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Android, iOS, WP8 phone debate thread

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Is this phone comparison thread or display wars?

Yes, the iPhone 5 has a good display.

When you're friends are asking you to play the latest game or showing you how to extend the functionally of their phone with a cool app you'll be able to show off your screen.

Game changer

Well, displays are part of the phone. Not sure what you are getting at.
 
Well, displays are part of the phone. Not sure what you are getting at.

Yeah - some people debate the overall merits of a phone, some get into the nitty gritty and do feature to feature comparisons - talking about the iPhone's amazing display definitely falls in line with a 'which phone is the bestest' debate, I think.
 
Is this phone comparison thread or display wars?

Yes, the iPhone 5 has a good display.

When you're friends are asking you to play the latest game or showing you how to extend the functionally of their phone with a cool app you'll be able to show off your screen.

Game changer

what exactly are you even trying to say here?
 
The last time someone compared the 920's camera to a DSLR, we had 4 people in a row who asked that user about the phone specific features of his DSLR. He never came back.

And while it was funny at that moment, I don't want that the same thing happens to you.
Thank you. I don't see it, though.

I'll use specific devices for specific things until I don't need to anymore. I've use a dedicated device to play my MP3s up until the point where that was convinient on my cell phone. I used a PC for all my internet browsing until that was good enough on my cell phone. I used a dedicated GPS until that became great on smartphones. I used skype on the PC until that was good on a smartphone. I'll replace my camera with a cell phone when I can see the advantage of having that. Yeah, I'd like to carry around less stuff in my bag but I've gotten used to it.

I never said "LOLOLOL, my dslr could do that years ago", that the camera's bad or will not be the right choice for everyone else, I'm saying that I'm not 100% satisfied with the results and that I will not give up carrying a camera around for that. We'll get there, though.

Though what's the state of Instagram on WP? Is it coming anytime soon? Would be great if Microsoft/Nokia could get a version of that ready for the 920 launch. Maybe they could integrate it into the OS like facebook/twitter. That'd be nice as it's pretty much the most used photo application for people on their smartphones. :)

what exactly are you even trying to say here?
I think the guy he's quoting said a similar thing when talking about the camera of the 920. Not 100% sure.

edit: I think we'll have to get more information about the camera and the details before any further discussion could make sense. Everything's been said at least five times so I'll better get out of this as long as I can. :D
 
Well, displays are part of the phone. Not sure what you are getting at.

what exactly are you even trying to say here?

what?

it's not like you have to choose between "amazing display" and "cool apps" when it comes to the iPhone.

I was aping his earlier post dismissing the 920's hardware.

Is this phone comparison thread or camera wars?

Yes, the 920 can take a good picture.

When you're friends are asking you to play the latest game or showing you how to extend the functionally of their phone with a cool app you'll be able to take a nice picture in the dark.

Game changer

I don't see how anyone can criticize the usefulness of a camera and then laud a display...but clearly, my attempt at humor was ill-thought. Carry on.
 
Though what's the state of Instagram on WP? Is it coming anytime soon? Would be great if Microsoft/Nokia could get a version of that ready for the 920 launch. Maybe they could integrate it into the OS like facebook/twitter. That'd be nice as it's pretty much the most used photo application for people on their smartphones. :)

WP8 has something even better... "lenses". You should have a look if you're interested.
 
WP8 has something even better... "lenses". You should have a look if you're interested.

Potentially better from a functionality point of view, but there will be nothing there at launch, and really it's the social aspect of instragram is what makes it irreplaceable to people, that won't be on WP until they support the platform.

I think I remember reading that there was an instagram logo in one of the WP8 stage demos though so MS might be throwing money at them to get it done.
 
WP8 has something even better... "lenses". You should have a look if you're interested.

that's not how social networking works.

the primary value of social networking software is a derived as a function of the number of people using and contributing to it. it doesn't matter if "lenses" has more features or cooler picture filters if it has 1/100,000th the user base as it's lower-tech competitor. if whatever "WP8 has" isn't also going to be on Android and/or iOS, it's irrelevant. It's not the next Instagram; it's the next Google Wave.
 
