I know there are similar topics made but the mobile market is growing very fast and many new smartphones have hit the market.
I was looking today at some phones and my best friend has an iPhone 4S but Im sure I dont wanna buy an iPhone because i dont like the iOS. I prefer android (my wife got a samsung galaxy S).
Now Ive seen some cool Samsung phones, like the Nexus but ive also seen a really cool youtube video of the LG Optimus 3D which I think is a cool one.
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.
Thats the most i look out in a phone, i dont care so much about games or many applications. android already has the basic cool apps i ll look out.
Any help would be much appreciated. Also money isnt an issue i just want the top of the line smartphone Dont want to buy the LG 3D and then find out another phone can do more or is better cause im gonna get sad i didnt make the right choice.
If you get any Android besides the Nexus / Galaxy line you'll probably be severely disappointed.
That's one of the problems with Androids. It runs on the widest variety of gadgets, from the ones that probably took 3 seconds of design thought to the Galaxies. I don't even think HTCs are that great when compared to the Galaxies.
Everything you're looking for is in the Nexus. Except the slowing down part is inherent of Android. And why would you want to watch 1080p (I doubt you'll even have the bandwidth to support it reliably) on a non-1080p screen?
Why do you want to be able to watch 1080p videos from youtube when no smartphone has the necessary display resolution or do you want to connect the device to a TV or monitor?
On December 19 2011 07:56 jacosajh wrote: If you get any Android besides the Nexus / Galaxy line you'll probably be severely disappointed.
That's one of the problems with Androids. It runs on the widest variety of gadgets, from the ones that probably took 3 seconds of design thought to the Galaxies. I don't even think HTCs are that great when compared to the Galaxies.
Everything you're looking for is in the Nexus. Except the slowing down part is inherent of Android. And why would you want to watch 1080p (I doubt you'll even have the bandwidth to support it reliably) on a non-1080p screen?
On December 19 2011 08:01 Antrix wrote: Why do you want to be able to watch 1080p videos from youtube when no smartphone has the necessary display resolution or do you want to connect the device to a TV or monitor?
Yeah it's the newest one. I would never suggest an Android to anyone unless they were dead set on it. But if they are, it would be this one currently.
It's got some pretty good hardware on it. http://www.google.com/nexus/#/tech-specs 4.6" 1280x720 (720p) Super AMOLED Screen 1.2 Ghz Dual Core Ice Cream Sandwich (Anrdoid 4.0) 5MP Rear Camera / 1.3MP Front Camera LTE/CDMA + WIFI + Bluetooth
I think the build quality of this phone is far superior to anything else on the market as far as Androids are concerned right now.
On December 19 2011 08:01 Antrix wrote: Why do you want to be able to watch 1080p videos from youtube when no smartphone has the necessary display resolution or do you want to connect the device to a TV or monitor?
The LG Optimus 2X has a 1080p display res?
Being able to record video in 1080p is not the same as being able to display it on the screen. Being able to record in 1080p is not even that big of a feat anymore. There are like some sub-$100 cameras that can do that now.
On December 19 2011 08:08 jacosajh wrote: Yeah it's the newest one. I would never suggest an Android to anyone unless they were dead set on it. But if they are, it would be this one currently.
It's got some pretty good hardware on it. http://www.google.com/nexus/#/tech-specs 4.6" 1280x720 (720p) Super AMOLED Screen 1.2 Ghz Dual Core Ice Cream Sandwich (Anrdoid 4.0) 5MP Rear Camera / 1.3MP Front Camera LTE/CDMA + WIFI + Bluetooth
I think the build quality of this phone is far superior to anything else on the market as far as Androids are concerned right now.
Can you check the LG Optimus X2 and LG Optimus 3D specs and compare them to the Samsung Nexus and tell me their differences ?
On December 19 2011 08:01 Antrix wrote: Why do you want to be able to watch 1080p videos from youtube when no smartphone has the necessary display resolution or do you want to connect the device to a TV or monitor?
The LG Optimus 2X has a 1080p display res?
Being able to record video in 1080p is not the same as being able to display it on the screen. Being able to record in 1080p is not even that big of a feat anymore. There are like some sub-$100 cameras that can do that now.
That is a video recording from the phone itself. He's not playing that on the phone screen. He's showing a sample of how good the video recording is from the phone.
That video will definitely look better on a Nexus than on the Optimux 2X.
4.6" 1280x720 Super AMOLED Screen (Nexus) vs 3D LCD 480x800 (Optimus 3D / 2X).
Basically, 720p vs 480p.
The 2X is slightly better than the 3D in terms of specs (i.e. Camera megapixel - 8MP v 5MP, antenna, etc.) except the 3D records in 3D. Gimmicky as I don't think you will ever be doing that.
Essentially, the Nexus has the same hardware or better of both the 3D and 2X (minus 3D video capturing) but has the much better screen. And better made (at least I think so).
Remember also, I'm talking about the Samsung Nexus (released not too long ago), not the Nexus S (released last year).
The Nexus has great hardware, which is to be expected since it's so new. It has about 6 months on the 3D and 10 months on the 2X. I would expect it to be much better.
