Smartphones

[Pandabear 414]

A thread for discussing smartphones. Why you love or hate the ones you own and the ones you wish you had. 

 

I'm late to the band wagon and want to get my first phone. Haven't even owned a cellphone before, but I've realized it would make my life easier if I did have one. Can anyone recommend me a good one? I don't want an Iphone. Too expensive. Perferably something under $200. I probably won't receive or make calls on it that much.  But I will probably do a moderate amount of web surfing. 

[LIDL 692]

Well, I own a Galaxy Note II currently.

It is like ultimate smart phone by far.

I can play HD games smoothly, no lagging.

The video are crystal clear.

And thanks to the OS, I can freely customized its look without the need to jailbreak it like that brand with bitten fruit as logo.

Better go with Android if you go with Smart phone.

It is highly customizeable.

For that price range you want, well droid series by motorola and HTC are about $ 99.9 with one year contract on Verizon.

Pretty decent if you just want a smartphone that works.

Without the extra fancy things.

[Cupcakes 55]

Got an HTC Desire S, love it.

[Flame-X 441]

My first and current smartphone is the Samsung Galaxy S2 at&t version. I did plenty of research before buying it so I'm totally satisfied. Just beware, android isn't as stable as iOS so just do a simple maintenance of restarting the phone. Also disable as many background processes as you can to free the phone's memory, especially all that bloatware provided by the carrier. Engadget can guide you the smartphone that's right for you.

[D.L.S 11]

I bought a phone that just barely works, Samsung Galaxy Exhibit, in March of last year. I'm grateful for the people at XDA for the many custom roms I can choose from now. Otherwise I'd be ready to hand it off to someone else. It's made the phone much better and 4.1 yay~  I thought about a Nexus 4, but I don't even have money for that :'( (even when it is finally in stock again).

[Ito 2438]

For my next phone I am really thinking about getting a Windows Phone 8 phone.

Here are my reasonings:

1. I really like the interface. While iOS and Android as mostly the same, I think Windows Phone 8 really has latched on to something great. The home page just seems so much more organized and usable.
2. It theoretically has better battery life than it's counterparts
3. I am not a power user. For as much as I am on my desktop, my phone usage is far more basic. I am not looking to root my phone (only reason I did it on android is to get rid of the bloatware -__-).
4. It has a consistent visual style, which love it or hate it, can not be said for iOS or Android, which I think makes it a lot better experience.
5. I don't care about a lot of apps. This is a list of the apps I use on my phone the apps I used in roughly the ammount of time I use them. I am not including apps that are apart of the OS. If it has a * next to it, it has a WP8 counterpart.

• Facebook* (though from Microsoft, not FB)
• Gmail (No app, but I won't need one since it will just integrate in to the OS's email)
• Foursquare*
• Google Music
• Amazon Price Check* (You have to use Amazon Mobile, which has price check, it just doesn't load right in to it)
• --------------------------- Everything past this line I use rarely. 
• Trillian (no offical aim client either...ouch)
• Evernote*
• TextPlus (I use this to send texts for free since I don't have unlimited texting. I would have to find an alternative)
• SoundHound*
• StumbleUpon
• Netflix*
• 500px* (No offical app, though)
• LinkedIn*
• Google Goggles
• Turntable.fm
• Steam* (Not offical)
• Skype*

All said in done, I am only going to be missing google music (which sucks, but I should be able to use the web client), Trillian (there has to be another aim client, though), StumbleUpon (so I am going to be a little more bored while pooping), google goggles (nifty, but so rarely used), and tt.fm. Not all that bad considering the lack of apps in considered this platform's greatest weakness.

[Spike760 16]

A thread for discussing smartphones. Why you love or hate the ones you own and the ones you wish you had. 

 

I'm late to the band wagon and want to get my first phone. Haven't even owned a cellphone before, but I've realized it would make my life easier if I did have one. Can anyone recommend me a good one? I don't want an Iphone. Too expensive. Perferably something under $200. I probably won't receive or make calls on it that much.  But I will probably do a moderate amount of web surfing. 

