OT: Smartphones
Gulls- I use a prehistoric phone I got for free from LG years ago, but it's time for me to become a part of modern society and get a smartphone. However, I'm pretty stuck between the 3 main phones (iphone, droid, windows phone). For anyone who uses those phones, what do you think? What do you like/dislike about them? I'm interested in any input you have. Thanks.
over 1 year ago
DetectiveM
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I was going to go Droid: Incredible.
But I heard from some people I trust that they didn’t like theirs for various reasons, and I wanted seamless integration with my iTunes, and movie making stuff, so I got an iPhone4. So far I love it, but I can’t help wondering “what if?” (type of person I am [major buyers remorse]). If I could do it again now, I might get the Windows Phone, but I’m not sure.
Just my couple o’ pennies.
Depends on what you do
I’ve used the iPhone and Droid based extensively and currently use the Captivate on AT&T here is my take.
iPhone: it really does just work. It’s awesome if you couldn’t care less about playing around at a deep level like rooting, installing different ROMS and so on. If you just want to buy a phone and know that you can install apps, make calls and that an iPhone is an iPhone (as dumb as that sounds) then get it. Fun to play with without worrying about fucking something up.
Android: hit or miss. Some devices are great (HTC Droid, HTC Incredible, Nexus One/S) but others suck both in hardware specs and the version of Android. Unless you are willing to potentially brick your phone by hacking it you are stuck with whatever updates and version of Android your phone vendor gives you. The Samsung Galaxy S is what I currently use but it has faulty GPS and they still haven’t released 2.1. My only option is to buy another phone (not feasible) or install custom ROMs which I don’t want to do.
Win7: I’ve heard great things from a few people that jumped from the iPhone. Stupid fast OS and hardware, really cool features like Xbox Live and Exchange integration. To early to tell about some deeper issues though. Certainly worth a shot and it looks like Microsoft finally got the mobile space right.
As far as providers go it’s a mixed bag. I’ve had no problems with AT&T but some people punch themselves in the face when they talk about them. Verizon is awesome but really expensive. I have no recent experience with Sprint but their customer support was insanely bad 5 years ago and I left.
From The Hawks Nest - Seahawks Podcast
http://www.http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/from-the-hawks-nest/id385227705
by Hancock.Brett on Dec 13, 2010 10:33 PM PST reply actions 2 recs
A part of me wishes I would have waited
but I got so sick of my iphone 3G being sluggish after the update to 3.0 OS. the 3GS and the iPhone 4 are sick though. Either way Windows phone having Xbox Live games and achievements is a big sell for me.
From The Hawks Nest - Seahawks Podcast
http://www.http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/from-the-hawks-nest/id385227705
by Hancock.Brett on Dec 14, 2010 4:40 PM PST up reply actions
Good summaries. I'll see if I can add anything.
I got iPhone 4 because of the retina display. If you’re in it for the slickness, because you want a beautiful piece of industrial engineering in your hand, it’s still the best.
Samsung previously made iPhone displays, and displays for many other devices. They have the best black levels and the Samsung Galaxy S is probably the best overall of Android, except that Evo4 and Droid X & Droid 2 have larger screens and some spots of mildly better specs.
But, while Black levels are very important when it comes to displays, the retina display is a game changer for me.
WP7 is mostly very cool. I don’t like the Metro interface but I have to admit it’s incredibly innovative. Get it for the elevated Windows integration. If you or your org is still stuck on Exchange and Office and Office Web Apps, WP7 will be nicer in this regard. It’s not a huge thing, but it’s something.
But the same goes for the others. If you live a Googily digital life, GMail and Picasa and think the 4th amendment is for suckers, Google makes better apps on Android and you’ll generally integrate with your digital life better. Big iTunes user, iPhone is a little better. Not a huge thing, but something.
by jacobstevens on Dec 14, 2010 1:29 PM PST up reply actions
great point
I used Google Calendar, GMAIL, Maps, Docs and other services extensively and switching to Android made everything better.
From The Hawks Nest - Seahawks Podcast
http://www.http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/from-the-hawks-nest/id385227705
by Hancock.Brett on Dec 14, 2010 4:39 PM PST up reply actions
also forgot to mention about apps
All 3 of the phones are so similar with regards to browsing the net, txting, Facebook and so on that you really can’t go wrong. People talk about the iPhone “experience” like its completely unique but at the end of the day you end up doing the same thing no matter what smartphone you have.
From The Hawks Nest - Seahawks Podcast
http://www.http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/from-the-hawks-nest/id385227705
There is some variance.
Google makes the Maps app for iPhone but Google Maps and navigation is a lot better on Android. You can now edit Google docs on your iPad, but still can’t on iPhone that bugs me.
If you like games (not me), the sheer volume of the App Store for iPhone still is a significant edge. Not something that makes any difference for me, though.
Then there’s Flash. The embargo has ended, detente has arrived, somewhat, but there’s still no real movement there. Most iPhone users don’t miss Flash. And they definitely benefit from the absence of the resource hog (partly because of the glut of awful Flash developers out there).
Lot of big sites have HTML5 implementations or have an app (or both like YouTube) so it mostly doesn’t get in anybody’s way.
I am one of the minority. Can’t watch NFL highlights on my phone without Flash. Unless they’re posted to YouTube. It’s the only time no Flash has been an issue, and it’s usually been a positive.
by jacobstevens on Dec 14, 2010 1:37 PM PST up reply actions
This is a part of my career and a part of my passion.
There is kind of a floor in that you can’t go wrong as far as platform. At least since you don’t seem to have specialized needs or uses, but just want to get a snazzy smartphone. As far as platform, whatever you choose, you’ll almost certainly be very happy with.
Brett’s got good summaries above.
What carrier you have makes a big difference in selection and quality. If you are also choosing carriers, that complicates a lot. To be brief, assuming you’re in Seattle or Portland, AT&T has actually been the fastest network for data transfer, especially upload. They’ve trounced the competition BUT they will be probably the last to upgrade to 4G.
4G is basically a marketing term now. None of the three current 4G implements available are actually 4G by spec. That’s not to say they aren’t improvements over their own 3G implementation; they are, but in some cases like T-Mobiles, the improvement is negligible.*
However, Verizon now has the iPad and will almost certainly have iPhone this spring. So consider that the expected massive migration away from AT&T could actually improve their performance even more in the coming 2 years before they roll out their LTE network.
My recommendation right now is to give it a few months and see how the Win7 market shakes out.
I think there’s a chance that an exodus of app developers could rush to that platform if they establish any sort of respectable marketshare. It’s got the open marketplace like Android but the unified OS of Apple. The UI is pretty slick and I’ve enjoyed the chances I’ve had to sit down with vendors to try it out.
I’ve owned an iPhone 3G and I now own an iPhone 4. Every release I’m a little less pleased with Apple’s app shenanigans and this generation they’ve finally hit the point where their form over function attitude has actually hurt the functionality of the device. If I don’t have a case on my iPhone, my hand will short out the exterior antenna every time. The utter dependence the phone has an iTunes is becoming a bigger and bigger headache as that software becomes more bloated with each release.
Short version, give it a few months to see if the Win7 market gets even more traction. If it looks good, I’d give those phones some serious consideration. If not, go with an iPhone.
Yeah the antenna has never been a problem for me.
You’re in Seattle? At work I can make it happen. In the basement. And then I can still make calls, I rarely drop one. I don’t have a case, it’s too pretty.
by jacobstevens on Dec 15, 2010 7:08 PM PST up reply actions
Antenna has been an enormous issue for me.
For all I know it varies from person to person, though.
