On December 19 2011 08:18 jacosajh wrote: That is a video recording from the phone itself. He's not playing that on the phone screen. He's showing a sample of how good the video recording is from the phone.
That video will definitely look better on a Nexus than on the Optimux 2X.
4.6" 1280x720 Super AMOLED Screen (Nexus) vs 3D LCD 480x800 (Optimus 3D / 2X).
Basically, 720p vs 480p.
The 2X is slightly better than the 3D in terms of specs (i.e. Camera megapixel - 8MP v 5MP, antenna, etc.) except the 3D records in 3D. Gimmicky as I don't think you will ever be doing that.
Essentially, the Nexus has the same hardware or better of both the 3D and 2X (minus 3D video capturing) but has the much better screen. And better made (at least I think so).
Thanx alot for the feedback!!! Now the Nexus costs 600 euro and the LG just 300.... big difference there !_!
On December 19 2011 08:26 jacosajh wrote: Well, you can also get the Galaxy S2 or Galaxy Nexus S. They're older so they should be a little cheaper than the Nexus.
Only thing is you go back to a 480x800 Super AMOLED Screen. But the build quality should be about the same.
btw if I wasnt so keen on android, you would have recommended the iPhone 4S, right? Why is it so much better you think? my friend told me its cause its iOS is the smoothest out there.
It really is the smoothest. I currently own both an iPhone and Android. I've owned several of both in the last year or so.
iOS never craps out on me. My Android just decided to reset itself about 2 hours ago in the middle of a phone call for no apparent reason. etc. etc. Apparently, this is just a problem inherent of the Android OS as I don't know any gadget that is immune to this. Some may do it less than others, but you get the point.
iOS may tie your hands more in terms of preferences. But the preferences it gives you already conform to 99% of the world.
On December 19 2011 08:37 jacosajh wrote: My Android just decided to reset itself about 2 hours ago in the middle of a phone call for no apparent reason. etc. etc. Apparently, this is just a problem inherent of the Android OS as I don't know any gadget that is immune to this. Some may do it less than others, but you get the point.
What? I have a android phone and its never done this. Haven't had any real problems with it, pretty satisfied. The one thing I dislike about it the most is that the screen rotation is not very reactive and I have shake the phone sometimes to get the screen to rotate from vertical to horizontal and vise versa. One other thing I dislike is that the phone came with some bloatware apps that it won't let me remove -_-. Other than that it works great. I have a HTC Thunderbolt btw (but I wouldn't recommend getting one of these now obviously, its somewhat outdated).
What I meant was that I've heard of many phone models (gadgets) doing this. Not that every phone does it. At the rate Android phones come out, I don't obviously keep up with every single model, but it's enough for me to think it's just an OS problem. I mean this was the reason why the App Killer app was such a big deal at Android's release. I don't think it's as big of a deal anymore with the updates though. So I guess the OS has gotten somewhat better at resource management.
I've have to do battery pulls out of my Galaxy S because it locks up. Its not often but it does happen and its pretty annoying. The iPhone 3GS might be slow but it isn't unstable under iOS5.
iOS is definitely more responsive than Android. This is a fact, if you've used a WP7 or iOS device it should be plain obvious. If you can't feel it, I'll chalk it up to cognitive dissonance.
The current Galaxy Nexus uses Ice Cream Sandwich, which is the first Android OS that looks pretty good IMO. That being said, it looks like it has some typical hardware/software problems with loss of input when two input points are antipodal, absurdly thin plastic back, two completely different versions, and the trademark Android stutter when loaded.
The Verge did a good post about which smartphone is best for you. One thing I have to correct is that neither Android or WP7 (hahahahaha) have competent support with Microsoft Exchange so if you need it, neither are a good option. Really, the only bad thing about iOS is that you can't customize it...which is hardly a problem because the stock OS works fine for me.
Edit: When we talk about customize, we're talking about putting stupid themes in the background and changing the UI entirely. iOS isn't THAT locked that you can't set your own wallpaper or notifications.
On December 19 2011 12:02 Womwomwom wrote: I've have to do battery pulls out of my Galaxy S because it locks up. Its not often but it does happen and its pretty annoying. The iPhone 3GS might be slow but it isn't unstable under iOS5.
iOS is definitely more responsive than Android. This is a fact, if you've used a WP7 or iOS device it should be plain obvious. If you can't feel it, I'll chalk it up to cognitive dissonance.
The current Galaxy Nexus uses Ice Cream Sandwich, which is the first Android OS that looks pretty good IMO. That being said, it looks like it has some typical hardware/software problems with loss of input when two input points are antipodal, absurdly thin plastic back, two completely different versions, and the trademark Android stutter when loaded.
The Verge did a good post about which smartphone is best for you. One thing I have to correct is that neither Android or WP7 (hahahahaha) have competent support with Microsoft Exchange so if you need it, neither are a good option. Really, the only bad thing about iOS is that you can't customize it...which is hardly a problem because the stock OS works fine for me.
Edit: When we talk about customize, we're talking about putting stupid themes in the background and changing the UI entirely. iOS isn't THAT locked that you can't set your own wallpaper or notifications.
