Entering the World of Smartphones

[eugene]

im pretty sure i'll be impressed by any smartphone, however primitive, as im using a 6 year old S.E k610. ill look into googlephone, looks nice specwise. though having a a quadcore monster in a pocket (it's probably more powerful than my previous pc) is very tempting.

[oscillik]

im pretty sure i'll be impressed by any smartphone, however primitive, as im using a 6 year old S.E k610. ill look into googlephone, looks nice specwise. though having a a quadcore monster in a pocket (it's probably more powerful than my previous pc) is very tempting.

 

Honestly, a quad-core handset will only really benefit you if you're wanting to use the handset for games a lot (that may be a big decider for many people) or if you're intending to hook it up to a HDMI display and essentially use it as a dockable portable computer.

 

many many many applications still don't make use of dual-core CPUs on Android, let alone anymore than that. and the vast majority of those few apps that do make use of multicore operations, are games.

[eugene]

if you're intending to hook it up to a HDMI display and essentially use it as a dockable portable computer.

yes, i see myself using it this way a lot.

[Guest disparaissant]

yeah Android is a lot better of you tweak it. I'm running stock OS (gingerbread) but i got root, uninstalled the bloat, and set up a new launcher and I'm really happy with it. i would like an iPhone at some point but i can't justify the price at all when cheaper, more functional (for me and for the price) alternatives exist.

[Joyrex]

And don't forget, you can always jailbreak an iPhone, although personally I don't see the benefit (to me) as I use my phone for smartphone stuff and not any hacking/pseudo computer stuff.

 

That being said, there is a hell of a lot you can accomplish with a stock iPhone.

[thehauntingsoul]

If you're nerdy (and you must be if you're running a forum) then you should definitely get an android.

 

I would go with a Nexus device for several reasons, mainly the fact that they are dev phones so basically every app will run on them and the OS will not crap out for stupid reasons. Also as Oscillik has already pointed out, you'll get the updates in a timely manner. They don't have expandable SD slots as of yet though (baffles me), and they don't have hdmi out if that's a major feature for you.

 

That being said, if you're into figuring out how to root the phone and install cyanogenmod or something then definitely, hands down, get a nexus device as they are meant to be unlocked and rooted and fucked around with.

 

If you want something new and shiny and superpowerful with expandable micro-sd then the Galaxy S3 might be a better candidate, and if you want the micro-hdmi out then HTC One X is your best bet although it lacks expandable sd slot as well.

 

At the moment those are the only 3 droids I would really recommend. Android has a lot of things going for it but fragmentation and varying degrees of build quality are definitely problems that need sorting out. That being said if you choose wisely you won't have an issue.

 

To summarize:

 

Galaxy Nexus if you want reliability, OS longevity, and an ultra tweakable nerdy toy

 

HTC One X if you want HDMI out

 

Galaxy S 3 if you want a tank of a phone.

 

If you still can't decide, just play it safe and get a Galaxy Nexus.

 

Hope that helps, and don't get an iPhone unless you want to be in an ultra-streamlined-to-the-point-of-restriction jailed in area. They are great phones, don't get me wrong, but a nerd with an iPhone is like math major with an abacus. You will feel suffocated by the lack of customization.

 

Oh, and WHATEVER you do, don't get a blackberry unless you enjoy your phone falling apart a month after the warranty runs out. I work at Rogers and literally 80% of the phones we send out for repairs are blackberries, usually a cumshot length past the warranty end date.

[goDel]

Customization is for neurotics who have a need to build their identity through tweeking hard- and software.

 

Good morning! =D

[Guest Al Hounos]

galaxy s3, pretty easy choice. i'm sure the One X is good too. a heavily discounted galaxy s2 or nexus would be more than enough though.

i have a galaxy S2 and I have no idea how the extra power of the S3 would be useful. also, i have no idea how anyone could consider an iphone simply by looking at their screens side by side. the iphone 4 just looks sad next to a super AMOLED samsung screen.

[Guest disparaissant]

Customization is for neurotics who have a need to build their identity through tweeking hard- and software.