I don't do social networking, I'm talking purely technical (and yes, apparently WP8 is getting instagram).

From an actual "taking pictures" perspective I find it far more interesting that we'll just be able to select various lenses to use rather than having to take photos from apps or use the apps to modify the photos later.
 
Whoever mentioned the possibility of playing Skulls of the Shogun games across the phone, tablet and Xbox made me so excited for next month. GET HERE NOW!
 
Whoever mentioned the possibility of playing Skulls of the Shogun games across the phone, tablet and Xbox made me so excited for next month. GET HERE NOW!
this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxayTDglLqE

meh. are there any better examples of this sort of cross-platform gaming other than this rather weak looking, oversimplified RTS? I mean it seems fine if you already own those devices, but otherwise...I need to see more.
 
I think I remember reading that there was an instagram logo in one of the WP8 stage demos though so MS might be throwing money at them to get it done.

yes. it's called a business agreement. Again people, never underestimate MS in the long run... haha
 
yes. it's called a business agreement. Again people, never underestimate MS in the long run... haha

the question is how long is the run, and which products will be viable when it reaches that point.

All the people with existing WP phones that can't upgrade to WP8 probably made that same bet assuming they'd be able to continue upgrading and got burned.
 
the question is how long is the run, and which products will be viable when it reaches that point.

All the people with existing WP phones that can't upgrade to WP8 probably made that same bet assuming they'd be able to continue upgrading and got burned.

WP7 was the step into the arena that they had to take to get into the (post iPhone) marketplace and for what it is, it is/was an amazing first step.

with a life cycle of 18mos-3 years for upgrades, (less than gaming systems) I don't see this as a set back. it is an evolution.

the smart phone/tablet/app industry is in its infancy and might possibly be the most fluid/fastest moving industry in the history of industrialized man. So the ones that are the most adaptable and all encompassing (and eventually least fragmented) will stay standing.
 
Not really directly related to the phones, per se, but I was messing around with my old iPod Touch 2nd gen which I use as a noise machine at night and was surprised by just how smooth it still is. I'm still running iOS3 on there and most functions move at a smooth 60 fps. It's obviously a less full featured OS in that form, but browsing the web, moving through apps, and just about anything else scoots along at a very quick refresh. It holds up remarkably well.

Interesting to see the display put up such good results. Unfortunately, it's still an LCD and still suffers from the inherent flaws in the technology. It's definitely one of the nicest looking LCDs I've seen, however, and thankfully doesn't resort to the awful Pentile matrix grid for pixel density.
 
the question is how long is the run, and which products will be viable when it reaches that point.

All the people with existing WP phones that can't upgrade to WP8 probably made that same bet assuming they'd be able to continue upgrading and got burned.

I'm actually thinking about sticking with wp7. I've had my focus since launch. Does everything I need it to. If anything I'll just get a lumia 900. Those things are built like tanks. It really boils down to the cost of the new phones. I don't really need the latest and greatest phone out. Facebook, texts, calling people and surfing the web, that's all do. I think that's what most people do.
 
Urgent question: I am able to buy an iPhone 4 from a friend for $40. However, I don't want to actually use it as a cell phone (its at&t and I'm on Verizon, plus I have an s3 already). I would like to basically use it as an iPod touch. Is this possible?
 
Urgent question: I am able to buy an iPhone 4 from a friend for $40. However, I don't want to actually use it as a cell phone (its at&t and I'm on Verizon, plus I have an s3 already). I would like to basically use it as an iPod touch. Is this possible?

Sure, and at 40 clams that's a steal. You could flip it and make money.

EDIT: Make sure it's functioning and that you're not buying a bricked unit though. Otherwise, smooth sailing. You can sync music, download apps, and treat it like an iPod if you desire.
 
