The phone poll

[PapaSmurf2k3]

With Carlisle rapidly approaching, I'll be sure to catch hell for my "dumb phone" from Brian and Torry.

Vote it up. Discuss.

[gwoods]

might clarify what exactly a space phone is I assumed smart phone released in the past 18 months or so?

[Ace2cool]

[Razi]

I am one of the space people.

[PapaSmurf2k3]

Does it annoy any of you if/when your phones don't work?

[PapaSmurf2k3]

Does it annoy any of you if/when your phones don't work?

[Razi]

It always works.

[Ace2cool]

ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU MOD IT LIKE US!

[alms24sebring]

I hate having a good working phone for a year, then that same phone being a pos for what seems like forever until your early upgrade comes.

I lold at choice number 4

[MinisterofDOOM]

I have a Space Phone. It's Space Hacked. I can do Space Sh@t with it. It's battery life kinda Space Sucks though.

Which carrier are you on?

If you're going for Android, and shooting for a Space Phone, I would settle for nothing less than the following:
=Tegra 3 or Snapdragon S4 Pro (both quad core...which actually improves battery life)*.
=AMOLED. Of some variety. Even PenTile. AMOLED just looks so much better than LCD. (AMOLED is an LED-backlit screen type, for those who don't speak Space Geek).
=It doesn't matter what version of Android your phone comes with, because you're going to hack it and install 4.2.2 (which is higher than what it comes with, unless you're rocking a Nexus 4).
=MicroSD card slot if you can get one. These are a fast-disappering luxury on high-end phones for some dumbass reason. If you can't get one of those, you'll want to pick up a high-capacity flash drive and one of these.

As far as brands:
=I love HTC's build quality and form-factors. But they have a vendetta against the hacking commnunity so their phones are among the toughest to hack out there. If you're looking for something you can just one-click root, you don't want HTC. My phone's almost a year old and we just BARELY got S-Off for it (Space Geek for "you can do what you want with it"). And the hack for it is ugly. If you like command-prompts, ADB, Fastboot, and terminal emulators, though HTC is your go-to brand. fastboot flash boot boot.img ARGH.

=Samsung has great marketing and slick, powerful phones. But their build quality is very offputting--very plasticky phones without a lot of heft. My sister's GSIII feels like a toy compared to my aluminum-bodied HTC One S.
Also, depending on the phone you get (though not including the US Galaxy S3) you often end up with Samsung Exynos processors. These are used almost exclusively by Samsung and don't have a lot of "aftermarket" support. Which means Sammy phones often get late support IF they get it at all. Alternatively, stuff like Snapdragon or Tegra are used by just about everyone on earth except Apple, so support for them is excellent. It's like a Chevy small block versus a VH45.
But the Galaxy S3 in the US does have an S4 Pro (that's definitely not a confusing statement), so it's a safe bet for most things. Also has a gorgeous screen. You just have to get over that cheap-feeling, unapologetically Apple-wannabe, extremely ugly white case with its goofy one-real-button-and-two-touch-buttons setup. Who decided white was the new chic electronics color anyway? Looks like crap. Black or silver or GTFO.

I love my HTC One S. Snapdragon S4 (the dual-core version as opposed to the quad-core Pro). 1GB RAM. AMOLED (PenTile, but it still blows away my Nexus 7's display). Hacked and running Android 4.2.2. It's thin (I find myself thinking I left it somewhere when it's in my pocket because I just don't notice it). BUT the battery life sucks. And out of the box it has cellular radio issues which means signal sucks. But you don't buy an Android phone to keep it stock. That's like buying a boosted car and not messing with it.

*Technically Tegra 3 is pentacore, but only four can be active at a time. The fifth core is a low-voltage unit designed to conserve battery during sleep and lighter activities.

[Kompresshun]

I am still rocking the Samsung Galaxy Nexus and it gets the job done. It still pisses me off a lot though, which is the same complaint I have about Android every time I get a new phone. It freaks out at least once a day, no matter what hackery is done and what ROM i'm running on it. It works well enough, but it's still not what I expect from a high end phone at all.

I know i'm gonna get crucified for this one but - I bought my wife an iPhone a few months ago and I can count on one hand the number of times it's caused any fuss. It's reliable, it gets decent battery life, and it does about everything you would need from a phone if you can live without the options that Android opens up when rooted(hacked). On the other hand, I have lost count of how many times my GNex has freaked out and caused me all kind of problems. Tonight I was pulling into the wifes work and just needed to send her a quick text to tell her I was there. The keyboard freaked out and wouldn't let me do anything at all. I had to reboot the damn thing just to send A TEXT MESSAGE!!.

