View Full Version : Samsung Galaxy S4 released...
Belmont31R
03-14-13, 23:19
http://www.theverge.com/2013/3/14/4104650/samsung-galaxy-s4-announced-upgrade
My take is another feature set people try to delete and/or never use. Having owned a GS3 the plastic feel is cheap, and the HTC One is what I'd have liked a large iPhone to look like.
http://www.theverge.com/2013/3/14/4104650/samsung-galaxy-s4-announced-upgrade
My take is another feature set people try to delete and/or never use. Having owned a GS3 the plastic feel is cheap, and the HTC One is what I'd have liked a large iPhone to look like.
I had one samsung smartyphone and concur on the plasticy, cheap feel, never again. I now have a RAZR M and much prefer it over the samsung UI and construction. I'll trade plastic crap for carbon fiber and aluminum any day of the week!
*I have a friend who is a samsung fanboy....and anything apple sucks:rolleyes: Of course his Ruger "would own" my Glocks. sigh.
The fanciful features are something I can do without but after my last 3 droid phones have been motorolas and my most current being the X2 I'm looking to jump into something else, I hate my motorola phone.
Belmont31R
03-14-13, 23:42
I had one samsung smartyphone and concur on the plasticy, cheap feel, never again. I now have a RAZR M and much prefer it over the samsung UI and construction. I'll trade plastic crap for carbon fiber and aluminum any day of the week!
*I have a friend who is a samsung fanboy....and anything apple sucks:rolleyes: Of course his Ruger "would own" my Glocks. sigh.
I don't dislike Samsung. We have a Samsung TV, laptop, and Tab 2 (for our kids). After using Touchwiz and the GS3 I just don't like their take on Android. I never once used one of their apps besides a few minutes of trial....then deleted them. I don't get why they have to do their own take on everything when Android already has some of this stuff built it in. Like S-Beam. Use it, and you can only talk with other Samsung phones using S-Beam. Disable it, and use the stock Android function, and it works with any modern Android phone. So stupid. Why do your own app that is LESS functional than what comes on vanilla Android?
Belmont31R
03-14-13, 23:43
The fanciful features are something I can do without but after my last 3 droid phones have been motorolas and my most current being the X2 I'm looking to jump into something else, I hate my motorola phone.
Check out the HTC One if you like Android. Beautiful phone and HTC Sense 5 is pretty nice looking.
Looks like they are using a different CPU for US models vs the rest of the world. The US model supposedly has a faster ghz, but probably weaker GPU (?).
Will be interesting to see how it performs in standard benchmarks, and how much of the "Android performance tax" it can overcome.
The phone looks like a nice phone if large tablet phones running Android are your thing. Good luck to them.
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TriviaMonster
03-15-13, 02:35
Of all the Android makers I prefer the Samsungs. They are generally easier to root/work with, and offer better displays than the others. This phone was a pain to put 4.1.1 on but other than that its been great. Motorola has been doing some interesting stuff since Google bought their phone division though.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Of all the Android makers I prefer the Samsungs. They are generally easier to root/work with, and offer better displays than the others.
Agreed.
Like the 1080p display, and it'll likely have a better camera than my GNex (which sucks). Not sure if the GS4 will cause me to use my upgrade or not. We'll see...I've been hoping for another LTE Nexus device but who knows if and when that'll happen...
I wonder if they've fixed the screen cracking issue keep reading about or if it will only be worse since apparently the screen is bigger.
Belmont,
I thought u were going Apple? :laugh::laugh:
I walked into the Verizon store with the intent of getting a Razr Maxx HD to replace my Droid X, but came out with a Galaxy Note 2. I love this thing. It’s at the upper bounds of reasonable size, but the S-Pen functionality is super slick. It adds some very useful capability if you are willing to learn. I also like most of the Samsung UI overlays better than their Droid counterparts. My wife replaced her Galaxy S with a Razr M and misses some of the Samsung short cuts. The thing that hooked me was the way I use these devices. Its primary purpose is not a phone for me anymore. I use mine more like a tablet that makes phone calls than a phone that has apps.
Generally, I also like the Samsung software, especially the functionality of the pull down tray and of course the S-Pen. Other things like S-Beam and what not, I can live without. As far as the GSIV stuff they’ve added, I think it’s mostly a novelty but some people will find it useful. I think it’s interesting to see them trying to get the device to respond to the users eyes and hand motions; I hope there will be more development in this area going forward.
That said, the build aesthetic of the Samsung does not match the Razr or HTC products. The plastic is durable and decent, but doesn’t have the pizzazz of the other products. Sadly, most of that beauty gets covered up with a case, so maybe it doesn’t matter.
The one thing that kept me from getting the Droid DNA (by HTC) was the battery life. All of their flagship phones seem to have smallish batteries; this goes all the way back to the Evo/Thunderbolt. Gorgeous phones with awesome performance, but short lived batteries.
Belmont31R
03-15-13, 10:22
Belmont,
I thought u were going Apple? :laugh::laugh:
Not a Galaxy fan after the GS3. I want Apple to offer two sizes of phones...:cool:
Not a Galaxy fan after the GS3. I want Apple to offer two sizes of phones...:cool:
Maybe I have small hands but the iPhone4/4s/5 seems to be the perfect size. Without shifting my hand position my thumb can reach from upper left to lower right. (right handed)
Holding my friends' larger phones I have to use who hands...
Maybe I have small hands but the iPhone4/4s/5 seems to be the perfect size. Without shifting my hand position my thumb can reach from upper left to lower right. (right handed)
Holding my friends' larger phones I have to use who hands...
