Thinking of get a "smart phone"

[rock22]

So I been using the old style flip phones. I am thinking about getting a smartphone, but I don't want the IPhone. My carrier is AT&T. I would like to have a decent camera and video camera on it. Any suggestions or questions for me?

-Thanks

[CrowdAds]

[medion]

I'm a bit biased, but this would be my first choice;
http://www.wireless.att.com/cell-pho...sku=sku5370319

Camera and video camera are among the best for a phone today. However, if you want their LTE service, then;

http://www.wireless.att.com/cell-pho...sku=sku5390262

Different CPU/GPU, but performance will be nearly identical for most things. Camera is supposedly the same, but the phone will support AT&T's expanding LTE network.

[rock22]

what about Windows Phones?

[BigThumpinDrivers]

Windows phones are almost exculcivley crap! i recommend get any of the newer HTC's a little pricey but very good quality. The android market is getting more and more apps every day!

[rock22]

Originally Posted by BigThumpinDrivers

Windows phones are almost exculcivley crap! i recommend get any of the newer HTC's a little pricey but very good quality. The android market is getting more and more apps every day!

Hmm, My brother has a Windows phone and he loves it, his friend has an Andriod and wishes he had a Windows. Also a crapload of apps isn't important too me, just internet and basic apps like weather and stuff.

[BigThumpinDrivers]

i currently have a HTC tilt 2 which is a windows 6.5 phone and it freezes on a daily basis (maybe i'm getting and android sometime in the next few hours!) i personally prefer android os purely because its simple and customizable and apps can prove much more useful than one might think

[medion]

WP7 is hardly "crap," as a previous poster put it. It's a newer OS and as such is going through some growing pains. It does require the installation of Zune software on your desktop similar to the iPhone requiring iTunes. I haven't heard of a WP7 device that has a camera similar to the SGS2, but that would be amazing if one did.

AT&T sells several WP7-based devices, but the three newer models using Chassis 2 hardware are the Focus Flash (Samsung), Focus S (Samsung), and Titan (HTC). The main differentiation between the three is the screen size and quality. Head to an AT&T store and try the three to see what you might think of them.

Their other WP7-based devices, the Focus and the HD7S, are based on Chassis 1 hardware and should be avoided now in favor of the newer devices.

[rock22]

okay. whats the different between the Galaxy S II and the Galaxy S II Skyrocket?
Also are there any phones like the Galaxy S II, but a little smaller?

[medion]

Originally Posted by rock22

okay. whats the different between the Galaxy S II and the Galaxy S II Skyrocket?
Also are there any phones like the Galaxy S II, but a little smaller?

In terms of software, they are virtually identical. The average person won't notice a perceptible difference in most cases. In terms of hardware, here are the key differences;

-SGS2 has a 4.3" display while the Skyrocket has a 4.5" display
-SGS2 uses HSPA+ for "4G" whereas the Skyrocket supports both that and LTE, making it more future proof
-SGS2 on AT&T has built-in NFC whereas Skyrocket does not
-SGS2 uses dual-core A9 CPU @ 1.2ghz (6,000 DMIPS) vs. the Skyrocket's dual-core Scorpion @ 1.5ghz (6,300 DMIPS), a difference of 5% in relative performance.
-SGS2 uses Mali400 GPU and the Skyrocket uses Adreno 220. Mali is significantly faster in general, but more games are optimized for Adreno. I've found this particularly annoying in Gameloft games that perform smoothly on PowerVR/Adreno but have stuttering issues on Mali. Game availability is also better on Adreno than Mali at this time (but is changing quickly).

Overall, you can't go wrong with either, but if smaller size is a concern, go with the SGS2. As for a smaller device that is similar, I can't recommend any based on the criteria we've discussed. No other Android phone out today offers the smooth UI of the SGS2 series, nor the camera capability. I'd probably recommend looking at those WP7-based devices from my last post.

[rock22]

Okay Thanks. I'll go to an AT&T store soon and see what I like.

[synaesthetic]

And SGS2 has CyanogenMod 7 and will have CM9 eventually, but the Skyrocket is stuck with a crappy Samsung Touchfail ROM.

[medion]

Originally Posted by synaesthetic

And SGS2 has CyanogenMod 7 and will have CM9 eventually, but the Skyrocket is stuck with a crappy Samsung Touchfail ROM.

