Phones

[the_yellow_dart]

Just curious.

I have an old-fashioned cell phone and an IP-based phone service from Google.

Edited July 22, 2011 by the_yellow_dart

[Delta Force79]

I bought this about a year ago, and it's my first time with a "modern" cell phone. It's a pretty nice middle of the pack phone, it's been very reliable so far without anything failing or apps not working in the year I've had it. Battery life could be better though.

Samsung Reality

[Croc]

I absolutely love my Blackberry 9800 Torch. That said, the Torch 2 comes out in a few months, so anyone interested should wait for that as it will have upgraded hardware and will be able to run the next generation of OS, while mine won't be able to.

[Drew Dowdell]

Android and Skype

[riviera74]

I almost bought a BB Torch, but I went with an iPhone 4 (16MB). Highly recommended (with a case around it). I never got around to ditching my landline I have had since moving to my present residence nine years ago.

[FAPTurbo]

I have an LG 5450 from 2003. Built like a tank, which suits my needs just fine.

[Z-06]

Wow WMJ, you have progressed significantly. I was expecting you to own this.....

[Cory Wolfe]

HTC Incredible.

[bobo]

BlackBerry Tour (Verizon) and MyTouch 4G (T-Mobile)

[balthazar]

I've got one of these 1941's in black:

....ohh... cells. An LG flip of unknown model... wait- it's an Accolade. Nuttin fancy and that's how I like it. Makes & takes calls, does infrequent texting, has a calculator & alarm clock. Has other stuff I don't use & don't care about (I don't find staring at electronic devices productive, and I do more than enough of that here). Battery charge lasts me a full week. Done.

I hope to hell come replacement time I'm not forced into a "smart" phone due to flips being priced out the wazoo to hasten their demise, 'cause you KNOW that's what's being engineered...

Edited July 23, 2011 by balthazar

[Intrepidation]

LG Rumor 2. Not bad for what it is. Takes halfway decent pictures, surfs the internet and has a full keyboard and a music player. Fanciest phone I've had so far. I'd like to get an Optimus V at some point.

[§carlet §wordfish]

Samsung Rant. My sister bought it from he friend for ten bucks. When she upgraded to a Blackberry Curve she gave it to me. It's been perfectly adequate and very reliable for me (unlike my sister's Curve). Comfortable size, nice keyboard, calls, texts, pics and videos, can do rudimentary emergency web surfing. It's easy to pocket dial though if I'm not careful.

Our home phones are connected by a traditional land line.

[ocnblu]

American Telephone & Telegraph 1810 for my landline home phone. LG flip of some sort with the Verizon logo on it. Both dead reliable and completely sufficient.

[Justin Bimmer]

Droidx and i wish I had a bell system touch tone forna land line.

Droidx and i wish I had a bell system touch tone forna land line.

[Robert Hall]

Motorola Droid. I have few vtech cordless phones around the house on the land line, which I rarely use..still have a land line for the alarm and fax. I had Vonage for a few years, but dropped them in '08.

[pow]

iPhone 4. Maps, Pandora, Yelp, Camera, and Mail come in handy.

[banister]

I love my 6 months old LG Prada 3.0 though a gift. I was given this smart phone by my mom 6 months ago during my 20^th anniversary on March 12^th 2013. I like its brilliant look and exceptional features. It connectivity capabilities makes me to love my mom more. I am sure no one here can’t appreciate a great gift like this from a 50 year old mom.

[G. David Felt]

LOL, Apple Iphone 5S still has not caught up to the Samsung S4. Android is just eating Apples lunch. Love it.

[regfootball]

I doubt it. Samsung likes to throw a buttload of complicated and useless stuff on the phone in some cases to claim its got more stuff.

Plus, Samsung phones look and feel cheap.

More folks switch from Androids to Apple than vice versa.

Lots of folks complain about buggy Android phones.

