[INFO] So you want to buy a smart phone? Some platform comparison

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#563201 31-Dec-2011 12:26

I bought and sold an android phone and I think Freitasm picks up on one of my points, which is that I don't want to spend hours "customising" my phone.

The other concern I have is the motivations of Google, and the perception of the malware problem that is being reported in the android platform.

I guess from my perspective, under my tinfoil hat, I would rather trust apple with my most personal computer information, than an advertising company (iad is a interesting counterpoint). Given that apple makes plenty of money on the device itself, they don't need to sell my information or bombard me with ads. An example is that icloud is an equivalent service to gmail, and I don't have to look at ads which is good.

Other than those couple of thoughts, a great summary of the current state of mobile handsets.

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#563202 31-Dec-2011 12:30

jonherries: I bought and sold an android phone and I think Freitasm picks up on one of my points, which is that I don't want to spend hours "customising" my phone.

The other concern I have is the motivations of Google, and the perception of the malware problem that is being reported in the android platform.

I guess from my perspective, under my tinfoil hat, I would rather trust apple with my most personal computer information, than an advertising company (iad is a interesting counterpoint). Given that apple makes plenty of money on the device itself, they don't need to sell my information or bombard me with ads. An example is that icloud is an equivalent service to gmail, and I don't have to look at ads which is good.

Other than those couple of thoughts, a great summary of the current state of mobile handsets.

Apple leaks plenty of your info dude ;) As does Android, as does any platform, it just varys from update to update. as to malware, i have never had a malicious 3rd party app on my device ever... Im sure some have but thats the bonus of the Apple Apps Store, its so tight that its a very small chance anything bad will get in, as for Android you can publish whatever you want...

iPhone apps are full of adds also (free versions of course) and that wont stop, thats how they make money (the developers)

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CdTDroiD

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#563203 31-Dec-2011 12:32

Another thing, dont get me wrong, you all have excellent points and i will include them all :D

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alasta

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#563208 31-Dec-2011 12:53

tdgeek: Crashing apps? Interesting as my daughter uses Facebook EXTENSIVELY on her 3GS and I use the Stuff app a lot and never an issue. So, on that, and from what I read everywhere, I've never seen any info on bad apps being a continual issue at the Appstore which is what is implied here.

It's interesting that noone else seems to have this problem to the same extent that I do. Thinking about it my iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4S have been reasonably stable, but my iPad (original 2010 model) is absolutely atrocious so I'm starting to wonder if it has bad RAM or something. It's odd that certain apps, or certain versions of apps, are a lot more crash prone than others but it may be that particular app releases happen to address a certain bit of bad RAM, and then whammo.

To be honest I'm not too sure where to go with it now as I hadn't really considered the possibility of a hardware fault until now.

2. Locked Down. I dislike this term, as it is a negative term to those that read articles. The Appstore has hundreds of thousands of apps. These are not provided by Apple, they are provided by anyone and everyone. To me, there is better quality control, thats what I like. The only negative I see, is that I cannot upload an app I created NOW and see it on the Appstore NOW. So, I do not see locked down as an accurate term.

I agree. Geeks often tell me how I shouldn't have bought into the iOS platform because of it being "locked down" but I've never understood how that actually affects me in the real world. I think it would be fair to say that I am clumsy and under-confident with computers relative to most people on this forum so to me having something "locked down" sounds like a good way to prevent me from breaking anything!

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#563210 31-Dec-2011 13:00

Totally agree with your locked down is good for people that are more likely to break there software lol. iPhone is a very safe bet.. Android can be a bomb field for people like that

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#563213 31-Dec-2011 13:13

I agree on most points except this:

The issue is the last 2 devices still have a sharp edged 3.5" screen with glass on the front and back and If you drop it your done for. In the hand its pretty bad to hold unless you get a good plastic case. I wouldnt say its a "Bad design" but i think in a rush to release a better phone from the iPhone 4 the rushed it a little to much, but is still much better than the first iPhone 4.

The reasoning for maintaining the same screen size is that apps don't have to go out of their way to support every resolution under the sun (ala. Android), and when they do change they are a direct size up from the previous resolutions (think 480x320 up to 960x640). Also the part on dropping the phone and having the screen shattered is absolute rubbish. I have dropped many iPhones (iPhone/iPhone 3G/iPhone 4/iPhone 4S)/iPod touches (2G) onto many surfaces (tar seal/concrete/carpet/etc.) and have yet to have ones screen smash and the resulting scratches were very small (almost non-visible). As for holding it in the hand I use my 4S without a case and it feel perfectly fine and you can view the device as it was meant to be seen (aka. with no case).

