Android phones, apps and tablets

For the adventurous, S3 + CyanogenMod 10.

Think I might try it soon, only had this two days and the differencessation between cm10 on my sgs1 and Samsung's sgs3 ICS build are starting to annoy me.

I'm holding out for the new Nexus. I have decided. It cannot come soon enough.

If you have a large iTunes music collection and are in the Mac ecosystem and happy with iTunes itself, then stay with the iPhone... you are now locked in for good.

Locked in for good is a bit strong really. I have a Mac and a reasonable sized music collection, but still get by fine with a nexus and won't be considering changing to anything else soon.

If you have a large iTunes music collection and are in the Mac ecosystem and happy with iTunes itself, then stay with the iPhone... you are now locked in for good.

If you're free to move around, or prefer Gmail and Google Maps and generally use Spotify or your own music, then go Android.

If you want Android, then the Nexus phones even though outdated still provide the best software experience.

The Samsung Galaxy S3 provides the best hardware experience.

Though I personally believe that software matters more than hardware and that the Nexus phones trump the better hardware provided by the more recently released S3 (or top of the line HTC phones such as the One X).

Today, I would still get the Galaxy Nexus.

That said... back in May, Google announced that "Fall" would see the release of several new Nexus phones. So it may be that if you're good for another month or two then your best option is just to wait for a bit. This is the pre-Christmas bit where you know a load of good products will come out with shipping dates around mid-November.

tl:dr

Today:
Love Apple? Stick with the iPhone.
Love hardware specs? Get the Galaxy S3.
Love the best software? Get the Galaxy Nexus.

In a month or two:
Forget everything else, get the new Nexus.

I'd love this to be true, but just as a caveat I'm running the most recent Android OS (4 point something) and whilst eBay and Kindle applications both work flawlessly on iOS 6 (iPhone 4S work handset) they don't on Android.

My experience is that the Android version of an Application is in general the poor relation to the iOS version, in terms of reliability and functionality.

If you have a large iTunes music collection and are in the Mac ecosystem and happy with iTunes itself, then stay with the iPhone... you are now locked in for good.

If you're free to move around, or prefer Gmail and Google Maps and generally use Spotify or your own music, then go Android.

If you want Android, then the Nexus phones even though outdated still provide the best software experience.

The Samsung Galaxy S3 provides the best hardware experience.

Though I personally believe that software matters more than hardware and that the Nexus phones trump the better hardware provided by the more recently released S3 (or top of the line HTC phones such as the One X).

Today, I would still get the Galaxy Nexus.

That said... back in May, Google announced that "Fall" would see the release of several new Nexus phones. So it may be that if you're good for another month or two then your best option is just to wait for a bit. This is the pre-Christmas bit where you know a load of good products will come out with shipping dates around mid-November.

tl:dr

Today:
Love Apple? Stick with the iPhone.
Love hardware specs? Get the Galaxy S3.
Love the best software? Get the Galaxy Nexus.

In a month or two:
Forget everything else, get the new Nexus.

Nexus are now 280 something on Amazon. I like mine. The end.

Vodafone, I still cant wait to jump ship, they barely offer any reception where I am :|

But my contract is

Your Plan comes with 900 minutes, unlimited texts and 750MB mobile internet , 2GB BT Openzone Wi-Fi

For 41 pm

I'd love this to be true, but just as a caveat I'm running the most recent Android OS (4 point something) and whilst eBay and Kindle applications both work flawlessly on iOS 6 (iPhone 4S work handset) they don't on Android.

My experience is that the Android version of an Application is in general the poor relation to the iOS version, in terms of reliability and functionality.

My ebay works fine now. As should yours.

What's up with the kindle app?

Locked in for good is a bit strong really. I have a Mac and a reasonable sized music collection, but still get by fine with a nexus and won't be considering changing to anything else soon.

For those who went:
iPod > iPhone

Their iPhone is their music player and to no longer have it is a big deal. The lock-in is there, if one of the use-cases for the iPhone was as an iPod for your existing music collection.

I'd love this to be true, but just as a caveat I'm running the most recent Android OS (4 point something) and whilst eBay and Kindle applications both work flawlessly on iOS 6 (iPhone 4S work handset) they don't on Android.

My experience is that the Android version of an Application is in general the poor relation to the iOS version, in terms of reliability and functionality.

That's OK, anecdotes being what they are my experience with an iPhone is much the same as yours with an (unnamed) Android.

Nexus are now 280 something on Amazon. I like mine. The end.

Typical, ages of you disagreeing, and now you won't even consider arguing.

It wasn't the concept of Nexus I disliked, obviously. It was that I liked Sense and disliked Samsung.

The only reason I got it was Mum wanted a smartphone and there was nothing else worthy of my coin. Are you listening HTC?

