[geowak]

I'll be shopping with my wife for a smart phone. She has decided to take the hi-tech leap. Looking for intuitive, east to use GUI, and she texts and talks alot on the phone. Any suggestions, I have heard good things about Samsung but which models? Ill be going with Verizon..

[martyo]

We are with Verizon, both my wife and daughter started with Samsung Galaxies and now both have iPhone 5's.

[MaxCast]

I'd look at the Galaxy 4 or the iphone5.  I find the apple environment easier to navigate. 
There are many nice phones out there but you will really be picking between android vs. apple.
If you go with apple you have about 3 similar phones to pick from.  If you go with android you have many more.

[Maritan]

How about the Nokia Lumia 928 (Windows Phone 8 )?

Here's why: Simple to use, easy interface. Live tiles that update constantly. Fast, fluid and just works! (Shocking, I know, but it really changed my mind.) Takes fantastic low light pictures. I can give you an example or two if you like. The iPhone 5 pales in comparison. The keyboard on Windows phones is fantastic. Their predictive technology is great.

I had an Android phone (admittedly a couple years ago) and did not like it. It was very glitchy and had to be force rebooted at least once a day. I still am not thrilled with them because Samsung/ HTC will add their skin to the base Android OS and make things a touch slower. Updates from Google will not come through in a timely fashion because they have to be tweaked my the manufacturer first and then by the carrier before you see it.

I have an iPad and have access to my girlfriend's iPhone 5 and I'm not tickled pink with it. Very uninspiring interface. I don't know, it just doesn't do it for me.

All that said, yes, Windows Phones do not have the same number of apps as either Android or iOS. However, WP8 good ones and the number is constantly growing.

[jsaliga]

I had an iPhone 4 for two years and switched to a Samsung Galaxy Note 2 three months ago.  It is huge compared to the iPhone, but this is the first smartphone I have ever owned where I could actually read the text on the display without having to re-size it.  I liked the iPhone as a phone, but felt it was practically useless as a mobile computing device.

It did not take me long to get used to the larger Galaxy Note 2, though people with very small hands might find it too large to handle.

--Jerome

[MaxCast]

How about the Nokia Lumia 928 (Windows Phone 8 )?

Here's why: Simple to use, easy interface. Live tiles that update constantly. Fast, fluid and just works! (Shocking, I know, but it really changed my mind.) Takes fantastic low light pictures. I can give you an example or two if you like. The iPhone 5 pales in comparison. The keyboard on Windows phones is fantastic. Their predictive technology is great.

I had an Android phone (admittedly a couple years ago) and did not like it. It was very glitchy and had to be force rebooted at least once a day. I still am not thrilled with them because Samsung/ HTC will add their skin to the base Android OS and make things a touch slower. Updates from Google will not come through in a timely fashion because they have to be tweaked my the manufacturer first and then by the carrier before you see it.

I have an iPad and have access to my girlfriend's iPhone 5 and I'm not tickled pink with it. Very uninspiring interface. I don't know, it just doesn't do it for me.

All that said, yes, Windows Phones do not have the same number of apps as either Android or iOS. However, WP8 good ones and the number is constantly growing.

Nice to hear that.  I always liked the windows phone UI.  Hear it does not integrate with win8...maybe that is a good thing cause I hate win8.  App store very small as you said.  Don't know how app sharing works but the iphone will allow you to share apps with about 5 devises. 

[Hugh]

Likewise,

I just switched from an iPhone 4S to a Samsung Galaxy S4 and my eyes thank me for it.

It's not an iPhone but the larger screen helps a lot.

Who knows, I may go back to an iPhone 6 if its screen will be larger.

I had an iPhone 4 for two years and switched to a Samsung Galaxy Note 2 three months ago.  It is huge compared to the iPhone, but this is the first smartphone I have ever owned where I could actually read the text on the display without having to re-size it.  I liked the iPhone as a phone, but felt it was practically useless as a mobile computing device.

