One bad Apple....
August 11, 2010 3:44 AM Subscribe
Fed up with Apple and want to try something else.
I have had an iPhone 3G for about two years now and after problems with repairing the touch screen that breaks all too easily, poor radio performance, software upgrades that only downgrade performance, and smug operators who treat me as if I should be happy they let me pay them for a machine that increasingly reminds of Windows95, I'm looking for an alternative.
I am still happy with my MacBook.
Recommendations for something new?
I have an extensive audio library in iTunes, but am not married to that platform either. I don't use too many apps, something to stream radio (like Wunderadio) is enough.
Can anyone recommend a decent smartphone as a replacement? HTC, Samsung, Sony-Ericsson? The array of choices is bewildering.
I have had an iPhone 3G for about two years now and after problems with repairing the touch screen that breaks all too easily, poor radio performance, software upgrades that only downgrade performance, and smug operators who treat me as if I should be happy they let me pay them for a machine that increasingly reminds of Windows95, I'm looking for an alternative.
I am still happy with my MacBook.
Recommendations for something new?
I have an extensive audio library in iTunes, but am not married to that platform either. I don't use too many apps, something to stream radio (like Wunderadio) is enough.
Can anyone recommend a decent smartphone as a replacement? HTC, Samsung, Sony-Ericsson? The array of choices is bewildering.
I can see why you think the software got worse over time as the 3G iPhone has the same processing power as the year older (the first) iPhone. I do not share your perception on the brittleness of the phone it is the second most solid phone I have owned, I have owned phones for almost two decades now and the best one was a Nokia 3310 that survived multiple 1.5 metre falls onto concrete floor, a tour in the military… While my Samsung simply gave up due to cold weather and the multiple Sony Ericsson I had never really held together either. Enough about that and onto your actual question:
I have always liked the Palm Pre (it is not available where I live though). It will play everything not DRM-locked in your iTunes library. The user interface is in my opinion the only to really rival iOS. It is on both AT&T and Verizon should you happen to be unhappy with AT&T ;). Both the regular Pre and Pixi (despite that name) seems like good phones. Hardware-wise the newest Pre is slightly better than the iPhone 3GS. I have not heard anything that suggests the build quality to be bad.
posted by Niklas at 4:38 AM on August 11, 2010
I have always liked the Palm Pre (it is not available where I live though). It will play everything not DRM-locked in your iTunes library. The user interface is in my opinion the only to really rival iOS. It is on both AT&T and Verizon should you happen to be unhappy with AT&T ;). Both the regular Pre and Pixi (despite that name) seems like good phones. Hardware-wise the newest Pre is slightly better than the iPhone 3GS. I have not heard anything that suggests the build quality to be bad.
posted by Niklas at 4:38 AM on August 11, 2010
Response by poster: Thanks Niklas, devnull. I have no problem with the touch-screen keypad and set a priority on compactness.
I am not in the U.S. (I'm in Sweden) and have an abundant choice of operators so I would probably want to buy an unlocked version.
Also I should mention that CDMA is out. It has to be one of the flavors of WCDMA, including LTE which is already live in Stockholm. Download speed is not really a priority as I use the phone mostly as a phone and for e-mail.
I assume that any touch screen smartphone is going to be brittle. Apple makes getting the iPhone repaired a painful experience.
Basically, I would like an iPhone that does the basic things better, from a company that values its customers more than Apple does.
I am grateful for the suggestions.
posted by three blind mice at 4:51 AM on August 11, 2010
I am not in the U.S. (I'm in Sweden) and have an abundant choice of operators so I would probably want to buy an unlocked version.
Also I should mention that CDMA is out. It has to be one of the flavors of WCDMA, including LTE which is already live in Stockholm. Download speed is not really a priority as I use the phone mostly as a phone and for e-mail.
I assume that any touch screen smartphone is going to be brittle. Apple makes getting the iPhone repaired a painful experience.
Basically, I would like an iPhone that does the basic things better, from a company that values its customers more than Apple does.
I am grateful for the suggestions.
posted by three blind mice at 4:51 AM on August 11, 2010
I've been getting cheesed off with my 3G but upgraded to the iPhone 4 yesterday. It completely blows the 3G out of the water in terms of speed and the screen quality is amazing. Very happy customer now.
