# Smart Phone Recommendations?



## sarness (Sep 14, 2010)

I have an HTC Rezound on Verizon, for the most part it does alright.

If you end up doing a lot though, either look for separate devices, or something like a Razor Max that has good battery life.

GPS sucks down the battery, my original charger couldn't keep up while driving. I'm also on the phone a lot talking with tech support and all. It's not unusual to leave a job with 20% remaining and have to plug it into a charger at my next service call.

I'm sure I could get better battery life, just been lazy in figuring it out.


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## macmikeman (Jan 23, 2007)

When entrepreneurs Jobs and Wozniak first marketed their earliest, crude personal computer, they put a price tag of $666 on the product.












Not that that has anything to do with anything.....:whistling2:


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## HARRY304E (Sep 15, 2010)

macmikeman said:


> When entrepreneurs Jobs and Wozniak first marketed their earliest, crude personal computer, they put a price tag of $666 on the product.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


:wacko::laughing::wacko:


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## HARRY304E (Sep 15, 2010)

Big John said:


> I was sitting here thinking of stuff I'd like to have, and when I realized I'd like a new MP3 player, need a GPS, and want an organizer, it occurred to me I'm probably better off just buying a smart phone.
> 
> I know nothing about these. My current phone is the cheapest it-dials-numbers phone I could buy.
> 
> ...


I have the IPhone and it does just about everything you can think of.:thumbup:


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## BBQ (Nov 16, 2010)




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## macmikeman (Jan 23, 2007)

We always laugh at B4t and his pagers , but truthfully, I loved mine. I wish they still were serviced around here. I'd leave that damn phone in the truck all day if I had me a working pager.


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## stuiec (Sep 25, 2010)

macmikeman said:


> when entrepreneurs jobs and wozniak first marketed their earliest, crude personal computer, they put a price tag of $666 on the product.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



View attachment 19232


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## Big John (May 23, 2010)

BBQ said:


>


 Put a microphone and 12 buttons on it, and that's practically what I have now. :laughing:

-John


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## 480sparky (Sep 20, 2007)

macmikeman said:


> When entrepreneurs Jobs and Wozniak first marketed their earliest, crude personal computer, they put a price tag of $666 on the product.........



When the first viable copy machine was developed, it was dismissed as having no commercial value. They thought the market would be saturated after the sale of 12 machines. 


Not that that has anything to do with anything.....:whistling2:


Myself, I use a Samsung Galaxy SII.


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## Big John (May 23, 2010)

How do things like GPS work on those? If I don't have a data plan, is that even possible to use?

-John


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## Electrical Student (Jun 6, 2011)

I have a metro pcs cheap azz smart phone. It does about 75-80% of what it claims it can. The one thing it does do is cost the same each month. FLAT RATE for data-text-talk-roming-etc. I know some of the other companies are following with similar plans. I just am not going to try to guess how mutch usage my family will have each month. Its ludacris to even try. I have paid a $600 nextell bill because we were told we had unlimited cell to cell walkie talkie. Turns out it was unlimited cell to cell calls. So my phone is deff slower then some of my coworkers phones but its also half the price.


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## thoenew (Jan 17, 2012)

I don't think you'll be able to get a smartphone without a data plan.


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## 480sparky (Sep 20, 2007)

thoenew said:


> I don't think you'll be able to get a smartphone without a data plan.


Yes, you can. But even minimal data plans are so freaking cheap it's insane not to get one.

I've got a 2gb plan, and I have yet to use 10% of it. Most of my data is done over a wireless router at home or at cafes / restaurants at lunch.

And most GPS functions will work, even if the phone does not have service. Same applies to apps........ you don't need service on the phone for them to run.


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## macmikeman (Jan 23, 2007)

480sparky said:


> Same applies to apps........ you don't need service on the phone for them to run.






Ahem...... go tell that to the Brushman.....






Now I gotta buy another Ipad....... with data..... whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa


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## hardworkingstiff (Jan 22, 2007)

HARRY304E said:


> I have the IPhone and it does just about everything you can think of.:thumbup:


I have a pretty good imagination. :laughing:


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## 480sparky (Sep 20, 2007)

macmikeman said:


> Ahem...... go tell that to the Brushman.....
> .............


I have several older smart phones that the apps still work, despite the phones not having service.