I personally agree with you, but lots of people seem to like the monster screens.
I like a phone that is easy to carry, slip into any pocket, and doesn't get in the way, that I can also play games on, browse the internet with, etc.
To each his own.
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Maybe I have small hands but the iPhone4/4s/5 seems to be the perfect size. Without shifting my hand position my thumb can reach from upper left to lower right. (right handed)
Holding my friends' larger phones I have to use who hands...
The Galaxy Note is awesome in the hand. I have only played with demos and I have been an iPhone user since the early days. Playing with it at best buy had me wanting one but I would have to have a satchel(Indiana Jones has one) just to carry the MFer.
The Galaxy's seem like a decent option along with others. I have a iPhone 4S and won't be getting a five. I honestly like my phone but am pissed that apple has simply put out the same phone every year with very minor differences. "You're F*CKING APPLE For Christs sake and you make billions. Make something ground breaking F*ck!!!" Is my feeling at the moment.
I have a iPhone 4S and won't be getting a five. I honestly like my phone but am pissed that apple has simply put out the same phone every year with very minor differences.
I am not sure that that is the case, but this is the S4 thread. I do believe there is an iPhone thread if you want to discuss it further (or create one).
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I am not sure that that is the case, but this is the S4 thread. I do believe there is an iPhone thread if you want to discuss it further (or create one).
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My apologies, I was referencing the iPhone as its the only reason i dont have Samsung Galaxy series of phones not trying to derail. I am hoping the S4 or something would pull me from apple.
The Galaxy Note is awesome in the hand. I have only played with demos and I have been an iPhone user since the early days. Playing with it at best buy had me wanting one but I would have to have a satchel(Indiana Jones has one) just to carry the MFer.
It fits in my front pockets just fine. I have a friend with one and he let me carry it around for a day to see if it would be bug me. No problems. The only time I really notice it is when I squat done. It won't fit in cup holders though, which is kind of a bummer.
There is an option to have some of the apps collapse their keyboards to one side so you can use it with one thumb. It will easily switch back and forth too.
If you spend most of your 'phone' time interacting with the screen rather than talking, the Note is worth a look. The S-Pen works better than the old school Palm and Pocket PCs by a wide margin. It even recognizes my crappy handwriting 99% of the time.
Belmont31R
03-15-13, 12:32
The Galaxy Note is awesome in the hand. I have only played with demos and I have been an iPhone user since the early days. Playing with it at best buy had me wanting one but I would have to have a satchel(Indiana Jones has one) just to carry the MFer.
The Galaxy's seem like a decent option along with others. I have a iPhone 4S and won't be getting a five. I honestly like my phone but am pissed that apple has simply put out the same phone every year with very minor differences. "You're F*CKING APPLE For Christs sake and you make billions. Make something ground breaking F*ck!!!" Is my feeling at the moment.
While iOS could use a refresh of the UI and features the total Apple ecosystem is the best. People bitch about iTunes but check out Samsung Kies sometime. The most awful syncing/phone program Ive ever used. Windows Phone is much better than Kies.
Apps on iOS look and work much better than Android. I have taken screen shots of the same apps to show people this before but Android apps almost never look better than the iOS apps.
Then, and I don't care what anyone says, Android has a real stability problem with frequent app crashes and errors that pop up. I'm not talking about poorly written apps no one has ever heard of. iOS is much more stable, less burden on the hardware, and looks much nicer IMO. Touchwiz has horrible looking stock icons that no matter how good the screen is just look like crap.
Then, as far as companies go, Apple tells the carriers to **** off when it comes to bloatware and carrier branding. Thats why the iPhone wasn't on Verizon for so long. They wanted to make it another phone with the Verizon logo stamped all over the outside and on the software.
I also like that Apple has stores, and excellent customer service. They gave my wife a new phone after she went in to buy another one after she washed hers. She was fully expecting to have to plunk out a lot of money for a new one, and they just handed her a new one no questions. They employ American tech support, and if you get Apple Care they bend over backwards to help you out. Its a no BS extra that is far better than what the carriers offer. My buddy has been paying $5 a month for years for insurance through ATT, and when he needed to use he found out they had a $200 deductible. The phone he wanted to replace after it got ruined was $200 no-contract down at the ATT store. Great job there guys!
If you can try to use a Pentile screen outdoors in the sun. They are flat out unusable under bright outdoor conditions and don't have accurate color representation. There is a Chinese site that posted a comparison picture of text on a few screens under microscope and the S4 has 3 different colors going on while something like the Sony Xperia Z was all white which is what white text should be.
"You're F*CKING APPLE For Christs sake and you make billions. Make something ground breaking F*ck!!!" Is my feeling at the moment.
Two industry redefining innovations in 6 years isn't enough for you? :)
While iOS could use a refresh of the UI and features the total Apple ecosystem is the best. People bitch about iTunes but check out Samsung Kies sometime. The most awful syncing/phone program Ive ever used. Windows Phone is much better than Kies.
Apps on iOS look and work much better than Android. I have taken screen shots of the same apps to show people this before but Android apps almost never look better than the iOS apps.
Then, and I don't care what anyone says, Android has a real stability problem with frequent app crashes and errors that pop up. I'm not talking about poorly written apps no one has ever heard of. iOS is much more stable, less burden on the hardware, and looks much nicer IMO. Touchwiz has horrible looking stock icons that no matter how good the screen is just look like crap.
