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Dear All,
I know this is more of a WinMo oriented forum, I still could your advice as mobile enthusiasts.
I'm in the market for a new phone. I've narrowed my selection to the Iphone 3GS or Omnia HD.
I like to do everything, so the more options the merrier.
My problems with the Iphone:
-Where I live, it's expensive as hell. I'm talking 1000$
-Apple is doing good playing catch on the hardware options, but it's still missing things i value like an fm radio and a good camera.
My problems with the Omnia HD:
-Unknown territory with the new symbian performance.
-no app store.
The TP2 is too bulky for my taste, the new xperia X2/X3 might take ages to arrive and N97.....well i just dint like it.
My last phone was the Xperia, was happy with it, tragically died in an accident. Infact, if i don't decide, i'll probably get another xperia.
Any ideas, advice, suggestions?
1000$ ????? There are fools that spend this money??? No iPhone!!!
D'rath
D'rath said:
1000$ ????? There are fools that spend this money??? No iPhone!!!
D'rath
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dude, it's horrible!. The 32gb 3GS is going for 1250$.......
utrx said:
Dear All,
I know this is more of a WinMo oriented forum, I still could your advice as mobile enthusiasts.
I'm in the market for a new phone. I've narrowed my selection to the Iphone 3GS or Omnia HD.
I like to do everything, so the more options the merrier.
My problems with the Iphone:
-Where I live, it's expensive as hell. I'm talking 1000$
-Apple is doing good playing catch on the hardware options, but it's still missing things i value like an fm radio and a good camera.
My problems with the Omnia HD:
-Unknown territory with the new symbian performance.
-no app store.
The TP2 is too bulky for my taste, the new xperia X2/X3 might take ages to arrive and N97.....well i just dint like it.
My last phone was the Xperia, was happy with it, tragically died in an accident. Infact, if i don't decide, i'll probably get another xperia.
Any ideas, advice, suggestions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where I live is also very expensive to buy a device, what I do is to buy overseas so I can get good prices, said that and regarding your question,
my personal opinion is to go for HTC Hero, Diamond 2, or Toshiba tg01 if you are worried about tp2 too bulky.
I would never think on buy Iphone or Omnia...
Just my 2 pesos
Good luck on your desicion!
utrx said:
My problems with the Iphone:
-Where I live, it's expensive as hell. I'm talking 1000$
-Apple is doing good playing catch on the hardware options, but it's still missing things i value like an fm radio and a good camera.
My problems with the Omnia HD:
-Unknown territory with the new symbian performance.
-no app store.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, to begin, I want to comment on the price. My friend, $1000? I'm guessing it's the unlocked retail version. If you purchase it online, you can save quite a bit of change. On the other hand, the Omnia HD is now surprisingly cheap. In fact, I have been watching it since it's release, and it has steadily went down in price (on eBay, at least) by $20 every week. When it was released, it would have cost you $720 online. You can now get it for $600 (even less if you're diligent).
But enough about price, lets get to the point. From my perspective, this is what it comes down to:
1) Screen - Omnia HD; not only is the i8910's screen bigger and it's AMOLED, but it even has a better resolution.
2) Battery Life - Roughly equal
3) Specs - Equal; Both have the Cortex A8 600Mhz with an accelerated video chip
4) Camera - Absolutely Omnia HD; the picture is of a better quality, higher res, and video recording is far superior.
5) Applications - iPhone; Do I need to explain why?
Ultimately, as my evaluation above suggests, the question really comes down to what is more important: The i8910's HD capability or the iPhone's incredibly variety of apps.
You're worried about Symbian's performance, but it performs very well (albeit the i8910 seems to stutter in some places). One thing is for sure: It performs better than Windows Mobile (sorry guys). What is my opinion regarding these two phones (which I happen to have an interest in myself)?
If you were to ask me, I would go with the Omnia HD. The price plays a large factor in it, but what really turned the table was the incredible specs. The 3.7in, capacitive AMOLED is simply impossible to ignore and the CPU is just damn nice. The camera's capability is also very impressive, albeit I do not worry much about phone cameras myself. Word of warning, however: there have been multiple complaints regarding this aspect of the Omnia. Many says it does not work as advertised and it is true to an extent (for example, the listed 24fps recording is not completely accurate).
