What Phone Are You Hankering After?

RussianJet · Thu Dec 19, 2013 12:12 am

So, I just got myself a lovely, shiny new 32GB Samsung Galaxy Note 3, in black.

Eye-wateringly expensive really, but it's great. Aside from the lovely screen and the ideal size for comfortable browsing and emailing, it's the first phone I've had for some years now that will actually do two days! I left for work with a full charge at 0800 on one day, then the following day I went to bed around midnight with over 20% charge remaining! Consider also that, being new to me, I was fiddling around with it pretty regularly in that time. A real breath of fresh air in the battery stakes, though of course that's primarily down to the fact that the size of the device allows for a physically bigger battery to be housed.

Many people say it's too big, but it's fine making calls using one hand. It also goes in the pocket with no problem, and without looking ridiculous. This is mainly down to the fact that it's only 8mm thick. It also feels surprisingly solid, and has some pretty monster specs, including 2.5ghz quad-core processor and 3GB RAM. So far, I'm loving it.

So, pointless bragging aside, what phone do you have your eye on and why? I wanted this one because I mainly browse, email and text, and had read the reviews, including about the battery life.

Tell us what you're drooling over.

CaliAtenza · Thu Dec 19, 2013 1:49 am

I think i am going to shift away from Samsung; they are really locking down all their phones now and hurting the developer community. My next phone will most likely be whatever HTC comes out with next on Verizon.

DocLightning · Thu Dec 19, 2013 2:46 am

The iPhone 5S 64GB I have in my pocket right now.

Ken777 · Thu Dec 19, 2013 2:49 am

I'm looking at another iPhone after the new year. The 5s looks pretty good and I don't need to wait until fall when Apple delivers a phone with an A7 processor. I like what Apple does with their phones and have enough of an investment in apps to make it illogical to look at changing platforms.

January is also going to be the time to upgrade my iMac. It's the original G5 and is getting long in the tooth. Right now, though, there is a list of spending that is going to wait until January. I have a British Airways card from Chase and one of the main benefits (IMO) is the fact that after 30K of sending in a year we get a free companion ticket be it with miles or money. Basically that cuts the cost of us traveling to the UK and beyond in half. Well worth waiting as we earned the 2013 benefit already!

TLG · Thu Dec 19, 2013 2:56 am

I have a Nexus 5 and my wife has a Moto X. We're both very pleased. Merry Christmas!

nws2002 · Thu Dec 19, 2013 3:18 am

Blackberry Z30 - I just want to try it. I love BB, and the Q10 I have now is a very solid phone.

RussianJet · Thu Dec 19, 2013 3:31 am

Quoting caliatenza (Reply 1):
I think i am going to shift away from Samsung; they are really locking down all their phones now and hurting the developer community

That is a concern. I did think twice for that very reason, but overall it was still the phone I wanted most right now. I have previously rooted all my phones and experimented with several developers.

Quoting caliatenza (Reply 1):
My next phone will most likely be whatever HTC

I would love to give HTC another shot at some point (the Desire HD was great at the time I had it), but their inexplicably stupid move away from expandable memory and removable battery is a total deal-breaker.

Quoting DocLightning (Reply 2):
The iPhone 5S 64GB I have in my pocket right now

Meh! PiePhones. I have an additional 64GB on me memory card, making a total of 96GB storage. Before anyone chimes in with "nobody needs that much on a phone" or other such nonsense, it's already about 70% full. I'll decide how much memory I want thanks, and that'll be whatever the highest capacity card available on the day is (128 should be around in the next six months or so)!

Quoting TLG (Reply 4):
I have a Nexus 5

Good choice. Looks nice, and there's no denying that it's superb value for money. How's the build quality?

airnorth · Thu Dec 19, 2013 3:49 am

Blackberry Q10 for me, have heard a lot of good reports, and well, I still like the keyboard, and the security, maybe its just perceived security? Most importantly, its Canadian technology!! Even though there are only 120,000 apps.... I've always wondered how many apps we need though .....really? I cant even decide which TV channel to watch!

