Opinions wanted

[starrylizard]

Does anyone have some useful info on smart phones? I have a less than great phone at the moment and I'm thinking of upgrading to an Android phone or iPhone. In Android phones I've been looking mostly at the Samsung Galaxy series of phones, just because I have a Samsung so I figured I wouldn't have to learn a new platform. They seem pretty similar to the iPhones though.

Does anyone know of a site that compares smartphones in a useful manner? Like a direct comparison of features and whether they have known glitches etc.

Does anyone have an opinion on iPhone vs Android? Especially when it comes to things like apps and data usage... also battery life?

I'm really confused by the phones and which one is a good one to be honest. Help?

Comments

[leavingslowly.livejournal.com]

Cnet.com usually has good tech reviews. I have Verizon and just upgraded my phone and looked at the galaxy, but I went with another iPhone mostly because it is smaller and I feel like the OS is more intuitive. Also, while apps can be more expensive for the iPhone you will have a better selection than on an Android. I got the iPhone 5 and I think the battery life is decent. I feel like the LTE (4G) network does consume a little more battery life than the older model, but it is FAST and with normal use I can still go about 2.5 days before I have to charge my phone. So I guess overall I am an iPhone person right now, although I will say I don't think the 5 is Apples best model. I don't like their map app and I think the pictures it takes are not quite as crisp as with the previous model.

[starrylizard.livejournal.com]

Thanks for your input. :)

[el1ie.livejournal.com]

I'm a total dunce when it come to phones and things, however, I was once sent this link as somewhere you can compare the most popular phones.

[starrylizard.livejournal.com]

Ooh that's a good link. Thank you!

[the-muppet.livejournal.com]

Want to know a secret? I'm that strange person you've heard about, the one who has never owned a mobile phone in her life.

This adds to my all-round general quirkiness, yes?

[starrylizard.livejournal.com]

I am someone who has a phone for my personal use. I often leave it in a drawer or my bag, so people can't actually contact me on it, except to leave me SMS. This works for me. :P

[tj-teejay.livejournal.com]

I have never really tried an iPhone, so I have zero experience with it. I myself am generally not a fan of Apple products, so I have no desire owning one. Which isn't to say they're not good. I just don't like their policy of (mostly) not being compatible with anything non-Apple unless you buy just another adapter cable for, oh say, 30 bucks.

But anyway... I own an HTC smartphone. I always call it my non-Apple iPhone, because I think it's about the same size and capabilities (at least at the time when I bought it). It's an HTC Incredible S, but I think that's just the European name. I believe in the US it went by HTC Droid Incredible 2. It's from 2011. And, yes, I'm very happy with it. (It currently runs on Android 2.3.5, though it's Android 4 compatible as well. I just haven't upgraded yet.)

I haven't really looked into smartphones lately, but a friend of mine from the UK just recently got a Samsung Galaxy Ace 2. Which in the US could have another name. It confuses me why they have to give them different names on the different continents. It looked quite okay to me, and my friend appeared to be rather happy with it. The battery life isn't too great. Without a battery saving app, she had to charge it every night. With the app I think it lasted barely two days. My HTC lasts between two and three days, depending on how much I use it. And I have a battery saving app too.

As for the operating system, I myself am quite happy with Android. I don't think there are many apps that are available for iPhone but not for Android and vice versa. Android is one of the most common OSes for smartphones these days. And I find it easy to use.

And that's all I can report right now. Hope it was halfway helpful.

[starrylizard.livejournal.com]

I didn't know much about HTC, but I have seen them around. I'll look into that too then.

I really don't want an iPhone much as I hate using iTunes. I use it for my iPod, but it's annoying. Plus Android seems very good and less restrictive. So it's nice to know my leanings are probably fine! :D

[tj-teejay.livejournal.com]

Well, you hear contradictory things all the time, of course. Some people say HTC is very good, others say it's not. Again, I don't know what their latest models are like. It's been almost two years that I bought mine, and things in the electronic world change so fast! I would definitely scour the internet a little, especially in regards to battery life. That was one of my chief decision makers back then, because the Incredible S was said to have a better battery than the other model I was thinking about buying.

Once you've narrowed it down to certain models, it might also help to look at the customer reviews on amazon, especially the ones with the low ratings, and just see what kind of things they're harping about. If it's just unhappiness with shipping times or maybe a malfunctioning model that they had to return, it might not be a big deal. However, if it's a pattern of something iffy occurring often, you maybe want to consider whether that would be a no-go for you.

[tj-teejay.livejournal.com]

Oh, I would also recommend that you try to find a store that has the models you're considering on display, preferably if they're also working so that you can play with them. There's nothing like actually touching something, feeling how it lies in your hand, how sturdy it is, if you can operate the buttons well, etc.

[yasminke.livejournal.com]

I've a Samsung Galaxy 3 and I like it a lot. I had an HTC before and it was hard (loyalty issues) to switch but I don't regret it. Being an Apple fan, it's hard to admit how much I like my android.

The gap between smartphones is closing. If you stick with Apple, Samsung or HTC you'll be okay.

[starrylizard.livejournal.com]

Oh good! I currently have a Galaxy Wave, which is an older not-so-smart phone that uses Samsung's own operating system. But I still kinda like it. Hence the leaning to Galaxy. I figure it should be similar, but I'll be able to use apps and such. I'll look into HTC too. I hadn't realised they were big in the smart phone world. Thanks! :)

[slashybits.livejournal.com]

After much confusion and research I got my first smart phone at the start of Sept (I blame in_the_bottle for getting me on twitter and then moving, had to get a smart phone then LOL)

I asked around for imput like you are and specifically said I wanted android info because I was not getting an iphone (main reasons, android actually is more stable according to a lot of tech sites and I don't like the apple dominance/incompatibility issues) and still got people telling me to get an iphone *sigh*

I was looking at the Samsung Galaxy 2 and the HTC One S, similar comparisons on features etc, went to my local virgin store and played with both models and really for me it came down to feel and clarity.

So my advice is go to a store and play with the phones, see what feels right to you.

I loooooove my HTC One S. It beat out the samsung for weight/feel and the screen seemed to be a lot sharper and those were my deal breakers

[starrylizard.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'm mostly after an Android phone, but I haven't completely ruled out the iPhone...just have a thing against iTunes which drives me insane.

How's the battery life on your HTC?

Thanks!

[slashybits.livejournal.com]

Standby is really good I've found and it really depends on what you are using it for. I did one day in the city, listening to music for a while, taking photos, instagram and twitter really gave it a work out and battery was still showing green when I chose to charge it late that night.

I'm charging it every couple of days generally or more often if I use it a lot