Buying my first smart phone - Should it be an Iphone?

Forums › Apple iOS and devices › Buying my first smart phone - Should it be an Iphone?

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#480356 12-Jun-2011 17:05

antoniosk: I really recommend the Apple extended cover for when the widget gets dropped,

Applecare doesn't cover accidental damage, does it? I understood that it was only for faulty parts and workmanship.

Still, it's probably worthwhile to get it if you're a novice user as the ongoing phone support could be very useful.

Technofreak

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#480359 12-Jun-2011 17:12

antoniosk: Given a choice, and if the OS was actually any good, I would still choose Nokia. But the OS isn't anymore, and the phone choices are rubbish imho.

Spoken like a true iPhone owner.

There's nothing wrong with the Nokia OS (Symbian), the GUI isn't as flashy as the likes of the iPhone however the OS is efficient and works very well. It seems that the OS is judged by how flashy the GUI is and not what the OS can do.

As for the phone choices I guess that's a matter of personal taste. This is one area that lets the iPhone down in my opinion, you have only one choice unlike Android or Symbian which provide much better choices than the iPhone. They have a multitude of choices to suit personal tastes, non touch qwerty key boards, small touch screen to large touch screen, touch with pop out qwerty etc.

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alasta

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#480378 12-Jun-2011 18:07

Technofreak:There's nothing wrong with the Nokia OS (Symbian), the GUI isn't as flashy as the likes of the iPhone however the OS is efficient and works very well. It seems that the OS is judged by how flashy the GUI is and not what the OS can do.

That's a valid comment if you're tech savvy, but for a novice user a hostile GUI can potentially prevent them from unleashing the full feature set of the device that they're using.

Technofreak

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#480398 12-Jun-2011 19:12

alasta: That's a valid comment if you're tech savvy,

Are you trying to say iPhone owners aren't as smart as some other smart phone owners.

alasta: but for a novice user a hostile GUI can potentially prevent them from unleashing the full feature set of the device that they're using.

I agree that the Nokia GUI isn't as nice a some others but I'm not sure hostile is a term I would use, in fact quite the opposite for people coming from another Nokia. It gets the job done without any fuss and the OS has plenty of functionality.

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lokhor

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#480401 12-Jun-2011 19:18

Technofreak:
alasta: That's a valid comment if you're tech savvy,

Are you trying to say iPhone owners aren't as smart as some other smart phone owners.

alasta: but for a novice user a hostile GUI can potentially prevent them from unleashing the full feature set of the device that they're using.

I agree that the Nokia GUI isn't as nice a some others but I'm not sure hostile is a term I would use, in fact quite the opposite for people coming from another Nokia. It gets the job done without any fuss and the OS has plenty of functionality.

tech savvy <> smart

iPhone users are typically not as tech savvy as Android users but not necessarily any less intelligent. Perhaps in a way they are more intelligent as they will need to spend less time figuring out how to use their phone.

I wouldn't use Symbian as it's a dying OS on the way out and is lacking a lot of functionality present in more modern mobile OSes that were designed for touchscreens. Try comparing the Symbian browser to that of Android (which has a ton of options on the market also) or the Safari browser of iOS.

All comments are my own opinion, and not that of my employer unless explicitly stated.

alasta

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#480409 12-Jun-2011 19:48

Technofreak: Are you trying to say iPhone owners aren't as smart as some other smart phone owners.

I think lokhor has already summed up my thoughts on this. The fact that someone is less tech savvy than you doesn't give you the right to look down on them or deride them. Some people are into tinkering and some aren't, and there is a legitimate market for any manufacturer who wants to engineer their product for the latter.

alasta: I agree that the Nokia GUI isn't as nice a some others but I'm not sure hostile is a term I would use, in fact quite the opposite for people coming from another Nokia. It gets the job done without any fuss and the OS has plenty of functionality.

I have never used a Nokia smart phone, or anything other than an iPhone, so I don't have any opinions on that. I was merely making the point that for some people ease of use is a make or break factor despite this being trivial for more experienced users.

tdgeek

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#480415 12-Jun-2011 20:09

---The fact that someone is less tech savvy than you doesn't give you the right to look down on them or deride them. ---

A slightly rash assumption. I am an iphone user, but I am tech savvy. I take the same reasons that the Android users have in my desktop computing. Customise what I want, the way I want, whether this is how I setup Win 7 or how I design and spec my gaming PC. Or how I tweak my CPU/video/OS for my flight sim. This is why I dont use a MAC. However, to me, a phone is not what I live on, so while I could and would be happy with a fully customisabe Android, my phone is a utility device, so I opt for its design. I also prefer iTunes for file syncing and management.

So while an Android is highly tweakable, don't assume that an iPhone is for the tech challenged.

I'm glad us iPhone people don't put out the equivalent of the Apple sux , iTunes sux attitudes than some of the Android people do.

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Technofreak

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#480417 12-Jun-2011 20:11

lokhor: iPhone users are typically not as tech savvy as Android users but not necessarily any less intelligent. Perhaps in a way they are more intelligent as they will need to spend less time figuring out how to use their phone.

I wouldn't use Symbian as it's a dying OS on the way out and is lacking a lot of functionality present in more modern mobile OSes that were designed for touchscreens. Try comparing the Symbian browser to that of Android (which has a ton of options on the market also) or the Safari browser of iOS.

I hope you realise my tech savy/smart comment was tongue in cheek. Hence the

at the end of my comment.

Sure Symbian has a finite life, but that doesn't stop it being an option, it will be supported for the life of the phone, there's still updates being released.

FWIW I use SPB Shell as a GUI on the Nokia, which certainly gives it a much enhanced look.

I'm not sure I agree with your functionality comment. To me functionality is more to do with what the OS can do, not how you access the functions, i.e. touchscreen inputs.

