Phone Research

[dqg_neal]

So its time again to upgrade our phones. I'm still mostly a dumb phone users. With my current phone all I do is make Calls, text, and use the EZ Tip calculator. My wife however wants more out of her phone. (Actually I only started using texts because she wanted texting for a phone

Comments

[peadarog]

Androids are great. Good luck and enjoy!

[dqg_neal]

I like them too. But I'll just have to settle for the phone this time.
I want an Android butler. :)

[peadarog]

nah, too likely to rebel against all humans...

[out_totheblack]

I would discourage you from getting a Windows Phone. The samsung variety anyway. It's okay-ish. I chose that instead of an i-phone because it was more work oriented and I didn't want to have to fool with i-tunes.

But, sorry to say, Zune is the music/video handler on my phone and it sucks, majorly. I'm willing to deal with i-tunes. I'm thinking of going to an i-phone.

I know people with droids and they really like them. Blackberries are alright, too. They have real keyboards and not touch pads. I find that I don't like touch pads to txt with.

[dqg_neal]

Good to know. No MicroSD is strange in this day and age.

[wrenn]

Having used an android phone, and currently have a Windoz phone (which I have to get my brother to jailbreak, next week, hopefully)... I, too, would discourage a Windoz phone.

The droid was/is faster, even though it's older, and has far less memory.

[joannahurley]

I really like my android. There's a bunch of different keyboards you can download, which might help with the on-screen problem. I use my Android Thunderbold WAY more than I ever used my Windows smartphone.

[dqg_neal]

I still like the fact of a physical keyboard over touch keyboard. And I think Tina feels the same way. (It is on her priority list of features.) We might have to go for a model of something with a case that adds on the physical keyboard if necessary.

[joannahurley]

What company are you with, and are you staying with them? You probably need to start with simply seeing what's available. I'm not sure that there are smart phones with physical keyboards that aren't blackberries right now. I know that's one thing I lost when I switched, but I definitely am happier with it. I think they changed the tech.

For your phone, you probably don't need anything more than a regular phone. I definitley use google navigation as my primary nav app, but it needs data to work. I don't have a standalone gps anymore.

LTE is network speed, not apps, btw. Gotta say, this thing is as fast as my home internet. It's pretty cool, and I think it's what makes all the web apps more useful. I read news, etc on it, Facebook, lots of stupid games. :) Cozi is a big app for me, now. Email, of course. The camera is only so-so. I don't take a ton of pictures, though.

[dqg_neal]

I've been sticking with Verizon. The county has them so I get a better rate.

I know LTE is network speed. But what I don't know is whether it really is important if I'm not planning on streaming audio or video. The reason I brought up the apps is that presumably if they are apps any of the graphics are on your phone and the retrieval of data shouldn't take that much bandwidth. (But then I'm thinking from regular network use, I have no idea if phone apps developers do the same thing. I think the most data I used on my current phone in a month was 4 MB.)

[ianargent]

Try an Android touch screen, they're much better than the feature phone touch sensors. If you're going Android, go LTE. Future proof yourself.

[dqg_neal]

Remember the touch probably is probably my electric personality. Shocking really, right? *grin

[dqg_neal]

You see how much I use my phone. I don't even think I have your phone number in my phone or else I'd be texting you. (Okay, texting is a use of the phone.)