Which should I pick up as my first smart phone?

[Guest Lester Weevils]

mikegideon, on 03 October 2012 - 02:34 PM, said:

I DO like the hotspot feature on the Droid. In fact, it's a necessity for me, since I have to tether a laptop to get into our company network via VPN. Never tried it on the iPhone, because I could just connect via VPN, and VNC into a machine on the network. I'll miss the hotspot feature if it's not available on the iphone.

I think iPhone has good hotspot support. A cousin is a photographer who recently did an extended canoe camping trip on "all the rivers in alabama" with his two dawgs, taking pictures and posting them up to web wherever he happened to be. Probably book fodder, as he has done some other motorcycle trip picture books I think. Anyway he said he uses his iPhone for hotspot.

Sprint recently added a motorola photon Q, android phone with 4.3" screen, really nice backlit slider keyboard with a fourth row of numeric buttons and arrow keys and big space bar, and wifi hotspot feature. Maybe the spoilsports haven't had a chance to pile on yet, but user reviews so far say the thing has "near the top rank" in battery life, good sound, loud speakerphone, and good telephone connectivity.

They mainly bitch that the 8 mp camera takes "washed out" pictures, but I haven't ever seen a phone I thought took a good picture, and I always have to computer optimize in photoshop before I'm happy with color balance and contrast of any electronic photos anyway. So as long as the pixels are there, washed-out can be fixed most likely. The CNET review that bitched about washed-out photos said it takes real good 1080p video, and didn't complain that the video looks washed out, which may have been an author oversight or maybe when the 8mp is squeezed down into 1080p the problem goes away. Not that I've ever been in the habit of using a phone or pad for taking either pictures or video, which probably won't change. Maybe would get in the habit sometime though.

Anyway, maybe that motorola photon Q would be suitable for my tastes. Looks closer than any I've seen so far. Disregarding any other antipathies I have toward apple, ain't gonna buy a phone that doesn't have a real keyboard.

[Guest Smitty]

If you do decide android, seriously look at the Razr Maxx due to it's water resistance and long battery life. It comes with a 3300 mAh. As anyone will tell you that has a smartphone, battery life is a big deal. I can go two days on a charge with average web browsing, talking, and texting. My wife's HTC does good to last full day.

That is a Verizon only phone. I am on AT&T due to my family. >.<

[Sam1]

I DO like the hotspot feature on the Droid. In fact, it's a necessity for me, since I have to tether a laptop to get into our company network via VPN. Never tried it on the iPhone, because I could just connect via VPN, and VNC into a machine on the network. I'll miss the hotspot feature if it's not available on the iphone.

if you've got your system rooted Open Garden Wifi Tethering is the best one I've seen, it's a free one but has to be rooted. ALso there are some fake ones, and it works so well that Google took it off the Play store unless you link directly to it cause no one was buying the paid ones due to this lol

[S&WForty]

Fox Fi is a good wifi app that doesn't require rooting.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

[Spots]

I use Fox Fi on my Bionic constantly. I just wish they would hurry up with Ice cream sandwich.

[viscero]

Given a few more years Google will own Apple and we won't have to worry about which phone to get anymore.

[glowdotGlock]

My RAZR Max will go 3-5 days just on standby mode with very light use. But on heavy use days, I can use for 6,7 or 8 hours and still have battery left. I'm on it right now using tapatalk. I've only logged onto the desktop version of TGO I bet less than 5 times. I've streamed 2 movies in 4g from Netflix and about 20 mins into another on one charge. I also use the FoxFi app and I cannot say enough good things about it. It is so easy to use. I just turn it on and have instant wifi. I have taken my laptop out in the yard while the phone was in the house and it still works good. I utilize my phone a lot. I used 84 gigabytes in June by streaming movies to the tv...in HD! I have the unlimited still. I got grandfathered in.

[Guest Smitty]

Maybe I should ask Obama for my new phone.

[mikegideon]

Maybe I should ask Obama for my new phone.

If you have a job, or don't live in Ohio, you may be outa luck.

[Rightwinger]

Save your money. With a PC or laptop just about everywhere in your life except the car, what do you need with this money sucking distraction. Get a 21 dollar a month cell phone for emergency talk and text and live life free of the umbilical to Apple or Microsoft

[vontar]

50/50 hmm

Kind makes you wondering if it is divided similar among those that like one gun over another. Say that person that prefers Glock or 1911 prefers one phone over the other or if it would blurr when a person's guns choice was included.

I would be 1911 and android.

[RichardR]

Slide out Qwert keyboards, replaceable batteries, open app market, replaceable micro-sd cards, etc, are the main reason I use android phones, I am currently on my 2 yr old HTC Aspire (Sprint) but I also have a newer LG Optimus Zip (Verison) sitting next to me which I like a tad better.

My old original 8gb Iphone (no carrier anymore) never leaves the stereo craddle, now it just holds music, but to its credit it does still work just fine though.

I never liked Itunes, the Google store is a whole lot better IMO with tons of free apps, some of them are garbage trial versions but I have found quite a few useful free apps, Foxfi (previously mentioned in this thread) being the best so far.

[Romad7]

50/50 hmm

Kind makes you wondering if it is divided similar among those that like one gun over another. Say that person that prefers Glock or 1911 prefers one phone over the other or if it would blurr when a person's guns choice was included.

I would be 1911 and android.

That should be another poll, I am a Glock and iPhone guy. Would be interesting to see if the correlation is consistent.

