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So I'm looking to upgrade from my slowass Galaxy S phone, is the Galaxy Nexus where it's at? I want a device that actually receives updates and which isn't a laggy pos. Also, reasonable battery life, good screen etc.
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Oct 13, 2012 22:59
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netcat posted:So I'm looking to upgrade from my slowass Galaxy S phone, is the Galaxy Nexus where it's at? I want a device that actually receives updates and which isn't a laggy pos. Also, reasonable battery life, good screen etc. Depends on what carrier? For AT&T or tmobile it's great, but I recommend buying it no contract from google for $350.
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Oct 14, 2012 00:31
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Duckman2008 posted:Depends on what carrier? For AT&T or tmobile it's great, but I recommend buying it no contract from google for $350. I'm in Sweden so that stuff doesn't really matter.
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Oct 14, 2012 01:10
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netcat posted:I'm in Sweden so that stuff doesn't really matter. Oh, then yes the galaxy nexus is a good buy.
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Oct 15, 2012 23:05
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Does anyone have opinions about the galaxy note 2? To me it seems like it's clearly better than the G3 given that you can handle the larger size, but I haven't seen anyone here recommend it. I'm really liking the sound of a 3100mAh removable battery and microSD card slot.
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Oct 16, 2012 01:45
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The Gadfly posted:Does anyone have opinions about the galaxy note 2? First, custom ROM support is questionable. Exynos devices are difficult to support in the first place, and due to the difficulty in supporting them (and other frustrations), the CyanogenMod Exynos maintainers have left those devices en masse. That said, I'm sure there will be plenty of ROMs based on stock, but that's still quite limiting. Second, Exynos devices have historically been quite buggy. This was particularly the case with the last batch that came to North America, the SGS2 series. These devices have had quite a number of "this should never happen" style problems, like losing cellular connectivity until device reboots, permanent brick bugs, battery draining flashing LEDs, etc. Although we always hope the next device will be better than the last, it seems like the trend is the opposite. And so, for those reasons, I basically don't trust the platform anymore. That said, the Note 2 might be a decent device, particularly if you can live with the custom ROM limitation. I'd just pay attention to reviews very closely, maybe even hold off a month or so before jumping on it to see if there's complaints of weirdness with it.
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Oct 16, 2012 02:01
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ExcessBLarg! posted:CyanogenMod Exynos maintainers have left those devices en masse. I did a bit of research into this on XDA and I found a thread where a CM dev is basically going on a rant about his experience trying to work with Samsung on Exynos SoCs... He said something about fighting hordes of "undocumented blobs" of code  However, I'm not much of a tweaker when it comes to ROMs. In the past, I kept trying different ROMs until I found the one that was very battery efficient and stable. Judging by user feedback on forums, it seems like the battery life isn't an issue, but I'll definitely wait and keep an eye out for stability issues. I'm also not convinced that I would want CM on the note 2 anyway because I would think that would render the s-pen pretty much useless. But I am more apprehensive now, because I do really like custom ROMs, and I think there is always a lot to improve upon software-wise from stock. And, as you said, it seems like Exynos devices are becoming taboo for devs to work on. You mentions crashes and such on the SGS2. Was the stock software on the SGS3 worse?  Such lovely hardware, but I guess there's always a catch. No such thing as the perfect phone.
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Oct 16, 2012 03:17
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The Gadfly posted:He said something about fighting hordes of "undocumented blobs" of code But yes, one of the major issues it that Samsung (unlike Qualcomm and TI) doesn't release platform source code for the Exynos chips. Now, they're not obligated to, but withholding them does make source-based custom ROM development unfathomably difficult. The Gadfly posted:You mentions crashes and such on the SGS2. Was the stock software on the SGS3 worse? In the past, "the" international Exynos model has typically been alright, and it's the locale-specific offshoot devices (i.e., those on CDMA carriers) that have the worst problems. I can't say it would be the same with the Note 2, and depending on the details of the hardware configuration there may even be reason to believe they shouldn't differ that much from the international model in terms of bugs and behavior. But we'll have to wait and see.
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Oct 16, 2012 03:41
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Country/Provider: United States, AT&T Current contract status: Should be done with my current contract in December and should still have my grandfathered "unlimited" data plan Budget (phone/plan): $200-300 for the phone, and am currently spending about $120 a month for service. I currently have a iPhone 4 and was looking at the 5 but am holding off since it looks like a jailbreak for the 5 might be a long time coming. I like to have my phone jailbroken since the normal iOS lockscreen doesn't really provide any info and I like to have some info available without having to unlock the phone. I also tether, but that is usually less than once a month. I've been thinking about making the transition to an Android phone and have been considering the Galaxy S III since it has a ability to add more internal storage with a micro SD card. Is that the better of the android phones currently offered by AT&T? I was also looking at the LG Optimus G and HTV One X. I would rather not have a since I have a friend with the Galaxy Note and that just looks too big. Plus I usually carry my phone in my pocket so it probably wouldn't fit.