 

If you weren't going to use it as a phone much, you're much better off going with a tablet. You can pick up a Asus Nexus 7 (Google Android flagship tablet) 16GB for $199 directly off Google's Play Store.

 

As far as smartphones go though, I'm obsessed. I gave up my life of J-Rock to pursue a life of Android. I will never own an iPhone because they're very limited and overpriced.

 

My line up of smart devices over the past couple years:

 

Motorola Droid > HTC Sensation > Samsung Galaxy Nexus > Samsung Galaxy S II T989 > Samsung Galaxy Nexus (2nd one) > Samsung Galaxy Note II > Samsung Galaxy S III I535

 

Other devices:

 

iPod Touch 4G > Vizio TAB > Motorola XOOM Wi-Fi > Asus Nexus 7 16GB

 

I can do pretty much whatever I want with my Android smart devices and that's the reason I love them. I can remote into my PC, stream any of my media to my device, connect the device to the TV and use my PS3 controller to play games. They have emulators all the way up to the original Playstation even. Google Play Music is the sickest app ever, it allows you to store up to 20,000 songs on their cloud and stream them using a data connection to the phone. And the best part of it all is you can customize the phone to look however you want it to look. My current setup:

 

[kai_desu 340]

How's that Galaxy S3 holding up? I was considering getting it but very turned off by the plastic body and how light it is.

 

I'd love to get a Nexus 4 but... ha. Good luck on that one unless you're willing to fork out $500 on ebay for one. So I was thinking of the LG Optimus G since they're essentially the same exact things.

[Ito 2438]

My girlfriend and her mom both have had S3's for about 6 or so months now, maybe a little longer, and they still look brand new (she initially kept hers in an otterbox, but now she has the flip cover) and they have never had any problems. Her mom's phone, for what ever reason, seems to drain the battery faster than hers.

 

I totally agree though, the build is off putting, especially when you compare it to the likes of the iPhone or Nokia's Lumina.

[Spike760 16]

How's that Galaxy S3 holding up? I was considering getting it but very turned off by the plastic body and how light it is.

 

I'd love to get a Nexus 4 but... ha. Good luck on that one unless you're willing to fork out $500 on ebay for one. So I was thinking of the LG Optimus G since they're essentially the same exact things.

I've only had it for about a month at  the most so far. I switched from a Samsung Galaxy Nexus and a Note II. The Note II was really great it had outstanding battery but felt a little big in my hands. I ended up rooting the Galaxy S3 to have all the Note II features though. It's a great phone though, and the body is actually polyurethane which is the material they make football helmets out of. It's very durable too, my phone one of the first days I had it fell off my laundry machine onto cement which is probably a good 3 - 4 ft drop landed directly on the display, walked away scratchless. 

 

The Google Play Store actually JUST got the Nexus 4 back in stock yesterday if you haven't already gone with the Optimus G which is still a nice phone. Also the Galaxy S4 is supposed to be out within 3 - 4 months which is going to be my next phone. My last few devices despite my tablet have all been Samsung, never had any problems.

[kai_desu 340]

... and the body is actually polyurethane which is the material they make football helmets out of.

 

Which is a polymer, aka plastic.

 

I have a Galaxy Tab 2 10.1, it was between that and the ASUS transformer. I honestly wish I went the ASUS tablet after using this one. Initially I was turned on by the built in IR capability and using it for my home theater set up. But I honestly have never used it other than to troll my friends and their TVs/cable thinking someone was sitting on a controller changing the channels and shutting their TV's off (with all the controllers sitting in one place with the batteries out at this point).

 

I had to buy a skin to put on it so it would feel heavier in my hands. It literally almost blew out of my hand when a bus went by the day I got it. It even fell from my bed while plugged in charging, mind you about a foot off the ground, and the plastic around the connector on the tablet snapped off and bent the connector.

