Smartphone choice
- Thread starter Jan [MTW]
- Start date
![Jan [MTW]](/data/avatars/l/120/120418.jpg?1334092791){kind=avatar}
Skinny Viking
¯\(°_o)/¯ How do Lydian?
egan.
daylightdies.com
I disagree with this. For every SII type success story there have been ten android phones that are buggy, crashy and ultimately unreliable. The problem is you can't learn this from magazine/blog reviews-- only from real users.
Jevil
Pro Evolution Fucker
Samsung Galaxy Ace unhappy user here.
Two times in the technical service since September due to software and hardware issues.
I think I should have bought HTC instead of Samsung.
Two times in the technical service since September due to software and hardware issues.
I think I should have bought HTC instead of Samsung.
thefalloftheheretic
Member
- Jun 14, 2009
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First android of mine was the Motorola Devour.
Wanted to throw it in a woodchipper then burn what was left.
Second android, the one I have now, is the Motorola Droid Bionic.
Fuck me this thing is awesome.
Minus the battery life, but I'm 90% sure that's a problem with most Droids.
Wanted to throw it in a woodchipper then burn what was left.
Second android, the one I have now, is the Motorola Droid Bionic.
Fuck me this thing is awesome.
Minus the battery life, but I'm 90% sure that's a problem with most Droids.
Actually just got back from the AT&T store, tried out the One X they had on display. One word: DAMN. Super nice phone, that screen is so good. The phone ran totally smooth, excellent instant response to touch, swiping, everything moved quickly and fluidly. Everything I did was instant, no lag at all. It actually had 23 applications running on it the whole time, I didn't realize that until after about 10 minutes of playing with everything and then checked out the multitasking, completely did not phase the phone with all that shit going on. After that experience I honestly don't care about the SIII at all, definitely getting the One X myself.
MarcusGHedwig
Member
Eh, I'm not so sure, I read multiple tech sites daily and it's really not exaggerating to say that the GSII's (especially the Exynos-powered variants: International, Sprint, AT&T non-Skyrocket) are among the very very few Android phones to have no complaints about glitches/lagginess/etc. in their respective reviews, so between that and user error, I'm never too surprised (and neither should the informed consumer be) when I hear about problems with any of the rest of them!
EDIT: Just saw you were more saying it to disagree with hurdy's statement that most Android phones are good, and in all honesty, that I have to agree with, mainly because there aren't enough phones out there (especially inexpensive ones) that run stock Android rather than having a manufacturer-imposed UI, which is usually the source of the problems (in the last year or so, LG has been the worst with this, HTC in a distant second) - anything with stock Android 2.3 or 4.0 and at least a 1 Ghz processor and 512MB of RAM should be fine though
And btw, I've been working in wireless sales for the past 2 years, so I've had a lot of hands-on time with a huge variety of phones (IoW, not just reading reviews
)
MarcusGHedwig
Member
Jan [MTW];10262363 said:
http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/06/sony-ericsson-xperia-arc-s-review/
Actually sounds pretty cool, but if it was that price last November, I would imagine you can find a dual core phone for that price now
I am kind of undecided between the Sony Xperia S (not Arc S) and the iPhone 4s. The Xperia has better hardware, but I am worried that Android laggs too much.
I own an iPod touch for 2 years now and I think that getting an iphone would just feel like a very expensive update, since I already have a similar device.
Furthermore the iphone is more expensive compared to the Xperia S.
I heard that Android 4.0 ICS will be able to compete with iOS... did anybody of you already have the chance to test it?
The Xperia S I'd buy would come with Android 2.3. Is it easy to upgrade to ICS manually?
I am planning to buy it in a contract and I heard that some phones are "locked" and that you can't upgrade the Android version on these. I don't know anything about it, it would be nice if somebody of you could explain it a bit further... I am worried that I won't be able to update my android until I'm out of that contract (after 2 years).
Edit: Oh and... the contract I'll probably go for includes an internet flat. I can decide between a datavolume of 300mb (included in the price) and 1GB (+5€/month). Is 300mb enough?
I own an iPod touch for 2 years now and I think that getting an iphone would just feel like a very expensive update, since I already have a similar device.
Furthermore the iphone is more expensive compared to the Xperia S.
I heard that Android 4.0 ICS will be able to compete with iOS... did anybody of you already have the chance to test it?
The Xperia S I'd buy would come with Android 2.3. Is it easy to upgrade to ICS manually?
I am planning to buy it in a contract and I heard that some phones are "locked" and that you can't upgrade the Android version on these. I don't know anything about it, it would be nice if somebody of you could explain it a bit further... I am worried that I won't be able to update my android until I'm out of that contract (after 2 years).
Edit: Oh and... the contract I'll probably go for includes an internet flat. I can decide between a datavolume of 300mb (included in the price) and 1GB (+5€/month). Is 300mb enough?
JeffTD
Senhor Testiculo
So a huge ecosystem of products that I have zero desire to use, and I'm not alone... sounds like a plan.
When it comes to electronic 'ecosystems,' nobody touches Apple (Google comes close, the rest are streets behind). You're being willfully ignorant if you think otherwise.
