Advice on what smartphone to get

[JudgeDredd]

So it's time for me to get a new phone. I really want to get a smartphone but I really don't know which one to get. I have 3 I'm looking at atm. The iPhone 4s 16gb, the droid incredible 2, or the thunderbolt by htc. I'm kinda leaning towards the thunderbolt. I think I'd rather have a phone with the android os but I also like the apple os even tho I'm not a huge apple fan. So I don't know what to do. Any advice would be helpful. I'm also open to other phone suggestions. My carrier is Verizon btw.

[Hot Pink]

I'm in the same boat. I'm about to get a new phone, but I'm torn between a few phones. I'm tempted by the iPhone 4S myself.

[Dasc Crescent]

Personally i say "none of the above"
okay the apple has cool toys, and so on, my dad has one and I don't like it, HTC's, well my friend has one, battery life is measured in milliseconds and it is near impossible to work with, I don't know the droid so I dunno about that,
what I have is a Nokia C6, epic phone, has its own personality and I wouldn't change it to any other phone, look it has little problems, but nothing that makes the phone any less usable and they sort themselves out quickly, also Nokias are naturally indestructable, the phone I had before this, a Nokia xpressmusic, proved this point, i dropped it from the third story of our school building onto brick, the battery and Sim card fell out, after i put em back in it worked fine, not a scratch on it.
plus it comes with facebook , myspace, twitter and so on already on it,

that's my opinion, But each person has their own personality and the phone needs to fit your personality. like a wand in harry potter, I could never use a Samsung like how my Indian friend could never own an LG, its just not who we are

[JudgeDredd]

Originally Posted by Dasc Crescent

that's my opinion, But each person has their own personality and the phone needs to fit your personality. like a wand in harry potter, I could never use a Samsung like how my Indian friend could never own an LG, its just not who we are

That actually makes a lot of sense. The practical, nerdy part of me is telling me I should get something with the Android OS, b/c it could probably do more things than the iphone. The visual/designer/artsy part of me is like the iphone is pretty i should get this (damn apple making their products so pretty and shiny).

I'm trying to compare them from just their performance, and from what I can tell so far the iphone 4s is looking pretty good believe it or not.

[Dasc Crescent]

get what speaks to you, if you have friends whith these phones play around with theirs, see which one you like best and what parts of it you like, in my case i got the C6 largly due to its slide out keyboard, so it has a touch screen, AND a physical keyboard, plus it has the operating system i am used to, i am rough so i need a strong phone, and it has a unique personality which does make things slightly harder, but i like things to be a little interesting. you must see what personality you have when it comes to these objects,
or if you don't feel like the effort do what every one else does, get what your friends have

[Alex15]

I think smartphones suck time and life from your day. That being said I have an iPhone 4. Is it cool? Yes. Convenient? Yes. A complete waste to have all that on a phone? Yes. I'd say unless someone else is paying the bill save your $30+ a month for data alone for something else.

[qboy]

I have the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 (Android) handset for myself, and regularly have to use a HTC Desire S (Android) and Iphone 4 at work.

For a internet and App smart device which "Just Works" the Iphone wins hands down.

However I find it way too limiting as I like to tinker a bit more - for this reason I love Android, although I will freely admit it's less polished.

All the major applications work well on both devices, some better on Android, some on the Iphone.

However, If you are a heavy Google user and already have all your contacts in Google Mail and also use Gmail and Google Calendar the integration between them and Android is awesome - walk out the T-Mobile shop put my Google Username and Password in and about five minutes later I had a full phone book, my calendar on my phone and all my emails. With a couple of additional Google Apps you also get your documents and any custom maps too.

As for phone calls - the Android handsets hold onto both the GSM and 3G networks better than the Iphone - the Iphone 4 can be showing no bars, yet the Androids still have a usable signal.

However all of them suck as phones, battery life is a bit rubbish if you use them as smart devices - if battery life is important to you then Blackberry is really the only option.

Oh, and if you have an Iphone you will constantly be getting confused when people ring you as they are as common place as the Nokia 3210 was about a decade ago - everyone has them and therefore your ringtone will constantly be going off!

[Hot Pink]

How come you use so many phones, gboy?

[qboy]

Originally Posted by Hot Pink

How come you use so many phones, gboy?

We developed Web and real applications for them and I need to test those and also support our staff who are using them.

[JudgeDredd]

Originally Posted by qboy

However, If you are a heavy Google user and already have all your contacts in Google Mail and also use Gmail and Google Calendar the integration between them and Android is awesome - walk out the T-Mobile shop put my Google Username and Password in and about five minutes later I had a full phone book, my calendar on my phone and all my emails. With a couple of additional Google Apps you also get your documents and any custom maps too.

As for phone calls - the Android handsets hold onto both the GSM and 3G networks better than the Iphone - the Iphone 4 can be showing no bars, yet the Androids still have a usable signal.

