[Folsom]

My iphone 4 is on it's way out. The screen, well it's becoming harder to see through and some of it you can/can't see through because it's gone, 

I get a free upgrade this month. Here's the problem/s/concern/s.

*I don't really like iphones, I don't do itunes but occasionally want to put some mp3's on my phone (currently "synced" - a term for annoying, slow as shit, oxymoroniclly done data transfer across something with an acronym that starts with UNIVERSAL - to someone else's computer with a broke screen). I find the animations and stuff to be annoying wastes of my life. I have to open and close stuff constantly, through io7's irritating animated selection menu. Where the shit is the call and txt button next to names in the address book? Why do I need extra menu's for everything, that scroll and take up ludicrous amounts of "space"? You can't disable the drop-down menu that's always getting pulled down when I'm trying to do something. I could go on for awhile. Their hardware is kind of weak by today's standards as well. The only true upside they have that I like, is a nice case.

*I want a Sony Xperia Z2 but they may or may not come to verizon, and are looking to not. It has an actually good camera, not the fake good like 40mp lumia. Only the iphone competes for a camera. The case is nice, it's not io7, it has a sleek and refined nature to it in general. It looks pretty ideal to me.

*Samsung, they're all ugly and gross looking after three days. The plastic might be durable but they end up looking like some rubber pilates toy that gets used a hundred times a day at the YMCA. Plus the software setup is a bit fruity in appearance. I don't like hordes of colors and extra crap in some menu's or places, like for txts. That's might first impression since I haven't lived with one. The camera isn't anything to talk about.

*HTC One M8. The case looks ok-ish being metal. I'm not into the ergo phone idea though, I like a brick, sharp edges. It's looking like maybe the only option. The camera is also nothing to talk about, which is funny because one of their earlier models had an amazing camera.

*Windows phones are a hell no. I put a classic shell on every windows 8 computer I ever touch, and get praise for it by the owner.

It's all funny because...

I want a phone that looks nice and I like to hold because it gives confidence with some weight and metal.
I'd like a digital camera in my phone. The iphone 5s does this, and the Xperia 2. No one else but an old dated HTC has been able to make something that's actually good. The rest suffer from dozens of issues, but offer stupid effects.
I want a sleek OS that isn't animated BS.

All of them are busy packing phones full of glory in the form of features, and not busy making something anyone should actually want to use as a device instead of an idea. And then all the reviewers are some irritating gutless drone that can't make big choices to do anything but tell you it's all good but some boring ass who-cares obvious tech-spec reduced it by a star in the rating.

 

[mcgsxr]

I got a new phone last week.  After 12 years of Blackberry use I went with the iPhone 5s.  My wife has been using her 4s for a while now, and the proliferation of iDevices around our house has been ongoing the past 3 years.

It is quite a transition from the BB, but the ability to load up apps that I was already using in my personal life (XBMC remote, iPeng 7) are excellent!

It is going OK so far.

[Folsom]

I can say I do like itxt's for phone cards, and how you can keep it going like a conversation. It's also fun to see if they're typing a reply so you don't put the phone away.

My friends iphone 5 seems a lot faster than my 4.

[*Scotty*]

All smartphones are flawed one way or another by the numerous compromises made by the manufacturer and the OS used. I picked a Galaxy S4 with AT&T as the carrier. If you can get past the disagreeable physical aspects of the particular brand of Android phone you buy you can mostly bludgeon OS into something you can live with. Advanced Permission Manager Pro is a good place to start. This give you back a lot of control over what apps are allowed to do. The way to gain total control over the OS is to "root" the phone. This of course wil void the warranty and you can kill the phone if you don't know what you are doing.
 One of the key problems with phones other than Apples iPhone is the presence of both phone manufacturer and carrier bloatware. It is a big problem and can only partially be dealt with by turning off the offending processes. In most cases you can't even uninstall this bloatware.
When you have three programs which do the same thing and only the original Android OS version works well,it would be nice to be able delete the other two wannabes.
 I have also run smack into the GOOGLE search filter bubble problem on my S4. This is very annoying to say the least. The cure is DuckDuckGo for Android.
Good luck finding a smartphone you can live with. I too wish I could design my own smartphone, if only to avoid the bloatware and have a titanium case. I guess I am not the targeted demographic either.
Scotty

[JohnR]

One of the key problems with phones other than Apples iPhone is the presence of both phone manufacturer and carrier bloatware.

What about Nexus 5?

[Woodsea]

I have always had the Galaxy class smartphones, but this changes in September.  At this point there are not that many bells and whistles that Samsung has that I would need over the new Sapphire coated iphone 6. 

[ctviggen]

My next phone will be a windows/Nokia phone.  I know you said you don't like Windows 8, neither do I -- I've purchased three computers since Windows 8 came out and I've put Windows 7 on all of them.  On the other hand, the so-called Metro (or whatever they call it) interface actually works for a phone.  Plus, I'm going to get the incredibly nice camera (for me, a must-have since I use the camera on my phone all the time).   The detriment is that there aren't nearly as many apps.  For instance, the bank I use does not have a Windows app.  That sucks, as I can make deposits by taking a picture of the check.  On the other hand, I can use other devices to make the deposits. 

I have an Android phone now, a Motorola Droid.  It's been a good phone, but the battery is incredibly bad now.  Personally, I can't stand Apple.  I'm not too fond of Google, either.  For instance, on the phone, you can delete your search history.  However, the search history is only deleted for the phone -- it's still kept on Google's servers.  You have to go there to delete the search history.  If you delete the search history, however, then the freaking maps app no longer has saved locations.