I just got a Huawei Asceng g300... fine it's chinese, but for £80 from tesco there isn't much to go wrong. 1Ghz processor, 4 inch screen and 5MP camera.

What's not to like!

I gave my HTC One X to my dad.

It's his first ever smart phone.

Or indeed, his first ever phone with a colour screen and the ability to send an email.

In fact, it's his first ever phone with the ability to send and receive a picture. The phone he had before couldn't even do MMS or WAP.

He's flattened the battery 4 times today alone. I suspect it's not charging properly because it's discharging constantly. He has the screen on 100% brightness and is playing around.

I'm getting phone calls such as "How do I can the bar with the blue bits back?" which translates as "I've removed the power widget".

I'm struggling to help as I don't know HTC Sense that well, but I know enough to know it's not how you do it in vanilla Android.

Still... fairly chuffed that my dad likes it.

He's chuffed that he can listen to Rockabilly whilst he does an hour on his spin bike.

Three are going to regret giving him an unlimited data contract.

Really interested in their definition of "fair use". For someone that has never been online, how do you define fair use? I mean... you can't reasonably expect such a person to be able to know and gauge the behaviour patterns of others and what the average use might be.

In the 3 hours I was there getting him started he had already downloaded over 200MB of data.

Go Dads!

Voice podcasts seem to be about 30MB/h, 200MB sounds about right for a decent amount of music. Go Team VB!

My ebay works fine now. As should yours.

What's up with the kindle app?

I purchased a new eBook on my Note, specified that it download to my Kindle.

Went into the archive to download it onto my Note, no sign of it.

Looked on my Kindle- yep, there.

Got my iPhone out, looked in the archive- there it was, downloaded it.

There followed ~30 minutes of repeatedly syncing to try to get the Note to accept that there was a new book in the archive, to no effect.

The Android App is quite a way behind the iOS App in terms of usability anyway, but this was just fucking irritating.

I gave up in the end.

@VB- you might call it anecdote, but the simple truth is that until Google release both the software and the hardware, and exercise iron control over both then the Android ecosystem will continue to diverge, causing fuckups as it goes.

I want to like Android- I keep buying Android handsets, but it's delusional to call Android the equal of iOS, and it's never going to be given the political situation which makes me like Android.

it's delusional to call Android the equal of iOS

Yeah, iOS just ain't as good.

#letshaveafanboiflamewar

Work gave me an iPhone 4S, I purchased a Note.

I'm on Androids side here, just trying to be honest about things.

climbs into flameproof Volvo and exits stage left

Anyone know how I can stop my Galaxy Note randomly rebooting?

Leave it switched off?

On a more helpfull note, have you installed anything new recently? Could be that, or you could back everything up and and do a factory reset, see if it helps.

Three are going to regret giving him an unlimited data contract.

Really interested in their definition of "fair use". For someone that has never been online, how do you define fair use? I mean... you can't reasonably expect such a person to be able to know and gauge the behaviour patterns of others and what the average use might be.

In the 3 hours I was there getting him started he had already downloaded over 200MB of data.

I went onto one of these in July. In the first month I used 3.36 GB of data on mobile data, in the second I used 2.51, and so far in the third I've hit 586 MB in 5 days. The first month was worst due to all my apps deciding they would come down again as fast as they could. I've not heard from them.

Looking for recommendations for new unlocked phone....not after top end. Just want great battery and performance woth 4" screen. Have beeen more tah happy with my huawei blaze so thinking of the huawei honor...which i can get factory unlocked for 178. Any other suggestions in this price range?

thanks.

My mum has a S3 phone, and it's the 2nd smartphone she's had but the most easiest for her to understand it! Bless 'er

Has anybody got an experience with replacement batteries off ebay?

Is 3500mAh for a tenner too good to be true?

I went onto one of these in July. In the first month I used 3.36 GB of data on mobile data, in the second I used 2.51, and so far in the third I've hit 586 MB in 5 days. The first month was worst due to all my apps deciding they would come down again as fast as they could. I've not heard from them.

If they're similar to giffgaff, you need to be looking at15+ before they start raising eyebrows.

I am mournfully lamenting that I may not be able to buy the Galaxy Note 2 after all. It appears that it may not have the frequencies required for 4G/LTE in the UK. Bugger, I really did want that phone, above all others.

Memo to all, if you're buying a new Android phone, do consider if it will have 4G/LTE access here in the UK. It's important, as most contracts are 1-2 years, and 4G/LTEis supposed to be rolling out at the end of this year on T-Mobile/Orange. They should be using the 800 MHz frequency, with Europeans using the 2600 MHz frequency. o2 will use another. I can't buy an iPhone, so I'll have to wait. Though, the Galaxy S III is sorted already for the frequency required, which is odd, as the Note 2 is newer.