Agree that the standard Nokia browser could be better, however there has been a recent update which may have improved things. I use Opera as it allows me to sync my bookmarks with my PC. The functionality of the Nokia allows me to set Opera as the default browser when other applications need to go online. Do other OS's give you that sort of choice?

I'm not suggesting Symbian is perfect, because it's not, but it's a whole lot better than some give it credit for. There are plenty of apps (like SPB Shell and Opera) to make changes to those areas you think need improving.

For anyone deciding on a smart phone, it doesn't really matter what OS you buy, be it iOS, Android, Symbian, WebOS, Phone 7, they all have their good and bad points. You need to decide what features/functions you want and then choose the phone which best meets you needs.

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michaelmurfy

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#480423 12-Jun-2011 20:20

tdgeek: ---The fact that someone is less tech savvy than you doesn't give you the right to look down on them or deride them. ---

A slightly rash assumption. I am an iphone user, but I am tech savvy. I take the same reasons that the Android users have in my desktop computing. Customise what I want, the way I want, whether this is how I setup Win 7 or how I design and spec my gaming PC. Or how I tweak my CPU/video/OS for my flight sim. This is why I dont use a MAC. However, to me, a phone is not what I live on, so while I could and would be happy with a fully customisabe Android, my phone is a utility device, so I opt for its design. I also prefer iTunes for file syncing and management.

So while an Android is highly tweakable, don't assume that an iPhone is for the tech challenged.

I'm glad us iPhone people don't put out the equivalent of the Apple sux , iTunes sux attitudes than some of the Android people do.

That post did slightly sound like something a priest would say in a church, only about god.

Android = those people who don't believe in Religion.

Therefore, Android = Atheists and iPhone = Godbots

Atheists have the full right to say bad things about Religion, I am sorry I can't be in your religion since it goes against Atheism but it's fine, I am not here to judge.

*Runs to avoid Banhammer* - Right, can everyone stop being Bias and actually recommend a phone? Or do I have to do all the work around here?

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nitrotech

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#480427 12-Jun-2011 20:51

I really don't think you'd regret buying an iPhone - yes they are expensive but very easy to use and the most widely supported by developers.

I've had a 3g, 3gs and now iphone 4 - the 4 has some nifty features like wifi hotspot and is quadband WCDMA so is fully compatible with all networks.

I have noticed the iPhone 4 does infact suffer from poor antenna design - holding it by the metal surrounds drops me several bars and sometimes makes it switch back to 2G.

You can take a look at some of the reviews at http://www.youtube.com/user/nitrotech1000

I can put up an iphone 4 review if if would help you.

ArtooDetoo

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#480451 12-Jun-2011 22:34

I'm a Mac user and live in a household whose members use iPhones and iPods. But I use an Android device as a smartphone. Because it's better for me. I enjoy the excitement that the 'wild west' of Android offers, the options and the stunning performance that the never-ending stream of ever-more-functional Android devices can deliver.

If you're not necessarily into being excited by your smartphone and prefer a more cautious, predictable approach, then the iPhone and iOS will make you very happy.

And can people stop with the bollocks that the iOS app store's apps are in some way superior to the Android Market's? What app do you want that isn't available on the Android Market? Or is the old 'everybody knows app store apps are better quality' meme at play. Whatever you need or want to do with your phone, there's an app for it on iOS and Android. Or 100 apps. Or maybe 1000. How many is enough?

Make your decision on what you feel good about buying and using, even if that means going with whatever herd you are happiest following. It's not like you define yourself by the phone you use, is it?

Good luck with your search.

Cheers,
R2D2

Galaxy S has gone to its new owner. HTC Sensation has gone to its new
owner. Galaxy S3 has gone to its new owner. Now using Galaxy Note 3. Skipping Note 4 I think...

michaelmurfy

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#480458 12-Jun-2011 23:07

ArtooDetoo: I'm a Mac user and live in a household whose members use iPhones and iPods. But I use an Android device as a smartphone. Because it's better for me. I enjoy the excitement that the 'wild west' of Android offers, the options and the stunning performance that the never-ending stream of ever-more-functional Android devices can deliver.

If you're not necessarily into being excited by your smartphone and prefer a more cautious, predictable approach, then the iPhone and iOS will make you very happy.

And can people stop with the bollocks that the iOS app store's apps are in some way superior to the Android Market's? What app do you want that isn't available on the Android Market? Or is the old 'everybody knows app store apps are better quality' meme at play. Whatever you need or want to do with your phone, there's an app for it on iOS and Android. Or 100 apps. Or maybe 1000. How many is enough?

Make your decision on what you feel good about buying and using, even if that means going with whatever herd you are happiest following. It's not like you define yourself by the phone you use, is it?

Good luck with your search.

Cheers,
R2D2

Very good and well-written response :) Kudos.

tdgeek

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#480472 12-Jun-2011 23:38

---michaelmurfy Right, can everyone stop being Bias and actually recommend a phone? Or do I have to do all the work around here? ---

Well spoken, perhaps refer the OP to your website http://murfy.co.nz/

billgates

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#480473 12-Jun-2011 23:49

tdgeek: ---michaelmurfy Right, can everyone stop being Bias and actually recommend a phone? Or do I have to do all the work around here? ---

Well spoken, perhaps refer the OP to your website http://murfy.co.nz/

Cool website, he even wrote an article on me today. Check it out!

http://www.murfy.co.nz/?p=612

Do whatever you want to do man.

tdgeek

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#480476 12-Jun-2011 23:56

Yeah I did, its very much against bias, so I thought the OP will get value from that.

Hopefully one day, if I am successful I may get a mention too!!

Is SteveJobs taken as a Geekzone username?

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