Jarkko Mattheiszen
The FU guy.
Jan [MTW];10264763 said:
You're shopping for a phone, so your iPod is pretty much irrelevant here. Think about it as replacing your limited iPod with a phone that can do everything the iPod can.
Jan [MTW];10264763 said:
Unfortunately, not nearly enough unless you plan on using a WLAN connection 90% of the time.
MarcusGHedwig
Member
Jan [MTW];10264763 said:
If the 4S is in your budget, the One X and upcoming GSIII definitely should be as well, and honestly I think they're lightyears ahead of the 4S, which I am just so freakin' bored with; tiny screen (which is starting to look a bit washed-out colorwise compared to the Super AMOLED Pluses and Super LCD's), super-limited in customization, and most importantly for me (admittedly as a total fucking geek), the absense of things as simple as:
-Downloading files (and having a file manager)
-Being able to play any media file I want on it (and just adding them by clicking and dragging them on my computer, or more often through WiFi courtesy of the fucking awesome Kies Air App - I detest iTunes and any kind of sync-ing)
-Having Flash for full desktop websites
And just more options/settings/controls to make everything exactly how I want - at this point to me the iPhone seriously feels like baby's first smartphone
That said, the layout and design of Android <2.3 (which is what my GSII is still on) is WAY less consistent than the iPhone, though supposedly has been improved (though still not to the iPhone's level) in 4.0 - I've had no problem adjusting, but I totally recognize that if you're not really a phone geek that could be the deciding factor in favor of the iPhone for you. As for updating the software, the only way to manually update Android before a version is released by the manufacturer/carrier for your specific model is to root the phone, which risks bricking (permanently disabling) it, and can be frought with bugs; that said, damn near any reputable phone that's released with 2.3 these days is pretty much guaranteed to have a 4.0 update in the works
As for the last part...
+1 to both of these, 1 GB should be sufficient - it was for me, up until I finally tried Pandora internet radio (which I'm embarassed to say was only like a month ago), so that brought it up to around 1.5, which is still under my 2 GB cap (the only time I ever broke through that was when I was streaming Netflix like daily on my iPhone for my hour-long train commute at the time)
ICS has been out on a handful of devices already. The One X comes with it to start off with. ICS is very nice, tons of improvements over previous versions of Android, they have come a long way. The fact is, carriers are the ones who govern when a phone will get an Android OS update, not the manufacturer and not Google. Google has had ICS out for a while, tons and tons of phones will never get that update thanks to carriers. The problem is carriers "have" to do their skin over stock Android OS. The reality is they could just let the phone run stock Android but that seems to be asking too much apparently.
The good news is, though, you can root the phone and put the latest on there, a big deserved fuck you to the carrier.
The good news is, though, you can root the phone and put the latest on there, a big deserved fuck you to the carrier.
Josh Burgess
Member
Well, that's all well and good for you, Jeff, but most of the world would be highly interested in a giant shared ecosystem across devices, as the Xbox/Xbox 360 dominates everyone in the gaming/entertainment department and Windows by far dominates Apple in the enterprise department. Like it or not, Microsoft is still very important to most of the world.
Read here:
http://money.cnn.com/2012/04/17/technology/microsoft-windows-8/index.htm
I really think Windows 8 and Windows 8 Phones will be successful in the long run.
Then again, I am not an Apple/Mac fan and never have been. I don't like their products, their pricing, their advertising campaigns, or their ridiculous lawsuits. I don't respect them as a company. I have no problem with admitting that on this forum, despite Apple being the industry standard for the music and multimedia industries...
As a programmer though, I do really like Android. What's not to like about an open development platform based on Linux? And I've always liked Google. Google would be an amazing company to work for.
LeSedna
Mat or Mateo
It's exactly because android is a linux based system that it makes me tired right from the beginning.
From a developper / geeky person point of view who is okay spending time on his phone instead of using it from the very beginning, I totally understand. But now, even if I'm a geek myself and have been even more in the past, I just fucking don't have the time for that, hence why the apple products (except the ipod which right from the beginning was a joke considering the main thing it is supposed to do - playing music - is a fail cause it doesn't stand against the competition on the sound quality) are so interesting, and are worth my money if they are like that.
I have had bad experiences coming from my friends from the android world. They weren't on a galaxy II and all, but that's this inconsistency that some people don't really like. At least with apple, depending on the generations, you might not always have the top notch - specs wise - but you'll almost never have a big surprise. Even when I buy the new version, the process of transferring all data takes a few minutes, and I can go out right away with a new phone already good to go with absolutely 100% of my settings, pictures, videos, apps, unchanged. Some people including me are really okay to pay more for that.
From a developper / geeky person point of view who is okay spending time on his phone instead of using it from the very beginning, I totally understand. But now, even if I'm a geek myself and have been even more in the past, I just fucking don't have the time for that, hence why the apple products (except the ipod which right from the beginning was a joke considering the main thing it is supposed to do - playing music - is a fail cause it doesn't stand against the competition on the sound quality) are so interesting, and are worth my money if they are like that.
