REVscene - Vancouver Automotive Forum

kwy · 11-08-2011, 02:41 PM

What's your smartphone and what do you think of it?

There's plenty of phone reviews online, but it's more interesting to get the perspective of someone that's lived with the phone for a while. Manufacturers pump out new phones so often that it gets difficult to keep track.

I've been stuck with my archaic iPhone 3G for a while now, and its about time to upgrade. Looking to jump ship to Android.

Particularly interested in owner opinions on the SGS, SGS II, Nexus S, Optimus 3D, Evo 3D. Also pretty interested in the Galaxy Nexus, but who knows if its worth the wait. Played around with the Optimus 3D a bit, seems pretty interesting but it gets some harsh reviews from some.

Right now it looks like the Nexus S is a good option for me. They're getting pretty cheap on CL now, and the phone has gotten decent reviews. It's a little older, but still a substantial upgrade from my iPhone 3G..

!Yaminashi · 11-08-2011, 03:58 PM

You cant go wrong with a nexus s. There's TONS of support for it out there, but I wonder if it'll get phased out when the galaxy nexus hits? But IMO I think alot of people are let down by the specs.

Its true that its impossible to keep track of what's available, not to mention a SUPER expensive hobby.

One of my co-workers has the EVO 3D and the 3D thing is a HUGE gimmick. Honestly when 3D is enabled the screen looks like those holographic hockey cards McDonalds gave out with their happy meals. The LG Optimus was beat out by the Galaxy S2.

I personally love my galaxy s2. There was so much hype and anticipation for this phone and there's a reason why. It set the bar for manufacturers releasing phones after the s2

JKam · 11-08-2011, 04:20 PM

Nexus one. it fucking sucks now. Lags like no tomorrow. I thought it was going to be the phone I settled down for a couple years and then get something new later but it sucks. Lags for everything now. Pretty upset about it now.

Probably look into another phone in the new year when I have money for something so stupid.

(it was an amazing phone when it didn't lag)

Tim Budong · 11-08-2011, 04:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JKam

Nexus one. it fucking sucks now. Lags like no tomorrow. I thought it was going to be the phone I settled down for a couple years and then get something new later but it sucks. Lags for everything now. Pretty upset about it now.

Probably look into another phone in the new year when I have money for something so stupid.

(it was an amazing phone when it didn't lag)

try clearing cache/data/dalvik and reformat everything
from what i've done with a nexusone 2 weeks ago, its still pretty snappy

as for smartphone
im on Nexus S and I will upgrade to GalaxyNexus. The thing is, the NexusOne spoiled me. Its why I didnt make the jump to the much more powerful SGS2. at the time, I coulda picked up more powerful androids than my NexusS when I was upgrading from the ONE. I still chose NexusS cuz of the dev support.
I can still say there isnt as much support for SGS2 as there is for nexusS, tho I could be wrong now

Specs were one thing, but what sold me to stick with Nexus S was the ease of use. Specs were not remarkable, but the NexusS can still keep up with the pack.

threezero · 11-08-2011, 06:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JKam

Nexus one. it fucking sucks now. Lags like no tomorrow. I thought it was going to be the phone I settled down for a couple years and then get something new later but it sucks. Lags for everything now. Pretty upset about it now.

Probably look into another phone in the new year when I have money for something so stupid.

(it was an amazing phone when it didn't lag)

i think this is bound to happen for any modern smart phone. even my iphon4 that is only a yr old is really sluggish after having installed so much shit on it...

yameen · 11-08-2011, 06:51 PM

had the htc panache for a week and the battery life sucked. it also had a ton of junk bloatware that i didn't need. auto restarted itself once on standby but it did feel nice and heavy to old onto. also, the specs weren't bad either since it's my very first android phone. gotta admit that htc sense was quite nice.

exchanged for a nexus s and i love the nexus s right now. for anyone switching from an ancient slider phone (SE w580i), i would recommend nexus s because it's simple and bloatware free. you can learn to customize and build your way up to whatever you like. battery life is great so far and i'm thinking this phone will last me about 2 yrs since i'm not a phone junkie. you can tell since i've waited 3 years to switch to a smartphone.