Plus, Apple phones have much better interdevice behavior in the biosphere. They all work together really nice. I can't wait to get my new iPhone and use the airplay to apple tv feature. Part of the new a7 chip benefit will be the display to apple tv or other TV so you can game on the phone and see it on tv.

itunes still rules the roost and with my itunes match, i dont need to put the songs on the phone anymore. I can stream my whole library off the cloud.

A little larger screen would be nice, but i still want to get the phone in my pocket. Is that a phone in your pocket or are you just glad to see me? The galaxy note, great as a tablet, it's a phablet. How stupid would someone look holding a huge ass galaxy note up to their ear?

[Robert Hall]

I've been carrying an iPhone 5 since late last year for work, I don't really like the small screen compared to my Motorola Droid Razr Maxx..but it does charge very quickly when plugged into my Mac Book Pro. I've found the iPhone to be more stable than the Droid--apps on the Droid frequently hang or crash. The iPhone audio quality is better, but that may be an AT&T vs Verizon thing.

Not sure what my next phone is, still have about 8 months until the 2 year mark w/ the Razr Maxx...probably will stick w/ a Motorola model, or maybe a Nexus. I like the larger screens, easier to use. Though I don't play videos on them...basically, I use a phone to call, read Twitter and Facebook, do a bit of web surfing in down time when I'm not near my computer or tablet.

Edited September 12, 2013 by Cubical-aka-Moltar

[regfootball]

there is some truth to the size thing, but the samsungs feel a bit clumsy to me in hand because of their width. Apple could I think put more screen size in their current chassis I think.

Samsungs chassis also feel weak and chintzy to me.

HTC phone to me looks like a nice option vs Apple.

I just like how 99 percent of the time with any Apple device I have had, it just works without much fuss.

Edited September 14, 2013 by regfootball

[FAPTurbo]

I find the Samsung plastic gripes to be true, albeit overblown. A good chunk of phones end up in cases. The iPhone is arguably the best feeling phone, yet almost every one that comes across my desk is in a case.

[Robert Hall]

I find the Samsung plastic gripes to be true, albeit overblown. A good chunk of phones end up in cases. The iPhone is arguably the best feeling phone, yet almost every one that comes across my desk is in a case.

I don't use cases on my phones, but do agree the iPhone does feel good..very solid..I like the solidity of the metal body, even more than the Kevlar back on my Razr...plastic phones just feel cheap, IMO.

Edited September 12, 2013 by Cubical-aka-Moltar

[G. David Felt]

I doubt it. Samsung likes to throw a buttload of complicated and useless stuff on the phone in some cases to claim its got more stuff.

Plus, Samsung phones look and feel cheap.

More folks switch from Androids to Apple than vice versa.

Lots of folks complain about buggy Android phones.

Plus, Apple phones have much better interdevice behavior in the biosphere. They all work together really nice. I can't wait to get my new iPhone and use the airplay to apple tv feature. Part of the new a7 chip benefit will be the display to apple tv or other TV so you can game on the phone and see it on tv.

itunes still rules the roost and with my itunes match, i dont need to put the songs on the phone anymore. I can stream my whole library off the cloud.

A little larger screen would be nice, but i still want to get the phone in my pocket. Is that a phone in your pocket or are you just glad to see me? The galaxy note, great as a tablet, it's a phablet. How stupid would someone look holding a huge ass galaxy note up to their ear?

LOL - You really have been drinking the APPLE KOOLAID. The proof is in the sales that Android / Samsung make better and sell more phones.

Personal opinion on the look and feel as the Apple has always felt like they cut corners compared to Samsung phones but again a personal feeling compared to you feeling the opposite.

In regards to the whole ITunes thing, their approach is to make things simple but they went to far to make them none usable to many people myself included as I find their interface to be non intuitive and iTunes to me just sucks. Much easier for how I use my Samsung phone.