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## rexowner (Apr 12, 2008)

If I were to have one phone, it would probably be one of the flagship
Android phones from Motorola, Samsung or HTC, most likely a Samsung
Note II (5.5" screen) or the smaller SIII (4.8" screen).

In general, all of the smart phones are great, but I am most familiar
with the Samsung products.

My current main phone is a (Samsung) Galaxy Nexus. The reason I have
this particular phone is that I have a side business developing smart
phone apps and the "Nexus" is generally supposed to have the latest
and greatest OS software. I also have a couple of other Android phones
and the iPhone 4s and 5, and just ordered a Nokia 920 which runs
Windows Phone 8.

My background obviously colors my POV. FWIW, here's my opinions.



Big John said:


> I'm basically looking for a tiny little laptop, I guess.


In that case, you are buying into an Operating System, more than
a specific piece of hardware. There are three somewhat real choices
(Apple) iOS, (Google) Android and (Microsoft) Windows Phone 8.

A couple of general things to look for:
- IMO, get the "high end" -- you are going to have this thing for
several years, and spending the extra $99 or whatever will 
usually serve one well when it comes to updates over the next
couple of years. A "free" phone is last years model, which is fine
if you are my mom and just need to make phone calls, but
you are looking for a "tiny little laptop." Get a good processor,
dual-core or even the ridiculously fast quad-cores.
- By all means, get "4G", aka "LTE". It is just faster for anything on
the internet. I think you said your location is in Maine, and I don't
know what coverage is like there, but the faster networks should
be everywhere over the next several years.
- Think about screen size. One of my favorite phones was my little
Droid Incredible a couple of years ago because it fit in pocket easily.
My current phone's bigger display is nice, though. Personal choice.

Windows Phone 8:
Personally, I am very impressed by the technology. I think their
User Interface is very creative, and the development tools are 
great, although you have to have their latest and greatest computer
and OS just to do development. It's likely the problem 
will be apps if that is what you are interested in.
They will probably have some excellent apps from Microsoft and other
huge developers, but the 100's of thousands of apps (like, let's say
you wanted an app just for electricians to do load calcs or whatever)
probably are a year or two away if ever. (As a developer, I intend
to do some small apps and see how it goes because I like their
technology, but I am skeptical of sales.) Looks like really cool
technology, but they are late to the game, and I could not in good
conscience recommend a WP8 device to anyone but a Microsoft
geek.

iOS:
I am highly biased here, and perhaps obnoxious. My wife has an
iPhone 4s because she likes the smaller size, and my daughter has
an iPhone 5 because she likes the bigger screen. The iOS software
is pretty mature, there are generally plenty of apps. (As a developer,
I think Apple software is completely inferior to Android and Windows
Phone 8, but that may be irrelevant. I have a couple of iOS Apps and
about a dozen on Android, largely because I think Apple's development
tools are obsolete PITA's.) My personal opinion is that
iOS is the choice for non-techies and old people. Other than that,
the iPhones are great. [Edit: You'll have to get the iPhone 5 to
get 4G/LTE, so I would recommend getting an iPhone 5 should
you decide to go with iOS.]

Android:
Basically as many apps as iOS. Outsold iPhone by 4:1 or so last
quarter, although Apple didn't have the iPhone 5 the whole time,
so that comparison is not completely fair to Apple. (As a developer,
i have 3-4x the features in my Android app vs. iOS because the
Android development environment is better, and iOS sucks, but
again, that is biased.) If you are comfortable with technology,
I don't think you can go wrong with the lastest 4G, big screen,
fast Android phone that works best with your carrier.

HTH.


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## kinglew (Mar 16, 2008)

no data plan needed by a unlocked gms smart phone online . free wfi everywhere you go unlimited service voice and texts 35.00 a month total bill puretalk usa


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## rexowner (Apr 12, 2008)

kinglew said:


> no data plan needed by a unlocked gms smart phone online . free wfi everywhere you go unlimited service voice and texts 35.00 a month total bill puretalk usa


wtf is "gms"? gsm?

maybe kinglew is a spammer, in which case the mods should remove
this post and kinglew's, but Republic Wireless has the same service
for $20/month.


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## East Coast Paul (Sep 30, 2010)

i took about a month looking at the various smart phones, at the beginning i wanted the iphone but after doing some research i picked the samsung galaxy s3 and am very happy with it. it has one of the longest lasting batteries on the market and (in canada) the spare battery will cost you $40 for the name brand (it has near field communication built into the battery) or around $20 for the cheap knock off. as for the gps it does not use your data plan at all and the most accurate it has been for me is 6 foot margin of error. it is very easy to set all the apps to only use wifi and not your data plan.


