My cell phone died today. I was expecting it, so it wasn't a shock. The thing was at least 7 years old, that's ancient as one measures such things. It served me well, so I will retire it with honor.
Anyway, I'd promised myself that once my phone died, I'd upgrade big-time, upgrading to a smart phone.
Yes, yes, I know I'm a little anachronistic and might be the only adult in the entire western hemisphere younger than 50 that doesn't live on a farm or in prison that doesn't have a smart phone. Actually, I'm just the world's biggest miser. I never upgrade for the sake of upgrading, which I see as a terrible waste of money. If what I have works, I use it til it doesn't. This is the frugality that made me upgrade from a 26 inch tube TV to a 47 inch HD flatscreen a couple of months ago.
Anywho, I've decided to go with a Samsung Galaxy S4. I think Apple products are terribly overpriced, and from what I've researched, a Galaxy S4 can do 98% of what an Iphone can do without me having to pay for that billion dollar new Apple headquarters campus. From what I read, Apple OS has more apps than Android, but most of the best apps have versions for both phones.
I'd like some opinions from smart phone users/afficionados on the Galaxy S4, and if it's a good choice, and if you agree, what accessories you feel are necessary for it. I think it is, so either agree or try to prove me wrong.
Just another guy from the shallow end of the gene pool.
I have been on the smartphone bandwagon since I have a wife and 2 kids in which to dish out handphones to contact easily, messaging n exchange photos. Other apps are not used regularly for myself. I am not an iphone guy but I bought one for my son who use it to sync with his macbook air.
I had a Samsung S2 which I traded in after 1 year as the battery and power systems fails such that it must be charged every 2 hours. And I checked around and it is a consistent problem for Samsung handphones.
I then changed to and KG which is ok except for the touchscreen alignment issues where it will come out the next letter to what you type.
I have now switched to HTC1 which so far is handling well. Only 4 months so no comments. Battery wise can last 2 days if you don't play with it much except for calls and messages.
This is personal experience wise. Between laptops and handphones, it does burn the pockets.
The sea flows as long as Earth exist, Love is alive as long as people exist. I will read Fel's stories as long as my heart still beats.
i had to make this consideration about half an year ago when my phone died.
what i actually got is an mid/low grade android phone for phone functions an mobile hotspot.
and an nexus 7 (1st version) for my computing needs
all most all the functions of an high end android smartphone in 60% of the price
Well, then. I can't say much on the Samsung, since I have no experience with it.
Personally, I have the Casio G'Zone Commando. Why? I know myself, and the phone is the most rugged smart-phone available. Only through Verizon, although that's OK because they have probably the best network in the US. The Commando is 4G and runs Android. It has a ruggedized case and is drop and water resistant. When I had the flip phone version at my previous job, it fell out of the holster and wound up sitting out in the rain over a three day weekend in a parking lot (it rained most of those three days). No problems when I got it back, it still worked just fine. The cameras are decent, though I don't use them much, and the display, while not the largest, is good sized and easy to work with. Consumer Reports reported favorably on it, their only real concern with the phone was less than stellar video (which I don't use at all, so far). Battery life seems pretty decent, too.
<edit> It does have a micro-SD slot, supports up to 32G iirc. </edit>
One of the nice extras, for me at least, is some software specific to the phone called G'zgear, seven different functions that are outdoor related. They include a compass, a thermometer, a tides calculator (not very useful here in Colorado), sun/moon rise/set calculator, a star gazer app, a pedometer and a real-time barometer. I use the last two the most. The sun/moon and star gazer apps link to the GPS, so they are very accurate since they're calculated based on your actual GPS location.
Since I live in a 1G service area, and only get into 3G/4G areas once or twice a month, a minimal data plan is fine for me. Which is good, given I'm living on Social Security right now.
If you're looking for a phone that can take a bit more of a beating, look at this one. "Drop that Samsung on a hard floor and you're likely to be picking up pieces," was what I thought when I looked at it. Like I said, I know myself and things like that can and do happen with me.
Oh, and a wonderful little app that I just have to recommend to everyone, called RadarNow. Available in the Google PlayStore, free and pay versions. This one gives you real-time weather radar centered on your actual gps location, if you have 3G/4G or a wireless connection. Very, very nice to have in storm season. The display is zoom-able and customizable, and animated. Noticeably better than the weather app radar I've tried (Wunderground and WeatherChannel) on the phone.
And the price is right: $49.95 iirc with a 2 year plan. And they had a mail-in rebate for $50 when I got mine.
Last edited by nicolai on Sat Nov 23, 2013 12:59 am, edited 1 time in total.