Next time I have another iPhone vs Android debate with my brother who's argument is "Android is better. I'm an engineer, I should know" (although his company only endorses iPhone as company phones, and not for exchange reasons I'm sure), I'm going to pull this out. He says my phone and his phone only lock up and we have to do battery pulls because it's made by Motorola. "Samsung phones don't do this," he says.
And, maybe that's why the decided to allow people to have a removable battery. And everyone thought that was a feature
Edit: I just got the part about the WP7 and exchange. lol.
Well, I have a Samsung Galaxy SII which I got about 3 weeks ago (lucky me :D ) and so far, it's been really, really nice. Provided, I've never played with an iPhone but I've had a humble iPod (3rd gen) and although I've spent my share with that (3-4 years) I've come to appreciate Android just a tad bit more.
The Samsung Galaxy S II kind of fufills your features:
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.
First, let me state that I'm not here to rub "Samsung Galaxy S II is the best!" but I'm just stating about my phone and why I think it's pretty good.
With the Super AMOLED screen, they say that the screen looks really nice, even compared to a higher resolution. I haven't played with the Galaxy Nexus but if you could afford that, go for it. The processor's a 1.2GHz Dual-Core Exynos (?) processor, but there are some with 1.5GHz (but it's basically the same because of the archiculture, just like AMD vs Intel)
I can watch livestreams straight from Teamliquid, because of the Flash support. It's great :D I love it, keeps me entertained during dinnertime.
Your last two features are kinda "every phone SHOULD be able to do that" so I can't really comment on that (maybe the Maps one, but eh)
I also like Android because, as a developer (I'm working on it xD) I'd much rather pay $25 and publish as many apps as possible to the Android market then $99 a YEAR to publish apps to the App Store AND have it possibly rejected by Apple.
So far, I'm really happy with my phone, it's a huge upgrade from my iPod (lol, kind of my first 'phone') and I love everything about it. One last thing about why I love it -> Widgets (honestly, if iOS had Widgets I would love it, but it doesn't.)
On December 19 2011 12:54 Cyclone999 wrote: Well, I have a Samsung Galaxy SII which I got about 3 weeks ago (lucky me :D ) and so far, it's been really, really nice. Provided, I've never played with an iPhone but I've had a humble iPod (3rd gen) and although I've spent my share with that (3-4 years) I've come to appreciate Android just a tad bit more.
The Samsung Galaxy S II kind of fufills your features:
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.
First, let me state that I'm not here to rub "Samsung Galaxy S II is the best!" but I'm just stating about my phone and why I think it's pretty good.
With the Super AMOLED screen, they say that the screen looks really nice, even compared to a higher resolution. I haven't played with the Galaxy Nexus but if you could afford that, go for it. The processor's a 1.2GHz Dual-Core Exynos (?) processor, but there are some with 1.5GHz (but it's basically the same because of the archiculture, just like AMD vs Intel)
I can watch livestreams straight from Teamliquid, because of the Flash support. It's great :D I love it, keeps me entertained during dinnertime.
Your last two features are kinda "every phone SHOULD be able to do that" so I can't really comment on that (maybe the Maps one, but eh)
I also like Android because, as a developer (I'm working on it xD) I'd much rather pay $25 and publish as many apps as possible to the Android market then $99 a YEAR to publish apps to the App Store AND have it possibly rejected by Apple.
So far, I'm really happy with my phone, it's a huge upgrade from my iPod (lol, kind of my first 'phone') and I love everything about it. One last thing about why I love it -> Widgets (honestly, if iOS had Widgets I would love it, but it doesn't.)
Not trying to be a dbag. But that's why the App Store is good for consumers (even though it might suck for developers). Apple's high standards and possible rejection is almost like a guarantee the Apps you pay for will be worth it. Pay = Commitment = Better product. I'd rather have an App made by someone who made the commitment to pay $99/year than by someone who's just wanting to make a quick buck, even if he is more knowledgeable. That way, I know I'll have future support, upgrades, etc.
Next time I have another iPhone vs Android debate with my brother who's argument is "Android is better. I'm an engineer, I should know" (although his company only endorses iPhone as company phones, and not for exchange reasons I'm sure), I'm going to pull this out. He says my phone and his phone only lock up and we have to do battery pulls because it's made by Motorola. "Samsung phones don't do this," he says.
And, maybe that's why the decided to allow people to have a removable battery. And everyone thought that was a feature
All OEMs have had problems sometime in their history ranging from Motorola's love for pentile and putting defective SD card readers in the Xoom to Samsung fucking up their WP7 mobiles enough that Microsoft updates brick them. I don't really blame them for their lack of effort, Google's business model for Android basically sucks all of the profit out of everything so OEMs don't really give a shit about their hardware so long someone buys it.
Ironing the bugs takes a lot of time and effort and even the most careful developers still get them (see: Apple iOS5 battery bug). The difference is that Apple makes a lot of money from it and has an actual incentive to fix them while Motorola is content to release a new flagship phone every 3 months.