I have had bad experiences coming from my friends from the android world. They weren't on a galaxy II and all, but that's this inconsistency that some people don't really like. At least with apple, depending on the generations, you might not always have the top notch - specs wise - but you'll almost never have a big surprise. Even when I buy the new version, the process of transferring all data takes a few minutes, and I can go out right away with a new phone already good to go with absolutely 100% of my settings, pictures, videos, apps, unchanged. Some people including me are really okay to pay more for that.
This rooting you talk about... is it hard to do? It would really suck if my new phone would break because of it.
Are there carriers who don't even lock my phone? Or are phones always locked when you get them with a contract?
I would totally go for the xperia S if it had ICS. The Htc one x isn't really an option for me, since it's just way too big imo. Even the xperia s is a bit too big. It sucks that the smaller versions, which will come out soon, have worse hardware.
There's one big turn of though. It seems like I can't use my apple headphones with the Xperia S. Tell me what you want, but I always liked them best. I like the look of them and the sound is good too. Would be cool if anybody knows a way to work around this incompability ...
Are there carriers who don't even lock my phone? Or are phones always locked when you get them with a contract?
I would totally go for the xperia S if it had ICS. The Htc one x isn't really an option for me, since it's just way too big imo. Even the xperia s is a bit too big. It sucks that the smaller versions, which will come out soon, have worse hardware.
There's one big turn of though. It seems like I can't use my apple headphones with the Xperia S.
Tell me what you want, but I always liked them best. I like the look of them and the sound is good too. Would be cool if anybody knows a way to work around this incompability ...
MarcusGHedwig
Member
If the One X is too big, then go for the still-awesome One S (stock ICS, 4.3" QHD screen, dual-core) - also, as far as I know all Android phones need to be rooted to manually update the software, which doesn't seem worth it to me (and when a phone is locked or unlocked, that has nothing to do with the software version, but rather whether it will accept a SIM from any carrier, rather than just to one that you bought the phone from)
i'm loving my htc sensation. i'm on the road most of the time, and since i got it i don't even bring my laptop anymore. decent sized screen, super fast, easy to use, and stable.
i also have a wildfire S for my job....it's ok, but the sensation totally crushes it.
the galaxy S2 is about as fast as the sensation i'd say, but it feels sorty flimsy to me (its really lightweight and made of plastic instead of metal like the htc), and once you get used to htc sense you'll surely miss it when using other android phones.
the iphone 4 is cool too. between iOs and android it's pretty much a matter of taste imho....there's some things the iphone does better, for example push notifications esp regarding facebook that you just can't do on android, but i don't like the fact that you're bound to using itunes for all computer syncing and stuff. plus you can only sync music pics and vids via itunes, whereas the sd card on android phones acts just like an usb stick. plus you're stuck with whatever sd card size you buy when using an iphone, with my htc i can just swap out sd cards for different content and or sizes.
edit: also, ever tried doing a hard reset by just removing the battery on an iphone? my gf once entered a wrong security code a number of times on her iphone (she was drunk and forgot that she changed the code ^^), so after a while the iphone was blocked for like 1h or so.....i told her to just remove the battery, pop it back in and you're good to go....let's just say she wasn't amused by that comment XD
having that said, the iphone isn't in your pricerange anyways. the sensation is.
i also have a wildfire S for my job....it's ok, but the sensation totally crushes it.
the galaxy S2 is about as fast as the sensation i'd say, but it feels sorty flimsy to me (its really lightweight and made of plastic instead of metal like the htc), and once you get used to htc sense you'll surely miss it when using other android phones.
the iphone 4 is cool too. between iOs and android it's pretty much a matter of taste imho....there's some things the iphone does better, for example push notifications esp regarding facebook that you just can't do on android, but i don't like the fact that you're bound to using itunes for all computer syncing and stuff. plus you can only sync music pics and vids via itunes, whereas the sd card on android phones acts just like an usb stick. plus you're stuck with whatever sd card size you buy when using an iphone, with my htc i can just swap out sd cards for different content and or sizes.
edit: also, ever tried doing a hard reset by just removing the battery on an iphone? my gf once entered a wrong security code a number of times on her iphone (she was drunk and forgot that she changed the code ^^), so after a while the iphone was blocked for like 1h or so.....i told her to just remove the battery, pop it back in and you're good to go....let's just say she wasn't amused by that comment XD
having that said, the iphone isn't in your pricerange anyways. the sensation is.
So I found this : http://www.pcgames.de/Handy-Smartph...ndroid-40-ab-Mitte-April-zum-Download-876832/
So, what it basically is saying is that the Android 4.0 update will become soon available for the Sony Xperia series. Does that mean that even locked phones will be able to download and install it?
If not, why can you not install ICS on a locked phone? Is it because the carriers just don't want it or is something else behind it?
So, what it basically is saying is that the Android 4.0 update will become soon available for the Sony Xperia series. Does that mean that even locked phones will be able to download and install it?
If not, why can you not install ICS on a locked phone? Is it because the carriers just don't want it or is something else behind it?
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