Furthermore, while performance on Symbian shouldn't be an issue, the variety of apps really is disappointing. Windows Mobile itself seems to beat Symbian in apps. The i8910 and the 3GS has the same CPU, but honestly, the iPhone's apps makes far better use of the power. Truthfully, Symbian itself is a rather old OS and it badly needs an overhaul to compete better with new OSes. These new revisions just aren't cutting it.
Anyway, to reiterate my stance, here is the main benefits of each phone:
Omnia HD
1) Best screen
2) Great camera/HD capabilities (although not perfect)
3) Great interface
4) Better extra specs (e.g. secondary camera, FM radio, etc)
iPhone 3GS
1) Best apps/games by far
2) 3GS is available in America and makes better use of American 3G (i8910 does not have 850 frequency)
3) Better support/community (this is debatable)
Whichever above is more important to you, I suggest you get that phone.
8525Smart said:
Well, to begin, I want to comment on the price. My friend, $1000? I'm guessing it's the unlocked retail version. If you purchase it online, you can save quite a bit of change. On the other hand, the Omnia HD is now surprisingly cheap. In fact, I have been watching it since it's release, and it has steadily went down in price (on eBay, at least) by $20 every week. When it was released, it would have cost you $720 online. You can now get it for $600 (even less if you're diligent).
But enough about price, lets get to the point. From my perspective, this is what it comes down to:
1) Screen - Omnia HD; not only is the i8910's screen bigger and it's AMOLED, but it even has a better resolution.
2) Battery Life - Roughly equal
3) Specs - Equal; Both have the Cortex A8 600Mhz with an accelerated video chip
4) Camera - Absolutely Omnia HD; the picture is of a better quality, higher res, and video recording is far superior.
5) Applications - iPhone; Do I need to explain why?
Ultimately, as my evaluation above suggests, the question really comes down to what is more important: The i8910's HD capability or the iPhone's incredibly variety of apps.
You're worried about Symbian's performance, but it performs very well (albeit the i8910 seems to stutter in some places). One thing is for sure: It performs better than Windows Mobile (sorry guys). What is my opinion regarding these two phones (which I happen to have an interest in myself)?
If you were to ask me, I would go with the Omnia HD. The price plays a large factor in it, but what really turned the table was the incredible specs. The 3.7in, capacitive AMOLED is simply impossible to ignore and the CPU is just damn nice. The camera's capability is also very impressive, albeit I do not worry much about phone cameras myself. Word of warning, however: there have been multiple complaints regarding this aspect of the Omnia. Many says it does not work as advertised and it is true to an extent (for example, the listed 24fps recording is not completely accurate).
Furthermore, while performance on Symbian shouldn't be an issue, the variety of apps really is disappointing. Windows Mobile itself seems to beat Symbian in apps. The i8910 and the 3GS has the same CPU, but honestly, the iPhone's apps makes far better use of the power. Truthfully, Symbian itself is a rather old OS and it badly needs an overhaul to compete better with new OSes. These new revisions just aren't cutting it.
Anyway, to reiterate my stance, here is the main benefits of each phone:
Omnia HD
1) Best screen
2) Great camera/HD capabilities (although not perfect)
3) Great interface
4) Better extra specs (e.g. secondary camera, FM radio, etc)
iPhone 3GS
1) Best apps/games by far
2) 3GS is available in America and makes better use of American 3G (i8910 does not have 850 frequency)
3) Better support/community (this is debatable)
Whichever above is more important to you, I suggest you get that phone.
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iPhone does not need support, you download the appliations, you use it, that's it. It doesn't function for tweaking and it doesn't feature running as a background processes. So it is very unlikely for you to have trouble. Really, when the phone freezes you don't need a community for that to sticky that. All you need is to google or use yahoo answers to get that.
Also using Cydia and unlocking your device is easy. No community is needed.