When my wife first got the Samsung Galaxy S, I was playing with it, thinking that this phone is great and that you dont need an iPhone and all that. Now after 5 months I believe it is, we even discussed it a bit this morning she says her phone has major issues, it doesnt respond well from time to time, she needs to do a power off/on to get it started up again and she says that Samsung had alot of problems with the Galaxy S. I am keen towards Nexus but is the LG that much different than the Nexus that costs double the money? I am sure the Nexu's price will drop eventually that always happen, but even though the idea of buying a new phone came from my wife, and I wasnt really planning on buying one now with all these cool features which till now I havent been using im excited to get one, like in the next week or something. So real question is this. Is the Nexus a value for money phone in comparison to a LG that came out months ago and has the half price? I even saw many reviews on the internet people comparing the Galaxy S2 and the Nexus vs the LG so that means the LG is close to what a samsung offers. Right?
The Nexus series of phones for Android are a representation of the Android platform. No other place will you get the pure Android experience. Its currently more expensive than the Galaxy S2 because its extremely new but after a while the price should decrease dramatically when all of the new smartphones, running Tegra 3 and Krait processors, come out. This should not take very long.
I've always been a proponent of the Nexus series of phones, though Samsung has seemed to screwed this up by releasing certain Galaxy Nexus phones with their own firmware. This renders some Galaxy Nexus phones unable to accept updates from Google...so you're forced to wait for Samsung to give you the updates. Apparently you can fix this through rooting but this shouldn't even be a problem in the first place: the point of the Nexus lineup is that you get updates straight from Google without any hassle whatsoever.
How much more expensive is the iPhone 4/4s compared to the Galaxy S2/Nexus Prime? If they're pretty much the same, I'll just say give her the iPhone 4/4s. There isn't anything wrong with it unless she wants to use her own desktop themes (think Rainmeter for Windows). The only major flaws are no SD card reader and the fragile glass back so if you drop it, its going to break.
I wouldn't look at the LG Optimus 3D. The fact its so huge and bulky is enough for me to dismiss it. I have no idea why people are even talking about it. I guess it has a nice 3D gimmick but that's about the only good thing about it.
On December 19 2011 17:21 Womwomwom wrote: The Nexus series of phones for Android are a representation of the Android platform. No other place will you get the pure Android experience. Its currently more expensive than the Galaxy S2 because its extremely new but after a while the price should decrease dramatically when all of the new smartphones, running Tegra 3 and Krait processors, come out. This should not take very long.
I've always been a proponent of the Nexus series of phones, though Samsung has seemed to screwed this up by releasing certain Galaxy Nexus phones with their own firmware. This renders some Galaxy Nexus phones unable to accept updates from Google...so you're forced to wait for Samsung to give you the updates. Apparently you can fix this through rooting but this shouldn't even be a problem in the first place: the point of the Nexus lineup is that you get updates straight from Google without any hassle whatsoever.
How much more expensive is the iPhone 4/4s compared to the Galaxy S2/Nexus Prime? If they're pretty much the same, I'll just say give her the iPhone 4/4s. There isn't anything wrong with it unless she wants to use her own desktop themes (think Rainmeter for Windows). The only major flaws are no SD card reader and the fragile glass back so if you drop it, its going to break.
I wouldn't look at the LG Optimus 3D. The fact its so huge and bulky is enough for me to dismiss it. I have no idea why people are even talking about it. I guess it has a nice 3D gimmick but that's about the only good thing about it.
Nah I dont want the Optimus 3D, the Optimus 2X. Also I dont want my wife to get a new phone or change her phone. I just want a new one. Right now I have a Nokia E72 for business but im hell bored with it, used to have a Nokia Xpress Music as well to have a touchscreen phone but also got bored of it. I might give these two to make some bucks out of them and then buy a new one. the E72 should get me around 100 euros i believe.
btw anyone seen the Samsung Galaxy Note ? whats that ?
If they're talking about the Optimus 2X in those Nexus vs LG comparisons, I'm still not sure why they're talking about it. Its a pretty unremarkable phone in terms of specs, software, and design.
The Samsung Galaxy Note is just an upsized Galaxy SII. Unsurprisingly, that website you linked does the typical "compare feature/specsheets" and nothing else. You can't just compare raw specs since that doesn't tell you much. A lot of the things you can't quantify in numbers or scales.
On December 19 2011 18:47 Womwomwom wrote: If they're talking about the Optimus 2X in those Nexus vs LG comparisons, I'm still not sure why they're talking about it. Its a pretty unremarkable phone in terms of specs, software, and design.
The Samsung Galaxy Note is just an upsized Galaxy SII. Unsurprisingly, that website you linked does the typical "compare feature/specsheets" and nothing else. You can't just compare raw specs since that doesn't tell you much. A lot of the things you can't quantify in numbers or scales.
Ye and I also find out the thing u said about the Nexus's OS , it said to be the best, i prefer to have the best OS rather than a better camera etc, I wont even use the camera that much anyways.
It depends on how you define the best os. If you want a effecient os that just "works" the iphone would be the winner. Android offers a bit more flexability at certain things but if you are not sure yourself what those things are then you'll probably be happier with the iphone.
