Smartphones

Big Phoenix_sl said:

The real kicker is tmobile has wifi calling so only having 100 minutes isnt anything to worry about.

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Wifi calling doesn't work on the Nexus 4 though.

Deathwing_sl said:

Does T-Mobile's wifi calling supplant the cell radio when connected? In other words, if you're in an area with poor or no signal, BUT you have a wifi connection, will the phone go nuts looking for a signal or not? I'm not sure why more cell phone companies don't take advantage of something like this. Every household wifi instantly becomes a mini cell phone tower AND it offloads cell traffic onto the ISP(which still might be ATT or Verizon).

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The same reason airtime and text messages is not tied to data: bullshit. Waiting for our Google overlords to release a pure data wireless carrier.

The Dauntless One_sl said:

I made a decision to never use a screen protector ever again. I got annoyed of the micro scratches on my HOX, so I decided to use a screen protector again for my N4. Went through a couple of different ones and none of them were good. They feel terrible to swipe and always gets mucked up from oil after a couple months of use. Funnily enough, the factory screen protector was the best one.

BTW Rhino shield is pretty bad. Don't get it.

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Anymore, most high-end phones don't need a screen protector. The glass used in them is VERY scratch resistant. I wouldn't even think about using a screen protector unless I had a small child who regularly used it. I've had a S4 now for a few months with no screen protector, I constantly throw it in my pants pocket with my keys and whatever else and it still looks as new as the day I bought it.

joeboo_sl said:

Anymore, most high-end phones don't need a screen protector. The glass used in them is VERY scratch resistant. I wouldn't even think about using a screen protector unless I had a small child who regularly used it. I've had a S4 now for a few months with no screen protector, I constantly throw it in my pants pocket with my keys and whatever else and it still looks as new as the day I bought it.

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No it's not. My HOX had a ton of scratches just being in my pocket. I never put anything else in the same pocket of my phone.

gogusrl_sl said:

Get the Nexus 4 for 299$. You can't beat it at that price.

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Big Phoenix_sl said:

Yeah Nexus 4 is unbeatable if you can live with the shit storage.

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Thanks guys, but I'm afraid Google phones don't appear to be available in the Chinese market. It's got to be either Samsung or HTC, I think.

It appears that the models available here are a bit different than the US market too... She seems to like the Samsung I8552/I9508, but I don't seem them up on Amazon.

If any of you are in the know about the Samsung line, I'd welcome any suggestions you have. I'm trying to steer her towards something with 16gigs. Other than that, her requirements aren't steep.

I9508 is the Chinese version of S4 (you can Google this btw).

The I8552 is an older model so I don't suggest you getting that.

EDIT: The Nexus 4 can be purchased in Hong Kong, but iirc you're in Beijing, so that might not be a possibility.

Perfect, that's exactly what I needed to know. I guess I should have googled before hitting amazon.

Thanks a ton.

My galaxy nexus, which doesn't even use gorilla glass, is almost two years old and the only scratches on its screen all happened from one day at the beach. Sand should be the only thing you fear with a modern smartphone

Not expecting much from Apple's conference today, but apparently iOS 7 is the big iPhone related announcement.

http://bgr.com/2013/06/05/ios-7-preview-iphone-wwdc/

Big Phoenix_sl said:

Probably because its not a tmobile branded phone?

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Exactly. Not every model of T-Mobile phones have the built in WiFi calling and unfortunately the Nexus 4 is one of those phones that doesn't have that feature (even if you get it through T-Mobile).

ios 7 comes out for ipad mini, 4th generation ipad, but not the fucking 3rd even though they're six months fucking apart? If this is true I'm fucking done with Apple altogether. The "NEW" ipad my ass.

Saladus_sl said:

ios 7 comes out for ipad mini, 4th generation ipad, but not the fucking 3rd even though they're six months fucking apart? If this is true I'm fucking done with Apple altogether. The "NEW" ipad my ass.

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No, he said Airdrop is for the iPhone 5/iPad mini/iPad 4, not ios7. They haven't announced which devices ios7 will be released on yet.

Ahhh nm me! Ty for clarification, watching live blog so missing some things.

So the iPad 3 will get it.

It looks good. I'm impressed. Not enough to ditch my Nexus 4, but it'll certainly keep me locked into the ios tablet ecosystem for the foreseeable future.

Deathwing_sl said:

Google Voice + GrooveIP should work though.

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This works well. Might have to get a new phone number through Google Voice as they won't port over numbers from certain area codes.

I am not sure why exactly, but it isn't available for certain areas as of yet. I know I can't get a number ported or a new number for my area code currently with Google Voice. It's not a state thing because I can get a number with a Seattle area code...

For some of us, getting a new number is much more complicated than that. Since I haven't had a home phone in 10+ years I have to change over all of my accounts (bank, bills, etc.) plus I have a lot of people who have my cell number via my business who aren't necessary in my contacts.