Furthermore the applications are comparable to Symbian because obviously the applications only run in foreground, therefore making the applications pointless and ****ty.
You have to understand that when you install applications in iPhone you don't really change the settings, so there is almost rarely a chance for program incompatibility...once again, they run in the foreground only 1 AT A TIME. So support for this phone? It's not needed.
yup same here in my country. iphone 3G was about $1000 before the 3GS released.
and IMO if i were u, i would still get xperia. It was familiar for me, no need to worry if i got some errors, many apps had been collected, what else? as long as u're satisfied, nothing's wrong to buy it again
I got my iPhone a few weeks ago..............best phone ever! As much as I'd love to talk about all the great things, I think the name iPhone says enough Camera isn't bad it's quick and takes good pics. MMS has an easy solution email, every cell phone has an email address u can send/rec pics with. Light, very fast, good battery, perfect touch ui, safari, and iPod. If ur worried about fm radio there are plenty of free apps to stream local radio stations.
poetryrocksalot said:
iPhone does not need support, you download the appliations, you use it, that's it.
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Ah, but it does. Community/support simply doesn't mean help for when you have trouble using the iPhone. Those things you mentioned (jailbreaking, Cydia, etc)? Those were things created by the iPhone community.
I suppose we may refer to them as different things, but I have always consider all things related to a particular device/software/etc to be that particular thing's community (e.g. XDA would be a part of the Windows Mobile community). Whichever we want to refer to it as, however, the iPhone undoubtedly has a very large and active group of people working to improve it, and I don't see why they shouldn't be included.
After all, look at how many people here takes into consideration 'XDA support' as a reason to purchase a particular phone or not, so I think it's a valid thing to include.
orb3000, 8525Smart, TheChampJT, ingerasu.
I thank you for the information you provided.
Yes, i have heard about how the Omnia's HD camera does not do 24fps and the sound is usually out of sync.......I need to download videos from reviews and check it out first hand.
So far I'm leaning towards the Omnia. I get addicted to Apps(iPhone) and Flashing(WinMo), perhaps the lack of them with the Omnia will be a bit of a relief. What I see is almost all of what I get.
If I find an Omnia HD around for an accepatble price, I'll get it.
Everyone has an Iphone, need to diversify
TheChampJT said:
I got my iPhone a few weeks ago..............best phone ever! As much as I'd love to talk about all the great things, I think the name iPhone says enough Camera isn't bad it's quick and takes good pics. MMS has an easy solution email, every cell phone has an email address u can send/rec pics with. Light, very fast, good battery, perfect touch ui, safari, and iPod. If ur worried about fm radio there are plenty of free apps to stream local radio stations.
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Good for you!
Shame you won´t have more customisation/personalization/flashing...
Any grandma out there can have one exactly identical to yours
Hope at least you save one winmo/htc to play with it!
Cheers friend!
utrx said:
Everyone has an Iphone, need to diversify
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Click to collapse
Well said!
don't get these posts what do people expect to get as reply?
it's like going to www.worldhunger.com and asking give to the needy or whopper with bacon ?
IPhone does have excellent support community. In fact even better than XDA in my opinion. The amount of tweaks and customization that iPhone geeks do would shock you guys. Check out for example www.modmyi.com. All the popular Cydia software vendors have dedicated sub forums there. People there do go very deep into tweaking.
i would rather have the IPhone 3Gs over the Omnia HD.
just my opinion....
crazy talk said:
i would rather have the IPhone 3Gs over the Omnia HD.
just my opinion....
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Click to collapse
You can record video with a Iphone 3Gs yes but you cant still do a video call with a a 1000 USD phone and no optional memory can be inserted.
Is Steves engineers retards or something? Like then they build the macbook air.
While with a 100 USD phone I expand its memory, take better pictures and even do a videocall.
So why pay 1000 USD for Iphone?
Besides my S/E X1 I have Omnia HD. If S/E had given the X1 a bigger screen like the Omnia. Then the X1 would have been better. Cause the current isn't finger friendly like Omnia HD.