On December 19 2011 19:07 nam nam wrote: It depends on how you define the best os. If you want a effecient os that just "works" the iphone would be the winner. Android offers a bit more flexability at certain things but if you are not sure yourself what those things are then you'll probably be happier with the iphone.
I meant all these things mentioned here that the new Icecream represents the best android OS and to quote the comparison ive read: Operating System
The Note runs Android GingerBread 2.3.5 with TouchWiz UI 4.0, here the Nexus seems to have scored some legitimate points over the Note. The Nexus has the latest Android 4.0 IceCream Sandwich OS, which is considered by many as the best OS at the present moment.
So now after reading some more articles, Ive chose to go with the Samsung Nexus or the Samsung Note. Still dont know which one of the two, think ill just go with what looks better and go see them live in a shop to decide. Thanx everyone for their feedbacks! as soon as I get my new phone ill make a mini-review of it and tell you how it is
iOS is smoother and for some people crashes less (although it has the most unstable browser of all the smartphones). iOS is not the SMOOTHEST though - that title belongs too WP7 (which trounces all opposition for user-friendliness, UI aesthetics and smoothness of animation, unfortunately there's actually no apps for it). iOS is probably the worst designed of the modern smart-phone OSes in terms of user-friendliness and ease of getting things done, although iOS 5 makes things much better.
It's also worth noting that the latest version of android (which runs on the new Nexus) is by all accounts much smoother and more stable than previous incarnations, which means that you skip over the iPhones key (only?) advantage over Android. Android is better designed but personally I could never have used it because it feels very sluggish (which is why although I despise it, I have an iPhone). If Ice-Cream Sandwich fixes this, I can't think of any reason the Samsung Nexus wouldn't be the very best phone in the world right now .
Can you turn the TouchWiz garbage off? If so then there's no difference between the two. If not, then you've got your answer.
Answer for what? I wasn't comparing those two. He was saying he want devices with the ice cream sandwhich over gingerbread and I was only pointing out that some high end phones will get that option to upgrade. So making a choice for that reason isn't good no matter what the improvements are.
Answer for choosing the Nexus over the Galaxy SII. Its pretty obvious when we're talking about ICM, we're talking about the GUI because its what basically every review has applauded.
TouchWiz is god awful and updating to ICM won't fix that (unless you can remove it).
Yeah you are right about that part but I wasn't comparing any models. I was talking more in general that you have to check from device to decive rather than to look at the os number. I didn't mean to imply you'd get the same experience just because you can upgrade.
On December 19 2011 20:37 skyR wrote: Because it was just posted a few minutes ago.
And I think we got a winner after reading it, also a few minutes ago Now I think its my destiny to buy it.
Just to be clear: I've never tried an S2 and don't know what it would be like with ICS installed. My frame of reference is a series of phones that have fallen well short of what my gut tells me a smartphone should be. The Nexus pleases me immensely, to the extent that I don't even want to risk taking the shine off it with exhaustive comparisons.
On December 19 2011 12:54 Cyclone999 wrote: Well, I have a Samsung Galaxy SII which I got about 3 weeks ago (lucky me :D ) and so far, it's been really, really nice. Provided, I've never played with an iPhone but I've had a humble iPod (3rd gen) and although I've spent my share with that (3-4 years) I've come to appreciate Android just a tad bit more.
The Samsung Galaxy S II kind of fufills your features:
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.
First, let me state that I'm not here to rub "Samsung Galaxy S II is the best!" but I'm just stating about my phone and why I think it's pretty good.
With the Super AMOLED screen, they say that the screen looks really nice, even compared to a higher resolution. I haven't played with the Galaxy Nexus but if you could afford that, go for it. The processor's a 1.2GHz Dual-Core Exynos (?) processor, but there are some with 1.5GHz (but it's basically the same because of the archiculture, just like AMD vs Intel)
I can watch livestreams straight from Teamliquid, because of the Flash support. It's great :D I love it, keeps me entertained during dinnertime.
Your last two features are kinda "every phone SHOULD be able to do that" so I can't really comment on that (maybe the Maps one, but eh)
I also like Android because, as a developer (I'm working on it xD) I'd much rather pay $25 and publish as many apps as possible to the Android market then $99 a YEAR to publish apps to the App Store AND have it possibly rejected by Apple.
So far, I'm really happy with my phone, it's a huge upgrade from my iPod (lol, kind of my first 'phone') and I love everything about it. One last thing about why I love it -> Widgets (honestly, if iOS had Widgets I would love it, but it doesn't.)
Not trying to be a dbag. But that's why the App Store is good for consumers (even though it might suck for developers). Apple's high standards and possible rejection is almost like a guarantee the Apps you pay for will be worth it. Pay = Commitment = Better product. I'd rather have an App made by someone who made the commitment to pay $99/year than by someone who's just wanting to make a quick buck, even if he is more knowledgeable. That way, I know I'll have future support, upgrades, etc.
This reasoning is completely absurd. There's shitty apps and developers in both stores. That's why there's customer reviews and return windows. It's still larger, but at this point 99% of usable apps/features are covered, and there's more free options in the Android Market. The biggest difference is still high end games, but there's probably no more than 5 or 10 of those.
