Suggest a new smartphone for me...or help me pick one... : Othor Games

» Mon May 14, 2012 8:07 am

That's no different than the iPhone.

If you don't care about the lack of an SD card slot then I'd go with the Galaxy Nexus. It's a great device and it's a Google phone, so you're likely to get software support and OS updates for much longer than a carrier-branded device.

» Mon May 14, 2012 11:14 am

Can't replace the batteries
No choices in terms of design
They'd rather sue than innovate
Proprietary connections. All connections they've ever used have been proprietary. You want a car charger? You gotta dish out extra money instead of picking one up off the streets. You want a keyboard? Can't use just any, gotta use one that is specially approved. On Android, it's a matter of drivers alone.

I've got some more in there, but I think I overdid it today and wore my brain out.

» Sun May 13, 2012 10:56 pm

Can't replace the batteries
No choices in terms of design
They'd rather sue than innovate
Proprietary connections. All connections they've ever used have been proprietary. You want a car charger? You gotta dish out extra money instead of picking one up off the streets. You want a keyboard? Can't use just any, gotta use one that is specially approved. On Android, it's a matter of drivers alone.

I've got some more in there, but I think I overdid it today and wore my brain out.

Thanks man, I appreciate it. I'm probably going to go look at the Nexus this weekend then for sure.

» Mon May 14, 2012 8:55 am

I've been over the iPhone v Android thing many times, so I've got a bit of a list prepared in my head for these occasions

» Mon May 14, 2012 12:38 pm

I've been over the iPhone v Android thing many times, so I've got a bit of a list prepared in my head for these occasions :tongue:

One's an Apple product and the other isn't. If you're familiar with the way Apple does things then you know whether or not it's for you, IMO.

» Mon May 14, 2012 1:41 pm

Thing is, most people see the brand and go nuts. They don't look at the products themselves. That's why I've got this list.

» Mon May 14, 2012 3:42 am

The last Apple product I owned was an Apple IIe in the 1980's.

» Sun May 13, 2012 9:47 pm

The last Apple product I owned was an Apple IIe in the 1980's.

That was my last Apple computer, too. I miss the ol' girl.

» Mon May 14, 2012 12:51 am

The last Apple product I owned was an Apple IIe in the 1980's.

That was before they turned evil.

If I need a proprietary cable to charge my portable device then I'm not interested. If I need proprietary software to put media on my device then I'm not interested. I could go on. They make nice products, TBH, but when I buy a device I just want to buy a device. I don't want to join a club.

» Mon May 14, 2012 7:18 am

Yeah, it does seem like Apple is the new "hip" thing.

» Mon May 14, 2012 12:51 pm

I have a similar question. I get my contract renewed in May, which means I can get a new phone. Should I get the iPhone 4S, Galaxy S2, or Razr?

Is the Android or Apple app market better?
Which is the fastest?
What has the best looking display?

» Mon May 14, 2012 6:04 am

Verizon, international, or other?

Is the Android or Apple app market better?
Which is the fastest?
What has the best looking display?

1) Android. You have no arbitrary restrictions and don't need to go through hoops to install anything you want.
2) Android. You have arbitrary hardware instead of a new iteration once a year. In other words, if someone wants to throw in a beast of a CPU then they can and will.
3) Android. Again, the flexibility.

» Mon May 14, 2012 4:11 am

Verizon, international, or other?

Sprint. Which I don't really like the service it gets, but I certainly like the unlimited data.

» Mon May 14, 2012 3:19 am

Sprint. Which I don't really like the service it gets, but I certainly like the unlimited data.

Alright. Galaxy Nexus then. Skip the S2.

» Mon May 14, 2012 6:07 am

It's a Nexus, there isn't any. :wink:

Not really. The Nexus is designed to be the best that Android can be. That's the idea behind the Nexus line. Generally speaking, of course. There are things here and there but generally speaking, it is.

