Wait for The Next iPhone? or SGS3?

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Ham

462 posts

Ultimate Geek

#104002 12-Jun-2012 17:04

I've been holding out for a decent iPhone upgrade from my 3GS which I bought on launch day way back when. The 4 and the 4S just didn't excite me. I'm pretty sure now the next iPhone will have a similar effect.

Any other iPhone users thinking of making the switch to a Samsung S3 or similar? With the rumors of the long skinny body and screen on the next iPhone, I'm pretty close to jumping ship.

Has anyone actually made the switch? and what are your thoughts?

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94 posts

Master Geek

#639801 12-Jun-2012 17:29

Switched from a 4S to Galaxy Note (running ICS) a few days ago... I've configured things more to my liking, and am getting used to it now (the first couple days I was hating life!)

At this point I still much prefer a jailbroken iOS device (I miss Zephyr!), but I'm enjoying using this hardware so will probably use it until iPhone 5 comes out and then make a decision. If you aren't jailbroken with all the tweaks, I see less of a problem transitioning to Android.

I'm still having some trouble typing and using the keyboard on here, I'm using SwiftKey which imo is better than the stock keyboard, but seems far less smooth/efficient/fast as on iOS

Linuxluver

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#639823 12-Jun-2012 17:53

I'm still having some trouble typing and using the keyboard on here, I'm using SwiftKey which imo is better than the stock keyboard, but seems far less smooth/efficient/fast as on iOS

Try Swype or SlideIt.

Once you get used to the swipe keyboards (it can take an hour or a week depending on the user's own mental / physical adaptability) it's really hard to go back to using the other sort.

One small swipe gets you a word. And another. And another. So much easier than pecking out every character....even if you are looking at the predictive window for suggestions.

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I've been on Geekzone over 16 years..... Time flies....

johnr

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#639827 12-Jun-2012 18:04

It comes done to personal choice

zhuyan

177 posts

Master Geek

#639828 12-Jun-2012 18:12

I agree it's purely a matter of personal choice.

My current contract expires next March so I would be in a good position to upgrade to the next generation of iPhone, equipped with the latest iOS6 announced today at WWDC and available this autumn onwards.

Besides it works so well with other apple products and I see more and better integration of OS X and iOS in the near future.

No I won't switch to Samsung/Android

SteveON

1916 posts

Uber Geek

#639831 12-Jun-2012 18:16

Android convert from iPhone... iPhones are far too locked down.

Jaxson

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#639832 12-Jun-2012 18:18

Linuxluver:
I'm still having some trouble typing and using the keyboard on here, I'm using SwiftKey which imo is better than the stock keyboard, but seems far less smooth/efficient/fast as on iOS

Try Swype or SlideIt.

+1

Is there anything like this for iPad etc? I can't believe how long it takes to type something on the iPad compared to swyping on the Android phone.

Hobchild

623 posts

Ultimate Geek

#639836 12-Jun-2012 18:27

You might also what to take into account how much you've spent at the app store.

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wpcnz

94 posts

Master Geek

#639837 12-Jun-2012 18:27

I was using iSwipe from Cydia, but it's in very slow development. Can't remember which repo I got it from, I think it's available from a few

wpcnz

94 posts

Master Geek

#639841 12-Jun-2012 18:33

http://www.idownloadblog.com/2012/05/04/swipeselection/

This is a very good and well implemented tweak for text editing. Allows you to move the cursor left or right by simply sliding your finger left or right across the keyboard

Ham

462 posts

Ultimate Geek

#639847 12-Jun-2012 18:49

I realise it's down to personal preference, but I'd like to know others experience so I know what to expect.

My app store investment is minimal.

I don't feel "locked down" using an iPhone. I haven't ever felt the need to jailbreak. I do really like that Apple keep updating the OS providing new features. Does Google do this?

The 2 things that bug me the most about non-iPhones is the cheap feeling build quality of the hardware, and the basic looking Windows 3.1 style icons of Android. Otherwise I think the SGS would be perfect.

jeffnz

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#639851 12-Jun-2012 19:01

ok I'm android and most likely stay that way and not wanting to turn it into a battle of the smartphones all I can say that if you can afford it or maybe borrow one for a while to see for yourself.

I'm guessing that the 5 will be a lot differant to what the 4s is as the market has changed in size of screen etc so bigger isn't bulkier any more if you want the most out of your processor and screen.

If you are happy with IOS then it may pay to stay with what you are happy with as Android may not liove up to your expectations.

Upgrading wise it is way slower than IOS but you can flash and use custom rom's which opens up a hwole new world but isn't everyone's cup of tea.

Most of my friends that have Iphone wouldn't be comfortable with android so maybe try before you buy if at all possible.

I'm getting an S3 shortly so if you are still undecided by then I'm happy to lend you my S2 just PM me.

