What cell phone do you want?

So my 2 year contract has been up for my cell phone, but my iPhone 4 is in absolute perfect working order. Of course, every time I have to call Verizon Wireless for any questions, they like to tell me that I am eligible for a new upgrade.rolleyes The last thing I want to do is upgrade (and pay $300) just so I could get that obnoxious 'Siri' voice with the iPhone 4S. On top of that, I pretty much despise Apple as a company based on my own experiences with their products and particularly their support. On top of that, I can't stand that when you buy anything Apple, they make it very difficult to use it with anything non-Apple...including their itunes songs (which I stopped buying about 3 years ago in favor of Amazon's mp3's).

SO, now with the announcement of the Apple iPhone 5, I decided to go out there and see what else is just as good or better than an iPhone.

In my research, I found the Samsung Galaxy S3, but that's a droid and I'm not a droid fan, which is why I went with the Apple.

The other one I found that I Want! and will definitely buy if it's as good as it looks is the Nokia Lumia 920, which will be Windows 8 based: http://www.nokia.com/us-en/products/phone/lumia920/ Typically, I don't get excited about phones, but this thing, based on specs and ability, looks awesome. Not to mention its awesome looking.:drool The problem is Verizon has traditionally not carried the high end Nokia or windows based phones.

 

iPhone 5 basically is slimmer and has a bigger screen without HD that Android has been doing for years. If I didnt have all these paid for apps on my iPhone then I would go Android at this point. The iPhone 5 brings very little to the table this round.

 

Agreed on the iPhone 5, MA. Everything I was reading said there really wasn't a huge incentive to upgrade as far as I am concerned. Luckily, I don't use apps all that much and all the ones I have except 2 of them are free. I really like the idea of a Windows based phone.

 

I'm not a huge phone person either, Bill (usually). I typically don't need the latest greatest. I do have to say, though, since having the iPhone, it's nice to have the ability to easily go online to search something. I had a Blackberry before the iPhone and the internet was horrid. Email, Contacts, Calendar on the BB were so much better than the iPhone. That's what's frustrating to me. I want something that works for me in all things. I think the Windows phone will do that...work with my laptop, be great online (without having to use the horrible Safari browser).

I'm somewhat enamored with this Nokia Lumia 920 from the looks and specs.:-D

 

$700?? Where'd you see that? I haven't seen any pricing for it. That's probably the full price. I'm not sure how your cell providers work, but ours give heavy 'discounts' on phones when your 2 year contract is up. So, for example, the iphone is $700 as well full price, but through Verizon if your upgrade is available, you get it for $200 or so.

 

Good link. Thanks, Bill.

 

Yep. It looks like yours works the same as ours. You have the option of the 2 year plan which gets you the phones for cheaper and cheaper monthly rates (I believe). The reasoning behind not doing it is if you think you'll be leaving and you don't want to get charged the huge penalty for breaking your contract. They really make it worth going with the 2 year plan as far as pricing.

 

Went Samsung s3. Loving it. iPhone is easier to use for sure yet lacks so much in comparison.

 

I think that's my other choice if the Nokia I want doesn't come to Verizon. I want to compare the two. I've pretty much decided to buy one of those or just stick it out with my iPhone 4. I'm definitely not doing the iPhone 5 upgrade. I think people are nuts if they do just based on the specs.

These are great if anyone hasn't seen them:

http://i.huffpost.com/gen/776031/thumbs/o-IT-DOESNT-TAKE-A-GENIUS-SAMSUNG-570.jpg?1

http://images.latinospost.com/data/images/full/5519/nokia-lumia-920-parody-ad-jpg.jpg?w=600

 

A brief review

I have owned at least 5 iPhones in the past years. I recently purchased the Samsung S3 after a lot of debate and thought I would share my thoughts. Since the new iPhone basically adds a larger screen and is thinner I figured it was time to jump ship to a phone that has been doing that already.

Backup and swapping devices: In retrospect I could have backed up some things differently. For example I could have backed up my contacts to Google and imported them from there in advance. I have given up trying to transfer my old playlist to the Samsung after trying all the suggested tools. Getting my apps back was not too bad and many things easily sync like my Kindle app. Some apps (mostly a few games) are iPhone only so there is at least one game I can no longer play. So, in part to my own fault setting up my contacts and songs will be the most time consuming.

