iPhones

[Lynn LeFey]

My husband's iPhone 4S (or whatever letter it was) crapped out on him yesterday. We were due an upgrade with contract renewal (we're with AT&T and have been happy with their coverage). So, we called the nearest location. They didn't have a single iPhone in stock, but gave us a cheery 'if you come by FRIDAY...' kind of speech.

My husband is a total phone-a-holic. There was no way we'd make it till Friday, when the iPhone 5C gets added as an upgrade option.

So, we tried the NEXT location, next town over. They had the 5 in stock. Turns out, once we got there, that they COULD reboot the phone, but since it was old(ish), and the cost to upgrade was pretty minimal, my hubby got the 5. His 4S was 32gig. The 5 is only 16 gig, but he's only got about 7 gig of stuff on it anyway, so no big deal. The trade-in value on the old one actually allowed him to get an Otterbox for the 5 (because, of course, the 4 and 5 are different sizes, rendering his old case useless). Out the door cost of only like $37 bucks for the upgrade. Pretty nice.

I was also (very subtly) reminded that I'm eligible for a phone upgrade. I'm strongly considering a 5, or 5C if they don't carry the 5.

I'm currently carrying a Panteck Breeze flip phone. It's fine, but sometimes it's nice to have a smart phone. I KNOW it's a nicer phone, but it's more than i really need, since most of the time I'm away from home, I'm with my hubby, who has a smart phone. The smart phones suck down the batteries like crazy, and the data plan adds a bit to the monthly phone bill, which, if i don't use, seems kind of like a waste.

So... 

I'm certainly not going to do anything till Friday in any case.

[Mr. Whippy]

Right now, the Samsung Galaxies are the way to go (most people believe).  The S3 is a bargain and ALMOST as good as a S4.  If you can get unlimited data and you're on a 4G LTE network at home, you could easily get rid of high speed internet at home with an ANDROID (not iPhone), using it as your Wifi hotspot.

I do it everytime we're away from home and it is super slick.  Just keep the phone plugged into AC and you have high speed internet for a lot of people anywhere there's at least 3G coverage (4G is much better however).

[AHB]

Go for the Iphone.. I'll be getting the 5S as soon it's available over here but more important the IOS 7 is released tomorrow the 18.

[Millhouse]

What colour are you going to get Allan?

(Sorry for butting in Lynn).

[Lynn LeFey]

Millhouse... Noooo!!! You TOTALLY stole my thread! My life is over FOREVER!

Actually, it's cool.

And I'd get the green one. THANKS FOR ASKING!!!   

[Grant Lamontagne]

My preference is for Android, but I can certainly understand the allure of the iPhone- even leaving aside all of the Mac Zombie jokes. 

Since it is such a common handset it has a lot more cases and aftermarket accessories available for it since there's a relatively large market for it compared to Android handsets that vary not only from model to model but also from manufacturer to manufacturer.  That may not be a huge benefit to a lot of people, but to someone like me that absolutely needs a good case, that alone is often the deciding factor in buying tech.

Also, if you have an Apple computer and/or iPad, the seamless synchronization between the various devices is simply astounding.  Again, Android suffers from too much deviation in this regard as well since there are so many different manufacturers making so many different devices, plus the fact that Google has absolutely no control of the MS interface that you'd need to have your phone communicate with your computer.  I actually would also really like this kind of integration among all my devices, but I don't want to pay Apple prices for things, nor do I want to replace my laptop, tablet and phone.

There are drawbacks to Apple's design too, and like any multitool, when you stick to the proven brands you really can't go wrong, even if none of them are truly perfect.  Good luck to you, and I hope you enjoy your new phone! 

Def

[Mr. Whippy]

I love my Mac desktop (mini Mac) and like my Macbook pro (better than the current Windows systems), but at least in the US, Apple has the iPhone really tied up as to what you can do with it.  Patents on the iphone "system" means jailbreaking your phone gives the cell service providers the ability to stop your service, or bill you for things not intended when they sold you the phone.

Android phones, OTOH are open source so you can legally root them if you want and run any app you want.  The cell service providers can void your warranty for rooting your phone, but that's about it.   If I could hack my wife's iphone, I would definitely reconsider.  They are slick packages.

[Grant Lamontagne]

How dare you think about slightly altering that thing you own?  People like you should be put in prison.  And not good prison either.  Sodomy prison.   

I can see where Apple is coming from with that mentality.  Basically when you buy into Apple products you pay a premium for the Apple Experience.  When people start messing with that it's like the guy on the tour bus that keeps flatulating loudly and asking the bus to stop at every convenience store to pick up some smokes.  It is outside of the experience that has been created for you.

It's not my type of thing, but I can certainly see how it would be appealing to others.  Plus, with Apple controlling the hardware and the software it does have the benefit of always being functional, at least with a minimal amount of tweaking.

Def

[AlephZero]

Aaandd thats why only mac I'll ever touch is mac n cheese...

Seriously though, I want to decide myself what to do with my phone or computer, so I stay way away from any apple products

[AimlessWanderer]

People do mention how well these interface with other apple products, but what about hooking up the phone to a Windows PC? How well do these connect for transferring photos and such between the two? As good as any other mobile, or is there issues?

[Grant Lamontagne]

It is similar to any other device for transferring simple files like photos, videos and mp3's although I think you have to install the PC version of iTunes. Honestly I find it easier to transfer files like that using Dropbox or just emailing them.

Def

Sent from my SGH-I747M using Tapatalk 2

[AimlessWanderer]

Cheers mate 

[derekmac]

+1 for Dropbox. It's really easy to use, and you can access it from just about anything. You can even setup folders to automatically sync between different devices.

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 4

[Mr. Whippy]

+1 for Dropbox. It's really easy to use, and you can access it from just about anything. You can even setup folders to automatically sync between different devices.

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 4

^ This.  It's the easiest way.

[AlephZero]

+1 for Dropbox. It's really easy to use, and you can access it from just about anything. You can even setup folders to automatically sync between different devices.

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 4

^ This.  It's the easiest way.

+1 for Dropbox

[Grant Lamontagne]

I saw this earlier and thought it was pertinent.  And funny.



The folks at Android are apparently getting so good at copying Apple designs that they can copy Apple before Apple even does something...

Def

[derekmac]

We'll I've switched to an iPhone. I think I'm going to like it.


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[derekmac]

So with Airplay, I can browse MTO on my tv! Very cool! :Tu:


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[AlephZero]

So with Airplay, I can browse MTO on my tv! Very cool! :Tu:


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free

 I could do that with my Padfone too, but haven't tried it yet

[derekmac]

I think I could do it with my Android phones too, but it wasn't nearly as easy as with the iPhone.  Grant was right about Apple products really working well together!

[16VGTIDave]

I could do that with my Padfone too, but haven't tried it yet

Yeah, you "could" do it, but he HAS done it. See the difference? :p


Sent from my iPad2

[AlephZero]

Point being, I "could" do it, but i don't see any need... capiche?

And that's my last word on this matter...