TLG · Thu Dec 19, 2013 4:15 am

Quoting RussianJet (Reply 6):
Looks nice, and there's no denying that it's superb value for money. How's the build quality?

Yes, the value of the Nexus 5 is largely considered to be excellent value. It's $349 - $399 unlocked off contract for a high end device. It feels very solid, and the quality is great!

Quoting nws2002 (Reply 5):
Blackberry Z30 - I just want to try it. I love BB, and the Q10 I have now is a very solid phone.

I've never had a Blackberry device, but a couple weeks ago around Black Friday/Cyber Monday, a vendor was selling the Z10 for $199 with a coupon code. I was very tempted, but I was in the middle of selling some extra devices I had, so I passed. Kind of spites me now.

In the last month or so I've sold a Verizon iPhone 5, a Galaxy Nexus, and a Nexus 4. And then a couple days ago I saw a deal on Craigslist I couldn't pass up, a mint condition red Nokia Lumia 920. I like to keep a WP device around to see what progress they're making, but so far they're still toys for me. They're not ready for prime time.

RussianJet · Thu Dec 19, 2013 4:29 am

Quoting airnorth (Reply 7):
Blackberry Q10 for me,

Wow! I'm astonished to see that the Q10 is selling for more than I paid for the Note 3 in the UK. That's absurd. With no offence to your choice intended, it's got a slower, dual core processor, a weird square screen which among other things is ridiculous for photography (and an ok camera but which really doesn't justify nearly six hundred quid), less RAM, less battery endurance and a restricted and bland choice of apps (don't be fooled by the 120k number - it's the quality of the content that matters).

To be honest, the only reason I see to go for the Q10 is if you're hopelessly addicted to a physical keyboard. Have you tried many virtual keyboards?

nws2002 · Thu Dec 19, 2013 7:35 am

Quoting RussianJet (Reply 9):
To be honest, the only reason I see to go for the Q10 is if you're hopelessly addicted to a physical keyboard. Have you tried many virtual keyboards?

Don't know about airnorth, but I had an iPhone 3G, iPhone 4, and iPhone 5. Inbetween those I had a BB Torch and now the Q10. I really like the physical keyboard. I know it sounds antiquated, but I can rip out texts and emails a lot faster with a physical keyboard than a can on a virtual one. My experience with Android is limited to a Kindle Fire tablet, so I don't know much about using it as a phone with swype and other keyboards.

airnorth · Thu Dec 19, 2013 7:57 am

Quoting RussianJet (Reply 9):
That's absurd. With no offence to your choice intended,

Not offended at all! I have always liked their products, I was just looking for a price, but they are all sold out it seems here in Canada, which is weird. The Q5 is available and seems like a pretty reasonable price, maybe I'll opt for one of those instead. But I do text and email an awful lot, and cannot get the hang of a touch screen.....physical keyboard for me is a must have.

CaliAtenza · Thu Dec 19, 2013 8:07 am

Quoting RussianJet (Reply 6):

That is a concern. I did think twice for that very reason, but overall it was still the phone I wanted most right now. I have previously rooted all my phones and experimented with several developers.

Yeah Verizon just released their update to 4.3 for the Galaxy S3, which is the phone i have, and now the whole thing is locked down tighter than a drum. KNOX is really messing things up for the Dev community...apparently if you even try to unlock the bootloader now, the eFuse will blow and your phone will brick.

Quoting RussianJet (Reply 6):

I would love to give HTC another shot at some point (the Desire HD was great at the time I had it), but their inexplicably stupid move away from expandable memory and removable battery is a total deal-breaker.

Yeah i dont know why they did that, having an SD card and a removable battery is a real godsend and so helpful when you tinker with the phone.

OA260 · Thu Dec 19, 2013 10:40 am

Quoting RussianJet (Thread starter):
So, pointless bragging aside, what phone do you have your eye on and why?

Im happy with my iPhone 5S 32GB Gold. Yes it cost me £629/$1029 but its the one thing I really enjoy and use so its worth it for me. I also don't believe tying myself into these mortgage style mobile contracts so Im free to change SIMs etc...

