Smartphone help
- Started
- Last post
- 17 Responses
- twokids
I am just about to get my first smartphone (currently still using Samsung Rant) as my contract with Sprint is finally up as of April 1. Please help me understand these things:
-- For general smartphone usage (phone, text, some web surfing, etc..), is 4G that much better than 3G?
-- Is a high end smartphone, be it iPhone4 or HTC Evo or whatever that much better than iPhone3 or a lesser Android? (You can get an iPhone3 for $49 from ATT)
-- Is Blackberry worth considering (you can get them cheap....)?thanks anyone who takes time to answer.
- manonthestreet0
4g is better than 3g, but most carriers in the US do not have real 4g. They have 3g that they package as 4g.
If you are getting a new contract you are getting a new phone. Use the contract to get the best price.
- vaxorcist0
Have a party, invite all your friends with smartphones, see whose phone/network actually works in your house, some smartphones have worse reception than plain old phones...
- d_rek0
Which phone you want is really a matter of personal preference and budget...
I've found that while the phone itself may be reasonably priced the services across the board are pretty steep for data usage. Also, just be aware of providers like sprint who charge you an extra monthly fee for 'premium' data.
You're probably look at an $80/month minimum for a smart phone through any US service providers. It only goes up from there.
- voiceof0
4G is definitely better than 3G when you get it. I pull down around 6mbs outside my office with 4G but can still do everything I need with 3G.
I have an EVO and my wife has a Hero and I can say the EVO is infinitely better than the hero. I would recommend getting a phone with 1ghz+ processor and plenty of RAM if possible.
If you can get on a family plan. My plan is split between me and my wife and my brother and his wife and with unlimited Data, texting and mobile-to-mobile calling (1500 minutes to landlines and roaming which we never go over) and we pay 115 a month which includes the plan, the insurance on two phones and the $10 "premium data" mentioned above.
- Hombre_Lobo0
i sens an apple vs android thread...
lets try to be careful people!- i am looking at apple as well. i care not....just want to get the landscapetwokids
- twokids0
now its on....
here is the question, never having had a smartphone, is is stupid to get an iPhone 3 for $49?
- Not at all - but research the plans before making a commitment and signing anything. $50 for the phone but $80+/month for the services... also, remember, it's for 2 yearsd_rek
- $80+/month for your plan... also, research your providers coverage in your aread_rek
- you don't want a provider who offers shit coverage in your area and be paying out your assd_rek
- for features you don't get to take advantage ofd_rek
- Hombre_Lobo0
ive been whoring smartphone forums recently, geek style, deciding what to get next.
"-- Is a high end smartphone, be it iPhone4 or HTC Evo or whatever that much better than iPhone3 or a lesser Android?"
im still on an iphone 3gs, and its fine, i prefer android, but i wouldnt upgrade to an iphone 4 personally. its camera is good, but not much else on it interests me.Ultimately its what you prefer, android or apple or windows phone.
Android is very customisable, its open source so they let developers do as they please with the operating systems, which means there are many 'flavors' of operating system to choose from. It also has flash content on web browsing. Really easy to copy music vids and apps to to android, just plug it in, no drivers needed, drag and drop.
Apple isn't open source, they like you to do thing thier way, so they are no way as customisable as android devices, but for most people this isnt a problem at all as many people like the interface. No flash content on web browsing for apple devices. Have to use itunes to transfer content to the iphone (android is drag and drop onto the sd card)
Pick up an android phone, pick an apple phone, pick up a windows phone, see which you prefer. If you like to have full control over your phone, installing what you like, changing os etc go android.
if you prefer apple iphones, get one of those.
Dont write off windows phones because they arent popular, i had a go on one and thought it was great, really nice interface.
- Hombre_Lobo0
also, you will get better value for your money on android devices, as all apple products are priced at a premium, which a lot people are happy to pay.
- Hombre_Lobo0
however, in the next month dual core phones are coming out.
Dual core android devices set to be released over the next few months -
LG Optimus 2x
LG Optimus 3D
Motorola Atrix 4G
Samsung Galaxy S IIgaming benchmarks (not all phones are bench marked) -
the new graphics in these dual core phones (tegra 2) will be a standard for gaming devices, which with it being produces by nvidia will get a lot of support and hopefully lots of games.
page load performance -
cpu performance -
sources -
http://www.anandtech.com/show/41…
http://www.anandtech.com/show/41…- the atrix has a higher resolution screen, making it work harder in gaming. hence its lower score than the 2x.Hombre_Lobo
- Hombre_Lobo0
in regard to your ram and cpu question.
aim for a 1ghz processor and 512mb+ of ramThe samsung galaxy S (aka fascinate, captivate, vibrant) is the most powerful android phone available (until dual core comes out) and that has a 1ghz processor and 512mb. and an excellent graphics unit, the best of any current android phone.
and as vaxorcist said, 2.2 android is vastly better than 2.1 android. This is thanks to its 'Just In Time compiler' (JIT).
- Hombre_Lobo0
- Super AMOLED display too, great contrast, vibrant colors.Hombre_Lobo
- manonthestreet0
If you wait until tomorrow I will have a brand new android phone to give you an honest comparison of what the difference is between an older phone and a new one.
I currently have a g1 running 1.6, tomorrow I will have a g2 running 2.2 [tmobile]
- raf0
3Gs is good enough for everything but the battery sucks. No Angry Birds for you unless you can keep it charging while you play.
Don't try the iPhone 4 though, after a day with this screen it's hard to go back.
- Hombre_Lobo0
^that with the slide out keyboard??
Aka desire z? If so it's meant to be a beast!
- fiver0
looking at doing the same thing. 50 bucks for 3gs seems worth it, but maybe i'm wrong? thinking of finally jumping into the smart phone world.