Cellphone Question for Sean

[Vettezuki]

My DroidX is eligible for an upgrade through Verizon from today. I was thinking to wait of the iPhone 5 in the Fall, but my battery life is now shit and the GPS doesn't really work at all.

I don't particularly care if it's Android, iOS, Windows, Blackberry.

Requirements.
The goddamn GPS has got to work reliably. It was never very good on the Droid.
Good quality pic/vid
Gotta be fairly tough as I'm a little rough on things.
Battery to offer good life.
Form factor and overall speed I'm not quite as concerned about.

What's hot?

[Shaolin Crane]

After the recent update i've been loving my HTC EVO Shift. You've seen the picture quality in my posts

[Vettezuki]

How's the GPS? This is mission critical for me. I use it for navigation as I have to drive around a fair bit.

[blackax]

Just wait for the SGIII, I would say get the HTC One series (great set of phones) but VZ wont get them.

[blackax]

Or just root and mod the phone.

[SeanPlunk]

The iPhone 5 is going to be a very nice phone, and will probably be out in September or October. It's going to be roughly a 4" screen with an 1136x640 resolution. The phone will be the same width as the current iPhone, but taller. It's also going to be only 7.9mm thick as opposed to the current iPhone which is over 9mm. The camera is rumored to be an upgraded version of the 4S camera which is already one of the best on the market. It will have LTE and is rumored to have an upgraded version of the A5X CPU. I expect it to be one of the nicest phones on the market when it comes out.

[SeanPlunk]

Alternatively you could buy a Samsung Galaxy S3 now. We pre-ordered one for Alexis this morning. It has a qualcomm dual-core S4 processor with 2GB of ram, so it's fairly future proof. People were upset because the world GS3 has a quad-core processor, but the S4 is A15 based and the quad-core Exynos is A9 based. Based on everything I've seen they're about equal with the S4 actually producing better benchmarks. The camera is fantastic. It's the same Sony sensor from the iPhone4S. Shutter speed is instant and it has a 3 picture burst mode. It also can record video in 1080p. It has a removal battery and sd card slot which are two things the iPhone doesn't. It's nice to be able to expand your memory for cheap or to swap out a battery if necessary. The stock battery is 2100mah and is supposed to have excellent life.

It's a thin phone, but it's bigger than your X, where as the iPhone5 will be smaller. I don't mind the size, but then again I would buy a Note if it were available on Verizon. My main gripe with the GS3 is the screen. It is 720p, but it's pentile matrix which means it only uses 2 subpixels per pixel instead of 3. I don't like pentile matrix screens because they don't look as sharp as a true RGB screen, but it doesn't seem to bother most people.

It also has an unlocked bootloader which is really important IMHO for an Android phone. This allows you to flash custom kernals and roms.

Since you're already in the Android ecosystem, I'd buy an SG3 now. It should do everything you require and then some.

[Vettezuki]

Thank you for the excellent technical summary. Any word on the GPS antenna for the SG3? I'll straight up murder some bitches if it's as dodgy as my X.

[SeanPlunk]

Thank you for the excellent technical summary. Any word on the GPS antenna for the SG3? I'll straight up murder some bitches if it's as dodgy as my X.

http://androidforums.com/samsung-galaxy-s3/558600-incredibly-fast-gps-fix.html


Just wanted to post to put people's minds at rest if they had concerns, ahem, concerning the time to obtain a location fix.

On my S3 it takes about 4 (FOUR) seconds to get a fix after an app such as Maps turns on the GPS. :)

This is amazing for me, coming from the Desire which took about 30sec to a minute sometimes.

[Shaolin Crane]

How's the GPS? This is mission critical for me. I use it for navigation as I have to drive around a fair bit.

Amazing actually, i love that if i dont have the address i can input the name and it will still find it, i can count on one hand how many times its lost signal

[Vettezuki]

Swung by the VZ store before heading home. They said they had no official release date for the SG3, but expected it "relatively soon."

[SeanPlunk]

Swung by the VZ store before heading home. They said they had no official release date for the SG3, but expected it "relatively soon."

Preorders are live now. Releases either the 28th or July 7th.

[AARP]

Alternatively, if you don't want to wait for the SGIII or don't want to pay debut price, I'm quite impressed with my Samsung Galaxy Nexus which is currently the best phone Verizon offers.

[SeanPlunk]

Alternatively, if you don't want to wait for the SGIII or don't want to pay debut price, I'm quite impressed with my Samsung Galaxy Nexus which is currently the best phone Verizon offers.

