This week's cell phone suggestions?

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Jim Miller

Jim Miller

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Once again I'm considering a new cell phone. I've been eligible for upgrade for almost 6 months now, but every time I look at the available options, I decide to wait for the NextWonderfulThing, or to wait for the price to come down on the LastWonderfulThing. I didn't used to have this hesitation, but maybe I wasn't so picky in the past. Now I want it all, and I want it from Verizon, and I want it for less than $200 out of pocket.

I've been marginally satisfied with my LG Revolution, but there are issues. For example, sometimes I get an application going that won't stop when I tell it to, and it runs the battery down. What could be worse than discovering that your phone went dead in your pocket without your knowledge? Sometimes the GPS fails to work, and tells me Google Shopper (???) is no longer available. Swiping this way and that way to get the silly thing to work seems like a waste of precious finger motions. Most of all, I want something new.

Also, I'd like an easier-to-use calendar, and better tactile feel on the keyboard, and a bigger screen, and better sound. Otherwise, I'm OK with what I've got, which just seems wrong.

Do you have any suggestions? Yes, I have sought professional help, but the NewKidsThisWeek in the Verizon stores don't seem to know any more than I do.
 
Jim Miller said:
Also, I'd like an easier-to-use calendar, and better tactile feel on the keyboard, and a bigger screen, and better sound. Otherwise, I'm OK with what I've got, which just seems wrong.
Click to expand...

If the Samsung G4 is anything like the G3, then keep looking. You won't be able to text without hitting the wrong key. It turns itself on in your pocket. The calendars aren't great. Sound is tinny. Construction is cheap. Battery life is not among the best.

It has some good things going for it - display size, camera, notification sounds, speakerphone, flashlight.

I'm in the minority here.

All my family have iphones, which have proven to be durable with no complaints. I would take the larger screen over an iphone, so if there's a tough, large-screen android phone out there, I'd also like to know.
 
My wife has the Galaxy 4 and loves it. My daughter can't wait to scrap her iPhone for the S4.
 
I love my Note II and the Note III is out this month. The biggest.......

And I know a couple of folks that love their S4.
 
Yup. I'm in the minority. Most reviewers like the S3, very similar to the S4. But they haven't suffered with it for a year. Broken glass the first month. It turns itself on in your pocket, and even turns on the flashlight, giving you a nice warm sensation. I'm waiting for it to call Russia.

Samsung forgot to think about ergonomics. I'd be curious to see what others think about it after a year's use.
 
tedh said:
Yup. I'm in the minority. Most reviewers like the S3, very similar to the S4. But they haven't suffered with it for a year. Broken glass the first month. It turns itself on in your pocket, and even turns on the flashlight, giving you a nice warm sensation. I'm waiting for it to call Russia.

Samsung forgot to think about ergonomics. I'd be curious to see what others think about it after a year's use.
Click to expand...

I'm sorry for your bad experiences with the S3, but most other opinions here are contrary.
 
I just can't connect with this thing. As a straight cell phone it sucks, so I use an old Samsung flip phone, which is extremely fast to use, loud, and cheap. And I've broken a good number of phones, so durability is really important. When I first saw the S3, I just knew it would be trouble, because it flexes too much. The more rugged, the better. And for bad eyes, a large screen helps. Don't forget - framers are half-way into the construction industry, what with all that sawing, wood-working, hammering, chopping, lugging, and what-all. You want a dainty phone, use a heavy case.

Jim: the iphone is tougher, but the S4's screen is really nice. So's the camera. If you're a gentle, patient sort of guy, with bad vision, go for the S4.

lol
 
FWIW - I like the iphones. Never had any trouble, they talk to all my other apple devices. Never had to download, install, work out how to get them to talk. I like things that just work and don't give me problems. I used to buy expensive cases for them, now i buy $3 cases off ebay and never had one broken (we have 4 phones all the way back to iphone3 which still just works) before the iphone i went through a phone year.
So i am another apple convert, who wouldn't even bother looking at the competition, no matter how good you told me it was.
I don't carry a handbag or a man bag, so i still need it to fit in my pocket. So a big screen would not suit me, plus you then need 2 hands to use it. And that is why apple has kept it size, so you can use it one handed.
 