The Phablet is not for everyone but for those of us that are big, 6'6"tall with big hands, the Samsung is small and perfect. I hate how small phones are and that the touch screens are usless when typing as I hit multiple keys. Apple iPhones are the worst as typing on them is just garbage but again I am probably twice your size at 6'6" tall 300lgs. 15% body fat. I love the bigger phones that meet my needs. Something Apple does not do.

[Drew Dowdell]

Until Apple increases the screen size on the iPhone, it is a complete non-option for me.

[Robert Hall]

Until Apple increases the screen size on the iPhone, it is a complete non-option for me.

It is surprising they haven't made a larger screen model, considering what the competition is doing..the market is definitely skewing towards larger phones.

[Drew Dowdell]

The iTunes interface is junk anymore though management tool for android music seem virtually non-existent. I stopped using Google Play music due to its insistence on saving music to internal storage and not the SDCard. I have an iPod and use iSyncr to sync my GS4 also. Works pretty well for me.

[G. David Felt]

I agree with you Drew, iTunes interface is Junk. Syncing my Android phone with my music is easy and clean and I put it where I want it not where it is dictated by an over bearing monster.

[Robert Hall]

I still use iTunes as I keep all of my music on my iPod Classic. I have used Google music to stream my collection to my laptop (and then use Airplay to the office sound system on occasion). I guess as long as I have an iPod I have no reason to play music on my phone.

[Drew Dowdell]

I'm driving different cars all the time and don't always have my iPod. I do always have a usb cable for my phone. Thus my setup.

[Robert Hall]

I'm driving different cars all the time and don't always have my iPod. I do always have a usb cable for my phone. Thus my setup.

Makes sense in that use case. Alas, the only time I have a car that I can connect my iPod or phone to is when I have a rental (a downside of having the newest cars at home being 13 years old, though I can use the old iPod cassette adapter).

Edited September 12, 2013 by Cubical-aka-Moltar

[bobo]

I've been happy with my Samsung Note II. It has great battery life. I won't plan to get the Note III, initially at least. The next generation of Samsung phones is supposed to have a more premium feel, but I have no problem with plastic, which makes them lighter. I'll be replacing my work BlackBerry Bold with either a Samsung Galaxy S4 or an iPhone, but I'll probably stick with Android and the bigger screen of the Samsung. I can't say that I'll miss any of the 10 so BlackBerrys that I have had, other than they have good battery life.

[frogger]

I've had an HTC One for about a month now, installed a Google Edition ROM to make it closer to vanilla Android. Really happy with it, though my love of gadgets always has me checking out what devices are coming down the pipe.

[pxyc]

I have a Galaxy S4. I'm able to keep in contact with friends on Skype and there are a lot of fun apps to keep me entertained. Also if I'm ever out and see a Lamborghini, for example, I'm able to get a good picture of it.

[FAPTurbo]

The Note III is pretty nice, but I don't think it's the revelation that the Note II was. That's why I'll probably be sticking with mine for at least another year or so. I just hope Samsung delivers the Android 4.3 update to speed some things up, sometime soon.

[regfootball]

i rip my cd's to itunes, have itunes match. now, my apple tv and iphone I don't have to copy and sync the tunes. my entire library is available anytime i am connected either with wifi or cell. then with bluetooth streaming to my sync or attached via cable in the car, there is no silly file management to phone etc.

now the new itunes radio will be adless since i have itunes match.

i can use my phone as a remote play device in the house for itunes etc.

soon with my new phone, then i have the ability to use the airplay to apple tv etc.

it all plays nice and requires virtually no fuss to take advantage of all those features. My 3gs which is soon 4 years old will still for a few years be quite handy for a bunch of things yet. If i took the case off, it would still look brand new.

sure a slightly larger screen on the phone would be nice, a 4.7 to 5 in size might be nice. But honestly at some point, just bring an ipad with too FCS. the smaller size is nice and handy to manage in the car as far as stashing and holding on to etc. I don't want to put a shelf board in my pants either.

I'd probably laugh and point at the dude who holds a Galaxy Note up to his ear to take a call. Might as well have a bag phone!

