Smartphones

I'll post more later but don't expect a bigger school for the recent iphones... I mean it took so many generations for one screen size change - they arent going to change it again in the foreseeable future for good reasons. the os itself definitely needs a facelift and I'm sure apple is working on something but I'm not sure if its going to be enough of a change...personally, for me its android or bust... dont get me wrong, Win8 mobile is a great platform! but its just too small - not enough apps, not enough variety.

plus, CES is coming VERY soon. great new phones are guaranteed to be announced. btw, CES is like THE electronics show - it starts of each of my yrs with a nice bang! stay tuned for that ofcourse, it will take some time for those new phones to be released for retail...

 

Yep, the iOS Interface is really getting stale. I remember when I jumped ship to Android and how quickly I realized how much I had been missing out on. If you're on AT&T I recommend the HTC One X+. It's faster than the S3 and has better build quality in my opinion.

 

Well, it really depends on what you want to do with the phone.

Are the apps you use on iOS available on another platform (or is there an alternative)?
This isn't such an issue with Android as it is with Windows Phone, but there are cases where there is no better alternative (it is rare though). If the apps you use are a big issue, I'd say stick with iPhone or get yourself an iPod Touch to use those same apps. Otherwise, go ahead with Android or iOS.

Secondly, do you live in the relevant eco-system? You said you don't own any other Apple products, so I guess this doesn't really apply to you. However, this can be a very big issue for some. If you use Microsoft products a lot, Windows Phone 8 will probably be a good choice. I, for example, prefer using Google products, so Android is a natural choice for me.

Obviously, we cannot tell you what phone to get. You have to try all the phones you mentioned for yourself and decide what best suits your needs. Also, there are other options available. At least in the Android department, have a look at the Google Nexus 4 or HTC One X+, both are very good phones. But yes, the Galaxy S3 and Note II are excellent phones.

 

I recently sold my iPhone 4 (I've had it for 2 years) and got put on a plan with the Samsung Galaxy S3. Do yourself a favour and buy one; they are leaps & bounds ahead of any Apple related smartphone. Like one of the posters said above, the Apple OS is getting really stale. You can't customize anything (well, maybe the case & screen protector.. >_>'), for one. The android system is perfectly fine (if not better) & it's been a refreshing experience using it lately. You'll love the SGS3.

Honestly, I'd never go back to Apple.

 

You can just disable the apps, then its like they don't exist.

 

Then I think Android would be the best choice for you. All those apps, as far as I know, are available for Android.

It does. As far as I know, there is an Xbox app for WP8.

Unfortunately, that's one of the major flaws. Unless you buy the phone prepaid/unlocked and get a "No phone" deal with your carrier, but then there's Samsung's bloatware. Unfortunately, there's very little you can do. You can look into installing custom ROMs like CyanogenMod on your phone, but it's quite complicated and you can potentially brick your phone if something goes wrong.

 

Well, Android is not all that different from iPhone, apart from it being tied heavily to Google. You can sync your contacts, calender, etc. with your Google account and it'll all be there in the cloud to be accessed on your PC, tablets and phones. But otherwise, they're very similar.

The only major difference from iOS is that Android is very customizable, so, for example, if you hate Samsung's interface, you can install what is called a "launcher", which completely changes the interface to suit your needs. And this doesn't affect the rest of the phone because, like regular desktop Linux, the user interface is seen as a separate app.

Also, just be careful with what apps you install. Google Play is a very open market that doesn't have the restrictions the Apple App Store has. Thus, you'll find a lot of crappy apps and even viruses/malware. So if you want to download an app, read the reviews and ratings first.

Android is kind of like Windows: It's an OS that is run on my hardware options. Ultimately, you'll have to choose which handset feels best to you. I personally love Samsung's phones; I have a Samsung Galaxy Ace and I'm very happy with it. You can't go wrong with either of those three. If you love the large screen of the Note 2, go for that. It's a wonderful phone imo. Otherwise, go for the S3, seeing that it's very popular and will have excellent support.

 

If you're jumping ship from iPhone, go to the Galaxy S3. Unfortunately for me, I tied myself into a very, very expensive 2 year contract on a Blackberry Bold 9900. A very nice looking phone, but so fragile and irritating. My battery is dreadful. Every time I drop it it resets itself. I think that's probably because I took it into a sauna :bang: Whoopsydoodle!