Then, as far as companies go, Apple tells the carriers to **** off when it comes to bloatware and carrier branding. Thats why the iPhone wasn't on Verizon for so long. They wanted to make it another phone with the Verizon logo stamped all over the outside and on the software.
I also like that Apple has stores, and excellent customer service. They gave my wife a new phone after she went in to buy another one after she washed hers. She was fully expecting to have to plunk out a lot of money for a new one, and they just handed her a new one no questions. They employ American tech support, and if you get Apple Care they bend over backwards to help you out. Its a no BS extra that is far better than what the carriers offer. My buddy has been paying $5 a month for years for insurance through ATT, and when he needed to use he found out they had a $200 deductible. The phone he wanted to replace after it got ruined was $200 no-contract down at the ATT store. Great job there guys!
If you can try to use a Pentile screen outdoors in the sun. They are flat out unusable under bright outdoor conditions and don't have accurate color representation. There is a Chinese site that posted a comparison picture of text on a few screens under microscope and the S4 has 3 different colors going on while something like the Sony Xperia Z was all white which is what white text should be.
So instead of a thread about the GS4, we're just doing the whole iOS v Android thing again? :)
Belmont31R
03-15-13, 17:09
So instead of a thread about the GS4, we're just doing the whole iOS v Android thing again? :)
Whatever you want to talk about! :cool:
I've played with the Apple stuff. Meh. It's nice for sure, but I didn't find it head and shoulders above a comparable Android device. And Apple has app issues too; Apple Maps anyone? Even though iOS is more stable generally, I wouldn't give up the screen size and customization I get in the Android devices.
Apple needs to embrace the fact that some people want different sized phones. They also need to offer less expensive versions. Some people can't cough up $200-300 for a device.
Belmont31R
03-15-13, 17:33
I've played with the Apple stuff. Meh. It's nice for sure, but I didn't find it head and shoulders above a comparable Android device. And Apple has app issues too; Apple Maps anyone? Even though iOS is more stable generally, I wouldn't give up the screen size and customization I get in the Android devices.
Apple needs to embrace the fact that some people want different sized phones. They also need to offer less expensive versions. Some people can't cough up $200-300 for a device.
Agree maps needs work. I use Google Maps!
They do have less expensive options. ATT still sells the 4 & 4S for $0 and $100 under contract, respectively.
Two sizes would be awesome. Keep the 4" for people who want a smaller phone and a larger one for those who want them.
"You're F*CKING APPLE For Christs sake and you make billions. Make something ground breaking F*ck!!!" Is my feeling at the moment.
Two industry redefining innovations in 6 years isn't enough for you? :)
What are these "industry redefining innovations" you speak of? The iPhone itself was innovative only for the fact that Apple took a bunch of technology from other people and put it in a nice, streamlined, neutered package. Apple's current business model is to take ideas from other companies, patent it, and then sue the company that came up with the idea. Steve Jobs wasn't even bashful about that fact that Apple steals ideas from others....
"Picasso had a saying, he said, 'Good artists copy, great artists steal.' And we have, you know, we have always been shameless about stealing great ideas." - Steve Jobs 1996
The problem a lot of people has with Apple is their hypocrisy and their litigious business model.
"I will spend my last dying breath if I need to, and I will spend every penny of Apple's $40 billion in the bank to right this wrong."
"I'm going to destroy Android, because it's a stolen product. I'm willing to go thermonuclear war on this." - Steve Jobs 2011
I think what Smash was trying to say is that in the 6 years the iPhone has been out, there hasn't been much change and innovation since the original. Plus Apple releases a new phone every 6-8 months that has only minor changes over the previous model yet if you were to watch their commercials they are the most innovative thing since the invention of the wheel. There is no doubt that the Iphone works really well and is a really good device, so long as you don't mind the constraints Apple places on it and that you can count on Apple coming out with a newer, more better Iphone 6 months after you buy it.
Back to the original topic, the Galaxy S4 might be the first android device that makes me stray away from Nexus devices.
Belmont31R
03-15-13, 17:55
6 months? No....It's been one per calendar year since the first one came out.
iOS does need some new UI but it just goes to show how well they got it right since the first phone that it's still selling so well. I would like to be able to set which apps are the default apps, and better notifications but I'm still very happy with how iOS works.
Two sizes would be awesome. Keep the 4" for people who want a smaller phone and a larger one for those who want them.
I think that's a good idea.
6 months? No....It's been one per calendar year since the first one came out.
My bad, I got confused with the iPad. I was making light of all of the pissed off people that raised a stink when the 4th gen iPad was released 6 months after the 3rd gen was released.
Belmont31R
03-15-13, 18:10
My bad, I got confused with the iPad. I was making light of all of the pissed off people that raised a stink when the 4th gen iPad was released 6 months after the 3rd gen was released.
I don't know why people would be upset over that. Doesn't make the one they bought any less of a product than when they bought it. People like to have the newest item just because, and feel inferior when something new is released. It was still the same resolution and form factor just a different processor.
I don't know why people would be upset over that. Doesn't make the one they bought any less of a product than when they bought it. People like to have the newest item just because, and feel inferior when something new is released. It was still the same resolution and form factor just a different processor.
Don't forget the "Lightning Dock" :sarcastic:
Belmont31R
03-15-13, 18:46
Don't forget the "Lightning Dock" :sarcastic:
I actually like the lightning connector. A lot better than Micro-USB which is fragile.
