simple smart phone newbie questions iphone vs galaxy s

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qwerty7

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#93203 16-Nov-2011 02:01

i am looking at buying either an iphone 3gs or a samsung galaxy i9000

1) How good is the music player on the galaxy s, is it anything like an ipod?

Also i want a phone that has gps but i dont want it to use any data usage so standalone gps

2) can you downlaod maps for free from your home wifi on both the iphone 3gs and i9000, and then use them with the gps on the phone without using any data?

i know the data usage helps speed up the gps if it's assisted but accuracy isnt important as i only want it mainly as a novelty, and i guess i can always switch the gps to assisted if i do need accuracy

gregmcc

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#545822 16-Nov-2011 06:01

qwerty7: i am looking at buying either an iphone 3gs or a samsung galaxy i9000

1) How good is the music player on the galaxy s, is it anything like an ipod?

It all depends on the app you download to play mp3's, there is the standard app usually supplied by the phone maker, but there are lots of other bettere/worse apps avaliable

Also i want a phone that has gps but i dont want it to use any data usage so standalone gps

2) can you downlaod maps for free from your home wifi on both the iphone 3gs and i9000, and then use them with the gps on the phone without using any data?

Can't speak for iphone, but you can pre-cache areas to your phone via wi-fi

i know the data usage helps speed up the gps if it's assisted but accuracy isnt important as i only want it mainly as a novelty, and i guess i can always switch the gps to assisted if i do need accuracy

nakedmolerat

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#545823 16-Nov-2011 06:19

how much are you planning to pay for the iphone 3gs for?

gcorgnet

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#545840 16-Nov-2011 08:06

i know the data usage helps speed up the gps if it's assisted but accuracy isnt important as i only want it mainly as a novelty, and i guess i can always switch the gps to assisted if i do need accuracy

Hi,

Just to clarify: Assisted GPS uses data to speed up the process of finding out the phone's location. This means that even if you have your pre-cached data, you might still end up using small amounts of data if this is enabled on your phone, because the phone will use assisted gps.

Never used an iphone but the gps on Android is pretty cool and even gives you StreetView (would use data as well...). It does turn by turn and also spoken street names.

Cheers,

Guillaume

Dingbatt

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#545866 16-Nov-2011 09:18

Unless things changed, I understood that the GPS in the original Samsung Galaxy S was pretty suspect. And in fact needed some pretty serious firmware hacks to get reasonable operation. Apart from an outstanding screen, the SGS is almost 2 years old. The iPhone 3GS is still receiving iOS updates at the moment I think, but how long before it falls off the back of the truck? And it probably runs like a dog on iOS5.

I guess what I'm getting at is be careful about getting a handset that is effectively 2 generations old if you expect it to operate anywhere near as well as the current generation, particularly without some serious hacking.

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tdgeek

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#545889 16-Nov-2011 09:54

I am an iPhone user, so laying that on the table first.

I agree with Dingbatt, the 3GS is old, but nice. The Galaxy is old (less old) but nice. App wise they will both do what you want but a new phone will be better. For a bit more an iPhone4 or a Galaxy S2? Or perhaps a larger Gb 4 or S2, both via Trademe? If you bought secondhand, from a "keep it mint" freak like me, that would be a good cost option.

You may feel that "I can get a new one later" but it will be cheaper to buy the dream phone now, than lose money on phone #1 before you get your best phone.

iPhone vs Galaxy? Its more about the OS so learn what you do for calling, texting, web, music, etc on both before you buy. Its user preference.

App-wise they both have a gazllion available on their respective app stores.

scuwp

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#545912 16-Nov-2011 10:41

I am in the middle of the exact same choice for a replacement work phone (company choices are limited to just a couple of models) .

For me the choice comes down to what I currently have and how it will integrate with everything else. For example we have other apple devices at home, extensively use iTunes, and have already amassed pretty good collection of apps...so my choice is relatively easy in the iPhone. In addition the iPhone is slightly smaller which to me is a positive as I don't want to carry around a mini-tablet.

At the moment though there is a huge difference in price with the Galaxy S nearly 1/2 that of an iPhone4 so that may come into your decision making at some point.

In addition while both are 'old' models at least the iPhone can run the latest software so to my mind it is more 'current' than the Galaxy S. I don't think the Galaxy S can be (legitimately) upgraded any more (I may stand corrected)

Can't say much about the GPS comparison as I have only used the iPhone and that was very good.

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qwerty7

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#545995 16-Nov-2011 13:07

i know neither of them are new i dont want to spend too much on a phone

what would be better for playing music through a car stereo? if i play music through a car stereo it must charge at the same time.

There seems to be a wide range of headunits which support the iphone but can you play music and charge the galaxy s at the same time through your car stereo or is it not really supported. I searched 'galaxy' in the car stereo section of trademe and there was not one result ?

jeffnz

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#546065 16-Nov-2011 15:08

Is there a point then, in buying older phones that were top of range, maybe you just need an ordinary phone with an ipod if you don't want data costs. Also there are cheap GPS's on trademe brand new for under $100.

Trying to compare 2 old models is a bit of a waste of time. Buy what you need not what you want :)

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qwerty7

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#546079 16-Nov-2011 15:23

yea there is a point to me im a student but apart from that I think $800 which you might drop or potentially loose is allot to carry around in your pocket everyday

Im currently on cdma but i don't like all those cheaper model androids etc I like the classic square iphone look which is why it came down to the 3gs or the galaxy s. Also as they are both the top of the range phones from a few years ago they have many features which the lower range current phones don't have. I would occasionally use the data, even without data there are many advantages of a smartphone over an ordinary phone looks 10 times better, apps, touch screen, connect to home wi-fi etc

myopinion

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#546082 16-Nov-2011 15:27

3GS runs quite well with iOS 5 and you can get a free navigation app like NavFree which has all the maps installed. Probably still uses some data though.

qwerty7

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#546089 16-Nov-2011 15:42

cool, i think the deciding factor for me is going to be the connectivity of the samsung galaxy s to a car stereo. Most of the time i listen to my ipod it is in my car and smart phone battery's do not have the best battery life, even my cdma phones battery life could double that of any smartphone so whatever i get must be able to charge and play music at the same time when connected to a car stereo.

does anyone know if the galaxy s can do this ? are there special samsung plugs there doesn't seem to be any headunits around which advertise samsung connectivity, can it charge and play music though usb? i dont even know if you can play music of the galaxy s though usb ?

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crackrdbycracku

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#546104 16-Nov-2011 16:12

jeffnz: Is there a point then, in buying older phones that were top of range, maybe you just need an ordinary phone with an ipod if you don't want data costs. Also there are cheap GPS's on trademe brand new for under $100.

Trying to compare 2 old models is a bit of a waste of time. Buy what you need not what you want :)

I'm going to agree with this guy.

For the money I would get a basic Nokia, like the C1-01, which will do phone, music and emails. The 3.5 plug should plug to the aux on your car stereo.

Then get a dedicated GPS for the car. Phone GPS is OK when you are walking around or as a second option but not great when driving for a bunch of reasons such as the battery drain.

Smartphones are not that great unless you actually want to do a range of stuff and use the data. Older smartphones are a road to disappointment.

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