Why do people keep forgetting that application is the most important thing to look at? Camera is but just one of the many applications. There are many more that we need. Whichever could deliver the best application solutions is the winner.
newuser888 said:
Why do people keep forgetting that application is the most important thing to look at? Camera is but just one of the many applications. There are many more that we need. Whichever could deliver the best application solutions is the winner.
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not even the best, just what you need in a presentation you like using.
i know this is a Winmo forum so iphone=crap. but it really is a decent device.
the OP will not be disappointed in either phone. so his best bet is to try both.
to me atleast you really cannot make a bad choice when it comes to current smartphones. they all work quite well.
edit: for the most up-to-date indecisive rambling, just jump to the most recent post, though feel free to peruse the whole thread.
I understand this is a very difficult question to answer, especially given that no two people's needs are ever quite the same but I'm just looking for some ideas/a sounding board.
I currently have a Touch HD which I have been quite happy with, I really quite like TouchFlo, but it's starting to show it's age and I'm due an upgrade in about a fortnight anyway.
At the moment, given what's available on the market, Android is the only choice IMO.
Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against WinMo/WinPho but I'm not buying a phone that won't be properly upgradeable and therefore, arguably, rendered obsolete in a couple of months and I'm definitely not waiting two months plus for a new phone on the off-chance I like what I see.
As for the rest, Symbian's a joke; Blackberrys aren't my thing; Palm is not an option; and the iPhone, well unless they announce something pretty damned special on Monday, my dislike of iTunes alone is enough to put me off - before we even get onto the flaws with the handset(s)...
In terms of what I want, that's where it all gets a bit difficult.
I can't work out if I want to go for an all-out powerful handset à la the Desire or the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S or if I want something a bit less fancy, the Sony Ericsson X10 Mini being a prime example - trading off absolute power for benefits in terms of size and cost.
My worry about a high-end handset is that I get one, then a month or two, or even a week or two, later, something else comes along that makes me regret my decision - not least the impending WinPho 7 release and all the potentially 'awesome' new handsets that will accompany that.
With the X10 Mini, I'm not too worried about something better arriving in the near-future, I think it's too niche a device to end up with much competition but, having read the review of it on GSMArena, it seems that my biggest concern is the handset's Achilles Heel - the low screen res. If it was even HVGA, I would probably just go for it but QVGA is pushing usability.
Anyway, yeah, I'm just looking to bounce ideas/suggestions around, so if anyone wants to chip in, please feel free.
Nexus one is my phone of choice at the moment. I've just made the jump to Android and this device is nothing short of awesome! The 2.2 upgrade will be rolled out soon which brings several improvements too. (It is available already but this early release isn't very polished yet. I'm waiting for the OTA release).
Unusually for me i'm keeping this device stock, so no custom ROM flashing etc. It's just such an improvement over the WM phones that i'm used to that i don't feel the need to change anything. I could harp on for hours about all the features that makes this such a good device but you should have a look around instead and make your own informed decision. There are lots of good forums devoted to this device but i'd start with the dedicated xda, nexus one section.
Thanks.
If I were going for a high-end Android device, then it would be the Desire and not the Nexus One - partly because I like the Sense UI and partly because I wouldn't entertain the idea of switching to Vodafone, their tariffs aren't competitive and their coverage is poor where I stay.
I have played extensively with the Desire and it is a lovely phone but, as I said previously, I'm concerned that if I upgraded to it, I'd only want to change again when say the Galaxy S comes out or in a couple of months when WinPho 7 arrives.
Obviously, there's a chance that would be the same if I went for the X10 Mini but I would be able to get it on such a cheap deal instead, that the idea of then choosing to shell out for a new device a few months down the line isn't so bad.
I'm also starting to question whether I need all the features that the Desire/Nexus One offers as opposed to merely wanting them.
I bought myself a laptop back in January and, since then, I'm using the web a lot less on my phone, so do I really need something with a huge, high-res screen?
Thanks for the input, it's greatly appreciated (as is anyone else's opinions/ideas), I fear I've a bit of thinking ahead of me yet though...
At the moment, there are a few phones that I'm considering and I'm trying to weigh them all up, so I'd appreciate any input, suggestions or ideas anyone can offer up.
