Smartphones thread

[Eudaimonium]

Read up at... sorry what was that?

I assume some sort of forum? Link?

 

[gillza]

Eudaimonium,

Previous versions of Nexus is a good choice. The phone is supported directly by google, so you will get timely updates for OS which deliver security patches and performance improvements. There is also a VERY large hacker base behind the phone so even if Google will stop the support custom flashable roms will still be available for years to come. I have an older Samsung Galaxy S (Vibrant) and there are still nightly builds of OS available.

If you are atleast a bit into messing with computers Android based phones (and especially hacker community supported models) are your best bet. Nexus line was always the the best in terms of price/value so with the release of Nexus 4 previous Nexus models should fall in price to fit into your budget.

I have heard good things about some Xperia phones but never dealt with them myself. They are supposed to be more "open" hardware wise than Samsung phones, but here (USA) they are not very popular it seems.

I also have an old 2009 Nokia N900 phone, whoch runs pure linux and is a TRUE multitasking enabled mobile-ish OS. I say mobile-ish because N900 is not really a phone it is a tablet with 2G/3G/HSPA modem WiFi and all the other good stuff.
Nokia N900 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It is an older phone but still my daily driver and so far provides the BEST user experience I've ever had. The price range is 100-200.

It has a successor Nokia N9 and you can find it for 200$ or so. Look it up, it has a shape you'd like and has a large community behind it as well (maemo.org - maemo.org: Home of the Maemo community)

The "ecosystem" aka the amount of applications on these phones is very small comparing to Android or iOS, but if you don't care about 20 different version of iFART on your phone, you should be good. I used android and when I switched to N900 I felt no particular need for any apps I used on it.

Never Nokia phones run Windows OS and they are not as good as they used to be. Nokia sold their soul to Balmer..


XDA - www.xda-developers.com

http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=1515

 

[Eudaimonium]

Shit, so I'm in a dilemma again.

Nokia N9 looks brutal. It appears to be focused a bit more on all the "social" stuff like Facebook and tweeter feeds on one of the home panels etc,

But overall it's incredibly impressive.

Hardware wise, it appears almost the same as Xperia U, with exeption of Cortex A8 instead of dual core A9 processor,

But screen resolution appears the same, just a *little* bit larger screen.

It also has much more memory capacity. Lowest capacity is 16 GB, while Xperia U appears to have 4GB user accessible memory.

But memory isn't a big issue for me anyway so that's all cool.

I am only not sure about Nokia's own OS. I never had the chance to even see it in person anywhere. Videos are fairly good demonstration but still.

It also accepts Micro SIM which means I have to buy new number...

Hmm. Also appears to be little bit pricier, I cannot find any sub $250 N9s on eBay.

 

[gillza]

I am only not sure about Nokia's own OS. I never had the chance to even see it in person anywhere. Videos are fairly good demonstration but still.

It also accepts Micro SIM which means I have to buy new number...

Hmm. Also appears to be little bit pricier, I cannot find any sub $250 N9s on eBay.

Eudaimonium,

I can not vouch for N9, as I have never held it in my hand. I suggested it as an option that might fit your device design preference.

Their OS had a lot of potential and could have become a great competitor to iOS and android if Nokia did not choose to abandon that line of phones and the OS and switch to Microsoft.

IMO your best bet is still an android running based device.

 

[ped]

Has nobody mentiond the Galaxy S2/3 ( the best phones on the planet) ?

How odd.

Stay away from Motorola, seriously.

I myself use an EVO3D and I love it.

Dont discount the latest Windows 8 phones till youv'e tried them.

 

[Eudaimonium]

Jeffrey JUST suggested S2 to me, I'm gonna scope it out.

And no, thanks, but interface of Windows OS is incredibly repulsive to me. I just cannot possibly convey the idea of single-color icons that look like they're made in 2003. Even if the phone itself looks awsome and it probably IS awesome... I just can't get over the UI.

EDIT
Can't seem to find Galaxy S2 under $300.

Question.

ALL these phones suggested and debated all run the same damned OS. It's some version of Android one way or another.

So what makes one phone better than other? With exception of memory storage and design aesthetics, I don't see a reason to spend 2x more money on another phone that's pretty much same as one at half the price.

 

[grainde]

New Sony Xperia U ST25i Dual Core 5MP Hspda GPS Black Phone 7311271369806 | eBay

Looks pretty damn awesome, and cheap too.

He's been a seller since april and sold 5 items according to his feedback and 2 replies were from the same ebay user. Probably means nothing, but cheap ie fantastic deal...makes me wary. Good luck :beer:

 

[Eudaimonium]

Oh that, yeah found a new link

Brand New Sony Xperia U Phone ST25i Android 5MP WiFi Bluetooth Unlocked Black 7311271369806 | eBay

This one looks about right.

It has worldwide shipping. I asked a bit around, US sellers don't want to ship international. As if it's illegal or something :undecided:

Anyway, yeah. This is PROBABLY what I'm going to go with when needed.

Price may even drop in a month or two by the time I need it so, hey, win.

So, diverting the primary topic of the thread...


What phones do you guys have? Which ones did you have in the past? Which did you get a chance to try out? Thoughts?