Good phone, but literally everything is better on the SG3. Bigger screen, way better CPU and GPU, twice as much ram, bigger battery, better radio, etc.

[SeanPlunk]

Oh, and the Nexus doesn't have an SD card slot either.

[SeanPlunk]

Oh #2, the camera on the GS3 is WAY better than the Nexus.

[Vettezuki]

I'll check out the pre-order (assuming on line somewhere). It's an upgrade so as long as it's <=$200 I don't particularly care. Might even get the company to pay for it.

[AARP]

Personally, if I were buying right now rather than when I bought my nexus 2 months ago I would go with the SGIII. However, no matter what phone you decide on I would HIGHLY recommend buying through AmazonWireless.

http://wireless.amazon.com/b/684177011/ref=fc_pwp_vzw?ie=UTF8&pf_rd_m=A1HBSU70BXNZUG&phones_categoryCarrier=carrierVerizon&pf_rd_s=left-3&pf_rd_r=1RR9WTJ9PV48HQ23SBRD&pf_rd_p=1345567862&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_i=G001

It's just like buying through Verizon but I saved over $100. Ignore Amazon's warranty and just call Verizon to activate the phone and get their insurance.

[Vettezuki]

Personally, if I were buying right now rather than when I bought my nexus 2 months ago I would go with the SGIII. However, no matter what phone you decide on I would HIGHLY recommend buying through AmazonWireless.

http://wireless.amazon.com/b/684177011/ref=fc_pwp_vzw?ie=UTF8&pf_rd_m=A1HBSU70BXNZUG&phones_categoryCarrier=carrierVerizon&pf_rd_s=left-3&pf_rd_r=1RR9WTJ9PV48HQ23SBRD&pf_rd_p=1345567862&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_i=G001

It's just like buying through Verizon but I saved over $100. Ignore Amazon's warranty and just call Verizon to activate the phone and get their insurance.

Well I'm eligible for an upgrade price, will it still be lower? Is that what you're saying?

[AARP]

Well I'm eligible for an upgrade price, will it still be lower? Is that what you're saying?

Yes, you need to be eligible for an upgrade to get their discounted price. You enter your line of service number in the checkout process and they make sure you're eligible.

[enkeivette]

Im a fan of the iPhone. I have a 4 and the gps always has worked for me, only thing I dont like is that I have to hit next for the next direction, it doesnt feed automatically.

Picture quality is great, speed is good, auto correct is anoying so I turned it off. Any phone you get you should put it in an otterbox, good for a 50 foot drop.

Another thing about the speed. I was debating whether it was worth it to spend another 100 for the 4s, so I went to a verizon store, took a 4 and a 4s and loaded the same youtube video at the same time... they played at exactly the same time. Reality is, 4g service is limited to where there is a 4g tower, otherwise youre 3g at best, and most things online are prob limited by the server on the other end, not your bandwidth or your processor. Id wait till the 5 comes out and get a 4, theyll prob give them away like they did with the 3s.

...I would have gone for a 3 if I could have gotten one for less than my phone was. But I got this 32g one for $117 at frys. Go to frys, theyre usually the cheapest.

[SeanPlunk]

Im a fan of the iPhone. I have a 4 and the gps always has worked for me, only thing I dont like is that I have to hit next for the next direction, it doesnt feed automatically.

Picture quality is great, speed is good, auto correct is anoying so I turned it off. Any phone you get you should put it in an otterbox, good for a 50 foot drop.

Another thing about the speed. I was debating whether it was worth it to spend another 100 for the 4s, so I went to a verizon store, took a 4 and a 4s and loaded the same youtube video at the same time... they played at exactly the same time. Reality is, 4g service is limited to where there is a 4g tower, otherwise youre 3g at best, and most things online are prob limited by the server on the other end, not your bandwidth or your processor. Id wait till the 5 comes out and get a 4, theyll prob give them away like they did with the 3s.

...I would have gone for a 3 if I could have gotten one for less than my phone was. But I got this 32g one for $117 at frys. Go to frys, theyre usually the cheapest.

Neither the iPhone4 or 4S is LTE, so you wouldn't notice a difference in download speeds. An LTE phone on Verizon typically downloads anywhere from 7x to 40x as fast as a 3g phone. Verizon LTE coverage is excellent especially where we live. I wouldn't even consider a non-LTE phone.

[SeanPlunk]

Im a fan of the iPhone. I have a 4 and the gps always has worked for me, only thing I dont like is that I have to hit next for the next direction, it doesnt feed automatically.

Picture quality is great, speed is good, auto correct is anoying so I turned it off. Any phone you get you should put it in an otterbox, good for a 50 foot drop.