Tim Budong · 11-08-2011, 06:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yameen

had the htc panache for a week and the battery life sucked. it also had a ton of junk bloatware that i didn't need. auto restarted itself once on standby but it did feel nice and heavy to old onto. also, the specs weren't bad either since it's my very first android phone. gotta admit that htc sense was quite nice.

exchanged for a nexus s and i love the nexus s right now. for anyone switching from an ancient slider phone (SE w580i), i would recommend nexus s because it's simple and bloatware free. you can learn to customize and build your way up to whatever you like. battery life is great so far and i'm thinking this phone will last me about 2 yrs since i'm not a phone junkie. you can tell since i've waited 3 years to switch to a smartphone.

The NexusS will spoil u for whichever android comes out
until GalaxyNexus that is

SkinnyPupp · 11-08-2011, 07:00 PM

Desire HD

I like just about everything about it, but the screen. Compared to the best (AMOLED, IPS) it just doesn't cut it.

Other than that, it's great. Fast enough for me, and enough RAM. I use the Revolution HD custom ROM which is based on Sense 3.0

Graeme S · 11-08-2011, 07:43 PM

I've got a Tmobile Galaxy S Vibrant from down in the states, not the same as the Bell Vibrant.

I really like pretty much everything about the phone except one thing: the battery life. I have no idea if it's because the battery is old and not up to spec, or if this thing is just a battery hog, but even when I turn the brightness of the screen all the way down, I'll get 12ish hours at best. I use mine a lot as a news reader; google and the globe and mail and the like. Some people (Thanks Darthchili) have recommended find a better powersaving kernel, but there's not a lot that is processor intensive, so I'll save off until and unless the new battery I've ordered (3500mAh vs the stock 1500mAh) still proves insufficient.

I now just keep a charger at work and charge it there during the day...which I admit is highly annoying, but I absolutely adore my phone.

Oh, and it was $150.

LiquidTurbo · 11-08-2011, 09:11 PM

Great, another thread where people are masturbating with their phones.. =P

jk.

iPhone 4.

No complaints at all. Does what I want a smartphone to do.

Psykopathik · 11-08-2011, 09:20 PM

Tmobile galaxy s2
After downgrading from a bell gs2, to a nexus s, i grabbed this phone for a speed boost and storage space. Im a storage whore. 32gb micro sd + 16gb internal = happy turbo. Super amoled screen is awesome. Wish the resolution was as high as the iphone 4 tho. This is pretty well the best phone available for AWS networks currently.

I still love iphones but after the 4s/ no 5 bs, i couldnt wait. Not to mention no aws support. Android still lacks the polish of ios to me but improvments are coming fast and furious. And hardware? Apple got left behind a year ago.

This phone has been stellar. Android is a steep learning curve but its soooo good when you learn. And i can watch all the gay midget pr0n via streaming Flash i want. Sorry, Steve.

vafanculo · 11-08-2011, 09:28 PM

3gs iphone - still love it
Bb 9900 free from work - good phone, but a lot of annoying things that most smartphone users don't have to put up with.

Since you got a 3g, stick to apple. One thing about apple is they make solid user experiences. Unless you are a phone geek, you won't have much to complain about.
Posted via RS Mobile

Ikkaku · 11-08-2011, 09:28 PM

iphone 4

exactly as liquidturbo stated, it is what it is and does what I need. Smooth UI, pretty good resolution, plenty of app support. I do, however, like the amoled screens these new higher up androids have.

kwy · 11-08-2011, 10:00 PM

My iPhone was a huge upgrade from the POS Blackberry Bold I had before, but its had a few recurring hardware issues. Just getting a little restless, tired of the iOS interface. Android is something different..its got a larger market share now, and I want to try it out.