First day of use: The toughest thing is a learning curve. While both are obviously touch screens, both lay everything out differently. A day off to spend playing with it is a big help because that’s about what it took for me to know where to find things easily. I don’t think anyone who is being honest would not agree that the iPhone is simply more intuitive to use but that ease of use comes with the known limitation of only being able to do what Apple allows you to do on your device. The ability to do whatever you want comes with a learning curve.

In your hands: The first thing that amazes you is how light it is, how large yet thin it is and how well it fits in your hand. Live wallpapers and a sexy screen are enjoyable. The volume buttons are in a terrible place and I keep bumping into them. The iPhone has the volume buttons recessed and I never bumped into them. The sleep\wake button is on the other side where the iPhone is on top. I have gotten used to using the front, lower center button easier to turn on and off. Not sure if I will get used to it or not. The larger screen makes games more fun to play, web sites easier to read and it fits more text onto the screen in apps like Kindle.

Customizing: This can go on forever. You can spend time doing anything you want to it. You want a Google Gmail account to sync everything and use some cool features like Picasa to upload your photos. I just completed adding separate ringtones for my messaging and phone. I simply drag and drop MP3’s into the ringtone folder and created a Notifications folder to add my own messaging ringtones. Try that on your iPhone.

Typing and keyboard: The typing is different and taking some time to get used to. Frankly, the prediction on both phones takes practice and both are very similar. The S3 has swipe where you can simply swipe between letters to spell a word. It’s fun and different. I am still on the fence here as again I need to learn how this one works. Then again I remember my first iPhone when I thought texting would be impossible.

Batteries and memory: Battery use of the S3 is much more than the iPhone but then again there are 2 things to consider. First is the larger screen size. Anyone with a laptop knows that the bigger the screen the faster the battery wears down. Charging, while I have not benchmarked it seems slower as well. The other is that I am comparing apples to oranges. The iPhone 5 will have a bigger screen so we don’t know how battery use will be. What we do know is you can buy a spare battery for the S3 and swap batteries. You can also replace the SIM card with a larger card as opposed to the cost associated with the iPhone and the 3 memory options. Apple does not want you opening and tinkering with the iPhone.

Phone: OMG we are going to discuss how the phone, in a smartphone works. I am always fascinated how smartphone reviews put such little effort into the phone use itself or gloss over it in a polite way. I have listened to complaints for years about the phone quality of my iPhone and have heard nothing but positive on the S3. It seems to have better noise reduction as many calls made while driving my Jeep Wrangler have been met with surprise at the lack of background noise. The speakerphone is a speakerphone. They never work really well but they all get the job done.

So, what’s my bottom line? If you need a smartphone with simplicity out of the box and don’t mind the limitations of the phone (meaning you can’t always do what you want) then the iPhone is the obvious choice. Personally, I don’t care for iTunes so I am glad to see that gone. Samsung has a similar program called Kies. However if you don’t mind a little learning curve and literally want your phone to do whatever you want then it’s time to look at Android and at the time I wrote this, the Samsung S3 is considered THE Android smartphone to have. They are both available at almost the same price. The new iPhone 5 simply is lacking compared to the S3 if you compare specs. A different plug, still smaller screen, less RAM, a subpar screen and more is why I ended up here.

I hate to compare iPhone to S3 but have no choice. Let’s be real. The iPhone 4s added Siri. Got it, never really used it. It’s a fad item. I swore by the iPhone though until the 5 announcement. The days of being hip by sitting in a line for 3 days to get the latest, greatest thing should be flipped. You should now look like a jackass to get an upgrade that no longer sets the high standard but instead falls short of the competition. I just can’t do it. So far, no regrets.

 

Great first hand review, MA. Unbiased too, which I like. I like when people review things and they've actually used the competition as apposed to just assuming because you like *insert brand name here* you won't like any other options.

For the first time in a long time (probably since I went from a flip phone to a Blackberry), I'm actually excited to look at some phones. I love that there's viable options out there.

 

As an update, I figured that out. I love exploring the phone by Windows Explorer. Just drop mp3s in and theres your ringtone. Made a folder called Notifications and anything dropped in there is messaging tones. So far still enjoying it and it does have a larger learning curve, mostly due to it being open and the iPhone being locked down. I try and argue with people but when they ignore the facts (S3 has better specs by far for example, no HD video, smaller screen, can't remove battery or sim card, new iPhone needs new power cords making my car adapters obsolete, etc) then it is hard to argue with someone who won't be open.