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#563221 31-Dec-2011 13:21

That's got nothing to do with it they can increase the screen size to say 3.9 and keep the same resolution. It wouldn't make any difference to it. Plus all apps would work even if they did raise the resolution

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#563228 31-Dec-2011 13:36

CdTDroiD: That's got nothing to do with it they can increase the screen size to say 3.9 and keep the same resolution. It wouldn't make any difference to it. Plus all apps would work even if they did raise the resolution

True, but same res on bigger screen = reduced quality. I think the same sized screen for the 4S was not enough time to ready a new design, perhaps due to the issues with Samsung who I think provided the screen.

But with iOS being standard and only in 2 screen sizes, and 2 versions (Retina and no retina)and 4 variants (Touch, 3GS, 4 and 4S) there is no issue with a 3rd screen size on the iPhone 5. Easy to support, as few variations on the OS

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#563230 31-Dec-2011 13:38

alasta:]

It's interesting that noone else seems to have this problem to the same extent that I do. Thinking about it my iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4S have been reasonably stable, but my iPad (original 2010 model) is absolutely atrocious so I'm starting to wonder if it has bad RAM or something. It's odd that certain apps, or certain versions of apps, are a lot more crash prone than others but it may be that particular app releases happen to address a certain bit of bad RAM, and then whammo.

To be honest I'm not too sure where to go with it now as I hadn't really considered the possibility of a hardware fault until now.
!

If the issue happens ALL the time that is easier to diagnose, but if not all the time, have you tired clearing the background apps? Or seeing if one background app is always there when you had the issue?

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#563231 31-Dec-2011 13:39

CdTDroiD: That's got nothing to do with it they can increase the screen size to say 3.9 and keep the same resolution. It wouldn't make any difference to it. Plus all apps would work even if they did raise the resolution

Sure they can but it would stretch the screen, would it not?

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#563233 31-Dec-2011 13:43

iPhone 4/4S PPI: 330
3.9" 960x640 PPI: 296
Samsung Galaxy S2 PPI: 217

I wouldnt be complaining if there was a 3.9"+ iPhone out at some stage, and Cody it would stretch the screen but you wouldnt really notice it

codyc1515

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#563235 31-Dec-2011 13:45

P1n3apqlExpr3ss: iPhone 4/4S PPI: 330
3.9" 960x640 PPI: 296
Samsung Galaxy S2 PPI: 217

I wouldnt be complaining if there was a 3.9"+ iPhone out at some stage, and Cody it would stretch the screen but you wouldnt really notice it

Yes but imagine the outcry from the perfectionists. :)

alasta

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#563243 31-Dec-2011 13:57

tdgeek:
alasta:]

It's interesting that noone else seems to have this problem to the same extent that I do. Thinking about it my iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4S have been reasonably stable, but my iPad (original 2010 model) is absolutely atrocious so I'm starting to wonder if it has bad RAM or something. It's odd that certain apps, or certain versions of apps, are a lot more crash prone than others but it may be that particular app releases happen to address a certain bit of bad RAM, and then whammo.

To be honest I'm not too sure where to go with it now as I hadn't really considered the possibility of a hardware fault until now.
!

If the issue happens ALL the time that is easier to diagnose, but if not all the time, have you tired clearing the background apps? Or seeing if one background app is always there when you had the issue?

I have started making a habit of clearing out background apps from time to time (which is actually a bit of an annoying chore) but I'm not convinced that it's made any difference. You make a good point though that it would be worth checking which apps are running each time a crash occurs - I'll give that a try.

Unfortunately it's hard to really know which apps are actually 'running' in the background anyway. It's my understanding that when you double-tap the home button the active apps that appear are not necessarily doing anything unless there is some specific thread of activity that the app is designed to perform in the background.

I was hoping that there may be some hardware self check app available, but I suspect that App Store rules may prevent apps from making low level hardware calls. I'll do some research on that anyway.

CdTDroiD

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#563244 31-Dec-2011 14:03

somewhat but hardly noticeable when going up a small size. Anyways I'm sure they would up the Res anyway as its no longer the highest Res screen

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CdTDroiD

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#563245 31-Dec-2011 14:09

interesting point lol.. I just got to my mates place and his work just upgraded his 3gs to the 4s and he reckons its hardly any different but loves it lol. Shows what some people worry about

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