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Post by Alex on Oct 21, 2010 21:37:26 GMT
I was in Carphone Warehouse today, looking for the best deal on the iPhone. I know That I will have to pay £30-ish no matter where I go, but it's a matter of choosing the texts and minutes amount for that price. Anyway, I saw this: £20 per month, 300 mins Unlimited Texts Unlimited 3G (Fair Use) Unlimited WiFi Free HTC Desire. I had a go of the HTC, really not wanting to like it, but I did. I think it could be a strong contender to the iPhone, considering it's a free phone, unlimited texts, non-capped WiFi and £15 cheaper. And, most importantly, I actually like it, unlike the majority of new phones these days. Granted, it's still no iPhone 4, but it still seems like a good phone from my 20-30 minute test drive today. What do you think? This will be my first phone since the Samsung D500 in something like 2004...(Still a great phone, seriously.)
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Post by Forum Cat on Oct 21, 2010 23:23:04 GMT
What do you think? This will be my first phone since the Samsung D500 in something like 2004...(Still a great phone, seriously.) The phone will no doubt be a good one. There is no shortage of good phones out there. Buy what you like and suits you budget. iPhones have the edge for several reasons. The main ones seem to be. 1) Apps. The App store has more than the Market place. Even more so when many Android Apps will not work on all devices. 2) iTunes integration. If this matters to you there is only one choice. 3) Battery life. The way iPhones handle multi-tasking will make them far more efficient with regard to battery life. That said and expensive Android phone should not disappoint. M. le ChatOh and yes, Android does count as the Dark Side.
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Post by Alex on Oct 21, 2010 23:39:24 GMT
The reasons you list are the main 'opposition' I think. The App Store isn't massively important. Games are good, but I don't care much for them anyway. I can get my Spotify, Dropbox and Evernote apps, as well as GMail, Google Maps and other Google-based thingies. Andoid still does have a lot of useful Apps in it's own right. Hopefully less 'fart apps'. iTunes, well, I have an iPod, so there is likely not going to be much music on the phone itself. I've never bought music off iTunes (CDS ALL THE WAY!) so that won't bother me. I'm used to carrying a phone and an iPod. Plus, I have more GBs of music than this phone (or the cheapest iPhone) can hold. However, I would LOVE iCal integration, I'm imagining there will be a way around this, but I doubt it will be straightforward. The Battery on this is supposed to be good, not as good as the iPhone, but I know it's not bad by any means. Buuuttt... It all comes back to this: It's not an iPhone.
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Post by Forum Cat on Oct 22, 2010 12:55:16 GMT
Buuuttt... It all comes back to this: It's not an iPhone.I know what you are saying. My take on it is this. iPhone is a priced at a premium because it is a premium product. You are not being ripped off you get a lot of the very best tech at the price point that suits the very best tech. The HTC is a good phone, slightly cheaper but slightly cheaper for a reason. Clients of mine often complain about their budget touch screen phones. Their phones are budget for a reason. They wanted an iPhone but only wanted to pay £50. Decide what you want, decide what you need and decide what you can afford. Then decide which is best suited to your needs. Personally I feel quality is remembered long after price has been forgotten. But then I have enough cash to afford the odd indulgence. If I didn't I would "Think different".
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Post by beerbum on Oct 22, 2010 13:35:31 GMT
On the quality front I can't believe my iphone 3G is still going after all the abuse it has suffered including being dropped.. a lot! I'm with the forum feline on that one. I've got friends HTCs and other smart phones and nearly every one of them end up griping about them after a while… can see why you're tempted though. On the music front, I hardly ever use my poor little iPod nano any more as I always have my phone with me. I didn't think it would work out that way but it's just easier and I don't miss a call when engrossed in a podcast or audiobook
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DaveB
Full Member
dwb
Posts: 93
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Post by DaveB on Oct 22, 2010 14:46:29 GMT
After having an android phone for around 3 weeks now, I think its def worth considering. Both app stores have tons of apps and it doesn't really matter which one has the most, as long as they have the ones you need - both stores have the popular ones - you can search the android store through a computer - www.androidzoom.com/I've only found 1 app so far that wouldn't work on my phone even though my phone has a small screen with low resolution - thus has more limitations than the htc. After quite a bit of hunting around, I finally found the easiest way to sync iCal and gmail was as follows: -Set up the sync to gmail through iCals prefs -Export the ical calendars to files(.ics) -Create Calendars on gmail and import This didn't take me long to do, and once set, it syncs beautifully. On the phone you just set your gmail account and it pulls all your emails and calendars down. Obv there is a price difference and you're paying more for an iphone. There are cheap (budget) touch phones out there, but I wouldn't put the htc in that category. My personal opinion is I'm willing to pay that extra for a mac because of the operating system. When it comes to a phone, I don't value the OS as much especially when android gives you phones with the same features and a very close experience. With music I have a separate device too, however I have the option of installing a bigger MiniSD card into the phone if I wanted too... FYI. I have a Sony Ericsson X10 MiniPro On a 2 year contract(tesco): £20/month 500 mins Unlimited Texts Unlimited Internet(3G fair use 500mg) Phone was free
