Smartphones

The only reason I upgraded from the Nexus 4 was that my dad needed a new phone -- so he gets my "old" Nexus 4. I have to say that the screen is significantly better and LTE support is a non-negligible upgrade. I'm a bit annoyed that the Nexus 4 theoretically should support LTE, but doesn't because of software. Shipping things with features disabled via software is ridiculous.

I'm also not sure why I'd want to upgrade my Nexus 10. It's a really great tablet, and I don't yet know what they could add to it to make me spend another $450 or so. Maybe if I could use a thin pen to take notes on (similarly to how some Microsoft laptops with touchscreens work) I'd go for it... but otherwise, why bother?

BrutulTM_sl said:

That's the problem. You pay whether you get a new phone or not, so even though you're getting buttfucked for your phone they are going to buttfuck you anyway so you might as well get a phone. The whole $700 price tag is nonsense as well. If they can make a 7" tablet for $129 there's no possible reason that a phone should cost 5 times that much.

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And that's exactly why I decided on a Note 3 over a Nexus 5. I knew I was staying with Sprint (family plan that is actually well priced, about $50 per phone w/unlimited data), so whether I was paying $350 for a Nexus 5 to buy it outright, or getting a Note 3 for $350 after being subsidized by Sprint, both were essentially the same price for me out of pocket.

Of course, a month later Sprint announces they will be selling the Nexus 5 for $199, but that's a damn slap in the face. The phone should be free, based on how drastically they discount other phones ($300-$400 off retail)

It sucks that carriers will subsidize the up-front cost of a phone, but if you bring your own phone to them they don't give you shit for discounts.

joeboo_sl said:

And that's exactly why I decided on a Note 3 over a Nexus 5. I knew I was staying with Sprint (family plan that is actually well priced, about $50 per phone w/unlimited data), so whether I was paying $350 for a Nexus 5 to buy it outright, or getting a Note 3 for $350 after being subsidized by Sprint, both were essentially the same price for me out of pocket.

Of course, a month later Sprint announces they will be selling the Nexus 5 for $199, but that's a damn slap in the face. The phone should be free, based on how drastically they discount other phones ($300-$400 off retail)

It sucks that carriers will subsidize the up-front cost of a phone, but if you bring your own phone to them they don't give you shit for discounts.

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Yeah, you may have been sticking with Sprint, but now you are locked into a contract. If tomorrow Google finally unveils their plans to start their own cell carrier and it is significantly cheaper and better you are not free to switch. That is the major advantage to bringing your phone vs buying a subsidized one on contract. You are now locked in and if for whatever reason you are not happy with Sprint or something better comes along, you are going to either be stuck or have to pay significantly more money in order to switch.

Also, the Nexus 5 should not be "free." Just because Samsung tells you the retail price of their phone is $700 doesn't make it so. Google isalready reportedly selling the phone at a lossand just because some company jacks up the MSRP of their phone then gives you a heavy "subsidy" doesn't mean that another company that just has honest upfront pricing needs to match that discount.

=

I hate all of you that have a Nexus 5. Fuck you, Verizon.

Yep...fucking Verizon. I'm thinking of jumping ship and going to TMobile for the Nexus 5. I am so over Verizon's politics.

Kuriin_sl said:

Yep...fucking Verizon. I'm thinking of jumping ship and going to TMobile for the Nexus 5. I am so over Verizon's politics.

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This thought has been running through my mind as well. It's actually prefect timing for me since my Verizon contract ends at the end of the month.

Finally got around to order the iPhone 5s wifephone you guys suggested. Got Mrs. Izo the grey 32GB model and an original black leather cover. Store was out of 64GB model anyway. Now I can enjoy pictures of my daughter taken with a camera less sucky than her old iPhone 4. Huzzah!

Thanks, you guys, much appreciated

Crazy cheap sale on phone/tablet screen protectors

85% off all screen protectors, and another 10% off if they are for a Samsung product

XtremeGuard 85% Off Coupon for Any Two or More Screen or Full Body Protectors + Additional 10% Off Samsung Product Accessories 85% Off + Free Shipping - XtremeGuard Deals, Coupons and Promos

I just ordered 3 each(replace them when they get banged up) for my Note 3, my wifes S3, and our Note 10" Tablet, came to like $12, original price would have been $100

My wife certainly does, throws her phone in her purse with god knows what else banging around in there. I'm a lot more careful now than I used to be, but I do occasionally slip up and put my phone in the same pocket as my keys, crap like that. Nice to not have to worry about it.

I've never had to worry about scratches, especially with the higher end portable devices. iPhones just don't seem to scratch, ever. My tablet and the friends I've had with galaxies and nexuses (nexii?) have never had a scratch on them...cracks from dropping is a different story. I just kind of figured for higher end devices, screen protectors are kind of a useless plat sink.

joeboo_sl said:

It's really more to do with cell companies subsidizing phones than anything. All your average mouth-breathing consumer sees is that the latest and greatest phone is $200 with a new contract, as opposed to last years model which is still $99 or $150. They'll happily shell out the extra 50-100, not even taking into any consideration the actual cost of that 2 year contract. It's all about being cheap up front, and damn the long-term expense.

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No, deathwing's statement is more accurate. It has much more to do with the rate of improvements in phone technology. The gap between a two year old phone and today's models is much much more pronounced than the difference between a 2 year old vs current laptop.

BoldW_sl said:

I've never had to worry about scratches, especially with the higher end portable devices. iPhones just don't seem to scratch, ever. My tablet and the friends I've had with galaxies and nexuses (nexii?) have never had a scratch on them...cracks from dropping is a different story. I just kind of figured for higher end devices, screen protectors are kind of a useless plat sink.

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I got the Nexus 4 on release and ordered a Nexus4 screen protector from Ebay that didn't fit the whole screen, needless to say in the time it took to get one that fit there was a small scratch at the bottom of the phone.

my Iphone 4 has a shit load of scratches on it and I attribute that directly to putting it into the same pocket I've had my keys and coins in.

Bought an iPhone 5S. Didn't think I would ever get an Apple product. My previous phone, the GNexus, had a massive crack in the screen and the display would no longer function. I looked everywhere for Nexus 5, but no one had it. I ain't switching to Sprint. The battery on this thing is insane though, heh.

Why wouldn't you just get an S4?

Is that the big one? Or is that the phablet Note? I'm coming from a Samsung (GNexus) and I'd prefer not to go to ANOTHER Samsung. I was really hoping HTC Butterfly S would come to the US, but, it will not.