Time for a new cell phone

AdamZ

AdamZ

Touchdown! Greaser!
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Adam Zucker
Well its time for a new cell phone. My Droid X is seriously circling the drain. So what to get???

Apple iPhone

Samsung Galaxy S4

Droid DNA

Which would you pick and why?
 
AdamZ said:
Well its time for a new cell phone. My Droid X is seriously circling the drain. So what to get???

Apple iPhone

Samsung Galaxy S4

Droid DNA

Which would you pick and why?
Click to expand...

What's the mission? :goofy:
 
By the model (and age) of your phone, I would guess you may still be "grandfathered in" to the unlimited data plan (if you are on Verizon). If you go with a new phone, you will lose the unlimited data. This may or may not be an issue to you.

My Droid X is also circling the drain. I just ordered a Galaxy S3 off eBay. By providing my own phone, I can still stay under my unlimited data plan. I just have to get it activated at a Verizon store. I was leery of buying a phone off eBay, but I've talked to people who have done it multiple times and had no problems. I hope it will go well for me.

By the way, your old phone won't have any trade-in value. I'm planning to keep mine to use as a wi-fi only device. It will still run apps, too. I saw a suggestion that you can get a $25 bluetooth connector and hook it up as an engine monitor for your car. There may be aviation uses for it, too.
 
JOhnH said:
What's the mission? :goofy:
Click to expand...

good question, John, following is what I use my current droid X for:

In no particular order;

Phone calls.
Texting.
some games.
Various apps including on that holds all my passwords, Timers, Alarm Clocks. calculator etc.
GPS for driving.
I use it occasionally for browsing would use it more but current phone is slow.
Camera.
email from three accounts.
Sync with office outlook calendar, this is important.

Also if it matters both my home and work computers are PCs and my office desktop is a PC but I do have an iPad.
 
Erice, I am on the Verizon network and there are about 5 phones on our plan now. Not sure if that matters.
 
Erice said:
By the model (and age) of your phone, I would guess you may still be "grandfathered in" to the unlimited data plan (if you are on Verizon). If you go with a new phone, you will lose the unlimited data. This may or may not be an issue to you.
Click to expand...
I also did my upgrade through an eBay vendor -- -who I later found to be the same one Newegg uses. Did not have to set foot in a Verizon store, or talk to them on the phone, which was a huge bonus. The only time I truly hate Verizon is when I have to deal with their salesdroids. Regardless of what you do, you're not going to be able to avoid their $40 "upgrade fee".

I'd go for a Galaxy S3 or S4. I am done with Motorola (now owned by Google) phones. I used to be sold on Motorla hardware; the phones were bulletproof and highly reliable. This unfortunately did not last past the original Razr (the silver flip one). My Droid2 Global died hard after about a year with no abuse, and my Droid3 has been nothing but one disappointment after another. Two of my sons have Razr models of one sort or another, and I wouldn't take theirs either one of them. On the other hand, I am seriously lusting after my wife's... well, her Galaxy S3, too. ;) It's everything I wish mine were.
 
Since, you have an iPad already, there is some cool connectivity between the iPhone and iPad. When you text other apple users, it synchronizes that with the iPad and you can interchangeably text between devices. It will also stream photos between devices and also your PC's that have iTunes installed and of course, if you have Foreflight, you can use it as a backup device.
 
If you have an iPad, with ForeFlight, the logical choice would be an iPhone with ForeFlight.

Backup device, plus, nice to have ForeFlight on your phone.
 
Erice said:
By the model (and age) of your phone, I would guess you may still be "grandfathered in" to the unlimited data plan (if you are on Verizon). If you go with a new phone, you will lose the unlimited data. This may or may not be an issue to you.
Click to expand...

If you buy an unsubsidized phone - either from Verizon or eBay or elsewhere - you can retain the unlimited data plan. But you have to specifically ask Verizon for an unsubsidized phone or they will stick you with a subsidized phone and dump you onto a new data plan.

JoseCuervo said:
If you have an iPad, with ForeFlight, the logical choice would be an iPhone with ForeFlight.

Backup device, plus, nice to have ForeFlight on your phone.
Click to expand...

Good advice.