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Wade

2225 posts

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#639897 12-Jun-2012 20:30

I am particularly biased toward android (and even moreso biased toward Samsung Android product :P) so take this with a grain of salt but i really feel that Apple have peaked at present and Android is still climbing, iOS5 and now iOS6 are less bringing innovation and more bringing features android have come to love and expect

iOS has always had a level of polish that android could never quite emulate, even Samsung hellstrung on beating Apple at their own game has struggled, the galaxy S2 proved that they are a serious hardware competitor to iphone, now with the S3 they have upped their game putting a similar level of polish on its proprietary apps

Where Android falls behind is with not having a dependable upgrade path, it is not guaranteed nor is it timely with new OS releases, not as much of a problem as made out but a bugbear none the less. I think holding out for the iphone 5 could leave you disappointed, not that it will be lacking but the buildup may raise your expectations beyond reality, try an S3 now, enjoy it for a few months, see how the ip5 stacks up and make the decision then, i think you will be pleasantly surprised ;)

NZtechfreak

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#639899 12-Jun-2012 20:42

When is the iPhone 5 actually coming out? Maybe get an S3 now and sell it if you feel like you want the iPhone 5 when it comes out?

Going off the iOS 6 announcement today the iPhone 5 had better have good hardware, because the latest iteration of the OS doesn't seem like it advances things a great deal (less important if you're a jailbreak user of course).

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corksta

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#639983 13-Jun-2012 00:48

I'm a recent convert from iOS to Android so here's my thoughts on it.

I changed to Android because I was getting tired of iOS. You can see from my signature we're an Apple household, and while I love Macs, I think iOS is dull and tired - the foundation is the same as when it was first released in 2007. I was also getting tired of the piddly screen size of the iPhone.

So I started researching and I think what made me change is that virtually all of my iOS apps are on Android (the lack of a decent Twitter app sucks though), so I went out and bought the S3. At the moment I couldn't be happier with making the switch. It did take me several days to adjust to the change, but I'm really enjoying the freedom of being able to have things set up the way I want them - playing around with widgets is the best part, they can really take the experience to another level.

This is my opinion but I think that in effect Apple controls how you use your phone and you're very restricted with how you can use it (jailbreaking aside), whereas Android pretty much allows you to do what you want. My wife likes iOS because for her it's easy to use, doesn't have much of a learning curve, and she's not a geek like me. I firmly believe that Apple was the pioneer in smartphones and how they operate, but I also believe that Samsung, HTC et. al have quickly caught up and in many ways surpassed Apple.

The S3 is a beautiful phone with an awesome display (Google Navigation is brilliant and much easier to use in the car than any apps on iPhone), so like others have said I'd also recommend doing what you can to have a play with one or if you can afford to buy one then do that and see how you feel when the next iPhone comes out. Try the One X as well it's also a great phone, and again this is another advantage of Android, but both of them have a completely different user experience despite both running the latest Android OS.

I was a bit concerned about leaving the iOS ecosystem, but I have my iCloud email forwarded to my Gmail address which is pushed to my phone straight away - Gmail even gives you the option of choosing which address your email is sent from. Google Chrome syncs everything with Chrome on Android so for me it all works well.

KiwiTT

122 posts

Master Geek

#644572 22-Jun-2012 10:03

Where Android falls behind is with not having a dependable upgrade path, it is not guaranteed nor is it timely with new OS releases, not as much of a problem as made out but a bugbear none the less. I think holding out for the iphone 5 could leave you disappointed, not that it will be lacking but the buildup may raise your expectations beyond reality, try an S3 now, enjoy it for a few months, see how the ip5 stacks up and make the decision then, i think you will be pleasantly surprised ;)

This is critical for. I don't have $1,000 (the price of a laptop or PC upgrade) spare to throw around, so my decision when I get to it has to be right for the long-haul. Comments like buy a S3 and try it out then see if iPhone 5 meets is very flippant for those with less cash to spare. Yeah I can probably sell the S3 for $500+ second-hand.
These comments (below) have put me off Android for good.

I went back and found every Android phone shipped in the United States up through the middle of last year. I then tracked down every update that was released for each device - be it a major OS upgrade or a minor support patch - as well as prices and release & discontinuation dates. I compared these dates & versions to the currently shipping version of Android at the time. The resulting picture isn’t pretty - well, not for Android users

Link

If you thought that entitled you to some support, think again:
7 of the 18 Android phones never ran a current version of the OS.
12 of 18 only ran a current version of the OS for a matter of weeks or less.
10 of 18 were at least two major versions behind well within their two year contract period.
11 of 18 stopped getting any support updates less than a year after release.
13 of 18 stopped getting any support updates before they even stopped selling the device or very shortly thereafter.
15 of 18 don’t run Gingerbread, which shipped in December 2010.
In a few weeks, when Ice Cream Sandwich comes out, every device on here will be another major version behind.
16 of 18 will almost certainly never get Ice Cream Sandwich.

This chart, more than anything has put me off Android, because of the dismal patchy long-term manufacturer support for regular updates.

I like this comment.

In other words, Apple’s way of getting you to buy a new phone is to make you really happy with your current one, whereas apparently Android phone makers think they can get you to buy a new phone by making you really unhappy with your current one.

Feel free to update the chart, with the most recent Android phones if you like, but I doubt if it will change my mind.

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