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jmbnm
24 Posts
On December 20 2011 01:32 Jibba wrote: "Feels cheap" is based on a social perception that could change. Glass and metal simply feel more solid, heavy, and of higher quality - even if they're more prone to shattering. It's not a social construct at all. A phone using a new plastic material resistant to physical damage will feel cheap in comparison, and that won't change. | ||
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nam nam
Sweden4672 Posts
As a matter of fact we often see how perception change about materials, going from nothing more than trash in people's eyes to being treasured. Not surprisingly it's often related to price... | ||
Womwomwom
5930 Posts
A solid plastic computer case can often feel more "expensive" than a rattly metal one The only time this has been true is with the Antec Performance One (and the Graphite I guess) series. And the Antec Performance One uses like 3mm worth of polycarbonate and aluminum to get its rigidity. The polished aluminum outside was a great idea since it gave their premium flagship chassis an expensive appearance. Full 0.8mm thick steel cases have always been more solid than plastic heavy cases...when I worked in a computer store, this was close to being universally true; the only time this hasn't been true is when you compare extremely cheap cases under $50. Even 0.6mm steel chassis these days can look and feel pretty solid if it isn't extremely large. In computer chassis, anything that requires structure (that is the frame itself) will always utilize steel/aluminum and any useless decorative parts will be plastic and snapfitted onto the metal frame; if a manufacuter wants to improve the aesthetics of their chassis, they will use brushed aluminum faceplates (Silverstone/Lian Li/Antec/Fractal Design especially) because it looks and feels better than plastic could ever hope to be. Metal has always felt, and looked, more secure than plastic. Hewlett Packard has gone for all metal designs and its a billion times than their old plastic notebooks; their Elitebooks in particular feel more solid and look like they're worth the price tag. Even Thickpads, which are known for their rugged plastics, make it obvious to the consumer that they're using metal hinges instead of plastic ones. You hold an iPhone 4 and it feels like a premium phone because it uses premium materials. The weight distribution is perfect as well since the whole phone feels evenly weighted instead of being bottom heavy, like the Galaxy Nexus. Edit: That is not to say plastic cannot feel/look better than metal. However the only three places where I've seen this is in those new Nokia phones, a Thinkpad, and a Toughbook. And with the Thinkpad and Toughbook, they've practically metal notebooks with a plastic cover to protect against dirt and abrasive material. | ||
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Taekwon
United States8155 Posts
no question | ||
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CaptTerrible
United States72 Posts
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Highways
Australia6120 Posts
http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/24/galaxy-nexus-hspa-review/ The Galaxy Nexus is definitely the best Android phone available today -- it's possibly even the best phone available today, period. http://www.theverge.com/2011/11/17/2568348/galaxy-nexus-review The Galaxy Nexus is the best Android phone ever made. It's one of the best smartphones ever made. | ||
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devPLEASE
Kenya605 Posts
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SRBNikola
Serbia191 Posts
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Jibba
United States22883 Posts
On December 20 2011 15:00 jmbnm wrote: Glass and metal simply feel more solid, heavy, and of higher quality - even if they're more prone to shattering. It's not a social construct at all. A phone using a new plastic material resistant to physical damage will feel cheap in comparison, and that won't change. How is it not a social construct? Do you know what a social construct is? You haven't listed any inherent properties of glass or metal that make it more suitable for phone usage. Heavy is a bad characteristic for phones and "higher quality" doesn't mean anything. Solid can mean a lot of different things, but I assure you solid steel car bodies don't feel higher quality than carbon fiber or aluminum car bodies, to most people in the current times. | ||
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clownzim
Brazil267 Posts
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Womwomwom
5930 Posts
