Smart phone purchasing advice please

[Jester]

Okay, as much as I like my LG Rumor II (aka my "Dumb Phone"), the keyboard on it is wearing out badly, and it's about damn time I get myself a smart phone, especially since I have maximum upgrade credit with my carrier at the moment (and have since the start of the year).

I do not have any preference between Droids or iPhones. Here is what I want my phone for:

Calling. I talk a lot.
Texting. I'm a text whore.
Access to facebook. I don't need (or even want) constant updates on my phone, but I do want the internet ability to connect when I choose.
Access to sports scores. See the facebook thing above.
Access to email. Again, see above. (One thing I hated about the two weeks I had a Blackberry was that I made the mistake of linking it to my email, and it would go off every time I got an email...and I get a whole shitload of junk mail, so that was very annoying. I want to be able to access email, sports scores, and facebook, but I don't want or need my phone to tell me every time something happens with them. Make sense?)
Notes: I take a lot of notes, especially on various beers and rums when I am out and about, and I use my notepad in my Dumb Phone for several other things, including keeping track of my bank account (sort of like a digital checkbook), shopping lists, apartment bills, etc.
Camera: I take pictures from time to time. A flash would be a major plus. Video ability would be a nice plus as well. My current phone has neither a flash nor video capability. That being said, neither of these pluses are requirements.

I might want to get a couple of apps too, but not going to go nuts and download 855 apps that I use once and then forget about. I definitely don't want apps constantly running, as I've seen my friends do that and their battery life is for shit. Which brings up another thing: battery life. It has to be able to go a whole day with me using it as described above without it dying or me desperately seeking a charger somewhere. My phone should serve me, not the other way around.

Keyboard: As I said above, I am a texting whore, and I have grown rather used to the slideout keyboard. While I know it has its disadvantages, I like the speed with which I can type on it...and I type fast. Faster than I write, even when I'm only texting on a phone with my two fat thumbs. And I mention my fat thumbs because they make typing on keyboards more challenging, which is one reason I hated that Blackberry...it was impossible for me to text with any speed and accuracy. So, with all that said, I would prefer EITHER a smart phone with a slide out keyboard OR one with a touch screen keyboard that is usable for someone who types fast, has fat ole thumbs, and hates typos as if they were a swarm of cockroaches.

I am NOT willing to leave Sprint, so if a phone is not available to Spring customers, it is useless to me. While I am relatively happy with the customer service I've gotten from them over the years, this is not about brand loyalty, but about simple economics. If I left Sprint, I would have to pay some kind of contract termination fee, AND in all likelihood the same level phone I am looking to get would cost me a lot more with a new carrier, as I would no longer have any upgrade credit. Yes, they often run specials, but right now, economically it makes far more sense for me to get some kind of smart phone with Sprint than to jump ship for some other company. And since we're speaking of economics, I should point out that while I know I am going to have to spend some money on the new phone (smart phones rarely qualify for the free upgrade these days, even at max upgrade credit), I don't want to drop a fortune. I am thinking in the ballpark of $100 or less after the upgrade credit, to be honest.

I should also point out that I don't need the latest and greatest. I don't have to have the newest thing, and frankly don't care. It has to work, it has to fit my needs, it has to be durable (I'm a klutz), and it has to not suck. And it absolutely has to not be a Blackberry or a Blackberry-like phone--did I mention how much I hate their keyboards? Yeah, add their cursor-ball to that same hate list.

So with all that in mind, please, my dear CS.com friends, will you help a brother out and tell me what in the flying hell I should buy? I am clueless with this kind of thing, to be honest, and could use some guidance.

EDITED TO ADD: If the phone happens to act as mp3 player and I can put songs on it, that would be nice too, but ONLY if such use won't really affect the battery life much. I've been told it wouldn't, but again, I am rather clueless with such things, and the person who told me this may very well have been wrong.

[dragon_wings]

As much as I love love love my iPhone the keyboard is a *bitch* for me to type on and I don't have too fat of fingers. Plus you'd possibly would have to pay around $200 to get one (iPhone 4 and beyond have a flash for the camera, the 3GS doesn't. But you wouldn't be getting a 3GS anyways. :P). (when I upgrade to the 5-after it comes out-I'll have to pay $200 even though I'll qualify for the upgrade. I qualify now but am holding out for the 5.)
Just my 2 cents. Good luck and I hope you find something you like.

