Choice for phones

[*Jess♥]

ha ha yeah, that big bang theory ep is great XD

i agree the iphone no longer seems to be such a great thing. I mean, the way it comes across what with the advertised features and all that. the samsung galaxy note looks really fancy. I like the way you can move around app windows. that is one thing I have wanted for a while when using my iphone. tired of the method to switch apps.

and the ability to use a stylus is pro. with the iphone, it is intuitive, but sometimes i want to use precision. it's like a guessing game with this thing.

[durendal]

I know a lot of people see RIM's Blackberry as a dying platform, but after following the development of the BB10 OS, and having seen the leaked images of the final product, I'm starting to have this urge to want one myself. I find the finish to be very sleek, and having experienced the QNX platform in my playbook, I can say that it is a stable OS that I can be comfortable with. Not to mention that it will be my first touch screen phone if I ever decided to get one.

But the problem is I don't want to shell out another $500 or more for another phone since both of my current phones are working perfectly fine. My personal phone, which is my Nokia E66, is already having glitches and can be considered to be replaced, but I don't have a data plan for that line which will make it pointless to go blackberry. On the other hand, this would work very well with my work phone that has a full data plan. But I just got my phone this year and I don't see the necessity of changing phones. Predicament, predicament....

[*Jess♥]

what is it that you look for in your phone?

personally, I look for reliability in terms of signal and pc connection etc.

at least that is what I would look for. my iphone is so bad in this respect. it loses 3g connectivity on many occasions for no reason. it disconnects from my pc for no good reason. the power stops charging for no apparent reason.

I want to see an OS that is stable and fully tested from the beginning, and not too much emphasis on updates with shiny features. I want the basic version to be 100% working first.

[durendal]

I think I can say based on my following of the BB10 OS, that it is a solid OS. iOS restricts you to their design while Android allows you to customize. To put it clearly, iOS tells you what your phone should be, while you tell Android what your phone should be. BB10, I think, is a little in between.

All that I'm looking for in a phone is just to do the basic functions like calling and sms. All the other features are just plus to me. Well, I do use my phone as a sports tracker, so a GPS would do nicely. But all the common smart phones have all the features that I need. It all comes down to user experience.

[durendal]

Totally rocking the Z10.  Yup, I finally succumbed to the Blackberry Z10.  Didn't have to shell out another $500 either.  I got it when I renewed my contract.  Good thing that I waited months before I renewed my contract.  Pretty interesting story actually. Rant is hidden in the spoiler.  Feel free to skip.

 

When I was at the end of my contract half a year ago, I wanted to upgrade my contract so I can get the Curve 3G (I was using a lousy company issued Curve 8520 then).  They wouldn't let me because I had to submit proof of income, which I find to be ridiculous, and not to mention insulting.  Why?  Because I am already paying $8.50 for my normal plan plus an add-on of $15 for the blackberry service.  So in effect, I was paying $24 a month for my plan.  I wanted to get the straight $24 Blackberry plan instead of the $15 add-on.  To them, it was like upgrading from a $8.50 to a $24 plan.  I was pushing this because I don't want a crappy phone as my loyalty and wanted to get a nice blackberry phone.  After trying several outlets, I stopped trying.  So instead of getting my BB phone from them for free, I got a $340 Curve 9360, which I am quite happy with, and a better phone than the Curve 3G.  Then I began following Crackberry.com and the development of the Z10.  Little by little, I began to like the design and OS.  So, after having it launched in our country last March, I decided to get one.  Couldn't find a retailer that sells this unlocked so I have no choice but to get it via carrier.  Good thing I was already off contract, so I decided to upgrade my plan to a higher one.  The baby now comes free with a $44 monthly contract for 30 months.  So naturally I had to comply with their requirements.  Despite having a horrible time with the carrier (another long story), I'm quite happy with my new phone.

 

[*Jess♥]

that looks pretty attractive! I still got over a year until I can upgrade

[*Jess♥]

screw upgrading. 

I sold my iphone.  it was pissing me off.

 

so now I own a samsung galaxy s2.

I sold my iphone for £130 and then proceeded to buy an s2 for £160.

I've had it half a day and just starting to get to grips with it.

I have to say I love it. the android operating system is so functional and open.

it makes me realise that apple's product is incredibly closed and restricted. I didn't even have any idea how closed and restrictive it was. I knew it was restrictive... but damn, the extent to which the two operating systems differ is pretty amazing.

