Smartphones

I personally cannot stand Gmail, nor can I fathom teaching a bunch of non-tech people to use it. Everyone knows Outlook, we won't be changing it.

Prime_sl said:

Anyone have any suggestions on a cheap plan for an iPhone 5?

I have an ATT iPhone 5 from work and they let me keep it when I quit. Since I already own the phone I figured I could get boost/cricket/straight talk or something and pay 1/2 of what I'd pay at ATT. Anyone use any non major carrier?

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I did a good amount of researching the cheaper pay-as-you-go plans from the likes of Virgin, Wal-Mart, Boost, etc a while back before I renewed my Sprint contract again. The big decision comes down to how much data you use on your phone. Many of the plans start heavy throttling after 1GB of usage if they claim "unlimited" data like Wal-Marts plan, or if they are limited, they cut off pretty low at 1-2GB and charge a ton if you go over those amounts and don't really offer plans with higher data caps.

I decided against them all because I'm always over 1GB in usage each month usually more in the 3-5GB range, so I stayed with Sprint, which isn't the best, but at least I don't have to worry about how much data I use, and surprise charges.

Eomer_sl said:

I need to get some IT guys in here to figure that shit out for me.

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Clearly, because you are making something pretty simple sound complicated.

Eomer_sl said:

Yeah, our work email is through Google Apps. Actually, can I use Exchange for my contacts then I wonder? I need to get some IT guys in here to figure that shit out for me.

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I'll PM you, something is wrong. I have google apps for work and android phone and its flawless syncing.

got my HTC one in Japan finally and i am thoroughly impressed with everything, especially the speakers and build quality. the screen is amazing, i didn't realize what i was missing on my Motorola Atrix.

my only concern is there a way to make a folder for downloaded items? i see the download folder but i would like to organize the stuff inside or move it to a different folder for easier access (its mostly pics and PDF files).

sumdain x_sl said:

got my HTC one in Japan finally and i am thoroughly impressed with everything, especially the speakers and build quality. the screen is amazing, i didn't realize what i was missing on my Motorola Atrix.

my only concern is there a way to make a folder for downloaded items? i see the download folder but i would like to organize the stuff inside or move it to a different folder for easier access (its mostly pics and PDF files).

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Juste user a file explorer like ES File Explorer.

Eomer_sl said:

I personally cannot stand Gmail, nor can I fathom teaching a bunch of non-tech people to use it. Everyone knows Outlook, we won't be changing it.

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Gmail is awesome. The only issue I've had with showing people how to use it is threaded conversations. Which can be turned off.

Deathwing_sl said:

Why are you juggling your phone, bro?

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I have a strange tendency to flip my phone in my hand a lot.. little bit of that plus a cosmic particle hitting my phone and boom I'm juggling it for a good 10 seconds. Would've been sweet if I caught it but actually it went 100% in the wrong direction.

Note 2 or an Galaxy S4 would be my recommendations off the top of my head. I would lean more towards the Note 2 because of the screen size of it and it runs Android which is an open platform. I'm sure it could be rooted and you can flash roms on it which might give you more flexibility. I don't own a Note 2 so I'm not sure how good the rooting community is on it.

Tuco_sl said:

Need my first smartphone, I've always used a very basic phone and know nothing about smartphones. Is there a guide out there for the current top phones?

Personally I'm looking for something open that I can modify and use to do a wide variety of computing. Basically I want a small mobile computer that I can make phone calls with.

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If you want to tinker with shit, I think it's hard to top the Nexus 4. Since it's a Nexus device, ROMs run flawlessly without the issues experienced with some other phones (random lockups, wifi not working, etc.). It's also cheap as hell to buy off contract and use with a sim only plan. I believe it's $300 for the 16gb version in the US.

If you want to buy a subsidised phone, I think it's hard to go wrong with the HTC One/S4. They're both great phones with their own pros and cons. If you want an external battery/micro sd slot, grab the S4. If not, grab the HTC One.

I'd advise against the Nexus 4. You can get an AOSP experience from any of the popular devices. AOSP simply doesn't have the same appeal anymore with companies like Samsung stepping up their own software and a plethora of AOSP roms available across all popular devices. Used to be the company software was crap and you'd flash AOSP to get rid of it. Not really the case anymore. AOSP is lagging not only in features but in performance / battery life in many cases.

With the nexus 4 you are limited to AOSP type roms. With a device like the S4 / S3 / Note 2 etc you get all the goodies (stripped down or stock whatever you prefer) from the Touchwiz based rom while still retaining the option to flash AOSP.

Go with the S4. Note 2 is getting a little old.


I'm not familiar with carriers in your area. I'd suggest checking for corporate discounts (work, credit union, associations etc) with the big carriers. I pay with AT&T less for my 5 lines than I could get it from the resellers. No discounts? Check out the resellers then (Straight Talk) or Tmobile. Although expect EDGE service if you go outside Tmobile's box.

I've been on Verizon, Sprint and AT&T. By far AT&T has had the best service for me in my travels. I'm usually in the SE, S and SW of the country though. Verizon was a distant second and Sprint was fucking garbage. I also had a separate line on straight talk and it was good (they use AT&T). I no longer have that line. I know Verizon is king in the NE. Sprint data wise is just garbage.

I'd suggest going to some different stores in areas you frequent and running some speed tests on the demo units. Make sure they are over the network and not on WIFI. Also play with your friends devices, that is probably the best way to determine if service is adequate where you live. Coverage maps, IMO are for basic reference only.

As awesome as the HTC One is, I wouldn't recommend it if you going to be doing a lot of customizing/rooting. Theres no expansion SD slot, and it does not have a removable battery, which is nice when you're jacking around with ROMs, lock up your device, and need to get it rebooted.

In the most simplistic comparison I can think of, a ROM is like A Windows Desktop Theme back in the day. You're still running the same O/S (android) but there are many different ROMs you can run over it. Most phone manufacturers have their own(like HTC with their "sense" software) but there are many individuals out there who have designed their own as well.

ROMs are a little more complex than that, some have better optimizations for battery life and neat features like that, but that's basically what they are