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Oct 18, 2012 07:38
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diremonk posted:I currently have a iPhone 4 and was looking at the 5 but am holding off since it looks like a jailbreak for the 5 might be a long time coming. diremonk posted:I've been thinking about making the transition to an Android phone and have been considering the Galaxy S III since it has a ability to add more internal storage with a micro SD card. Also, anything you download on the device itself defaults to internal storage and you have to move it to the SD card with a file manager. Which isn't tough, but Google doesn't want to foist file managers on users, which is why fewer phones ship with SD slots these days. diremonk posted:Is that the better of the android phones currently offered by AT&T? I was also looking at the LG Optimus G and HTV One X. That said, the AT&T SGS3 is still a stupidly fast device. The main reason to avoid it would be to pick up a Nexus device (Galaxy Nexus, or the upcoming LG Nexus). However the Nexus devices neither support LTE nor feature microSD slos. They do, however, get Android updates quickly without hackery.
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Oct 18, 2012 17:22
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ExcessBLarg! posted:Also, anything you download on the device itself defaults to internal storage and you have to move it to the SD card with a file manager. Which isn't tough, but Google doesn't want to foist file managers on users, which is why fewer phones ship with SD slots these days. I thought it was more because they want us to use the "cloud" for storage rather than the storage in your phone. I wouldn't buy a phone without a SD slot though given the trend of providers forcing everyone on to their loving tiered-data plans.  diremonk posted:Also the AT&T One X lacks a microSD slot. Actually, both the HTC One X and LG Optimus G do not have microSD card slots. The HTC One X is definitely a well-engineered phone (build-quality, screen, specs), but those 2 things above turned me off, plus it could use a larger battery. Or at least a removable one. The Samsung Galaxy SIII is nearly identical to the HTC One X in performance. I would recommend it over the HTC One X if you are partial to battery life and external storage. Vice versa if you prefer screen quality and build-quality. The LG Optimus G has a Snapdragon S4 Pro CPU which is the fastest on the market right now, plus it has a faster GPU than the phones above. However, LG has been known for putting out very unpolished products in the past, both hardware and software-wise. You'd probably want to run a good ROM if you buy a LG. I haven't heard much about the build quality of the hardware since it's such a new phone. diremonk posted:Plus I usually carry my phone in my pocket so it probably wouldn't fit. That's an exaggeration. The Note 2 should be able to fit in your pocket unless you wear really tight jeans. Plus the Note 2 is a little thinner in width than the original. Anyway, at this point the Note 2 is the best phone on the market in my opinion. The SGSIII is probably the safe bet for second right now for me, because I value external storage and microSD slots over phones that lack those features. The LG Optimus G could be an amazing phone, but who knows if it's actually any good because well... it's an LG. And the HTC One X is great if you value screen and build quality. A couple phones you might want to look out for in the near future is a 5" HTC phone (not sure if that's too big for you or not and it might not come to AT&T), and the upcoming Nexus from LG as ExcessBLarg mentioned.
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Oct 19, 2012 00:59
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The Gadfly posted:I thought it was more because they want us to use the "cloud" for storage rather than the storage in your phone. I wouldn't buy a phone without a SD slot though given the trend of providers forcing everyone on to their loving tiered-data plans. phonescoop just posted a pretty indepth review of the Optimus G fyi. Honestly, they basically concur with the battery life issues, so I would avoid it on that alone. But the AT&T version does have a SD Card slot.
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Oct 19, 2012 16:07
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Thanks for the replies. I'm going to swing by the AT&T store when I leave work today and take a look at the different options. Since it looks like the microphone in my iPhone 4 is on it's last legs, I'll probably be getting something soon.
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Oct 19, 2012 16:39
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Since I'm asking for a recommendation, I am unsure if I should post here or in the Prepaid Plan Megathread. I'm currently traveling in the US for 2 weeks or so, and I need a prepaid plan: Budget: no real budget limitation, but I should save money vs. paying 3$ / minute and 15$ / MB as I do when roaming, which shouldn't be that hard. Features: -> Incoming international calls free -> Best possible rates for international calling (to Germany & Austria) -> Data + Phone that can display Google Maps. (i.e. the crappiest smartphone in the world would be ok) I need a phone since my own phone is locked to my provider in Austria. -> Available immediately in a store in Manhattan. Phone rental services would also be an option if anyone knows a good one in Manhattan?