Keep in mind that the CM7-based ROM for the SGS2 is in "experimental" status due to some issues currently.

[rock22]

Opinions about these:
HTC Titan -Windows
Samsung Focus -Windows
Samsung Galaxy S II -Android
LG Nitro -Android
Motorola Atrix -Android

[medion]

Originally Posted by rock22

HTC Titan -Windows

Second generation Windows Phone 7, so it is modern. Definitely worth getting if you choose WP7 over Android, with two caveats. First, I thought you were concerned about size? This thing is a beast! Second, LTE-equipped WP7-based devices on AT&T should be out by March. If LTE is a huge deal for you, wait till then. Three months isn't a long wait if we're talking about a device you want to use for about 2 years.

Originally Posted by rock22

Samsung Focus -Windows

First-generation Windows Phone, avoid it. Look at the Focus S or Focus Flash instead.

Originally Posted by rock22

Samsung Galaxy S II -Android

As far as I am concerned, this is the be-all-end-all of Android devices, currently. Hardware is best of breed, software is best of breed, and usability is tops for an Android phone. If you're going Android, this is the phone that I recommend. If LTE is a concern, go slightly larger with the Skyrocket, which has slightly inferior hardware, but still an amazing device.

Originally Posted by rock22

LG Nitro -Android

Haven't used it, but specs look identical to the Skyrocket with the exception of this having a 720p screen. The ONLY reason I'd choose this over the Skyrocket is for the screen. However, it is slated to get Android 4.0, and that has a much more fluid UI (and browser), so the software on this thing will improve. So, get this if you want LTE and a 720p screen, and don't mind waiting several months for the UI to improve.

Originally Posted by rock22

Motorola Atrix -Android

I'd totally avoid this unless you want a mid-sized screen. While the specs are still high-end by today's standard, Motorola's software is not impressive and slows the device down considerably. Also, it's not currently on Moto's ICS upgrade list. I expect it to get ICS eventually, but I'm not 100% confident of this. It's funny how people are up in arms over Samsung/Google not updating their N1/SGS1 to 4.0, but no one seems to care that Moto is not updating phones released in the first-half of 2011!

[rock22]

So, I'm probably gonna get the Galaxy S II or LG Nitro.
If I buy it off ebay or something like that, I can bring it too the store and get the data plan and what-not, right?

And, both are going to get the ICS update right?

[saratoga]

Originally Posted by rock22

If I buy it off ebay or something like that, I can bring it too the store and get the data plan and what-not, right?

Yes, but this would probably be a giant waste of money, since AT&T's data plans include the cost of the phone subsidy even if you bring your own. Buying off of ebay really only makes sense if you play to get a prepaid SIM or something like that (and even then just barely since AT&T prepaid is stupidly expensive).

[rock22]

An AT&T data plan is like $30.... So they add to that, if you don't buy the phone from them?

I can get a refurbish skyrocket for a good price off AT&T, would that be a better thing to do, even though I don't get 4G/LTE by me?

[saratoga]

Originally Posted by rock22

An AT&T data plan is like $30.... So they add to that, if you don't buy the phone from them?

The 40 + 30 for data includes the cost of the phone. So if you bring your own phone, you pay AT&T for a phone you don't get.

Originally Posted by rock22

I can get a refurbish skyrocket for a good price off AT&T, would that be a better thing to do, even though I don't get 4G/LTE by me?

The skyrocket actually does have LTE.

For what its worth, LTE is pretty useless on AT&T since their previous 4G network was already really fast and doesn't destroy your battery life like LTE does. I have LTE on my galaxy nexus and never use it even though Verizon's CDMA network is waaaay slower then AT&T's HSPA+. Faster bandwidth really only matters if you want to stream HD video, and unless you have unlimited data or don't mind paying a LOT each month, Wifi is what you'd use for that.

[Baadaq]

get a nexus instead of a s2, you have support directly from google,clean android os, get updates a lot faster (like 3-6 months before any other phone), a nice hd screen(samoled hd), or wait for the s3.
the guy who say that wp are crap is totally biassed, because never wp are pretty good and are the most faster on web surfing,but aren't customizable at all and they need propietary software like apple, but currently the best smartphone atm are nexus,htc one x, xperia s,galaxy s2,moto razr and galaxy note, you cant go wrong with any of those, but the razr and s2 can't compete with the others on screen terms.

[The DarkSide]

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