Yeah I was going to basically say what's been said but I didn't want Chadbag more mad at me for derailing. Basically whether its the "iPhone 7SXT9er" or the "Samsung Milkyway 11teen30" I just want a new phone to come along that is a game changer. Not a "oh they added this, that could possibly be useful". Honestly the screen on the Samsung Note has been the closest thing to that in a while. FOR ME. I don't know what industry innovations Apple made. They must have been over my non-techno head.
I was close to saying I want the Galaxy S3 but felt like switching over to Samsung when I have had Apple everything for so long would be a waste. So I thought maybe this S4 would be that leap. I will just have to see in person.
Belmont31R
03-15-13, 19:35
Yeah I was going to basically say what's been said but I didn't want Chadbag more mad at me for derailing. Basically whether its the "iPhone 7SXT9er" or the "Samsung Milkyway 11teen30" I just want a new phone to come along that is a game changer. Not a "oh they added this, that could possibly be useful". Honestly the screen on the Samsung Note has been the closest thing to that in a while. FOR ME. I don't know what industry innovations Apple made. They must have been over my non-techno head.
I was close to saying I want the Galaxy S3 but felt like switching over to Samsung when I have had Apple everything for so long would be a waste. So I thought maybe this S4 would be that leap. I will just have to see in person.
Most of the changes now will be incremental or some stupid app or feature no one will actually use. I've never seen someone touch phones, and beam a picture to someone else.
There are some areas to work on. I would like my phone to replace my wallet, and simply store my ATM/debit/CC's and just swipe the phone over a pad. I already basically do this at Starbucks for their card system. The app has a 'Touch to Pay' button that brings up a barcode they scan.
We could get rid of so much junk and I already moved from a regular bi-fold wallet to a Saddleback Leather card holder type thing. Who wants to carry around a bunch of membership cards and all this BS which makes it uncomfortable to sit on and causes back problems?
I don't like the gimmicky shit like using the phone as a TV remote. Who cares about that?
JBecker 72
03-15-13, 19:39
I jumped the droid ship and got an iPhone today. So far I like it.
Tapatalk ate my grammar
Yeah I was going to basically say what's been said but I didn't want Chadbag more mad at me for derailing. Basically whether its the "iPhone 7SXT9er" or the "Samsung Milkyway 11teen30" I just want a new phone to come along that is a game changer. Not a "oh they added this, that could possibly be useful". Honestly the screen on the Samsung Note has been the closest thing to that in a while. FOR ME. I don't know what industry innovations Apple made. They must have been over my non-techno head.
I was close to saying I want the Galaxy S3 but felt like switching over to Samsung when I have had Apple everything for so long would be a waste. So I thought maybe this S4 would be that leap. I will just have to see in person.
FWIW, It won't be. This is an evolutionary update, not revolutionary.
I've played with the Apple stuff. Meh. It's nice for sure, but I didn't find it head and shoulders above a comparable Android device. And Apple has app issues too; Apple Maps anyone? Even though iOS is more stable generally, I wouldn't give up the screen size and customization I get in the Android devices.
Apple needs to embrace the fact that some people want different sized phones. They also need to offer less expensive versions. Some people can't cough up $200-300 for a device.
This^
I actually like the lightning connector. A lot better than Micro-USB which is fragile.
In the 3 or more years I've been using Android phones, the latest being a Samsung galaxy S2 and probably going to an HTC, I've never found micro USB fragile. It's been the defacto standard for the better. Even Apple pissed their own people off going to the lightning connector when they'd used the other connector for years and the lightning brings no value IMO. Just another connector since they wouldn't dare embrace micro USB just for the sake of being different and proprietary.
FWIW, It won't be. This is an evolutionary update, not revolutionary.
That's one thing I can say about Android vendors is they don't promise or imply revolutionary updates (except the GB to ICS update which was great IMO) that are fail like the iPhone 4 to 5 debacle. I do see a bad trend with Android phones. Some of them (haven't seen the S3 or S4) are designed "unibody" and there's no battery access panel :( another reason I dislike Apple. After the warranty Apple charges just to crack the device open and replace the relatively costly battery.
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There's a sweet spot for me with Android screen size...the Note being too large and the S2/S3 and majority of HTC size being ideal. At least they offer the customer a choice.
As far as the app crashes you mention that's the trade off with open source apps if you download 3rd party apps. I've had little to no crashes with a stock phone and well rated apps and ones from reliable vendors. The Android platform began later than iOS so has had more growing pains. Each OS release for the most part has been a welcome advancement in technology from an app coding perspective IMO and has become a lot more stable.
If you root and don't know what you're doing you can easily screw up an Android phone but for the most part you can remove vendor bloatware and increase battery life and response dramatically. Much more difficult with the iPhone. I look for stable ROMs for the S2 and haven't had any crashes. YMMV.
I've played with the Apple stuff. Meh. It's nice for sure, but I didn't find it head and shoulders above a comparable Android device. And Apple has app issues too; Apple Maps anyone?
Apple maps works just fine for almost all people. The only really big issues have to do with the 3D building flyover stuff, which Google maps did not have at the time (don;t know if they've added it). There was also some bad data from their mapping partners, which they fix as they are made aware of it. Not like Google Maps has never had any probklems. In fact, I've had more navigation issues with Google Maps than with Apple Maps, though it has not been very many issues there either.
I've used Apple Maps to navigate around Anaheim, Salt Lake City, Boise, and some other places and have always gotten right where I want to go without issue.
There are a bunch of websites comparing them, and you find just as many glitches on both sides.
Did I read somewhere about the S4 being able to track eye movement while looking at the screen or am I making that up?