David L · Thu Dec 19, 2013 11:24 am

Until a couple of weeks ago I was hankering after an Xperia Z. However, the Vodafone shop didn't have any and I'd have had to wait a few days for one. So I walked out with a Z1 and I'm very glad I did. Perhaps there are better phones but I was upgrading from an Xperia Arc S so the transition was effortless. I'd installed so many apps on the old phone that there wasn't enough working memory for updates. Now that I have the Z1, I occasionally take a look at how much spare internal memory I have and can't help smiling. On top of that, I have the 32 GB card from my old phone installed. It'll be a while before that fills up.

As for cost, it didn't cost a penny. After I paid for my first phone, all three upgrades were free with my contract otherwise I'd probably still be on my first or second phone.

Quoting nws2002 (Reply 10):
I know it sounds antiquated, but I can rip out texts and emails a lot faster with a physical keyboard than a can on a virtual one. My experience with Android is limited to a Kindle Fire tablet, so I don't know much about using it as a phone with swype and other keyboards.

A few years ago I took a liking to the Black Berry phones because of the physical keyboard but I never got round to getting one. Now I have the SlideIt keyboard on all my Android devices and it's by far the fastest input method I've used. Mind you, I never got the hang of the "two-thumbs" method - it just felt uncomfortable.

RussianJet · Thu Dec 19, 2013 11:36 am

Quoting OA260 (Reply 13):
Yes it cost me £629/$1029 but its the one thing I really enjoy and use so its worth it for me. I also don't believe tying myself into these mortgage style mobile contracts so Im free to change SIMs etc...

Yup, this is the first phone I've had after reaching the very same conclusion. If you're after anything really top of the range these days then spanking around 600 quid is the only way.

Quoting caliatenza (Reply 12):
KNOX is really messing things up for the Dev community...apparently if you even try to unlock the bootloader now, the eFuse will blow and your phone will brick.

It sucks beyond belief. One of the best things about Android is being shat upon from a great height.

Quoting caliatenza (Reply 12):
Yeah i dont know why they did that, having an SD card and a removable battery is a real godsend and so helpful when you tinker with the phone.

I just can't understand it either - I don't see where the advantage is. For one thing, they lost the custom of me, my brother and many of my close friends over it - and I doubt we're unique in that regard. Fine, if people don't want the extra storage then they're free not to use it - but the tech is relatively simple, doesn't take up much room at all, so why the hell not give people the option??

Quoting nws2002 (Reply 10):
My experience with Android is limited to a Kindle Fire tablet

Ah, so zero then! Horrible fork with absurdly limited functionality. Yuck!

David L · Thu Dec 19, 2013 12:15 pm

Quoting RussianJet (Reply 15):
Quoting OA260 (Reply 13):Yes it cost me £629/$1029 but its the one thing I really enjoy and use so its worth it for me. I also don't believe tying myself into these mortgage style mobile contracts so Im free to change SIMs etc...
Yup, this is the first phone I've had after reaching the very same conclusion. If you're after anything really top of the range these days then spanking around 600 quid is the only way.

I guess it depends how you use your phone. My contract certainly doesn't cost me as much as £600 a year. Looking at prices on the web for the Z1, it's about break-even for me. There's also the little matter of my having been a Vodafone shareholder since they were created (it was actually the company that created Vodafone that I invested in) so it would take a ridiculous deal to persuade me to use another network. But that's just me.

CXB77L · Thu Dec 19, 2013 12:21 pm

I've already got the phone I want. I jumped on the smartphone bandwagon (finally) in October this year when I bought my first smartphone: a Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini. I'm very happy with it and probably will keep it for the next four to five years.

RussianJet · Thu Dec 19, 2013 12:54 pm

Quoting David L (Reply 16):
My contract certainly doesn't cost me as much as £600 a year.

You will not get the latest iphone, S4 or whatever on a single year contract, unless that contract costs you north of 60 pounds a month. 18 or in fact 24 months is essentially standard now in the UK, as you're probably aware.