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Oct 20, 2012 15:15
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netcat posted:So I'm looking to upgrade from my slowass Galaxy S phone, is the Galaxy Nexus where it's at? I want a device that actually receives updates and which isn't a laggy pos. Also, reasonable battery life, good screen etc. One X. The nexus is great in all those ways but the battery life is abyssmal even with a customized kernel. If you can deal with mediocre battery life the Nexus gets updates quicker and just generally beats out every Droid at everything. Oh the one x is physically way more robust than the nexus, the nexus breaks easily.
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Oct 21, 2012 23:44
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So I've been tasked with finding my girlfriend a phone, since she really doesn't know much about devices. Right now her service is month to month with simple mobile and the main requirement is a phone that works without a contract. She doesn't mind switching providers as long as there is no contract. I've always had verizon, so I really have no idea what you can/can't get with other providers, hence asking here. She wants to spend $150 on a used (craigslist etc) phone but she's willing to go to around 250 tops. She needs her phone to have a forward facing camera, 4g, be decently fast, and it needs to be rootable, hopefully somewhat easily. Phones with good third party firmware support go to the front of the line, as do phones with ICS or at least with ICS on the release schedule. Basically, I'm not interested in phones with GB and a locked bootloader...
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Oct 22, 2012 00:28
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Drunken Lullabies posted:So I've been tasked with finding my girlfriend a phone, since she really doesn't know much about devices. Right now her service is month to month with simple mobile and the main requirement is a phone that works without a contract. She doesn't mind switching providers as long as there is no contract. I've always had verizon, so I really have no idea what you can/can't get with other providers, hence asking here. She wants to spend $150 on a used (craigslist etc) phone but she's willing to go to around 250 tops. My only point is that if she isn't even willing to investigate herself into the plans, is she the type that should have a rooted phone? Either way, Nexus S on TMobile or straight talk depending on her uses (voice versus Internet).
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Oct 22, 2012 00:44
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Duckman2008 posted:My only point is that if she isn't even willing to investigate herself into the plans, is she the type that should have a rooted phone? She just has really bad taste in hardware hence why I asked here. I've owned some of the same phones as her in the past and they were awful.
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Oct 22, 2012 03:08
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Duckman2008 posted:My only point is that if she isn't even willing to investigate herself into the plans, is she the type that should have a rooted phone? She can probably just stay on Simple mobile since their $50 plan is essentially equal to the $60 offering from T-mobile.
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Oct 22, 2012 19:30
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Sweet, I have a verizon upgrade. I can get an Iphone 4 8gb for free- besides the obvious iphone vs android commentary (I've owned both, I like both), is there any reason why this isn't a good plan? I've checked out a couple of the newer droid phones, and they look cool, but it's really hard to argue with free. Are the new phones worth the 100+ $ I'd spend on them?
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Oct 23, 2012 17:51
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ATT/ USA FamilyTalk Nation 700 with Rollover- upgrade currently available I have no authority to change the plan... phone budget is $75 I definitely want a qwerty, but it can be buttoned or touch- no preference. I can't get a smartphone since I can't add the data plan. Basically, I just don't want an old-school flip phone but also can't upgrade all the way to a smartphone. I need a nice in-the-middle phone. Thanks!
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Oct 23, 2012 18:17
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areyoucontagious posted:Sweet, I have a verizon upgrade. I can get an Iphone 4 8gb for free- besides the obvious iphone vs android commentary (I've owned both, I like both), is there any reason why this isn't a good plan? I've checked out a couple of the newer droid phones, and they look cool, but it's really hard to argue with free. Are the new phones worth the 100+ $ I'd spend on them? You're paying verizon's rather expensive monthly rates for access to their network, why not take advantage? You should consider springing for an LTE device like the iPhone 5 or one of the LTE android offerings because their 3G network isn't that great.
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Oct 23, 2012 18:21
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Naffer posted:You're paying verizon's rather expensive monthly rates for access to their network, why not take advantage? You should consider springing for an LTE device like the iPhone 5 or one of the LTE android offerings because their 3G network isn't that great. That's an excellent point, I didn't think of that! I've had the Droid Charge with the 4G, which was pretty cool, I didn't know the iphone 4 only had 3g. I should do some more research, I guess.