[Folsom]

Too bad the Linux phone flopped....

[rooze]

I went for my first smartphone ever, only 2 weeks ago. I'd convinced myself that since I'm mostly housebound (work from home), a smartphone would be a waste of time and money.

After 2 weeks I don't know how I ever got by without it 

I bought an iPhone 5s by cashing in a few points with US Cellular, it only cost me about $100 and since I cancelled one of 3 lines on my plan, the monthly has only gone up by $15, with 2GB shared data.

I love my iPhone. 

I can connect to airport express and stream radio through my main rig. Not great SQ but whilst I'm putzing around doing other stuff it's fine.

Using the Remote app I can use the iPhone as the control over my Macbook and iTunes library which sits on a NAS. Great sound Q with the convenience of a small, hand-held remote.

I use the MyWalk app to log my walks and bike rides. Awesome. It uses GPS and suggests all kinds of new routes in my area that I'd never heard/thought of.
It goes on and on. Apps galore.

I sync with iTunes so iTunes backs up everything on my phone.

I switch off Cellular mostly, so I can do stuff at home without using from my data plan.

The screen/picture quality is awesome. I've been watching Netflix vids on the little bugger and it's great!

Having borrowed my wife's iPad a couple times, I'm used to the GUI and it doesn't bother me at all, in fact I think the user experience is really good. I wish some apps would work Landscape so I get a full width keyboard to peck at, and I wish I could stop the bottom window from sliding up when I'm browsing the web, but I can live with those small irritations.

The camera is great.

On 3G it's a fast as I need it to be.

The speaker is loud enough so I can stick the phone in my pocket when I'm out taking a walk and still hear tunes. (I don't like wearing buds etc when walking).

I honestly can't think of anything seriously wrong with it and can't imagine wanting to change it. For my needs it's almost perfect. And it looks cool too.

FWIW

Rooze

[Folsom]

I'm glad you like all those uses Rooze. The iphone was made for you.

It's funny how much I don't care or want any of them!

I like.... unlimited txt storage, the maps, email, internet, email, notes/audio record, camera, and occasionally playing music for tests or in a car. It's very business for me.

[macrojack]

So, in a nutshell, you want a tool and you are bothered by the overarching proliferation of toys.

But isn't that how it is now? Clothes sizes are made for some ideal figure projected by MBAs. In order to get 9 cable channels you want, or at least might look at, you have to buy 500 others that provide nothing more than clutter. Same is true of movies, and restaurants.

I find in most things there are way too many choices that are horizontally differentiated and very few that proceed along a hierarchical trajectory. If manufacturers put half the money into actually improving their goods and services that they spend on specious claims of superiority and efficacy, we would all be much more comfortable about our purchases.

But we live in a demographically driven economy and therefore, those of us who care about and can recognize quality,  are "victimized" by the majority who cannot see beyond the quantitative, or just don't care. Whatever the case, we have collectively made our bed. Our purchase decisions drive product availability.

And, even if actual quality did somehow catch on in the broader market, it would take the conjurers and diplomats of retail about a half an hour to switch us all back onto the crap that provides them the best market position, and/or the most profit. They love how dumb and compliant we are. That's why they think it is such a great country.

[Folsom]

I've accepted it's going to come with bells and whistles. But what I'm scrutinizing is all the non-bell's'n'whistles. 

[macrojack]

You have my empathy, either way.

[ctviggen]

Realistically, there aren't many choices, at least for operating systems.  You have Android, IOS, and (a far distant third) Windows.  That's it.   If you're not a fan of Apple (as I'm not), you have Android and Windows.  That's it.  And if you want the most apps (and you don't like Apple), you have Android.  There's not much choice.

True, you have some choice of who makes the phone (not for Apple of course), but the OS choices are incredibly limited. 

My wife has an iPhone (older model), and I have an Android.  They both have benefits and detriments.  Her phone seems more "polished" but then everything has to go through iTunes.  She can't figure out how to get anything off her phone if she doesn't use iTunes.  My phone is much faster at downloading (4G v. 3G), but the battery life is and has been worse.  On the other hand, I downloaded programs that allow me instant access to bluetooth, wifi, gps, etc., and I don't believe such a thing exists (or at least didn't used to exist for IOS). 

I think pretty much any phone is going to give someone what they want. 

[Tyson]

So, in a nutshell, you want a tool and you are bothered by the overarching proliferation of toys.

But isn't that how it is now? Clothes sizes are made for some ideal figure projected by MBAs. In order to get 9 cable channels you want, or at least might look at, you have to buy 500 others that provide nothing more than clutter. Same is true of movies, and restaurants.

I find in most things there are way too many choices that are horizontally differentiated and very few that proceed along a hierarchical trajectory. If manufacturers put half the money into actually improving their goods and services that they spend on specious claims of superiority and efficacy, we would all be much more comfortable about our purchases.

But we live in a demographically driven economy and therefore, those of us who care about and can recognize quality,  are "victimized" by the majority who cannot see beyond the quantitative, or just don't care. Whatever the case, we have collectively made our bed. Our purchase decisions drive product availability.

And, even if actual quality did somehow catch on in the broader market, it would take the conjurers and diplomats of retail about a half an hour to switch us all back onto the crap that provides them the best market position, and/or the most profit. They love how dumb and compliant we are. That's why they think it is such a great country.

That's capitalism for you.

[Folsom]

I settled on the HTC One M8. Camera is is crappy, and case is mediocure. But it's metal and not a slow ass annoying iphone. Sony's not releasing a Verizon model, or not any time soon, so I'll just have to enjoy the reduced colors and silly crap samsung has in their version of Android.