Upgrading phone soon. Which direction to go?

Upgrading phone soon. Which direction to go?

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Michael Quick

Freshman
Jun 6, 2011
75
0
6
United States
Hello again.
I have an upgrade in the near vicinity of time and I would like to know which phone I should buy?


I have it narrowed down to: (In no particular order)

iPhone 4s
Droid Razr Maxx
Droid Razr
Droid 4



What do you all think? Which direction should I go in?
 
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Re: Upgrading phone soon. Which direction to go?

I'd get an iPhone if I were you. Not going to lie, I'm an Apple Fanboy, but I like it for the apps, the reliability, and everybody (or at least a LOT of people) has one, so it's nice to FaceTime with others and do iPhone to iPhone things. Also, if you end up having more apple products in the future, you can use the iPhone with the product, for example, use it with an Apple TV or something along those lines.
 
Re: Upgrading phone soon. Which direction to go?

Ben Lagman said:
"but I like it for the apps,"

"and everybody (or at least a LOT of people) has one,"

"if you end up having more apple products in the future, you can use the iPhone with the product, for example, use it with an Apple TV or something along those lines."
Click to expand...


That's the only reason I threw that option in there, I've heard raving reviews about it, and I was not dissapointed by my iPad at all. Plus on Android, uninstalling apps, getting apps, managing them, are a PITA. Plus most companies essentially go twords iOS. Unless I get a major reason to go to a droid, I think based on the poll results and what you said I'm heading that way. The only disappointment I found in the iPhone line is the lack of a physical keyboard.
 
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Re: Upgrading phone soon. Which direction to go?

I've got one word for you: thrashing.

Every single Android on the market was not designed to operate with Ice Cream Sandwich. The software and hardware companies aren't communicating. The hardware specifications have gotten so ridiculous recently(gigs of RAM, dual core CPUs) because they need as much space as possible to operate a clunky and poorly engineered operating system. Whats amazing about iOS is that it is designed to work with one type of specific hardware. Because of that the iPhone gets amazing battery life, faster boot times, and better efficiency. Andriods right now cannot open more than the basic apps without stepping on itself and either slowing the processor to a trickle or destroying battery life. The OS is released to work with the highest end hardware and will thrash its way through all the smaller hardware options.

I would love for someone to compete with Apple. I'm absolutely furious about their App Store policies and other restrictions that they put on their software. But, they are still the only ones who have figured out how to maximize the hardware restraints put on mobile devices and still have a full bodied OS.
 
Beware of Apple fanboys. No 4.0 runs just fine. It wasn't designed for phone use it was designed more for tablets. Anyway 3:2 is stable and is the standard atm. Claiming ios is better due to hardware is just ignorant. Of course it works better because the same company making the software designed the hardware.

Sent from my ADR6300
 
Re: Upgrading phone soon. Which direction to go?

Jordan Lahr said:
Of course it works better because the same company making the software designed the hardware.
Click to expand...

Yes, and because of that reason I view it as solid reasoning for purchasing an iPhone above all current Android models. The biggest challenge right now in mobile platforms is the allocation of hardware to preserve battery life. In my non-scientific findings and experiences, Apple is leading the market.
 
Re: Upgrading phone soon. Which direction to go?

Michael Quick said:
Hello again.
I have an upgrade in the near vicinity of time and I would like to know which phone I should buy?


I have it narrowed down to: (In no particular order)

iPhone 4s
Droid Razr Maxx
Droid Razr
Droid 4



What do you all think? Which direction should I go in?
Click to expand...

What are you "upgrading" from?

Personally, I'm not a fan of any of the above, although if I had to choose I'd probably go Droid 4 due to the hardware keyboard. Touchscreen keyboards are a pain, even on the bigger screens. See also: Damn You Auto Correct! - Funny iPhone Fails and Autocorrect Horror Stories for the workaround that the phone manufacturers have been using.

Android is very tightly integrated with Google services (to the point that you need to sign up for a gmail account to use the marketplace and there is Google shovelware on the phones that can't be removed). And the UI is still a bit cumbersome (although I haven't played with ICS). The iPhone uses Apple's dock connector to charge, which means Yet Another Cable to carry around if you don't have other Apple devices that use the cable. And there's the tight vendor lock-in with Apple (why do people need to jailbreak phones?).

</rant>
 
Re: Upgrading phone soon. Which direction to go?

I did an upgrade from my Nokia E62 to Samsung Galaxy II Skyrocket. It's my first Android phone and so far I like it. LOUD audio; I can actually hear a caller over walk in music. Apps? I don't care. I looked through the store and didn't see anything useful except for "Bridle", a rigging calculator. I'll probably download the Kindle app at some point so I can read between cues when working as a stagehand.

I don't play games in general, so I don't play them on my phone.