I say it every single damn time, but I will not buy another Android phone next time. I love Android for what it is, but for a good reliable smartphone, it just doesn't get the job done IMHO.

[krash]

My space phone


Pretty happy with it. The last thing I consider it is a phone. Calling people is just one of the things it happens to do. When I was a kid I wanted cool "communicators" like in power rangers, star trek, etc. Now I have one

I know i'm gonna get crucified for this one but - I bought my wife an iPhone a few months ago and I can count on one hand the number of times it's caused any fuss. It's reliable, it gets decent battery life, and it does about everything you would need from a phone if you can live without the options that Android opens up when rooted(hacked). On the other hand, I have lost count of how many times my GNex has freaked out and caused me all kind of problems. Tonight I was pulling into the wifes work and just needed to send her a quick text to tell her I was there. The keyboard freaked out and wouldn't let me do anything at all. I had to reboot the damn thing just to send A TEXT MESSAGE!!.

I say it every single damn time, but I will not buy another Android phone next time. I love Android for what it is, but for a good reliable smartphone, it just doesn't get the job done IMHO.

Thats not really because Android is less powerful or anything. iOS is tailor made specifically for the device that its running on, thats why there aren't any issues. Its the same reason "Macs are better".

[Jesda]

My HTC Evo 3D is crap. The 3D camera is a stupid gimmick and the 2D camera is terrible. The battery life is pathetic. I had to modify the power button with a piece of paper to get it to respond properly. Sometimes when I want to ignore a call it answers it and sometimes when I set an alarm it doesn't go off, causing me to be late. I have to reboot it at least twice a week. The display is nice at least.

My LG Optimus was low end but it was dependable and had excellent battery life. It was kind of waterproof because I used to play Angry Birds in the shower. [Some hotels have really nice showers and I feel like I need to stay in there as long as possible to get my money's worth.] Never had major issues (it wasn't capable of much so I never pushed the envelope) and I really kicked myself for losing it. There were also pictures of girls on there that I should have deleted or moved to the computer long ago.


I miss my Samsung M610. It was one of the greatest mobile phones I've ever owned:

Super thin, outstanding call quality, superb battery life, and a respectable camera.



I'd rank my Blackberries up there if not for the laggy/crashy OS because functionally, they were pretty neat. My old Palm OS brick phone was pretty good too and worked beautifully until the last time I dropped it.



I'm ready to go back to landlines for regular use with a burner cell in the glovebox for emergencies. I've started to migrate all my contacts to Google Voice so I don't have to text on a touch screen anymore.

Perhaps if I owned an iPhone I wouldn't hate smartphones as much.

[Razi]

It was kind of waterproof because I used to play Angry Birds in the shower. [Some hotels have really nice showers and I feel like I need to stay in there as long as possible to get my money's worth.]

[asoomal]

S3, and it sucks balls.

I miss my A516

[Ace2cool]

=I love HTC's build quality and form-factors. But they have a vendetta against the hacking commnunity so their phones are among the toughest to hack out there. If you're looking for something you can just one-click root, you don't want HTC. My phone's almost a year old and we just BARELY got S-Off for it (Space Geek for "you can do what you want with it"). And the hack for it is ugly. If you like command-prompts, ADB, Fastboot, and terminal emulators, though HTC is your go-to brand. fastboot flash boot boot.img ARGH.

I can verify this. Why is S-off so hard? :'(

[krash]

Thats weird. Things must have changed since I had my HTC incredible. That was really easy to root, I did so much to that phone. The Razr M, however, is not. Motorola doesn't like hacky hacks.

[PapaSmurf2k3]

I'm not gonna lie, I really have no desire to get a space phone.

I miss my Samsung M610. It was one of the greatest mobile phones I've ever owned

After the initial "hey you stupid cave man, what's up with your phone" and I explain my side, I tend to get the same response as Jesda posted. "yeah, I used to have an xyz flip phone. Damn thing was fantastic".
I converted a few people BACK to simple flip phones, and they love them. One got an iphone for a work phone so he got rid of his personal flip phone. He tells me about how superior the flip phone was to the iphone all the time haha.