The S2 and the Nexus are the two best phones that meet your criteria. The Note is a great "device", but it's huge and completely impractical for a phone.
It's absurd that people say shit like "My Android is really slow and unresponsive!" Well what fucking phone do you have? I expect that out of grandmothers saying their Mac is slow, speaking of a 10 year old iMac. Not young people on TL. My original Droid is a piece of shit these days, but it's not because of Android.
I personally despise the apple app store. Sure it's cute and the apps might be higher quality here and there, that is if I could download them. It has draconian region restrictions enforced by your credit card which means I miss out on a bazillion of potentially good apps. As a well known example, a game that seemingly the entire world has played (Angry Birds) is unavailable in my region in the itunes store, though not in the Android market.
Apple products are cute and easy to use and generally have higher quality apps, but I feel like I'm missing out on something when I use them over the less polished but far more open to possibilities Android.
i currently own the samsung galaxy S2 and i love it. i preferred the HTC Sense UI better tho, but with plenty of launchers and themes in the market you can customize your phone up into the smallest details. you can even make it look like it has iOS on it. (not my taste, but whatever floats your boat)
i had an iphone 3gs before, but i decided to switch to android (HTC Desire and eventually Samsung Galaxy S2) because i like customization and the market (appstore) even better. and holy shit, it's fast as hell (:
Let me explain how the App Store verification process works:
There's automated checks which can bar obviously stupid crap from entering the App Store. Stuff like spyware should be picked up fairly quickly because you're sending plaintext data to some stupid server, like the popular Android browser Dolphin liked to do. There's people who check through each app deeply to check if the app is half way decent and doesn't infringe any IP rights or anything. These people also check suspicious apps that slipped through the gaps and sometimes remove them if they do any fishy bullshit.
This is not a problem most of the time. The team finds something wrong with your app, asks you to change it, and the world goes on. The verification process ends up being troublesome if your app gets forgotten. However most of the time you could send an email to sjobs@apple.com and he would solve whatever problem you had, so long it was sensible.
Its not perfect but it maintains a far better app store than the Android store with higher app quality. Customer reviews don't really solve the critical problems if you can't see it...unless everyone was fine with the Dolphin browser sending plaintext data to some shifty Chinese server.
It's absurd that people say shit like "My Android is really slow and unresponsive!" Well what fucking phone do you have? I expect that out of grandmothers saying their Mac is slow, speaking of a 10 year old iMac. Not young people on TL. My original Droid is a piece of shit these days, but it's not because of Android.
Android lag is there whether or not you want to believe it. Just play with any Honeycomb tablet. Heck compare a lower specced Windows Phone 7 or iOS device to a flagship Android device. While the Android device may load faster, its definitely more unresponsive to user input. If you can't feel it, you should feel lucky because a lot of people certainly can.
It is because of Android. If it didn't exist, it wouldn't be a huge issue people constantly talk about. There is a single device that seems to solve a lot of these problems and that's the Galaxy Nexus.
iOS never craps out on me. My Android just decided to reset itself about 2 hours ago in the middle of a phone call for no apparent reason. etc. etc. Apparently, this is just a problem inherent of the Android OS as I don't know any gadget that is immune to this. Some may do it less than others, but you get the point.
Is that a specific Android issue?
The S2 and Nexus don't have the problem any more than the iPad 2 has. Previous devices did. The point is you don't attribute performance of a terrible phone to the operating system that's on 100 devices. You can complain about iOS on the iPhone 1 or WM on an HTC Diamond. I hate how Windows phones make you use a stylus!
Anyone who has ever used the Android Market and App Store extensively is going to say the App Store is 100x better.
I don't even know how this needs to be explained. It just makes sense. More selectivity, checks and balances, been around longer, etc. Apple would be a complete failure if they had 2-3 years on Android and lost this competitive advantage overnight.
Like, just do a basic search for something like "VPN" or even "Twitter" app on both. You'll get like 5,000 unofficial made-in-high-school-biology-class apps on Market.
On December 20 2011 00:59 jacosajh wrote: Anyone who has ever used the Android Market and App Store extensively is going to say the App Store is 100x better.
I don't even know how this needs to be explained. It just makes sense. More selectivity, checks and balances, been around longer, etc. Apple would be a complete failure if they had 2-3 years on Android and lost this competitive advantage overnight.
Like, just do a basic search for something like "VPN" or even "Twitter" app on both. You'll get like 5,000 unofficial made-in-high-school-biology-class apps on Market.
And 50 made by real developers. What's your point? Do you really think there's no unofficial made-in-highschool-biology-class-apps in the App Store?
The point is you don't attribute performance of a terrible phone to the operating system that's on 100 devices.
Yes you do because this shitty fragmentation is one of the critical issues of the Android ecosystem. Unless someone gives Android developers a bone, the app disparity is still going to be around. Since Microsoft has always been so good to developers, I imagine they've got the same quality tools iOS developers get:
Does this mean we're going to start seeing iOS-quality user interfaces across the board on Android in the near future? No way. The reasons have little to nothing to do with bytecode or garbage collectors and everything to do with the community and tools. First, iOS app developers have far more experience taking advantage of hardware acceleration. They're experts in going out of the way to avoid software rendering. Hardware rendering requires a different mindset, and Android programmers will need time to catch up.