I recently got my son (17) the Galaxy 4…. he loves it, it does everything it is meant to do…. he changed from an apple.. The Galaxy 4 is G4 ready also….

I have the Galaxy for nearly two years now, it gets dogs abuse, it has been, dropped, gone swimming, left to bake in the sun, slept on, sent flying in the car on hard stops, you name it and it has been through it…. It does exactly what it is supposed to do, the battery is good, the screen is great, I comfortably read the daily papers on it…..
 
iphone 5 here too - have no experience of other devices but love this! All my kids have the same and there is stuff it will do iphone to iphone like facetime and sending texts via wifi, which is handy if like me you're on PAYG.
 
Investigate by yourself and compare to use an iPhone and other without reading-glasses. Other phones will drop quickly because off the much better sharper screen of any iPhone. Even an iPhone 4 has a better screen as the newest androids.
 
I've had the Galaxy Note 3 for a week. It's a beautiful instrument. Haven't found anything negative about it yet; but if you don't want a really big screen, it's not for you. I have 20/15 vision and find it glorious that I can downsize the font and get more content on the screen.

The latest Android Jelly Bean system is performing fully.

Cathie....but it's also not $200. :)
 
MerpsMom said:
I've had the Galaxy Note 3 for a week. It's a beautiful instrument. Haven't found anything negative about it yet; but if you don't want a really big screen, it's not for you. I have 20/15 vision and find it glorious that I can downsize the font and get more content on the screen
Click to expand...

I have had the Note II for almost a year and love it. I don't know how I ever tolerated all those tiny phones before. Reading and browsing is great. I used to bring my Kindle along when I went to the Doctor, auto shop or other places when I knew I would be waiting. Now I just load whatever I am reading on my phone and off we go. Using the Kindle app on my Note II is a very good experience. Less so on those tiny phones.

I looked at the Note III this week and it looks great. Am looking forward to the Note IV next year when my contract is up. The screen size went from 5.5" on the Note II to 5.7" on the Note III. I'm hoping for 6" on the Note IV.
 
Andy and I absolutely love our Galaxy S4's. The most reliable phones we have ever had, coupled with the best OS we have ever had. (android) You can have interactive widgets for things such as your flashlight, calendar, email, etc. You can go out on the competitive market to get apps, music, books, etc at the best price. It has the strongest gorilla glass. The Galaxy S5 will be out in less than 5 months, and the new Note just came out recently. (but its big!)

Here are some specs, so you can compare these popular phones yourself: (If any of these are wrong, I apologize in advance. I googled all 4 devices)

Screen Resolution and size:
Galaxy S4 has 1080x1920 resolution with 441 ppi 5"
IPhone 5 has 640x1135 326 ppi 4"
IPhone 5C has 640x1135 326 ppi 4"
IPhone 5S has 640x1136 326 ppi 4"

Weight
Galaxy S4 is 4.59oz
IPhone 5 is 3.95oz
IPhone 5C is 4.66oz
IPhone 5S is 3.95oz

Talk Time
Galaxy S4 has 17 hours talk time
IPhone 5 has 8 hours talk time
IPhone 5C has 10 hours talk time
IPhone 5S has 10 hours talk time

CPU
Galaxy S4 has quad core cpu 1900 mhz
IPhone 5 has dual core 1300 mhz
IPhone 5C has dual core 1300 mhz
IPhone 5S has dual core 1300 mhz

Memory
Galaxy S4 has 2048
IPhone 5 has 1016
IPhone 5C has 1016
IPhone 5S has 1016

Battery
Galaxy S4 has 2600 mah and it can be removed and replaced by the user
IPhone 5 has 1440 mah and it is sealed in/cannot be serviced by user.
IPhone 5C has 1570 mah and it is sealed in/cannot be serviced by user.
IPhone 5S has 1570 mah and it is sealed in/cannot be serviced by user.

