The absolute best part of Android system is its ability to become a wifi hotspot. All the kids with iphones at work want me to give them my Android "service" at lunch so they can spend more time with noses stuck in the phones. Why would you want a "smartphone" that isn't so smart after all?
If you are rooted, it gets even better. This app will mask tethering activity: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.snclab.wifitetherrouter&hl=en I think it is a virtual VPN. I am on T-Mobile unlimited, but it only allows 500MB of tethering data. This app makes all my data look like phone data, so T-Mobile can't tell if I am tethering or not. It's awesome. Real easy to use once I set it up. I don't abuse it. But I often get close to my limit, so it is nice to know I won't be cut off.
Too bad it is polluted with a 2nd rate OS, heh heh. MP does not impress me anymore. But the 1020 does have a great camera...it is arguably the best even now.
I'm an iphone fan. I have an android tablet, and am less than impressed by most android apps that you can't get on IOS.
Hmm, you are comparing an ancient iphone to the latest androids....... My problem with android is that most apps for it (that aren't also available on iphone) are for the most part amateurish and buggy.
Why shouldn't they upgrade every year? Is Samsung not coming out with a new phone every year? IMHO, that's a silly criticism. Not quite up to 6. I'm using a 4s, which is a couple of model years old. Works great.
The point is that iphone apps are of uniform high quality. Their interfaces are consistent, etc. I don't find that with android. I find android apps to be buggy and amateurish, except of course the ones found on both interfaces. If you like that, go for it. It's interesting, why are only apple fans derogatorily called fanboys, etc. Android folks are the same. I personally think the iphone is the perfect size. I don't want to carry a tablet with me, and a 5" screen feels like a tablet to me. Your results may vary.
However, the phones are pretty robust, so there is really no need to upgrade very often. The thing is, doesn't Samsung offer new phones every year? - - - Updated - - - The iphone does fairly well, better than the old nokia "dumb" phone I used to have.
Well I'll let you guys and my wife keep upgrading to the newest smart phone and spend those big bucks buying them and having these high priced carriers charge you for it. I'll keep my cheap Windows phone with my personal assistant and that will do anything I want it to do and put my money to better use.
I use two smartphones, the one is iPhone 5C, another Samsung Galaxy S5. The latter is for work mostly. Both are great, however iOS is slightly better than Android in terms of synching, apps and has more stable work.
If your needs are small, there is no reason to spend a lot on a smartphone. I totally agree with that. The best selling phones in the US are not cheap phones though. You do make compromises with cheap phones...much crappier cameras, laggier UI animations, slower multi-tasking, crappier displays, ect...about the only thing that stays the same is storage capacity (at least on the ones with SD support, which is almost all of them). If you can tolerate the compromises, then yeah, I agree it would be stupid to spend more.
It comes at the cost of flexibility. And it is not more stable than Android...it might be more stable than Samsung's version of Android (touchwiz), but it's not more stable than vanilla android. The S5 definitely will have a longer lasting battery, is waterproof, has a better camera, and has the best display of any smartphone on the market right now.
...if your needs are small. But they are far less flexible than Android, and IMO, thats a big deal. The share menu in Android alone is a great example. It allows you to immedately share content from any app to any other app, even if it is not supported natively in the OS. I can attach a picture to an email directly in the gallery app, or send it to Box.com, or post it to facebook, or any of another dozen apps I have installed. On iOS this thing is only possible with natively supported apps, which means only major ones like twitter or facebook. Google allows any app to add itself to this menu if they want...no OS update required. They do. But they also offer cutting edge technology too...new hardware features and bigger/better everything. This year they added waterproofing and the best display on any smartphone so far. Samsung phones are as expensive as iPhones, but they do deliver the best technology for that price. iPhones are delivering technology that is usually several years old. You pay for the image and support with Apple. You pay for the actual hardware capabilities with Samsung. But does it do $300-better than the Nexus 5 (for example)? That is why Apple gets criticized. No one is saying the products suck. Just that they are overpriced for their hardware capabilities.
The only valid criticism of Android should come from vanilla devices like the Nexus 5. Samsung is not using an unmodified version of Android...they are using their own special version. It would be like building a camper onto the back of a Ferrari, and then complaining that it doesn't go as fast as Ferraris should. Ferraris were not designed to have campers. When you add one, it will affect performance. LOL, go to the MacRumors forums. Plenty of choice words for Android people there. "FanDroids" is one of the less offensive terms. There was a time when I agreed, but they have grown on me. The majority do want larger displays. Even Apple people. Apple is introducing a 6" phablet this fall.
True, as a matter of fact I am a Samsung R&D employee, though I work in Smart TV area. Overall I like iOS more, but corporation abiding made me to buy second smartphone even though Samsung follows BYOD policy and don't mind if employee uses Apple gadgets but still I felt uncomfortable when I had to meet with B2B partners and take out iPhone. In general both gadgets are great, Samsung has better functionality, while Apple offers better app market, so I mix them very well.