 

While I am kinda done with Apple and their phones (standing from a developers point of view) - they make (er... made I guess) a device that simply just feels nice in your hands. Mind you, I don't like how light the iPhone 5 is, which is in the same category as why I don't like how the Galaxy SIII feels simply for its weight.

[TheBistroButcher666 228]

I'm gonna tell my Microsoft friends that a non-Microsoftie is going to buy a Windows phone. The only people I know with a Windows phone are Microsoft employees or a spouse of some sort since they basically get them for free.

 

Anyway, I currently have a Droid Razor Maxx. 

 

I don't do a lot on my phone, call, text and internet and the battery life is great. So I'm quite happy with it. I can go without charging my phone the entire weekend.

[Ito 2438]

I'm gonna tell my Microsoft friends that a non-Microsoftie is going to buy a Windows phone. The only people I know with a Windows phone are Microsoft employees or a spouse of some sort since they basically get them for free.

 

That fact saddens me. Honestly, the Windows Phone 8 OS is really pretty awesome, I have my fingers crossed that it eventually gains more market share.

[lenji 91]

I agree with what Ito said. I think the main reason everyone's like 'meh, windows' is because windows has made some bad decisions in the past, and while windows was busy making mistakes, google and apple sort of just took over. I've been an android user for a year and half now and i'm a bit of a htc/nokia fangirl so there's a big chance that i might be getting the X8 or one of the lumia models. I haven't done much research on the os itself though, mostly hardware; one thing that concerns me and i'm curious about, is windows' mobile os as susceptible to malware and/or viruses as the desktop os is? : |

[wanahton 0]

A thread for discussing smartphones. Why you love or hate the ones you own and the ones you wish you had. 

 

I'm late to the band wagon and want to get my first phone. Haven't even owned a cellphone before, but I've realized it would make my life easier if I did have one. Can anyone recommend me a good one? I don't want an Iphone. Too expensive. Perferably something under $200. I probably won't receive or make calls on it that much.  But I will probably do a moderate amount of web surfing. 

 

I want to knw hw a smartphone starts up in comparison to a computer. As we all knw, In a computer, whn the power is switched on, BIOS starts operation. It checks all the input nd output devices, ports etc nd then loads the OS frm secondary memory like floppy or CD or Hard disk into RAM. then OS takes control of computer. Is same happens in case of Smartphones nd Tablets?

[Zeus 7997]

^ I would assume so, as there's nothing vastly different about the technology in a phone to deviate from the standard OS bootstrap procedure.

[nekkichi 6043]

I agree with what Ito said. I think the main reason everyone's like 'meh, windows' is because windows has made some bad decisions in the past, and while windows was busy making mistakes, google and apple sort of just took over. I've been an android user for a year and half now and i'm a bit of a htc/nokia fangirl so there's a big chance that i might be getting the X8 or one of the lumia models. I haven't done much research on the os itself though, mostly hardware; one thing that concerns me and i'm curious about, is windows' mobile os as susceptible to malware and/or viruses as the desktop os is? : |

I'm not 100 % sure, but I believe you're only supposed to install applications from MS store on your windows phone. it's a different os, not capable of installing desktop windows software, and I would assume browser malware won't do much on it too (won't even run, in the first place.)

 

I remember there was a lot of android hate in Russia because certain applications from android app store had malicious code built in, and they kept sending paid short messages that quickly resulted in enormous cellphone bills.

If MS went the apple route where they review applications before adding them to app store, you'll be fine.

 

 

 

I want to knw hw a smartphone starts up in comparison to a computer. As we all knw, In a computer, whn the power is switched on, BIOS starts operation. It checks all the input nd output devices, ports etc nd then loads the OS frm secondary memory like floppy or CD or Hard disk into RAM. then OS takes control of computer. Is same happens in case of Smartphones nd Tablets?

wow that's a great question actually. did you really make a jrock forum account to ask that?

[TheBistroButcher666 228]

Eh, my boyfriend is pretty vocal about how he dislikes his Windows phone. Yet he's the same as me in that as long as it does the basic call, text, email then it's not that big of a deal, plus it's free for him. 