 

Good morning! =D

ironically, the whole "everyone's phone looks the same" thing reminds me of

so enjoy your conformity, YOU STARCHED COLLAR WEARIN MOTHERFUCKER

 

<3

 

[spratters]

a nerd with an iPhone is like math major with an abacus.

 

Love this statement.

[apatch]

...

 

Galaxy Nexus if you want reliability, OS longevity, and an ultra tweakable nerdy toy

 

HTC One X if you want HDMI out

 

Galaxy S 3 if you want a tank of a phone.

 

...

 

S3 got micro-usb, you can connect HDMI to it thru MHL cable adapter, power supply must be connected too but I don't see any advantage of HTC One X here.

 

 

@eugene

 

Here you can compare this 2 phones even in picture/video quality , any other phones too.

link

 

If you don't want to mod anything , get something simple, if you want future updates mods and hacks, get S3, AND SPEAKING ABOUT NERDY THINGS - link

[eugene]

yeah i was wondering about what thehauntingsoul said about hdmi, i read about the adapter but power supply for streaming stuff through hdmi sounds like a bit of a bummer, is there no way around it ?

[thehauntingsoul]

Ah OK I hadn't heard about that feature. I'd still suggest a Nexus phone due to the OS upgrades. Jelly Bean will be launching in a few weeks and they're already planning on upgrading the now 2 year old Nexus S which has already received ICS.

 

Customization is for neurotics who have a need to build their identity through tweeking hard- and software.

 

Good morning! =D

 

No, customization is for organized people who would like to get to their tasks/information quickly instead of wading through pages and pages of unorganized useless shit. A properly set-up droid phone will be orders of magnitude more efficient than an iPhone. iPhones don't have widgets ffs. They also completely lack the concept of a home screen, which means you have to wade past all the apps you barely use just to find the one app you use all the time that's filed under S.

 

In closing, iPhones suck for customization.

[chenGOD]

iPhones don't have widgets ffs. They also completely lack the concept of a home screen, which means you have to wade past all the apps you barely use just to find the one app you use all the time that's filed under S.

 

In closing, iPhones suck for customization.

 

I'm not sure what you mean by widgets, but you can group apps into folders on iphones.

In closing, you can jailbreak your iPhone and customize it to your heart's content.

[ghOsty]

God I need a new phone, a smart one at that... I'm still using this piece of shit.

.

[Joyrex]

Ah OK I hadn't heard about that feature. I'd still suggest a Nexus phone due to the OS upgrades. Jelly Bean will be launching in a few weeks and they're already planning on upgrading the now 2 year old Nexus S which has already received ICS.

 

Customization is for neurotics who have a need to build their identity through tweeking hard- and software.

 

Good morning! =D

 

No, customization is for organized people who would like to get to their tasks/information quickly instead of wading through pages and pages of unorganized useless shit. A properly set-up droid phone will be orders of magnitude more efficient than an iPhone. iPhones don't have widgets ffs. They also completely lack the concept of a home screen, which means you have to wade past all the apps you barely use just to find the one app you use all the time that's filed under S.

 

In closing, iPhones suck for customization.

 

OR... you can organize your apps into folders, OR... swipe left to search for an app/info on the phone, OR... once iOS 6 comes out, you can ask Siri to launch an app.

 

Really confined and locked down, eh?

 

Amazing how easily people buy into the anti-Apple rhetoric.

[ghOsty]

I like that commercial with John Malkovich talking to Siri

[BCM]

fact is iphone is one of the best smartphones, not saying it's the best - don't want to get into that argument... but only a fool would totally dismiss it out of hand.

[Joyrex]

fact is iphone is one of the best smartphones, not saying it's the best - don't want to get into that argument... but only a fool would totally dismiss it out of hand.

 

Finally, a voice of reason

[apatch]

yeah i was wondering about what thehauntingsoul said about hdmi, i read about the adapter but power supply for streaming stuff through hdmi sounds like a bit of a bummer, is there no way around it ?