Adam, I've been on Android for a long time now, but since Google has become much more aggressive at wanting you logged in and fully trackable on everything you do (across all platforms), I am of the mind to go over to Apple for my next phone. The amount of data Google collects and uses far, far outweighs the value they provide to you with so-called "free" services they provide. It is outright scary how much data they have collected & that people willingly give. And it's really difficult to find all the switches to stop transferring data to Google servers - on one software update, Google decided to send everything I put in my local address book to their servers, which was something I *really* did not want to happen (because they will mine that to determine connections between people). It makes Facebook look like amateurs.

I have an iPad & see an iPhone as the logical step as a backup for flight apps. No, the iPhone is not perfect, and yes it is more closed that Android (though AT&T seems determined to close down the Androids operating on their network).

The real question is how much you have invested in the Android ecosystem (e.g. how many paid apps) that won't transfer over to Apple. You have to consider that cost, too.
 
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Thanks Bill I value your advice as well as every one else who posted to answer your question about investment all of the apps on my droid are free apps.
 
I switched from an iPhone 4 to the Samsung S3. What a difference. The S3 is faster, bigger and user friendly. I can get WX radar while airborne which I could not do before with the iPhone 4. Strongly recommend it.

José
 
Get a dumb phone, carry the ipad when you have to belong to this stupid electronic world. Smart phones owners are ghey zombies.
 
Although, the iPhone 5 is a huge leap beyond the 4 in terms of speed and processing power. The Galaxy is just too big for me to use as a phone to carry around plus I feel it's not nearly as intuitive to operate as an iPhone. And as others have stated, if you already have an iPad, the phone operates exactly the same way.

I really like the free Apple to Apple texts and calls I can call my friends overseas that have iPhones and send texts for free, using wifi on each end. Actually you don't need wifi for texts, just for free calls and video chats.
 
ClimbnSink said:
Get a dumb phone, carry the ipad when you have to belong to this stupid electronic world. Smart phones owners are ghey zombies.
Click to expand...

On the surface, that sounds a tad harsh, but it probably isn't bad advice, particularly if you already have a data plan for the iPad.
 
I think I could count the people I know without iphones on less than one hand. That isn't to say that it is the best, but I have long lost track of what else is out there, aside from generally knowing there are androids (my best bud growing up who is like 6'6" has the really big one and it looks normal in his hand). So that is not helpful at all, but I will say that I have never been unhappy with my iphone, which can't be said for any other phone I had before it. I also put it through the washing machine for about 5 mins before I realized what I had done. After forcing shutdown, putting it in rice out in the sun for a long weekend, and then going flying with it (cabin pressure got up to about 15k and cleared all the water out behind the display glass that was distorting color/image), it was back to normal. I'll say that I have had some persistent weirdness with the speaker and output/headphone jack after it took its big dip, but even counting that, I call it pretty durable.
 
Sac Arrow said:
On the surface, that sounds a tad harsh, but it probably isn't bad advice, particularly if you already have a data plan for the iPad.
Click to expand...

I play for laughs with a little bit of real advice sometimes mixed in.:wink2:
 
I just bought a Galaxy Note 2. I wanted the s-pen and huge screen. So far, no complaints, I am on Verizon.

I also have a Note 2 10.1 tablet and I like the consistency between platforms.

The phone was $199, or $298 with accessory bundle, but I had to pay CA sales tax on the full $800+ retail price.
 
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iOS is more stable had has far more, better quality apps. It's also more secure out of the box, even if you decide that you don't mind Google watching you. That's the plus to having more of a "closed" ecosystem.

Whatever you decide to get, you might want to consider a refurbished device (directly from the manufacturer or carrier) rather than a brand new one. At least with Apple devices, refurbished comes with a one-year warranty just as a brand new device. I'm not sure whether Verizon sells refurbished equipment (or iPhones specifically), but I know that AT&T does, though they seem to be frequently out of stock.


JKG
 
Don't forget the Nexus4 too while you are looking. Pure Android without the bloat-ware! Mine rocks in comparison to the iPhone I replaced, but I've never been a big Apple fan anyway.
 
DaleB said:
I also did my upgrade through an eBay vendor -- -who I later found to be the same one Newegg uses. Did not have to set foot in a Verizon store, or talk to them on the phone, which was a huge bonus. The only time I truly hate Verizon is when I have to deal with their salesdroids. Regardless of what you do, you're not going to be able to avoid their $40 "upgrade fee".
Click to expand...