An objective definition of "Political Correctness":
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical, liberal minority, and
rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the
proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end."
My two "problems" with the Galaxy S4 are a) that it feels a bit cheap and b) Samsung's customized TouchWiz interface.
Those were the main reasons why I chose against upgrading to a S4, yet I must admit, that they're merely personal preferences and not absolute truths. Despite the feel, the hardware is indeed very good and the phone offers very good value for its price.
In the end I had chosen to wait a bit and have now bought a Google Nexus 5. Yes there are reasons against it (disappointing camera, not very impressive battery life, no memory card slot), but they don't affect me personally. My decision for the Nexus was supported by the difficulty or delays with receiving firmware/OS updates at other manufacturers, because they don't seem to care much about past customers. Since the Nexus 5 runs on a stock android, it not only makes future updating easier, but it also offers the best performance and no interface changes and pre-installed apps by manufacturers.
Anyway, you should be aware of the fact that many of today's smartphones with their ~ 5" screens are bigger than most (if not all) seven year old feature phones I remember. Not everyone is excited by that, so I wanted to ask if that's a consideration in your choice. Do you need (or would you use) additional space provided by a memory card? Not every phone offers that, such as my recent acquisition.
If you're fine with a 5" display and want the option use a microSD-card, then the Samsung Galaxy S4 is indeed a good middle-of-the-road choice. The list of alternatives isn't very large, so if you want to stay with Android your second choice might be the HTC One.
I fully support a choice to go with a Samsung Galaxy phone. From my research (also needing a new phone soon) and from seeing other people using various different products, I hear the best results from the Samsung phones. A close friend has the Note2 and loves it. There is a very good chance my next phone will be a Galaxy phone of whatever version is the currently available model (current phone still works, mostly, why replace it until it dies?)
“Two possibilities exist: either we are alone in the Universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying.”
I've had my smartphone for about a year, I upgraded to it from one of those slide out keyboard texting phones. It's a Samsung Galaxy Proclaim (it's the equivalent of the S2 but smaller, only has a 3.5 inch screen) I am very happy with the availability of apps for the android OS. I have not yet come across an app for iOS that is not available on Android or as a different app with the same functions that I'm looking for.
When I update/replace my phone I will be getting another Android phone if I can find one that has a 3.5 inch screen. (I don't like the mini tablet phones that are out now. I feel like I'm holding a small TV to my face when I use one. Also with the larger screens they are much more fragile.)
Fel wrote:Yes, yes, I know I'm a little anachronistic and might be the only adult in the entire western hemisphere younger than 50 that doesn't live on a farm or in prison that doesn't have a smart phone.
your not the only one, i still use a 18 euro mobile, and being 36, i still qualify for the age constraint ...
I had the Comando flip phone and their first smartphone. I liked them but needed a bigger screen as I do a lot of reading on my phone. My current phone is a Motorola droid HD maxx and works fine for me including the games I play (clash of clans mainly). The battery lasts me about a day even lisitng to Pandora all night. A coworker has a galaxy note2 and he is happy with it.
I am on my second iPhone ( I get them cheaper from work) and I am very happy with it (I only upgraded to give the old iPhone to my wife). My only experience with android is with the cheap ones, who obviously can't compare. Here in Portugal the price of high-end android is very similar with iPhones, so the price is not a choosing factor for me. For my phone I preferred the "walled garden" filosophy than "open" so I choose iPhone a few years ago.
Edit: I keep my phone always on, and since I use it a lot (email, apps, gps, games, reading) I charge it every night. My wife still get the same battery life from a 3 years old iPhone as I did from new.
I've been using the S3 for awhile, and love it, I love how it does the S-beam to my wifes S3 (share pics, etc) also have the Samsung smart TV and tablet, it's great how they all work together..
lol, so typical. I plan to buy a new phone, and when I get up this morning and turn on my computer...nothing. The Black Screen o' Death.
Power supply issues. I got it back up, but now a couple of little quirks it's been suffering make sense. My PS has been failing for a while now, but now it's on its last gasp.
Soooo, I bought a cheapie non-smart phone to replace my phone, and now the money I would have spent on the smart phone is going towards "new computer fund." I know I could just replace the PS in this box, but it's nearly 7 years old now and past its prime, so may as well just save the money and buy a new desktop.
But thanks for all the advice. When I have the money, I think I will upgrade to a smart phone. I've wanted one for a while, but couldn't justify spending the money when the phone I had worked. Given this new phone is a $30 ultra-cheapie, I'll want to get rid of it as soon as possible.
Just another guy from the shallow end of the gene pool.
