Posted on 03/06/2014 1:41:12 PM PST by US Navy Vet
Be aware that if you have Data Caps...a smart phone can eat it.
S4, LG2, or the note 3
I’m getting a new one also. Since you will be on a 2 year contract I suggest you get a model that has just been introduced. Otherwise after 2 years you will have a 3 year old phone. Samsung just introduced their S5. HTC will be introducing their new model in a few weeks. I’m waiting on the HTC announcement before I choose. HTC One and the new one are really nice to handle.
I am posting from a Samsung Galaxy S4. It is great for my needs. Very satisfied with it.
I am in an area which had no cell phone service but Verizon is building a tower within a few hundred yards of my house.
Do they ever carry other brands on the same tower or do I have to go with Verizon? I can’t afford much and don’t use a phone much. Would I be better off buying a phone and adding minutes assuming Verizon allows that?
My brother loves his Samsung Galaxy 3 (AT&T), much better than the iphone he was using. My dumb phone died so I made the switch, Galaxy 4 being the current offering (also AT&T). My experience with smart phones is now 10 days old. So far most of the caveats I’ve encountered are not the individual phone per se, but the smartphone in general. Example, the extreme intrusiveness of many of the apps available.
It does have pretty good voice recognition capabilities. My nephew is a super tech support geek and also has the Galaxy 3, he speaks well of the android operating system.
As everyone else will say, learn early on how to manage data use when not on wifi.
Going from a dumb phone, this thing is basically like getting a new computer and having to learn the ropes. Takes time.
As I understand it, most of the big carriers have some form of sharing. But at the same time, around here AT&T has by far the best coverage, T Mobile rather poor. So who knows?
Are you planning on staying with Verizon or are you open to another carrier?
Also, are you talking about 1 line of service or more?
Also, if you wear jeans a large phone will be a pain to keep in your pocket. I wear dress slacks at work and mine slides in an out easily. I'm in Florida so when I'm not at work I wear cargo shorts and the big cargo pockets are perfect.
Best smart phones (imho) Samsung Galaxy S3, S4, or S5.
Personally I was disappointed with my experience on an iphone. Those who love iphones swear by them, but I prefer Android; and Samsung makes the best ones, to me.
Hey Navy Vet and all,
If you drive along the border of Canada with data roaming you may get picked up by a Canadien carrier and they have a habit of screwing ya.
I try not to drive to closely by the Mexican border but I have an idea they will get ya there too.
Thanks.
I had the hardest time figuring out who was building the tower. I walked over and asked them who was the tower for and they said they didn’t know. I have no idea why they didn’t want to tell.
I called the Tax Assessors office and all they knew was the name of the corp. which owns the land and it was an obviously made up name just calling itself highway this and highway that LLC.
I finally found the lady who sold them the land and she told me it was Verizon.
They cleared the land and poured a huge amount of concrete then let it set for over a week. They are now back at the site but the only thing they have done today is move one of the tower segments closer to the base.
I guess they are ready to start erecting it soon.
If you don’t intend to use your cell phone much, Walmart carries the Tracphone. You buy it and then pay for a $30 a month card that covers limited use and texting, or $45 for unlimited. I got this for my teenager and told him he was on his own for paying for the $45. It worked great. But this wasn’t a smart phone.
I got a smartphone (an iPhone) last year, given to me by my then boss. I am in love. It has completely changed the quality of my life.
In answer to your question, the major carriers share big towers. However, nationally Verizon has the best coverage. ATT is widely hated for poor coverage and quality. I do business with Verizon and have never had a single billing problem for my home phone, Internet, cell, or business billing at the office I was running until recently. Others hate them but I don’t know why. They’ve been great and their (Indian) customer service for Internet is fantastic.
Thank you.
I have yet to use more than 1 gig of my 2 gigs allowed. Never come close. Of course, I save my bigger downloads for home, when I am on my wifi.
I love my Moto X Droid. The ONLY phone made in the USA, you can go to Motorola’s website and pick out your color choices. You can also have it stamped with your name or your phone’s name. (I call mine Xena). It is so thin and lite it makes the apples look and feel like bricks. Also Moto Droids are the only droids that update their operating system, so if you buy a phone with the ice cream OS and KitKat comes out, just wait and your phone will download the new OS. With Motorola Assist, your phone knows when you are sleeping, driving, in a meeting, and will act according to your preferences. Has Ok Google Now voice activation, too. Just say, Ok Google Now, and what you want, (text Joe, navigate to Starbucks, how many ounces in a liter, etc.) It is also super easy to use. Very user friendly.
Look into what’s available and what features you want. For me, I don’t like phones much bigger than 4.3” screen. 5” is just too big and I’m unable to easily reach the entire screen with with one hand. Major limiting factor.
I definitely want a removable battery.
MicroSD expansion slot.
Other than that, I don’t mind. Software’s not an issue, as I rooted my phone and installed a custom ROM. (Gets rid of a LOT of the provider spy stuff/adware, also generally improves speed and battery life.) If you want to do that, be sure to check http://forum.xda-developers.com/ to make sure there’s ROMs out there for the phone you’re looking at.
Coming from a flipphone, you likely aren’t worried about graphics/processor/camera at all, and any recent phone is plenty of power for most stuff you’ll want to do with it. So you’re main worry is how the phone feels, what’s comfortable to you. Do you want a big case, or, I just use a soft silicone cover (also prevents pocket/dashboard slipping)? Go to the store and see how the different phones feel in your hand. You don’t go buy a pistol off the shelf, you rent it/borrow one and take it to the range first.
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