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Login to post Forums » Off-topic discussion » Learn me modern Smartphones

May 29, 2011 9:31 a.m. neckromacr Reader

I have my 2 1/2 year old Nokia Surge which is technicaly a Smartphone, but it was one of the first on ATT. Its upgrade time, and right on time the phone has been getting pretty rough in overall performance.

So I'm really looking at these new phones like the HTC Inspire and I'm blown away how far they've come when I wasn't paying attention. I had been planning on getting a laptop due to space restriction in the new house (no office)

But it almost seems like the modern phones can do most of what I need. Tell me if I'm off my rocker though.

-Connects to my home LAN, so I'm not sweating data use. -Finally able to handle Flash so its no more "Phone Internet" just a the internet. -It seems you can even connect a Bluetooth keyboard for some light word processing (I write stories but I need to get to typing them out)

All I'd ever use the laptop for is web browsing, a few Flash games, and the word processing. Have phones really come so far that I could do all that on a modern Smarty Phone?
May 29, 2011 9:38 a.m. Osterkraut SuperDork

Flash, you say?

Time to get the top-tier Android phone from a carrier of your choice. I enjoy my Droid X, though some might find it too large.

Don't waste your time with the lesser Android-OS models... it'd be like buying an already outdated computer.
May 29, 2011 9:51 a.m. dollraves Reader

Quite possibly. A few years ago, I bought a little tiny Fujitsu Lifebook so I could surf the web/read a book/play a stupid little game comfortably while I was snuggled up on my couch or in bed. I used it daily until I got my first iPhone two years ago, and haven't touched it since. :(

I actually sleep with the iPhone under my pillow. Don't laugh, there are good reasons!

1) it is nominally a phone, so if something happens and someone needs me at 2am, they can reach me

2) if I have a weird dream, I can tap out notes and go right back to sleep

3) it's my alarm clock (this is great when I travel - no sleeping through a different alarm clock's sound!) :D which leads to...

4) I can check my calendar without getting out of bed to see if I can sleep in or not. ;)

I am, of course, partial to the iPhone. Plenty of friends have Androids, and all my friends with HTC Incredibles or Desires love them. Friends with the original Motorola Droid love them, but I hear complaints that the Droid X is a dud in comparison.

I pondered the Droid switch, but I don't find the interface intuitive - there's a definite learning curve. As an old Palm fan, I'm holding out to see if HP revives the platform...
May 29, 2011 9:53 a.m. JeffHarbert Reader

Current smartphones really are tiny computers. There isn't much they can't do.

There are a few external keyboards for Android phones. My Droid, with a very simple external hardware hack, actually supports most USB keyboards. The new Motorola Atrix has an available laptop docking station accessory. It's the current contender for replacing my Droid in about nine months, and it just might replace my desktop for daily computer use.

I love the Android OS. I have apps on my phone that let me turn it into an FTP server while on my home wireless network, Winamp for music playback that works perfectly with the Windows app, a Wake on LAN app that lets me turn on my desktop before I come downstairs each morning, Netflix streaming is now available for several phones, I've rooted mine and turned in to a WiFi hotspot... the list goes on.

The only particular thing I have against iOS devices is that you're strictly limited to apps available in iTunes, and you have exactly one choice of phone (excepting internal storage capacity). Not so with Android. There are many, many different Android phones available. They also support MicroSD cards, whereas iOS devices only have internal storage.

If you're interested, here are most of the apps I run: http://www.appbrain.com/user/jeffharbert/apps-on-the-phone
May 29, 2011 10:20 a.m. Maroon92 SuperDork

I love my droid. Its pretty user friendly, and it is just the right size for my pockets.

I am hard on equipment, and it is beat up, but it is still running.
May 29, 2011 10:37 a.m. neckromacr Reader

Dollraves, I already sleep with my phone on my night stand. Retail life in management got me ready for 2am calls from the alarm company telling me something was amiss at my shop. And my brain "adapts" to alarm sounds every few months when my subconscious will block out the tone as background noise, the ability to change the ringtone means I don't sleep right through it.
May 29, 2011 10:56 a.m. Woody SuperDork

From the guy who responds to alarms in the middle of the night: Thank you.

Prompt responses from keyholders save many expensive doors at businesses with activated fire alarms.
May 29, 2011 11:08 a.m. BoxheadTim SuperDork

I've got both an Android phone and an iPhone. Both almost can act as a laptop/netbook replacement but personally I still keep a bunch of laptops around because IMHO the smartphone displays still a little on the small side for my liking. Actually I probably should try a tablet instead but atm I can't justify the price of a decent one (plus I'm "almostl" a touch typist so on-screen keyboards don't work that well for me).

Anyway, I do like both OSs but after using both for about a year I have developed a slight preference for iOS, simply because I find the user experience slightly better/more polished than the Android one. As to the multiple app stores, I never really felt the need to investigate that...

As a software developer I do think it's easier to get started developing for Android, but from what I hear from people who are closer to this sort of stuff it's easier to get a consistently well performing app out for iOS simply due to its more limited hardware choice.

Also, one issue that really bugs me about Android is that you're dependent on both the manufacturer and the wireless provider for updates to the phone OS. Yes, I know you can root the phone but TBH a phone is a tool and I don't want to have to hack it in order to be (hopefully) able to stay current OS-wise. For example, my Droid is still running Android 2.2.2, despite 2.3.x being out and having a couple of security fixes that I'd rather have.