Revelation · Thu Dec 19, 2013 1:55 pm

Quoting RussianJet (Reply 6):
their inexplicably stupid move away from expandable memory and removable battery is a total deal-breaker.

Me too. Apple's charges for extra storage are a total rip off. I always have a 2nd battery charged and ready to go in case I forget to charge the 1st one. I have it sitting in my car's center console plugged in to the 12v jack so it's there when I'm on the road. It was the main reason I did not go with an iPhone when I renewed last December.

Quoting RussianJet (Reply 6):
I have an additional 64GB on me memory card, making a total of 96GB storage. Before anyone chimes in with "nobody needs that much on a phone" or other such nonsense, it's already about 70% full. I'll decide how much memory I want thanks, and that'll be whatever the highest capacity card available on the day is (128 should be around in the next six months or so)!

I use my S3 as my main media player everywhere I go. My car, my home entertainment system and my Sennheiser headphones all do Bluetooth. It has my entire music collection as well as a set of audio books, podcasts and classroom lectures on it. I may be an extreme case, but it's absurd to spend the money that they want you to spend for extra flash.

Quoting RussianJet (Reply 9):
Have you tried many virtual keyboards?

I'm still rolling with the built in andriod stuff on my S3. Which ones do you like?

Quoting David L (Reply 14):
Now I have the SlideIt keyboard on all my Android devices

+1 for SlideIt...

RussianJet · Thu Dec 19, 2013 2:07 pm

Quoting Revelation (Reply 19):
I'm still rolling with the built in andriod stuff on my S3. Which ones do you like?

Swiftkey all the way.

Quoting Revelation (Reply 19):
Apple's charges for extra storage are a total rip off

Yes, that and the fact that when new tech comes out and you can double your memory capacity, you might want to be able to choose to do that!

Quoting Revelation (Reply 19):
I may be an extreme case, but it's absurd to spend the money that they want you to spend for extra flash.

I don't think you're as rare as you think. Music, films and TV take up loads of memory for me, and the Note 3 has a lovely big screen to watch it all on. Great for trains, planes and waiting around!

David L · Thu Dec 19, 2013 2:39 pm

Quoting RussianJet (Reply 18):
You will not get the latest iphone

Am I bothered?

Quoting RussianJet (Reply 18):
You will not get the latest iphone, S4 or whatever on a single year contract, unless that contract costs you north of 60 pounds a month. 18 or in fact 24 months is essentially standard now in the UK, as you're probably aware.

Oops, fair point. I've been on 18 month contracts.

edka · Thu Dec 19, 2013 2:49 pm

I have HTC One and it is brilliant...I can see how memory and non-removable battery could be an issue for some people
(not for me, as i am not a heavy user). I am glad i didnt go for iPhone 5S, which was my other choice...

Braybuddy · Thu Dec 19, 2013 2:56 pm

I'm more than happy with my Lumia 520. I really don't want to permanently carry a €500 piece of equipment around with me with all the risks attached and I have absolutely no interest in any "mine's bigger than yours" contest (which is probably a substitute for deficiencies in another department LOL). All I really want is a phone: I hate browsing the internet on a tiny screen and keyboard, so I hardly ever use it for that purpose (it's handy on holidays, that's about all).

RussianJet · Thu Dec 19, 2013 4:51 pm

Quoting Braybuddy (Reply 23):
I'm more than happy with my Lumia 520. I really don't want to permanently carry a €500 piece of equipment around with me with all the risks attached

That's a fair point, and it is a little scary if you think about it too much. Ultimately though, it's insured, backed up, and if a mugger wants it at knife point they can have it.

Quoting Braybuddy (Reply 23):
and I have absolutely no interest in any "mine's bigger than yours" contest (which is probably a substitute for deficiencies in another department LOL)

Hehe, thanks very much. Seriously though, having a big screen is simply a question of being optimum for my type of phone usage. It definitely won't suit everyone, and that's why we're having this discussion.

Quoting Braybuddy (Reply 23):
I hate browsing the internet on a tiny screen and keyboard

But big phones are no good?