That's easy, to make money. Once the phone is sold, they got their money. They need to get you to buy another to make more money. No different than why a automaker comes out with new models all the time, except it takes longer to make a car than a new phone.
The Nokia has a very nice camera with it. The camera allows you to do a lot with the picture you take, like sending it in a text, E-mail or post it on face book. Or take several shots just seconds apart Granted the screen on my wife's phone is brighter, but I can see mine ok. Nokia has an app out that lets you transfer from one phone to another. Today I just found a new feature I didn't have before until I upgraded to 8.1 and that is a battery saver that lets me cut apps and power down when my battery gets low, or cut them all the time till I need them. I just don't think many use the few extra features the most expense phone give you to justify the high price they charge for the phones. My Daughter lost her phone and went to Verizon to buy another. She was able to buy a fairly nice one for about $110.00 by extending her two year contract. She didn't think that was a bad deal and I don't think it was either. But they forced her to buy this package to go with it for about $120.00 I think she said. It had a screen protector, ear piece, charger and cover. She didn't want it, but they wouldn't sell her the phone without buying it. A total rip off. Once your locked into that two year contract, you are limited in what you can do and wind up paying hundreds more than you normally would have to. Then still can't do some of the things I can do like replacing my battery or buying a spare. Upgrading the memory myself. All extra charges they can get you for.
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Got an upgrade from Verizon from Android to iPhone 5c (blue). Didn't cost much more. I find the iPhone to have better touch sensitivity, better display, better integration of functions. I don't like the fact that apps seem to be closed to the OS however. Shape and feel to me are both much better than any of the other phones I have had. No 'clunkiness' factor at all. Overall the iPhone is much more usable for me.
The corporate world is not as fanatical as the users are. Samsung probably does not care if it's employees use Apple. Samsung used to be an Apple supplier after all (and probably still is for some stuff). "Sworn enemies" in the corporate world do business with each other all the time. Today's enemy could be tomorrow's partner, and vice versa. I always advise people to pick one of the other unless they don't care about cost. Because the apps are not cross-platform. So if you commit to two app stores you are basically buying every app twice.
Thats great, but that doesn't mean the camera is nice. It means the camera software is nice. Hardware is what really determines how good the pictures will look. This is a comparison of the galaxy S5 and the Nexus 5...the GS5 is about twice the cost: The graininess you see it called "noise", and is typical of lowlight photos. The Nexus has a better camera in low light because it has Optical Image Stabilization (OIS). The Nexus has actual hardware OIS (it physically moves the lens to compensate for movement). The GS5 has uses a software version of OIS, but as you can see, it's not as good. Software is better than nothing, but it will almost never equal hardware, so the hardware does matter. "Nice" cameras are cameras that can produce good images without help. As I said before, if your needs are small, you may not care about these features. But a lot of people do and they're willing to pay extra for them. To me, images taken from cheap phones are a night and day difference compared to high end phone cameras. It's something I can see at a glance. The phone is not really costing $110. That is like a co-pay. Verizon is subsidizing the phone and adding the additional cost to your bill. Thats why Verizon costs more per month than it's competitors...they are financing their users' phones. Which is not a bad thing. Especially for people with bad credit...they are able to get a high end phone with financing. There are downsides to it, but a lot of people either don't care or the alternatives are worse for them. Contract-free is the new trend though. Exactly. Which is why contracts should be a last resort. If you can afford to buy retail, you should IMO. Especially since low-end phones have gotten so good. Cheap doesn't = garbage anymore like it used to. People should also consider alternative insurance plans...they are often cheaper and better than what you get at the carrier. Verizon uses Asurion, which has a $150 deductible and costs $7 or so a month. Square Trade has a similar plan that costs $5 a month with a $75 deductible. Bonus: They also cover water damage, which Asurion does not. - http://www.squaretrade.com/smartphone-warranty
Yeah, Apple is a hardware company. They actually make their money selling hardware. So they have an incentive to lock you in and upsell you every year. If you are locked in, you have no choice but to upgrade. That is why Apple makes all it's stuff proprietary...it's deliberate. Google is an advertising company. They do not make anything at all on Android phones. Whether Samsung sells 50 million or 1 million, they do not make a dime more from the sales. Their goal is to get more people USING smartphones, and therefore increase the number of people who can see their ads. Because they make money from advertising. They want people using their services...Android is just a means to an end for them. iPhone users themselves contribute to Google's bottom line by viewing ads. They still want Android to succeed of course, because it is good publicity and it enables them to expand their user base for their services (Google Maps is on all Android phones for example, by default). So Google has no incentive to try to lock you in or make you upgrade every year. They can still serve ads to your 4 year old HTC phone just fine.
My criticism is the apps designed for it, not the hardware. I do think that the extra hoops that Apple requires for apps is a good thing. I just think that the majority of apps for Android are buggy and inferior to the majority of apps for IOS. I haven't had functional problems with IOS apps. I have with Android. Your results may vary. It's all just opinion, anyway.
