cell phones!

bluee

bluee

Line Up and Wait
Joined
May 20, 2010
Messages
753
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VA
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AL
I need a new cell phone, but I can't decide which one. Why do you like or hate your phone? I like the iphone 5s, but never actually used one, but do have an ipad and macbook pro, so the phone would be similar. The Samsung Galaxy S4 is too big, it's enormous. Moto X? Google Nexus 5? Anything else?
 
Samsung Galaxy S3. More phone than you would need. Nice size. And you aren't paying $500 for it.
 
I have a Droid 3, my wife has a Galaxy S3. I'm jealous of hers. That said, I think MY next phone will not be a smart phone. I'm tired of paying an extra $40 a month just so I can check email on my phone... which 90% of the time I could do via wifi with a tablet anyway.
 
Samsung Rugby Pro

Protected against water, sand dust according to MIL-STD-810G . Doesn't work under-water but wont conk out if you drop it onto a desk or something.
 
+1 for Galaxy S3. I got one that's like new on Craig's List for $180. I have it on Ting, along with the wife's LG Marquee. Total bill is usually $28/month. I've been very happy with the phone and carrier.

Here's a $25 discount link for Ting (yes, it pays me $25 if you use it... if you do, I'll pray for you to fly in nothing but tailwinds, every night, for 1 year!): https://zsoll41l892.ting.com/

You can read in detail about my experience with Ting here:
http://forums.androidcentral.com/other-us-carriers/262353-ting-review-25-discount-code.html
 
I have a Samsung S3 and love it. It is about the maximum size I would carry as a smartphone. Easier to read and operate than an Apple iphone.

José
 
Obligatory plug for the iPhone 5s or 5c.

Especially since you already have the iPad and MacBook Pro.

Lots of iCloud benefits - Photostream, iTunes Match, shared Safari Bookmarks, shared Calendar and Contacts, that sort of thing. Plus most of the apps you bought for the iPad will work on the phone.

Those other phones are fine, I'm sure, and probably outpace the iPhones in given areas. And there's the benefit of trying something new as well.

But since you're already invested in, and comfortable with, the Apple ecosystem, an iPhone would be a good choice.
 
I got an iphone 5 so I always have something to take a reasonably good picture with while flying. Otherwise, as a phone, it kinda sucks. Seems like the actual function of calling in buried deep within a whole bunch of other of it's capabilities.
 
Just say no to being a phone zombie. You have an ipad get a regular dumb phone, you might miss something on facebook by a few minutes but you will be happier and the world will be a better place.
 
I have s cheap flip phone. No desire to ever have a smartphone. In fact, if I weren't a pilot, I would have never gotten a cell phone at all. I bought it back when wait times of twenty minutes or more were common in the DC area for Flight Service.
 
I have a BlackBerry Q10, and my wife has an iPhone 5. To be honest, I would have bought the iPhone 5 were it not for my desire for a physical keyboard.

I don't like the Droid OS personally. The new BlackBerry OS 10 feels somewhat droid-esque. While I've made peace with it, if BlackBerry quits making physical keyboards, I'll end up with an iPhone.
 
Corpsmaide said:
No texting while driving
Click to expand...

I read about a guy who drives for a living. He baked a bunch of cookies, shaped and decorated just like an iPhone and holds them while driving.

When the California cops pull him over for talking while driving, he takes a bite out of his cookie and asks, "Is it now Illegal to eat while driving, too?"
 
I have an iPhone with Foreflight as a backup to the iPad mini. I don't carry paper so the iPhone is the backup.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
 
Paul Hamilton said:
I have s cheap flip phone. No desire to ever have a smartphone. In fact, if I weren't a pilot, I would have never gotten a cell phone at all. I bought it back when wait times of twenty minutes or more were common in the DC area for Flight Service.
Click to expand...

I was of the same thinking until my sister in law gave me the S3. There are several pilot utilities on the S3 that are conveinient for pilots. You can check weather satellite, Radar, TFRs winds and others for free on your way to the airport. It also has a built-in GPS for road navigation but you can also use it in-flight. Having the built-in camera eliminates the need to carry one on family trips. I found it to be very helpful on trips to new places.