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Oct 23, 2012 18:25
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areyoucontagious posted:Sweet, I have a verizon upgrade. I can get an Iphone 4 8gb for free- besides the obvious iphone vs android commentary (I've owned both, I like both), is there any reason why this isn't a good plan? I've checked out a couple of the newer droid phones, and they look cool, but it's really hard to argue with free. Are the new phones worth the 100+ $ I'd spend on them? The 4 is getting a bit long in the tooth now - it's more than two years old. Apple's usually decent for supporting their old hardware, which is why it's a point of concern rather than the "holy gently caress no" you'd get for going into a contract with a Samsung that's already two years old, but it's still going to be four years old and probably well out of support by the time your contract is up. And, Apple has had issues with OS updates, too - for instance, they pushed out an update to the original iPhone 3G that rendered it almost unusably slow. Worked great on the 3GS and 4, though! Over the life of a 24-month contract, the extra $100 works out to be a little over $4/month. If you end up locked into an EOL'd device that you don't want to use towards the end of your contract, you're paying the full monthly bill for it while you count the days until you can ditch the drat thing.
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Oct 23, 2012 18:37
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areyoucontagious posted:That's an excellent point, I didn't think of that! I've had the Droid Charge with the 4G, which was pretty cool, I didn't know the iphone 4 only had 3g. I should do some more research, I guess. Sell the droid charge for $150-200 on eBay, buy iPhone 5 for $199.
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Oct 24, 2012 14:33
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Duckman2008 posted:Sell the droid charge for $150-200 on eBay, buy iPhone 5 for $199. The reason I need a new phone is the droid charge is completely destroyed, due to an unfortunate confluence of gravity and concrete. But it's cool, I think I've decided on the Razr Maxx (which is clearly the dumbest name for a loving phone ever created).
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Oct 24, 2012 15:13
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My phone might have died and I might be getting a smart phone soon. I'm about the last person I know to not have one. Just a few brief questions about features - and FYI, I'm on AT&T, up for a "phone upgrade." In summary, I plan to use this as a phone and for looking up maps/transit. I'm sure I'll get sucked into dicking around on the internet sometimes, too, but those are my priorities. 1. With an iPhone, is there ANY way around using iTunes to interface it with your computer? I really, really hate iTunes. I don't even want to install it lest it pull a RealPlayer on me, and I certainly don't want my music in it. No offense if you like iTunes. 2. Everyone's complaining about how apple-maps sucks. Do the non-apple phones still all support google maps? I'd assume the google android ones still support google maps  , but what about ummm windows 8 phones?Basically a good map/transit utility is half of the utility I even see in a smartphone, and I want a good one. 3. Are there even any windows 8 phones out yet? Are they decent? 4. More generally, is there anything about certain smartphones I might not notice while looking in the store, as someone who has never had one? Any features to beware of / look for?
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Oct 24, 2012 18:29
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alnilam posted:stuff With your emphasis on maps/transit you probably want an Android phone. With Android phones, the general rule is to get the current Nexus device. They're announcing new Nexus devices on the 29th.
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Oct 24, 2012 22:33
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Thanks for the recommendation! Today in the store, I checked out a samsung galaxy rugby pro. Just now noticed that it's very new. It appeals to me because I am very clumsy with my possessions, and I frequently jump around/get dirty/do "rugged" stuff. Does anyone have anything to say about this guy? P.S. $100 with my account upgrade.
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Oct 24, 2012 23:23
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alnilam posted:Thanks for the recommendation! Cheap, non-flagship, Android phones are pretty much universally lovely.
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Oct 24, 2012 23:24
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Are there any phones that support Verizon LTE and AWS HSPA? I straddle Canada and the U.S. constantly, and it would be great to have a single phone that I could run on my unlimited VZW in the States and on Wind when I'm Canada. I was vaguely hopeful for the T-Mo Note II, despite the fact that it's ridiculously oversized, but of course the LTE seems to be locked away in firmware (I suppose the Android community may find a way to enable that at some point, but....).
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Oct 25, 2012 01:04
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mediaphage posted:Are there any phones that support Verizon LTE and AWS HSPA? I straddle Canada and the U.S. constantly, and it would be great to have a single phone that I could run on my unlimited VZW in the States and on Wind when I'm Canada. A T-Mo Note II will never, ever run on Verizon since it would require Verizon to activate it, and they won't. (Plus I doubt it has the CDMA antennas and such even if it has LTE.) Your best bet would be to get whatever Verizon phone fits in your budget that you like (note you'll have to buy it without a subsidy!) and then get a GSM Galaxy Nexus from Google for $350.