The funny thing is the iPhone 4/4s is only 5 grams more than the Galaxy Nexus or iPhone 3GS, which is about as much as much as a single Logitech mouse weight. Its not really heavier but perhaps the more even weight distribution gives the illusion of density and the glass back removes any flex from the machine. The sacrifice Apple took was fragility should you drop the phone but they've always taken the opinion that you shouldn't be mistreating these devices in the first place. I definitely don't agree with this design decision but I know why they did what they did that. Form vs function is a stupid dichotomy, all good designs take form and function into account and treat them as equals. When IBM first designed the Thinkpad, they didn't prioritize function over form. They hired Richard Sapper who then decided to model this iconic laptop after something as mundane as traditional Japanese bento boxes and the surprise of opening one; that's why we've got the iconic red trackpoint that is still hailed as the best mobile pointing device ever created. I assure you solid steel car bodies don't feel higher quality than carbon fiber or aluminum car bodies, to most people in the current times. I agree completely. Often its a case of sour grapes. Poor people generally can't afford aluminium or carbon fiber car designs so they convince themselves of the quality of steel car chassis. | ||
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Jibba
United States22883 Posts
But again, I have no idea of the physical properties of any of the phones (perhaps with the curved glass, despite having flexible plastic, the GN is just as fragile as a 4S and perhaps the Razr's sturdiness is entirely hype.) Some hard plastic cases feel extremely cheap, but in terms of solidness they're exactly the same as the Razr or 4S. These aren't laptops where there's a lot of bend and flex. These are small devices and it's unlikely any of them will bend or creak in any way. So what differentiates them is how we feel about the particular tactile properties of the material, but it doesn't relate to its physical attributes such as firmness or solidity. Say a phone was designed out of new generation plastics, which can be as strong as steel and as thin as saran wrap. It's both high tech and extremely expensive to produce, yet it maintains the tactile properties of regular plastic. Tech reviewers would still say it feels cheap and compare it to the hard plastic of the S2, despite it being physically dissimilar. Similarly, when Samsung and HP do their Macbook ripoff aluminum plating design, it doesn't actually add much benefit to the consumer but if they actually managed to cover the entire laptop in it, I'm sure they would be raving about its quality. It's actually rather telling that they only coat the screen portion, because that's the most visible portion of a laptop. | ||
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Womwomwom
5930 Posts
Say a phone was designed out of new generation plastics, which can be as strong as steel and as thin as saran wrap. It's both high tech and extremely expensive to produce, yet it maintains the tactile properties of regular plastic. Tech reviewers would still say it feels cheap and compare it to the hard plastic of the S2, despite it being physically dissimilar. Similarly, when Samsung and HP do their Macbook ripoff aluminum plating design, it doesn't actually add much benefit to the consumer but if they actually managed to cover the entire laptop in it, I'm sure they would be raving about its quality. If you implemented plastic properly it can still feel extremely solid and be entirely functional. Reviewers love Nokia's polycarbonate plastic in their new WP7 devices and I'm fairly convinced it would be extremely robust in the grand scheme of things. It looks great, it feels great, and is structurally solid. You can do all three things with a little bit of effort. When Samsung and HP do their Macbook clones, the fit and finish is god awful and there is generally a large amount of flex. No, covering the whole device in aluminum doesn't not solve the fit/finish issues nor does it solve the flexing problems. So the reviewers will still compare these devices to Apple and still bitch about the shitty build quality. | ||
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ChoboFreek
Canada83 Posts
Currently best phone out there. Or if you don't want something as expensive, Samsung Galaxy S 2. | ||
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-Secret-
United Kingdom233 Posts
the nexus came out on top in most stuff with huge points lead iphone 4s came second im most stuff i'd reccomend galaxy nexus i have galaxy s2 and my brother has iphone 4s i think galaxy s2 is better myself so i'd say same as post above me Samsung Galaxy Nexus Currently best phone out there. Or if you don't want something as expensive, Samsung Galaxy S 2. | ||
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ffswowsucks
Greece2298 Posts
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Nancial
197 Posts
not 800x480 but 854x480 = really good playback. 8.1 mpix camera, HD video. | ||
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Sablar
Sweden880 Posts
Anyway, I recently bought a lumia 800 apparently shipped today. So can't really say if it's good but I think it looks nice from what I've seen so far and obviously it's the one I would buy =) | ||
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Kinslayer
United States129 Posts
