I'm not sure what I will do either. I may go with the Bionic, b/c I can get it now (leaving for vacation in 9 days), and the price has already dropped. With the Prime launch pushed back, and presumably the release pushed back, I'm not sure I want to wait for the Prime's price to drop. The IPhone 4S looks alright, but I'm leaning Bionic.
4G Android phone megathread
- Thread starter Foulkey Reese
- Start date
Well it's official, I'm not longer an iPhone user. Picked up the SII yesterday with the news that the Prime has been pushed back. I was going to wait to play with the iPhone 4S, but I knew I wasn't going to get it.
The SII is frickin' awesome.
The SII is frickin' awesome.
How do you feel about the usability going from iphone to android? Also, which iPhone did you have?
I'm in love with the SII. I feared regretting passing on the iPhone when I purchased it. Three weeks in, I couldn't be happier with it and would not trade it for an iPhone 4S.
I'm definitely interested in this as well. People say Touch Wiz is the easiest to adjust to in terms of similarities to iOS, but I'd like to find out which quirks he misses/now enjoys, etc.
I'm currently at 16% battery left after 1 day 9 hours exactly off the charger. I've been connected to WiFi a lot, but still, this is pretty crazy. I estimate I could make it to about 11 or 12 tonight if I wanted to. I've been using Google Music consistently, but only surfing the net on WiFi while sending the same amount of texts and phone calls as normal. Still haven't rooted because I haven't seen a need to yet.
First of all, I don't think it matters which iPhone I had because the iOS experience is the same on a 3G as it is on a 4S. The difference is there will be some features you get with the 4S that you won't get with the 3G. As far as the phone being faster, more responsive, having a better screen, etc., I won't really get into because coming from an older iPhone to a phone with the best specs on the market, it's an obvious upgrade. I will mention, however, that the glass screen is pretty fantastic, feels like silk, leaves minimal fingerprints and is much easier to clean/wipe than expected. Additionally, the camera quality is unmatched on any phone I've seen to date (including the iPhone 4).
As far as general usability, I don't even know where to begin. There are a lot of features that I immediately was drawn to. I know it's not the conventional feeling, but I enjoy the four button configuration much better than the one button iPhone. For starters, I like always having the option to go back without having to find the button in the UI. I've also found that I've used the search functionality on the SII more in the past 24 hours than I ever did on my iPhone; it's way more accessible on the SII than on an iPhone by being a physical button (sort of) than having to go to the home screen and scroll to the left most screen. I also absolutely love having the menu button which gives the phone much more versatility than the iPhone. Being able to, for example, change the equalizer of the music app without having to leave the app itself is a huge advantage (instead of having to exit the app and go into settings on the iPhone). There are countless times that I've used the menu button and thought that it would probably be one of the things I'd miss the most by going back to the iPhone.
The biggest draw of the Android devices for me is the widgets. The one thing I've always hated about the iPhone is that the screens are basically just app holders and add no value or functionality to the phone. By having widgets, the screens on an Android device have utility instead of being a place to store apps. I have my homescreen using a widget to manage my open applications, another screen with an Evernote widget that I used all day at work without ever actually opening the Evernote app, a weather widget so I don't have to keep opening a weather app (I play a lot of golf, so I was constantly using the weather channel app on my iPhone) and the power saving app which I've used the most to toggle various settings without having to access the settings app.
Long story short, I haven't touched the users manual once because *GASP* it works right out of the box. I've already used features on this phone that I never even touched on the iPhone and the new features that are on this phone and not the iPhone have been advantages instead of disadvantages.
I made the right choice.
I'd also like to add that the biggest concern for me going to Android was the keypad and so far it's been a non-factor. I rooted my Nook Color and the keypad on it is fucking terrible, so I was pretty nervous that it would be on the SII - it's been night and day. My wife, who is all about the iPhone and has refused to consider an Android phone to this point, has even commented on how nice the phone is and how easy the keypad is to use. It was pretty telling to me last night when she said "I wonder what kind of cases they have if I were to get that phone" when earlier in the AT&T store she refused to get it because she had to wait for the 4S.
Not sure if you're still using the Nook, but if so check out "Thumb Keyboard" It's night and day better than whatever the stock Froyo keyboard they give you is.