This^
In the 3 or more years I've been using Android phones, the latest being a Samsung galaxy S2 and probably going to an HTC, I've never found micro USB fragile. It's been the defacto standard for the better. Even Apple pissed their own people off going to the lightning connector when they'd used the other connector for years and the lightning brings no value IMO. Just another connector since they wouldn't dare embrace micro USB just for the sake of being different and proprietary.
This is just ignorant.
There are LOTS of blogs and reports of micro USB ports getting lose, breaking, etc. micro USB is a lot more fragile.
And Lightning has LOTS of advantages over both the older 30 pin system and the micro USB. Go read some TECHNICAL sites that know what they are talking about to inform yourself.
And its not like other phones never change their connector. Older phones used mini USB then they all changed to micro USB and now they are changing to micro USB variants that have more lines or whatever to do HDMI over USB and stuff like that.
That's one thing I can say about Android vendors is they don't promise or imply revolutionary updates (except the GB to ICS update which was great IMO) that are fail like the iPhone 4 to 5 debacle.
What iPhone 4 to iPhone 5 debacle? Seriously, what are you talking about? The iPhone 5 is heads and shoulder above the iPhone 4/4S.
Not all inovations are splashing yet useless features that 1% of the people use.
I do see a bad trend with Android phones. Some of them (haven't seen the S3 or S4) are designed "unibody" and there's no battery access panel :( another reason I dislike Apple. After the warranty Apple charges just to crack the device open and replace the relatively costly battery.
By the time the iPhone battery is bad, you will be on your 2nd replacement device.
Go look at the studies at how many people actually replace batteries. It is like a very very very small percentage. The unibody provides a lot of benefits that far outweigh the disadvantages for most people. This is for Android AND iPhone and any other vendor who adopts such a form factor.
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There's a sweet spot for me with Android screen size...the Note being too large and the S2/S3 and majority of HTC size being ideal. At least they offer the customer a choice.
As far as the app crashes you mention that's the trade off with open source apps if you download 3rd party apps. I've had little to no crashes with a stock phone and well rated apps and ones from reliable vendors. The Android platform began later than iOS so has had more growing pains. Each OS release for the most part has been a welcome advancement in technology from an app coding perspective IMO and has become a lot more stable.
If you root and don't know what you're doing you can easily screw up an Android phone but for the most part you can remove vendor bloatware and increase battery life and response dramatically. Much more difficult with the iPhone. I look for stable ROMs for the S2 and haven't had any crashes. YMMV.
The iPhone is already more stable and much more responsive (google Android Lag which is still a problem and evident in Samsungs S4 videos)
Its great that we have choice. If Android works better for you, rock on! If iPhone works better for you, rock on!
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I hate Micro USB. It is fragile.
Bloated enhanced Android may have lag issues, though my wife's stock GS3 is fine; vanilla Android on current hardware is snappy as hell.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
This is just ignorant.
There are LOTS of blogs and reports of micro USB ports getting lose, breaking, etc. micro USB is a lot more fragile.
And Lightning has LOTS of advantages over both the older 30 pin system and the micro USB. Go read some TECHNICAL sites that know what they are talking about to inform yourself.
And its not like other phones never change their connector. Older phones used mini USB then they all changed to micro USB and now they are changing to micro USB variants that have more lines or whatever to do HDMI over USB and stuff like that.
What iPhone 4 to iPhone 5 debacle? Seriously, what are you talking about? The iPhone 5 is heads and shoulder above the iPhone 4/4S.
Not all inovations are splashing yet useless features that 1% of the people use.
By the time the iPhone battery is bad, you will be on your 2nd replacement device.
Go look at the studies at how many people actually replace batteries. It is like a very very very small percentage. The unibody provides a lot of benefits that far outweigh the disadvantages for most people. This is for Android AND iPhone and any other vendor who adopts such a form factor.
The iPhone is already more stable and much more responsive (google Android Lag which is still a problem and evident in Samsungs S4 videos)
Its great that we have choice. If Android works better for you, rock on! If iPhone works better for you, rock on!
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I'll try to be a little more respectful than calling your opinions or so called research and studies ignorant. If you're relying on blogs and reports of USB micro being fragile that's laughable. The Apple connectors may be more robust but then again there may be blogs and internet reports of them being POS. Doesn't mean I'll rely on 2nd hand opinions. My wife broke her old iPod connector but we've never had issues with micro USB on our Android phones in over 4 years. That's why I posted my personal experience not what people that may have abused the connector. Take care of your shit and it will last. Abuse it and expect it to break.
Please cite your "TECHNICAL" sources that report the advantages of the lightning connector rather than just saying it's better and please show me the so called studies showing actual iPhone/iPad battery replacement. Then I'll acknowledge my misinformation.
I've said in other threads I like the Mac mini and also like the iPad and have never used a Macbook so I'm by far an Apple hater. You on the other hand sound like a fanboy getting butthurt and trying to justify your purchases.
I'll try to be a little more respectful than calling your opinions or so called research and studies ignorant. If you're relying on blogs and reports of USB micro being fragile that's laughable. The Apple connectors may be more robust but then again there may be blogs and internet reports of them being POS. Doesn't mean I'll rely on 2nd hand opinions. My wife broke her old iPod connector but we've never had issues with micro USB on our Android phones in over 4 years. That's why I posted my personal experience not what people that may have abused the connector. Take care of your shit and it will last. Abuse it and expect it to break.
Please cite your "TECHNICAL" sources that report the advantages of the lightning connector rather than just saying it's better and please show me the so called studies showing actual iPhone/iPad battery replacement. Then I'll acknowledge my misinformation.