Memory Upgrades
Galaxy S4 has a slot where you can add memory yourself. (+32gb costs about $20 at any office supply store)
IPhone 5 cannot be upgraded/no memory slot
IPhone 5C cannot be upgraded/no memory slot
IPhone 5S cannot be upgraded/no memory slot

Camera
Galaxy S4 has 12 MP rear, 2 MP front facing
IPhone 5 has 8 MP rear, 1.2 MP front facing
IPhone 5C has 8 MP rear, 1.2 MP front facing
IPhone 5S has 8 MP rear, 1.2 MP front facing

Other than colors, cases, and a fingerprint reader - I don't see many differences between the three iphone 5 models from 2012 and 2013.

Any of these four phones will be sufficient, IMO. They're all good products. So is the new Galaxy Note 3, which I didn't include in the comparison.

Mike
 
I really like that the battery can be replaced by the user because when by galaxy player (not a smartphone usrr yet) freezes up I can yank the battery. Can't do that with an iPhone. Also I can play my podcast player and play a game on the pkayer. Can't do thst with the iPhone.

M wife plays Audible for books on her iPod. Can't listen to a book and play WordJongh on the iPod. Can on the Samsung...

Anyone know how to put one in your pocet? Screen out and the screen gets smacked, screen in and it starts playing music... Of course the screen is already cracked on mine so any bump and the music app starts up. Can't get a replacement digitizer screen for my screen size, something I can and have gotten for the iPhone...
 
Bob Doyle said:
Anyone know how to put one in your pocet? Screen out and the screen gets smacked, screen in and it starts playing music... Of course the screen is already cracked on mine so any bump and the music app starts up. Can't get a replacement digitizer screen for my screen size, something I can and have gotten for the iPhone...
Click to expand...

Yet another Samsung design flaw. I have to turn off the phone a minimum of 20 times a day. And what good is Gorilla glass when the thing has so much flex? The glass will break every time.
 
tedh said:
Yet another Samsung design flaw. I have to turn off the phone a minimum of 20 times a day. And what good is Gorilla glass when the thing has so much flex? The glass will break every time.
Click to expand...

A $10 cover is all it takes. The question that remains is how are you turning your phone on so much? My Note II stays in my packet all day and never turns on by itself. My BFF has an S4 and his never turns on either.

efc_1g6fbe_dynamic_400_large.jpeg


http://accessories-superstore.com/c...ssories/products/samsung-galaxy-s3-flip-cover
 
I really like mine don't get me wrong. My player has "issues" because I dropped it within the first week of getting it. I have learned that the Samsung has a two piece screen a digitizing touch layer, which is what I broke and the gorilla glass underneath, which is not broken. The broken digitizer means that the touch is not completely accurate, and that there are false positives. Which is why the video player and the music player seem to come on by themselves, when the case flexes it "touches" those two app buttons.

I would hazard a guess that Ted's digitizer is cracked as well and thus his phone keeps getting turned on. If the gorilla glass had been broken then you would not be able to see images on the screen. So the gorilla glass is a good thing, the digitizer is the fragile piece in the mix, and I have the 4.2 inch player and can't get a replacement digitizer. Actually, not true. I found an Amazon seller that claims to have the digitizer for $40. I may just get it as I have gotten replacement screens and batteries for my wife's and son's iPods.

So, Jim, the Samsung may be a good device for you, unless you tend to crack or break screens. The case Larry showed may not help me with my broken screen..
 
Good explanation. Reading the list of top smart phones, another thing jumped out at me - the issue of the phone heating up. I've noticed this phenomenon recently. Gets warm with use.

Know what? There probably is no perfect phone. I like some features of the S3, and would miss them. And other phones may be stronger and more durable with fewer positives. Too bad Bell has me locked into a three-year contract.
 
Yeah I hate these contracts too. Credo (Working Assetts) will buy you out, up to $300ish. And Credo is a leftist group, Bell and AT&T fund the Tea Party.... :)

I don't use Credo because they use Sprints cell towers. AT&T towers do not reach my home either, the only provider that I can use at home is Verizon. That's because they bought up UniCell, for 8 years they were the only towers that gave me reception at home. What good is a phone if you can't call from home?
 
I'll chime in. My wife's S3 has been a joke since day one. Horrible phone. She had a Nexus S. Bit slow, but was much more reliable.
I have had over a dozen S4s in my hands setting email accounts on them. Much better than the S3, but keyboard does take some getting accustomed too.