[Dave1982]

I don't have any advice, but I'm intrigued that your phone is wearing out. As you may recall I also have an LG Rumor II, and I think I got mine at roughly the same time you got yours.

Is the "send" key (when the keyboard is open) wearing out on yours? Mine is so worn out it's driving me nuts. Sometimes it doesn't work (and I won't notice until later that the text was never sent) or it'll register a double tap and send a blank text when I don't want it to.

[fireheart]

I do not have any preference between Droids or iPhones. Here is what I want my phone for:

I have heard from a number of people that the iPhone battery life is NOT that great, so just being aware.

Calling. I talk a lot.
Texting. I'm a text whore.

As you would with any phone

Access to facebook. I don't need (or even want) constant updates on my phone, but I do want the internet ability to connect when I choose.

Both 'Droids and iPhones will have Wi-Fi as well as most likely your mobile data network (so you can use internet wherever). If you don't have Wi-Fi or Mobile Network on however, it won't give you constant updates (Case in point: I turn mine on rarely and the first thing I get when I turned it on recently is an update that's months old )

Access to sports scores. See the facebook thing above.

There will most likely be an app for that, unless you know a website that will.

Access to email. Again, see above. (One thing I hated about the two weeks I had a Blackberry was that I made the mistake of linking it to my email, and it would go off every time I got an email...and I get a whole shitload of junk mail, so that was very annoying. I want to be able to access email, sports scores, and facebook, but I don't want or need my phone to tell me every time something happens with them. Make sense?)

Same thing as what I mentioned for Facebook, but if you do plan on having mobile network/Wi-Fi running constantly, you can turn off notifications with your phone settings (mine at the moment only beeps when I get a text)

Notes: I take a lot of notes, especially on various beers and rums when I am out and about, and I use my notepad in my Dumb Phone for several other things, including keeping track of my bank account (sort of like a digital checkbook), shopping lists, apartment bills, etc.

There should be apps available for your bank to check your balance (if you have access to/have set up online banking) and there are a couple of shopping list apps out there (some supermarkets have apps that'll allow you to create a shopping list and save it for future reference.

As for notes, I use Evernote on my phone which isn't TOO bad in terms of use. It's a free download, you can install it on your PC/laptop as well and you can have the two synched between one another (so if you type on your PC, you can view it on your phone)

Camera: I take pictures from time to time. A flash would be a major plus. Video ability would be a nice plus as well. My current phone has neither a flash nor video capability. That being said, neither of these pluses are requirements.

Most phones these days come with cameras regardless.

I might want to get a couple of apps too, but not going to go nuts and download 855 apps that I use once and then forget about. I definitely don't want apps constantly running, as I've seen my friends do that and their battery life is for shit. Which brings up another thing: battery life. It has to be able to go a whole day with me using it as described above without it dying or me desperately seeking a charger somewhere. My phone should serve me, not the other way around.

See my notes above regarding apps. Here's my list again:

-Banking app (if your bank has an online app)
-Facebook
-Evernote
-Shopping List App (can't recommend one since I don't use it)
-Maybe an email app if your new phone won't come with one.

Keyboard:

Then you'll probably not want my phone then: a HTC Wildfire S. The keyboard is a decent size when portrait, but I also type fast and end up with typos.
My boyfriend has a Samsung Galaxy S II which is a LOT bigger than mine, so something around that size would be worth using.

EDITED TO ADD: If the phone happens to act as mp3 player and I can put songs on it, that would be nice too, but ONLY if such use won't really affect the battery life much. I've been told it wouldn't, but again, I am rather clueless with such things, and the person who told me this may very well have been wrong.

A lot of smartphones these days will and mine has about a dozen songs on there, which acts as a quick source of music should I need it. IN terms of the battery life for that, it depends on how much you use it.


And some other notes about Android Phones (not as restrictive):

-Battery life will depend on whether you have your mobile network running all day or not. If you're like me and turn it on periodically, your battery can last a week. If you're like my boyfriend however and you DO keep your mobile network running (and/or having it hooked to Wi-Fi all the time), it'll drain the battery faster. If you're on a plan (i.e post-paid), then you can get away with turning it on when you need to.

