Mobile phones & tablets thread

[henners88]

I still wouldn't touch 3 now even if they have got better. They are due to be the last service provider to get 4G when it becomes standard due to their frequency apparently. My brother has an iPhone on 3 and reckons they are great apart from the network coverage being almost none existent in and around Oxfordshire! Yeah fabulous lol. They are super cheap though and you can get an iPhone on a £25 a month contract with all you can eat data, minutes and texts. The others you pay more for but at least you know you get a signal.

Saying that I pay the same amount on O2 having paid I think £260 for the handset of my iPhone 5. I bought it through topcashback after an agent set up the deal for me online and got £70 cashback after 3 months. I paid £190 for the iPhone which was £10 cheaper than I paid for the Incredible S when that first came out. The HTC was on a stupidly cheap monthly tariff though so both worked out cheaper than advertised. Nobody likes paying more than they have to.

[SGWilko]

I still wouldn't touch 3 now even if they have got better. They are due to be the last service provider to get 4G when it becomes standard due to their frequency apparently. My brother has an iPhone on 3 and reckons they are great apart from the network coverage being almost none existent in and around Oxfordshire! Yeah fabulous lol. They are super cheap though and you can get an iPhone on a £25 a month contract with all you can eat data, minutes and texts. The others you pay more for but at least you know you get a signal.

Saying that I pay the same amount on O2 having paid I think £260 for the handset of my iPhone 5. I bought it through topcashback after an agent set up the deal for me online and got £70 cashback after 3 months. I paid £190 for the iPhone which was £10 cheaper than I paid for the Incredible S when that first came out. The HTC was on a stupidly cheap monthly tariff though so both worked out cheaper than advertised. Nobody likes paying more than they have to.

My S3 is on the 3 network. I also have a data SIM on 3. At home, according to speedtest.net, I get a faster down/upload speed on 3 than my Sky ADSL! It is also the only reliable data network when I am holiday on the Norfolk Broads and in Smailholm (remote area in Scottish Borders).

[henners88]

My S3 is on the 3 network. I also have a data SIM on 3. At home, according to speedtest.net, I get a faster down/upload speed on 3 than my Sky ADSL! It is also the only reliable data network when I am holiday on the Norfolk Broads and in Smailholm (remote area in Scottish Borders).

My brother gets signal in West Wales in places I can't, places that are remote. I tend to get better signal more built up area's which is confusing. I won't knock it further as I don't use it, just mentioning my experience in the past with it. I'd probably sooner go with 3 than Orange. My mate's phone bill has gone up again from £36 p/m to nearly £60! He's had a nightmare getting his money back and it seems they are about as sneaky as Sky in terms of secretly putting your bill up.

[SGWilko]

My brother gets signal in West Wales in places I can't, places that are remote. I tend to get better signal more built up area's which is confusing. I won't knock it further as I don't use it, just mentioning my experience in the past with it. I'd probably sooner go with 3 than Orange. My mate's phone bill has gone up again from £36 p/m to nearly £60! He's had a nightmare getting his money back and it seems they are about as sneaky as Sky in terms of secretly putting your bill up.

Yeah, works contract is with T-Mobile, and we've had two uplifts in this current 24mnth contract. Still by far the cheapest per connection with Blackberry mail though.

[Jag_Warrior]

RIM/Blackberry announces a surprise first quarter loss and announces that the PlayBook won't be getting the BB10 OS.

They also announced that their subscriber base shrank by 4 million, to 72 million, and that they only shipped 2.7 million of the new BB10 devices - at the low end of analysts' estimates. The shares (BBRY) are off about 25%/-$3.60 right now, down to $10.85 - down to $10.25 at one point. Time to try to catch a falling knife? Hmm... Since BBRY's management now says they're going to stop providing subscriber numbers going forward, probably not. They obviously see a (bad) trend coming this way.

[Koz]

I mean who the heck wants to buy the new 6.4 inch Xperia Z?? Not me! But I have already heard people considering it.

If it had a flash, I'd buy one right now.

[airshifter]

No, no, not biased at all!

And carrying a device doesn't automatically make you unbiased. There have been a lot of negative things said about Apple, Android and WP in this thread. Where have you defended the other two? But Apple, Apple is a different story.

Just to clarify, the end paragraph about bullying kids into buying iPhones was completely a joke. As I've said, I really don't care which brand people buy. As for defense of Android devices, I defended them with my wallet when I purchased mine. I'll openly admit joking on Windows phones based on my experience of Windows as an OS. But if you look I'll also mention it's simply joking and that I haven't really had any time to use Windows phones of any type. Around here it's hard to find anyone that carries a Windows phone.

I could repeat it a thousand times, but if you're really that slow, then you're not going to get it. My problem has always been Apple's pricing. Never even told anybody not to express their opinions. In fact whenever someone posted that they bought an iPhone in this thread, I have never mocked their choice or device. Others have done so. I either congratulated or stayed away. And you can quote me on this.

