Smartphones

[Penny4]

It's time to upgrade my plain jane basic phone. I think I'm ready for a Smartphone :eek: (I'm terribly slow to embrace technology.)

Just wondering if anyone has feedback on the new iPhone5. A friend suggested the Samsung Galaxy instead. Anyone have any input?

[thekarens]

I'm a total Android fan, but I recommend the iPhone to non geeky and first time smart phone friends. If you like customization Android is the way to go, but if you like this simple iPhone is the way to go.

[Irulan]

My son LOVES his new galaxy, and why makes sense. According to him, you can drag and drop folders, and use micro cards for storage. That alone would sell me. I have an iPhone4 and have mixed feelings about it. I absolutely hate being forced to use iTunes for file/music management, and I think it's one of the suckiest peices of software ever written. The fact that Apple forces you into Apple products whenever they can ( the iPhone 5 map debacle is an example) really annoys me. If you decide on an iPhone, see if you can get the 4s still, the 5 is having mixed reviews especially on connectivity.

[OakLeaf]

The Galaxy is freakin' HUGE. I guess it has a lot of nice features, but I'm shopping for a phone now, and I never so much as looked at that one. I don't have room for a tablet computer in my running belt or my purse, and I don't need to be carrying around any more weight.

The smallest phones Verizon offers right now are the iPhone, the HTC Incredible 4G (Android), and the Motorola Razr M (Android).

I use my phone for navigation, and even though Google navigation has gone downhill since they started crowdsourcing, I'm not sure I'd want an iPhone with what I've heard of their maps. But it depends on what you use it for. DH has an iPhone 3GS that he likes plenty well - it's his second iPhone, which gives you an idea of how long he keeps them, although the 4 was already out by the time he got the 3GS.

Funny you say iTunes ... Apple is a hardware company, after all, so you can't fault them for using their own software on their own hardware ... but the one thing I really dislike about my phone is NOT being able to use iTunes. I wind up using my iPod in the car separately, and just not listening to music at all when I'm not in my own car, since I don't want to drag two devices with me everywhere, either. I tried a couple of apps to integrate my music library with my Android phone, but they were useless.

Between the two Android phones I mentioned, the biggest difference is the network. The Motorola Razr M does GSM (world phone) but not 1XRTT (most of the USA outside the urban centers that have 4G and some freeways that have 3G). The HTC Incredible 4G does 1X but not GSM.

[emily_in_nc]

I have a Galaxy Tab 2.0 (7"), but it's a tablet along the iPad line, not a phone. The Galaxy Tab 1.0 did have a phone built in, but the phone function was dropped in the 2.0 version and is simply a wi-fi tablet -- what I was looking for for traveling instead of a smartphone. (I still have a dumbphone!)

My understanding is that most of the Galaxy Android phones are no larger than iPhones (or not significantly so). I'm a frugal sort so have never embraced Apple products simply for pricing/value reasons. I could care less what is sexy or popular; I just want something that works.

[Irulan]

(slight derail) Crankin, are you familiar with Winamp? That was the other thing about the Galaxy III that my son loved - you can use Winamp for music files. I've been using it on my PCs for years, and it's so EASY! For anyone that is a music nut, you can play FLAC files on Galaxy, I don't know about other Android phones. The iPhone I have was a gift: if I'd picked ou,t a smartphone I would have not chosen Apple. Winamp works with iPods, but not the phones, and no Apple product will play FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec, very high quality audio). Anyway, Winamp is free, and excellent for managing music and podcasts, etc -just not on iPhones. I've been using it for years.

[zoom-zoom]

I really wanted to like the Android phone I had (HTC Incredible) and I loved it for the first 8 months...and then when the OTA update from FroYo to Gingerbread rolled-out it bricked my phone. Constantly was crashing and telling me that I had insufficient disc space, which was a load of crap, since I had all of 6 apps on it and no music. Now DH uses the phone and is forever having to remove the battery to restart it. It eats the battery. The last straw for me was the random crashing--even in the middle of the night while plugged-in. I couldn't rely on it as an alarm clock when it did that.