[S&WForty]

I'll add another comment... for the longest, my Gmail account wouldn't sync to the Gmail app unless I was on wifi. I rarely use that account, so I never bothered trying to see why it wouldn't sync over the Verizon network.

When I had to do the hard reset on my phone two weeks ago wiping everything, I dreaded dealing with the backup procedure. I feared it would be a mess or not work since my Gmail was flaky. I thought, "you're gonna really wish you had iTunes now, you iTunes hater..."

Much to my surprise and relief, my phone backed up without a hitch. I was really impressed with the Google syncing for my apps, contacts, etc. It even had all of my wifi spots' login details saved. It was like my phone had never been touched. What I thought was going to be a glaring weakness was a good strength.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

[Jesse]

Verzions new family plans include hotspot.

Verizon can shut you down if your not paying for the hotspot option and manage to use it.

[Jesse]

My RAZR Max will go 3-5 days just on standby mode with very light use. But on heavy use days, I can use for 6,7 or 8 hours and still have battery left. I'm on it right now using tapatalk. I've only logged onto the desktop version of TGO I bet less than 5 times. I've streamed 2 movies in 4g from Netflix and about 20 mins into another on one charge. I also use the FoxFi app and I cannot say enough good things about it. It is so easy to use. I just turn it on and have instant wifi. I have taken my laptop out in the yard while the phone was in the house and it still works good. I utilize my phone a lot. I used 84 gigabytes in June by streaming movies to the tv...in HD! I have the unlimited still. I got grandfathered in.

Im still on unlimited also. But it wont be long before they force us into 4g coverage and make us go to the 2,4 ,8 gb plans.

[gnmwilliams]

That should be another poll, I am a Glock and iPhone guy. Would be interesting to see if the correlation is consistent.

1911 IPhone guy here.

[mikegideon]

Save your money. With a PC or laptop just about everywhere in your life except the car, what do you need with this money sucking distraction. Get a 21 dollar a month cell phone for emergency talk and text and live life free of the umbilical to Apple or Microsoft

I wish...

[mikegideon]

Im still on unlimited also. But it wont be long before they force us into 4g coverage and make us go to the 2,4 ,8 gb plans.

Our data plan is pooled company wide. An individual phone can't move enough data to top it out. Thousands of phones doing mostly email.

[S&WForty]

Verzions new family plans include hotspot.

Verizon can shut you down if your not paying for the hotspot option and manage to use it.

.

A friend that stays on top of these things recently told me that the FCC fined Verizon for that. As explained to me, when they received the spectrum for 4G, the FCC told them they cannot dictate how a customer uses his bandwidth on capped plans. Maybe the FCC didn't include unlimited plan customers as they know some of them abuse their plan with a ton of streaming.

[Jesse]

Id like to know about the unlimited plan. Foxfi is very tempting cause im getting a tablet next month.

[S&WForty]

Read these articles. I decided to google this and read for myself rather than just go by what my friend told me. Yes, the FCC has stopped Verizon from charging for tethering, but it's not cut and dry. There's a few different scenarios with different outcomes.

http://news.cnet.com...ans-to-you-faq/

http://lifehacker.co...nt-means-to-you

The new "Share" plans have tethering included. Many people are paying for the ability to tether when they may never do so. Those that will tether, tether all you want up to your monthly data cap.

Those with older plans that are not unlimited data plans, you can download 3rd party apps in the Android Market and tether all you want - just don't go over your monthly data limit. If you are someone on such a plan, and you are paying VZN the extra $20 per month to tether (which includes 2GB data), you can either keep on tethering and use that extra 2GB, or stop paying $20/month for 2GB tethering and just tether with 3rd party apps keeping your total usage under your phone's monthly limit.

And, if you're on their unlimited data plan, technically, to ward off data-hoggers/abusers, you are not allowed to use 3rd party apps for tethering. You can do so, but it's against their rule. If caught, they can demand you stop and make you pay the $20/month fee (or perhaps get forced to one of the new Share plans). Most people say unless you're going through a ton of data, you will never get on their radar.

Fox Fi does not work with the new Jelly Bean O/S. If you're Ice Cream Sandwich or older, it still works fine, but I have since found there are other tethering apps that do not require the phone to be rooted and manage to work with Jelly Bean. I just grabbed Portable Wifi Hotspot.

Edited October 5, 2012 by S&WForty

[maroonandwhite]

Just an update. I was able to convince Verizon to swap out both Droid Bionic's (Mine and the wife's) for the Droid Razr for free. I have had it up and running a few hours now on ICS and I am impressed with it so far. I may have been a little quick to jump the gun on the android OS. If it turns out to be stable for the next few days I may change my vote back to android as stability was the ONLY thing that made me choose the iPhone over android.

[Spots]

Just an update. I was able to convince Verizon to swap out both Droid Bionic's (Mine and the wife's) for the Droid Razr for free. I have had it up and running a few hours now on ICS and I am impressed with it so far. I may have been a little quick to jump the gun on the android OS. If it turns out to be stable for the next few days I may change my vote back to android as stability was the ONLY thing that made me choose the iPhone over android.

How did you convince them on this? Im sick of gingerbread and really want the intuition phablet. Gingerbread on a phone built for ics sucks. What was your argument and did you have to pay for the razr.

[jtmaze]

I have 4 family iPhone 4 and converted from bberry. My dad being an IT guy and several I have talked to have said the iPhone and bberry are the only really secure platforms.

JTM

Sent from my iPhone