I am more open. The iPhone is EASILY the better and more intuitive interface if you are happy with what the limitations of the phone that most people are unaware of.

Saw a kid this morning and he was on his iPhone and told him he should try this. Didn't want to hear it. I asked why. He shrugged. I persisted. He said because of the apps. Yup, there is your future. I love how kids think they are so technologically savvy but really it's (mostly) just about texting, tweeting and Facebook.

If they could only argue about the interface itself then we have a valid argument.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nf5-Prx19ZM

 

Iphone NO... been there and done that, and still have a 3G iPhone, but I tend to like the Windows Phones and have had a 6, 7 and will likely get a Windows Phone 8 in the next two weeks as my contract is up then, as for which, well toss up is Samsung Actv S, HTC 8X and Nokia 920, the Nokia has it at present even though I like HTC phones as I have had two of them previously and have a HTC HD7 now.

So likely Nokia 920 or HTC 8X but will let you know in a few weeks.

It will be a Windows Phone as its perfect for tying into my Windows 8 PCs, Netbook, Desktop and Laptop.

 

I'm most likely going with a Windows phone as well, Dave. I am thoroughly disappointed in Nokia/Verizon though as far as the Nokia 920. Nokia decided to give it exclusively to AT&T in the US, so I don't have the option to get that one, unless I switch carriers, which I won't. I think I'll have to go with the HTC 8X which I believe is supposed to be coming to Verizon.

There's been rumors though that Verizon is fighting with Microsoft about privacy issues on Verizon's part, so they may not even sell Windows 8 phones. Verizon has not been a big supporter of Windows phone historically.

 

HTC phones Laura are superb I have had two of them a Windows 6 and 7 phone and both have been bomb proof.

I do like the look of the 8X and its specs, the Nokia 920 does have Nokia Maps which is a fantastic satnav as a friend of mine Jules has a WP7 Lumia 800 and the maps are superb.
So a toss up for me, the Samsung Ativ S is huge! more like a iPad mini!

 

Well, here is a shocker for some of you. After a month of using the S3 I am getting an iPhone 5 most likely today.

If you read my earlier comments you will notice I always said the iPhone was easier to use and it's come down to that. Since I gave you a lot of positives earlier I will tell you what I didn't like that brought me to this. Keep in mind you might see some things I don't like and you may know of a solution but that would also be the point that I can't simply find that solution.

Apps on iPhone simply work better. Smoother, faster loading, etc.

Lot of pre-installed apps and widgets. I don't know what they are and I don't care. I cant uninstall them but on average the S3 uses half the memory of the phone with apps I don't want.

Task manager? If I close an app CLOSE IT.

Voicemail. Checked all my options, I am sure it is there somewhere but it only lets me enter my name. While we are at it, when you get an voicemail on the iPhone you just listen to it, delete it, etc. On Android you call in, etc. Don't like it.

Sort of generic but I have found jumping from app to app can be a bit difficult and cumbersome.

Typing. I didn't like the default typing and I text a lot. I bought an app and you still have to learn it. iPhone was just easy to type. Not perfect, but much better.

There are a few other things but you get the point. For me it's all personal. I won't argue which phone is better or worse of you're happy. For me, the iPhone is simply easier to use. Will let you know.

 

Good info, MA. I've heard the droids are good phones from people who use them. Its just not one I'm interested in, to be honest. Apps mean almost zero to me. After having my iphone for 2 1/2 years, I still only have about 10 apps at most and I actually use all of them...mostly for reading, shopping, cooking, or lighting menus in dark restaurants (my flashlight app). LOL

Verizon finally officially announced the Window phones they will be carrying. When it comes out, I will be buying the HTC 8X. I love the idea of having a phone that syncs well with my computer without all the bs crap that Apple requires.

I'm going to at least try it. If I hate it, I'll return it. The specs look good though.

 

Agreed on the battery, it's a nice option however my argument is the longer battery life on the iPhone, much longer most likely due to the larger screen. For me it's how much you use the phone and I have no regrets. I even drank more kool-aid and bought an iPad mini and love that too. I feel dirty.

