I finally decided to leave the stone age behind and get with the time and buy a smart phone. Problem is i never had one and i have no idea what to look for. The obvious choices are Samsung S5 and Iphone 5, but i would rather not use a touch screen unless i absolutely have to. The only brand i know about that still makes fulll keyboard is BlackBerry, but then again there are too many choices i dont know which one to pick. So what im looking for is something recent, good camera, good battery life, supports 4g (or is it not important?) and has a full keyboard although not a must.

Here's a good website to compare phones.

http://www.phonearena.com/phones/full

thanks ! any suggestions ?

What's your problem with touch screen ffs?

I have fat fingers :G

You hate touch screen?
-> Blackberry, no alternative.

You can get used to touch screen?
-> Google Nexus 5 by LG!
Want more toys?
-> Samsung Galaxy S5
Want less toys, but pay $100 more?
-> iPhone 5s
Can't be bothered with reading up on phone tech and just want something that works, and money isn't an issue?
-> iPhone 5s

I would say you go with a touch screen phone. From the impression that I got from your post, you haven't used a touch screen phone before. You'll get used to it, and there's no going back after that. I have so many friends that were against the idea of using touch phones initially (I was too, although not to an extreme extent). I can't tell you how many times I heard people say "the feeling you get when you hear a button click is just not there in a touch screen", but it's really a matter of getting used to it.

As for phone suggestions, I'd say you go with the Nexus 5, if you want the best return for your money. You can't find a cheaper phone (or even a phone that costs slightly more) with specs anywhere near it. The native Android experience is great as well. No bloatware, no manufacturer/carrier delays in software updates. And you can get it fairly cheap without a contract.

Other then that, there's the S5, which has better specs but costs a lot more. You should also look at the next HTC One (M8), it's a gorgeous phone. IMO the best looking phone currently available, but that's subjective. It's definitely worth looking at.

As you might have guessed by what I said so far, I prefer Android over Iphones, but I wouldn't tell you to not buy an Iphone. It's about your personal preference.

Other then that, I can't really say much about full keyboard phones or Windows phones, cause I haven't used them a lot. One thing I will say is that if you are really looking to move out of the stone age and get the full "smartphone experience", you can't get that with a non-touch phone. At least that's the way I see it. But I guess it depends on what's more important to you, adjusting to a new environment or staying with what you are comfortable with.

VivaStPauli wrote:You hate touch screen?
-> Blackberry, no alternative.

You can get used to touch screen?
-> Google Nexus 5 by LG!
Want more toys?
-> Samsung Galaxy S5
Want less toys, but pay $100 more?
-> iPhone 5s
Can't be bothered with reading up on phone tech and just want something that works, and money isn't an issue?
-> iPhone 5s

This ffs.

I say get over your fear of touchscreens (adds way more functions to your smartphone anyway) and get a nexus 5 if you don't want to spend too much money. If you're buying on a contract then might as well get a samsung or iphone.

Also stop doing finger workouts at the gym

Viva nailed pretty much. I'd like to add that if you are fond of carrying humongous devices in your pocket then go with everything that's not iPhone5s. but if you want something practical, come to the dark side   

Thanks Viva and Diavolo for the info/suggestions. I'm starting to warm up to the idea of a touch screen but i'm not yet sold. If i go in that direction i have the Nexus 5 and HTC one on my shortlist. But just in case i decided to go with a full keyboard, what do you guys think about BlackBerry ? will the software be easy to learn for someone with no experience in smart phones? and is it a good buy overall in terms of performance ?

I now have the Nexus 5 after upgrading from the Nexus 4 and both phones are amazing. I've never had the pleasure of owning an iPhone but as a previous Samsung galaxy user I undoubtedly prefer the Nexus 4 and 5. Mind you I have the Google version of the phone which allows you to get the latest OS updates earlier and is free of all the mobile communications software that is installed onto your phone and eats up a ton of space.

zizzle wrote:Thanks Viva and Diavolo for the info/suggestions. I'm starting to warm up to the idea of a touch screen but i'm not yet sold. If i go in that direction i have the Nexus 5 and HTC one on my shortlist. But just in case i decided to go with a full keyboard, what do you guys think about BlackBerry ? will the software be easy to learn for someone with no experience in smart phones? and is it a good buy overall in terms of performance ?

I don't think learning the software will be an issue for you in any case. Sure, it might take a few days getting used to, but in the long run, it's not something you should be worried about and definitely shouldn't be a factor when deciding what phone to get. With BlackBerry, you should be good on the basics (calling, text messaging, e-mail, web browsing etc), but that's as far as it goes. You won't get anything fancy. Android and iOS a have huge number of applications and that's what puts them above the rest. So that's gonna be the biggest drawback if you decide to go with anything else.

Looks like the full keyboard trade off is not worth while, oh well, better get in with the times. I'm 90% sold on the HTC one, so if anyone objects speak now or forever hold your peace. Thanks a lot guys !

zizzle wrote:Looks like the full keyboard trade off is not worth while, oh well, better get in with the times. I'm 90% sold on the HTC one, so if anyone objects speak now or forever hold your peace. Thanks a lot guys !

Get iPhone instead of B+ HTC

iPhone too mainstream

zizzle wrote:iPhone too mainstream

This man knows whats good!  

And the HTC One is an awesome phone. I have one currently, and it's great. I'd definitely say go with it!

how i feel using a smart phone for the first time