team

do what the thread title says.

I've been with iPhone for the last 4 years but my current optus plan is coming to an end.

I've been getting recurring issues with Optus, and so have a lot of friends, so I'm thinking of going Telstra & attempting to bundle
it with my home phone/Internet.

what phone should I get?

all I hear is iPhones are now shit in comparison to others. it seems like the big phones atm are a Nokia one, a samsung one, a htc one & iPhone 5. what is the ultimate choice, and why?

Samsung Galaxy series had features that the iPhone only recently gotten.

What do you want out of a phone?

If you want to use it as a mobile computer I'd highly recommend the Galaxy Note II. The combination of Telstra LTE, the stylus and 720x1080HD display mean you don't need to rely on using mobile sites. I've got large hands and it's an ideal size for me.

If you're just after social networking then I'd suggest the Galaxy SIII LTE, Motorola Razr Maxx (I think that's the top line in Australia) or the latest HTC Android.

Coming from an iPhone an ecosystem may not be a concern for you. But Windows and Android have some heavy integration across services that can be useful.

Tech specs wise, high end devices are very similar. I'd suggest head into a store, decide what OS you want then decide what handset feels good.

Android is the way to go i feel. After the latest Jelly Bean update though on the S3 im not so sure. I hope they will fix a few bugs in the next update, but in general, HTC and Samsung you cant go wrong.

Nexus 4 if it ever comes back in stock, otherwise S3 (that's if you're going Android)

Yeah, except the Nexus 4 isn't LTE capable. Though that may not be of concern. Handled one the other day, nice phone.

Forgot to add that the battery life of my Note II is incredible. I used my Galaxy SII moderately, got about 10 hours a day out of it. I'm using my Note II quite heavily the last couple of days, pretty much streaming music via 4G the entire time as well, and after getting probably 15 hours out of it I've got about 35% left before I recharge over night.

If you're in it for the features and functionality of the iphone, get yourself a Samsung Galaxy. It's like a one-up on the iphone.

Unless you're a hardcore user of the net on your phone I wouldn't go larger than a 4.3" display. I had a Note for a few months but it was just too darn big. It looks ridiculous holding it to your ear and feels enormous in the pocket (not just the phone), you will love the huge screen at first but once the novelty wears off you will resent having to carry a brick around all day. Web browsing is improved but still cumbersome, lots of pinch to zoom to read fine text, etc, and definitely too small as a tablet replacement. I've since downgraded to 4" Android and it's the right balance of screen real estate and ergonomics.

The new Nokia range is simply too heavy - the 920 is 185g compared to 110g for the iphone, you definitely wont approve of feeling like its pulling your pants down all day.

SG3 is a nice phone but has a cheap looking build quality and again the 4.8" screen size is too big for many. Quad core is cool but iPhone 5 A6 dual core processor performs as well as any the market.

IMo you can't go wrong with an iphone. It's light, thin, fast, superb build quality, easy to use, receives software updates for years after purchase and has awesome resale value. The major drawback is itunes which is ridiculously expensive.

As far as I can see the major advantage of Android is the ubiquity of handset and brand chocie, that you can root your phone to do things like overclock the processor, and download movies and other digital content at a much much much much cheaper price than Apple (often 100% cheaper...) but if you have a computer you can do that anyway.

If you want raw power and a big screen go the SG3 otherwise if you want something practical yet still delivers top performance go the iphone 5.

Can only speak highly of my Samsung Galaxy. It pwnz iPhone

Get a SAMSUNG GALAXY and stay away from all Crapple products.

Failing that, fall back upon this:



At least it's guaranteed never to break.

Keen to get my Galaxy S Relay.

-PB

I have a galaxy, I like it more than my old iPhone.

iPhone - but that's because the complete Apple ecosystem is a mile ahead of Google and Microsoft. Google don't do a proper full blown desktop operating system yet (Chrome doesnt cut it) and Microsoft are newcomers to tablets (Windows 8 needs more time). Apple have the phone, desktop and tablet bases covered. Additionally, Apple TV shits on the hit and miss of DLNA.

:lol:

No.

You're back. :lol:

The first Google (Chrome) laptop was only released by Samsung last year. It's not yet a serious player in the desktop market

As an IT Administrator I would love to hear more about this complete ecosystem you refer too.

