OT:Smart Phones

[dbdynsty25]

Think I am going to get a Rezound...

Why on earth?

[Darkbandit]

Kinda always have liked HTC devices, plus I got a chance to play around with the Nexus today a little bit as well and the size is a little too big for me

[dbdynsty25]

Kinda always have liked HTC devices, plus I got a chance to play around with the Nexus today a little bit as well and the size is a little too big for me

Have you played with the Rezound? It's BIGGER! Especially thickness wise. HTC software takes FOREVER to update. The Thunderbolt, which was released in March is just NOW getting Gingerbread. They are the slowed manufacturer...you're gonna be waiting a REALLY long time for ICS w/ an HTC phone...and I like HTC since my last phone was an Incredible 2. I've moved to greener pastures on the software front. You'll get used to the hardware.

[tjung0831]

I'm starting to think the Android OS is complete garbabe. Gingerbread just blows, my Evo ran much better with 2.2. My contract is up on April 1st but I think I'm going to wait for the new iPhone.

[RobVarak]

I'm starting to think the Android OS is complete garbabe. Gingerbread just blows, my Evo ran much better with 2.2. My contract is up on April 1st but I think I'm going to wait for the new iPhone.

Gingerbread has essentially busted my Epic 4G. Db recommended the epic back in January, and it was an absolute dream of a device. Battery life, call quality, screen quality, data performance was all top notch. Got the Gingerbread update a few weeks ago and it's a f***in shitpile. Slow, quirky, needs constant resets, weird volume behavior, random crashes. It's really frustrating.

[dbdynsty25]

You guys can go back to 2.2 if you want. Just gotta flash a new image...check out the XDA Developer forums if it sucks so bad. Tjung..that evo is a 2 year old phone...like computers, they get slower w/ time...and the performance will obviously degrade w/ advances in software. You guys both should at least factory reset your devices. I always will do this when a new software update comes out...gives you a fresh start and you can reinstall apps on the new firmware. Seriously...I bet it will solve your issues and it's easy to do.

2.3 was great for me on the two devices I had w/ it on it...Droid X and Incredible 2. Not sure why your sh*t got hosed...but again, Gingerbread is so October of 2011. ICS is where it's at...so damn good after four days of use.

[XXXIV]

Picked up an S2. I was leaning towards the Nexus Prime but I gave in on sunday to T-mobiles two day free phone after rebate and contract deal .

I have some buyers remorse due to the "free my ass" feeling but it is pretty slick.

Wonder how long before it gets the ice cream sandwich?... It handles Android 2.3.5 with ease so I assume it should have no problem with 4.0?

[dbdynsty25]

And what phone would you be speaking of?

[XXXIV]

And what phone would you be speaking of?

I knew I was forgetting something. The S2. Edited now

[dbdynsty25]

You'll be fine. It's essentially a Nexus from a performance standpoint, but with a better camera. Only downside is it doesn't have the HD screen...but hardly any phones do. You'll probably see ICS sometime in the spring if I had to guess.

[Darkbandit]

After Verizon hacked me off (speaking as a consumer, not an employee of) I went to T-mobile and got the S2..love it

[JOZ]

I think our company is about to switch from at&t to Verizon. I have a HTC inspire. I like the phone, except the battery life. I don't believe I will be able to switch this phone to Verizon, so I was hoping you guys could give me some recommendations on the free or inexpensive (50 or less) phones for Verizon when they go with a contract there. I would want something comparable to the inspire, but with better battery life. Screen doesn't have to be as big.

[Darkbandit]

Inspire no..but there could be a way that you might be able to setup like a small business discount with VZW, all you would have to do is talk to someone in business telesales or go into a store.

[dbdynsty25]

If you want Inspire-like...and cheap...HTC Incredible 2. Should be free at Best Buy w/ a 2 year contract and like $50-$100 directly from Verizon. 4" screen compared to a 4.3" on the Inspire so a little smaller, resulting in better battery life. But no matter what you do in the smartphone realm, the batteries just aren't up to the technology quite yet. So you'll get a day's use out of them...that's just the way it is. Especially w/ Verizon's phones. The Incredible 2 is one of the better phones battery wise, so that's another plus in the "positives" column.

By far the best of last years models and looks a lot like the Inspire as well. Plus, it's HTC also, so the interface will be exactly the same so you should feel right at home.

[XXXIV]

After Verizon hacked me off (speaking as a consumer, not an employee of) I went to T-mobile and got the S2..love it

It does rock! ...Love mine too.

[jLp vAkEr0]

My iPhone 4 is about to officially die.

I'm available for upgrade as we speak and considering Android options (just in case).

I will personally go take a look at some handsets, but wouldn't mind some recommendations.

But if I'm jumping ship from Apple as far as smartphones, it has to have a comparable screen in terms of quality and of course, bigger than 3.5 (shouldn't be too difficult).

Seems the consensus online is that the Galaxy SII is the one to go as far as Att users, there's even a Skyrocket version?

Db, do your thing where you tell people which is the best Android phone to get as of now.