I've said in other threads I like the Mac mini and also like the iPad and have never used a Macbook so I'm by far an Apple hater. You on the other hand sound like a fanboy getting butthurt and trying to justify your purchases.
I've posted the Lightning connector advantages in M4C before. (Links to said). You may search for that post if you wish. I don't care to AGAIN take the time to go find it. Suffice it to say, the Lightning connector is much more technologically advanced than the normal microUSB connector and a lot more robust. Newer versions of the microUSB are being invented to try and catch up with the functionalities. [IIRC, things like full charge capacity at the same time as 2-way data exchange, amongst other things like re-assignable pins].
Most people acknowledge that the microUSB ports are much more fragile (and/or the connectors to them). Besides numerous concurrences in M4C from people, blogs are a good way to gauge as you get a wide cross section of people reporting their personal experiences. My own personal experience matches that. I have many devices (no phones) that use the microUSB port. They get loose, and the connectors get easily damaged. I have a bunch of devices that you have to fiddle with to get the charging connector to make good contact inside the microUSB port due to the frequency of plugging stuff in and out.
I don't have the data myself, and a quick Google search did not quickly find it, but I have read several studies that show that most people who have/had phones or other devices with removable/changeable batteries never did so. That matches my own personal experience. I never once replaced the battery in any of my cell phones I have ever owned [going back to 1996]. And even my laptops -- I have bought extra batteries for them but have never really used them. In fact, my Macbook Pro 2007 model has an extra battery down on my table. Still in factory sealed box. And my personal experience is that ALL of my cell phones, from old feature phones to iPhones, have had batteries that lasted (in terms of usable life) much longer than I kept the original device. My original 2G iPhone, which I got in Dec 2007, still has very respectable battery life. It gets used by my kids to play games. It may not get used as much now as the almost 2 years that I used it as a phone (I did not upgrade to iPhone 3G but waited for 3GS) but still gets charged frequently and used frequently and is still going strong in terms of battery life. Is it 100% of what it was as new? no. But it is still very usable over 5 years later.
I sound like a fanboy who gets butt hurt to try and justify my purchase? Hardly. I don't need to go around making up stuff and pointing to fake advantages to try and justify my purchases.
If you value a removable battery, then by all means purchase a device that supports a removable battery. Most people don't need that. Trying to cite it as a general advantage is ignorant based on the market not caring about that (and no practical advantage). And removable batteries have disadvantages -- device stiffness goes down, foreign material can more easily get in, and it is harder [did not say impossible] to get thin and light devices with it (you can, as Samsung witnesses, but you have trade offs -- plastic construction is probably one of them, as a guess, to reduce weight), and you have less design freedom.
If more than a handful of haters cared about the removable battery, I think more companies would be making removable batteries instead of more and more companies getting rid of them.
To bring it back to the S4. I am excited about many of the new features, because it is a testing ground for them. Most of the features are probably useless in day to day life, but not all, and it allows the market to speak about which features are worth pursuing.
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There are many more, but this is an interesting link regarding the lightning connector: http://brockerhoff.net/blog/2012/09/23/boom-pins/
In another topic, I also posted a different link.
One take away is that lightning can push more current through than can microUSB. There are many other take aways.
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JBecker 72
03-16-13, 18:53
The micro USB on my HTC Evo 4G was getting very loose after 2 years of use. It would often times get nudged out of position slightly and stop charging. This happened all the time in my truck when charging on the road.
So far the lightning connector seems like a very good connection, and it can be plugged in either way. I wasn't too keen on spending $20 for a second lightning/USB at Walmart today, but I needed one for my truck, and it was cheaper than at the Sprint store by a fair amount.
I will probably get the GS4. Then again, I also want to know what Google X is going to be...but I don't really care or Motorola gear.
Belmont31R
03-18-13, 20:23
This^
In the 3 or more years I've been using Android phones, the latest being a Samsung galaxy S2 and probably going to an HTC, I've never found micro USB fragile. It's been the defacto standard for the better. Even Apple pissed their own people off going to the lightning connector when they'd used the other connector for years and the lightning brings no value IMO. Just another connector since they wouldn't dare embrace micro USB just for the sake of being different and proprietary.
That's one thing I can say about Android vendors is they don't promise or imply revolutionary updates (except the GB to ICS update which was great IMO) that are fail like the iPhone 4 to 5 debacle. I do see a bad trend with Android phones. Some of them (haven't seen the S3 or S4) are designed "unibody" and there's no battery access panel :( another reason I dislike Apple. After the warranty Apple charges just to crack the device open and replace the relatively costly battery.
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There's a sweet spot for me with Android screen size...the Note being too large and the S2/S3 and majority of HTC size being ideal. At least they offer the customer a choice.
As far as the app crashes you mention that's the trade off with open source apps if you download 3rd party apps. I've had little to no crashes with a stock phone and well rated apps and ones from reliable vendors. The Android platform began later than iOS so has had more growing pains. Each OS release for the most part has been a welcome advancement in technology from an app coding perspective IMO and has become a lot more stable.
If you root and don't know what you're doing you can easily screw up an Android phone but for the most part you can remove vendor bloatware and increase battery life and response dramatically. Much more difficult with the iPhone. I look for stable ROMs for the S2 and haven't had any crashes. YMMV.
I've never met someone who had to change the battery on an iPhone where they got charged for it.