-In terms of apps, there WILL be some that may not work with particular phones, but you can usually find a similar app that's compatible. (Case in point: I REALLY wanted Fruit Ninja on my phone, but the app in question is not compatible with my phone. I found Fruit Slice which has an identical function)

-Regarding security (i.e. not accidentally unlocking your phone in your pocket), Androids are a lot more secure. While I do believe that there's an option to put a PIN code into your iPhone (not 100% sure), Androids give you three options: you can either draw a pattern using a 3x3 grid (and it can be as simple or as complex as you want), put a PIN into your phone or you can have a password that unlocks your phone.

For size and keyboard comfort, Samsung Galaxy S II or III are probably the best size phones around, ask the phone dealer for something around that size if you want a decent sized keyboard.

Hope that helps!

[Jester]

Same thing as what I mentioned for Facebook, but if you do plan on having mobile network/Wi-Fi running constantly, you can turn off notifications with your phone settings (mine at the moment only beeps when I get a text)

I don't think I would have it running constantly, especially not when I am at work.

There should be apps available for your bank to check your balance (if you have access to/have set up online banking) and there are a couple of shopping list apps out there (some supermarkets have apps that'll allow you to create a shopping list and save it for future reference.

I can access my bank online, but I don't want to simply check my balance. I want to be able to keep track of my expenditures, because my balance in the bank is not always the true balance. Quick example: my bank balance online reads $450.54. I'm out on the town, and use my credit card that is attached to said account at a few bars, racking up bar bills of $45, $36.97, and $42.01. If I were simply to check my online bank balance, it would still read $450.54, as those charges have not made it to the bank yet. Which is why I keep a running tally in my notepad, so I know how much money I really do have. Make sense?

As for shopping lists, I don't really need an app for that, just a notepad. And again, I use the notepad thing for many, many things, not just the two things you see above. (Beer reviews come immediately to mind.) So I like it, and want some version of it, even if it's just a generic notepad app. As long as I can have multiple notes, it works for me.

As for notes, I use Evernote on my phone which isn't TOO bad in terms of use. It's a free download, you can install it on your PC/laptop as well and you can have the two synched between one another (so if you type on your PC, you can view it on your phone)

THAT would be very, VERY convenient for me!

Then you'll probably not want my phone then: a HTC Wildfire S. The keyboard is a decent size when portrait, but I also type fast and end up with typos.
My boyfriend has a Samsung Galaxy S II which is a LOT bigger than mine, so something around that size would be worth using.

Good to know on both counts.

A lot of smartphones these days will and mine has about a dozen songs on there, which acts as a quick source of music should I need it. IN terms of the battery life for that, it depends on how much you use it.

Naturally. It wouldn't be constant, more for when I am riding my bike to work (20 minutes-ish), setting up at work (an hour on most days), or exercising (not nearly enough lately, but hope to change that). Basically in spurts when I am just tooling along on my bike or doing something solitary. Also, I'd want to be able to add music to it, not just use whatever songs it comes with. I have very particular taste in what I want blasting in my ears.

-Battery life will depend on whether you have your mobile network running all day or not. If you're like me and turn it on periodically, your battery can last a week. If you're like my boyfriend however and you DO keep your mobile network running (and/or having it hooked to Wi-Fi all the time), it'll drain the battery faster. If you're on a plan (i.e post-paid), then you can get away with turning it on when you need to.

I would rather just turn it on when I needed it. When I am out on the town, I can see having it running. At work, or asleep, or watching movies, not so much.

-In terms of apps, there WILL be some that may not work with particular phones...

Of course. But I don't really want or need a whole bunch of apps. Just some basics.

[QUOTE=fireheart;1073690]For size and keyboard comfort, Samsung Galaxy S II or III are probably the best size phones around, ask the phone dealer for something around that size if you want a decent sized keyboard.

It's not just that I want a decent sized keyboard. I NEED one.

Hope that helps!

Quite a bit. Thank you! (But everyone else, you can still keep commenting....)

[NorthernZel]

Was about to write a lot about the Sony Xperia S, but since Sprint doesn't offer that brand... sorry, nevermind.

However, re: your thoughts on using the phone as a mp3 player, it is possible to buy docking stations that function as loudspeakers as well. Sure, it won't help while you are on the go, but at home you'll be able to listen to your music while your phone gets a battery charge at the same time.