 

[gillza]

Question.

ALL these phones suggested and debated all run the same damned OS. It's some version of Android one way or another.

So what makes one phone better than other? With exception of memory storage and design aesthetics, I don't see a reason to spend 2x more money on another phone that's pretty much same as one at half the price.

N9 runs meego, it is linux derived os, not android. N900 runs maemo linux derived, debian based os not android.

 

[Eudaimonium]

I know, I mean obviously, beside those.

Side note Andrid is a Linux based system.

But anyway, what I was refering to was that, no matter what phone you look at, they're all:
dual core Cortex A9 processor
8Gig minimum internal storage, half to 1 Gig RAM memory,
All between 250 and 300 pixels per inch density, all around some 480x850 or 720x1280 resolution of the screen,
All have dedicated GPU unit,

All have touchsreens up to 10 individual fingers,

All have battery live averaging at around 2 days with heavy wireless and media usage,

All have all GSM bands connectivity,

All running either Android 4.X already, or 2.3 with ability to upgrade to 4.x.

Top it all off, ALL have pretty much exact same external controls configurations. Menu button, home button, volume rocker, power/lock button, camera control button (here and there).

So what is the difference if several hundred dollars between say, Xperia U, and Galaxy S2, or Motorola DROIDs, or Nexus's (Nexii)?

 

[gillza]

Nexus S - support from google, good hardware, large hacker community.
Xperia U - smaller community, ok hardware.
Galaxy S2 - very similar to Nexus S hardwarewise. OS is skinned and modified by samsung, slow updates, not the best user experience, a lot of bloatware preloaded...
Motyorolla Droids - not good hardware, locked bootloader, headaches with modifications.

 

[Eudaimonium]

What's "Bloatware"?

Anyway, if it's all the same OS, or at least slightly modified, how can you have a developer community for particular phone or brand, and not all of them?

To me it's the same as, I dunno, writing a new browser program but only for Intel processor users.

 

[gillza]

What's "Bloatware"?

Anyway, if it's all the same OS, or at least slightly modified, how can you have a developer community for particular phone or brand, and not all of them?

To me it's the same as, I dunno, writing a new browser program but only for Intel processor users.

You know if you buy a laptop from HP or from any othe manufacturer with preinstalled OS they often come with some stupid utilities, or management software and such, which you DON'T need. This article describes it better than I can: Pre-installed software - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hacking the phone or putting a modified os on it requires dealing with drivers. So a lot of time when a custom android build is put on the phone it needs certain drivers that manufacturer is not willing to supply separately. So a community of developers puts an effort into taking a binary build of the driver and port it onto the hacked device or, writes a new driver for the device or modifies an existing driver... Samsung phones are VERY popular with a big user base and thus have greater support for custom ROMs or for mods.

 

[HitShane]

The Nexus 4 does not have the faster speeds turned on. I have been looking at it. The sammy GS3 is a beast, my wife has one. It works so well she has not used our tablet since she got it. I am most likely waiting for a new phone to come out myself, not to happy with what is out now. I was thinking about a sammy note2 or the new blackberry that comes out in jan 30 (might be a game changer). Nothing really has the specs I would consider using my upgrade and commiting to another 2 years to...

 

[benmwv]

Can you not get a discounted upgrade after 6 years? On the popular US phone companies at least, you get a heavily discounted phone upgrade when you renew your contract (usually every 2 years).

I got the galaxy S3 for $50 total. It was $150 with contract renewal and walmart had a promotion going on where you got a $100 gift card for buying it through them.

Also 4.x is far better than 2.x!

 

[bennett326]

Has nobody mentiond the Galaxy S2/3 ( the best phones on the planet) ?

How odd.

Stay away from Motorola, seriously.

I myself use an EVO3D and I love it.

Dont discount the latest Windows 8 phones till youv'e tried them.

yep the evo series has gained my trust. i looked at the s3 (im due for an upgrade) but im still so happy with my evo 3d i couldnt justify it

and to answer you question, because price

Jeffrey JUST suggested S2 to me, I'm gonna scope it out.

And no, thanks, but interface of Windows OS is incredibly repulsive to me. I just cannot possibly convey the idea of single-color icons that look like they're made in 2003. Even if the phone itself looks awsome and it probably IS awesome... I just can't get over the UI.

EDIT
Can't seem to find Galaxy S2 under $300.

Question.

ALL these phones suggested and debated all run the same damned OS. It's some version of Android one way or another.

So what makes one phone better than other? With exception of memory storage and design aesthetics, I don't see a reason to spend 2x more money on another phone that's pretty much same as one at half the price.

What's "Bloatware"?

Anyway, if it's all the same OS, or at least slightly modified, how can you have a developer community for particular phone or brand, and not all of them?

To me it's the same as, I dunno, writing a new browser program but only for Intel processor users.

bloat ware is bullshit they put on your phone to make the ui pretty

thats htc sense one of the many forms of bloatware.

no http://www.androidauthority.com/android-2-3-gingerbread-vs-android-4-0-ice-cream-sandwich-37742/

thats an article i found comparing ics and gingerbread. big difference....