The iPhone has the LEAST amount of bloat and no carrier apps or branding. That is why it took so long for Verizon to carry it. Verizon wants to take over every phone they sell, and sell Verizon only models like the Droid DNA. What the iPhone does come with has ZERO impact on the phone.
RE the Lightning connector...of course people will be upset the new stuff doesn't work with the old stuff. Is Apple supposed to have the old 30 pin around for the rest of eternity? It cost me $30 to buy a USB power adapter for the car, and for a new cable. WOW! :rolleyes: At least they standardize stuff across multiple product lines. We have a Samsung Tab 2 which has a different connector than my wife's Galaxy S3....oh the horror!
Micro USB is fragile. We have a small pile of them here that don't work right anymore. Luckily the Samsung OEM ones are only a few dollars on Amazon. Those little hooks to keep the connector in place don't last, and end up flopping out of the phone unless you keep it perfectly still.
Belmont31R
03-19-13, 00:06
For future S4 owners: http://youtu.be/v3ezbVr1THU :p
For future S4 owners: http://youtu.be/v3ezbVr1THU :p
This is for retards who use the stock ROM.
For future S4 owners: http://youtu.be/v3ezbVr1THU :p
There will be a modified recovery soon after it's released to root and remove the bloatware. A 5-10 minute how-to and anyone with basic computer skills is GTG.
Belmont31R
03-20-13, 16:48
There will be a modified recovery soon after it's released to root and remove the bloatware. A 5-10 minute how-to and anyone with basic computer skills is GTG.
I did that with our S3 but I think Android doesn't handle background apps very well, and at the point of rooting or installing other ROM's you're basically just buying the hardware. How many people actually do that? I can check my wife's S3 at any given time, and it's using close to a gig or a lot of times over a gig of RAM. In short Android needs a lot more hardware specs to run as smoothly as some other phones...even Windows phone is very fluid.
Watching the hands on videos of the new HTC, Sony, and Samsung phones they still hang up from time to time despite running processors way above whats in iPhone or any Windows phone and having 2 gigs of high speed RAM. Yes Android has improved fluidity a lot....but it will end up taking six months from when Google releases it before they show up on non-Nexus phones if you are lucky.
Most devices running Android are not the flagship phones, though, especially in the rest of the world. How long has Google had 4.2.X out? They list how many Android devices that access the play store are running what type of Android OS: http://developer.android.com/about/dashboards/index.html Less than 2% are running 4.2 which has been out for how long now? Months? How long has 4.1 been out? Only 14% running 4.1...
With iOS 60% of all iOS devices ever sold are running the current 6.X version, and that number was from January. Apple just has WAY better control over updates, and screw having to rely on ATT and Samsung to update.
On a side note Google Keep just came out which is a notes type thing for Google Now. Looks kinda cool.
I did that with our S3 but I think Android doesn't handle background apps very well, and at the point of rooting or installing other ROM's you're basically just buying the hardware. How many people actually do that? I can check my wife's S3 at any given time, and it's using close to a gig or a lot of times over a gig of RAM. In short Android needs a lot more hardware specs to run as smoothly as some other phones...even Windows phone is very fluid.
Watching the hands on videos of the new HTC, Sony, and Samsung phones they still hang up from time to time despite running processors way above whats in iPhone or any Windows phone and having 2 gigs of high speed RAM. Yes Android has improved fluidity a lot....but it will end up taking six months from when Google releases it before they show up on non-Nexus phones if you are lucky.
Most devices running Android are not the flagship phones, though, especially in the rest of the world. How long has Google had 4.2.X out? They list how many Android devices that access the play store are running what type of Android OS: http://developer.android.com/about/dashboards/index.html Less than 2% are running 4.2 which has been out for how long now? Months? How long has 4.1 been out? Only 14% running 4.1...
With iOS 60% of all iOS devices ever sold are running the current 6.X version, and that number was from January. Apple just has WAY better control over updates, and screw having to rely on ATT and Samsung to update.
On a side note Google Keep just came out which is a notes type thing for Google Now. Looks kinda cool.
And still Android accounts for about 53% of the US smartphone market and the iPhone only has 34%. Globally the numbers are about 75% Android and 15% iPhone.
The Galaxy S3 has one gig of RAM same as the iPhone 5.
It's a big misconception that using more RAM is bad and that you need to constantly kill tasks or run a task manager. Systems like Android, iOS, and Linux built off Unix backgrounds benefit from keeping most apps in RAM. Unused RAM is wasted and it doesn't cost any CPU cycles to keep something in RAM. If an app is taken out of the cache it's much slower and resource intensive to reload the app and so the system lags and the battery drains faster.
Android apps have to be developed in Java and run on the JVM on top of the OS. iOS apps are written in native Objective C which probably accounts for some of their snappiness but apps are much more restricted to the system resources and features they can access. I would prefer Android apps be written in native C or C++ but at least they aren't as difficult to access the system with. It's a double edged sword because that also allows easier malicious access or just inexperienced programmers to screw up more. Stick with the Google Play store and check the app reviews. Bad apps get rooted out or voted down fairly quickly.
Belmont31R
03-21-13, 00:51
And still Android accounts for about 53% of the US smartphone market and the iPhone only has 34%. Globally the numbers are about 75% Android and 15% iPhone.
The Galaxy S3 has one gig of RAM same as the iPhone 5.
It's a big misconception that using more RAM is bad and that you need to constantly kill tasks or run a task manager. Systems like Android, iOS, and Linux built off Unix backgrounds benefit from keeping most apps in RAM. Unused RAM is wasted and it doesn't cost any CPU cycles to keep something in RAM. If an app is taken out of the cache it's much slower and resource intensive to reload the app and so the system lags and the battery drains faster.