On December 21 2011 02:23 Womwomwom wrote: If you implemented plastic properly it can still feel extremely solid and be entirely functional. Reviewers love Nokia's polycarbonate plastic in their new WP7 devices and I'm fairly convinced it would be extremely robust in the grand scheme of things. It looks great, it feels great, and is structurally solid. You can do all three things with a little bit of effort. When Samsung and HP do their Macbook clones, the fit and finish is god awful and there is generally a large amount of flex. No, covering the whole device in aluminum doesn't not solve the fit/finish issues nor does it solve the flexing problems. So the reviewers will still compare these devices to Apple and still bitch about the shitty build quality. Agreed. I own a Nokia Lumia 800 which was an upgrade from my first, and last, Samsung phone (Samsung Focus which is basically the Galaxy S). The difference in build quality between the two is light and day. All samsung phones feel uber cheap to me, I know I am not the only one since most reviews always say "but it felt cheap". The Nokia is made out of very different kind of plastic. The build quality is something that rivals Apple. So for me, someone that cares a lot about design and build quality, I completely disregard Samsung phones and stick to Nokia Lumia (my favorite) or Apple. The Nokia has the same screen as the Samsung as well (AMOLED), so you don't lose anything in the trade. | ||
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Kinslayer
United States129 Posts
On December 19 2011 07:53 ffswowsucks wrote: What im interested mostly is this due to work: Best possible screen,colors,display Good response Fast processor (hate it when it gets slowed down a bit , the samsung does it sometimes) Be able to watch 1080p videos from youtube. Be able to watch live streams from TL.net Have easy access to my gmail, hotmail Have a google map app and run smooth. Based on the requirements I see, I would recommend you take a look at the Windows Phone 7 phones. Nokia has the Lumia 800 in Europe and there's also the HTC Titan which has a huge display (4.7") and is very good. * Best possible screen,colors,display Nokia has AMOLED display that is extremely good. As good as Samsung's. HTC Titan is SLCD which is getting very good reviews on the display front. * Good response * Fast processor (hate it when it gets slowed down a bit , the samsung does it sometimes) A lot of people mistake this for "Get Dual Core!!!". No. Windows Phone 7 has already proven that it is smoother and faster on Single Core processors than Android is on Dual Core ones. Android is simply a more demanding OS than iOS and WP7 due to design decisions. So it will always be slower than the others on same hardware. WP7 doesn't have dual core at the moment (coming 2012), but all reviews agree that it doesn't even need it. It's extremely smooth and fast. By design. Try it out in a store and you'll see what I mean. * Be able to watch 1080p videos from youtube. Check. Can do that of course. * Be able to watch live streams from TL.net Can't yet with WP7  It doesn't do flash and doesn't have Twitch.tv app like iPhone does. Flash is going away though so even Android eventually will stop having it. Won't matter much since the web is moving away from it. But if that's a very important point for you, I recommend iPhone since the twitch.tv app is excellent. Apparently they still don't have one for Android.* Have easy access to my gmail, hotmail WP7 supports all email account types of course. Exchange (works perfectly, it is Microsoft after all), Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo, etc. It also has the ability to link inboxes together vs all of them together. You can pin a folder from an inbox to your start screen to jump directly to it, etc. Very flexible email features. It also has built in support for Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn without needing apps. Your contacts are gathered from all those services and you can easily see their social status/pictures/etc throughout the entire phone. * Have a google map app and run smooth. Has Bing Maps for all WP7 phones and Nokia phones come with Nokia Maps which are extremely good and popular. Windows Phone 7 phones also all get updated to new versions of the software by Microsoft like Apple does. This is unlike Android where you are not even sure if your phone will get updated and when. Microsoft updated ALL phones to the latest version of WP7 within two months. Worldwide. Every.single.one. Other features you may or may not care about: - Xbox Live integration - Microsoft Office Integration - Zune Music/Nokia music support - Comes with free 25GB of storage in the cloud per device - Integrates with Xbox 360 as a remote for it (Xbox Companion) - Microsoft bought out Skype. Skype integration is on the way and is said to be the best version on a phone (naturally, they own it now). - Windows 8 shares a lot with Windows Phone and is expected to have some deep integration than neither Android nor iOS will have. So there you have it. I just wanted to give you information on this platform so that you can make an educated decision. Good luck. | ||
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