It did not take me long to get used to the larger Galaxy Note 2, though people with very small hands might find it too large to handle.

--Jerome

[Maritan]

Nice to hear that.  I always liked the windows phone UI.  Hear it does not integrate with win8...maybe that is a good thing cause I hate win8.  App store very small as you said.  Don't know how app sharing works but the iphone will allow you to share apps with about 5 devises.

I'm not sure what exactly you mean by "integrate" with Win 8. I actually have a MacBook, so I'm not entirely sure exactly how well WP8 is supposed to integrate with Win8. Still, I've heard your point of view that Win8 is actually quite a pain to work with. And I have friends who absolutely love Win8 and because of that ditched their iPhone to get a Nokia Lumia 920 (ATT).

Anyway, the app store has >100,000 apps. Not small, but compared to the iOS and Android libraries, definitely not up to spec.

Some other advantages of WP8 - if you game and decide to go the Xbox 360/ One route (especially since there's no more DRM requirements or internet connection every 24 hours needed), the phone is supposed to integrate with that quite well.

I have no idea about app sharing. Since my phone is the only Windows (Phone) 8 device I have, there's no other device to share with.

[geowak]

Jerome,

My wife looked at the Note 2 today and liked it. To me it looks ginormus, I mean like a shoebox big, but she likes it. What do you think of yours now? When we both upgrade in two weeks, I'll be getting the Iphone 5... Only thing I worry is getting a cord adapter from Apple for my Pure I-20 dock, my old  Iphone 4 has a different charge dock connection, but the 4 processor is slow.

[jsaliga]

I'm very happy with my Galaxy Note 2 and have no regrets whatsoever.  I consider its size to be an advantage...but that's because I find the iPhone display much too small.  In fact, the iPhone 4 itself would fit inside the display area of the Galaxy Note 2 with room to spare.  I like the GN2's big display and this makes it a more useful mobile computing device for my purposes.

--Jerome

[RPM123]

If all your wife wants in a phone is: talking, texting, intuitive and ease of user interface, then it will be tough to beat an iPhone! And it is called an "iPhone" because it's main function is to actually talk and Apple designed it to feel comfortable in your hand using it as a phone. (Also, iOS7 will be out this fall, which should make it an even easier to use.) Have your wife go to Verizon and try one out as well as the various Android (especially Samsung) based phones., which have become waaay large. Every see someone use one of those phones to actually talk? It looks like they are holding an oversize waffle next to their ear...which I find quite comical! 

Now, if someone wants a handheld device to use for reading or computing, then they may prefer a larger device. Also, keep in mind that the larger the screen, the quicker you will run the battery down and have to recharge it.

[jsaliga]

Also, keep in mind that the larger the screen, the quicker you will run the battery down and have to recharge it.

While this may be true in general it is not true with the Samsung Galaxy Note 2, as it uses a 3100 mAh LI battery.  With normal usage I get about a day longer on a charge with my GN2 than I did with my iPhone 4, and since you can easily replace the battery in the GN2 you can buy a couple of spares like I did (I bought two for $20) and then charge them in advance for extended run time for those long periods of time when you be away from a power source.

Here is the review that convinced me to dump my iPhone in favor of the GN2.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdsMwGWvhO4

After buying the GN2 I sold my iPhone 4 on eBay and got $240 for it.  That covered the cost of the GN2 and the OtterBox Commuter Series case I bought with it.

--Jerome

[ctviggen]

Walmart dropped the price of the iphone 4S to $39:

http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/23/walmart-permanently-drops-iphone-4s-and-iphone-5-prices/

I use an Android device and my wife uses an iPhone4.  If Nokia comes out with a phone with their 40+MB camera, I'll probably get that phone (which uses a Windows OS).   I don't have many apps, though, and can easily transfer systems.

The problem with these phones is the $30/month data plan.  Even if you own the phone, for Verizon, you basically have to buy the $30/month plan, or else you get almost no data.

[steenm]

If you'd rather pay for the phone - you could consider this:
http://www.fairphone.com/