Sure, and at 40 clams that's a steal. You could flip it and make money.

Thanks man. And yeah its a great deal. I don't have an iOS device anymore so it would be nice to have for iOS exclusive apps. Anything special I need to do? I think he mentioned it hasn't been used before but I could be wrong.

I'm going to his house after work to check it out.
 
Urgent question: I am able to buy an iPhone 4 from a friend for $40. However, I don't want to actually use it as a cell phone (its at&t and I'm on Verizon, plus I have an s3 already). I would like to basically use it as an iPod touch. Is this possible?
Absolutely. That's a steal.

You could definitely use it as an iPod as well. You could even jailbreak it for some more fun.
 
My Experience so far with all 3 is that Windows Phone is the fastest and easiest to navigate and learn. People say it lacks the apps but the community is really swell, there's 3rd party apps that do a lot of things you'd want from a smart phone. Some of them are even better apps than 1st party offerings.

I don't know what to think about Windows Phone's app situation, on one hand official support is a little dry. On the other hand it has some of the best community-driven developed apps you'll see on a phone.

necessity is the mother of invention
 
Urgent question: I am able to buy an iPhone 4 from a friend for $40. However, I don't want to actually use it as a cell phone (its at&t and I'm on Verizon, plus I have an s3 already). I would like to basically use it as an iPod touch. Is this possible?


Install talkatone, have the best of both worlds*



*so long as you have a WiFi hotspot near by
 
I was aping his earlier post dismissing the 920's hardware.



I don't see how anyone can criticize the usefulness of a camera and then laud a display...but clearly, my attempt at humor was ill-thought. Carry on.

Haha well played. You use a screen 100% of the time, a camera how much though? I was just trying to say having an amazing camera in a phone is great but to me is just a small bullet point overall compared to everything else in a phone especially it's ecosystem.

I was just frustrated reading pages about the damn things. Neither is going to replace a real camera and as far as phone cameras go I think we are at a point where most are good enough for their intended use.

Sure it's great that Nokia is trying to move it forward but IP5 vs 920 is like comparing a Nikon to a Canon. Neither are rubbish.
 
Not when the comprises aren't worth it. Personally rather have something that is thinner and lighter (again like the screen, things you feel 100% of the time) than something that can take a certain degree of photos better.

Why though? I already can't tell if my phone is even in my pocket or not without putting my hand in, and it's not like I struggle to hold it up to the side of my face.
 
Haha well played. You use a screen 100% of the time, a camera how much though? I was just trying to say having an amazing camera in a phone is great but to me is just a small bullet point overall compared to everything else in a phone especially it's ecosystem.

Wouldn't you say the same thing about apps versus screen use?
 
Because when it comes down to it the whole device is the screen. All of these devices are interactive screens with bulk attached to make them function because technology hasn't caught up yet.

And following this line of thinking content is king. If you don't have the content on your screen what do you have. Just the boring things it ships with.

I would be happy if you could get a phone with the current specs a couple of mm thick and weighed around 50g.

This phablet trend is ridiculous. People that want 7" devices running exe files aren't phones.
 
Because when it comes down to it the whole device is the screen. All of these devices are interactive screens with bulk attached to make them function because technology hasn't caught up yet.

And following this line of thinking content is king. If you don't have the content on your screen what do you have. Just the boring things it ships with.

I would be happy if you could get a phone with the current specs a couple of mm thick and weighed around 50g.

This phablet trend is ridiculous. People that want 7" devices running exe files aren't phones.

Why can't pictures be content too?
apps are cool, taking nice shots at the right moment, pretty cool too. Relativity.
 
Because when it comes down to it the whole device is the screen. All of these devices are interactive screens with bulk attached to make them function because technology hasn't caught up yet.
Still doesn't really have any point though. Sure, I get it from a ideology perspective, but in real terms we're already very close to the point where there's really very little advantage in getting any thinner or lighter (in fact, I'd argue go much thinner and the phones will end up being uncomfortable to use, get much lighter and they'll feel flimsy and unsubstantial in your hand).
 