 

My new Windows 8 HTC 8X finally shipped and I received it on Wednesday. :hyper

It came around 5 at night and then the hubby came home and wanted to go grab something to eat so I was only able to get the phone set up initially to just work.

First impression out of the box: It really is a nice looking phone. Awesome big screen, curved back so it's really comfortable to hold, whatever the material it's made from...feels a bit rubberized...it feels great. I got the blue one and it's pretty striking...if a phone can be striking.:-D

Powered on: Again...pretty striking. That could be that I've had an iPhone for the last 3 years and a blackberry before that and this is different than all the boring little icons on the screen. I'm not sure how I'll like the Live Tiles on a computer (but I will be switching to Windows 8 when I change computers), but I love it on the phone. I thought it would take more getting used to than it did, but so far there hasn't been much of a learning curve when it comes to finding things. All the set up stuff went without a hitch until it came to my Sim card. For whatever reason, that didn't activate. There could be two reasons for that...one, I didn't turn off my iPhone when doing the setup rolleyes. Two, one of my girlfriends called right in the middle of the set up. Either way, I had to get on with Verizon to have them help me out. 30 or 40 minutes later, I was set up. Then I had to leave for dinner so I couldn't play anymore.:cry

Oh...one note about something I don't like... I can't stand where the volume button is. When you go to hit the power/sleep button which is on the top right, my thumb hits the volume button on the top right side of the phone. It should be lower down on the phone.

Next day was Thanksgiving, so no playing on that day either.

Yesterday, I got to really set it up. Some things I did:

Sync'd my Outlook on it through my Outlook.com email address David told me to get (thanks Dave). This whole process was definitely not as easy as I thought it would be considering I have a Windows computer and a Windows Phone. It was easier than Apple's horrible iCloud system that screwed stuff up for me for a week until I figured out what the issue was, but frankly, if I wasn't adept with computers, I'm not sure I'd have figured it out (I try to put my mom or friend in my place and really I don't think they'd have been able to do it alone). For anyone reading this, here is the microsoft guide for it: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2454811 You will have to have some sort of Microsoft email account (hotmail, outlook, etc). When I finally found all the how to links, it went pretty smoothly and all things are working perfectly between my phone and my computer.

Changed the ringtones for different alerts: Come on Microsoft...find some new ones! Apple's built in ones are much better. I'll find my own once I have the chance.

Contacts: The phone will offer to link any of your contacts together. So if you have Facebook, your outlook contact will link with that person's Facebook's account, which is actually cool. Maybe iPhones do this, but if they do, I never saw it on my phone (I had the 4 though).

Tile colors: There are a multitude of colors you can make your tiles. Very pretty. :-D

Apps: So far, as everyone who has researched Windows phones will know, the apps are limited. They have a lot of the big ones. I have my Kindle app, Amazon, ImDB. I do not however have my Pandora or Cook's Illustrated app. Pandora is releasing one for Windows phones in the coming months though. I do know that more and more apps will be released, so I'm not all that concerned with this, but I've never been a huge app person.

Texting: A note to anyone with Verizon on this. This is pretty huge for some people and most likely a deal breaker. Verizon has gotten rid of Group Texting for the HTC 8X Windows phones. Again, this is just Verizon. The other carriers kept it on the phone. I really don't get this, but it's not the phone, it's the carrier.
---I LOVE that I can change the font size on my texts. I don't even need my reading glasses to see them.

---Another biggie on texting: If you have an iPhone prior to any other brand of phone, be sure to disable your iMessaging before switching. I found this out the hard way. People with iPhones were not able to send my new phone texts because they kept trying to send them as iMessages. I turned on my old iPhone, which isn't even set to my Verizon account anymore and all the texts popped up. That is a definite fault with Apple's iPhones if you ask me.

Music: Love it!!! First it has Beats audio, but besides that, the thing synced using my iTunes...including playlists!! It was awesome. I thought this was going to be the worst part and it was probably the easiest. Now I just have to get rid of the DRM freakin Apple stuck on all my music I already paid for by giving them even MORE money to get it off (oh, and you can't do it by song, you must do your entire list of purchases or nothing :mad). Thankfully, I stopped using iTunes to purchase music a few years ago.

