What type of phone to get?

[mrubin 0]

So its almost time for me to get a new phone and I'm not sure what to pick. For all you tech types out there, what are your suggestions? My last two phones have been in the Samsung Galaxy series and I've been very happy with them. Am I better off sticking with android? Or should I drink the kool aid and join the iphone crowd?

"I fly because it releases my mind from the tyranny of petty things." - Antoine de Saint-Exupery

[grue 1]

mrubin

So its almost time for me to get a new phone and I'm not sure what to pick. For all you tech types out there, what are your suggestions? My last two phones have been in the Samsung Galaxy series and I've been very happy with them. Am I better off sticking with android? Or should I drink the kool aid and join the iphone crowd?

How about whatever is best for your personal use cases and needs, rather than whatever others think is best for you?

For me, I use an iPhone. Why? Because it's the most efficient tool for my job and life. If I found that my job or life would become easier by getting an Android device, I'd buy one of those instead.

cavete terrae.

[quade 3]

^^^ Yep. Pretty much what he said.

The ecosystem you are invested in and how well it suits your needs is far more importantly than anyone else's opinion.

I personally can not stand pretty much anything Google does because their concept of user interface is, I think, absolutely awful AND on top of that I can't count on any of their products, even popular ones, being around in the future. They have a very poor track record when it comes to keeping products alive.

But, that's just me. I know people who love them.

One other thing to consider, Google is not fully committed to your privacy. They say they want to, but the fact is the reason so much of their stuff is free is because it's not the product; you are. I also am aware some people are fine with that as long as they get their "stuff" for "free."

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[normiss 622]

"I personally can not stand pretty much anything Google does because their concept of user interface is, I think, absolutely awful AND on top of that I can't count on any of their products, even popular ones, being around in the future. They have a very poor track record when it comes to keeping products alive."

No kidding. I'll give you my Google TV if you like.
Hell, you can have to Chromecast too, it also sucks.

[mrubin 0]

grue

How about whatever is best for your personal use cases and needs, rather than whatever others think is best for you?

My personal needs for a phone are met by both. Looking at my original post, I realize that I didn't clearly ask what I was intending to ask so I'll rephrase my question.

What are all of you using and why? Are there any specific functions or features that you find particularly useful? Have you encountered any problems with either OS that made you want to switch?

"I fly because it releases my mind from the tyranny of petty things." - Antoine de Saint-Exupery

[FlyingRhenquest 1]

I'm doing reasonably well with a Samsung Galaxy 6 rooted and installed with a lollipop build of Cyanogenmod. The first few nightly builds had fairly unstable bluetooth, but they mostly seem to have sorted that out by now. Samsung's default UI is atrocious, though. I always approach it thinking I'll keep an open mind about it and then always end up rooting and replacing it in less than a week. I guess one of the telcos (I want to say Verision) locks the phone down so you can't install a different android version, so it's a good idea to choose a phone first and then make sure you can do what you want to it.

Friend of mine has an iphone and my impression of it is that it's constantly running out of battery.

I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

[NWFlyer 2]

mrubin

What are all of you using and why? Are there any specific functions or features that you find particularly useful? Have you encountered any problems with either OS that made you want to switch?

I use both. Galaxy S5 as my personal phone, iPhone 5s as my work phone. I had the iPhone for a while before I bought the S5 (to replace my previous Android OS phone), and it didn't convince me to become an iPhone owner for my personal use. That's not to say I haven't been pretty happy with the iPhone for work (it's a huge improvement over the BlackBerry I had before that), just that I didn't find it demonstrably better to make a switch. I am comfortable and happy with the Android world.

Now that the Swype keyboard is able to be used on the iPhone, I find the usability of the two to be substantially similar enough that it doesn't drive me crazy when I switch back and forth.

(Edit to also add that my work usage is pretty limited - I use it for corporate email, calendar, contacts, and lots of phone calls. Most every app I have is tightly-managed corporate-standard stuff. It works great for all of that, and the integration with our corporate systems is much more smooth than was our integration under BlackBerry. I've downloaded very few additional apps onto the iPhone given that it's my work phone and I like to keep it work-focused.)