I have had my iPhone 4s for nearly a year and it has only crashed once and that was an easy restart. Battery life is amazing and I love that it syncs perfectly with iTunes--I have literally thousands of songs in iTunes--both from CDs and things I've bought in the past 6+ years via iTunes. No more do I have to run with a phone and an iPod. I also use a lot more apps, now. I had far more issues with buggy apps with the droid.

The only thing I really miss about the Incredible was the camera. It allowed for much more customization of settings and had better focus, color, contrast, and exposure. I'm pretty unimpressed with the iPhone camera. I use the ProCamera app, which has better features than the stock app, but the actual images are sorta meh.

[Penny4]

Wait, you can play MUSIC on your PHONE?

kidding, kidding.... :)

The Galaxy was large, but seemed light. Having music on my phone isn't that big of a deal. I don't really use my iPod outside of my house, and i have an older one that I keep in the car. I actually have an HTC for work, and do use it for some personal apps, but I have not gotten rid of my personal phone. I saw a new report on the iPhone5 that there is some new glitch that is causing it to use excessive amounts of data, but there is a software fix out for it. I probably don't need anything fancy since I probably won't use all the functionality :rolleyes:

[OakLeaf]

Samsung Galaxy S III Dimensions: 5.4” x 2.8” x .3” Weight 4.7 oz

HTC Incredible Dimensions: Size: 4.82 (H) x 2.40" (L) x 0.46" (D). Weight 4.66 oz

iPhone: 4.87” (H) x 2.31” (W) x .30” (D). Weight 3.95 oz

Motorola Razr M: 4.82(H) x 2.39(W) x 0.33(D)inches Weight: 4.44oz



Over half an inch in length, four tenths in width. That's a lot in a phone. It's thin though, so weight doesn't necessarily correspond to the horizontal dimensions.

[thekarens]

Double Twist is free and it allows you to sync your iTunes library to your Android phone.

There's more than one Galaxy phone. There's the Galaxy S3, which is the phone I have and recommend, then there's the Galaxy Nexus, also a great choice and the M.

Connectivity is more an issue of the carrier than the phone for the most part. I personally won't buy Apple products, but I can't deny they make great stuff.

[tzvia]

I'm on my second Android phone, a Galaxy S3 and yea it is kinda big. But in a good way. My first Android was the HTC EVO which was getting long in the tooth. Tons of free apps, you can add a micro SD card to increase the space (for videos or pictures), and lots of internal space make it a very flexible device. The camera is quite good which is a shock; I've never seen any camera phone worth using before. It even has a cool panorama mode where it stitches together multiple pix to create a 180deg image. The screen is stunning and large enough to really surf the web, and the navigation works ("Hey Apple..."). I use mine to trade in the stock market while on lunch and breaks so it needs to be a reliable device. I used it to buy 20 shares of Apple last week LOL now there's a twist.

I also have an Android tablet (Toshiba) that I take on vacations when I don't want to lug a laptop. Maybe it does not have the 'cool' factor of an IPad, but heck it has a mini USB, a full size USB, an SD card reader, a mini HDMI out and access to hundreds of free apps and thank the maker it is not white.

Now I've used the IPhone and it's not bad, but I look at these devices without the 'fanboy' attitude and the only thing I can say is much better on it is that the case is metal. I like that. Ok, so I put my Galaxy in a hard shell that has a built in stand and it now sits upright on my desk at work so I can keep an eye on how much money I am loosing in the market.

[Bike Writer]

I'm on my third Blackberry, I guess you can say I'm hooked. What you want to do with a phone is a good factor in determining what kind to get. My phone is used for task oriented items. #1 a phone, #2 email, #3 calendar and tasks. I snap a photo now and again and use it for navigation when I don't know where my destination is but seldom surf the web with it. I do use the web a tiny bit more now because I have a BB with a larger screen and it's a touch screen. The Torch is a bit weighty but I couldn't give up my keyboard for only touch screen typing because I respond to too much email on the fly. I never text or listen to music on my phone.

Friends and business associates who have the droid love them. I don't do apple products or the latest and greatest gadgets, I usually have something that's been out for a while.

Happy shopping!