First up, the HTC Desire
Pros:
HTC Sense
Decent CPU and RAM
AMOLED screen
HTC handset - excellent build quality and 2 year warranty
Cons:
No HD video
Screen is only AMOLED, not sAMOLED
It's already sold a lot and, as sad as it is, I don't really like the idea of having the same phone as everyone else
Samsung Galaxy S
Pros:
superAMOLED screen
HD video
CPU that's potentially even more powerful than the Snapdragon in the Desire
Samsung handset - 2 year warranty
Cons:
No HTC Sense
Even worse, it uses Samsung's childish UI
No camera flash - seriously, wtf?
Not yet released
Motorola XT720
Pros:
8MP, HD video, Xenon flash - the best camera on an Android handset just now
480x854 screen resolution - more pixels are never a bad thing
[edit] HDMI out - a real boon for an HD-recording handset [/edit]
Cons:
LCD screen - not even AMOLED, let alone sAMOLED
480x854 screen resolution - non-standard resolution may cause some app compatibility issues
No LED flash for video use - a minor point but the ideal camera phone would have LED and Xenon
Question marks over CPU compared to the Desire or Galaxy S (720MHz OMAP A8 Cortex as opposed to 1GHz Snapdragon/Hummingbird on other handsets)
No HTC Sense
Motorola handset - 1 year warranty, not sure of build quality
Not available until the start of next month
Sony Ericsson X10 Mini
Pros:
Tiny size
Well thought-out UI
Cheap
Sony Ericsson handset - 2 year warranty
TINY!
Cons:
Small screen size and resolution - will have a negative effect on web browsing experience and app compatibility
Only running 1.6 'Donut' with very vague upgrade roadmap
Sony Ericsson handset - questionable build quality, possible (probable?) software issues
LCD screen - not AMOLED or sAMOLED
No HD video
I know it may not seem like it, given the large number of points in the 'Cons' category for it but I'm actually drawn the most to the Motorola handset.
The problem is, having only just been released there's a number of questions I have which I can't as of yet get answers for - for example, the build quality may not be an issue but I won't know that until I can have a play with one, the CPU may not be a downside, etc etc.
Anyway, yeah, any/all input is always welcome.
ideas
i guess your best choice can be galaxy s
but if you give up on browsing(use your laptop instead) then x10mini will be the best...feature wise and price
wish you luck
I do currently use my laptop a lot for web browsing but I'm not prepared to carry it around with me every day on the off-chance I want to go online.
If the X10 Mini had even an HVGA screen instead of QVGA, then it would probably be high enough to just to alleviate my concerns - at least in terms of app compatibility, though obviously for the likes of web browsing it would never match a WVGA (or higher) handset like the others I'm considering.
As for the Galaxy S, the power, screen and HD video do appeal but leaving out a camera flash just seems so unnecessary, almost like they're doing it deliberately.
But, between that and the Samsung UI, it's just enough to sour my feelings towards it.
As I say, against my better judgement, I can't help but like the Motorola handset.
At least, unlike the Desire, by sticking with an LCD screen it should mean it's ok to use in sunlight - obviously AMOLED has it's advantages but unless you make the jump all the way up to sAMOLED then there's still a cloud attached to that silver lining.
And regarding the CPU, while there are question marks over it, I've also heard it suggested that the TI OMAP 3430 CPUs are actually more powerful than the faster-clocked Snapdragon CPUs like the Desire uses, so it could actually be a better handset than the Desire in that respect.
Also, I should probably point out that my plan when I upgrade is to negotiate as low a tariff as I can out of T-Mobile, then if I see a phone I really like partway through the contract term, I'll just buy it.
So, the shorter warranty on the Motorola may not be an issue.
Thanks for your input, even if it doesn't seem like it, it's definitely appreciated.
Ok, so here we are a full 5 months since the last post and I'm still stuck in the same situation - want, almost need, a new phone but don't know what to go for.
Since last time, obviously things have come on a long way.