Second, Android programmers need to support both software and hardware rendering for awhile. This requires more code. Some Android devices support only software rendering while others, like the Xoom, actually require hardware rendering to achieve any semblance of smooth animation. Developing and maintaining smooth Android apps will require significantly more developer resources than accomplishing the same on iOS, at least until we can retire support for pre-Honeycomb devices. Programmers with limited resource will no doubt have to elide animations and settle for lowest common denominator solutions for awhile.
Third, from what I've seen, iOS developers have far better tools at their disposal. iOS developers can tweak and reload their applications in seconds, faster than you can reload a Ruby on Rails web page, while Android developers are lucky to do the same in tens of seconds. Being able to quickly iterate and tweak a UI is essential to achieving pixel-perfect, high frame rate animations. If Android programmers need to wait up to a minute after each tweak, they'll be at a significant disadvantage compared to their iOS counterparts. iOS provides amazing tools that overlay their UIs and help pinpoint and eliminate software rendering. In contrast, the UI performance and bugs in Android's emulator are so bad that developers resort to running on real devices only, even during development
The vast majority of devices, when I last checked, are still sitting on Froyo and Gingerbread. These problems are going to be around for a long time because Google didn't get it right out of the door.
The point is you don't attribute performance of a terrible phone to the operating system that's on 100 devices.
Yes you do because this shitty fragmentation is one of the critical issues of the Android ecosystem. Unless someone gives Android developers a bone, the app disparity is still going to be around. Since Microsoft has always been so good to developers, I imagine they've got the same quality tools iOS developers get:
Does this mean we're going to start seeing iOS-quality user interfaces across the board on Android in the near future? No way. The reasons have little to nothing to do with bytecode or garbage collectors and everything to do with the community and tools. First, iOS app developers have far more experience taking advantage of hardware acceleration. They're experts in going out of the way to avoid software rendering. Hardware rendering requires a different mindset, and Android programmers will need time to catch up.
Second, Android programmers need to support both software and hardware rendering for awhile. This requires more code. Some Android devices support only software rendering while others, like the Xoom, actually require hardware rendering to achieve any semblance of smooth animation. Developing and maintaining smooth Android apps will require significantly more developer resources than accomplishing the same on iOS, at least until we can retire support for pre-Honeycomb devices. Programmers with limited resource will no doubt have to elide animations and settle for lowest common denominator solutions for awhile.
Third, from what I've seen, iOS developers have far better tools at their disposal. iOS developers can tweak and reload their applications in seconds, faster than you can reload a Ruby on Rails web page, while Android developers are lucky to do the same in tens of seconds. Being able to quickly iterate and tweak a UI is essential to achieving pixel-perfect, high frame rate animations. If Android programmers need to wait up to a minute after each tweak, they'll be at a significant disadvantage compared to their iOS counterparts. iOS provides amazing tools that overlay their UIs and help pinpoint and eliminate software rendering. In contrast, the UI performance and bugs in Android's emulator are so bad that developers resort to running on real devices only, even during development
The vast majority of devices, when I last checked, are still sitting on Froyo and Gingerbread. These problems are going to be around for a long time because Google didn't get it right out of the door.
Look at what you just quoted.
When you complain about your Nexus S, it's understandable and there's a point of reference because we know what phone you're using. We still have no idea what phone he's having trouble with.
Yes and what's wrong with it? I haven't said a single bad thing about the Galaxy Nexus, besides the relatively flimsy backcover, because ICM doesn't look awful and solves many of the problems with Android (UI lag mainly). Honeycomb devices are still godawful for whatever reason.
Edit: What the quote does explain is why Android apps are just so much worse than iOS apps. Windows Phone 7 apps would probably be pretty good too if the platform wasn't dead in the water...maybe Windows 8 may fix this.
And no, having an old device doesn't mean it should be a laggy POS. Heck, even the iPhone 3GS responds fairly well with iOS5. Load times for iPhone 4/4s specific apps are fairly lengthy but that's about it.
I'm not complaining about what you've said about your phone, because I know it has issues and I agree with the issues on the vast majority Android phones from 1.6 to 3.0. I'm saying that we still don't know what phone he has, so there's no way to compare it to modern versions of Android or modern phones. For all we know, he could be using a G1. That has no bearing on a discussion of "What new phone should I buy?"
And Tegra 2 is shit, we know this. Tegra 3 looks fairly unimpressive as well.
BTW, the flimsy back cover is actually pretty wonderful. Flexible plastic is what you want to absorb fall damage, and this thing can bend in half easily and return to form. Don't mistake flimsy for frail. I'm playing with the default back right now and I can't even permanently crease it.
Still rather solid HTC quality stuff. A flagship phone should still feel like a flagship phone. It might be practical, just like Sony's excuse for Vaio screen flex, but it feels cheap in reality.
Edit: I know we've had this discussion before but I definitely believe you can make something feel rigid without it looking/feeling cheap as hell. The first computer I'd drop would definitely be a Toughbook or Thinkpad because they feel and are practically bricks; I wouldn't drop any of Dell Latitudes because they just feel so cheap in comparison.
