Best Android Phone

[Sawdusty surfer]

Did you see last night's Watchdog? Don't drop it to test it.

[Johnthebar]

I left Apple yesterday and got an SII. It's still early days, but I really like Android and this phone is lightning fast. However I'm a geeky bastard who likes tinkering with stuff so it's nice to be out of the locked down Apple environment.

[Gre]

O/T I guess, but I didn't want to bump an old thread.

iPhone4S... meh...

[Ed209]

O/T I guess, but I didn't want to bump an old thread.

iPhone4S... meh...

[the_hedge]

Was really excited about the launch of the 5 after having the 3G for 2 years. There are some nice additions gto the 4s but ultimately it's dissapointing.

There is no way I'm locking myself into a 2 year contract for the 5 to come out next year. Might go for an 18 month contract on the HTC senation.

[t8yman]

I'm out of contract with my 4 in December, I'm gonna wait for the 5. Although "siri" is fucking amazing. anyone who says it isnt is dead inside. to be able to talk to your phone in such a way is proper clever. to be able to receive a text that says "when are we meeting for lunch", have your phone read it out to you, ask the phone if you have any appointments on Friday, it says no, so you tell your phone to reply with "hows Friday lunchtime" and create a calendar entry is frankly mind-blowing.

the camera will be amazing, my 4 is more user friendly than my olympus compact, and produces better snaps, so the extra MP's, sensors and filters etc, coupled with its speed on the first shot, and then subsequent shots will make it a fantastic camera.

the boo boys always get stuck in. i dont think many will jump from 4 to 4s, but its a nice step up for 3gs users. the retina display alone is worth the jump from 3gs.

[the_hedge]

I've just ordered the HTC Sensation XE (more for the faster processor rather than the Beats Audio) for £36 a month and managed to get a 12month contract. I'm hoping the Iphone 5 will be out by then. I like the look of the 4s but I don't want to get tied into a 2 year contract for a phone that will radically change next year.

Edited October 5, 2011 by the_hedge

[Benj]

Is the 4s a genuine challenger to the latest from HTC and Samsung in regards to performance now?

Seems upto date/ ahead with the camera and I assume will be better on battery life, is the processor up there though?

As a 4 owner I would never consider it (contract is not up until July anyway), the wife may, as she only has a original 3, which runs like a dog these days thanks to all the code upgrades designed for better phones, I suspect IOS5 will stretch and slow the standard 4, Im sure they do it to make you upgrade

[the_hedge]

£432 for a year...

is that a good deal?

[Leprekorn]

who with?

[the_hedge]

who with?

[the_hedge]

the best part of £500 every year for a phone seems a lot to me

Edited October 6, 2011 by the_hedge

[eFestivals]

the best part of £500 every year for a phone seems a lot to me

it's quite amusing really. If BT were charging anything like that amount for a line and phone the country would be up in arms about "rip-off Britain", but if you choose to pay a very stupid amount for a line and phone it's a bargain.

(yes, I know the two things aren't exactly the same, but I reckon that idea holds true all the same).

[eFestivals]

You aren't paying £500 for a phone and a line...

You are paying £500 for a phone, a camera, a sat nav, a internet device, a MP3 player etc etc etc....

Yes, I know - which is why I made a point of saying they're not the same thing.

That said, all phones are pretty poor at being those secondary functions compared to the dedicated devices, and how many people use many of those added functions anyway? And along with that, it's also made a phone crapper at being a phone.

It really is the case that marketing gets to mug an awful lot of people. And they think it's something they've chosen to do.

[the_hedge]

Yes, I know - which is why I made a point of saying they're not the same thing.

That said, all phones are pretty poor at being those secondary functions compared to the dedicated devices, and how many people use many of those added functions anyway? And along with that, it's also made a phone crapper at being a phone.

It really is the case that marketing gets to mug an awful lot of people. And they think it's something they've chosen to do.

[eFestivals]

You sound like my Dad!! Must be an age thing

.... it's not that. It's seeing what it actually is, rather than being blinded by marketing hype.

Andriod phones outsell iPhones, yet they only get a fraction of the mainstream media coverage, for example. The hype wins out over substance.

[eFestivals]

That is more to do with Android being cheaper...

so what you're saying is that something is considered less desirable despite doing all the same things simply because it costs less.

I think you've just proven my point about how it's fashion that's the driver of such things and not function.

[5co77ie]

I've just ordered the HTC Sensation XE (more for the faster processor rather than the Beats Audio) for £36 a month and managed to get a 12month contract. I'm hoping the Iphone 5 will be out by then. I like the look of the 4s but I don't want to get tied into a 2 year contract for a phone that will radically change next year.

[eFestivals]

Its not a point I totally disagree with... but its not form over function... Its a balance of form AND function that matters...

Steve Jobs success is highlighting that form is as important as function... because form is actually function.. Without form the functionality of something becomes limited...

yeah, cos the iMac was innovative, eh? Or even the iPod.

While he brought some new products to market, on his return to Apple they were either simply fashion versions of what was already out there (iMac, iPod), or they were ideas whose time had come thru general technological developments rather than anything stunningly innovative (iPhone, iPad).

If Steve Jobs hadn't have existed, they'd still be the same things with the same overall success - but at a much cheaper price.

That's not me saying he's not been hugely important, but his influence is over-stated all the same. There's a reason why there's not a Mac on everyone's desk, after all.

[eFestivals]

Neil, you don't get what the rest of the tech world has learnt... Your becoming a dinosaur...

Nope. Fashion is temporary, function is permanent.

The dinosaurs of the tech world are the ones who get sucked into fashion, and forget what they're there for. You're repeating what Apple believed in its early days, which saw it almost bankrupt (and was why Jobs got the boot).

Edited October 6, 2011 by eFestivals

[jump]

Who used the word innovative ?

The iPod is a great example of form and function...

I had a Creative ZEN... It had more features, it supported more file formats... Was it more functional than a iPod ? No it wasn't... The way you interacted with the iPod with the wheel allowed you to browse and access your music x2 or x3 faster than I cloud with the buttons on the Zen.. The end result of music in your ears... its was a more usable device... it function was nice due to the form...

Obviously its all moved onto touch now... But anyone with a memory should remember..

Neil, you don't get what the rest of the tech world has learnt... Your becoming a dinosaur...

[5co77ie]

I had a Creative ZEN... It had more features, it supported more file formats... Was it more functional than a iPod ? No it wasn't... The way you interacted with the iPod with the wheel allowed you to browse and access your music x2 or x3 faster than I could with the buttons on the Zen.. The end result of music in your ears... its was a more usable device... it function was nice due to the form...

Obviously its all moved onto touch now... But anyone with a memory should remember..

Neil, you don't get what the rest of the tech world has learnt... Your becoming a dinosaur...

[5co77ie]

I always preffered the Zen to the Ipod, I could access the files and put new music on it without the need of Itunes and it wasn't a pain to put vids on it. I didn't find the wheel a huge improvement over the up/down bar thing.

The main reason I turned and started using an Ipod is that I like podcasts which at the time was a pain to put on Zens.

[5co77ie]

Obviously its all moved onto touch now... But anyone with a memory should remember..

[5co77ie]

You totally understate the way the iPad practically created the tablet market...