Because when it comes down to it the whole device is the screen. All of these devices are interactive screens with bulk attached to make them function because technology hasn't caught up yet.

And following this line of thinking content is king. If you don't have the content on your screen what do you have. Just the boring things it ships with.

I would be happy if you could get a phone with the current specs a couple of mm thick and weighed around 50g.

This phablet trend is ridiculous. People that want 7" devices running exe files aren't phones.

50g is a little too light to me. For actual functional use, you need some thickness and weight to the device in order to 'type' well or do everyday functions.
 
So I got that iPhone 4. It was in perfect condition. Can't believe I got it for only $40 haha. Haven't used iOS in a while and, man, not a huge fan of it after having the S3 for a couple of months, but still a great device in a lot of ways.

Check out my collection now
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iyUScwpspYh6O.jpg
 
Nokia never claimed that they invented a much better sensor, they only claimed that they invented a new image stabilization technology. Why so much focus into dissecting the quality of the sensor that should eventually prove it to be simply another derivative of the sensors available in the market is kind of curious.
Actually, they say they are using a next generation BSI sensor, which overcomes a few gripes the technology had before, and that the sensor is bigger than on competing phones, enabling full widescreen images.

I'm not talking about hand movement, I'm talking about bigger movement of the objects you're taking a picture of.

Engadget could and should have noticed that holding the camera perfectly still doesn't do anything for the devices if the shutter speed remains unchanged. Since the only camera that changed the shutter speed is the Nokia one, it's the only phone that can benefit from setting it up that way. Not saying that the Nokia wouldn't have taken good pictures without that, but I'm saying that it suggests that movement might have been a problem so, which is not the case. Only for Nokia's camera could hand movement have been a problem at all. Again: I'm not saying that it would have taken crappy pictures but the tripod/holding the phone still can only benefit Nokia and does nothing for the other phones.

The line is suggesting that holding it perfectly still is something all phones benefit from, and that's not true.

From what we know, the Lumia 920 will excel at taking pictures of non-moving objects but if it doesn't jack up the ISO and only works with longer exposure, then images of moving things will be blurry.

Not sure if it is automatically detected during movement, but nokia claims their LED flash can give a light burst, to "freeze" moving objects in the image.

AFAIK they are only showing pictures with no flash at all, but what if nokia claims is true, when taking pictures of moving objects in low light the 920 should perform better than other phones too...
 
I had to do a write up for a tech article, so I'm just gonna post that here. Its basically how I feel about android at the moment.

It was in reply to thiis:
http://www.wired.com/business/2012/09/reviews-column-saving-android/


I understand that there needs to be a choice in the marketplace and that Apple’s way of doing things shouldn’t be the rule for everyone to follow. However, Google has made it so any OEM could manipulate what they created. These manipulations usually end up slowing down the phone and not providing the great features that Google puts out. I was in the exact position as the author. After my iPhone 3GS broke, I tried out the competition. I bought a Windows Phone and then I tried out an Android phone. I went out of my way to try and find the purest Android experience on my carrier (A T-Mobile G2X). Even though it was running “stock”, it was still loaded with carrier bloat ware that I didn’t want and couldn’t remove without “rooting”. I also wasn’t able to be up to date in the operating system because of carrier restrictions. Eventually I ended up going back to the iPhone. Even though the OS might be a little stale, I know that my experience will be up to date and be in line with everyone else’s. I also knew that I would only have apps that Apple created and have an app store where I could buy whatever else I needed.

This isn’t all Google’s fault. I know that they have their own Nexus line. The thing is, carriers are usually one of the obstacles that they have to face in order to get their product into customer’s hands. For example, the Galaxy Nexus came out around the same time as Motorolla’s Droid Razr. Since Verizon had spent a significant amount of money getting the “Droid” name out to the public, they decided to put the Galaxy Nexus on the backburner and promote the Razr. The Razr also features apps built by Verizon.

