Mobile phones & tablets thread

[henners88]

Heres a good article from an iPhone user who spent 30 days with a WP8 phone. Plenty of positive feedback.

An iPhone Lover's Take on 30 Days with Windows Phone 8

[Malbec]

I was determined to make it last a full 10 years - I made it!

Every non-smartphone I've owned has broken soon after the contract I bought it on expired, which I presumed was intentional to get me to buy a new phone on a new contract and keep demand up. Every smartphone I've had except for the HTC Desire became unusable after a similar period because they couldn't cope with the demands made on them by the OS updates they received.

You must have kept your phone hidden away in bubble wrap to get it to last so long.

I guess phone makers have learnt very well from carmakers, no point in giving too much quality and reliability because that means the consumer will be happy with what they have for too long and they won't be coming back for more in a hurry.

[Malbec]

My shiny new Sony Xperia V arrived today.

Black front, weirdly curvy on the back and waterproofing up the wazoo.

Are you sure its waterproofed?

One of my best friends dropped his in the sink soon after telling me that he didn't see the point in waterproofing phones. Sure enough his Xperia V stopped working once he'd fished it out. He's bought a new Xperia Z instead which most definitely is waterproof.

[Jag_Warrior]

10 years! That's amazing! I can't remember the longest I've had a phone for, I guess my e71 is the one that in recent years I've had for the longest, I've still got it (bought in early 2009) and was using it up until July last year, although there was a year where I didn't use it at all.

It's of no use, but I actually still have the first cellphone that I ever got (1990 or so) that was installed in my car. And here's something else that I just realized: every cellphone that I have ever owned has been a Motorola. That car phone was a Motorola. The StarTacs that I had in the 90's were Motorolas. My last company phones were all Motorolas. And of course, so is the V60. Even the pager I used to carry was a Motorola - I think I still have it too. Weird...

And what do you know: The Motorola StarTAC is Back, in Yellow

I mainly use phones just to talk. I hate texting. I don't do the social network thing. I (only) check emails in the office, at home or when I get back to the hotel. And while it would be helpful to have a feature phone, I've managed to do OK without that for so long, I just don't see the cost/benefit. To be honest, if every facility I have to visit for this new company had ready, easy WiFi access, I'd just stick with Ol' Sparky and use the iPod Touch to access other data. An additional $60/month to have something that I won't use that much! That's several race weekends over the course of a year.

[Jag_Warrior]

You must have kept your phone hidden away in bubble wrap to get it to last so long.

Not at all. It's been dropped numerous times and it's gotten wet many times too, though I've never let it be submersed in water. Other than replacing the antennae and the battery (several times), it's in surprisingly good shape and still works just fine. I've used it every day for the past ten years. I haven't had a landline phone in eight years. So this has been either my primary phone or my secondary phone (when I've worked for companies that gave me a free-use phone).

[janneppi]

Are you sure its waterproofed?

One of my best friends dropped his in the sink soon after telling me that he didn't see the point in waterproofing phones. Sure enough his Xperia V stopped working once he'd fished it out. He's bought a new Xperia Z instead which most definitely is waterproof.

As far as I can thell, both V and Z are IP57, so they should be fine. Although I wouldn't dip either of them in a glass of water. Sealing is done on o-rings that go around the rear plate and it all depends on how well the o-rings sit in place. Besides Sony doesn't mention waterproof, just water resistant.

[Daniel]

Henners' link shows wp8 really well. It's a good is, perhaps not for people who want zillions of apps, but they work just fine and the interface is fantastic If people give wp8 a chance, most will like it

[henners88]

Yeah I posted it because it showed WP8 from a positive perspective. Trying to give a bit of balance plus it addressed the issue of apps quite well.

[SGWilko]

So, how often did you lose your company phone?!

Hah! The things my users would get up to in order to attempt to gat a new phone....

Phones 'run over', left out in the rain, dropped in the bath, sink, toilet!

They don't look so smug when I replace like for like, I can tell you.

We've got one chap, a right PITA, he wants a Z10, and does not realise I'd have to purchase Server 2008 or 2012, then run two versions of BES, just cos he wants a new toy. (And no, I wont use Activesync as then I open a real BYOD nightmare)

[Daniel]

Hah! The things my users would get up to in order to attempt to gat a new phone....

Phones 'run over', left out in the rain, dropped in the bath, sink, toilet!

They don't look so smug when I replace like for like, I can tell you.

We've got one chap, a right PITA, he wants a Z10, and does not realise I'd have to purchase Server 2008 or 2012, then run two versions of BES, just cos he wants a new toy. (And no, I wont use Activesync as then I open a real BYOD nightmare)

Yup. You know what made me laugh once, someone on here once said that people should be able to use personal devices like phones, tablets and their own laptops for work. There are enough issues with viruses in most places without actually getting people to bring their own devices in. Bonkers I tell you....... Hell, they even argued that it made people more productive If only I remembered who it was, oh how I'd laugh