My wife is having trouble with her Galaxy S. They sent her a replacement, but that one was more trouble. The manager at the Verizon store said he thinks its a battery problem, but since they don't carry the battery anymore, he would waive the upgrade fee is she got a new phone.
 
I am gong through this now. Here's where I'm at:

Nexus 4: Best there is, but not available on Verizon.

Droid DNA: Flat awesome phone. Downsides: No expandable memory (no SD card, etc), and no removable battery.

Samsung Galaxy S3: Flat awesome phone. Downsides: Superseded by Galaxy S4 (but now costs MUCH less).
If you don't need the latest and greatest, the S3 is a fantastic phone andhas a great bang for the buck right now.

Galaxy S4: The best out there right now. But you'll pay for it.

Droid Razr Maxx HD: I have the Droid Razr Maxx (not HD) and love it. Loads and loads of battery life. It's not quad core and whatnot, but phones have just about reached the point of declining returns where PCs are, where doubling the number of cores opens an app .1 seconds faster... Big deal.
If you CANNOT have a dead battery, the Razr Maxx is the only choice.

IPhone 4s: Cheap now, but no LTE.
IPhone 5: LTE, but don't underestimate the PITA factor of the switch from 30 pin to Lightning connector. Proprietary, they have a chip embedded that can prevent 3rd party accessories from working right.
I got an IPad Mini, realized just how mad this was going to be, and returned it for an IPad 3 (full size) and a Nexus 7.

PS - Have you tried wiping, doing a factory reset, and restoring the Droid X? I had a Droid (and an IPhone) that I thought were dying. A complete reset and restore and they were good as new.
 
I just traded in an iPhone 4 for a galaxy S4. I haven't figured out a great replacement for ForeFlight and there is a learning curve for sure but the S4 is awesome.
 
Erice said:
I saw a suggestion that you can get a $25 bluetooth connector and hook it up as an engine monitor for your car. There may be aviation uses for it, too.
Click to expand...

I have the automotive Bluetooth dongle, gotten off Amazon and App (called Torque) and it is a truly awesome diagnostic tool for about $30 total. You can monitor stuff real time and log data to a .CSV file. It will also reset the check engine light as well.
 
Sac Arrow said:
On the surface, that sounds a tad harsh, but it probably isn't bad advice, particularly if you already have a data plan for the iPad.
Click to expand...

I've been tempted to do that instead of upgrading the ailing iPhone 4 that's been dropped too many times. But with Foreflight, I want the spare device to go with the iPad.

Other than that, I'd go iPad plus data and dumb (sounds good, holds phone calls better, isn't fragile) phone combo.
 
denverpilot said:
I've been tempted to do that instead of upgrading the ailing iPhone 4 that's been dropped too many times. But with Foreflight, I want the spare device to go with the iPad.

Other than that, I'd go iPad plus data and dumb (sounds good, holds phone calls better, isn't fragile) phone combo.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I'm only willing to pay for one data plan and it's on the Iphone. So I use the Ipad with Foreflight as my primary chart/nav device and the Iphone for a backup, and to occasionally get real time wx updates in flight.
 
I got a new Droid Razr Maxx HD a couple of months ago and have been very happy with it. The battery life is amazing - even with WiFi, Bluetooth, and 4G all enabled, (but without a lot of app usages) I can run 2 full days on a charge. If I'm streaming Pandora over 4G, I can go for about 8 hours on one charge. With my Droid3, I could go about 3 hours of streaming before I needed to plug it in.

The Razr Maxx HD seems faster processing as well.
 
35 AoA said:
I think I could count the people I know without iphones on less than one hand.
Click to expand...

You need a more diverse set of friends! I have iPhone friends, tons of Android friends and a few Windows Phone friends!

For me, iPhones are just too small. I'm sure they'll eventually get with the program and give options, as they've done in the iPad world after staunchly resisting the smaller form factor. They'll do the same in upsizing the iPhone.
 
So quick question. I currently sync the Outlook calendar on my office PC desk top with my Droid X by syncing with Google Calendar. I must have my office calander synced on my phone. Can I still do this via Google Calendar if I decide to buy the iPhone 5? If not can I do it via another method?
 