-PB

It's the vibe of the whole thing, really.

Putting the major issue of stability aside (Windows :lol: Android :lol: ), do you think that Chrome is a more comprehensive operating system than OSX? Do you think Windows 8 for tablets has stood the test of time yet, like iOS?

Chrome; Chromebooks are still relatively new so just like W8 there time in the sun is yet to come however one could say that thanks to the inroads that things like the iPad have made, people will be able to adjust to touch technologies irrespective of their running OS.

Chromebooks are also aimed to fill an incredibly cheap price market aka the Netbook area. They're not aimed to go toe to toe with fully fledged laptops or even tablets (and this is shown by their sub $300 mark).

The reason why they will succeed given slightly more time is because the Google suite is a complete service and continues to grow daily (and is easy to manage with Google Domains) thanks to things like Mail, Maps and Drive (and to a degree G+ which with its integrated voice/video conferencing will continue to strongly compete with Skype and Facetime).

Not to mention the fact that Chromebooks/Netbooks are devices solely used for Internet based apps/programs with storage held in the Cloud and in that matter they can easily compete with any iPad etc. Plus Chrome is pretty much the browser of choice by any general to power browser now days and that along with Google and Android as a whole is brand recognition.

Short answer; yes I feel Chrome OS *is* as extensive as OSX solely because 99% of people who own iMacs and Macbooks are using them basically as a super expensive Facebook machine.

Windows 8; No it hasn't stood the test of time yet simply because it has only been out for a hand full of months, not even a full quarter yet. I believe it will easily do well because of the reason I mentioned previously; iPads have made people able to use things like touch devices and apps. Windows 8 RT is no different to iOS, it has the same features and so forth that iOS can offer just in a different coloured wrapper.

Windows 8 will succeed because it can blur the lines between tablets and laptops ("laplets" which some companies are making now) where they can have full blown OS applications running with their native Windows desktop with their detachable screens/keyboards. Microsoft's Surface tab is slightly overprices, but there are definitely decent offerings from OEM's like HP, Dell and Lenovo which are all exceptional machines.


If anything, Chrome OS and Windows 8 are a welcome change as it should/will push Apple to start innovating again (something they haven't done since the original iPhone was released) as people are starting to realise that they keep chucking up the same old shit with their devices.

-PB

Apologies to pv4 for thread spam.

-PB

Your post refers alot to future not present. In the present, Apple>>>>>>>Google/Microsoft.
Personally speaking, sooooooo glad I ditched my Windows PC for an iMac nearly 2 years ago. Daylight difference in day to day operation.

As for Android, soooooo glad I was able to get a full refund on my two day old Acer tablet running Honeycomb a couple of years ago. What a piece of shit Android was. But but but, Android is more stable than it used to be!! Sorry, I hear that Google still hasn't got it right with Jelly Bean.
Do not regret changing to Apple one bit.
And hence to address the original post, if integration amongst devices is important, then stick with iPhone. Apple is well ahead of Google and Microsoft.
The slogan of 'It. Just. Works.' is so true.

Personally, give me the non spoon fed OS of Android/ Windows 8 any day of the week.

Ok I shall rephrase for the present then.

Wtf is so hard to use about Android/Winmo 7? :idea:

Sorry oz but you sound like the typical French cafe Apple hipster.

Give me technical reasons.

Actually don't, this will turn into the usual Apple V Everyone bla bla bla shit that happens so very often.

pv4, go to a phone shop, get your hands on as many models as you can and make an informed judgement based of non-biased web reviews and prices.

Done.

-PB

Ozboy is just your standard apple fanboy. Craps on and on about how good Apple is, but can't tell you why other than "it just is".

What I see here is a bunch of people that have used both iPhone and Android devices and praising the android devices, whereas ozboy only knows the apple "ecosystem" he lives in.

I'd be inclined to take PB's advice on the matter. Neckbeards know their tech.

It doesn't crash. Pretty good reason.

Just because yours doesn't crash doesn't mean they don't. I've never had any issues with android crashing. My ipod on the other hand...

There's also the durability of the iphone. The number of people I see complaining about cracked screens and all that jazz is insane.

Ever used Winpho7?

Never crashes.

-PB

Got enough insight from Whirlpool forum posts about Android phones to not touch with a barge pole.