OT:Smart Phones

[wco81]

Not so much commitment as having no other choice.

Nokia is the only company selling Windows Phone in any numbers and they were not going to be able to continue operations even with MS money.

Elop came in and Nokia's market value plunged, now MS gets it for a lot less than they'd have had to pay 2-3 years ago.

Elop may get rewarded as CEO of MS.

[Aristo]

But Nokia has been making awesome phones, it's the OS that has not caught on. This eliminates Nokia from moving on Android. I don't think MS does this unless they are committed to WP8 for the long term. Otherwise they let Nokia move on and chalk Windows Phone as another failure, like the Zune.

Personally, I could care less who is winning and losing the phone wars. I just want to keep my WP8 phone.

[wco81]

There's no way they can write off the phone market

Or the tablet market, if PC sales continue to decline.

[Teal]

I'm just happy that this is a commitment by MS to keep making Windows Phones. Still love my 920, and have no interest in switching OS's at all.

+1000

[Murph]

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 unveiled.

Improved LTE radios, better enterprise capabilities and improved specs. 5.7″ 1080p screen (up from 5.5″), 3GB of RAM (up from 2), 13 megapixel camera, 32/64GB storage, 3200mAh battery and a leather-like rear cover. It is also thinner and lighter even with the bigger display.

http://9to5google.com/2013/09/04/samsun ... xy-note-3/

[dbdynsty25]

I've got an At&t upgrade burning a hole in my pocket...trying to decide if I want the smaller Moto X or the Galaxy Note 3...knowing full well I'll be selling either one in two months when the Nexus 5 comes out. Decisions, decisions. Oh, and my HTC One GPe ain't nothing to scoff at either, lol.

[Gangrel]

4.3 is supposed to be hitting the One starting the end of September in the US. So, here in Canada that probably means December.

Or, just as Kit Kat is coming out!

[dbdynsty25]

4.3 is supposed to be hitting the One starting the end of September in the US. So, here in Canada that probably means December.

Or, just as Kit Kat is coming out!

Be a man...unlock and flash the 4.3 google play edition rom. Lol.

[jLp vAkEr0]

4.3 is supposed to be hitting the One starting the end of September in the US. So, here in Canada that probably means December.

Or, just as Kit Kat is coming out!

Be a man...unlock and flash the 4.3 google play edition rom. Lol.

Man... For as much as I love my HTC One, I'm selling it as soon as the Nexus 5 it's available.

I just miss having the latest and greatest from Google ASAP.

Hope LG makes an even better job with the N5.

[dbdynsty25]

Man... For as much as I love my HTC One, I'm selling it as soon as the Nexus 5 it's available.

I just miss having the latest and greatest from Google ASAP.

Hope LG makes an even better job with the N5.

Why don't you just do what I keep preaching...unlock and flash 4.3 GPe? Everyone should be doing that on both the Galaxy S4 and the HTC One. Latest and greatest, on fantastic hardware. Silly not to do that while you wait for the N5 at least. LOL...it literally takes ten minutes to do.

That said, I'm interested to see what the Nexus 5 brings...but it can't be any bigger than the One. I'd love a smaller phone, but given the size of the phone in that leaked image (when the Kit Kat was unveiled), we're in for a huge phone most likely.

PS. My wife is going to use the At&t upgrade I've got burning a hole in my pocket for a dolphins themed Moto X so I'll have a GS4 too. Will probably unlock and flash GPe on it as well and see how it compares to the HTC One w/ GPe. Standard phone wise, the HTC One wins, but it'll be interesting with stock Android...I'm fully expecting the GS4 to come out on top just because I like the layout and hardware setup better.

[jLp vAkEr0]

Man... For as much as I love my HTC One, I'm selling it as soon as the Nexus 5 it's available.

I just miss having the latest and greatest from Google ASAP.

Hope LG makes an even better job with the N5.

Why don't you just do what I keep preaching...unlock and flash 4.3 GPe? Everyone should be doing that on both the Galaxy S4 and the HTC One. Latest and greatest, on fantastic hardware. Silly not to do that while you wait for the N5 at least. LOL...it literally takes ten minutes to do.

That said, I'm interested to see what the Nexus 5 brings...but it can't be any bigger than the One. I'd love a smaller phone, but given the size of the phone in that leaked image (when the Kit Kat was unveiled), we're in for a huge phone most likely.