 

I'm not 100% sure but I think that HTC also needs power supply plugged in to MHL adapter to give enough power to transfer video over HDMI, even worse with 5pins MHL plugged, playing some game you can't deliver enough power to play for a longer time.

 

link

 

S3 uses some modified MHL connector with 11 pins (1000 mA) instead of standard 5pins (500 mA) so you can't use even standard S2 MHL adapter for S3, but short 5pin-to-11pin adapter is also available, this change was needed to deliver enough power to be recharged and assures better video transfer.

If you want to use keyboard/mouse use bluethooth, to power up your phone without wall socket use some external battery - link , got this cheap chinease model almost year, it can output 1A , recharges phone as qucik as from wall socket.

[Guest couch]

My droidx contract is up soon.

 

What to get. hmm

[eugene]

fact is iphone is one of the best smartphones, not saying it's the best - don't want to get into that argument... but only a fool would totally dismiss it out of hand.

 

well im kinda zeroing in on the s3 or htc one and it looks like iphone has got nothing on them.

[baph]

Ah OK I hadn't heard about that feature. I'd still suggest a Nexus phone due to the OS upgrades. Jelly Bean will be launching in a few weeks and they're already planning on upgrading the now 2 year old Nexus S which has already received ICS.

 

Customization is for neurotics who have a need to build their identity through tweeking hard- and software.

 

Good morning! =D

 

No, customization is for organized people who would like to get to their tasks/information quickly instead of wading through pages and pages of unorganized useless shit. A properly set-up droid phone will be orders of magnitude more efficient than an iPhone. iPhones don't have widgets ffs. They also completely lack the concept of a home screen, which means you have to wade past all the apps you barely use just to find the one app you use all the time that's filed under S.

 

In closing, iPhones suck for customization.

 

OR... you can organize your apps into folders, OR... swipe left to search for an app/info on the phone, OR... once iOS 6 comes out, you can ask Siri to launch an app.

 

Really confined and locked down, eh?

 

Amazing how easily people buy into the anti-Apple rhetoric.

 

I just organize my apps in the order I use them most, with less used apps on the second page, etc., and games on the last page.

 

Do you really think they're organized alphabetically, hauntingsole? I mean, you could do that on iOS. If you wanted. But it... it doesn't force you to... Jesus what was that post even about?

 

I guess I'm just not "nerdy" enough for android?

 

Fucking phone zealotry is one of the stupidest things in the universe. Use the phone that works best for you. It's a tool. Don't be one.

[BCM]

fact is iphone is one of the best smartphones, not saying it's the best - don't want to get into that argument... but only a fool would totally dismiss it out of hand.

 

well im kinda zeroing in on the s3 or htc one and it looks like iphone has got nothing on them.

 

retina display? the S3 and HTC One are both very nice phones though... i can understand the desire for customisation and all that and myself used an old HTC smartphone a few years ago running windows CE. in the end though i went over to apple in terms of a laptop and it made sense to get an iphone...now also have an imac and have stuck with the iphone from the 3G up to my current 4S and have been wholly pleased with the functionality, stability and performance. for me, once i'd made the switch to apple i kind of forgot about all the customisation aspect of OSs and did get into the mindset that all that stuff is just sort of fluff and unnecessary. i just forgot about it and liked not worrying about whether an OS could do this or that thing that i probably won't ever use. it's a difficult thing to accept i guess and i can see why a lot of people hate on apple - but let me assure you their stuff works incredibly well and will give you many years hassle-free, pleasurable and reliable service. nothing wrong with that surely?

[Joyrex]

I actually find I can do more "nerdy" things with my Apple devices than I can with Windows... even with Windows 7, there's still more things I can do with a Mac than it I find useful.

 

On the subject of phones though, I've messed around with a few Android-based phones (not Google's own phones, though) and found the experience to be vastly different depending on which make of phone I was on, and not as responsive as an iPhone, especially in the touchscreen department.

 

My suggestion would be to go to your local mobile phone store and try them all out and see if you can do (pardon the pun) apples to apples comparisons of common features (calls, browsing, texting, etc.) and see which experience you like the best. I wouldn't get a phone based on potential.