Just make sure that the docking station (if you choose to buy one) is compatible to the OS you're gonna have. Most are either iOS or Droid compatible, not both.

[KiaKat]

I'd sing the virtues of the iPhone 4S, but that would be useless, as I don't believe it's available on Sprint.

Which means I'm going to sing the virtues of the Galaxy SIII. Mom got it about a month ago, and the only complaint she's had is that she can't figure out how to shut down apps so the battery doesn't die. But this is a woman who doesn't tend to read manuals, nor will she ask Google for answers to questions like that. She's also discovered the dictation feature, and uses it for everything (though she does have to put in punctuation after she's done, and make sure her New Yawk accent hasn't borked up some of the words). I think, if I weren't such a MacHead, I'd probably have gone for the SIII. Everything I've heard about it sounds terrific.

[Victory Sabre]

I have no advice on this issue. I have an Alias 2 phone, and love it. It's almost 3 years old, and I'm sure it'll eventually croak. I just wish there was a good compromise between a flip phone and a smart phone. I love the flip phones, but wish they had more smart phone features.

[fireheart]

I don't think I would have it running constantly, especially not when I am at work.

Battery life shouldn't be a problem for you in that case then.

THAT would be very, VERY convenient for me!

www.evernote.com

the free version is what I use for uni and is fairly easy to use. I'd recommend setting it up on your PC and/or laptop first though. You'll create an account and that username and password are what you'll use to access your account across any other device that you have and that includes other PCs with Evernote installed. It'll auto-save as you type as well.

Naturally. It wouldn't be constant, more for when I am riding my bike to work (20 minutes-ish), setting up at work (an hour on most days), or exercising (not nearly enough lately, but hope to change that). Basically in spurts when I am just tooling along on my bike or doing something solitary. Also, I'd want to be able to add music to it, not just use whatever songs it comes with. I have very particular taste in what I want blasting in my ears.

On those notes:

-from what I've heard, HTC's are fairly good with the battery life, especially with music. If you're doing it in spurts (like I have done), then it shouldn't be a problem.
-As for music, if you connect it to your computer (your new phone should come with the charger, the cable part you can unplug and connect to your PC in most cases, otherwise ask your local Radio Shack or similar for a cable, they're not that expensive), you can just drag and drop like you would with any normal non-iPod.

I would rather just turn it on when I needed it. When I am out on the town, I can see having it running. At work, or asleep, or watching movies, not so much.

LIke I said earlier, battery life shouldn't be a problem.

Of course. But I don't really want or need a whole bunch of apps. Just some basics.

Those are some fairly basic apps that I use/have. I currently have my bank app, Evernote, Swiss Army Knife (my phone is an Android, this version was free and it has a calculator, torch (which runs off my flash on my camera), spirit level, compass and ruler), and a few games. I wound up getting rid of Angry Birds after I ragequit too many times. The few games I have at the moment are Robotek, Fruit Slice and Alchemy.

It's not just that I want a decent sized keyboard. I NEED one.

Ask to test the phones before you buy them so you get an idea of keyboard size.

Quite a bit. Thank you! (But everyone else, you can still keep commenting....)

No problem!

[Andara Bledin]

Most of what is wanted should be standard in pretty much any half-way decent smart phone.

Talk, text, wifi, apps, etc.

As for the rest:

Keyboard - I bought a phone with a keyboard. Then I discovered Swyping. I've used the keyboard once. And half the time I use voice to text so I don't have to even touch the phone. However, it is best to surf your provider's online store for options, and then hit a physical location to actually try out the various keyboard options if you're married to the concept.

Facebook - I refuse to connect Facebook to my phone. I don't trust the security of both together enough to let them interact. The Facebook mobile site (as opposed to an app) was pretty pathetic the last time I tried to use it.

Banking - Unless your bank has a dedicated app that is superior to a mobile OS, there should be no difference based on the phone itself, except perhaps as relates to screen size. The mobile version of my bank's site is nearly as full service as the full site itself.

Email - It's easy enough to turn notifications off and only check when you want to. Having Android and a Gmail account does make for a certain amount of synergy.

Mapping - This is something I consider an essential feature in a smart phone. Mine will only connect to the satellite link when I open the maps, but it's worth noting that satellite connectivity will eat power like there's no tomorrow. My phone will go 90 minutes with satellite before powering down. I've been pleased with the quality of the mapping/traffic/etc on my Android, but it still can't give directions for shit.