In this house, the Apple Products are probably the most satisfying purchases we have had in the last ten years.

We had some nice Samsung flip phones back in the day. When i got my 3gs we had actually got some samsung touch feature phones. They were garbage. Buggy, cheaply made etc. Returned them ASAP and got real phones by apple. Those Galaxy phones feel cheap in the hand.

Edited September 14, 2013 by regfootball

[regfootball]

http://www.mobileburn.com/21977/review/samsung-galaxy-mega-63-review-titantic-phone-mini-tablet-att

[FAPTurbo]

I'd probably laugh and point at the dude who holds a Galaxy Note up to his ear to take a call. Might as well have a bag phone!

Oh please. I read this statement all over the Internet but the only thing people do when they see me using my Note for a voice call is ask me where they can get one for themselves, and where the nearest garbage can is so they can dispose of their iPhone.

Also the Apple ecosystem is great until you have to do work. Multitasking on iOS is comically horrendous. iOS is about extra steps. My phone lets me run two windows, take a call and write down information, all simultaneously.

BUT IT LUKS FUNNEH AGAINST MY EARZ HUE HUE HUE

[Intrepidation]

Don't forget about iOS maps!

[FAPTurbo]

Don't forget about iOS maps!

Hence why iPhone people have to ask me for directions to the nearest garbage can.

Edited September 15, 2013 by Señor Ding Dong

[regfootball]

http://www.macgasm.net/2013/08/19/more-android-users-switch-to-iphone-than-vice-versa/

[pxyc]

http://www.macgasm.net/2013/08/19/more-android-users-switch-to-iphone-than-vice-versa/

Interesting article, I actually thought that Samsung would be taking more from Apple than the other way around. Guess it's just more people I know are switching to the S4 from their iPhones.

[regfootball]

http://www.businessinsider.com/the-iphone-5s-is-the-fastest-smartphone-2013-9#!

Iphone smokes the S4

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323527004579081192462456798.html?mod=WSJ_MIDDLENexttoWhatsNewsSecond#!

"Overall, however, the new iPhone 5S is a delight. Its hardware and software make it the best smartphone on the market."

[Robert Hall]

I updated my work iPhone 5 to ios7 last night...it's...different. The icons have a bright, almost cartoony appearance to them now.

[churchies]

I updated my work iPhone 5 to ios7 last night...it's...different. The icons have a bright, almost cartoony appearance to them now.

Yeah it looks so much like an Android now, Apple must be admitting that Androids are good competitors they are even copying their designs!

[loki]

i'm thinking of getting a real smart phone in november... looking at pay as you go, picking up an S3, parlty because i've used it before.... with a price tag of ~$400. would anyone recommend something else?

[regfootball]

I updated my work iPhone 5 to ios7 last night...it's...different. The icons have a bright, almost cartoony appearance to them now.

A friend said they looked like Hello Kitty icons.....

[FAPTurbo]

i'm thinking of getting a real smart phone in november... looking at pay as you go, picking up an S3, parlty because i've used it before.... with a price tag of ~$400. would anyone recommend something else?

I'd wait and see what the next Google Nexus device is like before making a purchase. It should launch in October. Rumours have it pegged for a 1080p display, 13MP camera and LTE. It'd be far more modern than the S3, with fast updates and a better UI.

[loki]

i'm thinking of getting a real smart phone in november... looking at pay as you go, picking up an S3, parlty because i've used it before.... with a price tag of ~$400. would anyone recommend something else?

I'd wait and see what the next Google Nexus device is like before making a purchase. It should launch in October. Rumours have it pegged for a 1080p display, 13MP camera and LTE. It'd be far more modern than the S3, with fast updates and a better UI.

sounds like a reason the S3 should drop in price again....i don't need bleeding edge...

[Drew Dowdell]

Galaxy S4 still blows away iPhone in screen size and speed isn't an issue for any Android apps on that phone either.