[jyyanks]

I have the new iPhone 5 and I love it. I have never owned an android phone but had the iPhone 3GS and the iPhone 4 previously. The iPhone 4 was my least favorite because it was bulky and I felt like it my battery was always drained. I love the new iPhone 5, its lightning fast, sleek, light, easy to use and has a great interface. My 2 complaints 1) the Apple maps are awful, I prefer the old google map app and I'm annoyed that I don't have it anymore because I used it all the time 2) Because it's faster, the battery tends to to need recharging more often than my other iPhones. I would recommend it for a beginner, especially if have an itunes account and/or an ipad.

[Crankin]

Irulan, you addressed your post to me (maybe because in the past I've mentioned how I'm slow to embrace technology?), but I was not the OP!

I have an I Phone 4GS, got it about a year ago. I like it, but I don't do anything except check my VM, make a few phone calls, text, get and respond to email, and read TE. I have never downloaded any music, and I have no idea how I Tunes works. DH has all of our old CDs stored on his computer and he downloads stuff on his phone as he listens to music when he commutes (:mad:). However, I just don't listen to music anytime, so it's not important to me (my car radio stays on one station, and the guy trying to sell me Sirrius when I got my new car didn't believe me!). My battery lasts just fine, too, although I am not downloading stuff or playing games, ever. I do use the web.
DH got the I Phone 5 and he loves it. He said the map thing is not that big of a deal to him, but he generally uses an app he bought for navigation, which is actually really good. Me, I have a small, portable Garmin that is just fine. I use it when I have to find a new client's house, but other than that, I generally don't drive anywhere new.
As a techno adverse person, I had no trouble learning to use the I Phone, but, there are a lot of things I don't know about it, like pressing things twice, sweeping, etc. But, since I don't need to do anything more that I do, it's fine. The only 2 apps I have are FB and Yelp and I can't see that I'll be getting more. Also, we are a total Apple family, so using the I Phone was not any different than using my computer, in many ways.

[OakLeaf]

Double Twist is free and it allows you to sync your iTunes library to your Android phone.

Really sync? Like, update the play count correctly, and allow me to add a rating on my phone, that will both transfer back to my iTunes library? I can't see from their website whether it will do that, but none of the other apps I've tried would. AFAIK Apple buries that stuff pretty deep in their proprietary software, as well they should to protect their product.

I can live without the rating and try to remember to remove songs from a playlist manually, later, if I don't like them. But not having the play count updated is a deal breaker. My mobile playlists are based on when a song was last played, so I don't constantly hear the same songs.


/drift ;)

[carlotta]

I can't offer any input on either the iphone 5 or galaxy offerings, but I wanted to throw windows phones into the mix....

I had an android phone for a few years, and had some issues with the software/os updates as the phone got older and the hardware wasn't so happy with the newer software. This might be better now, but it was a bummer. I also never "needed" to customize my phone that much, so that aspect of android wasn't that appealing.

When it was new phone time last spring, I ruled out the iphones right away (too much $$ and didn't want to change carriers) and wasn't thrilled at the prospect of android again (the old phone was REALLY laggy at that point, would miss calls, etc) so I played with a windows phone for a bit. It's fast, integrates fairly well with google (maps are via bing, but the physical maps seem ok and I'd rather look at a map than follow directions, so it works for me), and I'm really happy with it. If you can hold out until November, the windows 8 phones are coming out, but I'm perfectly happy with the current generation (which may also go on sale with the arrival of wp8). You do have to use microsoft's zune software to transfer files, so no itunes, but I have an ipod for music anyway and itunes/zune seem to play fairly well with the same music library, so no big deal.

[OakLeaf]

I should note that DH's iPhone 3GS is noticeably quicker since the iOS 6 update. FWIW, at least some of the new-found speed is the OS and browser. Normally a major firmware update would not be a good thing for a piece of antiquated hardware, but this is another thing Apple seems to have got right.


I should probably also note that I don't like to be shopping for a new phone when the one I have is only 28 months old, but that seems to be the way of technology these days. A phone is inevitably going to get dropped and wet, and you either get an iPhone with a sealed case and you're stuck with the battery and memory it comes with ... or you take the risk with something else. My phone is still working, but there are some dead pixels in the screen, sometimes it just acts weird, the aftermarket battery is getting long in the tooth and would need replacing anyway, and I don't want to wait until the phone dies completely and possibly be stuck without a working phone for however long it would take me to get a new one.