Music/Data - If you can't push and pull data to and from the phone without any more preparation than hooking it up to a computer via a cable, I'd move on. There's no excuse for any smart phone to not be recognized as a USB storage device automatically.

^-.-^

[RecoveringKinkoid]

A few words about Droids (I own a Droid.)

1. You can easily pop the battery out of a droid and throw a fresh one in. I never worry about battery life because I have extras in my purse and a small box of them at home. The charge up fairly quickly. Far as I know, pretty sure you can't do that with an iPhone.

2. You can get Droid batteries for less that five bucks apiece on Amazon.

3. Droids come with voice recognition so texting can be as simple as picking up your phone, talking into it, and hitting "send." It also has a type pad, but the voice feature is wonderful.

4. The other thing the voice recognition on a Droid can do is go straight to a function. You touch a button and say something like "drive to Jester's Favorite Bar" and it will go to its GPS function and start navigating for you. You can also activate google this way, call or text numbers, or whatever. I can say "Text Mr.Kinkoid" and it will turn on that function.

Me and Mr. Kinkoid have both written entire blog posts using voice recognition. It's not fun to do that, but it's doable in an emergency.

5. About the GPS function: Droids access Google Maps for free. I believe iPhones have to subscribe to Google Maps to use them for navigation. Please fact check behind me on that. I took my droid out into an unmapped wilderness over the summer and used it to avoid getting lost as I hiked. It ROCKED.

6. Has a good camera with a flash. Also takes video.

7. Can install an ap killer to turn off all unused aps to save battery life.

I don't know if iPhone can use Kindle and Pandora, but Droids can. My Droid can sinc with my Kindle.

8. Has "Google Goggles." I don't know if iPhones can use this or not. But it's basically a function that can identify just about anything.

9. Cloud drive functionality. (again, don't know if other phones do this or not. I just know a Droid does.)

10. Works well with a bluetooth keyboard. I actually use my phone and my keyboard as a highly portable laptop when I'm traveling. And I don't' even need a hotspot to get online.

11. You can use the phone for a wifi hub. That's the good news. The bad news is that this costs twenty bucks a months to use. The good news is you can pay per month as you need it. The bad news is that it's a really shitty hotspot.


Honestly, though, if everything else were equal, I'd still buy a Droid for the sole reason of that I can change the battery. That, and the free Googlemaps function.


CONS (for your purposes)

1. You might not like the touch keyboard. On the other hand, turning the phone on its side shifts the keyboard to a bigger, wider format that's easier to use.

Really, that's the only con I can think of right off hand.

[dragon_wings]

5. About the GPS function: Droids access Google Maps for free. I believe iPhones have to subscribe to Google Maps to use them for navigation. Please fact check behind me on that. I took my droid out into an unmapped wilderness over the summer and used it to avoid getting lost as I hiked. It ROCKED.

Google maps is an app that comes with the iPhone. I used it in Baltimore to find buses and bus routes.

7. Can install an ap killer to turn off all unused aps to save battery life.

Apps can be easily closed on the iPhone 3GS and newer. Double click home, press and hold an app till the minus buttons appear on the top left hand corner, close all unused apps.

I don't know if iPhone can use Kindle and Pandora, but Droids can. My Droid can sinc with my Kindle.

I use my kindle app periodically and pandora when I don't want to listen to the music I have on my phone (I have primarily metal on my phone, I usually listen to the Beatles station on pandora).

[Jester]

Okay, a few comments/replies here, but I'll save some energy by addressing the keyboard issue: a keyboard is not only important to me, it is IMPERATIVE. Whether it's a touch screen or a slide out keyboard, I have to have one, and will not buy a phone (such as a flip-style phone) without one. For both notes and texting, I needs me a keyboard, and while voice-to-text is great (and would be awesome when I am driving), it is not always feasible or practical or even enjoyable for me to do. Keyboard is a major sticking point for me.

Now, on to other things...

However, re: your thoughts on using the phone as a mp3 player, it is possible to buy docking stations that function as loudspeakers as well.

Any music use I would use my phone for would be purely as an iPod-type device for on the go use. At home, I have plenty of other options that would make a docking station redundant.