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Oct 25, 2012 02:57
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areyoucontagious posted:The reason I need a new phone is the droid charge is completely destroyed, due to an unfortunate confluence of gravity and concrete. But it's cool, I think I've decided on the Razr Maxx (which is clearly the dumbest name for a loving phone ever created). If you're just getting a Razr Maxx, don't do it. The Maxx was a decent Galaxy Nexus alternative, but it's not the best phone on Verizon right now. Don't cheap out on your phones. The cost of a 16 GB iPhone 5 or a 16 GB Galaxy S III isn't that much compared to what you'll be paying for your plan for 2 years. Also, check your data usage before you upgrade. You will lose unlimited data and move onto a Share Everything plan if you use your upgrade. If you really use data, then you can't use that upgrade and you'll have to buy your phones off-contract. If not, then no worries.
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Oct 25, 2012 04:40
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Endless Mike posted:Nope. At best, there's the Verizon iPhone 5 which is unlocked for all GSM bands but it only has 2G on T-Mobile/Wind. I guess I'll just stick to the MiFi and LG Revolution in the states.
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Oct 25, 2012 05:07
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mediaphage posted:Out of curiosity, does this hold true for data-only devices? Granted, it was a (non-activated) Verizon MiFi, but I was able to put my VZW sim in just fine and use it for data. I guess it was still in the database. I do seem to recall something about a mandated open-access policy for devices as part of Verizon's being allowed to pick up the 700MHz spectrum they got.
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Oct 25, 2012 12:14
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My family is interested in switching providers - they dislike T-Mobile because of its poor phone selection [ie no iphone or Galaxy Nexus] + because we were unnecessarily charged $500 on an international call [we were using a calling card, and it apparently disconnected. T-Mobile didn't inform us about this, and continued charging us for it without our knowledge]. Country/Provider USA/T-Mobile Current Contract Status Family plan - 700 min across the family, unlimited texts. Budget We're hoping not to exceed $200 per month. $160 would be ideal. Features I Want Main feature is a better selection of phones - I specifically would like access to an Iphone and the Galaxy Nexus. We do not use our phones all that much for talking, so I'd be interested in getting the fewest minutes possible [700 minutes is perfect]. I think we are all interested in getting some form of 3g/4g, but probably the minimum possible [300 mb is fine.] Other than that, we just want a carrier with decent service and a good phone selection. As a result, I'm looking into Verizon or AT&T, but I'm not sure which to go with. Any ideas?
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Oct 26, 2012 14:43
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T-Mobile DOES have a decent selection of phones. True, the Nexus isn't one of them, but the iPhone I've read is coming at some point. Additionally, there is the Galaxy S3 and Note2 from Samsung if you like large phones, and the One S from HTC if you don't. Not to mention the Nokia Lumia 810 if Windows Phone is interesting to you. I'm not saying that you should stick with T-Mobile for any reason (I'm personally not a fan of their network), but unless there is a specific phone you really want - and the current Nexus really shouldn't be it - there's not much reason to change. T-Mobile is no AT&T for phone selection, but it's not bad.
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Oct 26, 2012 15:09
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CerebralDonut posted:they dislike T-Mobile because of its poor phone selection [ie no iphone or Galaxy Nexus] If you're referring to the other Galaxy Nexus, the Verizon and Sprint models, those devices are horrible and do not live up to the title. You do not want either one. Meanwhile we're expecting the official announcement of the next Nexus phone Monday. And right now, all signs point to a single model device that's compatible with AT&T and T-Mo's HSPA+ service, but not AT&T LTE, nor Verizon and Sprint. In short, if you're looking to run a Nexus device, T-Mo is arguably the best carrier for that.
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Oct 26, 2012 15:35
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ExcessBLarg! posted:That's not how the Galaxy Nexus works. Google sells an unlocked model through the Play Store that can be used on either AT&T or T-Mobile. If you want to run a Galaxy Nexus on T-Mo, the idea is to pick up one of their subsidy-less plans (Value or Monthly4G) and buy the device unlocked. Interesting -- I'll keep that in mind. What provider would be best if my folks were set on getting Iphones? Is there any indication when the device is coming to T-Mo?
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Oct 26, 2012 15:43
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CerebralDonut posted:What provider would be best if my folks were set on getting Iphones? Probably in your circumstance you'd want to switch to AT&T, get your folks whichever iPhones they want, and pick one up for yourself that you can flip on eBay and use the proceeds to purchase the unlocked Nexus device of your choice. CerebralDonut posted:Is there any indication when the device is coming to T-Mo?
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Oct 26, 2012 15:47
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