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[quade 3]

FlyingRhenquest

Friend of mine has an iphone and my impression of it is that it's constantly running out of battery.

It's possible he hasn't managed his battery usage by 3rd party apps very well. Some 3rd party apps have default settings which are battery hogs. I'll also admit that if he hasn't managed the iOS apps, that can also cause a bit of an issue, but it's generally the 3rd party ones that are horrible.

Unfortunately, most app developers, manufacturer or 3rd party, do have a tendency to want to show off their wizz-bang and by default have their apps do all sorts of things that hog battery.

Manage that and the iPhone battery life is generally favorably comparable to all the top models of all the other manufacturers.

Don't manage it, and well . . . suffer.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[DanG 1]

This thread should be moved to Speaker's Corner. It's only a matter of time before people start calling each other "sheeple" and "Nazi"

I use an iPhone because I don't feel like devoting free time toward getting my phone to work. It may not be "the best" but it works fine right out of the box.

- Dan G

[Stumpy 256]

mrubin

So its almost time for me to get a new phone and I'm not sure what to pick. For all you tech types out there, what are your suggestions? My last two phones have been in the Samsung Galaxy series and I've been very happy with them. Am I better off sticking with android? Or should I drink the kool aid and join the iphone crowd?

I'd stick with Android. They both have their faults - for my money, Google is the least restrictive.

Never try to eat more than you can lift

[ryoder 1,384]

I've never used an Android, so I can't evaluate it.

I have an iPhone, and the other day when the local Comcast network took a dive, I was pleasantly surprised to see how easy it was to use the iPhone tethering to get online and access the Comcast website to check for reported outages:
1. Plug iPhone into USB port on Macbook.
2. Turn on iPhone tethering.
3. On Mini, select USB network interface.

"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

[FlyingRhenquest 1]

ryoder

I've never used an Android, so I can't evaluate it.

I have an iPhone, and the other day when the local Comcast network took a dive, I was pleasantly surprised to see how easy it was to use the iPhone tethering to get online and access the Comcast website to check for reported outages:
1. Plug iPhone into USB port on Macbook.
2. Turn on iPhone tethering.
3. On Mini, select USB network interface.

It's even easier on my rooted cyanogen phone:

1. Turn on laptop
2. Connect to the WAP "FBI Surveillance Van"

If you've ever seen that access point at a DZ, panicked and flushed all your weed down the toilet, sorry about that.

I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

[promise5 17]

iPhone !!!
I love the smileys

No matter how slowly you say oranges it never sounds like gullible.
Believe me I tried.

[mrubin 0]

promise5

iPhone !!!
I love the smileys

That's my fiancée's argument too.

"I fly because it releases my mind from the tyranny of petty things." - Antoine de Saint-Exupery

[billvon 2,400]

If Android works for you, stick with it. I use a Galaxy 5 for my phone and a Tab 3 for work, and I like them both. If I had to choose one I'd probably go with the Tab, since most of my talking on it uses a headset anyway, so the bigger size isn't awkward. (And longer battery life, and bigger screen, and it still fits in your pocket.)

[Andy9o8 0]

I have a Galaxy and like it. And I like the idea of being able to quickly pop the battery out to re-boot it if it freezes up. Back when I bought my very first smartphone and was deciding between iphone & Android, that was a selling point. For me, at least.

[turtlespeed 212]

Andy9o8

I have a Galaxy and like it. And I like the idea of being able to quickly pop the battery out to re-boot it if it freezes up. Back when I bought my very first smartphone and was deciding between iphone & Android, that was a selling point. For me, at least.

Droid Maxx . . . Good battery, and then an iPad.