I don't know what you use your point and shoot for, but if it's just for fun, then I don't see why the phone couldn't replace it. The flash works really well and the software does a good job of normalizing any spots that are too dark or too light.
The Nexus Prime will suit your fancy just fine, I presume. It's another Samsung phone and I assume they have basically built the SII and the Prime from the same fabric.
Wife just got the iPhone 4S and I played with it for a few minutes. Glad I got the SII, to be honest.
The phone feels dated, to be completely honest. After having the SII for a week and then picking up her phone when she got it, I felt like I was picking up my old 3G. The UI is the same as it's always been and it feels clunky after using the sleeker UI of the SII. It took me a while to remember that I had to back out of each application in order to do something else. I pulled down the notification bar and thought it was pretty cool, but then I clicked on something and wanted to get back to where I was and thought "well how do I get back" and then realized I had to back out of the app I was in and go back to the homescreen and reenter the app I was already in. It felt like a huge step back, to be honest. And for all of the "it's intuitive and just works out of the box" crowd, I sat there for a good 5 minutes trying to figure out where to access iCloud and FaceTime, I had no idea.
Also, the phone is thicker and heavier than my SII, which was very noticeable. I know some people that say the 3.5" screen is the sweet spot, but it felt weird going back to a screen that small and having the huge spaces between the edge of the phone and the edge of the screen itself.
After we hopped in the car from getting it, I played with it for a bit then handed it back to her and said "I'm glad I didn't get that phone". To each their own, it's a comfort thing for her, but I'd be missing out on a lot of cool stuff if I had just blindly gone with the next iteration of the iPhone instead of being open minded about it.
EDIT: I'll also add that after using the capacitive buttons on the SII, the physical button on the iPhone feels cheap and unnecessary.
EDIT2: I'll also add the caveat that the SII felt very 'new' to me, like a new toy, because it was totally different than the iPhone in a lot of regards, so that process was fun for me, which may be coloring my view a bit. When I picked up her new iPhone 4S, it felt same as old, but newer if that makes sense, so it was a bit underwhelming compared to my experience getting a phone that I had to explore again.
Well, with all the fanboyism going around, the most important thing is that you're happy with your device.
As for the "going back" problem. All you have to do is double-tap the home button and you can go right back to any app you want that's open in the tray. You can also close them this way.
The Galaxy S2 feels like the iPhone 6. It's thin, light, and the display is amazing. I love the large screen. I love the notification light (it's a small thing but was one of the factors in me opting for the S2 over the iPhone 4S). The S2 also has voice control (though it's not as witty as Siri). However, it's useful while driving but practically useless. I haven't tried it but I bet Siri is like the Wii. It's really cool for a while. Cool to show off but ultimately collects dust.
Having had the S2 for a month, I think those who opt for it or the Nexus Prime will be very happy with their decision.
This could be interesting.
http://www.engadget.com/2011/10/17/motorola-droid-razr-gets-an-early-introduction-ahead-of-tomorrow/?utm_source=engadget&utm_medium=twitter
Hands-on demo here:This could be interesting.
http://www.engadget.com/2011/10/17/motorola-droid-razr-gets-an-early-introduction-ahead-of-tomorrow/?utm_source=engadget&utm_medium=twitter
Engadget
Yea it's 10pm here tonight.
Razor looks interesting, but with Motoblur I don't see how it can compare to the Galaxy and pure Ice Cream Sandwich.
If the reports of the GSM radio are true, that'd be a huge thing for me personally.
It will be real interesting to see where Google goes with Motorolla. I'm assuming they'll scrap whatever touches Motorolla has put on the OS and start using Motorolla phones instead of Samsung phones for their Google based devices.
I love Verizon's network and have no interest in changing carriers. GSM is the wireless standard for the rest of the world. Essentially it's a world phone, which would be a really nice perk for me since I travel internationally.
Boner
http://www.androidpolice.com/2011/10/18/galaxy-nexus-official-press-release-leaked-release-date-narrowed-down-to-november/
These app redesigns look fantastic and are extremely useful looking. Great improvements to the system and it addresses a lot of the usability concerns I had.
The data usage chart is orgasmic.
The data usage chart is orgasmic.
Ice Cream Sandwich looks absolutely amazing. Hard to see how iOS5 can hold a candle to this.
