybe it's time to negotiate.

/Dammit

Definitely. Threaten to leave, the discounts start appearing then.

You should read the last few pages of the Android thread on HTC v. Samsung, hippy has views on the subject.

I'd get the Desire personally (if you can cope with a touchscreen) although the camera is a bit 'meh'. As much as it saddens me to say so, Fox is right, Nokia phones are shit these days so I'd not be lured into getting one based on previous experience with them.

Cool. Thanks for the advice.

Yeh camera on the Desire is dissapointing, but it's the only thing that is.

This talk of lag with the Galaxy S scares me, but it does have a good camera. There will always be the latest greatest phone round the corner, but you'll pay through the nose for it.

You can haz a play with mine tomorrow btw.

I like my Desire.. I don't have anything to compare it to really but it (Android) has enough apps to keep me going. Plus, I do like to support HTC for their sponsorship of a bike team.. Given the sport is so tarnished with drugs it's a wonder that any company would want to be associated with the sport..

You can haz a play with mine tomorrow btw.

w00t!!!1!

Does the desire offer a good forum browsing experience though...

spybot, it might be worth buying a phone then getting a sim only contract.
I'm paying £10 a month for unlimited texts, unlimited internet and 150 minutes because I bought my phone separately.

'er indoors has the desire..... it looks good, eats battery time though?

Also, O2 are offering a significantly shitter deal than other providers (3, Orange) for essentially the same package. Could save £120 over two years with Orange...maybe it's time to negotiate.

/Dammit

O2 generally don't negotiate, but the peace of mind is worth the extra 5 quid a month. If you have ever had a problem with orange, you wil know that they are useless and don't really care once you are in the contract.

I would only ever use O2 based on my recent experiences. Orange are not worth the grief if something goes wrong

Also, the lag on my galaxy disappeared when I installed advanced task killer

spybot, it might be worth buying a phone then getting a sim only contract.
I'm paying £10 a month for unlimited texts, unlimited internet and 150 minutes because I bought my phone separately.

I might look into that. Which operator?

Tmobile

Now there's a man who'd put the Bodeans team to shame

He'd have been looking for Nutella to spread onto his Meat Platter for Two.