Touching Moments

[Nicker]

Greetings TTLG Technocrati.

My phone still has buttons and apparently this is no longer de-riguer, so I will either be upgrading with my present carrier or signing on with a new one.

But all the claims and promises of the various devices presently available are mind boggling and sorting out the hype from the reality is a career path I cannot dedicate myself to at this time. And that's even before I try to untangle the carrier plans available...

My question is, what are your recommendations for a touch-screen phone?

Your insights into either specific models or into the significance of various technical qualities and capabilities of the hardware and software, would be greatly appreciated.

Apart from the usual telephone, text and internet access, my specific interest is high quality photo and video capability.

Thank you all in advance for your time.

[Al_B]

The problem with mobile phones is that there are almost as many opinions as there are phones. As I'm sure you've seen, IOS and Android are the two platforms with the most traction at the moment with Microsoft's Windows Phone, RIM's Blackberry and Nokia's Symbian lagging behind.

I personally prefer the Android platform as it is open, easy to develop for and there are a decent number of apps available for it. In my opinion it's not as slick as the products available on Apple's platform as a whole, but it's not been a major hardship.

As far as a phone is concerned, if you can stretch to something like the latest iPhone 4 or Samsung Galaxy S2 or later you should be reasonably future-proofed. Neither will be as good quality as a dedicated camera and it'll all change within six months, of course, but it'll at least be a starting point.

[Nicker]

Cheers Al_B.

Thank you for leaving the beaten path and sharing your insight. Future proofing is a real concern especially since, as you observed, the future is only a few month away.

You have given me some points of reference to keep in mind. Much appreciated.

[BrokenArts]

I moved the thread back to get more opinions than anything. Nicker, take it from here. We've had discussions before about razors, etc.

[Subjective Effect]

easy to develop for

Says who?

This is my advice as an Android zealot with my 3rd Android phone (HTC Sensation).

If you have a Mac and an iPad then get an iPhone.

If you are a PC user get an Android phone, and then an Android tablet if you ever want a tablet.

Why? Imho it is better to say within the same "ecosystem" because you can sync everything. I grudgingly use Windows because I need Office (and no, Open Office won't do) and all the games I have are Windows games. But I get on fine with it tbh and all the Google stuff that is synced more or less works fine on the PC/phone. Google still haven't combined all their stuff (Picasa for example) but as far as email, calendar, Google+ it's all good.

At to which specific phone? iPhone 4S, obviously, or if going Android then a Galaxy S3 or a HTC One X.

[Briareos H]

I just got a HTC One S and it's a great piece of hardware. So thin and fragile though... like all smartphones you just don't get to let it slip and fall down, even from a few feet. It works wonderfully and the camera is great and fast. Some sample shots from a random website here.
The One S is cheaper and outperforms the One X in every benchmark and almost every feature. The One X or GS3 shouldn't be recommended unless you enjoy screens the size of Canada. And to think I still find the One S too big compared to my old HTC Desire.

[Chimpy Chompy]

I got an HTC Wildfire S cos it was cheap.

tbh I'm mostly happy with it. Except for the puny 128mb onboard storage, much of which is already taken up with preloaded stuff. Not all apps can be moved to the SD card - I've tried some workarounds with mixed success. So i've been limited in how many I can install. It's frustrating as just, say, half a gig would cover most people's needs and I doubt it would force a major price hike.

Still, it does all the basic smartphone stuff. I can check ebay auctions or my google reader or amusing cat videos, or use it as a satnav.

[Aerothorn]

I've heard nothing but good things about the latest iteration of Windows Phone (http://www.slate.com/articles/techno..._latest_e.html for one example), but I can't vouch from personal experience as I don't have a smartphone.

[Nicker]

I moved the thread back to get more opinions than anything. Nicker, take it from here. We've had discussions before about razors, etc.

Thanks for the relocation, BA. It's all about location.


And thank you to everyone for their replies.

[scumble]

If you have a Mac and an iPad then get an iPhone.

This does assume that you're willing to fork out the dough for a phone every month. Like Chimpy Chompy I got an HTC Wildfire as it's a very frugal Android handset. It is a bit sluggish, but I don't think I want to pay extra even if the iPhone is a decent piece of kit. It would just be an expensive toy for me.