PS. My wife is going to use the At&t upgrade I've got burning a hole in my pocket for a dolphins themed Moto X so I'll have a GS4 too. Will probably unlock and flash GPe on it as well and see how it compares to the HTC One w/ GPe. Standard phone wise, the HTC One wins, but it'll be interesting with stock Android...I'm fully expecting the GS4 to come out on top just because I like the layout and hardware setup better.

I've seen a ton of tutorials on it.

Which one did you use for the One?

[wco81]

Does stock Android support the custom features of those phones?

Like the eyeball tracking thing?

[dbdynsty25]

Is there a site you recommend, you know the steps by steps...

XDA Developers. If you're going to mess with Roms, it's definitely the place to go. Here are the two links you'll need:

The All In One Toolkit (this unlocks, roots, and installs a custom recovery on your phone so you can flash roms to it)

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthr ... ?t=2242635

The Google Play Edition Rom w/ 4.3 that you need to download and copy to your phones internal memory AFTER you have done all of the above All-In-One stuff:

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthr ... ?t=2341395

This should get you started.

I'll quote myself...here you go Javy.

And Wco...hell no, stock android is un-f***-wit-able. Actually, there are two items that are included in the ROMs that are specific to each phone. For the One, they included Beats Audio and for the GS4 they included support for the smartcover (with the little window).

[sportdan30]

As a first time smart phone buyer, who is the best carrier to go with? More than likely, I'm going to cave and also purchase a phone for my 11 year old son. Albeit a slide phone of that nature, or perhaps a free iPhone 4S. However, is that technology worth purhcasing at this time? He does have an iTouch he uses at home.

Currently, I have an old LG Lotus flip phone through Sprint. My contract has been up for a while. I do believe I'm able to get some kind of discount through either my wife's company or mine, so I may stick with Sprint. Also, I kind of like the unlimited data plan they offer, simply because I think I'll be worried about my son going over the requiremtents of those without unlimited data plans. Whomever I choose, I imagine, I'll be well over my $65 per month current bill.

Honestly, I'm not too familar with the other carriers besides Sprint. It seems for every positive, there's a negative. It's all too confusing.

[dbdynsty25]

Cheapest plans - T-Mobile
Best Coverage - Verizon
Best Family Share Plans - At&t
Worst of everything - Sprint

Pretty much how it narrows down. I've had all of the carriers and I personally would go with Verizon or At&t, even though you'll be spend a bit more monthly. They just offer better coverage and customer service. That also takes into account that both Verizon and At&t are live with a majority of LTE coverage which both T-Mobile and Sprint are just starting to roll out (and it'll take years). So since you're not under contract with Sprint (at least it sounds that way), now is the time to change it up and get on the faster networks if you're switching to data based plans.

There are waaaaaay too many questions to ask to be able to narrow down specific phones. However, as a "first" smartphone for your son, the free 4S is PLENTY. You can set data limits on specific telephone lines so going over shouldn't be an issue, plus it'll teach your son how to monitor his own usage and be responsible for his phone without costing you a fortune. A nice little learning experience.

As for yourself, are you going with iOS, Android, Blackberry or Windows based? How do you see yourself using the phone? I imagine with it being your first phone, you won't need to go all out and get the latest and greatest, but that doesn't mean you won't WANT to. First thing you should do is pick a provider. Talk to friends and family and see what they've got and if they are happy. Then I can make some specific phone recommendations on that carrier.

Hope this gets you started. I love cell phones.

[dbdynsty25]

One thing I forgot to mention...that might work great for your son if he doesn't spend too much time ON the actual phone making phone calls is the T-Mobile monthly plan. $30 a month, 100 min. of talk time and unlimited texting and data. It's a fantastic starter plan and you can always throw on more phone minutes as you go if you need.

I personally would use this plan if T-Mobiles coverage wasn't so bad in my neck of the woods. Only downside is that you have to bring your own unlocked phone or you can buy one of theirs.

[Rodster]

I'm anti contract when it comes to phones. I used to be with Verizon (the best) but got soured on their billing screw ups. I then went to Boost Mobile and it wasn't bad but found out it's part of Sprint and as DB said, Sprint sucks and over time the service got worse and worse. It's almost useless now.

I recently purchased a Nexus 4 phone when Google had their fire sale and i'm trying Straight Talk's $45 unlimited plan although the unlimited data is limited.

They use AT&T's network and everyone i've talked to in my area who uses AT&T loves their service so i'm going to give them a try.