AdamZ said:
So quick question. I currently sync the Outlook calendar on my office PC desk top with my Droid X by syncing with Google Calendar. I must have my office calander synced on my phone. Can I still do this via Google Calendar if I decide to buy the iPhone 5? If not can I do it via another method?
Click to expand...

Androids and iPhones are both licensed for Microsoft ActiveSync and will sync directly with Exchange. Do you have an Exchange server? Are you publishing ActiveSync? Both phones can also sync with Google mail and calendar. They will manage multiple calendars to a single calendar, if you like.
 
I love my Galaxy so much (s2) that I'm getting the S4 when I'm allowed to (July or later). I used to swear by Blackberry, but I do so much with this phone I've gone over a week without picking up a computer / laptop / ipad in my apartment. I even watch streaming Netflix on 4G / the network at the gym and it doesn't run out of battery or skip during the stream. It has pretty much replaced everything in my life. I browse the web. I buy things online. I take HD video. I make phone calls and texts. I install free apps.

Yes, it is HUGE.
 
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denverpilot said:
I've been tempted to do that instead of upgrading the ailing iPhone 4 that's been dropped too many times. But with Foreflight, I want the spare device to go with the iPad.

Other than that, I'd go iPad plus data and dumb (sounds good, holds phone calls better, isn't fragile) phone combo.
Click to expand...

I started with a BlackBerry, then eventually moved to a dumb phone and iPad with data plan. Almost everything I'd want the smartphone for works better on the iPad, with the exception of e-mail portability, but the latter isn't even that big of a deal most of the time. I prefer working on the iPad's larger screen (with or without a Bluetooth keyboard), and the contract-free data plan is less expensive than what I'd be tied to with a smartphone. My "dumb" phone has Bluetooth and connects to my car's hands-free kit just fine. I've been tempted, but never able to justify the enormous monthly cost increase to move to a smartphone plan with "features" that I can't change and don't need.


JKG
 
John221us said:
Wow, so many places to take this...:wink2:
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Wait until you see the mechanic thread. They go there. A lot. Then again, all you have to say to your hangar neighbor from my last visit to your airport:

"Don't touch my nozzle!!!"
 
kimberlyanne546 said:
Wait until you see the mechanic thread. They go there. A lot. Then again, all you have to say to your hangar neighbor from my last visit to your airport:

"Don't touch my nozzle!!!"
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Well you were the one trying to handle his nozzle :D To be fair, it may have still been pretty hot, or had he blasted off, yet.
 
John221us said:
Well you were the one trying to handle his nozzle :D To be fair, it may have still been pretty hot, or had he blasted off, yet.
Click to expand...

Well I'm sure you can understand why I wanted to see it. I've never seen a jet up close before. Let alone an experimental jet.
 
DaleB said:
Regardless of what you do, you're not going to be able to avoid their $40 "upgrade fee".
Click to expand...

I got my new-to-me S3 in the mail today. But before it got here, I was out doing errands and stopped in at a Verizon (corporate) store this morning. They said they would give me a free sim card, and showed me how to go to verizonwireless.com and put it on my plan as a replacement to my old DROIDX.

There is a Verizon (franchise) store in my neighborhood. When the phone got here, I took it to the franchise store. They said they couldn't give me a sim card, but they could sell me one for $10.

I can report back later, but it appears that if you can find a corporate store, and if you are willing to follow your way through the verizonwireless.com process, you might be able to avoid any extra fees...
 
Erice said:
I can report back later, but it appears that if you can find a corporate store, and if you are willing to follow your way through the verizonwireless.com process, you might be able to avoid any extra fees...
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Good luck. I thought that too, until it showed up on my bill.
 
CJones said:
I got a new Droid Razr Maxx HD a couple of months ago and have been very happy with it. The battery life is amazing - even with WiFi, Bluetooth, and 4G all enabled, (but without a lot of app usages) I can run 2 full days on a charge. If I'm streaming Pandora over 4G, I can go for about 8 hours on one charge. With my Droid3, I could go about 3 hours of streaming before I needed to plug it in.

The Razr Maxx HD seems faster processing as well.
Click to expand...

Razr Maxx HD is on my wish list. I have a Bionic and would like to upgrade in a few months.
 
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