Also I'm not senior enough to get one from the company I work for...

[henke]

If you're on a tight budget you might wanna take a look at Samsung's upcoming $50 Smartphone (tied to a 2 year AT&T contract). It has a 5MP camera and can capture 720p video. Not bad for that price. I'd wait for some reviews of the thing after it's been released tho, before plunging in.

[Subjective Effect]

This does assume that you're willing to fork out the dough for a phone every month.

What does this mean? That they break, or that a new version comes out often? Or something else?


Nicker - don't get a budget phone. Get at least a flagship phone (each manufacturer has one) from last generation or you'll only come back moaning about "what's the big deal". Trust me. I've had a Nexus One (still have it), a Samsung Galaxy and now have a HTC Sensation. The Nexus and the Galaxy seem such old hat compared to the Sensation (although the Nexus is the most comfortable phone to hold) because the mix of hardware and software just doesn't cut it any more.

The Sensation with Ice Cream Sandwich (Android v4) isn't perfect but damnit if it isn't near; for what I need a "phone" for anyway.

This isn't really a phone. It's a phone, GPS navigation system, music player, camera, video camera, sound recorder and PDA. And it I play the occasional game on it too.

[Renzatic]

If you are a PC user get an Android phone, and then an Android tablet if you ever want a tablet.

I'd agree with the first two, but not the last. While I was out shopping for a tablet, I came dangerously close to grabbing a Transformer Prime. I ended up choosing the iPad for one simple reason, the same reason why I've ended up sticking with Windows all these years.

It has a better selection of software.

Android phones are great. It's got tons of apps, progs, and other types of hoohahs to choose from. The tablets? Not so much. The hardware is great, the OS is decent, but most of the apps are just scaled up to the bigger screen and don't take advantage of the larger space a tablet provides. The iPad on the other hand has 50 kajillion iPad specific apps that feel more like a proper programs, and less like cramped mobile phone novelties.

The only downside I can see to owning an iPad over an Android tablet is having to put up with obnoxious Apple people.

[jay pettitt]

*removes obnoxious linux person hat*

I really like my smart phone - but it's touch and go whether I'd like to reincarnate my old phone with a battery that could keep going not just for an afternoon but a whole long weekend, then followed by an unscheduled week's vacation and still keep going strong, even more.

Having a smart phone is like going back to pay and go, but instead of not being able to actually use the damn thing because you're constantly low on credit, you're crippled by being constantly low on juice.

Yay, progress.

[Chimpy Chompy]

What does this mean? That they break, or that a new version comes out often? Or something else?

I think scumble just means the more expensive contracts a high-end phone like iphone requires. Unless you wish to fork out a few hundred upfront.

[Renzatic]

You know, for someone who hasn't taken the smartphone plunge, I'd be willing to suggest they get a tablet first, and grab a cheap flip phone or something for your phonecalls and whatnot. With the tablet, you can pay for a 4G connection on a month per month basis without having to sign up on a contract, and the battery lasts two years short of forever.

Everything I used to use my iPhone for can be done better with a 4G iPad. Maps? So much nicer on a larger screen, and a 4G iPad offers up turn by turn GPS. Looking up info on the internet? The bigger screen makes for easier reading and navigating.

But what about the battery life? All this time I thought the 10 hours Apple touted was a best case scenario type situation. Like you hear about laptops that get 4 hours of juice, but only if you play solitaire with the wifi radio off. The iPad, being basically a huge ass battery with a screen welded on top of it, actually does last a good 10-12 hours per charge. I've gone three days without having to plug it in before. I hear the same applies to Android tablets, plus or minus an hour or so. On the other h and, I usually drain my iPhone down to 20% just about every day.

I'd suggest focusing on a tablet over a smartphone. You sacrifice pocket portability, but it's still the cheaper and better option in my opinion.

[scumble]

I think scumble just means the more expensive contracts a high-end phone like iphone requires. Unless you wish to fork out a few hundred upfront.

That's it - they're only "free" if you pay the £60 tariff.