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## 480sparky (Sep 20, 2007)

East Coast Paul said:


> ........ and the most accurate it has been for me is 6 foot margin of error...........


GPS, regardless of the phone (or even a Garmin/Tomtom device), can be off hundreds of feet. It all depends on how many satellites are above the horizon, as well as how high they are.


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## macmikeman (Jan 23, 2007)

480sparky said:


> I have several older smart phones that the apps still work, despite the phones not having service.




The newest version of ES2 you need to have a live connection to the internet (or a cellular connection going) to use it. However, it is a really nice improvement on the interface and speed so I will just figure out a way to spend more money in the Christmas season than I planned.....


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## sparky970 (Mar 19, 2008)

Big John said:


> How do things like GPS work on those? If I don't have a data plan, is that even possible to use?
> 
> -John


You can't get a smart phone without a data plan, at least not a new one.


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## Big John (May 23, 2010)

Some good information here. It sounds like Samsung has some great products. Thanks for the detailed reply _Rexowner_, I'll check into those. 

I'll look into inexpensive data plans, but it ends up just being another bill for a service I don't particularly want, so I'm shying away from it because I'm a cheapskate.

-John


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## erics37 (May 7, 2009)

I was anti-smart phone for a while but then changed my mind. My old phone was like yours; completely basic it-dials-numbers. My carrier (AT&T) said I was eligible for a cheap upgrade, so I got a refurbished previously-owned iPhone 3GS for 10 bucks :laughing: I still use it, even though it's been supplanted by the iPhone 4, the iPhone 4s, the iPad 1 and 2, and now the iPhone 5. It's a f**kin' truck.

I use it for internet surfing and facebook and stuff when I'm away from home, and I stream music on it all day when I'm driving around in my work van. I have the 2 gigabye data plan for it and even streaming music I have plenty of comfort zone left at the end of the month.


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## Celtic (Nov 19, 2007)

Big John said:


> I'll look into inexpensive data plans, but it ends up just being another bill for a service I don't particularly want, so I'm shying away from it because I'm a cheapskate.
> 
> -John


I felt exactly the same way as you do now....I decided I might as well at least try it.

I went with TMobile because of a few reasons:
- the coverage in my area was pretty good in my area [NYC/Newark, NJ]....
- unlimited calling, txting and 2GB for $50/mth....
- the bill is still less than my previous "dumb" plan with Verizon.

I got a Samsung Galaxy S II this past April.

I downloaded a free app [My Data Manager] that tracks my usage and set alarms to warn if I am danger of exceeding my plan limit of 2GB....TMobile will not charge me more for overages, but rather "throttle" my speed.


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## mcb-expert (Nov 19, 2012)

I used an iPad, HTC, Samsung with Android & Black Berry.

Overall the best optimised phone is Samsung Galaxy Y Duos with dual sim. Sincerely it has all the functionality needed without any frills. Love it!


MCB Testers


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## pwoody (Oct 14, 2012)

+1 for samsung galaxy note, just be sure to get an earpiece as it is a bit large to be holding up to your face, but the extra real estate for the screensize makes it so much easier on the eyes when reading pdfs and webpages.

get a pdf of code book, put on phone.


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## ilikepez (Mar 24, 2011)

I have a Samsung Galaxy Nexus. Its nice because I don't have to have a contract, it gets the android updates the day they come out, and it has pretty good battery life. There is also a battery charger you can buy, and an extended battery for like $20. That is pretty nice to have in my opinion, because you don't need to leave your phone charging somewhere.


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## Southeast Power (Jan 18, 2009)

I have the Samsung Galaxy S lll. It is by far the best phone for navigation, fast Internet, tethering and battery life.


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## JRaef (Mar 23, 2009)

I've had iPhones for about 4 years now, just got upgraded to a 5 by my company, but my personal phone is still a 4. Not much of a difference except for the data speed, the 4GLTE is fast by comparison, just as fast as when I'm on my wireless connection in the office or at home. The camera seems a little better, but the camera on my 3G was already pretty damned good, so I don't see the need to have upgraded just for that. Just got back from the Grand canyon though and that panorama camera feature is fantastic.

