Monday 30 July 2012

Smart (?) phones.

Ok y'all, who has one of these so called smart phones?  I had a Blackberry, which had its little problems (like failing to ring, not giving me a 'reply' option on emails, freezing during text messaging and a couple more things) but I grew to like it, very much.  For some reason though I just didn't get around to taking it to a shop to have it fixed while it was within contract.  So a couple of weeks ago, I was passing a phone shop and decided to pop in to see what my options were for an upgrade.  Upon crossing the shop threshold I stated "I AM NOT BUYING ANYTHING".  After about 4hrs in the shop (including a lunch break to consider the options) I ended up with a Samsung Galaxy 2. I umm'ed and ahhh'ed over an iPhone or HTC or new Blackberry, but I was lured by the swish 8mp camera and the all singing all dancing properties of what I later found out, was a truly 'awesome' phone.  Hmmmm.  Well I've had a few issues to say the least, the biggest problem is the battery life.  I need my phone for maps when I'm out at work, calls and emails and texts and a bit of light surfing.  I also need a phone that I don't have to leave on charge all the time!

So, bloggers, I need your opinions.  What sort of smart phone do you have and how do you rate it in the real world - what sort of battery life do you get if you're using it as intended (I have to switch GPS off between looking for addresses, and turn wifi off when I leave the house so that its not wasting battery hunting for connections).  I've been told I can have a new phone, any make or model on the same contract but sadly I can't have a Blackberry on this partikklar deal.

5 comments:

Bodger said...

Ask ye questions and get ye answers (hopefully).

I've got myself a iPhone which does pretty much what it says on the tin. It does the telephone thing, I can email, do GPS, listen to music (Radio Caroline or Manx Radio TT 365), take pics, Mapquest, go on Faceache, eBay and a buncha other things.

Did I think it was over-rated before I got it? Yep. Am I happy to have it now? YEP! Would I trade it in for sommit else? NOPE!!!!

Battery life isn't too bad unless you're using it to listen to music. But that's to be expected.

It's a case of ya pays your money, you takes your chances! Weight the pros and cons of each phone and decide then.

BTW...got CUB Mag today :)

Hairy Larry said...

Interesting, I'm facing the same sort of quandry about the "upgrade" thing. Been struggling along with an older Samsung smartyphone that is now missing it's back cover...the battery held in with a piece of tape...ringer permanently silenced it seems. Paying for a service that would run a much nicer device...but what to do? For my little laptop I have one of those devices that allows me to get wifi and all that jazz...but basically it's like paying for two cell phone services. I know a lot of the new phones are capable of being "hotspots" to run other devices from. I'm afraid to set foot into "the store", reminds me of walking into a car or motorcycle dealership, and being surrounded by helpful sales persons...
My sisters family are all "I phone people"...just heard on the radio today about the big international lawsuits going on between the I Phone and Samsung peoples, which could cause major upheavals....Yeah, anyone out there have the answers? Have to talk to my nephew with the computer degrees and see what he thinks.

Gorgeous Biker Chick said...

Good news there then Bodger! You'll be pleased to know the mag is free of smartyfone talk. If you were using the iPhone for a whole day of 'business' use, ie mailing, texting, calling, bit of surfing and maybe some navigating, what would you battery life be like? Is it a case of charge it overnight use it for the day and put it back on charge at night?

Larry, you'll have to watch this space too! The Galaxy is a smooth bit of kit but I'm not happy paying for something that a)doesn't do what it says on the tin and b) isn't fit for the job that its supposed to do cos of a naff battery - apparently you can buy spare batts but its a little inconvenient having to remember to charge them and actually take them with you...

Bodger said...

If I just use it as a ...phone....then battery life is pretty good.

But if anything else is used on it, battery life does slowly recede. But it depends on how much it's being used before it's nearly spent.

I charge mine overnight so I know all's well. Also use the car charger if needed as well.

Boils down to personal needs and choices or wants.

Bikefan said...

This is the big problem with all smartphones but to turn off everything you don't need usually makes a significant improvement.

I've had an Iphone for a year now. I was pretty sceptical at first but now I wouldn't be without it.
I use this phone professionally with Wifi, Bluetooth and 3G on all the time, an average day I'm on the phone 2-3 hours per day, I've never run out of juice during a workday and there is usually at least 1/4 left of battery when I get home.
If I turn off Wifi and Bluetooth,like when traveling or on vacation, and don't use the phone too much it lasts for 2-3 days.

My GF has a Galaxy S2 and although I haven't made a real test I think the battery life seems pretty similar. The screen on the Samsung is bigger but the Iphone is more user friendly.
The Iphone screen is made of glass so it's a lot more scratch resistant.

If you drag you'r phone around camping, biking etc Sony has a ruggedized smartphone out now that might be worth having a look at.

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