I personally have had the HTC One since the day it was released and could not be happier with it.
It is an awesome phone and time and time again a S4 owner asked to play with it.
 
tedh said:
Know what? There probably is no perfect phone.
Click to expand...

...and unless/until you realize this you will never be happy. Unless you're easily satisfied...

FWIW, as I've said before, I like the iPhones. I first got a 3S, my son got a 4, my wife a 4S and now I have a 5. No, there are no huge groundbreaking changes from one to another. For my purposes, the greatest improvements in my 5 over the 3S are the screen resolution and the camera (including flash). The fact of the matter is that we all want something new. There's a new car model every single year; sometimes the only way to tell is the VIN code that specifies the year, but a 2014 is more desirable than a 2013 (except maybe in very rare circumstances) - why? Only because it's newer.

Specs are all good and fine. They may help you weed OUT certain candidates that just can't do what you need/want. But you really have to go out and test drive one to know if it will work for you. A few weekends ago I went car shopping with my son. He had heard all kinds of hype about the newer Mustang GT and thought he'd really like it. After he drove it, he said "Looks nice, sounds great and goes fast, but it's just a car." There was no connection. Because he needs 4WD for work (if he got the Mustang he was going to also get a winter truck) he decided to try out a Fusion since they make them in AWD. He liked that better than the Mustang...
 
David: if he hasn't ordered one yet, tell your son to get the six-cylinder. The four is a bit weak on acceleration. But in all other respects, the Fusion is one great car.
 
I store mine in my rear pocket, and sit on it. in fact, i'm sitting on my S4 right now! rofl Never had a problem, with this or the other line of phones before it.

The ONE is also a fine product, right up there with the S4 specwise. However, it took a lead from Apple and sealed it in a metal coffin. (no replaceable battery, no memory card upgrade option, no NFC option) My friend Tom has this one and loves it.

Mike
 
Peter Odems said:
Sad for all those growing battery problems now in Samsung's line.
Click to expand...

Why did I know that you would be the first to point this out?

For those having problems with their S4 batteries, Samsung has offered a free replacement which is easy since the batteries can be easily changed on Samsung phones.

We haven't had any S4 owners here point this out.
 
Peter Odems said:
Sad for all those growing battery problems now in Samsung's line.
Click to expand...
Peter, the battery can be easily replaced on teh samsungs, so a fix is user serviceable, can the same be said for the iPhones? are battery issues a new issue for the Samsungs? I guess they learned nothing from Apple then since the original iPod had a life of 18 months, as that was how long the battery lasted in that model. Did Apple address the battery issue by making the battery replaceable? Or did Apple continue to solder the battery inside a sealed metal can? My wife's iPod 4 has a dead battery, I had to use my heat gun to melt the tape holding the screen in place then remove absolutely everything in the case to get at the soldered in battery....

When my Samsung player freezes I just pop the back off and pull out the battery... I bought a base model and popped in a 16 gig sd card. Can't do that with my daughters iPod....

They love their iPods, I have no problems with the quality of the product. But I also love my Samsung. If there is a battery issue I can fix mine in less than 5 minutes and there would be no concern of voiding the warrantee. It was a huge ordeal to "fix" the iPod, and the warranty would have been voided if the customer did it themselves.
 
I'm from the overseas Apple-station and you are with so many in the majority..... ;)

No, it's sad when your device stops and you have to solve the problem or replace a battery. My old (2nd generation) iPod Nano is still strong with battery.

About the sharpness and resolution. Devices with a Retina display are very sharp and beside the spec's you can only see this by watching it in practice.
 
I appreciate all of the good advice given here. It would be silly to expect any sort of consensus, eh?

After a couple of visits to my friendly neighborhood Verizon store, I'm most impressed with the new LG G2. It has received excellent reviews and offers a combination of features I find quite appealing. I know LG has not offered many impressive phones lately but my old LG Revolution has performed well until recently, and I can't point to any serious flaws in its design, except that it is now outdated.

Only Robo has mentioned this device with a sideways compliment:
LG wins but iphone 5s has same star rating.
Click to expand...
Am I missing something?
 
Jim Miller said:
Why has nobody even mentioned this device? Am I missing something?
Click to expand...