I've never considered a Blackberry - even when they first came out, I was already in my late 30s or early 40s and there was no way I could see that little screen.

I'm pretty much settled on the HTC Incredible 4G. I need 1X coverage since I don't spend all my time in coastal cities (although I should probably find out whether the Motorola Razr M will roam on domestic AT&T GSM networks ... that might still give me coverage where I use 1X now). It's one of the smallest phones out there, and I'm used to the HTC Android skin already. Now I just have to get past my reluctance to replace a device that's barely two years old. :mad: At least there are decent, easily accessible phone recycling programs.

[Irulan]

I should note that DH's iPhone 3GS is noticeably quicker since the iOS 6 update. FWIW, at least some of the new-found speed is the OS and browser. Normally a major firmware update would not be a good thing for a piece of antiquated hardware, but this is another thing Apple seems to have got right.

Did he lose google maps after the update? I've been warned not to do the update for that reason.

[OakLeaf]

Yes, he did. Not a big deal to him, since he has a standalone Garmin and never uses his phone for navigation.

Can you still sync the phone without updating the OS?

And, out of curiosity, can you navigate from Google's web page?



Also out of curiosity, does anyone else have trouble syncing their iPhone calendars? It's weird that iCal seems to work better with Android phones than with iPhones ... but part of why I didn't want an iPhone is that when I was using my iPod Touch as a PDA, I'd wind up with each calendar event duplicated several times ... never could solve that with all the fixes people recommend online ... and now that DH and I share calendars, I have to look at anywhere from two to six duplications of HIS calendar events!

[Irulan]

We have 2 iPhones here, and did not update either one. You get a choice: one of those "do you want to download the latest OS?" and we just clicked on , " no do not ask again"

[Norse]

I finally broke down and got my first smartphone in July - the Droid 4. I insist on a full QWERTY slide-out keyboard; spend too much time backing up and fixing mistakes on the virtual keyboards, which I have on my Blackberry work phone (hate it!). I LOVE my Droid 4. Not too big, not too little, VERY fast, especially with 4g; does almost everything and then some - for example, I was easily able to download my music from Windows Media Player, plus it has all sorts of great free internet music options, takes great pics, so many cool, free apps, has gorilla glass (great for adventuresome types like me) .... I could go on an on. Some friends of mine had Droids, switched to the Apple 4s, hate them and want their Droids back. Caveat: I myself have not tried the Apple.

[Crankin]

I have no trouble synching my calendar between my phone and my computer, Oak. Once or twice I thought there was an issue, but it was just a little time lag or the fact that in my haste, I had put AM instead of PM on my phone and duh, I couldn't find it on my computer.
I upgraded my OS to the new one; like Oak's DH, I have a Garmin and I don't use that function on my phone.

[ny biker]

I switched from an HTC Incredible (original) to a Droid Razr Maxx a few months ago. Somewhere there's a thread about it, including a post with my thoughts on the Razr Maxx.

I considered going with an iPhone but I just prefer Android. I prefer the interface in general, and I really really like the Google maps navigation.

In general I would advise you to go to a phone store and play with phones you're considering.

I remain angry that smartphones have gotten so big. I still think the Razr Maxx is too big for my hand, and I do not have small hands. It does not fit in the pocket of my jeans. And I had to buy a larger top-tube bag for my bike in order to fit this phone inside it, and now the bag is long enough to hit my knee when I pedal.

The other main disappointment with the Razr Maxx is the camera -- colors look washed out. And I keep accidently hitting the back button when I go to take a picture, which closes the camera app and takes me back to the home screen so I have to start over again.

But overall I think Razr Maxx works well, and the battery life is excellent.

