Smartphones

Big Phoenix_sl said:

Hope you realized tmobile throttles as well(@ 5GB with their "unlimited" plan).

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I barely go over 2gb/mo, so I'm really not concerned. I accidentally upgraded several apps while I wasn't connected to wifi and was throttled that evening and CS said they couldn't un-do the throttling until the next month.

joeboo_sl said:

Most major cell phone companies offer some sort of device(often free of charge) to boost their cell signal in your home if you are having that many issues. I'm not sure of the exact process, or how many times you have to call tech support to bitch about your signal, but there is a solution. Friend of mine has Sprint, and they offer a device called the Airave.http://now.sprint.com/airave/?ECID=v...aveaccesspoint

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AT&T has a similar device. It connects to your internet router and is basically a mini-tower, which uses your internet so you can get a good signal in the house - again, using your internet, not a 3G signal.
iirc you can set it up to work with only certain devices, so you're not boosting your neighbor's signal via your internet...did I mention it uses your internet? If you have crappy internet or are downloading as much porn as you can before the wife gets home, it's not going to work well.

Why are the manufacturers so stuck up on goddamn android skins. My Galaxy Nexus is getting old and it seems like it is going to be impossible to get a stock android replacement on Verizon.

To anyone with a Galaxy Nexus, I just flashedAK47 ROM. It is an AOKP / VANIR hybrid, and so far is the fastest most stable ROM I have run. Highly recommended.

Zolek_sl said:

Why are the manufacturers so stuck up on goddamn android skins. My Galaxy Nexus is getting old and it seems like it is going to be impossible to get a stock android replacement on Verizon.

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Why don't you just get a skinned device like the S4 or HTC One, root it and install an stock android ROM?

Evernothing_sl said:

Why don't you just get a skinned device like the S4 or HTC One, root it and install an stock android ROM?

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Camera issues mostly.

I picked up a free Droid DNA and, while it is not bleeding edge (it WAS bleeding edge 6 months ago), it was a HUGE jump from my original Droid Incredible.

This phone takes great pics (for a camera phone) is fast and is huge with a great screen.

I am thinking about rooting is. Anyone had any experience rooting the DNA?

Zolek_sl said:

Why are the manufacturers so stuck up on goddamn android skins. My Galaxy Nexus is getting old and it seems like it is going to be impossible to get a stock android replacement on Verizon.

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Thankfully Android is getting better about getting some of the newer features out without going through entire OS updates. Many of their newer features (such as Google Now) are being released across multiple versions and are attainable w/o having to wait for the carriers/manufacturers to push through and entire update.

Also, some of the manufacturers features are better than the stock Android versions. For example, the HTC One's camera UI blows the stock Android one out of the water.

Lets also not forget, both HTC and Samsung released developer or "Nexus" versions of both the One and the S4. Not being able to get a stock Android device from Verizon is probably more the fault of Verizon rather than the manufacturers. God forbid a phone gets out without VCast preloaded onto it.

Verizon contract almost up. Thinking of switching to Sprint, they offer actual unlimited data plans still and they are doing $100 off if you move your number to them as well as old device buyback credits of other provider's phones.

I use my Droid to stream music with Google Play quite often, mostly on 3G with no 4G in most of the place's I go. Will I notice a major difference in Sprint's network versus Verizon's? Pretty tempted by the HTC One, but I don't want to end up getting on a two year deal and then realizing my network sucks.

Depends a lot on where you live.

Famm_sl said:

Verizon contract almost up. Thinking of switching to Sprint, they offer actual unlimited data plans still and they are doing $100 off if you move your number to them as well as old device buyback credits of other provider's phones.

I use my Droid to stream music with Google Play quite often, mostly on 3G with no 4G in most of the place's I go. Will I notice a major difference in Sprint's network versus Verizon's? Pretty tempted by the HTC One, but I don't want to end up getting on a two year deal and then realizing my network sucks.

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They don't have much 4G coverage yet, but it is rolling out fairly quickly. They're lighting up 4G on towers around my area all the time. As for Sprint's 3G speed, let me put it this way: BBBBBBBBBZZZZZZZZZZZZZGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH BOING BOING ZZZZZZZZZZZHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. That's dialup for you youngin's.

Like mentioned above, Sprint depends a lot on where you live. They don't have 4G LTE rolled out nearly as extensively as the other carriers yet, but they do have 4G WiMAX coverage all over the place for their previous-gen phones. with my Galaxy S2(WiMAX) I had 4G coverage in most every major city(100K+ people) that I traveled to around the midwest, it was usually pretty easy to find a 4G signal. Now that I have a Galaxy S4, getting a LTE signal is a little more troublesome since their LTE network isn't anywhere near complete yet. When I can get LTE, it's damn fast, but I probably end up on 3G more often than not now. 3G on Sprint is still fine for streaming music(I use google music and Pandora a lot), playing games, etc, it's just going to be damn slow for streaming large videos or downloading big apps/programs.

But yeah, on Sprints 3G, you're probably going to be lucky to get 1mbps download speeds, its usually more like .5mbps, which is fine for a mobile webpage, or even music, but you're going to slow to a crawl trying to get any video over that consistently.

Bah, Sprint 3G in my area is so slow that I can't reliably stream low bitrate radio. The LTE is fast when I get it. Sometimes over 27mb down.

Wolfen_sl said:

Bah, Sprint 3G in my area is so slow that I can't reliably stream low bitrate radio. The LTE is fast when I get it. Sometimes over 27mb down.

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It's definitely possible that Sprints networks are a little better here in KC than anywhere else, since this is their world HQ. At least they should be...

Wolfen_sl said:

Bah, Sprint 3G in my area is so slow that I can't reliably stream low bitrate radio. The LTE is fast when I get it. Sometimes over 27mb down.

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That's the kind of review I've seen that makes it a dealbreaker. I'd be spending the vast majority of time on their 3G network, so....

Then avoid Sprint. Their 3g network in many areas is terrible.

Adebisi_sl said:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/repor...ticle12305333/

I'm shocked. What have you done with my corrupt crtc?

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I look forward to Telus, Bell, and Rogers explaining why they are charging double for handsets on a 2 year contract what is charged in the US. Or alternatively, why when they've been forced to go to 2 year from the 3 year contracts why the handsetsdidn'tget more expensive. Either way, they've got some explaining to do.

^ This.

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