Shopping for a phone

[sparr]

I am shopping for a phone. Below is my shopping list. I won't buy a phone that doesn't have every feature in the first category. My budget is $300 for something that has all features in the first two categories, less for less, more for some of the last category.

Required:
able to record calls
transfer files via standard USB cable
charge via standard USB cable
mini/micro SD storage
standard earbud and/or headphone jack
web browser
320x240 screen
QVGA video camera
alarm clock that works while the phone is powered off
google contact syncing
caller blacklist

Needed:
not carrier locked
480x320 screen
VGA video camera
modern flash/javascript-capable web browser

Wanted:
800x480 screen
GPS
2MP+ camera

Your suggestions (or offers) are welcome. I'll probably add to this list as people make suggestions or point out things I forgot.

Comments

[xochitl.livejournal.com]

I kind of wanna sell you my phone, because I'm sorta tired of it, but it's not even paid off yet. Arg.

[uglor.livejournal.com]

Required:
able to record calls - difficult to do in-phone due to the fact it requires an unknown amount of disk space

transfer files via standard USB cable
charge via standard USB cable
mini/micro SD storage
standard earbud and/or headphone jack
web browser
320x240 screen
QVGA video camera
google contact syncing - all these are pretty standard in any android phone

alarm clock that works while the phone is powered off - Never seen a phone this works on

caller blacklist - most modern smartphones phones allow you to set unique rings for people. You can set them to no ring.

Needed:
not carrier locked - This one is a tough one. Due to modern network formats, any phone you get will either work on Sprint and Verizon (CDMA) or AT&T and T-Mobile (GSM). Legit unlocked phones that can jump between those two are quite expensive, and usually older models.

480x320 screen
VGA video camera
modern flash/javascript-capable web browser - Standard on most new Androids

Wanted:
800x480 screen
GPS
2MP+ camera - Standard on most new Androids


I've been shopping around and currently the best I can find are the latest gen of Android phones. Verizon is the only one that still offers 1 year contracts, for a $79 fee. Still, that beats being locked into a 2 year contract with a $350 early termination fee.

[sparr0.livejournal.com]

Who cares about an "unknown amount of disk space" when I have 32GB+ of free space?

My last three phones (Nokia and Siemens) have alarms that work when the phone is off.

[uglor.livejournal.com]

Powered off != sleep mode. Most phones will wake on alarm, but not boot on alarm.

I think there are also legal issues with phone recording apps since it is not legal in some states without both parties consent. It can also be quite the CPU hog.

[sparr0.livejournal.com]

Yes, I'm familiar with the difference in powered off and sleep. I am referring to the mode in which the phone's battery life is measured in months.

I am also aware of the legal issues with phone recording apps. That doesn't preclude their existence, and some phones can do it out of the box without an extra app.

[uglor.livejournal.com]

Months of battery life = fully powered off. No modern smartphone will wake on alarm from that.

Probably your best bet is to get an Android phone and use Google Voice. It can record calls.

[miketodd13.livejournal.com]

I know the Treo had some call recording apps (which due to legal issues might be the toughest thing on your list to accomplish), though I don't have any personal experience with them. Which means maybe their newer phones have such apps too -- or maybe you could just get an old unlocked Treo from eBay. I'm not sure if they do the "alarm goes off even when powered off" thing, but I'm curious as to your reason for that: do you just want some "quiet time" for sleep wherein you can't receive text messages or calls? If so, any phone will work -- just put it in airplane mode. No calls, no texts, no data, but the alarm will still go off.

[sparr0.livejournal.com]

Call recording apps work on Android on random phones, not on random others, and I'm tired of trying to figure out which are which.
The alarm thing is for battery life. If I'm in a situation where I can't charge the phone for a week, I'd like to be able to use the alarm.