I find that using the GPS on the smart phone is more hassle than it's worth most of the time. They are smaller (bad eyes) and less functional than the $100 GPS I got at Costco, so I just use that mostly. It's way easier to just dump in an address if you know it. The GPS on the iPhone is better if you need to look something up first, then you don't have to retype the address into another device.

But man, we've become so lazy... I used to carry a set of Thomas Brothers maps around in the trunk. Next stop, get the right book out of the trunk, thumb through it to find the address, then find where you are now, then plot your own route across the pages one by one. Good times...


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## BBQ (Nov 16, 2010)

JRaef said:


> But man, we've become so lazy... I used to carry a set of Thomas Brothers maps around in the trunk. Next stop, get the right book out of the trunk, thumb through it to find the address, then find where you are now, then plot your own route across the pages one by one. Good times...


The dark ages and the fun of dealing with obstacles in your map planed route, one ways you did not know about. Streets without signs, buildings without numbers. 

I was using one on a work trip in upstate New York right after they first came out and it struck me how odd it was that I was using billions of dollars of space technology to find a strip bar in the middle of nowhere. :jester:


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## Big John (May 23, 2010)

JRaef said:


> ...But man, we've become so lazy....


 No way, man. I've been a die-hard road-atlas guy for years and I still gotta admit it's slow, and frustrating, and I often find myself trying to get to a spot right underneath the compass-rose or some damn advertisement on the map. :wallbash:

The company truck has a GPS and it's a god-send; there's just no comparison.

-John


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## sarness (Sep 14, 2010)

My old boss would say it's down the street a ways, past some pine tree's, a red barn, 2 side streets and its on the left.

I forget how many times I'd call asking how much further down the road. Even after driving 20 or so miles I'd find out I still had another 15 to go!

Still was a great boss though.


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## Keep worrying (Nov 23, 2012)

*Go android*

I use samsung t mobile $50/mo. unlimited talk text and
Data( pay bills, surf the Internet, read forum)

Walmart


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## Keep worrying (Nov 23, 2012)

*Android*

is also handy to have the camera & the video to quickly document any work you're doing for a customer.

Unlimited aps like any android
stopwatch if you need to calculate your gallons per minute on a new water well electrical pump you are installing.

watching an instructional YouTube video to brush up on your wiring calculations
Read your email on the go etc. 

Iphone is like ...over
same as cameras ,GPS,laptops,
Imo, lol


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## Fredman (Dec 2, 2008)

Had a samsung android. That sucked huge. Never had to restart a phone so many times in one day. I've owned the 4S for a few months now. It's a rock solid phone. Cloud storage is a very good thing to someone who's dropped their android in the lake before...:whistling2: I'm happy camper.


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## daveEM (Nov 18, 2012)

Data is a must. Get 80% of my work thru email or messaging. Constantly taking pics of parts and sending off to customer.

Using an older Nexus S but the Nexus $ (sold on Google when they get them) is in the pipe.


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## drsparky (Nov 13, 2008)

I have a Samsung Galaxy S, it woks pretty good but I will uprade to the new S3 soon. GPS I still use my Tom Tom works good everywhere.
Galaxy 10.1 tablet for manuals on PDF, phone are too small fr my old eyes.


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## drsparky (Nov 13, 2008)




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## Starcraft (Jan 14, 2012)

Tmobiles offers cheap plans. Galaxy s 3 is the best phone right now....


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## GregC (Dec 4, 2012)

I got a iPhone about 4 1/2 years ago
Got used to using it for mail and google searches along with short notes about jobs materials and appointments it replace my laptop even though hard to read on small screen.
about a year ago I replaced it with the new the day I got it iPhone 4s.
I'd gotten so used to using the phone for internet browsing that I picked up a iPad and linked it to my Verizon Data Plan with the fast on the iPad LTE data connection which is faster than data on the old iPhone 4s 
with the iPad and iPhone I don't even take a Lap Top out of the house anymore I'm hooked.
If I were moving up from a dumb phone I'd consider some of the android nexus phones or note pads with the freedom of not having contracts that locked you down for years.
The Apple phones and iPads are very easy ways to work though I am happy to keep using them.


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## manchestersparky (Mar 25, 2007)

I have a IPhone 4S and a Samsung Galaxy S III

The iphone is my work phone provided by the jurisdiction, The Galaxy S III is mine

They are both good phones and offer pretty much the same things just on different platforms.
I prefer the Samsung Galaxy 3 III over the iphone.


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