I'm in the UK so took the opportunity to switch from O2 (originally the only iPhone carrier) to Vodafone which has made a big difference.
The main complaints I've heard from Apple computer users who have Android phones is that they can be a pain to get working together.
My general advice to people is that if you like fiddling around 'under the hood' with your phone and all that kind of nerd stuff, get an Android phone. If you want something that does smartphone stuff with minimal effort, get the latest iPhone.
The problems you are having seem more related to the age/speed of your device & what the newer software is trying to do which is going to be a problem on any platform.
posted by i_cola at 4:53 AM on August 11, 2010
I'm in the UK so took the opportunity to switch from O2 (originally the only iPhone carrier) to Vodafone which has made a big difference.
The main complaints I've heard from Apple computer users who have Android phones is that they can be a pain to get working together.
My general advice to people is that if you like fiddling around 'under the hood' with your phone and all that kind of nerd stuff, get an Android phone. If you want something that does smartphone stuff with minimal effort, get the latest iPhone.
The problems you are having seem more related to the age/speed of your device & what the newer software is trying to do which is going to be a problem on any platform.
posted by i_cola at 4:53 AM on August 11, 2010
As Android devices go, the HTC Desire is widely acknowledged as an excellent phone. I've been very happy with mine for the three months I've had it.
posted by Bodd at 4:54 AM on August 11, 2010
posted by Bodd at 4:54 AM on August 11, 2010
Response by poster: The main complaints I've heard from Apple computer users who have Android phones is that they can be a pain to get working together.
Any more info. on this? I am completely agnostic when it comes to OS. I am not a fiddler, I just want it to work (and to keep working when "uprgrades" are forced on me.)
posted by three blind mice at 5:37 AM on August 11, 2010
Any more info. on this? I am completely agnostic when it comes to OS. I am not a fiddler, I just want it to work (and to keep working when "uprgrades" are forced on me.)
posted by three blind mice at 5:37 AM on August 11, 2010
Any more info. on this? I am completely agnostic when it comes to OS. I am not a fiddler, I just want it to work (and to keep working when "uprgrades" are forced on me.)
I've got an HTC Dream, on the Rogers network in Canada. Rogers put out their update to the Android OS last year. The updater program (from Rogers, I think, not HTC or Google) didn't exist for the Mac. Had to install boot camp and Windows XP to update my phone.
However, I expect that that to be due to Rogers' incompetence, rather than HTC/Google's. I'm not positive.
posted by Lemurrhea at 5:45 AM on August 11, 2010
I've got an HTC Dream, on the Rogers network in Canada. Rogers put out their update to the Android OS last year. The updater program (from Rogers, I think, not HTC or Google) didn't exist for the Mac. Had to install boot camp and Windows XP to update my phone.
However, I expect that that to be due to Rogers' incompetence, rather than HTC/Google's. I'm not positive.
posted by Lemurrhea at 5:45 AM on August 11, 2010
I just wanted it to work (and to keep working when "upgrades" are forced on me.
One of the common complaints from some friends with Android phones has been the lack of access to revisions of Android; Android is currently at 2.2 and some users with relatively new phones are still stuck with 1.6 and 2.1. There are options to upgrade while waiting patiently for their carriers to deploy the new versions, but these involve installing custom ROMs from the community.
To the contrary, if your device is supported by a new revision of iOS, it's available as soon as Apple posts the update. I personally prefer this model, although from your post you make it sound as though Apple has forced you to upgrade... which I imagine isn't the case. I used a 1st generation iPod Touch with iOS2 for a few years. Eventually I upgraded to iOS3 and the performance hit was noticeable, but frankly that was understandable as their baseline target had ramped up while I was still working with an old product. I wanted access to the new features and Apple didn't require that I upgrade; the decision was mine.
Perhaps I'm misguided, but as long as the original product (and OS) provide the advertised features, then there's no reason to feel cheated if performance degrades when upgrading to a newer revision.