Another thing about the speed. I was debating whether it was worth it to spend another 100 for the 4s, so I went to a verizon store, took a 4 and a 4s and loaded the same youtube video at the same time... they played at exactly the same time. Reality is, 4g service is limited to where there is a 4g tower, otherwise youre 3g at best, and most things online are prob limited by the server on the other end, not your bandwidth or your processor. Id wait till the 5 comes out and get a 4, theyll prob give them away like they did with the 3s.

...I would have gone for a 3 if I could have gotten one for less than my phone was. But I got this 32g one for $117 at frys. Go to frys, theyre usually the cheapest.

Oh, and I would absolutely not buy a 4 or 4S. The iPhone5 has a bigger screen, better camera, and most importantly LTE. LTE alone is worth the $100-$150 price difference. It also is 7.9mm think as opposed to the 9.2mm of the current 4S.

[enkeivette]

My phone downloads a video in seconds, youre saying your LTE phone can download a video and play it in less than a second? (A minimum 7 times as fast)... Id have to see it to believe it, but if thats true... rad.

[enkeivette]

PS, I dont like the phones with bigger screens. My phone is too big as it is. How much bulk do you want in your pants? ...that sounds dirty.

[SeanPlunk]

My phone downloads a video in seconds, youre saying your LTE phone can download a video and play it in less than a second? (A minimum 7 times as fast)... Id have to see it to believe it, but if thats true... rad.

Yes, that's exactly what I'm telling you. Verizon LTE is faster than my cable modem.

Video.

[enkeivette]

And Im obviously not trying to say the iPhone 4 is king of the hill... I would hope the 5 is a better phone. Just saying, how much more bang are you really gettin for your buck? If Ben can get a free 4 or 4s, it might be worth the additional 3 seconds he will have to wait to watch the video of Carlos destroying another lsx. Haha

[enkeivette]

Crazy, cell phones are gettig ridic. I always laugh when my gf pulls out her iphone because her netbook is too slow. What are they downloading in that video?

[SeanPlunk]

And Im obviously not trying to say the iPhone 4 is king of the hill... I would hope the 5 is a better phone. Just saying, how much more bang are you really gettin for your buck? If Ben can get a fee 4 or 4s, it might be worth the additional 3 seconds he will have to wait to watch the video of Carlos destroying another lsx. Haha

A lot in this particular instance. The iPhone4 was a major upgrade, but the 4S was incremental. Not having LTE at this point is a complete deal breaker. For many people it was a deal breaker with the 4S. If my choices were the iPhone4S for free (which won't be the case, it'll still likely be $99) or the 5 for $199.99, it's a slam dunk for the 5.

Remember, you're stuck with a phone for 2 years. Not having LTE for another 2 years would be a complete joke. Not to mention the 5 will a be more future proof phone. The 4S only has 512mb of ram which means it's limited as far as future OS growth.

I don't know about the rest of you but my cell phone is by far my most used electronic device. Spending $199.99 every 2 years to make sure it lasts seems like a small price to pay.

[SeanPlunk]

Crazy, cell phones are gettig ridic. I always laugh when my gf pulls out her iphone because her netbook is too slow. What are they downloading in that video?

That's just a bandwidth test.

Here is a guy testing his cable modem vs. LTE:
http://msnbcmedia4.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Photo/_new/101203_tch_4G_cable_best_performance.grid-3x2.jpg

[enkeivette]

Deal breaker for you maybe, but my phone is as fast as my laptop. And I dont know about you and your line of work, but I dont do many bandwidth tests on my phone on an average day. Video downloading is about as extreme as I get ;)

Then again, we're arguig about the subjective value of 100 to 200 dollars. Which is very diferent for someone that has worked for the past 7 years, than for someone who has been in school for the past 7 years. So, maybe the technology bragging rights would be well worth it for Ben, you are closer to a financial equal with him than I am...

[SeanPlunk]

Deal breaker for you maybe, but my phone is as fast as my laptop. And I dont know about you and your line of work, but I dont do many bandwidth tests on my phone on an average day. Video downloading is about as extreme as I get ;)

We're not talking some tiny little improvement. We're talking about 7x to 40x as fast for data speeds. This is a bigger difference than 56k to DSL or Cable. Trust me, you would notice and never want to go back.

[fiveohwblow]

Im a fan of the iPhone. I have a 4 and the gps always has worked for me, only thing I dont like is that I have to hit next for the next direction, it doesnt feed automatically.

Picture quality is great, speed is good, auto correct is anoying so I turned it off. Any phone you get you should put it in an otterbox, good for a 50 foot drop.