Get one

José
 
Thanks for the info. I haven't thought of the S3, I will check it out. It's half the price of the iphone 5s, so that's a consideration. Google Nexus 5 got good reviews but no one mentioned it. So it looks like 50/50 iphone and S3.
 
I have both an iPhone 5 and a Galaxy S4.

Both are great but for different reasons.

GS4 has a larger screen so easy to browse websites and reading and also videos. So if it is primarily documents or websites or video then this is my goto phone. It also has a better battery life than the iPhone. And, I do think that maintaining a good signal on the GS4 is better than iPhone as well. Keypad input correction is not as good as iPhone and the mail and messaging apps are not as smooth as iPhone either.

IPhone has Foreflight and the keyboard is better. I've tried every keyboard on Android and nothing compares. I think SwiftKey is closest but still not as good as the iPhone. The screen sucks though it is so small. It is a shame that Foreflight is only available on iOS as having it available on GS4 would be so much more usable. Battery life is not that great so I find that I also carry a USB battery bank if I am traveling and can't be sure I can plug in during the day somewhere.

Because I carry both phones, I have grown to find the screen size on iPhone to be annoying.

Having said all of that, if I had to choose one phone... I'd stick with the iPhone just because of Foreflight as I picked up a Stratus 2 several months ago. Other than that, I know quite a few folks who have had great things to say about the Moto X, the HTC One or One X (smaller screen than the One), and of course the GS4.
 
If you already have the iPad, usually your aviation EFB of choice will allow you to run it on your iPhone too. I have an iPhone 4S and walked into work today and they gave me an iPhone 5S, it's purdy slick. I'd recommend that based on your already owning an iPad.
 
bluee said:
Thanks for the info. I haven't thought of the S3, I will check it out. It's half the price of the iphone 5s, so that's a consideration. Google Nexus 5 got good reviews but no one mentioned it. So it looks like 50/50 iphone and S3.
Click to expand...

The S3 and the S4 are the same size as far as case goes. The S3 has a 4.8 AMOLED screen and the S4 has a 5" AMOLED. S3 is known across all carriers to have reception problems (look it up). I have an S4 and love it and all the features. More features than I can remember to use. My wife has the Galaxy Note3 and I am jealous. It is huge and a powerhouse for multitasking which she does. I had the Droid x and that thing was CRAP!!!!!! I will never buy motorola again. Apple..meh. My vote is S4, you get used to the size and then you will want bigger. The Note crowd loves them and they have outstanding battery life. I charge daily and my wife can go for days between charges.
 
If you want a CELL PHONE (title of thread) get something like this...

a8uqynys.jpg


If you want a pocket computer that doubles as a phone with bad battery life, iPhone or Android.

If you use a Mac, get the pocket computer that integrates with its OS.

If you use a PC, only get the one that integrates with it's OS if you like Metro. Heh.
 
Do you love contracts that lock you into another 2 years? No?, Well do you love $700 phones? No?

Well...

Google makes the Nexus 5. It's $200 to $300 dollars OFF CONTRACT. Yes, you buy the phone and you own it. No sign up for your plan and be sure to sound smug when you tell them you don't want or need a contract.

BTW, I had a Nexus 4 and LOVED it. I wish I had a Nexus 5 but i'm pretty attached to my Moto X at the moment.
 
Unlocked dumb phone with cheap no-contract plan. I get by for less than $20 per month.
 
Ted DuPuis said:
I have a BlackBerry Q10, and my wife has an iPhone 5. To be honest, I would have bought the iPhone 5 were it not for my desire for a physical keyboard.

I don't like the Droid OS personally. The new BlackBerry OS 10 feels somewhat droid-esque. While I've made peace with it, if BlackBerry quits making physical keyboards, I'll end up with an iPhone.
Click to expand...
Ryan Seacrest has your answer. A real keyboard for your i-phone. Last I heard, on sale before Christmas.
 
Company phone is a droid pro. Only half smart. Mine is a droid razr maxx. I also have a couple of blackberrys. I think the next one may be the HTC One Maxx. Just bigger and (I hope) easier to read.
 
denverpilot said:
If you want a CELL PHONE (title of thread) get something like this...

a8uqynys.jpg


If you want a pocket computer that doubles as a phone with bad battery life, iPhone or Android.