As for your other points about smug operators and build quality, that's relative so I'll refrain from commenting :)
posted by Raze2k at 6:26 AM on August 11, 2010
One of the common complaints from some friends with Android phones has been the lack of access to revisions of Android; Android is currently at 2.2 and some users with relatively new phones are still stuck with 1.6 and 2.1. There are options to upgrade while waiting patiently for their carriers to deploy the new versions, but these involve installing custom ROMs from the community.
To the contrary, if your device is supported by a new revision of iOS, it's available as soon as Apple posts the update. I personally prefer this model, although from your post you make it sound as though Apple has forced you to upgrade... which I imagine isn't the case. I used a 1st generation iPod Touch with iOS2 for a few years. Eventually I upgraded to iOS3 and the performance hit was noticeable, but frankly that was understandable as their baseline target had ramped up while I was still working with an old product. I wanted access to the new features and Apple didn't require that I upgrade; the decision was mine.
Perhaps I'm misguided, but as long as the original product (and OS) provide the advertised features, then there's no reason to feel cheated if performance degrades when upgrading to a newer revision.
As for your other points about smug operators and build quality, that's relative so I'll refrain from commenting :)
posted by Raze2k at 6:26 AM on August 11, 2010
The main complaints I've heard from Apple computer users who have Android phones is that they can be a pain to get working together.
I'm not really sure what that means since Android phones don't need to connect to a computer to work. The only times that you might want to connect one to your computer are to load it with music or to back up any pictures that you've taken. In both instances, the phone works just like a USB flash drive, you just use your native file manager to drop-and-drag from one to the other.
Likewise updates are over-the-air, you don't need to run a program on your computer to update it. The phone pulls the update.zip file directly down from the phone company's server and installs it itself.
posted by octothorpe at 6:59 AM on August 11, 2010
I'm not really sure what that means since Android phones don't need to connect to a computer to work. The only times that you might want to connect one to your computer are to load it with music or to back up any pictures that you've taken. In both instances, the phone works just like a USB flash drive, you just use your native file manager to drop-and-drag from one to the other.
Likewise updates are over-the-air, you don't need to run a program on your computer to update it. The phone pulls the update.zip file directly down from the phone company's server and installs it itself.
posted by octothorpe at 6:59 AM on August 11, 2010
The main complaints I've heard from Apple computer users who have Android phones is that they can be a pain to get working together.
In a sane world you don't have to install music software of any type on a computer of any type just to make your phone work. I (guess?) I can see how this may seem positively anarchic to someone switching from a purely Apple solution, but really - with most other phones (or to qualify, with every non-iPhone I've ever owned) you can plug them into any computer just like a USB drive to move music and pictures around. Millions of Android users do it this way without immanentizing the eschaton.
posted by foobario at 7:25 AM on August 11, 2010
In a sane world you don't have to install music software of any type on a computer of any type just to make your phone work. I (guess?) I can see how this may seem positively anarchic to someone switching from a purely Apple solution, but really - with most other phones (or to qualify, with every non-iPhone I've ever owned) you can plug them into any computer just like a USB drive to move music and pictures around. Millions of Android users do it this way without immanentizing the eschaton.
posted by foobario at 7:25 AM on August 11, 2010
I have never owned an Android phone and the iPhone 4 is my first iPhone, so take what I say FWIW. To me, Android is NOT intuitive. I have played with every phone that my old carrier had and some that it didn't and I just couldn't get over this piece of it. If you like how Macs work because they seem more intuitive than the competition, you might not like Android. I liked my Blackberry just fine, but I needed the options that a smartphone like the iPhone gives me.
Maybe you should start with: What do you LIKE about the iPhone?
You say you want a phone that's like the iPhone, but better. Have you even tried the 4? After getting mine, I was comparing with my friend's 3G and it's a WORLD of difference. Mine is quick and snappy, better display, better camera, better touch screen response. It is really the best phone I have ever had.
Also: any place you go, you can find bad customer service. I'm not sure this should reflect on how good the device itself is, though if you have a lot of problems with phones breaking... I guess I can see how that might be a big factor.
posted by itsacover at 7:26 AM on August 11, 2010
Maybe you should start with: What do you LIKE about the iPhone?