-As for music, if you connect it to your computer (your new phone should come with the charger, the cable part you can unplug and connect to your PC in most cases, otherwise ask your local Radio Shack or similar for a cable, they're not that expensive), you can just drag and drop like you would with any normal non-iPod.

Drag-and-drop, while a familiar phrase to me, is not a familiar practice, as I have never had any digital music player--period. So, yeah....that would be something I would have to learn.

The few games I have at the moment are Robotek, Fruit Slice and Alchemy.

I don't see myself getting too many games. Perhaps Angry Birds, perhaps Tetris, perhaps nothing. On my current phone, I have no games. The only game I have ever had on any phone for any duration was Tetris, and I deleted that several years and several phones ago.

Ask to test the phones before you buy them so you get an idea of keyboard size.

While that will give me an idea of the keyboard size (and that is non-negotiable, considering my high importance on the keyboard), as several people have pointed out to me, it won't really help me figure out if I'll be able to get used to typing on that keyboard if it's a touch screen, which apparently do take some getting used to when you are used to a physical keyboard like mine. But yeah, it would have to be a decent sized one...small ones are useless to me. In this case, size really does matter.

Mapping - This is something I consider an essential feature in a smart phone.

While it is not something I would mind, it is also not something I would consider essential for my purposes. I have a great sense of direction and usually know where I'm going, and when I don't, I make a point of checking maps first. In the car, I have a GPS my Houston friend gave me, and any time I might need to use the phone as a GPS, it would be plugged into the car charger, so I wouldn't really worry about the phone's battery life during such instances.

Honestly, for me, I can't picture any but a few extreme instances where I might use or need this feature in a phone outside of my car.

Music/Data - If you can't push and pull data to and from the phone without any more preparation than hooking it up to a computer via a cable, I'd move on. There's no excuse for any smart phone to not be recognized as a USB storage device automatically.

Point noted.

You can easily pop the battery out of a droid and throw a fresh one in. I never worry about battery life because I have extras in my purse and a small box of them at home.

Ah, but how long does each battery last? I ask because I don't carry a purse, and while I often have my backpack with me, there will be plenty of times I don't, and will want my phone to last for a bit.

My Droid can sinc with my Kindle.

My first thought was that this would be very cook for me, as I love my Kindle.
My second thought was that it would drive me nuts reading books on a screen that small, even on a large phone. Still a good thing to have in a pinch, I suppose.

Cloud drive functionality. (again, don't know if other phones do this or not. I just know a Droid does.)

I have exactly no idea what this means. I mean, NONE. Please, explain?

You might not like the touch keyboard. On the other hand, turning the phone on its side shifts the keyboard to a bigger, wider format that's easier to use.

That would not be a problem for me, as with the Rumor II, the keyboard slides out from the side, so out of habit I turn my phone to the side to text every single time anyway.


By the way, you talked fondly of your Droid, but never mentioned with droid phone it was. As there are several different android type phones out there, this is something I would like to know. (Remember, unless otherwise indicated, in this area I am basically a blithering idiot.)

[Andara Bledin]

Mine is an HTC G2, which is obsolete.

The boyfriend had a drive issue on his G2 and got a replacement of an HTC Sensation 4G, which is larger, slimmer, faster, louder, and shinier, and without the keyboard, so also a lot lighter.

Our contract comes up in February, and I am considering upgrading, but that will depend on how my phone is doing (it's a good size/shape for me) and what sort of deals they're dishing out.

^-.-^

[Rhion]

Currently, the kings of the mobile wars are Apple, Samsung, and HTC. I have experience with HTC phones, and iPhones. My workmate has a Samsung Galaxy SIII and raves about it. There isn't much of a difference between the HTC and Samsung phones. iPhones run iOS, and require iTunes to manage, which can be a turnoff for some. HTC phones support plug-and-play disk access, so adding mp3s could be as easy as copying the files across. I haven't actually put music on the HTCs I play with, only my iPhone.

On the keyboard front, when you are checking out different models, make sure you load up 4 or 5 applications before using the keyboard to type. This will let you know if the keyboard won't bog down if there are too many background applications running. This is especially important with touch-screen keyboards.

Facebook, email, and most applications for that matter, can all have push notifications disabled on both iOS and Android. This means you will only get emails and updates when you manually go to the application and hit refresh, meeting your requirement there.