Symbian has reached the next level, meaning it's only a bit behind everyone else as opposed to significantly behind; Apple announced the iPhone4 which is a nice piece of hardware but the OS and price are too big of a stmubling block; Blackberry have moved on to OS6 but really there's nothing new about it; WinPho7 was released and looks OK but the hardware is just slightly underwhelming.
As for Maemo/Meego, Bada and WebOS, they're not even worth considering IMO.
So that leaves us with the only thing I am sure about, that my next phone will be an Android handset but beyond that I've still not been able to reach a decision.
Looking back at what I was considering before, none of them are still in the running - the Motorola XT720 turned out to be a dud, the X10 Mini was plagued with problems and the Galaxy S and Desire have both been out-done by the Desire HD.
Obviously the daddy just now is the Desire HD.
The best hardware around, the best UI around, there should be no reason to even consider anything else. And yet, I'm just not taken with it, I know I should love it, I know there should be no competition but it's not exciting me.
On the other hand, against all the odds and especially since the XT720 was so poor, I find myself quite taken with the Motorola Defy.
I know that the specs aren't so great but the idea of a ruggedised handset is pretty neat and the size is just a bit more pocketable than the Desire HD's, though that's not my biggest concern.
Going in the other direction, I'm also quite taken by the Samsung Galaxy Tab.
Given how I use my phone making/receiving very few calls, mostly texting and using the internet) a larger device like the Tab is in many ways better-suited to my needs. However, it's biggest advantage is also it's biggest downfall - the larger screen makes the Tab a far less practical device than the likes of the Desire HD or the Defy (I know I said with regards to the Defy that the size difference wasn't my biggest concern but the Tab is a whole order of magnitude larger), to the point that if I decided to use the Tab as a phone, I'd need to get myself a second handset to use on occasions when the Tab's size made it impossible to take with me.
Once again, any/all help will be greatly appreciated.
The successor to Samsung’s Galaxy S II has got to be the second most speculated and talked about smartphone over the past couple of months, with Apple devices always taking the top spot, of course. Samsung has some big shoes to fill and after the kind of success they achieved with the S II, there’s a lot of pressure to up the ante once again. Given the kind of trend that we’ve seen post MWC 2012, we can now come to expect the S III to have these features as standard, if it has to qualify as a ‘high-end’ Android in today’s day and age. We know it will have a quad-core Exynos CPU, the screen size will probably be around 4.6 inches and have an HD resolution, the camera will most likely be a 12MP with BSI and so on and so forth. Samsung will never launch their flagship device that’s inferior in specifications to the competition and now that we’ve seen what HTC and LG have in store, we can draw a rough picture of what to expect.
However, impressive hardware alone is not enough to guarantee a successful product. If you’ve been following the rumour mills, then you’ve probably heard of some of the features that could make it to the S III and we really hope that it’s true as it would truly make it an unique phone and possibly the best Android so far.
A non-ugly, waterproof phone
So far, all water resistant phones haven’t exactly been much of a looker, except for perhaps the Sony Ericsson Xperia Active. But even that wasn’t slim, primarily because of the protective coating for the screen and all the ports. Any manufacturer so far had to fall into the same trap, if they wanted to create an ‘all-weather’ cell phone. The S III, however, needn’t go down that same route. Early last month, we heard rumours about the Galaxy S III getting a water-proof treatment and thanks to the folks at Liquipel, Samsung need not compromise on the design. Available currently in the U.S only, Liquipel will water-proof any smartphone you have for a small fee. It works by injecting the phone with a compound that resists any liquid or moisture. They even had a very impressive demo at CES.
Think of all the money or silly contraptions you’ve used to protect your phone in the rainy season. This technology makes rubberised housings and bulky chassis a thing of the past. If Samsung does implement this and we sincerely hope they do, then they will be the first to do so and it will give them a major advantage over the competition.
Feel what you see
We know that the S III will have an HD resolution screen as the bare minimum, but high resolution mobile screens aren’t exactly cutting edge right now. What if you could feel what you see? Senseg have developed a special touchscreen technology that lets you feel the texture of the image on screen. This is achieved by creating a little electrostatic field around the area that simulates a particular type of texture. They call this a ‘Tixel’ charge driver that creates a small force and by modulating the charge, Senseg can simulate different textures.