 

Yet little things like when we're looking up directions, my Android phone does it faster and better than his. Bing maps will either not be able to find the location at all (this really has happened before) or will take much longer to load, type in directions and go. The problem with the Windows app store is that there simply isn't a lot of apps on there and if there is an app that you need it's just not as good as the Android or iPhone version. 

 

There just isn't the same support from a large community like Android or iPhone.

 

Though I will say that I wish Android screened their apps, I mean not be as strict as iPhone but there really is a ton of garbage apps on their app store. It doesn't surprise me that there are apps with malicious code built into them. Yet that's something Android seems to pride itself in. "We have XXXX amount of apps on our store compared to Apple!!" Yeah except most of them is garbage.

[Peace Heavy mk II 7200]

I like my RAZR HD . I wanted the Maxx, but couldn't justify spending $200 more for the battery.

[Spike760 16]

^ The RAZR HD MAXX should only be $100 more than the RAZR HD... but in the end you can get a portable battery pack for about $40 which will double your battery life which in theory would probably give you better battery life than a RAZR HD MAXX. 

 

~ My curent setup on my Galaxy S3. Awaiting the Galaxy S4, or whatever the Verizon variant of the HTC ONE to come out and then most likely switching to either flagship.

[buster 3]

i bought my 1st smartphone last year and i'm not regretting it one bit! i don't think it's a luxury gadget anymore, since it's functions r matched with some1's daily life. i mainly use apps like google maps, dictionaries, IMs, news, notes, calender, alarms etc. of course i do play sometimes on my phone, but i don't use it for those "optional" purposes. oh yeah, and shazam rulz xD 

since i'm already used to this kind of living standard, it would be unimaginable for me to go on w/o a smartphone. of course i could get used to a way of living with only stick and stones, but only if there's nothing left in this world except for these 2 things to survive

[Ikna 1225]

Reviving this old thread because I am planning to get my first smartphone maybe for Christmas. I was a casual user of cellphones before, but I rarely used them because I actually dislike telephone conversations.

My current Nokia cellphone is getting 5 years old and the battery is bad. Also I think it's impossible tobe abstinent from the current smartphone trend as soon everyone will have one and you just can't find many cellphones. Now I am thinking what I should get and it's difficult since I have no clue about them.

I am not really someone who talks often on the phone. What's important for me is maybe a decent camera, a good size (not too big or too small), enough memory and space for some small apps and especially images and music (I probably end up using the phone mainly for playing music). I don't necessarily need a HD screen as I don't plan to play games or watch tv. Oh and it shouldn't be too expensive (100-250€ price range are okay)

 

I've thought about getting a Samsung phone, but I am not sure and there so many diferent models in the budget class section… @.@

[evilcoconut 109]

was totally late on the smartphone bandwagon myself, only got one early last year. i did loooooads of research because i was anti-smartphone after messing with other peoples' iphones and droids. i ended up getting a nokia lumia windows phone and i love it. simple to use, doesn't do anything weird or stupid and the camera is great.

 

i have an android tablet and like that ok, but i wouldn't want it as a phone. and don't get me started on i-things lol.

[shizukasou 47]

I totally recommend Sony as far as smartphones are concerned! Mine is almost 2 years old now, but I've never had a problem with it. From what I heard even the low-priced ones are pretty good devices, so I'd say go for it! If you don't care about the operative system, Nokias are awesome as well.

[Flame-X 441]

Iphone is a great smart phone for beginners. Go for the 5s since they should hold up for at least 4 years depending on the resources the apps demand as time goes by. The only issue with iphones is the lack of option to expand storage, meaning no micro sd card slot. This is precisely why I went for an android phone. I own a Moto G LTE unlocked which has everything I need. It's nothing fancy like the HTC One m8 or Samsung Galaxy S5. If you're looking for a budget android with basic functions, Moto E or G would be the best bet. Try to go for an unlocked android phone so you won't have to deal with all that bloatware apps by the network carriers.