Probably because its new and none of us waiting-for-our-contracts-to-expire-with-old-phones have one. Looks decent though. I would do the googling for reviews and see what the ether has to say.
 
Oops. Larry, you copied my mistaken comment before I corrected it in the post.

Anyway, I did check the reviews, and they are all good. Indeed, I couldn't find any reviewer who thinks the LG G2 is not among the best smartphones on the market today. All of the top entries have some key features, but this one seems to have the most of the best.
 
Jim Miller said:
Anyway, I did check the reviews, and they are all good. Indeed, I couldn't find any reviewer who thinks the LG G2 is not among the best smartphones on the market today. All of the top entries have some key features, but this one seems to have the most of the best.
Click to expand...

It looks like a very good phone. The battery size is impressive. If you can adjust to using the buttons on the back rather than the side, it would be a good choice.
 
Well, I've checked as far as I can check, and the LG G2 appears to be among my best choices. It has all the features I want (and then some), its specifications are better than most (including all of the iPhones), and its price is lower than the popular iPhones or Samsung models.

After I find the best phone for Gail, since she's ready for an upgrade as well, then we'll buy.
 
Jim,

I am sorry to hijack your thread but I've noticed that a few folks have mentioned that they have issues in their home. This is very common with cellular signals so most of the major carriers have created a work around. Call you provider and lay into them about not being able to use the phone at home, how this is a major issue, etc. Push them for a solution and ask if they have an air rave device available at your account level. We have 6 phones on our account and qualified to get ours free so we have one in the home (had horrible signal strength) and got one in the store (which we only had an issue with in one part of the store). We use sprint but ATT has it as well and the other carriers have similar if not the same. There might be a charge at certain levels, but I do a bunch of work in the home and without this I'd be fried. You have to push them for this solution as they don't want to source it but I read that both Sprint and ATT are back ordered on them due to demand, so this is a common issue.

Again, sorry Jim. I hope you enjoy your new phone - S4 all the way if you ask me.

Please, continue.....
 
pwalters said:
Jim,

I am sorry to hijack your thread but I've noticed that a few folks have mentioned that they have issues in their home. This is very common with cellular signals so most of the major carriers have created a work around. Call you provider and lay into them about not being able to use the phone at home, how this is a major issue, etc. Push them for a solution and ask if they have an air rave device available at your account level. We have 6 phones on our account and qualified to get ours free so we have one in the home (had horrible signal strength) and got one in the store (which we only had an issue with in one part of the store). We use sprint but ATT has it as well and the other carriers have similar if not the same. There might be a charge at certain levels, but I do a bunch of work in the home and without this I'd be fried. You have to push them for this solution as they don't want to source it but I read that both Sprint and ATT are back ordered on them due to demand, so this is a common issue.

Again, sorry Jim. I hope you enjoy your new phone - S4 all the way if you ask me.

Please, continue.....
Click to expand...

All that sound interesting but why not just use your home's WiFi?

If you can get it for free, fine, but it costs $250 to ordinary mortals and needs to be connected to your wired internet just like your WiFi is. And if you won't have WiFi, you can get a decent wireless router for far, far less than $250 - some as low as $30.

The AirRave is Sprint only. Not sure what device the other carriers are using. If I was a Sprint customer and didn't have decent service at home, I would go the WiFi route before this.

Unless I am missing something here, if I was sprint, I would be giving people a wireless router rather than this. I'm sure there must be justifications for this over Wifi.

http://reviews.cnet.com/cell-phone-and-smart/sprint-airave/4505-6448_7-33226984.html
 
Paul, will that work for phone service? I do not have a smart phone, my issue is reception not internet. Verizon works fine for me but it is my only choice. ATT and Sprint are non existent in my home. Not even a semi bar.....
 
Bob Doyle said:
Paul, will that work for phone service? I do not have a smart phone, my issue is reception not internet. Verizon works fine for me but it is my only choice. ATT and Sprint are non existent in my home. Not even a semi bar.....
Click to expand...