While this exact technology might or might not make it to the S III, we hope that Samsung do something special with the screen. If not the ‘Feel Screen’, then at least a higher resolution display would be a nice addition. There were passing rumours that the S III may have a 1080p screen, which seems like overkill, but then again, most high-end Android phones are, so i guess it's ok.
Wireless charging
With everything going wireless, why do we still have to put up with charging cables? According to the Wireless Power Consortium, a number of big companies, including Acer, HTC, LG, etc have certified handsets and chargers that use wireless charging.
‘Qi Certified’ products will be able to charge either from a wall charger or from another compatible device, wirelessly, just as long as they are placed in close proximity. Now Samsung’s name may not be on the list of companies that have applied for patents, but the website clearly states that it’s up to the company, if they want their name up there. Now, given how secretive Samsung have been with the S III, it’s no surprise they don’t show up on the list. This is another big advancement in mobile phones and Samsung can add another feather in their cap should they choose to include it.
Lose the plastic body
While the S II was a sturdy and durable phone, it wasn’t any match for HTC’s unibody aluminium Sensation in terms of build quality. One of the reasons they went with plastic was to keep the weight down, which was fine in 2011, but not anymore. With polycarbonate being used in the Lumia 800 and HTC going with space-age material (literally!) for the One S, Samsung have to step up their game. If you haven't already, check out this really cool video of how HTC creates the chassis for the One S.
Alternately, they could use a ceramic casing or even something fashioned out of carbon fibre or kevlar. The trouble with building chassis with materials like these is that the battery would probably be non-removeable. This is not a very big deal and we can certainly live with it just as long as they have a way to hard reset the phone in case it locks up, because I don’t want to wait around for the battery to drain out.
Gesture control?
This one’s not from any of the rumours, but just hit us while coming up with this list. Rather than using the front camera to recognize gestures, which quite frankly is quite ridiculous because, for one, you can’t use it in the dark and two, it has never, ever worked properly; i were thinking of something along the lines of a PS Vita like touchpad at the back of the phone. The entire phone needn't have this, just a small patch on the top and bottom. For instance, if you hold the phone in one hand, you can easily use your index finger to swipe the rear to unlock the phone, or have a two finger gesture to open the camera. Once in landscape mode, your fingers automatically align around the edges, which comes in handy in racing and action games. Now you never need to block the screen with your fingers, which happens a lot in first person shooters.
This way, even if the screen doesn’t have an oleophobic coating (which never really work anyways), it’s not a major issue, since you’ll be using the gesture pad. This would be a very interesting feature, if Samsung implements something of this nature, as you now have a ‘gaming phone’ as well.
While it’s great fun to speculate what upcoming tech products may shape up to be, a side effect is the pang of disappointment when you realize that none of the features that were so greatly hyped are actually true (iPhone 4S anyone?). Recently, live shots of a Samsung GT-I9300 have been doing the rounds, which is expected to launch in mid-May. To us, it’s highly unlikely that it’s the S III, as it appears to be more of an upper-end mid-range smartphone. Also, we don’t know if Samsung will actually call it the S III. While that does seem like the most logical name in the series, they could decide to start a completely new series, altogether. Samsung have managed to keep the phone a secret incredibly well, but now, the wait is getting a bit frustrating. They better have one hell of a phone in hand whenever they launch it or risk losing their huge fan following.
I wish they make touchwiz as functional and good as sense. After a year of owning the sgs2 I found out it's not just the specs that count. I still prefer my desire (w/sense 3.5 of course)
btw, one of the things I do like about the sgs2 is the build quality, it's not cheap that phone is almost indestructable....
edit2: the sgs2 is not plastic, it's made out of magnesium chasis with a plastic shell, magnesium is used by some of the most expesive cars and racing cycles because it is so light and sturdy (and expensive)
Hello,
I'm looking for Android phone up to 200$.