I'm not an Apple fan boy. Apple makes a variety of consumer devices, some of which I use or specify because they're the right tool for a job. If you need a phone with good RF performance and audio, try the Samsung. Motorola and Nokia used to have a great RF reputation, not sure how they compare to others these days... but if you don't have RF, you don't have a phone.
 
Re: Upgrading phone soon. Which direction to go?

The common irony in that the thread title stated "Upgrading phone soon" but only Tim seems to have addressed the device as a phone. Then again, there are people who rarely if ever actually use their smartphone as a phone. For me that is the most critical aspect, if it doesn't work well as a phone then it doesn't work well.

I'm an Android fan, however I do not like the increasing dependence on Google and their services, I personally look at that as becoming more like Apple and exactly what I was hoping to avoid. Of course I wonder at the irony that Apple and Google helped lead the attacks on Microsoft for forcing 'bundling' other software with their operating system only to now be doing that themselves and extolling its virtues.
 
Re: Upgrading phone soon. Which direction to go?

Cameron Stuckey said:
I've got one word for you: thrashing.

Every single Android on the market was not designed to operate with Ice Cream Sandwich. The software and hardware companies aren't communicating. The hardware specifications have gotten so ridiculous recently(gigs of RAM, dual core CPUs) because they need as much space as possible to operate a clunky and poorly engineered operating system. Whats amazing about iOS is that it is designed to work with one type of specific hardware. Because of that the iPhone gets amazing battery life, faster boot times, and better efficiency. Andriods right now cannot open more than the basic apps without stepping on itself and either slowing the processor to a trickle or destroying battery life. The OS is released to work with the highest end hardware and will thrash its way through all the smaller hardware options.

I would love for someone to compete with Apple. I'm absolutely furious about their App Store policies and other restrictions that they put on their software. But, they are still the only ones who have figured out how to maximize the hardware restraints put on mobile devices and still have a full bodied OS.
Click to expand...

Google owns Motorola and therefore makes both the hardware and software for the Moto Droid phones, like the Razr.

Absolutely nothing you said is true, at least about the Incredible or the Razr. Both phones are blazing fast, have ridiculous battery life, can open whatever apps I want (I don't even use a task manager anymore like I had to on the Droid 1), and I'm still running rooted Android 2.3!

The iPhone has no appeal to me, even though my best friend has had one for years. Recently, he's thinking about losing it to switch to a Droid since he likes mine so much. Neither of us are novice users, and use our phones to the fullest of their potentials.

Also, Apple won't be on the top for much longer. Consider:

Smartphone - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 
Re: Upgrading phone soon. Which direction to go?

Michael,

I'm not sure what phones are available to you, but I would recommend stuff from Samsung as well. We had T-Mobile come through our place on their holiday device tour and they brought about 300 of the SII smartphones with them. We (the crew) got to/had to fiddle with them to make them interface with our gear and I've got to say: I was really, really impressed.

One of the other guys on our crew bought one himself because he liked it so much. Battery life seems to be just OK, but that could change with upgrades to how Apps are managed within the phone OS) and the unit has 3G, 4G, and Wifi capabilities. Heck, it even comes with an HDMI output adapter (requires external power from USB or wall charger, though). The HD video is superb for the size of the camera(s) - we were working NYE and the guy used his phone to record the fireworks at Penn's Landing in Philly. We've played it back and it looks pretty nice for an in-the-dark recording.

I own a Samsung phone, too, but I've got one of those flip-open, practically indestructible phones...and I don't want to change. :)
 
Re: Upgrading phone soon. Which direction to go?

It all depends on what you are looking for. I like both, but I'm using a Droid 3 running Android 4.0.3 (I rooted it).

iPhone:
Better audio apps
Unified User Interface
Integrates perfectly with Macs
More accessories
Shares apps with the iPad you already have

Android Device:
Potentially faster (depending on the device and how you set it up)
Extreme customization
Physical Keyboard is an option
Easier to write apps for

If you go for Android, I would recommend Samsung. Motorolas have the crappy Blur UI and it is slow and unstable.
 
Re: Upgrading phone soon. Which direction to go?

iPhone 4s. Seriously. Don't waste your time with anything else. It is the most stable phone I've ever owned. It never crashes, battery life is great, the apps are endless, everyone has one(iMessage is great and free anywhere in the world), The internet browser is good, the graphics are better than anything else I've seen on a phone, the built in camera mic does great at high SPL(concerts) and doesn't distort, the HD video looks great, the pictures are great(8mp camera!), and I've never ever once missed having a "real" keyboard. Plus it works great with other apple products(I use it as a remote for my Apple TV and macbook all the time).

The iPhone was the greatest smartphone ever made, and everyone has tried to copy it(some more successful than others) since it came out. Don't go with a wannabe when you can have the original.



Evan
 
Re: Upgrading phone soon. Which direction to go?

Well I'm going to take a risky move and get the iPhone 4S. I'll post back for thoughts. If it doesn't work out well, my second choice is going to be switching to a Razr.
 
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