Not to mention sometimes you go out with friends, and the only thing people are doing is staring at their phones. It's sad. I kinda feel like social skills are going to hell in a hurry.

[nissangirl74]

Droid 4. Love it. Had a 3 and it went South quick. Whatever you get, get the newest version so it's protected under warranty. iPhones suck for the most part if you ever use it to call people. Jason has one and it drops the call EVERY time he calls. Also, go with Verizon. AT&Ts network is pretty s***, IMO.

[gwoods]

I have a Photon by Motorola



Its pretty light, nice screen and kind of quick doing most things. Never gave me a problem till this weekend when it got stuck between the Spring logo and the M (motorola) Sprint store reset it.

Battery life is not great but I can charge it in my car, my house and my office. If I ever took it camping it would be dead in a day.

The camera is awesome, I'm a pretty good photographer to start out with but this think takes great pictures. We went to Cancun last October and left our camera at home just used the Photons for pictures. Mine has international on it so it worked in Mexico which was also nice. Majority of the picture I have taken in the past 18 months have been with this phone.

micro SD supported for up to 32gig.

talk to text works pretty well, swipe works well too. This is my first touch screen since having a black berry for years.

The best phone was the Samsung A900 it had a metal case and was an MP3 player way back in the day

[Jesda]

The biggest issue I have with battery life is when I'm at the auctions. I start the day at 7am and go until 2pm. I keep run lists on my phone and use it to check book and market values and scan VIN numbers as cars roll down the line.

I might need to get one of those massive brick battery extensions or an iPad Mini with a data plan.

[Kompresshun]

Thats not really because Android is less powerful or anything. iOS is tailor made specifically for the device that its running on, thats why there aren't any issues. Its the same reason "Macs are better".

That's exactly my problem too. Android phones are supposed to be more powerful, but yet they have times they run like crap, no matter what you do. I have said time and time again, i'm not an Apple fanboi but the iPhone is simply a better phone. All phones have their issues and everyone has different preferences, but Android has disappointed me 4 times now and i'm ready for a change. The iPhone may be a "dumbphone", but I prefer reliability over hackery any day of the week. If I want to mess around with something and tweak it, i'll do it to my tablet since I don't have to rely on it every day.

[krash]

Have you tried the Nexus? Since thats a Google phone I doubt it will have many issues. The Galaxy SIII seems to be pretty seamless as well.

Whoops just re-read your post, derp. Kind of weird, you'd think the Nexus 4 would be running android perfectly.

[Kompresshun]

No, I have the Galaxy Nexus. I bought it last year and it's been weird since the second month i've had it, no matter what I do with it.

[WDRacing]

I have never had a single issue with my Samsung Stratosphere. The whole battery life argument is retarded. Just buy a few extra batteries on Ebay and roll.

I've dropped mine and had it explode at least 45 times. Covers ejected, batteries bailed out and my protective case even broke. Still works like it did when new.

There is no need to have a dumb phone anymore. If you have one, you should choke yourself.

I have to have a full qwerty.

[dre1507]

The best phone I've ever owned was the Motorola SLVR L7.

[MaximA32]

iPhones suck for the most part if you ever use it to call people. Jason has one and it drops the call EVERY time he calls. Also, go with Verizon. AT&Ts network is pretty s***, IMO.

I've never had an issue with my iPhone. It doesn't help that he has an iPhone 3GS and he has giant, signal blocking hands covered in metal. As for the VZW v. AT&T thing, that really depends on where you live. I have had zero issues with AT&T since I've been on the network. Again, it doesn't help that Jason lives in BFE. The signal from the tower doesn't reach the boonies that his house is built on.

[PapaSmurf2k3]

There is no need to have a dumb phone anymore. If you have one, you should choke yourself.

I have to have a full qwerty.

I don't like a QWERTY unless I can use both hands to type with it (like a computer keyboard). Call me old fashioned, but T9 has come a long way. I have like, 12 buttons and they all kick a**.

[WDRacing]

I do use both hands...

[krash]

There is no need to have a dumb phone anymore. If you have one, you should choke yourself.

I have to have a full qwerty.

I don't like a QWERTY unless I can use both hands to type with it (like a computer keyboard). Call me old fashioned, but T9 has come a long way. I have like, 12 buttons and they all kick a**.

T9, WOW. Now theres a term I haven't heard in a long time. I think you'd like the Droid 4 dude. the keyboard slides out and you type with two thumbs.