[sportdan30]

Great information Scott! That T-Mobile plan sounds quite attractive for my son. I'll just ingrain in his head that he can't make calls from his cell phone unless he is out of the house and it's really needed. I can see 100 minutes drain real fast if he had that freedom to choose.

As for me, since we have moved (just 5 miles east of where we were), reception in the house with Sprint is awful. I can't even begin to count how many dropped calls I've had. Someone posted on our neighborhood website about the horrid cell service, and the majority of people remarked while not perfect, Verizon gave them the best coverage. For that reason alone, I'm probably going to lean towards Verizon. With that said, does it make sense for my son to have a plan with T-Mobile and myself with Verizon? Or should we be on the same plan?

More than likely, I'm going with the iPhone 5S. Yeah yeah, I know there are some pretty spectacular phones out there (HTC One, Samsung Galaxy, Windows etc), but I'm pretty much embedded with the Apple ecosystem. Plus, I really prefer the size and weight. I don't game much, even on my iPad like I once did so size is really irrelevant. Several friends and family members also have the iPhone, so face time calls would be quick and seamless. Honestly, I'm going from a 4 year old flip phone, so anything will be a massive improvement/upgrade.

[dbdynsty25]

Nothing wrong at all with an iPhone and the 5S looks fantastic...so there isn't any need to feel bad about it.

As for Verizon and T-Mobile...you're going to pay more to have both phones on Verizon...upwards of 160 bucks for two smartphones sharing 4gb of data (even with your discount). So you'll save yourself around 30 bucks going with the split bill (Verizon for you and T-mobile for him), plus giving him a lot more data to use instead of phone minutes. Of course you have the hassle of two separate phone bills to deal with and finding an unlocked phone of some sort (can probably get a used 4S for pretty cheap once the 5S comes out and everyone sells theirs).

Obviously pluses and minuses to both...but for your son's first foray into phone ownership, a used phone w/ mostly data only will probably suffice.

[Pete1210]

T-mobile has a new family plan, which looks like it would cost $120 for two lines, both with unlimited minutes, text and high speed (4G) data. And you could lower cost by reducing the amount of high speed data, but still have unlimited data.
http://www.t-mobile.com/cell-phone-plans/family.html

[sportdan30]

T-mobile has a new family plan, which looks like it would cost $120 for two lines, both with unlimited minutes, text and high speed (4G) data. And you could lower cost by reducing the amount of high speed data, but still have unlimited data.
http://www.t-mobile.com/cell-phone-plans/family.html

Thanks Mike. I'd like to stay around $110, but with taxes and everything they include, I know it's pretty unreasonable to expect.

Stupid question. Say, I purchase my phone from Target. Do I have to immediately sign up for a service and activate it, or can I take it to a Verzion or T-Mobile store?

[dbdynsty25]

Stupid question. Say, I purchase my phone from Target. Do I have to immediately sign up for a service and activate it, or can I take it to a Verzion or T-Mobile store?

You'll have to activate in store if you're getting a subsidized price (i.e. not paying full retail for it).

[sportdan30]

Stupid question. Say, I purchase my phone from Target. Do I have to immediately sign up for a service and activate it, or can I take it to a Verzion or T-Mobile store?

You'll have to activate in store if you're getting a subsidized price (i.e. not paying full retail for it).

Does that include the 5S? I'm simply buying the 32GB version for $299.

[dbdynsty25]

Stupid question. Say, I purchase my phone from Target. Do I have to immediately sign up for a service and activate it, or can I take it to a Verzion or T-Mobile store?

You'll have to activate in store if you're getting a subsidized price (i.e. not paying full retail for it).

Does that include the 5S? I'm simply buying the 32GB version for $299.

Of course. The 5S is not a 300 dollar phone, it's a 750 dollar phone. You're getting it subsidized by the carrier when you buy it for 300, which is how they lock you into a 2 year agreement. Stores get money from the carriers when they activate new accounts and new lines...so there's virtually no way you walk out without activating it, unless you get some dumbass that doesn't know what they are doing.

[wco81]

There's some speculation that the Verizon model can be used on all US networks, while the same is not true if you buy from TMobile or AT&T:

http://www.howardforums.com/showthread. ... e-do-I-get

I guess if you get service with VZW long enough to fulfill your contract, you can switch to another carrier which may have lower prices.

However, a year or two from now, you may want to upgrade anyways. But it may be better for resale if it could be used on any US network.