I've got another year to o until I'm eligible for an upgrade on our Verizon contract and I'll probably get another iPhone to replace my Droid.
May 29, 2011 11:18 a.m. carguy123 SuperDork

All I can say is all my friends and business acquaintances who got any number of different smart phones have all switched to iPhones within the last years and rave about how much better it is.
May 29, 2011 11:28 a.m. neckromacr Reader

My wife and two step sons have laptops, thus far I've been working on theirs when they're not. Hence why I was planning on getting one of my own, but if a modern Smarty Phone will do 90% of what the laptop does and costs $99 vs $399 I can steal the other 10% of productivity on their machines.

The prospect of attaching a blue tooth keyboard and getting to do the word processing was a huge point for me since its so time intensive. I have a lot of notebooks (paper kind) of my writings that need to be typed and cleaned up.

This reminds me of my Handspring PDA I had in the early 2000's. It had a port on the back to attach a Verizon phone transponder that would turn it into a phone, and a fold away keyboard that would allow light word processing. I loved that setup for what it was, it seems I may be coming full circle.
May 29, 2011 11:33 a.m. BoxheadTim SuperDork

TBH I doubt you'll get everything you'd want from a $99 phone - you're probably looking at $200-$300 for a phone that would be powerful enough to work reasonably well as a laptop replacement.

Says the guy who's typing this on a laptop that's something like 7-8 years old...
May 29, 2011 11:38 a.m. ppddppdd Reader

Basically, I always tell people to buy Apple products if they ask. I figure they're not techie people if they're asking, and non-techie people are usually happy as hell with with the Apple stuff. So, I'd suggest an iPhone over an Android phone unless you're a geek that wants to customize and hack the phone or are locked in to Sprint.

The iPhone is easier to use, more consistent across applications, better supported (you'll be able to get OS updates for at least a couple years) and has more applications available. The lack of flash is rarely a problem and the flash implementation on android sucks anyway.
May 29, 2011 11:49 a.m. neckromacr Reader

HTC Inspire is a Droid running $99 with a contract. I've been reading heavily into it, the consensus is its a good well rounded phone. For the price point its a great phone.

The gist I get is its ATT's first foray into 4G, and want to make an extremely attractive offering, It "lists" for $599, but after all the discounts and contracts it comes out to $99.
May 29, 2011 11:50 a.m. BoxheadTim SuperDork

Are you actually in a 4G coverage area?
May 29, 2011 12:20 p.m. neckromacr Reader

4G is not that big of a selling point to me, I'll be hooking into my LAN at home and use outside the house will be relatively light. Performance reports about ATT's 4G speeds sound like they're nothing to write home about anyway.
May 29, 2011 1:55 p.m. internetautomart SuperDork

imo the android experience depends on the interface.
the stock interface is not so hot. The HTC sense interface is world's better. you also need to watch what processor the phone has. Android phones come with anything from a 500mhz chip to dual cores. I've got a desire and it's a great phone. It has shortcomings that are inherent to any smartphone of its size. The screen is to dam small, but I won't get a larger phone. I will consider a tablet plus a phone. I have a laptop already and a smart phone doesn't come close to a real replacement for web surfing.
May 29, 2011 3:02 p.m. 93gsxturbo HalfDork

I have the HTC EVO and it is spectacular. I came from the blackberry world, and did a bit of playing with the Iphones back in the day, but the EVO is king.

Its fast, full of features, excellent RF performance which is very important on Sprint, and as a flagship model, it gets all the updates early. My phone has been rooted and is running the Fresh EVO Gingerbread ROM. Don't be afraid of rooting a phone, the days of bricking them is pretty much over with Android, there are excellent step-by-step tutorials online, and once you are done you can enjoy the phone as it was designed, free of carrier-related bloatware that kills battery life.

That brings up a good point about software and firmware updates. Low end models are usually forgotten before high end models by the manufacturer and the carrier, so a high end phone will usually have a longer update lifespan than a low end phone.
May 29, 2011 3:43 p.m. jrw1621 SuperDork

Could this be you?

Full review: http://www.phonescoop.com/articles/article.php?a=7633&p=3768
I highly recommend www.phonescoop.com for honest and unbiased reviews as well as real side by side comparison of specs and features.

http://www.att.com/shop/wireless/devices/motorola-atrix.jsp?WT.srch=1#fbid=tKDThs0...
May 29, 2011 4:48 p.m. 93EXCivic SuperDork

iPhone. I don't like the interface of the Andriod. The touchscreens bother me.
May 29, 2011 6:01 p.m. neckromacr Reader

Well I'm posting from my new HTC Inspire. Definite learning curve coming from a 2 year old slider phone, but I'm catching on quickly. So far its been very good, only one site so far that's given me any video issues.
May 29, 2011 6:38 p.m. jrw1621 SuperDork

Full review of Inspire...

http://www.phonescoop.com/articles/article.php?a=7431&p=3720
May 29, 2011 8:03 p.m. wlkelley3 Dork

I carry a Blackberry World that is work provided and use it for work only. For a couple years I also carried a Blackberry Pearl for personal use. 2 thing I didn't care for on it was small screen and the keys did 3 functions. Last winter I upgraded the Pearl to a HTC 'Droid 3G. Took a while to get used to it, still have problems once in a while. Like trying to pull up the keyboard and autocorrect in annoying. Only thing I don't like about it is you can't move pictures to a folder, you can copy pics to a folder but not move so all pics will show in the gallery. The blackberry pearl would do that. With all the travel I do the world clock comes in handy. I have several time zones setup. Also handy since I deal with people all over the world. The alarm clock is great and with the capability to set more than 1 alarm is handy once in a while. Don't have many apps loaded but have a game or two for waiting in airports and the barcode scanner helps once in a while to check pricing. Now if only I can remember that it also has a camera when I need one.

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