Shopping for a Smart Phone - Suggestions requested - Ideas?
- Thread starter NorthStar
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I think the Moto X is made in Texas. I believe Motorola lost their mojo because: they don't advertise heavily, their cameras are pretty mediocre, and other than the Moto X, their lineup hasn't changed all that much for a long time. I've been a longtime and loyal Motorola wireless fan and I felt that their last lineup of phones left a bit to be desired compared to the competition.
NorthStar
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- #64
I'm becoming more and more a believer by the minute. ...And hope to never die for the next eternity.
I'm now more inclined towards the iPhone 4S. ...Big difference against the 5S?
...Forget the money; just "cool" factor, and battery life, and heat, and ergonomics, and solidity, and performance of course.
This is great Matt! I'm very inclined towards the Samsung Galaxy S3 right now, because the S4 is $700 (over my ceiling).
Is there a big difference between the S3 ($450) and the S4?
????? Not a Samsung Galaxy S4 (or S3)? ...I'm confused now, not that you intended to or that I wanted to, but still confused nonetheless.
Oh ya, it's part of the plan. ...The "outdated" part.
My buddy bought a S4, coming from a S3. He said that the phone fits much better in his hand, the screen responds better, it's snappier, and has much better reception. One thing I heard over and over about the S3 was how poor the reception was (CDMA versions so YMMV).
The reason why I don't suggest the S4 is that I believe that there are other phones that are better than it for the price. If you can get one cheap on contract, it's not bad. Again, my big beef with it is the reception, and the fact that they keep messing around with the software on my phone. I don't know what kind of coverage you have in your part of the world, but the coverage here can be spotty/nonexistent so I am very picky when it comes to having a phone that gets good reception. 3 watt bag phone anybody?
If you're looking for an older (less expensive) phone that will have good long term support, I think an Apple product is going to be your best bet. If you don't care about support or fancy features, buy a newer non current model (Apple or Android) off of craigslist or ebay and save some money.
What about the 5C, Bob? One of my coworkers just traded his S4 for the 5C and likes it a lot.
NorthStar
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- #68
#1 - No contract.
#2 - No monthly payments, ever!
#3 - Just a simple smart touchscreen phone that works great and that is affordable.
That is all I honestly want. ...Last year model I don't care, as long as it is reasonably priced and with top notch overall performance.
Is there such a thing on this planet of ours called Earth?
#2 - No monthly payments, ever!
#3 - Just a simple smart touchscreen phone that works great and that is affordable.
That is all I honestly want. ...Last year model I don't care, as long as it is reasonably priced and with top notch overall performance.
Is there such a thing on this planet of ours called Earth?
NorthStar
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- #69
My buddy bought a S4, coming from a S3. He said that the phone fits much better in his hand, the screen responds better, it's snappier, and has much better reception. One thing I heard over and over about the S3 was how poor the reception was (CDMA versions so YMMV).
The reason why I don't suggest the S4 is that I believe that there are other phones that are better than it for the price. If you can get one cheap on contract, it's not bad. Again, my big beef with it is the reception, and the fact that they keep messing around with the software on my phone. I don't know what kind of coverage you have in your part of the world, but the coverage here can be spotty/nonexistent so I am very picky when it comes to having a phone that gets good reception. 3 watt bag phone anybody?
If you're looking for an older (less expensive) phone that will have good long term support, I think an Apple product is going to be your best bet. If you don't care about support or fancy features, buy a newer non current model (Apple or Android) off of craigslist or ebay and save some money.
But Matt, did you read Rob's post before? ...He said that iPhones cannot sync (sing) with based Windows Operating System PCs. ...Microsoft. ...And that they have many flaws.
To be totally honest with you Matt, and I love you very very much :heart: , you are the most confusing poster so far in this thread.
Apple iPhone 5C It's the less expensive iPhone.
Yes, I know I'm confusing.
Honestly Bob, don't over think this and buy whichever one appeals to you the most and fits your budget.
I think Petro85 hit it on the head:
Yes, I know I'm confusing.
Honestly Bob, don't over think this and buy whichever one appeals to you the most and fits your budget. I think Petro85 hit it on the head:
NorthStar
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- #72
Apple iPhone 5C It's the less expensive iPhone.