If you use a Mac, get the pocket computer that integrates with its OS.

If you use a PC, only get the one that integrates with it's OS if you like Metro. Heh.
Click to expand...

LOL! I'm a little embarrassed to say the phone in your photo is similar to what I am replacing. Six months ago my toddler dropped the phone into the dog's water bowl. It sorta came back to life with a new battery ($4) but it totally died last week. It's time to move on.
 
Captain said:
Do you love contracts that lock you into another 2 years? No?, Well do you love $700 phones? No?

Well...

Google makes the Nexus 5. It's $200 to $300 dollars OFF CONTRACT. Yes, you buy the phone and you own it. No sign up for your plan and be sure to sound smug when you tell them you don't want or need a contract.

BTW, I had a Nexus 4 and LOVED it. I wish I had a Nexus 5 but i'm pretty attached to my Moto X at the moment.
Click to expand...

That's what I was thinking. Is the Nexus 5 unlocked?
 
DaleB said:
I have a Droid 3, my wife has a Galaxy S3. I'm jealous of hers. That said, I think MY next phone will not be a smart phone. I'm tired of paying an extra $40 a month just so I can check email on my phone... which 90% of the time I could do via wifi with a tablet anyway.
Click to expand...

My next phone will be "dumb", but I'll probably move my data plan over to a WiFi hotspot that can support my tablet, laptop, etc. while on the road.
 
bluee said:
That's what I was thinking. Is the Nexus 5 unlocked?
Click to expand...

It is unlocked, however Verizon and Google aren't playing nice over this device.

If you buy a Nexus 5 know that it's location based. If you're buying from North America, you'll be ordering the D820, which has LTE bands for AT&T, Sprint, Rogers, Telus, Wind and T-Mobile (as well as other, smaller carriers). If you're ordering from any other supporting country, you'll be buying the D821, which has LTE Band 1/3/5/7/8/20 support.
 
Captain said:
It is unlocked, however Verizon and Google aren't playing nice over this device.

If you buy a Nexus 5 know that it's location based. If you're buying from North America, you'll be ordering the D820, which has LTE bands for AT&T, Sprint, Rogers, Telus, Wind and T-Mobile (as well as other, smaller carriers). If you're ordering from any other supporting country, you'll be buying the D821, which has LTE Band 1/3/5/7/8/20 support.
Click to expand...

I'm using T-Mobile. However, we do go to Europe a few times per year and I'd like to use the phone there. My T-Moble phone I could use anywhere, but it would be cheaper to buy a local sim card, so I'd like the availability. I also want an unlocked phone so I can buy a local sim card. Are you saying that a US Nexus 5 wont work in Europe?
 
JeffDG said:
My next phone will be "dumb", but I'll probably move my data plan over to a WiFi hotspot that can support my tablet, laptop, etc. while on the road.
Click to expand...

That is the biggest use of the "smart" part of my Droid 4, wifi tethering.
 
Skylane81E said:
That is the biggest use of the "smart" part of my Droid 4, wifi tethering.
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It's our ONLY internet access! Good thing we're grandfathered w/ unlimited data. We got a little carried away this month. A screenshot from yesterday...end of cycle is tomorrow:

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:goofy:


:goofy:
 

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timwinters said:
It's our ONLY internet access! Good thing we're grandfathered w/ unlimited data. We got a little carried away this month. A screenshot from yesterday...end of cycle is tomorrow:

attachment.php

:goofy:


:goofy:
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I live in the country where only satellite is available, jailbroken iPhone and grandfathered unlimited data plan. We also had no cell service, I bought one of those Wilson repeaters and installed on the top of the house (works well BTW). And Wah-la... INTERNETS!!!
 
bartmc said:
I live in the country where only satellite is available,
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That was our situation also until Verizon built a new 4G tower about a mile away that looks right down our valley. Satellite SUCKS bigtime.

A screenshot of what speeds I'm seeing with Verizon...smokin' hot for BFE internet access:

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