It seems like a bad thing to say but having too much freedom is a burden on the customers. I believe Google should have a stricter process with their OS (Like Microsoft and Windows Phone 7). Unfortunately, it seems like politics has a play in how we as consumer’s receive information about products. I’ll suggest two things: I urge you to do your research before buying your next smartphone. Find out how compatible it is with future updates since you’re likely stuck with it until your next contract. I’ll also suggest for Google to push their Nexus line of phones a lot more aggressively. If the carriers won’t cooperate, send your message out to consumers. Let them know that these Nexus phones are what Google intended.

This has become an increasing problem for OEMs. Both Google and Microsoft have started dipping their toes into the hardware game. This may be from Apple’s influence but honestly I’m tired of having half-baked experiences from hardware companies that have no business making software.

Hopefully this shockwave into the marketplace will make OEMs do a better job with their phones.
 
I had to do a write up for a tech article, so I'm just gonna post that here. Its basically how I feel about android at the moment.

It was in reply to thiis:
http://www.wired.com/business/2012/09/reviews-column-saving-android/


I understand that there needs to be a choice in the marketplace and that Apple’s way of doing things shouldn’t be the rule for everyone to follow. However, Google has made it so any OEM could manipulate what they created. These manipulations usually end up slowing down the phone and not providing the great features that Google puts out. I was in the exact position as the author. After my iPhone 3GS broke, I tried out the competition. I bought a Windows Phone and then I tried out an Android phone. I went out of my way to try and find the purest Android experience on my carrier (A T-Mobile G2X). Even though it was running “stock”, it was still loaded with carrier bloat ware that I didn’t want and couldn’t remove without “rooting”. I also wasn’t able to be up to date in the operating system because of carrier restrictions. Eventually I ended up going back to the iPhone. Even though the OS might be a little stale, I know that my experience will be up to date and be in line with everyone else’s. I also knew that I would only have apps that Apple created and have an app store where I could buy whatever else I needed.

This isn’t all Google’s fault. I know that they have their own Nexus line. The thing is, carriers are usually one of the obstacles that they have to face in order to get their product into customer’s hands. For example, the Galaxy Nexus came out around the same time as Motorolla’s Droid Razr. Since Verizon had spent a significant amount of money getting the “Droid” name out to the public, they decided to put the Galaxy Nexus on the backburner and promote the Razr. The Razr also features apps built by Verizon.

It seems like a bad thing to say but having too much freedom is a burden on the customers. I believe Google should have a stricter process with their OS (Like Microsoft and Windows Phone 7). Unfortunately, it seems like politics has a play in how we as consumer’s receive information about products. I’ll suggest two things: I urge you to do your research before buying your next smartphone. Find out how compatible it is with future updates since you’re likely stuck with it until your next contract. I’ll also suggest for Google to push their Nexus line of phones a lot more aggressively. If the carriers won’t cooperate, send your message out to consumers. Let them know that these Nexus phones are what Google intended.

This has become an increasing problem for OEMs. Both Google and Microsoft have started dipping their toes into the hardware game. This may be from Apple’s influence but honestly I’m tired of having half-baked experiences from hardware companies that have no business making software.

Hopefully this shockwave into the marketplace will make OEMs do a better job with their phones.

I went out of my way to try and find the purest Android experience on my carrier (A T-Mobile G2X)
... Er, what year was this?
 
http://www.bgr.com/2012/09/28/apple-maps-apology-tim-cook/

To our customers,

At Apple, we strive to make world-class products that deliver the best experience possible to our customers. With the launch of our new Maps last week, we fell short on this commitment. We are extremely sorry for the frustration this has caused our customers and we are doing everything we can to make Maps better.

We launched Maps initially with the first version of iOS. As time progressed, we wanted to provide our customers with even better Maps including features such as turn-by-turn directions, voice integration, Flyover and vector-based maps. In order to do this, we had to create a new version of Maps from the ground up.