You obviously don't know your tech if you are saying the Verizon Galaxy Nexus has no bloatware. It does. It's Verizon's variant of it, not stock. Google also officially dropped all official reference support for CDMA nexus devices.

Not really. The Nexus is designed to be the best that Android can be. That's the idea behind the Nexus line. Generally speaking, of course. There are things here and there but generally speaking, it is.

The Galaxy Nexus in particular both under-performs the Galaxy S II reference model AND has worse battery life. Tegra2 falls seriously short of Exynos SoC both in terms of raw power and optimization.

All of that said, the Galaxy Nexus is still probably the best Android phone on Verizon, shame it got shafted by Google and crapped on by Verizon.

» Mon May 14, 2012 1:35 am

Sprint. Which I don't really like the service it gets, but I certainly like the unlimited data.

On Sprint, Galaxy SII.

» Sun May 13, 2012 10:08 pm

On Sprint, Galaxy SII.

Sprint's getting the Galaxy Nexus.

» Mon May 14, 2012 5:52 am

Alright. Galaxy Nexus then. Skip the S2.

Whats better about the Nexus compared to the S2?

» Sun May 13, 2012 9:34 pm

The Galaxy Nexus in particular both under-performs the Galaxy S II reference model AND has worse battery life. Tegra2 falls seriously short of Exynos SoC both in terms of raw power and optimization.

All of that said, the Galaxy Nexus is still probably the best Android phone on Verizon, shame it got shafted by Google and crapped on by Verizon.

The Nexus doesn't have a Tegra 2. At all.

» Mon May 14, 2012 5:46 am

Whats better about the Nexus compared to the S2?

No dealing with Samsung's Touchwiz without flashing and no dealing with their slow updates without flashing.

It's also got a larger screen if you're into that kind of thing. Personally, I stick with 4.3 inches or so.

» Mon May 14, 2012 6:07 am

Whats better about the Nexus compared to the S2?

It's stock Android (The Sprint one actually will be). Beyond that absolutely nothing. It was the single most underwhelming Nexus phone yet.

The Nexus doesn't have a Tegra 2. At all.

You're right, my bad. Was recalling a different phone. It's TI OMAP c[ra]pu. That's even worse than Tegra2.

» Mon May 14, 2012 5:25 am

Whats better about the Nexus compared to the S2?

The only real advantage is that it's a Google phone and is likely to get software support longer. From purely a hardware perspective the Galaxy S II is the superior device.

Is the Android or Apple app market better?

They both have advantages. Apple's Appstore probably still has the better selection of premium apps. Android Market wins on variety and openness.

Which is the fastest?

Of the devices you listed the Galaxy S II has the fastest CPU, the iPhone 4G the fastest GPU. Performance-wise they're probably pretty close overall.

What has the best looking display?

IMO nothing comes close to Samsung's Super AMOLED+ displays, so the Galaxy S II wins there in my book.

» Mon May 14, 2012 8:03 am

Sprint's getting the Galaxy Nexus.

I realize that, but I still don't think the Galaxy Nexus is worth waiting for over the GS2. The two phones are incredibly similar other than the version of Android, and the S2 is getting ICS in a few weeks.

» Sun May 13, 2012 11:16 pm

The only real advantage is that it's a Google phone and is likely to get software support longer. From purely a hardware perspective the Galaxy S2 is the superior device.

http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/03/verizon-galaxy-nexus-removed-from-google-support-pages-over-cdma/

Nullified pretty much the only advantage of the Galaxy Nexus on Sprint compared to the Galaxy SII

» Mon May 14, 2012 1:37 am

I realize that, but I still don't think the Galaxy Nexus is worth waiting for over the GS2. The two phones are incredibly similar other than the version of Android, and the S2 is getting ICS in a few weeks.

Yes, I realize the internals are better, but I won't recommend a Samsung device that isn't a Nexus until they get their act together with decent software support and lose Touchwiz. For non-Nexus devices, I'll recommend Moto or HTC. For me, the stuff Samsung does outweighs the internals much more.