Not sure if should I buy something kinda outdated (like htc desire with old android) or rather fairly new construct like chineese clones (something like hdc i9300 or something else on mtk6575/6577). with recent android version Those chineese phones have quite good specs, but it's a lot of mess with them (sometime they claim to have ips screen, sometime the vary same model say it's amoled, even single alieexpress auction in one place is stated that it has ips screen while few lines lower says its amoled).
Very hard for me too choose. Are there any reputable reviews of those clones? Lots of reviews look more like commercials saying only good thigs about phone.
What would you choose?
I just want pretty standard things like :
responsive UI (hate lagging)
wifi (really working not just 1m away router)
good screen usable in sunlight (perfect would be ips) between 3.5 and 4.8 inches.
web browsing option
capable of runinng few apps at the time (browser, calendard etc) - don't care about games, although it would be nice to view movies.
and pretty decent battery (so like 2days at least of working)
GPS
decent camera which could replace separate compact camera.
Phone must be new.
Is anyone really happy with clone bought from china? Not only after buying but also after few months of use?
Could you point sellers you've been satisfied with? I know there are ratings with aliexpress, but many users buying barely know what they are buying, and even if phone is lot worse then specs say they give good feedback. E.g. Few months ago on polish auction site (like ebay) there was a guy selling fake pendrives (256mb capacity while claiming to have 32gb - altered somehow to show fake capacity) and most users left him positive feedback.
thanks in advance
Please use the sticky at the top of this section for all phone decision questions. Thank you. Thread closed.
Hello guys,
i got really bored from the design and missing features of new devices from every manufacturer and didn´t understand some choices they made.
It all started really great back in the days, but nowadays the devices just get faster and lack a lot features and have overall some design issues.
So here´s a list what a smartphone should look like in the future ... i know everyone has his own opinions and taste :
First of all every builder should have 2 phones with the same hardwarespecs but different screensizes (Yes, Sony finally understood that point).
For the normal one handed user the small build should be max 5 inches in diameter with small bezels to ensure you can use it with one hand.
The (business/heavy user) model should have under 6 inches to be portable enough to fit in a pocket of jeans for instance.
Now the more important specs:
Most important: Replacable Battery and slot for microSD-Cards (Thank you LG for still mainting this option and Samsung go to xxx for you new devices).
Speaking of battery power, it should be enough to maintain 2 days before charging under normal usage.
Waterproof phones are not that usable in everyday life for the following reasons. The Z-Series and their hidden USB-Port are not good, if you charge them over USB. The dock is a nice option, but i like charging my phones everywhere with the microusb-cables out there in the wild.
So in my opinion if a smartphone must be waterproof the USB-Port should be too. If not there should be an extra waterproofversion from any manufacturer for people that drop their phones in the toilette or for voyeurs out there. In case of diving just a good old gopro.
There should be and option for everyphone to unlock the bootloader officially. (Thank you HTC!!! ) and there build be no exceptions from build to build or any possibilty for carries to modify this option.
I you buy a phone you should be to do with it as you please, even if it means losing the warranty.
Speaking of open bootloaders: If the manufactures would in implent a (encrypted) backupoption in their stock recoveries, t think many people would not root their devices or use a custom recovery.
The overall design of the corners should not be to edgy and not to round. (For instance the LG G2 was too round but comfortable, the G3 quite right and comfortable in hand and the pocket and the G4 is quite annoying to hold in the hand because of its sharp corners)
There should be a built in QI-Chargingpad to protect the USB-Port from to much mechanical usage (e.g. LG has made a good job by including that in the G3, but in the G4 i have to buy a leathercover (which i don´t like for everyday usage) or use a QI-Sticker for the cheap plastic cover which is always to thick to fit seemlessly)
The edges of the should habe any cheap material design (e.g. Samsungs cheap chrome-edges look like **** after a year, which is a lot better on the S6 with ist metalcase, but metal don´t like bumps to hard edges to, so the get dents after a while)
LG has done a better job on the G2 and G3, the G4 on the other hand got more vunerable.
Sony Z-Series is quite good in that area.
i hope i got everything in that list that bothers my mind, if i forgot something, just put it in the comments and i will edit this list if necessary.