[OakLeaf]

The three phones I referenced, while they're slightly bigger than my first generation Droid Incredible, are pretty much the same size as my current phone inside its polycarbonate case. Once I replace it, I'm going to have a decision to make about putting it in a case or not... I really think having the case to absorb impact and fly apart saved the phone from a couple of drops...


nybiker, if I asked you before I don't remember - how easy was the switch from the HTC skin to Motorola? I tried to help my neighbor with her Motorola Android phone last year - not sure the model - and couldn't make heads or tails of it, it was so counterintuitive. But I've read that Motorola is using a lighter touch with its Android skin these days. What do you think?

[ny biker]

I didn't really have any problems getting used to the Razr Maxx. There were a few things that were not intuitive, like how to send a photo from the gallery in a text message. But overall it was okay. Then I had to get used to the ice cream sandwich update, which involved several hours of forum searching to figure out the changes, but I settled into it pretty quickly after that.

[Penny4]

In general I would advise you to go to a phone store and play with phones you're considering.

.

Yes, I will definitely need to do this!!

[GLC1968]

I was a smart phone holdout until my company approved iphones for product engineers a little over a year ago. I got the iphone4 (only one available then) and I've loved the damn thing ever since! A few months after I got it, I changed jobs and now travel a LOT and honestly, life is soooo much easier with a smart phone. I use it for EVERYTHING when I'm on the road (even use the kindle app for reading and leave my kindle at home!). In fact, I've used the browser and another app to do work from it when the hotel wifi was so bad that my laptop was useless. You know it's a bad connection when 3G is faster than wifi! My only complaint is that my calendar does not sync well AT ALL (we use an exchange server). It's ok for the initial sync, but if meetings move or change, the phone rarely gets it right and it's been a real problem for me. So much so, that I'm actually considering a windows phone when the time comes. :o

Like Oak, I found that things got quicker with the iOS6 download. I don't use google maps (I hate them, actually!) so I didn't hesitate when prompted. I use a mapquest app (free) that works like a charm and has voice navigation which is important to me when I'm driving alone in rental cars and can't be watching the phone all the time. I don't have any battery life complaints, but I'm rarely away from a place to charge it for very long unless I'm on a plane (and battery lasts longer in 'airplane' mode anyway).

[Irulan]

I use a mapquest app (free) that works like a charm and has voice navigation

hmm, must look this up

[smilingcat]

bumped it up.

Finally decided to get a second cell phone with local number. Christmas sale had several models for cheap!!! HTC EVO on amazon had it for $49.95. Then it was on sale at virgin mobile for $99.95.. and several others at $39.95 for LG model.

Ended up getting Kyocera rise with slide out keyboard for less than $50.00 at Target and running android 4.0.4. No contract with Virgin Mobile.

Before activating it I wanted to see what functionality it had. Yes the Google navigation worked using GPS, yes WiFi worked, surfed the web, wrote an e-mail and sent it. Almost tempted to get Freedom Pop 4G connection to create mobile hot spot and use the WiFi on the phone and use google talk on Android... Amount of calls I make is short enough that I would be under Freedom Pop's no charge per month rate.

Nah... Went ahead and activated the phone so now I have a Oregon phone number on the smart phone and a California number on my old cell. Both are pay as you go and my land line at the house is a VoIP free internet phone. My internet is 4G so don't have to bother with a well hated local carrier. :) thurrppp to them.

Can't tether my devices with this smartphone though... Still have my pay as you go 3G connection for mobile hot spot. May switch over to Freedom pop.

So... very happy with cheap smartphone. Like the slide out keyboard. Now just see how the music player sounds. YES IT SUPPORTS OGG format!! Oh do have fair number of 16G SDmicro so I think I can fit most of my music on it..

Cheap but functional is very good!!
chuffed!!

[OakLeaf]

Very curious about how much data you use, using your phone as mobile hotspot.

DH keeps looking at that, as 4G becomes more widely available.

I personally can't see that the two of us would use less than 60GB a month (probably more) which would be WAY more expensive over 4G than it is on any other kind of plan.

Keep us posted, please!