Gh0stRider · 11-08-2011, 10:01 PM

Samsung Galaxy S2

best fucking thing in the world!!!

mb_ · 11-08-2011, 10:12 PM

Galaxy S Vibrant

What I like
- Gorilla glass
- Nice screen
- Very durable
- Web Browsing
- Camera

What I don't like
- Lags more often now
- Battery life is terrible
- Takes too much effort to update OS to Gingerbread, still on Eclair lol

Might pick up an iPhone in the future and call it a day. Had a Bold 9780 before.

kwy · 11-08-2011, 10:25 PM

Are there issues with the battery life of the SGS 2? Reading some mixed reviews on that. Has Samsung addressed those issues, or are people fixing it on their own?

Tim Budong · 11-08-2011, 10:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwy

Are there issues with the battery life of the SGS 2? Reading some mixed reviews on that. Has Samsung addressed those issues, or are people fixing it on their own?

androids are usually battery blood sucking monsters of a phone
The regular joe can probably pump a days worth on it

the text/social nut will get half a day

devs create kernels not only to achieve better battery, but also better performance

BBMme · 11-08-2011, 11:12 PM

Blackberry 9900
Best blackberry to date!

pros:
keyboard, touch screen, smooth, fast, push email, bbm and feel
cons:
minor software issues, and weak battery

Like I said, best blackberry to date and I can't wait until those bbx phones arrive eh

FerrariEnzo · 11-09-2011, 01:02 AM

if you dont want to mess around with your phone like Rooting it and other mods, get the OFFICIAL google phone, like the Nexus phones... they get all the updates first...

StylinRed · 11-09-2011, 02:14 AM

Nokia N8 I've got a whole thread on what i like about it so ill keep it short :P

Pros

best camera period.

multitasking/customization that im familiar with + great battery life

great hardware that i dont see on other devices ,not all-in-one that is (usb-otg, fm transmitter/receiver, hdmi, camera, etc) and apps that make use of it

great price and build quality

the amoled gorilla glass screen

voice navigation and other Nokia made apps (like "sleeping screen" and "big screen" and "play-to" etc)

Cons

sometimes it lags when apps load / sometimes it freezes

lots of menus/button clicks to get to what you want, not app launching or use mind you, when dealing with settings; for example with making a bluetooth connection to my car (i chose this because its the longest annoyance for me)

click bluetooth icon -> click devices -> click car -> click connect
-warning bluetooth is set off do you want to turn it on?- click Yes
*handshaking*
-enter password- -> click okay
*connected* -do you want to set up this device to make automatic connections?- click no (clicking yes doesnt do anything my car BT doesnt work with it)
-your device is connected- click msg away (sometimes it'll say error occurred reconnect)

this happens every time unless i leave my bluetooth turned on, in which case the process is only 1 click less

changes to that have been coming and will be coming but its still a pita until then

Razor Ramon HG · 11-09-2011, 02:30 AM

iPhone 4

Number one reason I got it was because of the abundance of apps available. The iPod integration is wonderful as well.

Even though it's a phone I could see myself using for at least another year or two, I can't say I have never been tempted to get a Nexus S or Galaxy.

insomniac · 11-09-2011, 02:36 AM

After owning multiple blackberries I will never go back. So many bugs and problems.

Had the bell Version of the sgs2 a month ago.

Major complaints was the tacky feel, crashed at times and the battery wasn't that great. What I loved about it was the software. I love how you can customize anything to anyway you want. Went back to iPhone because of the apps.

iPhone 4.
Much more stable than the sgs2. A bit slower than the sgs2. But easier to use and rarely crashes. Wish the software was more like android though
Posted via RS Mobile

shenmecar · 11-09-2011, 03:54 PM

Ive got the Galaxy S2, absolutely no complaints about it.

The phone itself is very fast. It has a light and cheap feel to it though cuz its all made of plastic. (I thought it was a dummy phone at first!)

Im completely new to Android, and it does take a while to get used to. But once you learn more about it, theres so much things u can do to your phone to customize it the way you want it. Like installing custom ROMS and mods.

I absolutely love my SGS2.

rk604 · 11-09-2011, 04:45 PM

iPhone 4S, no complaints except for battery life. Lasts me the whole day if i am conservative of the use.

The fact that there are a lot of support from social sites and application developers, it makes it easy to integrate and use the phone similar to a computer.