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Post by Alex on Oct 22, 2010 16:00:40 GMT
I think I might pull the trigger. After a lot (maybe too much) thought, I have come to the conclusion that really, it does everything I want: -Internet (3G and WiFi) -Google Maps -YouTube (as well as having the Flash plugin in case I need to watch videos on site other than YouTube) -Email -Apps -Good tariff for the price -Free phone -From my experience, a good phone However, I do believe 'you get what you pay for', and I know it isn't as sleek or as polished as the iPhone but the iPhone has such a high standard that it will be difficult for anything else to catch up. I can't help but fell impressed. I went in the shop determined not to like it, and find another reason to get the iPhone instead, but I do. It usually takes a lot for me to have a complete change in opinion. Then again, like said above, I have to weigh out my needs, wants and can-affords. The iPhone, from the outside, is way more expensive, with less included in the tariff. For the HTC: £20/month x 24 months = £480 in total. For the iPhone: £30/month x 24 + £99 for the handset = £819 total. Is having an iPhone worth an extra £339? I could spend that money on a Line 6 Floor Slab. So... Thanks for the responses. I think the Android has won - Solely because of the price. If Apple offered more 'competitive' rates then I would happily give them my money, but they don't.
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swatty
Senior Member
Grumpy old Man
Posts: 256
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Post by swatty on Oct 22, 2010 17:14:30 GMT
Alex, Before you rush down the HTC route, check out the Samsung Galaxy S which is, for want of a better description, an Android iPhone clone galaxys.samsungmobile.com/Couple of my friends have replaced their iPhones with these (for purely cost reasons) and are very happy. You can get it free on a 2 year O2 or T-Mobile contract for 25 a month if you shop around Simon
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Post by Alex on Oct 23, 2010 19:55:03 GMT
I saw those Galaxy ones and I'm not keen. I know someone with a Samsung iPhone 3G lookalike and it is horrendous. The OS just doesn't work.* I have been looking at the Desire HD as well... However, their contracts are pretty much the same as the iPhone, and if I could spend that much I'd get an iPhone 4 without any hesitation. The Desire, to me, looks like the best option. Obviously I'll continue to look around until I go back to the shop, but so far it's in the lead.
So, the next question:
How good a network are 3? Anyone here use them? Any experiences? They have the best deals no matter which phone I look at, but maybe they're cheaper for a reason.
*Edit: The Galaxy S, I clicked Swatty's link and that is the phone my friend has.
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Post by wierdostomps on Oct 24, 2010 15:59:36 GMT
My daughter uses 3 and seems to get better 3g reception than I do on O2. I believe their customer service is rubbish - but I haven't had to use it and I've had terrible experiences with pretty much every big utility company eventually!
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Post by tumnurkoz on Oct 24, 2010 18:51:41 GMT
'Think Different' nearly everyone i know uses an iPhone. To be honest it's put me off getting one! It saddens me, as the iPhone is VERY nice and after all it's an Apple product...I use a Nokia E71 N8 (and it's VERY good thank you) and i can (smugly) share pictures or videos over bluetooth with friends, with no special applications or jailbreaking. Just my 0.02p
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Post by Alex on Oct 24, 2010 19:12:32 GMT
My daughter uses 3 and seems to get better 3g reception than I do on O2. I believe their customer service is rubbish - but I haven't had to use it and I've had terrible experiences with pretty much every big utility company eventually! Yeah, I too have heard that the CS is awful. Hopefully though, I won't have to contact them. So what about reception for calls? Call sound quality? Reliability? I don't know anyone on 3... I know a few on Orange and I struggle to see how a network could be worse than them.
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Post by wierdostomps on Oct 24, 2010 19:19:12 GMT
My daughter is 18. She is online constantly. Life is not possible without Facebook. The only time she has ever complained about lack of signal was on Kos - and I had deliberately not enabled roaming.
Where we live, other networks struggle but 3 seems pretty good. Can't comment on sound quality. Her phone is a Samsung which isn't great anyway, so I can't really blame the network.
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Post by Alex on Oct 24, 2010 19:38:53 GMT
Thanks. If I get it and 3 suck terribly I'll blame you. As for the online-ness, Facebook is a sad place. Each time a new 'scandal' or 'shocking uncovery' comes out it makes me glad I don't even have a profile.
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Post by wierdostomps on Oct 26, 2010 17:24:19 GMT
Don't blame me - blame the daughter. Not the Beatles fan, either, the stroppy teenager!
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