Braybuddy · Thu Dec 19, 2013 5:00 pm

Quoting RussianJet (Reply 24):
But big phones are no good?

I'd need a phone with a 23" screen and PC keyboard . . . . .

DocLightning · Thu Dec 19, 2013 5:39 pm

Quoting RussianJet (Reply 6):
Meh! PiePhones.

It works 99.999% of the time as designed. Which is more than I can say about any Android phone I've ever met.

People say they love their Samsung this, HTC that, etc.

But you need to turn off the WiFi and BT when not in use or the battery goes dead
But the MP3 player turns on when there's an incoming call
But the GPS sometimes places you just outside HYD even though you're near SFO
But sometimes the screen goes blank and you need to pull out the battery and hard-reboot (my Android needed this four times daily on average).

All complaints I've heard from Android owners and never from an iPhone owner. My iPhone doesn't have all the bells and whistles and turbo memory, no. But it works.

David L · Thu Dec 19, 2013 5:44 pm

Quoting Braybuddy (Reply 23):

I had the option of the next size up but it wouldn't have fitted into the phone pocket of the jacket I'd recently spent quite a lot of money on (by my standards). That was the clincher for the Z1... more or less. That and the fact that I wouldn't like to take a chance on using a bigger phone on a windy day like the ones we're experiencing at the moment.

For news and sport I tend to use the BBC news and sports apps, for example, rather than a browser, though I find Dolphin just about bearable when I absolutely have to use a browser, which isn't very often.

David L · Thu Dec 19, 2013 5:56 pm

Quoting DocLightning (Reply 26):
But you need to turn off the WiFi and BT when not in use or the battery goes dead

I rarely turn the Wi-fi off and the battery life seems fine to me. I keep Bluetooth off most of the time because I hardly ever use it.

Quoting DocLightning (Reply 26):
But the MP3 player turns on when there's an incoming call
But the GPS sometimes places you just outside HYD even though you're near SFO
But sometimes the screen goes blank and you need to pull out the battery and hard-reboot

I had to remove the battery perhaps three times in two years on my previous phone and never on my tablet. I can't say I've ever experienced the other problems.

Acheron · Thu Dec 19, 2013 6:04 pm

Quoting DocLightning (Reply 26):
But you need to turn off the WiFi and BT when not in use or the battery goes dead
But the MP3 player turns on when there's an incoming call
But the GPS sometimes places you just outside HYD even though you're near SFO
But sometimes the screen goes blank and you need to pull out the battery and hard-reboot (my Android needed this four times daily on average).

None of that here. And I don't even have a top of the line Android phone.

zckls04 · Thu Dec 19, 2013 6:12 pm

Quoting DocLightning (Reply 26):
All complaints I've heard from Android owners and never from an iPhone owner.

Three out of those four have been issues on my last iPhone (Wifi usage, frequent reboots and GPS randomosity. Only one out of four on the android (Wifi & BT increasing battery usage, which it does on any phone of course).

The whole stability argument is a bit dated these days unless you compare a $600 iPhone with a $50 Android phone. Like for like there's very little difference. Each have their quirks and problems, each their advantages. IMO the iPhone scores higher in ease of use and design, the Android in functionality. But stability-wise there's very little difference anymore.

jamincan · Thu Dec 19, 2013 6:19 pm

Quoting nws2002 (Reply 5):

Blackberry Z30 - I just want to try it. I love BB, and the Q10 I have now is a very solid phone.

My Dad just bought one. It has better battery life than my Z10, but personally I don't think it looks quite as nice. The one thing that it really has going for it is it's reception. It is far and away better than any phone I have seen so far. My parents own a rural property, and he is the only person who gets reception, and 4-5 bars at that.

OA260 · Thu Dec 19, 2013 9:21 pm

Quoting RussianJet (Reply 24):
That's a fair point, and it is a little scary if you think about it too much. Ultimately though, it's insured, backed up, and if a mugger wants it at knife point they can have it.