Another thing about the speed. I was debating whether it was worth it to spend another 100 for the 4s, so I went to a verizon store, took a 4 and a 4s and loaded the same youtube video at the same time... they played at exactly the same time. Reality is, 4g service is limited to where there is a 4g tower, otherwise youre 3g at best, and most things online are prob limited by the server on the other end, not your bandwidth or your processor. Id wait till the 5 comes out and get a 4, theyll prob give them away like they did with the 3s.

...I would have gone for a 3 if I could have gotten one for less than my phone was. But I got this 32g one for $117 at frys. Go to frys, theyre usually the cheapest.

I suggest WAZE. Free spoken turn by turn gps with auto redirect, speed indication and live traffic updates. Much better than standard gps on maps.

[enkeivette]

I was fine with a non smart phone up until I lost it 2 months ago. And Ill be fine with this one till I lose it or it breaks, trust me. My 5 year old laptop still works good too. Im not the kind of guy to go out and spend 2k on a mac book pro.

Sort of like my Vette, a blower cam will buy me prob about an additional 80 hp, considering my110 lsa is blowing a lot of my boost out the exhaust. But who cares? What am I going to do with another 80hp? The same thing Id do with a phone that downloads faster than my comp... point at it and smile. What else could I do? Haha

[SeanPlunk]

I was fine with a non smart phone up until I lost it 2 months ago. And Ill be fine with this one till I lose it or it breaks, trust me. My 5 year old laptop still works good too. Im not the kind of guy to go out and spend 2k on a mac book pro.

Sort of like my Vette, a blower cam will buy me prob about an additional 80 hp, considering my110 lsa is blowing a lot of my boost out the exhaust. But who cares? What am I going to do with another 80hp? The same thing Id do with a phone that downloads faster than my comp... point at it and smile. What else could I do? Haha

I would argue the extra 80hp and faster download speeds are worth it.

[blackax]

I do just fine with my ATT 3g. (7down 2 up) We don't need LTE speeds on our phones. If i want a fast connection i just connect to my home network (my cable is faster then LTE)

LTE is a huge jump for you VZ guys because your 3g is just so slow and there isn't an upgrade path for faster EVDO (VZ 3g tech)

[SeanPlunk]

I do just fine with my ATT 3g. (7down 2 up) We don't need LTE speeds on our phones. If i want a fast connection i just connect to my home network (my cable is faster then LTE)

LTE is a huge jump for you VZ guys because your 3g is just so slow and there isn't an upgrade path for faster EVDO (VZ 3g tech)

I doubt you're consistently seeing 7 down with AT&T's 3g network, but with HSPA+ it is possible.

I hate the we don't need it argument. We also don't really need cars with over 100hp to get to and from places, but we do. You also don't "need" a smartphone. Why not go back to an old dumb phone that gets 3x the battery life?

[enkeivette]

Its not as simple as we dont need it, its a balancing argument. The 80hp would be worth the $300 to you, not to me. I dont want to drive a 100hp focus for 20k, Id pay the 40k for a cobra... but would I pay 200k for a gt40? No.

Similarly I had the option for the 4S and I went for the 4. I just dont care as much as you... This is not only relative to what we make but also subject to personal preference. Verizon had an offer for 4gigs of data a month if I went with a 4g android... I went with the slower iPhone and 3 gigs because I wanted the apple technology/ software. Im just not as concerned with capability as you are.

Another example is screen size, Id take an HTC hero over the iPhone if it was a comparable product. You want an even bigger screen.

Im wearing $200 rockin republic jeans (no I didnt pay that much) but Im guessing you dont even know what brand jeans you have on, nor do you care, nor would you spend more than $30 on a pair of jeans. Slacks maybe, jeans, doubt it.

You cant make the argument that everyone will regret not having purchased an LTE phone in 2 years, because the guy on the bus with a prepaid nokia probably isnt going to cry about it when they come out with 5g. Its all subjective and its all relative.

[Vettezuki]

Gentlemen, marginalism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marginalism), that is all.

[blackax]

I doubt you're consistently seeing 7 down with AT&T's 3g network, but with HSPA+ it is possible.

I hate the we don't need it argument. We also don't really need cars with over 100hp to get to and from places, but we do. You also don't "need" a smartphone. Why not go back to an old dumb phone that gets 3x the battery life?


HSPA+ is att 3g no matter how much that want to call it 4g its 3g. And i range from 4 to 7 out here in the IE.

I understand your "Dont need" hate, so let me put it this way. What can you do with LTE that makes your phone so much better?