I'm not usually into the whole 3-way thing, but you got me a little excited with that. - Skymama
BTR #1 / OTB^5 Official #2 / Hellfish #408 / VSCR #108/Tortuga/Orfun

[DanG 1]

Quote

I have a Galaxy and like it. And I like the idea of being able to quickly pop the battery out to re-boot it if it freezes up. Back when I bought my very first smartphone and was deciding between iphone & Android, that was a selling point. For me, at least.

Although some might argue that the solve for that would be to get an iPhone, since they don't randomly freeze up.

- Dan G

[Andy9o8 0]

DanG

Quote

I have a Galaxy and like it. And I like the idea of being able to quickly pop the battery out to re-boot it if it freezes up. Back when I bought my very first smartphone and was deciding between iphone & Android, that was a selling point. For me, at least.

Although some might argue that the solve for that would be to get an iPhone, since they don't randomly freeze up.

Ever? (I really don't know).

The other thing an easy pop out battery does is it lets you have more than 1 battery on hand so when your charge is low you can just quickly switch out a fresh battery instead of having to recharge. Great convenience when you're on the run.

[turtlespeed 212]

Andy9o8

***

Quote

I have a Galaxy and like it. And I like the idea of being able to quickly pop the battery out to re-boot it if it freezes up. Back when I bought my very first smartphone and was deciding between iphone & Android, that was a selling point. For me, at least.

Although some might argue that the solve for that would be to get an iPhone, since they don't randomly freeze up.

Ever? (I really don't know).

The other thing an easy pop out battery does is it lets you have more than 1 battery on hand so when your charge is low you can just quickly switch out a fresh battery instead of having to recharge. Great convenience when you're on the run.

Are you on the lam again?

I'm not usually into the whole 3-way thing, but you got me a little excited with that. - Skymama
BTR #1 / OTB^5 Official #2 / Hellfish #408 / VSCR #108/Tortuga/Orfun

[FlyingRhenquest 1]

Andy9o8

Ever? (I really don't know).

The other thing an easy pop out battery does is it lets you have more than 1 battery on hand so when your charge is low you can just quickly switch out a fresh battery instead of having to recharge. Great convenience when you're on the run.

Does anyone actually do that? I know several people who cite that as the reason they got an android phone, but none of them actually carry a spare battery around and I've never seen them swap one. I suppose it doesn't hurt that I can forget to plug my phone in at night and it'll still be at a 75% charge the next morning. I've gone a couple days without plugging it in and still had over 25% charge when I finally did.

I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

[DanG 1]

Quote

Ever? (I really don't know).

On early iPhones it happened. I still have what some people consider an early iPhone (4S, they are currently at 6) and I can't remember the last time it took a crap. I've never had one not respond to the power button, so a shutdown without removing the battery has never been a problem.

- Dan G

[Andy9o8 0]

FlyingRhenquest

***

Ever? (I really don't know).

The other thing an easy pop out battery does is it lets you have more than 1 battery on hand so when your charge is low you can just quickly switch out a fresh battery instead of having to recharge. Great convenience when you're on the run.

Does anyone actually do that?
My one daughter does & swears by it.
I wish i could convince my stubborn wife to do it. She burns thru her battery daily (don't ask ) & in the evening when we need to coordinate she's always "phone about to die."

[FlyingRhenquest 1]

Andy9o8

My one daughter does & swears by it.
I wish i could convince my stubborn wife to do it. She burns thru her battery daily (don't ask ) & in the evening when we need to coordinate she's always "phone about to die."

Huh. Well the other thing you can do with android phones is get a larger battery and a case mod so it'll fit. Makes the phone a bit fatter, but that might be worth double the battery life in some cases!

I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

[Stumpy 256]

DanG

Quote

Ever? (I really don't know).

On early iPhones it happened. I still have what some people consider an early iPhone (4S, they are currently at 6) and I can't remember the last time it took a crap. I've never had one not respond to the power button, so a shutdown without removing the battery has never been a problem.

My wife's iPhone 5 craps out every month or two. My oneplus has never done it but I expect it will at some point.

Never try to eat more than you can lift