I'll be getting the Galaxy the second it's available for preorder.
I'll be getting the Galaxy the second it's available for preorder.
This is truly revolutionary. I've been critical of the Android UI in the past but every aspect of this looks fantastic. Looks like they took a bunch of ideas from WP, but some new stuff in here too. Interested to see what the non-native experience will be like.
Browser save for offline reading and view desktop version are must-have features for me. Lock screen notifications mixed with face recognition are cool.
It's going to be a lot harder to have a mistress and cover it up with this update. Lots of ways to connect you to the people you contact the most.
Also they are giving Facebook a real middle finger by using G+, Twitter, and LinkedIn to demonstrate their social integration. No doubt there will be Facebook integration, they're just going out of their way to avoid mentioning them.
SDK available today. Quick summary of all new features in ICS here.
Browser save for offline reading and view desktop version are must-have features for me. Lock screen notifications mixed with face recognition are cool.
It's going to be a lot harder to have a mistress and cover it up with this update. Lots of ways to connect you to the people you contact the most.
Also they are giving Facebook a real middle finger by using G+, Twitter, and LinkedIn to demonstrate their social integration. No doubt there will be Facebook integration, they're just going out of their way to avoid mentioning them.
SDK available today. Quick summary of all new features in ICS here.
The Galaxy Nexus will have a 1750mAh battery. Google/Sammy didn't give us any talk/standby times. The Droid RAZR that was announced today will have a 1780mAh battery, and Motorola said that's up to 12.5 hours of talk time and 204 hours of standby time, so I assume that the Galaxy Nexus will have a similar battery life.
I'm due for an upgrade sometime in December; how difficult is it going to be for me to get them to move that date up so that I can pre-order?
Holy Shit.
I switched to Android at justtherighttime. Hopefully Samsung will be quick with an ICS update for the SII.
I switched to Android at justtherighttime. Hopefully Samsung will be quick with an ICS update for the SII.
If it's only a month early and you're buying a $300 phone I would imagine that they would hook you up if you sign another 2 year contract.
My last 2-3 upgrades have come a few months early after I've called and asked.
Beautiful, thanks Foulkey. I'll give them a call a little prior to release and see what they can do for me.
Unfortunately, Sammy doesn't have a good track record with Android updates for their non-Google flagship phones. It took my Galaxy S Vibrant (the Bell/Virgin version in Canada) 8 months for the Gingerbread update. Let's see how long it takes them to release the Ice Cream Sandwich update for the Galaxy S II.
I'm not that worried about it, I love the phone as it is. I can understand why they take time to push updates: a.) a big change in UI from 2.3 to 2.4 might be a bit of a shock for customers that get comfortable with 2.3 and b.) Google would be smart to have the only device with ICS be their flagship phone for the time being so people will buy that phone.
Also, if I really want ICS, I could always root the phone and grab it. I don't think it'll be a problem waiting.
Google needs to release it on all devices capable of handling it in short order. They said this was the plan at their developer conference. Samsung should be all set to roll with their updates considering they had Ice Cream Sandwich before anyone.
[quote name='Trautwein's Degree' timestamp='1319048453' post='3814610']
Google needs to release it on all devices capable of handling it in short order. They said this was the plan at their developer conference. Samsung should be all set to roll with their updates considering they had Ice Cream Sandwich before anyone.
[/quote]
Moto said it will be on the new Razr at the beginning of 2012. I'm guessing Samsung will be a little quicker as you said.
Google needs to release it on all devices capable of handling it in short order. They said this was the plan at their developer conference. Samsung should be all set to roll with their updates considering they had Ice Cream Sandwich before anyone.
[/quote]
Moto said it will be on the new Razr at the beginning of 2012. I'm guessing Samsung will be a little quicker as you said.
See, I was all set to wait until my time was up then I watched that stupid video.
Supposedly Ice Cream Sandwich will come to the X anyway, but that thing looks sweet.
Supposedly Ice Cream Sandwich will come to the X anyway, but that thing looks sweet.
Surprised it's going to take that long. What incentive will people have to buy the Razor over the Galaxy if they're both priced the same?
That is my concern. This phone is clearly better than the RAZR which is announced at $299. What's this going to cost?
It's also going to be $299. One of the blogs had a screen shot from one of Verizon's pricing systems.