The bone to pick always had been with company's exorbitant prices, not the consumer. The consumer can buy whatever they like. You lot have been trying to justify those prices saying Apple is a "luxury" brand for the last two years. This is no longer true. Apple has had to bow to market pressure, because guess what, the consumer has finally decided with their wallets. And not just millions of consumers, but phone review websites have long been criticizing Apple's pricing. The result? 1. Budget iPhone offering. 2. What was once a $200 difference on Amazon between the two major flagship devices from Apple and Samsung, is now only $50. And if the trend continues, I expect it to go even lower.

Pricing in the interest of company profit protects the share holders, and if the consumers keep paying it then Apple has made a smart move. A third the number of products sold at 3 times the profit margin is still good business sense. I've never myself considered Apple a "luxury brand". I think they use a solid OS/limited hardware model that makes their phones easy to use and easy to transition from one to another. I don't think the build quality is anything exciting. They are solid products but so are many other options.

When the thread was originally started, it was really just a thread to bash the iPad. We all see how that worked. Consumers speak with their money, and will continue to do so. I really don't think any single company will dominate the market any time soon. At times some companies will expand, but when the competition releases new tech they usually gain share once again.

You can go back a page and see which posts actually led us here. And if you don't wanna read "negative" opinions on a brand you love? Exercise your right to freedom and add me to your ignore list. Much smoother day for you I promise!

My point was simply that you are the pot calling the kettle black. As I've said I carry an Android device. It seems that you somehow equate that to love for Apple, but that is not the case. I've just identified what I feel are strong and weak points of the devices we own in our family. By the time I want another phone tech will have changed, so no telling what I will purchase. But I'm not going to classify anyone as "you lot" based on them openly having an opinion.

More than a few users here in the forum have made the switch from one to the other over time, and I'm sure they had their reasons for doing so. As long as it suits them..... that's all that matters.

[CaptainRaiden]

If it had a flash, I'd buy one right now.

The huge screen doesn't deter you? I draw the line at 5 inches for a smartphone screen, really. But I guess it's okay as long as you're looking for a phablet.

My point was simply that you are the pot calling the kettle black. As I've said I carry an Android device. It seems that you somehow equate that to love for Apple, but that is not the case. I've just identified what I feel are strong and weak points of the devices we own in our family. By the time I want another phone tech will have changed, so no telling what I will purchase. But I'm not going to classify anyone as "you lot" based on them openly having an opinion.

That assumption was simply based on you almost always defending Apple, and not Android. And again, if you like that brand, there's nothing wrong with that. Somebody who is unbiased wouldn't really care either way, would they?

More than a few users here in the forum have made the switch from one to the other over time, and I'm sure they had their reasons for doing so. As long as it suits them..... that's all that matters.

And? I have never had a problem with people choosing what suits them. I haven't tried to persuade anybody to choose different. I have always almost exclusively criticized Apple's pricing. Now that their pricing is similar to other flagships, I don't have a problem. Simples.

[airshifter]

That assumption was simply based on you almost always defending Apple, and not Android. And again, if you like that brand, there's nothing wrong with that. Somebody who is unbiased wouldn't really care either way, would they?

If I was an Apple fan and thought the product was best for me, I'd have one. I don't mind tweaking with the OS or other various things, so I stuck with my Android device. And as far as Android devices, I can only speak for the device I have, since they all vary so much in specs and ability to live with certain software. For me passing on second hand information isn't really very worthy, so I refrain from doing so.

And once again, this lack of hardware choice is IMO something that gives Apple an advantage in software development. They only have to develop for a limited number of devices, where with Android or WP they have to develop for a lot of choices from a lot of companies.

[BleAivano]

If I was an Apple fan and thought the product was best for me, I'd have one. I don't mind tweaking with the OS or other various things, so I stuck with my Android device. And as far as Android devices, I can only speak for the device I have, since they all vary so much in specs and ability to live with certain software. For me passing on second hand information isn't really very worthy, so I refrain from doing so.

And once again, this lack of hardware choice is IMO something that gives Apple an advantage in software development. They only have to develop for a limited number of devices, where with Android or WP they have to develop for a lot of choices from a lot of companies.

I don't think I can agree with that its just an advantage as it can be a disadvantage as well. Its a bit like A computer vs. game consoles like XB or PS.

The Computer have much larger variances in hardware/software but it usually also allows for more the development of more powerful/advanced applications/software.
While the developers for XB/PS have basically just on set of specs (per console) to develop to but they are on the other hand much more restricted regarding
how advanced/powerful applications they can handle.

In a way its about the same with Iphone vs. Android. IPhones have much smaller variances in hardware then android phones
but the newest high end Android phones with faster cpu. more ram and larger screen allows for more advanced software.