[goldfinch]

It is amazing how much data you can use. Because I travel all the time I use a mifi device for the internet. I have to use Verizon because of the completeness of US coverage. "Unlimited" data is 5GB a month. That is outrageously low when this is your primary internet access. I really have to think about whether I can watch a video (I have no tv) or download something. I listen to a lot of podcasts and often hunt for a wifi signal to do a download. I pay more to get 8GB, which is about right. Of course, this isn't a phone but a computer. So, because I already pay Verizon a pile of money for the mifi I am resistant to paying them more for a data phone plan. I have a very old cell phone plan with them that is very inexpensive and no longer offered. But it is not a smart phone. My gripe is that it is getting harder to find quality flip phones as everyone moves to smart phones. My other gripe is that Verizon now charges an upgrade fee when buying a new device. I want to upgrade my mifi to a 4G device but am resistant to paying the fee.

I really, really dislike cell phone companies. They promote all these services and then limit your ability to use them by limiting data or forcing you into plans with options you don't want or need just to get one thing you do need.

[OakLeaf]

because I already pay Verizon a pile of money for the mifi I am resistant to paying them more for a data phone plan

I was just looking at their website, and it looks like all their plans are "share everything." You get one data package for everything, then it's like $10 a month to connect each device.


Verizon now charges an upgrade fee when buying a new device.

That's not new, but if you buy your device directly from Verizon rather than a reseller, they credit it back to you. At least that's how it worked with my last two phones, and my newest one I only got in like October or November. I still would've had a better deal buying online or from a reseller, but because I really wanted to touch and compare two phones with a salesperson's help before I chose, I felt like I owed her her commission.


Still, it sounds like your usage isn't near what I thought ours would be. As far as TV, have you thought about hanging a satellite dish off the top of your RV?

[goldfinch]

I was just looking at their website, and it looks like all their plans are "share everything." You get one data package for everything, then it's like $10 a month to connect each device. The share everything plan is more expensive than what I pay now because my phone plan is so cheap. Even the Verizon rep said it would not be a good deal for me.




That's not new, but if you buy your device directly from Verizon rather than a reseller, they credit it back to you. At least that's how it worked with my last two phones, and my newest one I only got in like October or November. I still would've had a better deal buying online or from a reseller, but because I really wanted to touch and compare two phones with a salesperson's help before I chose, I felt like I owed her her commission.


Still, it sounds like your usage isn't near what I thought ours would be. As far as TV, have you thought about hanging a satellite dish off the top of your RV?

I'll call on the credit to see if that is the case for the mifi device they sell. At Target they did not mention a credit. I used to use a satellite dish and had tv service but I watched so little tv that I cancelled it. I have this aversion to monthly bills. :)

[goldfinch]

Just talked to Verizon. They now have a $30 upgrade fee for phones and devices you buy from them at the discounted price you get for continuing your contract. This is relatively new. They say it won't be waived. The fee to activate the phone is waived. Too many types of fees!

I also Googled about and the consensus is that the fee will not be waived and it is against Verizon policy for a rep to waive the fee.

You can avoid the upgrade fee by buying the phone/device outright from someone else but odds are you won't get the price you would get from Verizon. At least, I won't with a 4G mifi device. And, you might have to pay a fee to activate anyway.

[OakLeaf]

The fee to activate the phone is waived. Too many types of fees!

Too many for sure. I was probably confusing the two fees.

[smilingcat]

if you want a portable and personal hot spot, you can get Virgin Mobile. It's using SPRINT.
You can also use Freedom Pop. They are also using Sprint.
You can use ClearWire. They too are using Sprint.

All three uses basically the same hardware so if you go to any of the three web site and look at their 4G-WiFi hub or the 4G USB dongle, they look very much alike with the exception of the logo on the hardware. All three have variation on the plans.

MiFi is 3G and you can get it really cheap for either the hub or the dongle. When I need the personal hot spot, I'm roaming so I try to keep my data usage low and below the threshold. 3G is a good bottleneck for this. So I'm not tempted to stream music/video. It's good enough to check e-mail, send and receive messages, even look up information.

Freedom pop wants you to go over the limit so they can charge you big $$ per excess MB of data.
Version Mobile just throttle you by your neck when you reach the limit. I think that is the way with all the other carriers.

Also check Consumer Report 2012 Dec. issue.

Internet connection in US is Byzantine. It's expensive, restrictive and slow... Compare it to S. Korea, France, Japan...