On December 20 2011 01:32 Jibba wrote: "Feels cheap" is based on a social perception that could change. They're obviously focusing on durability before perception. If they had rolled out a marketing campaign about some new plastic that helps protect from cracking, that's what the tech writers would be writing about instead of how flimsy it is.
Samsung would hope that. They're using paper thin plastics everywhere and it utterly sucks because its not difficult to create flexible plastics that don't feel like paper. Or create a design that doesn't need flexible plastics. The perception won't change because people would still bitch about how fragile it feels; marketing campaigns only work when its introducing something the market actually wants.
Its especially detrimental in their Samsung S27A850 since the flimsiness seems to introduce a lot of backlight bleeding. A shame because its a pretty good competitor against business bricks like the Dell U2711 and the HP ZR2740W. I probably would have bought one but I'm just going to wait for LG to get their act together or let Dell/HP do a better job at building a monitor with some form of bracing.
"Feels cheap" is based on a social perception that could change. They're obviously focusing on durability before perception. If they had rolled out a marketing campaign about some new plastic that helps protect from cracking, that's what the tech writers would be writing about instead of how flimsy it is.
Well laptops and phones have different needs for durability. The Toughbook uses a solid magnesium case that distributes the impact and as long as none of the parts move, it's fine. If the chassis isn't going to bend at all, then it's fine. On top of that, it doesn't have the same issues for screen protection that phones and tablets do.
I think some are attempting that rigid approach like the Razr and probably the original Droid/X2 as well. The plasticky alternative makes it flexible so it'll distribute the force more evenly, the same way modern cars are designed to crumple upon impact. Rigidity tends to protect the shell better, while flexibility protects what's inside. Until we see a drop test with the GN and Razr, we really don't know how well it was done.
That said, with the battery cover on it doesn't feel flimsy. You can't press into it. To be honest, it feels a lot more like the Nexus One, than a normal "plasticky" device like the S2 or Galaxy Tab. It's not something you notice at all until you take the battery cover off and hold it individually, and the rest of the phone's chassis feels like the Nexus One.
It's actually pretty astounding the level of non-marketing they did with the device. The current Verizon ads that mention it compare it to some other lower end phone, and it actually comes with decent Samsung IEMs. I haven't tested it extensively, but my guess is they're at least $30-40 on their own.
Can I just ask? How much experience have you had with an iPhone? Just curious.
I'm not even an Apple fanboy. Like I've said before, I was first in line for a Droid X, paid the $300 termination fee (iPhone) thinking it was the iPhone killer. Thousands of dollars and several Android phones later, I'm still severely disappointed.
Like I'm just being honest, and I know anecdotes have NO value in a real debate. Just saying my pure feelings.
But after a year or so with experiences across several Androids and iPhones... I feel like the value of an iPhone is so much more. Again, just going by pure feeling. I'd be willing to pay $800-1000 even WITH contract for an iPhone. I think $200-300 is still a rip-off for an Android WITH contract.
I mean who knows. Maybe I'm a victim of switching costs. But I like to think I'm a fanboy for stuff that works.
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.
How do you know this? A solid plastic computer case can often feel more "expensive" than a rattly metal one. If you make a polished enough surface or some other treatment of the material I don't see why a glas and metal case will always be considered better.
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...
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.
I'd go for galaxy nexus, the development community is going strong for it so if rooting and flashing is your thing I don't think you'd be disappointed.
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.
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.
Solid means no flex and it feels dense, like how everyone has used this term since the dawn of time. Aluminium faceplates on computer chassis like the Silverstone FT02 and Fractal Design R3 feel solid; well constructed speakers are often have weight that much heavier than what you would expect and thus feel solid; old faceplates on high end amplifiers use extremely thick materials which feel solid; well built high end headphones don't use hollow feeling materials and therefore feel solid.
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.
Solid = firm makes sense, but that's not a full definition of the feel of the product. If you compare the firmness/hardness of a Razr and 4S, they all feel about equally firm to touch. Beyond that, the plastic shell of the GN is just as firm/hard as them. That said, neither the GN shell or the Razr feel as "high quality" or expensive as the 4S. If I had to guess, it would be the texture and temperature of glass versus plastic. Cool and ultra smooth, versus warm and regular smooth.
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.
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.
The gadget show compared the latest smartphones such as nexus and iphone and new htc 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.
Since the Nexus is nowhere to be found in my country as of now, I ve decided to get the iPhone for free since my dad is willing to get it for me through a telephone company. Free iPhone > any phone in my eyes. He could as well get the nexus for free also but cant wait for it to arrive. Imagine that no employee knows about it. I am afraid it would take another month for it to arrive and I cant wait so long. Thanx everyone.
I find it pretty irrelevant if it's a social construct that some things are higher quality or not. As I see it a social construct is no less real than anything else and meaningless to point out like something special. Functionality or whatever other measure there is of determining if a phone is good will be a social construct as well with that point of view.
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 =)
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.
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.
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.
EPT
Dont want to buy the LG 3D and then find out another phone can do more or is better cause im gonna get sad i didnt make the right choice.