[dbdynsty25]

At&t is an interesting carrier. I actually have an At&t line currently (left Verizon for a variety of reasons) w/ a GSM Unlocked Samsung Galaxy Nexus which is the best Android phone on the market as far as I'm concerned. It doesn't have the very tip top specs, but from a usability standpoint, Ice Cream Sandwich software, along with the good Samsung hardware and ridiculously good battery life make it the best phone to use on At&t. Now, it's not cheap at around 600 dollars, but you will not have to extend your contract and you'll be able to upgrade whenever you want in the future.

I understand that is ridiculously expensive, so if you have to get a subsidized phone w/ At&t, then the Galaxy SII is the best option this minute. The Skyrocket is on their LTE network which is still in its infancy and the battery life is subpar compared to the normal Galaxy SII. My wife has the regular SII and loves it...it's fast, thin, light and has a really nice camera. The camera is the main downfall of the Galaxy Nexus, so if that's important, the SII is superior.

Now, these all come with a huge caveat...the Galaxy Note is coming out in the next couple weeks. It's a HUGE phone with the 5.3" screen, but the resolution and technology behind that screen is fantastic. It's kind of in the middle of a phone and a tablet at that size, but it's ridiculously good and all of the reviews are glowing if you can deal with the size. Here's a pretty good review of it (the unlocked version, the At&t version is on the way on the 18th I believe):

http://www.engadget.com/2011/10/28/sams ... te-review/

There are some nice comparison shots to the Galaxy SII as well.

Now as far as pricing goes, the Galaxy SII is $150 w/ a contract, the Skyrocket is $200 and the Note is $300. So budget accordingly.

Samsung clearly is making the best Android phones right now, at least on At&t.

[jLp vAkEr0]

Double post.

[jLp vAkEr0]

Note is too big.

Don't want to spend over 200 since i can get the 4s at that price and it's still option A for me.

Just saw the LG Nitro?

Said it had a true HD screen but the Skyrockets still looked better IMO.

Opinions on the HTC Vivid?

[dbdynsty25]

LG Nitro sucks, and so does the HTC Vivid...both have HD screens, but are pointless because the rest of the phones are so bad. Don't be fooled by the screens on the Samsungs tho...they are at 480x800, but they are super oled...so the colors look brighter and more vivid, but if you look at text zoomed in, the Vivid and Nitro will look quite a bit better. Nothing wrong with the Samsungs...they are just old tech when it comes to resolution. That's another reason the Nexus dominates all.

Keep in mind, the Skyrocket uses a 4.5" screen and the regular SII uses a 4.3"...it's a pretty big difference as far as holding the phone goes. The SII is still the better option.

[jLp vAkEr0]

Db,

I actually preferred the size of the Skyrocket. My hands aren't huge but I didn't notice much difference between the 2 in my grasps.

Btw, why aren't this new headsets comming out with ICS?

I'm sure the GS2s will eventually get the update right? If not, I see no reason to get either of them.

[dbdynsty25]

Because it takes manufacturers forever to update to new software. Which is why the Nexus is the cream of the Android crop. Yes, the GSII's will update to ICS eventually, but it doesn't appear to be soon. We'll see I guess.

[dbdynsty25]

This is a SICK Android app...for anyone that has an NFC enabled Samsung phone (Galaxy Nexus, Galaxy SIII)...you buy these little tags and you place them in places like on your bedside table and your office desk. When you tap your phone on it it'll set up your phone in a pre-configured way. Like for example, you phone has a loud ringer normally, you tap it on the one next to your bedside table and it puts the on mute and sets your alarm for a specific time. Just awesome.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... Y3RpbGUiXQ..

The tags are a bit expensive at 5 for $20 bucks, but anytime you have a samsung phone they will work going forward so it's a pretty cool investment. Sure there are apps that can change profiles by time/date, but those are static and if you go to bed an hour late one day your sound will have been off for an hour already. Anyway, just thought I'd pass another badass piece of Android tech along since WWDC was this week and Apple introduced iOS users to a bunch of stuff Android has been doing for years.

[Teal]

All this talk about Androids and iPhones, and I've used both, but I really, really love my wp7. In fact, after using one for the last year and a half, I find the UI in both the other products absolutely awful and unweildy by comparison. I still have a dinosaur of a phone (Samsung Focus), but it's been a very good phone. Either going to upgrade to a Nokia Lumia 900 toward the end of the year, or, hopefully, get a new wp8. I can't see myself ever going back to either Android or iPhone.

[DChaps]

This is a SICK Android app...for anyone that has an NFC enabled Samsung phone (Galaxy Nexus, Galaxy SIII)...you buy these little tags and you place them in places like on your bedside table and your office desk. When you tap your phone on it it'll set up your phone in a pre-configured way. Like for example, you phone has a loud ringer normally, you tap it on the one next to your bedside table and it puts the on mute and sets your alarm for a specific time. Just awesome.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... Y3RpbGUiXQ..

The tags are a bit expensive at 5 for $20 bucks, but anytime you have a samsung phone they will work going forward so it's a pretty cool investment. Sure there are apps that can change profiles by time/date, but those are static and if you go to bed an hour late one day your sound will have been off for an hour already. Anyway, just thought I'd pass another badass piece of Android tech along since WWDC was this week and Apple introduced iOS users to a bunch of stuff Android has been doing for years.

That is awesome. I am planning on picking up the Galaxy SIII next week. I can see many uses for this for when I am switching from home, to the car, to the office, into a conference room, etc.