Beside from tether to a laptop I can't see a good reason for it. You don't need it for streaming video, 3g can stream 720p (highest phone res as of right now.) or playing games or surfing the web.

I also feel that most people don't need more then 10Mbit connection at home. An i'm a network guy and love having access to 10Gbit pipes but i can do everything i want to do from a 10Mbit pipe

[SeanPlunk]

Its not as simple as we dont need it, its a balancing argument. The 80hp would be worth the $300 to you, not to me. I dont want to drive a 100hp focus for 20k, Id pay the 40k for a cobra... but would I pay 200k for a gt40? No.

Similarly I had the option for the 4S and I went for the 4. I just dont care as much as you... This is not only relative to what we make but also subject to personal preference. Verizon had an offer for 4gigs of data a month if I went with a 4g android... I went with the slower iPhone and 3 gigs because I wanted the apple technology/ software. Im just not as concerned with capability as you are.

Another example is screen size, Id take an HTC hero over the iPhone if it was a comparable product. You want an even bigger screen.

Im wearing $200 rockin republic jeans (no I didnt pay that much) but Im guessing you dont even know what brand jeans you have on, nor do you care, nor would you spend more than $30 on a pair of jeans. Slacks maybe, jeans, doubt it.

You cant make the argument that everyone will regret not having purchased an LTE phone in 2 years, because the guy on the bus with a prepaid nokia probably isnt going to cry about it when they come out with 5g. Its all subjective and its all relative.

I agree for the most part. The iPhone4S wasn't that much of an upgrade from the 4, and certainly not worth the extra money for most people. The iPhone5 on the other hand is a massive improvement and well worth the money. LTE alone is worth the cash.

[SeanPlunk]

HSPA+ is att 3g no matter how much that want to call it 4g its 3g. And i range from 4 to 7 out here in the IE.

I understand your "Dont need" hate, so let me put it this way. What can you do with LTE that makes your phone so much better?

Beside from tether to a laptop I can't see a good reason for it. You don't need it for streaming video, 3g can stream 720p (highest phone res as of right now.) or playing games or surfing the web.

I also feel that most people don't need more then 10Mbit connection at home. An i'm a network guy and love having access to 10Gbit pipes but i can do everything i want to do from a 10Mbit pipe

I can browse the web, tether, stream video etc. More bandwidth is useful. I've streamed Netflix before and had slow enough connections to have a problem. LTE would solve that and then some. Verizon 3g service is only 1mb down and even less up, so it's a massive difference.

Additionally, it costs the same for 3g data or LTE. Why wouldn't I want LTE?

[blackax]

I can browse the web, tether, stream video etc. More bandwidth is useful. I've streamed Netflix before and had slow enough connections to have a problem. LTE would solve that and then some. Verizon 3g service is only 1mb down and even less up, so it's a massive difference.

Additionally, it costs the same for 3g data or LTE. Why wouldn't I want LTE?

You can do an HD 720p stream on 3 Mbit. How much more can you do on your phone wile your watching a movie?

Yes VZ 3g is very slow. So I can understand why you are so eager for LTE. But us with GSM aren't feeling the push for LTE as much as you guys.

[enkeivette]

I stream the office on my phone on netflix, never a stumble. A lot of my friends have said their iPhones get slower after awhile. So far mine hasnt. My theory is the apps are slowing them down.

Its prob not high def though, the screens so small its hard to tell.

Btw, if we can talk about service for a second... Verizon all the way. Ive been through 4 carriers, nothin else compares. Those commercials are annoying, but true, I always have service.

[Vettezuki]

Verizon, LTE, SG3 will be my choice. It is the optimum intersection of my preferences and available resources.

[Chuck]

I actually think I am with you Ben I will be getting one when I can.

[blackax]

I stream the office on my phone on netflix, never a stumble. A lot of my friends have said their iPhones get slower after awhile. So far mine hasnt. My theory is the apps are slowing them down.

Its prob not high def though, the screens so small its hard to tell.

Btw, if we can talk about service for a second... Verizon all the way. Ive been through 4 carriers, nothin else compares. Those commercials are annoying, but true, I always have service.

Out here in the IE i never drop a call or a connection with ATT.

[SeanPlunk]

Verizon, LTE, SG3 will be my choice. It is the optimum intersection of my preferences and available resources.

http://www-scf.usc.edu/~ryanbruc/ChosenWisely.jpg

[enkeivette]

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_MwACklcy3xc/TGjfAcpys3I/AAAAAAAAByU/gIJZlHAW4xo/s1600/audience.jpgVerizon, LTE, SG3 will be my choice. It is the optimum intersection of my preferences and available resources.