I would never recommend an iphone except to somebody who was useless at technology.

I mean... the amount of additional functionality that can be obtained. I been playing around with the swipe keyboard. that is incredible. you just draw a line. it interprets the word and it actually works! so elegant.  the customisations is brilliant. I can just drag and drop files onto it. simples. then use those files as wallpaper and ringtone etc.

aside from that.. it's lighter, thinner and the screen is bigger.  downside is that i no longer have the retina display. I can see the pixels if I focus on it. no big deal though.

most important is... I can do what I want to do with it.

[*guyverfan]

welcome to the world ryuki, you can now send and receive blutooth to and from anyone and anything, well, except to someone with an iphone! they'd probably reconise this as a problem come iphone 7! lol

[lost unit]

i upgraded  this year to a galaxy note 2 with the stylus and large screen as my eyes are getting worse and even now it takes a while to read stuff, but satisfied with the phone it was better than my previous one. Nothing worse than upgrading then preferring you had your old one back.

So have fun with yours Ryuki.

[durendal]

That's the good thing about android, you get to fiddle with everything, moreso if you decide to root it. I'll stick with blackberry 10 since it's sort of the middle ground between ios and android.

 

I was actually thinking of replacing my old blackberry curve to an SIII mini, but has to put if off because I just bought my mother a Galaxy Grand. Thought that the screen real estate would help her due to her bad eyes. She's still adjusting from it coming from an old symbian s40 nokia. And after setting it up, I have this urge to keep it. I actually want one just because of the apps. But in terms of productivity, I still rely on my trusty blackberry Z10.

[*Jess♥]

it's not all perfect of course.

I had my iphone set up 'just right'  in many ways.

I'd managed to get the calendar notifications working how I wanted and the alarm set up just right etc.

switching to android presents a whole new set of issues and things I need to 'fix'.

I just managed to get a decent alarm going on. trying to figure out power economy so the battery doesn't run out in 6 hours.

trying to sort out a calendar alert system that doesn't give up after a half second noise that I can easily miss.

honestly, the calendar is woeful. don't like it at all.

 

ah, but i got an issue with the screen. it has multiples of horizontal lines across it. like the LED is not regulating the power uniformly across bands.

or something.

need to figure out what to do. it's second hand but it shouldn't be in that condition. should i demand a refund... I like the staff in that shop so I don't want to make them hate me.

[*guyverfan]

ah, but i got an issue with the screen. it has multiples of horizontal lines across it. like the LED is not regulating the power uniformly across bands.

or something.

need to figure out what to do. it's second hand but it shouldn't be in that condition. should i demand a refund... I like the staff in that shop so I don't want to make them hate me.

 

yep, take it back, ask for replacement or refund, it shouldn't have lines across the screen, for the price you paid i thought you bought it brand new cause thats the price of 'm online.

[*Jess♥]

yep, take it back, ask for replacement or refund, it shouldn't have lines across the screen, for the price you paid i thought you bought it brand new cause thats the price of 'm online.

really? because my search on amazon says different!

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-I9100-Galaxy-Free-Smartphone/dp/B004QTBQ2C

 

but regardless, I will take it back. they cannot claim that it is to be expected. it wasn't advertised with a dodgy screen so it's not as advertised.

I'll get a replacement or if they don't have a replacement, I may get a refund or I might take an s3.

[*guyverfan]

yep, take it back, ask for replacement or refund, it shouldn't have lines across the screen, for the price you paid i thought you bought it brand new cause thats the price of 'm online.

really? because my search on amazon says different!

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-I9100-Galaxy-Free-Smartphone/dp/B004QTBQ2C

but regardless, I will take it back. they cannot claim that it is to be expected. it wasn't advertised with a dodgy screen so it's not as advertised.

I'll get a replacement or if they don't have a replacement, I may get a refund or I might take an s3.

 

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-Samsung-Galaxy-S-II-GT-I9100-16GB-Black-Unlocked-Smartphone-/171062846456?pt=UK_Mobile_Phones&hash=item27d423e3f8

 

 

i always do most of my shopping on ebay, i find amazon alittle too expensive. plenty of phones at cheap prices on there, have a look, i've bought about 3 unlocked phones off ebay from hk and they've all been new and have had no problems with'm.