Well you could take that argument to those that carry big and expensive cameras

Laptops/ cars etc.... Mine is insured and I am very careful where I use it when out and about. I don't walk down the street using it.

airtrainer · Thu Dec 19, 2013 9:50 pm

Well I'm still very happy with my iPhone 4 and don't intend to change for a new one until it's out of order.

B777LRF · Thu Dec 19, 2013 10:06 pm

This.

Sod modern technology

ACDC8 · Thu Dec 19, 2013 10:45 pm

I'm glad to see this thread. I'm currently looking for a new phone and am swinging between the iPhone 5s and Samsung Note3. While I do like the Note3, I'm wondering if it is just a bit too big, but seeing I use it mostly for internet browsing it is intriguing but I am still wondering if the size is going to be an issue carrying it around in a holster.

Also, I do have a Motorola Razr Droid which is Android base, and the updates keep changing the whole interface ... just setting the alarm has become a complicated ordeal which has changed 3 times since I bought it so I'm wondering if Apple's interface really is a bit more user friendly.

I also like the whole Samsung Gear idea, but is it really useful or is it just a gadget thats going to cause more problems then its worth?

RussianJet · Fri Dec 20, 2013 4:54 am

Quoting OA260 (Reply 32):
Mine is insured and I am very careful where I use it when out and about. I don't walk down the street using it.

That's just common sense.

Braybuddy · Fri Dec 20, 2013 8:09 am

Quoting RussianJet (Reply 36):
Quoting OA260 (Reply 32):
Mine is insured and I am very careful where I use it when out and about. I don't walk down the street using it.

That's just common sense

Sensible precaution indeed, but it's an expense I can very easily live without. I'd rather have an extra weekend on the continent, but then each to their own . . .

edka · Fri Dec 20, 2013 12:38 pm

Quoting DocLightning (Reply 26):
It works 99.999% of the time as designed. Which is more than I can say about any Android phone I've ever met.

People say they love their Samsung this, HTC that, etc.

But you need to turn off the WiFi and BT when not in use or the battery goes dead
But the MP3 player turns on when there's an incoming call
But the GPS sometimes places you just outside HYD even though you're near SFO
But sometimes the screen goes blank and you need to pull out the battery and hard-reboot (my Android needed this four times daily on average).

All complaints I've heard from Android owners and never from an iPhone owner. My iPhone doesn't have all the bells and whistles and turbo memory, no. But it works.

Hmmm, sounds like you are being unnecessarily defensive - do you not think there could be better product than iPhone out there?

I have no loyalty to any brand and was looking to replace my old BB four months ago. I was seriously considering iPhone 5S, but I went for HTC One, because I thought it was :

1) Better looking
2) Had better picture
3) Had better sound
4) I really liked the BlinkFeed feature

So even though I have considered iPhone, once I looked into it and compared both, HTC One was a clear winner for me...So far I am very pleased with my choice.

After 4 months, all I can say is I have not had any issues so far with my HTC One. It is faster over Wifi compared with my wife's iPhone5S, which also keeps freezing once in a while and fingerprint stopped working about a week ago. She had it for two months...

[Edited 2013-12-20 05:01:07]

[Edited 2013-12-20 05:02:11]

Virginblue4 · Fri Dec 20, 2013 9:09 pm

Gold iPhone 5S. Just a few more days....

bjorn14 · Fri Jan 03, 2014 12:28 pm

Any opinions on the Lumia 1028?

mrg · Thu Jan 09, 2014 6:49 pm

Quoting bjorn14 (Reply 40):
Any opinions on the Lumia 1028?

I think you mean the Lumia 1020.

I've been using Windows Phone for over a year now. I have a Lumia 820. I'm very happy with Windows Phone 8. Most of the major must-have apps are available for WP8. The OS is very stable and simple to use. The start-screen is easy to configure. Email, Facebook and Twitter accounts are integrated directly into the OS.
Microsoft will be releasing a major update later this year which will allow developers more freedom with regard to API's. Also the next WP8 upgrade will allow closer intergration of Win8, Xbox and WP8. As an eco-system it will rival Apple.