Verizon Network Extender

Verizon Home Phone Connect We've been using this box for 3 years now. Plug a standard 5 handset cordless phone into the Verizon box and have phone service. We also made sure the house phone wiring was disconnected at the Network Interface Box and also plug the Verizon box into a phone jack and all standard telephones in the house work just like a regular phone, except they're connected to the Verizon Cell network.

$20/month +/- unlimited minutes, voicemail, etc. Just NO data.
 
ATT's is called a Microcell. I never thought of trying to get one for free, but ATT had a deal that if you signed up for unlimited LD you could get one for $100, so that's what we did, and canceled it after the three free months' trial. We have a total of three - one at home and two at the shop.

Wifi doesn't help with phone calls (unless you're doing Skype or similar).
 
Basically what you are doing with those is turning your internet connection into a tower for them. (to serve people in your neighborhood)

I have used them in the past with Verizon, although as far as I know they only support the older (3g) technology.

Mike
 
Mike Labbe @ GTP said:
Basically what you are doing with those is turning your internet connection into a tower for them. (to serve people in your neighborhood)

Mike
Click to expand...

Dar n, for some hairbrained reason, I was thinking these devices were stand-alone RF repeaters.
 
Larry Peterson said:
All that sound interesting but why not just use your home's WiFi?

If you can get it for free, fine, but it costs $250 to ordinary mortals and needs to be connected to your wired internet just like your WiFi is. And if you won't have WiFi, you can get a decent wireless router for far, far less than $250 - some as low as $30.

The AirRave is Sprint only. Not sure what device the other carriers are using. If I was a Sprint customer and didn't have decent service at home, I would go the WiFi route before this.

Unless I am missing something here, if I was sprint, I would be giving people a wireless router rather than this. I'm sure there must be justifications for this over Wifi.

http://reviews.cnet.com/cell-phone-and-smart/sprint-airave/4505-6448_7-33226984.html
Click to expand...

Larry, if you buy it out right you'll likely have to pay but if you call Sprint (or your carrier) and complain about not being able to use your service I believe most would find them willing to help solve the situation. We made three calls before this was brought up and when I inquired as to why it wasn't the first solution the response was that their policy only indicated it as a solution after a certain number of other solutions were tried. I think ATT calls theirs something else and so does Verizon, but they all have something. What their policy is I couldn't tell you but it doesn't cost to call and inquire.

As to using the phone over WiFi, depending upon the model of phone you have you might need an app to do this. I tried a few apps and didn't like the interface or the way that it wanted to default, etc. This is smooth and seamless and requires no additional hassles once it is setup.
 
Bob Doyle said:
Paul, will that work for phone service? I do not have a smart phone, my issue is reception not internet. Verizon works fine for me but it is my only choice. ATT and Sprint are non existent in my home. Not even a semi bar.....
Click to expand...

Bob, I don't know the answer to whether it would work outside of the world of smart phones because we have not tried. Sorry.
 
pwalters said:
As to using the phone over WiFi, depending upon the model of phone you have you might need an app to do this. I tried a few apps and didn't like the interface or the way that it wanted to default, etc. This is smooth and seamless and requires no additional hassles once it is setup.
Click to expand...

Using my smartphone over Wifi is a nobrainer. No app needed once set up. The standard Android Wifi app sets up your home (or any other) WiFi - just a signin. Once its set up it seamless. When I am home, my phone (and data) automatically uses WiFi. When out, it uses 4G. When I am in range of another WiFi that isn't set up, it lets me know that I am in range of a WiFi. If its a free WiFi like a lot of stores and restaurants have, its trivial to use that WiFi.

And of course when using WiFi, it doesn't get charged against my monthly minutes or data.

All Android smartphones that I know of have WiFi calling/data enabled with very little setup other than signing in to your home's WiFi. Don't know about iPhones.
 
Mike Labbe @ GTP said:
Basically what you are doing with those is turning your internet connection into a tower for them. (to serve people in your neighborhood)
Click to expand...

Not the ATT one. You have to specify which phone numbers can use it (maximum 10 registered numbers).
 
David N Waldmann said:
Not the ATT one. You have to specify which phone numbers can use it (maximum 10 registered numbers).
Click to expand...

On the sprint one you can whitelist as well. That's what we've done to limit it.

Larry, I'm assuming you are referring to Google Voice?
 
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