 

One X+ is currently the best android device on AT&T. Even the Original One X was faster than the SIII after jelly bean. The One X+ is quad core and is what I use. It's one hell of a smartphone. Not to mention that the Display is way ahead of the Amoled display that the Samsung uses. Send me a pm if you wanna know more.

 

I would go with the note 2 it the best phone on the market phone experts say that and so do customers, several of my friends have the note 2 and says its the best phone they have ever hand screen is Amazing super fast and responsive battery life is amazing and it you can expand the memory , and the htc one x plus is Ana amazing phone as well best part is that it has 64 gb of internal memory no other phone has that much internal memory, and on a side not my story is the same as yours iv been to android and I love it and right now I'm on a windows phone and I love it all the apps you mentioned are on windows phones as well also and this to everybody if wanna save money every month and not be locked to a plan but still have a great phone I highly recommend straight talk its a pre paid network that runs on ATT towers and is only 45 a month for unlimited everything granted data isn't really unlimited more like 2-3 gb a month but people have been known to use up to 8gbs without being throttled, and the best Is you can leave att today and not have to pay early termination straight talk pays att so att sees it as them still getting your money you can even port over your number , you can also do this if your on tmobile and you can use any phone that is either from att, tmobile or unlocked , it's been the best descions iv made I save so much much ( you save 950 a year) I actually just paid in December for 3 months they have plans to pre pay for 3 months to a year a head I paid 130 in December for 3 months now I'm set till March if any one has questions about straight feel free to message me and I'll tell you all about it. Good luck!

 

I forgot to mention , and which everyone else failed to tell you about switching to android is about the music now I'm assuming you used iTunes for syncing your music to your iPhone , that was my one concern I didn't know how that would work but after i did some research I come across the answer, it's an a program called double twist you can download onto your computer and its ,almost identical to iTunes you can even import your playlists from iTunes directly in there and they have podcasts as well and you can use it to put videos and photos on your phone as well it's all very simple and easy to use , they even have a double twist app in the google play store which is nice although the regular music app will play your music as well,other then that there really isn't anything else you need to know about a
Making the switch to android.

 

I'm using the Samsung Captivate, one of the first-gen Galaxy S'. I replaced the stock firmware with a custom version of Android 4.0, which made it heaps faster, but it's still a helluvalot slower than anything out there now.

I'm personally waiting for the Oppo Find 5 to be released. Native 1080p display, quad-core processor...I'm excited. And it's only $500; loads cheaper than any other leading smartphone out there.

If that doesn't work out, I'm getting myself a Galaxy S III.

 

Sony Xperia Z seems a good mobile phone. I think it has a big screen if it is what matters to you. And it has a lot of other good characteristics.

 

I feel the same way about my iPhone. But, there is no other alternative for me.

In this case, I guess the good guy finished last. If I looked at how much has been spent on my itunes account since I got it when I was in middle school, it could probably buy 10 new iphones.

What do people like us do? I have thousands of songs. I have spent a lot of time and money figuring out my music. A lot of my music is from the itunes store. I can't just transfer it, right? And EASILY. The days of me spending hours transferring music (I had to do this in the old days. I had a PSP, so my music had to be burnt then brought back in as an MP3.)

Since I never pirated music (like most other people), and bought into itunes, I am pretty much stuck. So, if anyone out there is starting out where I did - BUY FROM SOMEPLACE THAT WILL ALLOW YOU TO MOVE AND GROW.

 

i had a blackberry curve for a year and a half then a bold for a year, never had any problems with them at all.... idk, maybe i just got lucky with the two. if you drop your phone a lot then you would probably be better getting a cheaper phone that is more resilient to wear and tear

now ive got a galaxy ace for the sole purpose of it being the cheapest on contract lol. so i can talk/text whenever i want.

but in regards to op, many of my friends have htcs... idk if they are any good like but they seem to get on with them

 

And if you are not in a hurry, the S4 and Note 3 are coming within a few months. If rumors are true (and it's very likely they are), they will both be a level above everything currently on the market.