The 1020 has a fantastic camera. Even the camera on my budget 820 is very good. Nokia is also making great effort to support developers who want to author apps for WP.

Offhand, the only thing I don't like about WP8 is the music playback. Microsoft really need to improve the native player.

You must however realise that WP is a closed system, like Apple's Ios. Android is (still) open- but that will probably change.

Rara · Thu Jan 09, 2014 7:27 pm

Quoting DocLightning (Reply 26):
People say they love their Samsung this, HTC that, etc.

But you need to turn off the WiFi and BT when not in use or the battery goes dead
But the MP3 player turns on when there's an incoming call
But the GPS sometimes places you just outside HYD even though you're near SFO
But sometimes the screen goes blank and you need to pull out the battery and hard-reboot (my Android needed this four times daily on average).

The thing is that with Android, there are good phones and bad phones. With iOS, there are only good phones. It's therefore better to compare phones, not operating systems. With the Android phones in the iPhone price range, you won't experience any of the troubles you list.

Quoting ACDC8 (Reply 35):
I'm glad to see this thread. I'm currently looking for a new phone and am swinging between the iPhone 5s and Samsung Note3. While I do like the Note3, I'm wondering if it is just a bit too big, but seeing I use it mostly for internet browsing it is intriguing but I am still wondering if the size is going to be an issue carrying it around in a holster.

Can you get the Note 3 from a store where you can return it if you don't like it, and try it out for two weeks or so?

When I got my Note 2, I was concerned that it may be just a tad too big. After a week, that concern was totally gone. You get used to it so fast, it's amazing. All other phones seem tiny to me now.

CaliAtenza · Thu Jan 09, 2014 9:04 pm

Well the developers on XDA are amazing; they managed to deliver a Stock Android 4.3 ROM for my Galaxy S3 that has KNOX (why as a consumer would i need enterprise security) taken out and the bootloader removed as well. Now if they can keep doing that for Samsung phones, then i'll stick with Samsung.

Aeri28 · Fri Jan 10, 2014 12:48 am

I couldn't care less about phones being locked etc, that being said, I am gearing up for the Galaxy Note 3 as well as Iv'e been waiting for that one for a few months. Contract from Verizon is up on Feb 6 and I should be able to get the phone around that date. I am looking forward to it. I've been with Verizon for four years and have had zero issues and am fine with their offerings and service. I switched over to them 4 yrs ago when the original Motorola Droid came out, then 2 years ago I switched to the Motorola Droid RAZR in purple and I guess will give the big Samsung a try. I have had few issues with Motorola but am interested in moving away from the Droid offerings now. Personally I think the HTC one is beautiful but I am looking for a big phone as I do not want a tablet and I like to watch youtube things and basically run my life off of a device, so it shoudl fit well. My point with the HTC One or the larger one is that I really really DO want the S Pen Stylus that the Samsung has,. I had a Palm Treo years ago and loved the stylus, my fingers also are too large for me to truly function with the onscreen keyboard offerings even though I use Swype, I still want the stulus experience.

Not a huge fan of the Samsung UI, but I ll deal with that. I like the covers/backs/ that are on offer for the Note 3 from various sources.

Never fell for the iphone offering. Love Android all the way!

Alias1024 · Fri Jan 10, 2014 1:20 am

None

I've never hankered after any phone. They just don't interest me that much. I have an iPhone but mostly because having a smartphone makes modern life much easier for an airline pilot. I got a Blackberry about five years ago so I could more easily have access to email, look at weather charts and radar from the flight deck between flights, and access my company's employee website while on trips. When it wore out I got an iPhone 4S because it was easy to use and I already had a MacBook at home, with plenty of songs purchased through iTunes. When it wears out I'll look at what's out there but likely end up with another iPhone.

Some people always have to have the newest technology, or a fancy new car, or the most current high fashions. That's fine, but I'm not one of them.