There are already more than 100 million iOS devices using the new Apple Maps, with more and more joining us every day. In just over a week, iOS users with the new Maps have already searched for nearly half a billion locations. The more our customers use our Maps the better it will get and we greatly appreciate all of the feedback we have received from you.

While we’re improving Maps, you can try alternatives by downloading map apps from the App Store like Bing, MapQuest and Waze, or use Google or Nokia maps by going to their websites and creating an icon on your home screen to their web app.

Everything we do at Apple is aimed at making our products the best in the world. We know that you expect that from us, and we will keep working non-stop until Maps lives up to the same incredibly high standard.

Tim Cook
Apple’s CEO
 
We don't know yet. I'd hope the Lumia bumps up the ISO a bit as well but we just don't know. That's why it'd be great if reviewers actually showed something we don't already know. ;)

Not talking about fast moving targets. I take pictures at clubs and bars on the weekends and using an exposure of 1/3rd of a sec would result in just bad pictures. And these people know I'm taking pictures, they hold still and don't jump around like fools. Longer exposure sometimes makes for a good look but not always and it's not the best setting for things that might move, even if it's not much.

But okay, we can continue to evaluate a phone camera's quality by mounting it to a tripod and choosing auto-mode. Because who the heck would not do that?

Well, this is taken with movement, unfortunately it doesn't have the exif data available, but the result seem great.


Shot with the Nokia 920 prototype por Alex Efimoff, en Flickr
 
http://www.anandtech.com/show/6334/iphone-5-screen-performance

""Wrapping up, the iPhone 5 display is a whole quantum leap better than the display on the iPhone 4. Contrast levels and light output have both been increased, and color performance is astonishing. The full sRGB gamut is present here, and color errors are remarkably low for a even a high end desktop display. While many were hoping for a move to OLED or some other screen innovation, this really is a huge step up that is very easy to quantify. To put this in perspective, in the past few years I've reviewed probably 30-40 different displays, from PC monitors, to TVs to projectors. Not a single one, out of the box, can put up the Gretag Macbeth dE numbers that the iPhone can, and perhaps one projector (which listed for $20,000) can approach the grayscale and color accuracy out of the box.

Apple obviously has very high control over what parts they use and what comes off their assembly lines. I don't know if they are having the displays individually adjusted after they are assembled, or if the quality control is very strict, or if I just got a really remarkably lucky sample. I do know that if TV and PC Monitor vendors were able to provide displays that looked like this out of the box, professional calibrators would lose a good amount of business potentially. The new panel in the iPhone 5 is simply remarkable in quality and if it were a PC monitor, I'd give it a Gold Award on the basis of it's performance..""
The iPhone 5 screen is truly awesome, but apparently the Lumia 920's is better going by the number. I would like to see a showoff in the future.
http://blog.gsmarena.com/apple-ipho...a-920-has-its-most-advanced-title-taken-away/
 
Yeah movement is a problem with long exposure shots, movement will be blurry in night shots when using the lumia 920... Just like it would be if I set my dslr for long exposure.
What's the problem here? You want the camera to take bright, sharp pics of moving subjects at night without a flash?

Good luck with that :)
 
Yeah movement is a problem with long exposure shots, movement will be blurry in night shots when using the lumia 920... Just like it would be if I set my dslr for long exposure.
What's the problem here? You want the camera to take bright, sharp pics of moving subjects at night without a flash?

Good luck with that :)

Jesus. No, no one is asking for magic. That picture just isn't what anyone was talking about.
 
At first, I thought the Lumia 920 was a pretty thick phone. PhoneArena did a comparison between the iPhone 5 and the Lumia 900

iphone5vslumia900dikte.png


The difference between the Lumia 900 and iPhone is barely noticable, while it´s huge on paper. The Lumia 920 is thinner than the 900. I think I´ll stop taking number so serious.
 
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