Battery: The battery has not been any issue for me. It's a smartphone, so it's not going to last you days. It has a battery saving function built in, which turns off all apps. You can still use them, but you have to manually use them. I'd say you get a full day and more with the battery. The Verizon HTC 8X has a built in Qi Wireless charging battery. I bought a pad for it (Energizer) and just lay it right on there and it works flawlessly.

I can't think of anything else at the moment, but one thing to note for people who use this for business: This phone comes preloaded with Word, Excel and Powerpoint.

Calling/Talking: No issues with sound when making calls. It's very clear and no one has had any issues hearing me.

All in all after 3-4 days, I'm still ecstatic I've switched to this phone. I have to say, I was little worried I'd go through the excitement of getting it and be sorry I switched from my iPhone. I'm still more than happy I made the switch.

There is really no learning curve with this phone that I've experienced. It's pretty simple (other than the syncing of contacts and calendar through Outlook).

 

OMG really great review of the phone..... I'm still torn between HTC 8X and Lumia 920, my contract is up now so I can swap easily to either.


I agree the ringtones by default are pooooor! but then again you can add your own.

The tiles are neat, I know with the WMP7 version that I have now and friends have that they love the customisable screen/colours that iPhone NO HAVE!

Laura great personal review of the 8X you have given, now I/m more aiming to the 8X over the Lumia 920 as you have personal experience and feedback of this phone, I love Windows phones and more so the WMP8 ones as they tie in with Windows 8 OS.

Zune or Xbox music is well supppppperbbbbbbb as it kills iTunes for the amount of artists its has and for £90 (check your area) for unlimited downloads a superb catalogue, just think 3 CDs and your at the price of the unlimited DL, ITunes you are killed as to DL of music.

MMMMM ahhhhh thinking I may get a 8X next week now.

 

Thanks Dave. And thanks again on your recommendation for getting the Outlook email! That saved me a step.

I think the people who have the Nokia really like it too. Apparently they feel different to hold, though, so it's probably personal preference. I didn't have the option for the Nokia since they went with an exclusive with the other carrier on their premiere phone...so I went with HTC. I'd go hold them both. Since they both have the same operating system, I'd think they function alike. The one thing that apparently is far superior in the Nokia is their maps and their apps.

I'm having fun with this phone, though.

 

Outlook.com email is perfect and we are likely lucky to get our own names or personal address as once an email service becomes popular like gmail/Hotmail then your name disappears.

Outlook email just syncs with everything..... I use mine now for friends only.

Glad you having fun with Windows Phone 8 Laura, I'm playing catch-up with you now..... I'm at a Microsoft meeting next week so may get to see some new hardware and software that's coming soon, hence me holding on now until next month.

I am hoping Nokia Drive will be available for all WMP8 phones soon as its a turn by trun sat nav on your phone, saves having a TomTom.

 

Thanks C-man. I'll check that out.

 

Hi

Dunno think personally those are too big to be used as a phone, put one to your ear and your head disappears, great as a tablet, but these crossover products really for me have no place, iPad mini.... HUH what world would you need that in, its not a phone or a really usable tablet.

Sub 5" screen is about as big as you'd wish to get for a phone, over that its a tablet and should be just that.

Not had issues with HTC in the past and have had a HD2 and currently a HD7 phone of theirs, moving to Nokia next but only when my network gets the 920 (in jan so Nokia say).... the HTC 8X is really good and got to play with one this week and also heard back from around 5 users of them at a meeting I was at, so got good feedback for this device.

 

Got to love the morons who spam this thread that the owner posted in. I get instant email notifications dork, your spam lasted just a little longer that it took to type this. Thanks for playing.

 

Do you know what that's exactly what my dad says, he is happy with buttons he can press, my mum on the other hand is the techy parent who likes and has my old iPhone and wants my Windows Phone 7 when I change..... although there are a few others who want it too.

Its good to just use tech in the raw form and old fashioned as it maybe, nowt wrong with it and good on you.

 

Hi

Why do you want the Galaxy Ace? what is it offering you over other cell/mobile phones?

Only curious.... as I would ask the same of anyone wanting a specific phone, as in what neat feature does it offer you that you need.

IE. for me Windows Phones offer me integration with Windows 8 and they have mobile MS Office and Skydrive.

Still waiting for my provider to stock the Nokia Lumia 920

 

Well finally my provider now has the Lumia 920, just finished on the phone with a very helpful guy, who talked me through all the best permutations of deals they have, phone arrives tomorrow