[durendal]

Well, if you are not very particular with the specs, you could get the Galaxy S Duos, which is relatively newer and cheaper.  I think the S Duos retails about Â£150, new.  

[*Jess♥]

I would not be satisfied with downgrading at all. I sold my iphone 4 voluntarily in order to switch to an android phone that is equal to or better.

actually, the android operating system as standard is better than iOS so the galaxy S2 was better even if it was within the same band.

well no way I would downgrade.

I decided to get the S3.

 

WOW.

 

The Samsung Galaxy s3 is amazing. now, I realise that another member of this forum has just upgraded to an S4 so .. I'm not the most fancy pants guy here but anyhow, I am the person with the best phone out of everyone I know face to face.

the screen is large and clear and the animations are beautifully smooth. in terms of performance, it is more impressive than my laptop. in terms of CPU I think it may even out perform my desktop pc. my desktop pc is a mental case when it comes to graphics though.

The S3 is by far the most beautiful thing I own.

[Matt Bellamy]

Hey! My pants aren't that fancy!

...

Ok, MAYBE the gold trim was a bit much. (j/k)

Anywho, I just ( as in last night) upgraded to the Samsung Galaxy S4.

Some minor annoyences about some apps not being treated the same way as on my previous Galaxy Captivate... but sooo fast...

[durendal]

You really can't go wrong with the phone that was given the title of best phone of 2012.  We are now entering the era of mobile computing that might eventually phase out desktop and laptop computers.  Although I doubt that will happen anytime soon as I myself prefer desktop PCs.  But mobile phones nowadays can outperform desktop PC's with the Octacore thingamajigs.  Crazy, who needs a processor that fast?  

 

Well, I'm still happy with my Blackberry Z10, but my Blackberry Curve 9360 feels a little bit neglected.  I'm still trying to decide whether to get the SIII Mini or the S4 Mini to replace my Curve.  Maybe in a few more months I'll be able to finally decide.

[durendal]

Finally bit the bullet and bought the Galaxy Core.  It's not a flagship phone, but specs-wise, it's similar to the SIII mini.  I was actually supposed to wait until end of September to buy one, but my Curve now keeps restarting on me.  It's a sign already saying that I should buy a new phone.  The S4 mini is just too expensive for me.  So far I'm happy, but I still like my Blackberry Z10 better.

[*YoungGuyver]

I have logged thus far 182 hours and 9 minutes on my current phone.  I've had it since about 2007.  The paint is  chipped, the model number sticker has peeled off, and the battery plate is a little loose.  That being said, it works like a dream.  I asked the clerk for something durable, and she delivered.  Beat That!

(hehe-jk)

[durendal]

Well, after using android for a few weeks, I have to say that I still prefer Blackberry 10 as an OS.  On an Android phone, it's too cumbersome for me to switch apps which I can do with relative ease on my Z10.  Typing is very difficult, given that both my Z10 and Galaxy core are practically the same size.  In fact, the Galaxy core is 0.1 inch bigger than my Z10 (4.2" vs 4.3").  Heck, hand writing is way better on the Z10 as you can utilize the whole screen instead of a small portion on an android phone.  I had to toggle the GPS on or off whereas it goes on automatically on my Z10.  Overall, I prefer the user experience of BB10.  The good thing about Android is that I get to play a lot of games on it. 

[*YoungGuyver]

Which is strange, because most people are talking about Blackberry going out of business if more people don't pick it up.  Would you say it is the quantity of games and apps that keep iphone and android up higher?

[durendal]

That's actually the main problem.  It's the perception of the media that Blackberry is dying which is causing a lot of people to avoid it in the first place.  This is most especially true in the US, where the carriers themselves will dissuade you from buying a blackberry when you step into their store.  While BB is very big in the Southeast Asian regions.  The apps ecosystem is also a big contributor.  Many people don't want Blackberry because of the lack of apps, and app developers don't want to develop for Blackberry because not a lot of people are using it.  It's like the chicken and the egg.  

 

I can say that it's a bit unfair to Blackberry because a lot of people are already dismissing their phones even without trying it.  Even without the physical keyboard, it is still the best I've seen on a touchscreen.  I've even read that the OS they run on is QNX which are utilized by military grade missile guidance systems.  That's gotta count for something.