Android apps have to be developed in Java and run on the JVM on top of the OS. iOS apps are written in native Objective C which probably accounts for some of their snappiness but apps are much more restricted to the system resources and features they can access. I would prefer Android apps be written in native C or C++ but at least they aren't as difficult to access the system with. It's a double edged sword because that also allows easier malicious access or just inexperienced programmers to screw up more. Stick with the Google Play store and check the app reviews. Bad apps get rooted out or voted down fairly quickly.
The international S3 has 1 gig and a different CPU. The US S3 has 2 gigs.
There are dozens of companies producing devices which run Android...so it's not a far stretch to see why world wide they would have such a big marketshare. Especially with all the cheap Asian companies that sell them for $100. Even go to a BB in the US and they have like 5 cheap Android tablets just to sell something to someone. The cheapest iOS new current gen tablet is $329. The cheapest off contract iPhone (4) is still like $400 something IIRC.
I'm actually amazed, world wide, Apple still puts out those numbers. And like I posted the link to almost half the Android devices out there are running an OS from 2010. Less than 2% are running 4.2. The HTC One, which is delayed, is still running 4.1.
The international S3 has 1 gig and a different CPU. The US S3 has 2 gigs.
There are dozens of companies producing devices which run Android...so it's not a far stretch to see why world wide they would have such a big marketshare. Especially with all the cheap Asian companies that sell them for $100. Even go to a BB in the US and they have like 5 cheap Android tablets just to sell something to someone. The cheapest iOS new current gen tablet is $329. The cheapest off contract iPhone (4) is still like $400 something IIRC.
I'm actually amazed, world wide, Apple still puts out those numbers. And like I posted the link to almost half the Android devices out there are running an OS from 2010. Less than 2% are running 4.2. The HTC One, which is delayed, is still running 4.1.
Even better to have 2 gig and only using around 1 gig. It's better to have and not need than vice versa and if you start swapping processes in and out of memory then see how bad performance takes a hit.
BTW my usage numbers didn't include tablets just phones. Comparing Android devices to Apple devices is like comparing PCs to Macs. How many PCs are still running XP and 7 and users are perfectly happy? How many PCs are cheap junk and people still buy them only to complain knowing there are nicer more dependable ones for a little more. Most phones running Android 2.3.x are 4.0.x capable but the problem isn't the OS it's the phone manufacturers usually not releasing hardware driver source code like camera and HDMI so ROM developers usually can't use them. This is especially true with prepaid phones.
The latest and greatest OS isn't always the best. Android releases have so many devices to target so the base image has to be custom tailored (and yes, too much bloatware is normally added) yet iOS only targets a handful of devices and still is sometimes released with significant bugs.
Belmont31R
03-21-13, 01:51
Even better to have 2 gig and only using around 1 gig. It's better to have and not need than vice versa and if you start swapping processes in and out of memory then see how bad performance takes a hit.
BTW my usage numbers didn't include tablets just phones. Comparing Android devices to Apple devices is like comparing PCs to Macs. How many PCs are still running XP and 7 and users are perfectly happy? How many PCs are cheap junk and people still buy them only to complain knowing there are nicer more dependable ones for a little more. Most phones running Android 2.3.x are 4.0.x capable but the problem isn't the OS it's the phone manufacturers usually not releasing hardware driver source code like camera and HDMI so ROM developers usually can't use them. This is especially true with prepaid phones.
The latest and greatest OS isn't always the best. Android releases have so many devices to target so the base image has to be custom tailored (and yes, too much bloatware is normally added) yet iOS only targets a handful of devices and still is sometimes released with significant bugs.
That is why I will probably never own another device where I have to rely on the carrier to give me an update. I way prefer to deal with Apple, and the only thing ATT has to do with the phone is the SIM card so I get a signal.
Tablets or phones...doesn't make a difference. Apple has yet to release a non flagship phone. Yes you can get older ones for cheaper but they aren't releasing 10 different phones throwing them out there to sell at Walmart for $30. That isn't their market. Open source Android can have that market, and it doesn't really matter what market share they have in total. They aren't in the business to sell cheap prepaid phones that come in blister packs.
What does a $30 blister pack Walmart phone have to do with a Galaxy S4 anyway?
Belmont31R
03-21-13, 02:02
What does a $30 blister pack Walmart phone have to do with a Galaxy S4 anyway?
Now you don't want to talk about it...ok...
No it just seems futile to argue with someone who starts a thread about a phone that hasn't even been released yet just to basically trash it and most anything Android while singing Apple's praises. Yes, Apple is good at many things but their borderline nazi control turns many off and so does the price. That works good for the casual user and most iPhone/iPad users are OK with a pretty much vanilla OS because it is Apple. My iPod touch serves its purpose well but I just can't pay dearly for a phone with such a tiny screen.
Why Android carriers decide to install huge desktop widgets to do everything from ping the weather towers every minute, check stock tips, show realtime RSS news feeds, etc. that novices don't know they can delete or disable is beyond me especially when they're hurting their customers' battery life. It's like Windows PCs coming with so much bloatware that their practically unusable until cleaned up. You would think power users would start demanding a vanilla Android image to install like when you could still get a full Windows installation DVD. Luckily quite a few apps can be disabled since 4.0.x even if they can't be uninstalled. Otherwise I root, backup, uninstall non essential apps, and if anything behaves funny roll back the backup. That doesn't mean you have to install a custom ROM.
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