Sports apps... you can search both the iOS and Google Play stores from the web, so you can do some investigation beforehand to see if the sports apps you want actually exist for any given platform.

http://itunes.apple.com/us/genre/ios/id36?mt=8 for iOS

https://play.google.com/store?hl=en for Android

Mapping for both platforms support Google Maps natively, at least until iOS cans it in favour of Apple's own offering. Google Maps should still have support on iOS afterwards though.

Fireheart seems to be on the money with Evernote.

Camera: The big 3 (iPhone 4/4S, Samsung Galaxy SIII, and HTC Evo 4G) have flash cameras. The Samsung Epic I checked out below also has a flash camera.

Music: All the current Android and iOS phones can support music. iOS requires you to use iTunes to manage the phone though, which can be a big turnoff.

Phone models:
Physical Keyboards:
Motorola Photon Q - Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) is the current release version of android, which means it is compatible with the vast majority of applications on the Google Play store. The physical keyboard on this reviewed VERY well. Being a flagship model this isn't a cheap phone though, but it's the best offering of the physical keyboard models. Review here: Android Community

Samsung Epic 4G (Galaxy SII derivative) - Officially supported at Android 4.0, this is a modified Galaxy SII with a physical keyboard. While it isn't as current as the Motorola, this phone may hit the sweet spot on price and features. Android 4.0 means it will enjoy a similar level of compatibility as the Motorola, but it probably won't get the next android release. This is unavoidable unless you get the flagship models these days, and may not be a dealbreaker since you won't be gaming. This device comes highly reviewed from several sites, and has a mail-in-rebate to knock another $50 off, resulting in a decent saving. Review here: Engadget

The other physical models are running outdated versions of Android, and will possibly struggle with any applications you want to load on them. Android prior to 3.0 did not have hardware rendering, and it makes a huge difference, so avoid older handsets.

Touchscreens:
Samsung Galaxy SII - Previous flagship model of Samsung. This phone is the one the Epic 4G above is built on. For this reason alone, it may be worth considering the Epic 4G due to the physical keyboard it adds to the mix. They are priced identically.

Samsung Galaxy SIII - Samsung's flagship model. It will get the new version of Android, and will remain current for at least the next year. Priced accordingly. The most powerful Android phone out of the flagship models, this is probably overkill. Supports 4G LTE networks, you only care about for video chat, streaming video, and tethering. Review here: Techradar

HTC Evo 4G - HTC's flagship model on Sprint. This brings quality of life to Samsung's grunt. Better build quality, better user experience, but not as powerful. I have used an equivalent HTC phone, the HTC One XL (Australian model), and it performs beautifully, lasts a good while with the battery, and will definitely do everything you want from it. It's a pretty good fight between the Samsung Galaxy SIII and HTC Evo 4G, basically boiling down to personal preference. Same price point as the SIII and Motorola. Review here: Techradar

Apple iPhone - The iPhone 4 is my day-to-day phone. The 4S is a more powerful version of the 4, bringing some small changes along with Siri voice support. Android now has a comparable service to Siri that outperforms it on some tests. Build quality is good, and it will be supported for at least the next year, likely two. Camera on the 4S is good, and the user interface is slick and intuitive. It also has amazing application support by virtue of being on the Apple App store, which is still a very strong marketplace. As I mentioned before, iTunes integration is a turn-off for some, as it can complicate the experience. It's not difficult to use, it just can be annoying when it auto-updates or pops up as soon as you plug in your phone. With the iPhone, you know what you're going to get: An Apple device that is built well, performs well, but restrictive. iReview here:Techradar

My conclusions:
With budget possibly a concern, I would probably turn to the Samsung Epic 4G. The hardware keyboard sounds like the selling point for you, and it should live up to your requirements without any issues. If you desire a top-of-the-line smartphone, and I don't get that vibe from you considering your past posts, it's the Motorola for the keyboard, personal preference on the Samsung SIII or HTC Evo if you want touch-only Android, or iPhone 4S if you like the look and simplicity of iOS. The other offerings at Sprint aren't as good buys as the ones I have looked at... if only they offered more HTC phones. I would not consider anything older than the Epic as I recently re-purposed an older phone for my mother, and it required a LOT of effort to get it running to a decent standard, and that was a 2010 flagship model.