CaliAtenza · Fri Jan 10, 2014 2:24 am

Quoting Aeri28 (Reply 44):
I couldn't care less about phones being locked etc, that being said, I am gearing up for the Galaxy Note 3 as well as Iv'e been waiting for that one for a few months. Contract from Verizon is up on Feb 6 and I should be able to get the phone around that date. I am looking forward to it. I've been with Verizon for four years and have had zero issues and am fine with their offerings and service. I switched over to them 4 yrs ago when the original Motorola Droid came out, then 2 years ago I switched to the Motorola Droid RAZR in purple and I guess will give the big Samsung a try. I have had few issues with Motorola but am interested in moving away from the Droid offerings now. Personally I think the HTC one is beautiful but I am looking for a big phone as I do not want a tablet and I like to watch youtube things and basically run my life off of a device, so it shoudl fit well. My point with the HTC One or the larger one is that I really really DO want the S Pen Stylus that the Samsung has,. I had a Palm Treo years ago and loved the stylus, my fingers also are too large for me to truly function with the onscreen keyboard offerings even though I use Swype, I still want the stulus experience.

Not a huge fan of the Samsung UI, but I ll deal with that. I like the covers/backs/ that are on offer for the Note 3 from various sources.

Never fell for the iphone offering. Love Android all the way!

I care because Android/Google is supposed to be an open and free environment, allowing developers to do whatever they want. But when manufacturers and carriers start locking things down, its no better than Apple with their mobile products (iPhone, iPad, etc). At least XDA is around to break through the restrictions.

The Note 3 is pretty sick; my whole family is on Verizon and my Dad just got the Note 3...he loves it

. He has an iPhone5c on his other line. I'm waiting for my upgrade on April 28th; its going to be between the Galaxy S5 and the update to the HTC One; rumors say it will be the One+

YVRLTN · Fri Jan 10, 2014 2:53 am

Quoting airnorth (Reply 7):
Blackberry Q10 for me, have heard a lot of good reports, and well, I still like the keyboard, and the security, maybe its just perceived security? Most importantly, its Canadian technology!! Even though there are only 120,000 apps.... I've always wondered how many apps we need though .....really?

I have the Z10, which is basically the same just with the touch screen instead of the keyboard. As it is a work phone, I do like the BB's for working (as opposed to entertaining me), but maybe because I have known nothing different, started off with the original one with the wheel on the side! When choosing, I did have a choice of the iPhone 5S or Z10, but all the IT guys said they all preferred the Z10 and the 5S users actually switched to the Z10, so having never been an Apple user I went with the Z10.

It is a great phone, it is fast, big screen and looks good. Even after 9 months, I regularly get comments "oh is that the new Z10, looks amazing!". Some annoying functionality, like I hate the sideways screen so I put on the scroll lock, but it has a habit of disengaging and its often a pain to get the screen the right way around again. Others are it randomly switches off to refresh or update or something which is extremely annoying if you are in the middle of something, its horrible to cut and paste text and the auto spelling select is kinda cool for regular typing, but anything irregular like work related codes /acronyms - or plane reg's

is very annoying. And yes, the battery life is a problem. If forced to use it all day when travelling, well, you dont make it all day. It also gets pretty warm which I have never experienced before. But it does charge very fast.

And yes, the 120,000 apps is crap - I have found very few of much use, not that I am into such things very much anyway. And the ones that are there dont functional that wel,, incl Flightaware which doesnt function at all when searching by airport.

FlyKev · Sat Jan 11, 2014 12:00 am

Quoting RussianJet (Reply 18):
You will not get the latest iphone, S4 or whatever on a single year contract, unless that contract costs you north of 60 pounds a month. 18 or in fact 24 months is essentially standard now in the UK, as you're probably aware.

I got my HTC One, (could have had an S4 on the same deal) for free; Vodafone at £47 and I have a 12 month plan. 12 Months is important for me, and for me I think its good enough value.

The HTC One is easily the best Android phone I have owned and even 6 months in still feels snappy and responsive; and looks great.

Kev.

greasespot · Sat Jan 11, 2014 12:55 am

Nexus 5. Got it at the beginning of December. I broke my S3 in November.

I always thought my S3 seemed cheap feeling compared to my Iphone. The Nexus seems like the same quality as the iphone.

GS

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