patrick.net

leo707 says

rootvg says

because they WORK.

Ah, haha a line right from the video!

I said it because we heard basically the same thing not only from my director and VP but also our CIO.

FortWayne says

Someone finally collected rent in Phoenix.

Oh snap!

I got an iPhone for the first time less than a year ago after owning various other brands for years. I'll even state that I hated the idea of having an iPhone. But after having one myself, I gotta' say that the iPhone is just.... nice. Its not necessarily the gadgets and features, but how well all of those things are assembled, thought out, and laid out. The iPhone in my opinion does the best job of integrating all of those features in a way thats simply easier to use. The UI is also superior to anything I've used previously. As someone else mentioned- it just works.

Roberto, got new one? If so, what is it?

Just remembered this thread exists, want to know what's going on.

edvard2 says

The UI is also superior to anything I've used previously. As someone else mentioned- it just works.

Except for the fritzy button...oh, and all the things you get dinged for that used to be free with the Blackberry.

I visited a Verizon "premium store" today to inquire about the iPhone 5. I was curious about the dual band capability, because it contains a Qualcomm CDMA/GSM chip that could theoretically work with either, but I learned that in practice it cannot do both.

They said the Verizon iPhone comes locked to Verizon with a SIM card for LTE. After 90 days, customers can request to have the phone unlocked, remove the LTE SIM card and put in a GSM SIM card for travel. But, it is not a dual band phone, because it can only work with one or the other.

Other phones that cost less do offer dual band capability, but not the iPhone.

This summarizes my frustration with the iPhone and the fact that Samsung chose to copy the iPhone rather than innovating something better. The iPhone looks impressive, because it's pretty and well integrated. The Samsung looks nice too, because it looks like a bigger iPhone. But the problem is what isn't there. Steve Jobs chose to over-simplify the iPhone, and then, incredibly, Samsung chose to copy in order to chase the same customers rather than innovate by putting in all the features Apple had left out. As impressive as these phones look, they are extremely limited compared to what is already possible: dual band, infrared, USB, SDHC.

You have a "choice" between a very thin phone with a pretty and simplified look, or another very thin phone with a pretty and simplified look. Both are locked to the manufacturer's primary customers, i.e. the phone companies, and advertised to the public on the basis of being dumbed down. On the surface you can choose the white one or the black one, but aside from color they are designed to be as nearly indistinguishable as possible, and to ignore the potential of what they should be able to do.

lostand confused says

I guess I am the only one with a "dumb" phone.

Nope - I've got you beat. I don't own a cell phone. The only phone that I have doesn't work if I go past the neighbor's house.

robertoaribas says

So.... what do you guys think?

Samsung s4 or HTC one? or wait for next Iphone :-)

I would suggest comparing the infrared capabilities, and the reviews I've seen report that HTC One may have the advantage there:

Smartphones start getting Infrared - at long last

Subjectively, I do think Samsung tried deliberately to copy the iPhone, and thus delayed smartphone innovation for years because R&D went for either the iPhone (oversimplified IMO) or attempts to copy the iPhone. The iPhone still doesn't have IR, based on the Apple view that "less is more" (which it isn't). So, I'm leaning towards HTC, or possibly waiting until summer to see what the next iPhone offers.

I'd take the iPhone 5. Best hardware and software IMO. Best support. Best apps. Best resale. I like the iPhone form factor better also, the S3 is way too big. If you like to fiddle and tweak, iOS can be "rooted" (aka jailbroken) just like Android. If you don't, iOS is very maintenance free. Also iPhones get OS updates for years so are much more future proof than Android phones.

S4

It's ridiculous, it has refined and re-defined smartphones.

You should check out the note 3. Its supposed to be announced in early September and should be top of the line

I am going to take Lumia side... I moved from iphone4 to lumia, I am not going back again.

But before you make the decision, make sure all apps you need are there on Windows. If you are on att, try Lumia 1020... you never have to take SLR with you again, let alone point and shoot

I think the best phone is now the HTC One, but the recently announced LG G2 will arrive in the weeks ahead with a 13 Megapixel camera and a larger screen.

Does anyone know if Amazon will introduce a phone this year? I see speculative reports citing anonymous sources but few details and no confirmation.

meetyaks says

I am going to take Lumia side... I moved from iphone4 to lumia, I am not going back again.

But before you make the decision, make sure all apps you need are there on Windows. If you are on att, try Lumia 1020... you never have to take SLR with you again, let alone point and shoot

Yeah, apps is the big downside for Windows; not the most important thing for me.

I recently got the Lumia 1020 from the windows store (came with a free camera grip), got an unlock code for the phone and switched my plan from AT&T to T-Mobile. The money I am saving moving to T-Mobile makes up for the upfront cost of the phone.

Having experience with Android and Symbian I am finding that I prefer the Windows Phone over both. (I know an OS better than Symbian, I was shocked too!)

Most importantly call quality is excellent. The camera is great, and I also am a big fan of the Nokia map apps that come with the phone.

I'm writing this message on a Google Nexus 4. I paid $300 for the phone unlocked and $50 a month for unlimited everything. An iPhone will cost you $100 for the phone and about $100 a month for the service. The iPhone will cost you about $1,000 more over a two year time frame plus you are locked into your contract. I think the Google Nexus is the most cost-effective smart phone on the market.

I'm pretty happy with my iPhone 4S at present.

Now that it's unlocked by AT&T, I'll probably pick up and move the family to T-Mobile.

robertoaribas says

tmobile cut my monthly bill by a lot, but now I have to pay full price for the phone, and i'm basically cheap! [the bill dropped by 100 a month though, so that can pay for new phones pretty often]

Well, let's be honest -- when subsidized we were always paying more than full price for the phone.

With T-Mobile you can basically now get an interest free loan, spreading the cost of your phone over two-years, if you don't want to pay upfront. I believe that now they are even doing $0 down for several top phones.

epitaph says

I paid $300 for the phone unlocked and $50 a month for unlimited everything.

What carrier?

leo707 says

What carrier?

T-Mobile Prepaid. They have a $30 plan too but the data isn't unlimited. The great thing about having an unlocked phone is that you can choose whichever carrier has the best plan for you, and they are almost always cheaper than it would be if you had a contract.

epitaph says

T-Mobile Prepaid. They have a $30 plan too but the data isn't unlimited.

Ah, yeah, I have the same plan with T-Mobile. Yes, "Unlimited" data, but you get choked after you pass 500MB. Being that I am mostly on WiFi I rarely pass 400MB in a month.

leo707 says

Well, let's be honest -- when subsidized we were always paying more than full price for the phone... "Unlimited" data, but you get choked after you pass 500MB. Being that I am mostly on WiFi I rarely pass 400MB in a month.

I can't stand phony pricing. I switched to Telna. Same GSM, clearer pricing, and for me it's cheaper because I am mostly on WiFi. I pay $20/year for the SIM card, which includes all domestic SMS and all incoming SMS anywhere, and then reasonable fees for other cellular use.