You say you want a phone that's like the iPhone, but better. Have you even tried the 4? After getting mine, I was comparing with my friend's 3G and it's a WORLD of difference. Mine is quick and snappy, better display, better camera, better touch screen response. It is really the best phone I have ever had.
Also: any place you go, you can find bad customer service. I'm not sure this should reflect on how good the device itself is, though if you have a lot of problems with phones breaking... I guess I can see how that might be a big factor.
posted by itsacover at 7:26 AM on August 11, 2010
I have two suggestions for you, from the northern land of ice and snow:
BlackBerry Bold 9700 - My personal phone for several months now. A deity among smartphones. It has an amazing keyboard, and great connectivity - clear 3G reception, no matter how you hold it :P.
Not to mention the Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth, apps out the wazoo, battery life for days, a sharp screen that automatically adjusts for glare, unparalleled security, and a 3.2 MP camera with autofocus and flash.
I'm sure I'm forgetting some stuff, but my rule with BlackBerries has always been "yes, it can do it, I just need to figure out how." In years of ownership I have never been able to come up with something my phone can't do.
The second one is the BlackBerry Torch 9800. Same great 9700 taste, in a compact slider format. Oh, and it adds full touchscreen functionality too. If you're into that sort of thing.
Oh, and this is all before BlackBerry 6. Come a few months from now and this list will be even longer due to a new OS.
posted by smistephen at 7:58 AM on August 11, 2010
BlackBerry Bold 9700 - My personal phone for several months now. A deity among smartphones. It has an amazing keyboard, and great connectivity - clear 3G reception, no matter how you hold it :P.
Not to mention the Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth, apps out the wazoo, battery life for days, a sharp screen that automatically adjusts for glare, unparalleled security, and a 3.2 MP camera with autofocus and flash.
I'm sure I'm forgetting some stuff, but my rule with BlackBerries has always been "yes, it can do it, I just need to figure out how." In years of ownership I have never been able to come up with something my phone can't do.
The second one is the BlackBerry Torch 9800. Same great 9700 taste, in a compact slider format. Oh, and it adds full touchscreen functionality too. If you're into that sort of thing.
Oh, and this is all before BlackBerry 6. Come a few months from now and this list will be even longer due to a new OS.
posted by smistephen at 7:58 AM on August 11, 2010
Likewise updates are over-the-air, you don't need to run a program on your computer to update it. The phone pulls the update.zip file directly down from the phone company's server and installs it itself.
As I implied above, that will depend on your carrier. Rogers required you to install it via Windows.
(confirmation)
Although don't let that stop you, I love my HTC.
posted by Lemurrhea at 8:01 AM on August 11, 2010
As I implied above, that will depend on your carrier. Rogers required you to install it via Windows.
(confirmation)
Although don't let that stop you, I love my HTC.
posted by Lemurrhea at 8:01 AM on August 11, 2010
Response by poster: Thanks for all of the responses.
posted by three blind mice at 8:32 AM on August 11, 2010
posted by three blind mice at 8:32 AM on August 11, 2010
iPhone 4 all the way. I find it to be a shockingly stunning piece of technology. Everyone I know who upgraded from older iPhones has been thrilled.
posted by 2oh1 at 12:37 PM on August 11, 2010
posted by 2oh1 at 12:37 PM on August 11, 2010
I have the HTC Nexus One which I believe is a variant of the HTC Desire and I completely love it. It does just what I tell it to do and when I think of something new for it to do, it does that too without argument. It looks gorgeous and personally I think it makes the iphone look clunky but aesthetics are a personal thing. The main thing is that it's a breath of fresh air technology-wise and I happily recommend it.
posted by merocet at 6:44 AM on August 12, 2010
posted by merocet at 6:44 AM on August 12, 2010
Just an fyi, they say turn off the spotlight search in the 3gs version in order to speed it up a little. YMMV but worth a try.
posted by iNfo.Pump at 4:11 PM on August 12, 2010
posted by iNfo.Pump at 4:11 PM on August 12, 2010
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First decide if you need a hardware keyboard, if you do that will narrow the choice significantly.
I'd also add Motorola to your list of phones to consider - they've learnt how to make good phones again.
posted by devnull at 4:13 AM on August 11, 2010