I kinda forgot that android was amazing for google apps and such. I use google all the time for a lot of things. So I'm kinda thinking that an android phone is probably the best choice at this point.

Originally Posted by Alex15

I think smartphones suck time and life from your day. That being said I have an iPhone 4. Is it cool? Yes. Convenient? Yes. A complete waste to have all that on a phone? Yes. I'd say unless someone else is paying the bill save your $30+ a month for data alone for something else.

Yeah that's one of the reasons why I'm kinda hesitant to get a smart phone. I really don't want to pay the extra $30 a month. My parents have said that they don't wanna pay it so I would have to. I'm trying to decide if its really worth the extra money.

[Hot Pink]

Another thing to keep in mind is that you can install unofficial apps on Android devices without unlocking them--which means they're still under warranty. You can't do that with any of the Apple mobile devices.

[JudgeDredd]

Originally Posted by Hot Pink

Another thing to keep in mind is that you can install unofficial apps on Android devices without unlocking them--which means they're still under warranty. You can't do that with any of the Apple mobile devices.

Yeah that's a good point. I always forget how anal apple is about shit like that. They pretty much tell you what you can and can not use with their products. Which is really quite annoying. Ironically I'm probably going to buying a Mac book in the near future because I'm changing my major to interior design..but that's another story for another day...

[Hot Pink]

Why do you need a MacBook if you're majoring in interior design?

[JudgeDredd]

Originally Posted by Hot Pink

Why do you need a MacBook if you're majoring in interior design?

Well I've heard that Macs were better for design then PC. But I guess I could make a PC work for awhile.

[steel03]

I have a Droid 2 Global and I love the pants off it. Android OS is just fantastic. I'm not quite as big a fan of the HTC models as the Motorolas, but I would take either over the iPhone in a second.

[Ridiculous]

Originally Posted by JudgeDredd

Well I've heard that Macs were better for design then PC. But I guess I could make a PC work for awhile.

That is a throwback to over 10 years ago, when the graphics processors used in Macintosh computers were designed with graphical design in mind (meaning they were faster at some operations required compared to other GPU models).

This is no longer the case, Apple just buys their hardware from the same place as every other computer manufacturer now.

Plus macs have no right mouse button and I seriously don't know how any graphical program can be at all user friendly without it.

[JudgeDredd]

Originally Posted by steel03

I have a Droid 2 Global and I love the pants off it. Android OS is just fantastic. I'm not quite as big a fan of the HTC models as the Motorolas, but I would take either over the iPhone in a second.

Yeah I've pretty much decided that android is better, you can do more with it. Now its just deciding what phone to get. Yeah I've kinda heard that the HTC models weren't as good but I really haven't heard specifically why. I'm actually kinda leaning towards the HTC Thunderbolt.

Originally Posted by Ridiculous

That is a throwback to over 10 years ago, when the graphics processors used in Macintosh computers were designed with graphical design in mind (meaning they were faster at some operations required compared to other GPU models).

This is no longer the case, Apple just buys their hardware from the same place as every other computer manufacturer now.

Plus macs have no right mouse button and I seriously don't know how any graphical program can be at all user friendly without it.

Well yeah I know that you can build a PC that does that same as the Mac for half the price. I heard that the main reason Mac was better for design was that the programs are better.

Oh I know that mouse with no right mouse button drives me insane.

[redstormrising]

Originally Posted by qboy

Oh, and if you have an Iphone you will constantly be getting confused when people ring you as they are as common place as the Nokia 3210 was about a decade ago - everyone has them and therefore your ringtone will constantly be going off!

which is why i have a custom ringtone on my iPhone i have never had this problem

[Hot Pink]

Originally Posted by JudgeDredd

Yeah I've pretty much decided that android is better, you can do more with it. Now its just deciding what phone to get. Yeah I've kinda heard that the HTC models weren't as good but I really haven't heard specifically why. I'm actually kinda leaning towards the HTC Thunderbolt.

Well yeah I know that you can build a PC that does that same as the Mac for half the price. I heard that the main reason Mac was better for design was that the programs are better.

Oh I know that mouse with no right mouse button drives me insane.

To be fair, Macs do have right-clicks now, but their mice are pretty crappy. They have two buttons, but since it's weight sensitive, the mouse often clicks incorrectly. Sometimes when you left-click, it thinks your right-click and vice versa. Even among those who love Macs, the mice are their most common complaint about using them.

Also, Macs have the same programs that Windows does. In fact, since Windows is more common, it has more support. Apple doesn't make the applications, third parties do. And they're going to give more service to the version that makes the most money. It's just business. As previously stated, these are rather archaic beliefs that have no relevance in today's market. They were true ten years ago, but not anymore.

Trust me when I tell you that horse power does matter in design. You want the version that gets it done faster and that without a doubt is not Mac anymore. Apple relies on marketing and consumer loyalty these days and not high-end hardware like they used to.