Mobile phones & tablets thread

[janneppi]

I've upgraded purchase project to a new status.
I'm now considering getting a new smartphone.

Looks like my PC found out I'm thinking of upgrading electronics and decided to get in on the action by crapping the graphics card or power unit.

Not sure it's worth getting new components for a 6 year old PC so I might have to start building a new one. Estimated cost for a good package without a monitor is about 700-800 eur. Jolly good fun.

[Malbec]

I guess I'm just not a typical user, I don't find myself using apps all that much really. I use the web version of facebook on my phone unless I'm uploading and tagging photos in which case I use the built in facebook. I use last.fm when I'm in the shower to play music and I use a couple of weather apps. Perhaps I don't know what I'm missing, but I just don't feel the need to move because of apps.

Do real normal people really use that many apps? At the moment I look for apps that improve the utility of my phone but after that I suspect I won't visit the store for months on end, just as with my android phones. I've often found this idea that the huge number of apps on one OS or another will swing things to be a bit of a geeky misrepresentation of things.

Lumia 920 has a fantastic camera, has 4g (probably not really much of a factor tbh), does wireless charging and the Ativ S is slimmer, has a bigger screen, is lighter and the screen was a bit more vibrant I thought.

The camera on the 920 really is fantastic but on the other hand wireless charging seems like little more than a gimmick. Also the battery life really isn't that great on the 920.

Another thing you need to think about is that there is little performance difference between the 620 through to the 920 for the casual user, personally I think the 820 offers by far the best value for money.

[airshifter]

I think there are more than enough apps for just about any phone or device these days. Once the novelty wears off and the device becomes more than just a toy, the majority of people I know don't end up using all that many apps really. I don't have many at all, and don't even use my phone for music.

Around the area where I live, I can't think of a single person I know that has a Windows phone. People just don't seem to buy them.

[henners88]

Do real normal people really use that many apps? At the moment I look for apps that improve the utility of my phone but after that I suspect I won't visit the store for months on end, just as with my android phones. I've often found this idea that the huge number of apps on one OS or another will swing things to be a bit of a geeky misrepresentation of things.

I download the odd app to try out new things. I quite like discovering new things and ways to use devices. I hope I'm normal lol. I do find the app store for iOS is a lot more appealing than the Play Store in terms of bringing useful apps to your attention. I use an app called 'App Gratis' and it notifies you daily of a free app that has been made available for 24 hours only. Some have been complete rubbish but I've also had some great apps and saved money by not having to buy them. Apps are not for everyone but they are the major pull for any operating system at the moment.

The camera on the 920 really is fantastic but on the other hand wireless charging seems like little more than a gimmick. Also the battery life really isn't that great on the 920.

From what I have heard the camera is one of the best out there. Having said that the camera's have always been pretty good on the Nokia's I've owned because of the Carl Zeiss influence. Many phone manufacturers boast 12, 13, 14 megapixel camera's but if the lens is crap, you aren't going to get a picture worthy of the hype. Nokia teamed up with a good lens manufacturer early on. The iPhone camara is very good, but it'll never be better than a purpose built compact or DSLR. Its always going to be a basic handy point and shoot feature. Having a fairly good camera on your phone is better than having a rubbish one of course lol.

Wireless charging is only ever going to be a gimmick IMO. Having a charging mat that is plugged in rather than plugging the end of the cable in to your phone is just an alternative rather than solving a problem. Its cool, but its not a unique selling point for everybody.

[Dave B]

I think there are more than enough apps for just about any phone or device these days. Once the novelty wears off and the device becomes more than just a toy, the majority of people I know don't end up using all that many apps really. I don't have many at all, and don't even use my phone for music.

I'd be interested in seeing figures for app usage, as opposed to downloads. I suspect that many people do indeed download apps and ignore them once the novelty wears off. I've got about 100 apps on my phone, about a quarter of which I use regularly, about half of which I use occasionally, and the other quarter of which I'm too lazy to uninstall.

(edit: I've just looked and it's 131)

[Dave B]

Wireless charging is only ever going to be a gimmick IMO. Having a charging mat that is plugged in rather than plugging the end of the cable in to your phone is just an alternative rather than solving a problem. Its cool, but its not a unique selling point for everybody.

I'm not so sure. It should be so easy to standardise that before long I think we'll see wireless charging pads in cars and on public transport. And don't forget that docking stations are starting to appear that play music via NFC while simultaneously charging the handset. I can see a time where we laugh at the olden days when we still plugged things in.

[Daniel]

That's why I've never had any issues with my windows phone and the comparative lack of apps.

I use it as a phone and to browse the net and post on forums and such.

The only thing which I would really like is iPlayer support.

[henners88]

I'm not so sure. It should be so easy to standardise that before long I think we'll see wireless charging pads in cars and on public transport. And don't forget that docking stations are starting to appear that play music via NFC while simultaneously charging the handset. I can see a time where we laugh at the olden days when we still plugged things in.

I understand the point about wireless charging on the move but right now I'd rather have a thin cable than a charging mat to pack in my case.

[henners88]

My brother in law got the deal of the century on eBay last week when he picked up a brand new Microsoft Surface tablet 32GB for 200 quid! The guy who put it on spelt Surface with an 'i' ('Sirface') and only two others were bidding on the item. Its a nice tablet indeed, but a lot closer to a laptop than an actual tablet. Its also a lot thinner than I expected it to be. I would have had one for 200 quid.

[Daniel]

personally I wouldn't have a surface rt