Yes, I know I'm confusing.
I think Petro85 hit it on the head:
I was just humorously exaggerating Matt.
...I'm a smart apple, and when comes the time to pull the trigger watch out for that target; it'll be a dead center bullseye.
But you guys know for sure how to steer one into his own direction, or away from it.
Steve is not only right regarding smart phones, but it also applies to most of the stuff in audio, and much much more.
...Cars, boats, watches, houses, wives.
I loved my 4S. It fit in my pocket better. The 5S is a nice upgrade, but I was very happy with my 4S.
It syncs perfectly with Windows via iTunes for Windows (which is FREE to download) - but I'm not sure about wirelessly. You would have to ask at the store. Go download iTunes for windows now and see what it looks like. Can't beat free. Now, what Apple has done is to create iCloud. So, your phone can sync to your free iCloud account. Wirelessly. Instantly. Automatically. Just ask at the store and continue to do your research.
NorthStar
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- #76
Yes Mike, it has to be Wi-Fi. ... 100% Wi-Fi (my smartphone won't ever be connected 'wirely').
By the way, iTunes is not on my radar at all; never used it (only briefly for curiosity sake in another past lifetime),
and I'm not expecting to in the near future, perhaps forever (till I die).
I'll ask details to the kids at the stores (hopefully they know something), and I'll search (goggle) for that iCloud stuff, and see if it fits with Windows.
By the way, iTunes is not on my radar at all; never used it (only briefly for curiosity sake in another past lifetime),
and I'm not expecting to in the near future, perhaps forever (till I die).
I'll ask details to the kids at the stores (hopefully they know something), and I'll search (goggle) for that iCloud stuff, and see if it fits with Windows.
Bob - you use iTunes with all "i" devices (iPhone, iPad, iPod) to sync with any one (or all) of those devices. That being said, for the main stuff (and probably everything you could ever want), wirelessly through iCloud.
dlb2
New member
Bob, I don't mean to throw a wrench in here but...
I've had my 4S for just over a year. I'm a firm believer that when there is a software update that it's for the better so I always update to the latest greatest. However, the last update made my wi-fi die. Something to do with the wi-fi chip overheating due to the nature of the new OS. Apparently this is only a problem with the 4S phone because of the particular chip in it so going with a 5 series phone should be okay. Of course all of this happened just a month past my warranty date so I'm screwed unless I buy a new phone. I've been a loyal Apple customer for 25 years but this has got me thinking about going with Samsung or something like that in the future just as a change of pace. YMMV of course, and probably will because my son and I got our phones at the same time and his wi-fi still works just fine.
I've had my 4S for just over a year. I'm a firm believer that when there is a software update that it's for the better so I always update to the latest greatest. However, the last update made my wi-fi die. Something to do with the wi-fi chip overheating due to the nature of the new OS. Apparently this is only a problem with the 4S phone because of the particular chip in it so going with a 5 series phone should be okay. Of course all of this happened just a month past my warranty date so I'm screwed unless I buy a new phone. I've been a loyal Apple customer for 25 years but this has got me thinking about going with Samsung or something like that in the future just as a change of pace. YMMV of course, and probably will because my son and I got our phones at the same time and his wi-fi still works just fine.
Doug - wow! That's the first I've heard of this. My wife still has her 4S and we have it always updated and no issues. I'm surprised Apple wouldn't have helped you out here.
Mike
Mike
dlb2
New member
Mike, I'm lucky to have an Apple store in a mall nearby so I went there to see what they could do for me. They restored the software, which I also did at home to no avail, but that did nothing. Unfortunately you cannot go back to an earlier version than what's installed at the time, which I don't get since they wipe your phone clean anyway. Since I was out of the warranty window my only option was/is to buy a new phone, but they could sell me an extended warranty with it!!! When updating the software you're made to agree to the terms in order to do so. Apparently this is the "out" as far as their responsibility goes. I will still only use Macs for home computing but as far as phones go this little hit has made me re-think what I use.
What stinks is that now I have to use 3G for everything so I need to keep an eye on my data usage during the month to make sure I don't go over. No more iTunes radio while I make dinner at night.
