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The Best Smartphones You Can Buy Right Now - WSJ
Wall Street Journal Online ^ | November 25, 2014 | Joanna Stern

Posted on 11/26/2014 11:34:56 AM PST by House Atreides

Right now is the single best time of the year to buy a smartphone.

It may sound like something you’d read in a weekly circular, but it’s true: All the smartphone makers have released their best wares in preparation for the big holiday buying season. Some can be found at their lowest prices, especially this Friday and Monday.

And for anyone worrying about something better coming along right away, don’t. The next major phone launch isn’t until the spring.

Now there’s just this teeny-tiny problem of picking one of the seemingly identical black big-screened slabs. Choose wrong and you’ll be stuck with a dud of a phone for the next two years. Happy holidays!

(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...


TOPICS: Computers/Internet
KEYWORDS: shopping; smartphone
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To: House Atreides

Lumia 1520 Windows Phone!


21 posted on 11/26/2014 12:36:57 PM PST by Erik Latranyi
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To: House Atreides

For cheapscates like me, there is the “bring your own phone” at Tracfone. You can buy a used Verizon Iphone 4 or 4S on Ebay and activate it as a Tracfone. Be sure it is not Icloud locked and has clean ESN


22 posted on 11/26/2014 12:39:14 PM PST by dmet
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To: House Atreides

I miss the simplistic Rotary Dial and the Party line.


23 posted on 11/26/2014 12:43:02 PM PST by corbe (mystified)
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To: House Atreides
I wish they would have posted the non-contract prices. I haven't had a phone contract for many years and I don't foresee ever going back to one. I have no reason to chain myself to a cell phone company even for the "advantage" of getting a "cheap" phone and then having to pay for it and more in excess charges over the life of the contract.
24 posted on 11/26/2014 12:46:12 PM PST by KarlInOhio (The IRS: either criminally irresponsible in backup procedures or criminally responsible of coverup.)
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To: corbe
I miss the simplistic Rotary Dial and the Party line.

My favorite part was having to sit just 8 feet from the wall for however many hours you were on the phone.

25 posted on 11/26/2014 12:50:13 PM PST by BunnySlippers (I LOVE BULL MARKETS . . .)
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To: dmet

Word of caution about iPhones on Tracfone networks.

You may have a good deal of difficulty getting them to connect to cellular data, and the photo send and receive feature may not work at all.


26 posted on 11/26/2014 12:55:58 PM PST by Sherman Logan
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To: Sherman Logan

You only have to alter the APN settings and it will work fine.


27 posted on 11/26/2014 1:00:50 PM PST by RangerM
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To: dmet

All Verizon Iphones (5 and below) are sim-unlocked.

That means you can put a compatible sim card in it and it will work for Trac or Straight Talk (which are the same company) on the GSM network (aka ATT or T-Mobile).

You can use a Verizon Iphone 5 on the CDMA network (a.k.a Verizon’s network) under Straight Talk (ST), but you’ll be limited to 3G speeds for data.


28 posted on 11/26/2014 1:05:17 PM PST by RangerM
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To: RangerM

Uhh, no.

There are issues. I’ve been down all the roads and this particular phone won’t do pictures. Eventually got the data to work, thogh.


29 posted on 11/26/2014 1:18:54 PM PST by Sherman Logan
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To: House Atreides

For later.


30 posted on 11/26/2014 1:34:51 PM PST by 1rudeboy
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To: corbe
I miss the simplistic Rotary Dial and the Party line.

Go back a little further and you would have had to get an operator to connect you to your party. For those on a 13 party line as I once was there were a series of rings, like 3 longs and two shorts, that you cranked to get your neighbor to pick up the phone, no matter what ring you cranked you could count on 12 people picking up.

31 posted on 11/26/2014 1:42:52 PM PST by itsahoot (Voting for a Progressive RINO is the same as voting for any other Tyrant.)
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To: House Atreides

FReeping on my 2 year old Droid RAZR M right now. Usually need to charge the battery at night. Its a great phone and I hate to replace/upgrade. It will soon be time though.


32 posted on 11/26/2014 2:03:03 PM PST by bk1000 (A clear conscience is a sure sign of a poor memory)
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To: itsahoot

Dinosaurs had phones?


33 posted on 11/26/2014 2:10:04 PM PST by corbe (mystified)
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To: kempster

I’ve been eyeing one myself.


34 posted on 11/26/2014 2:17:22 PM PST by Lurkina.n.Learnin (It's a shame nobama truly doesn't care about any of this. Our country, our future, he doesn't care)
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To: ALASKA

I really want one of those, just for the camera. But ATT has very bad coverage here, so I got the Icon from Verizon. It’s a nice unit.


35 posted on 11/26/2014 2:20:42 PM PST by Excellence (Marine mom since April 11, 2014)
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To: corbe

“I miss the simplistic Rotary Dial and the Party line.”
*****************************************************************************************************
I remember that when my wife was carrying our now 19 year old son with a high-risk pregnancy and was home with doctored ordered “bed rest”, I went out and RENTED A BEEPER as a way of being constantly available if needed.

My, have times changed.


36 posted on 11/26/2014 2:21:56 PM PST by House Atreides
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To: itsahoot

In 1980, at Big Bear Lake, we still had to use the operator to call out.


37 posted on 11/26/2014 2:25:37 PM PST by Excellence (Marine mom since April 11, 2014)
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To: SES1066

I bought a new iPad air recently but it has been freezing so I took it to the Apple Store this morning. While I was there the gal says...is that a 5? We’ll give you $200 for it. I said how much is 6 plus? She said $299. I said deal!
Paid $100 for my new 6 plus and love it.


38 posted on 11/26/2014 2:38:54 PM PST by sheana
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To: Excellence
In 1980, at Big Bear Lake, we still had to use the operator to call out.

How do you know when you lived in a small town? When you only needed 4 digits to dial any local phone (Beaufort SC 1965!) I don't think that exists any more as I believe that all phone computers require a minimum 7 digit number for connection!

39 posted on 11/26/2014 2:45:25 PM PST by SES1066 (Quality, Speed or Economical - Any 2 of 3 except in government - 1 at best but never #3!)
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To: redangus
Since you are mentioning the Windows phone, I have the Nokia 928 through VZW. I'm pretty happy with it, overall, no major problems yet. MS may not have as many apps as Apple or Google, but I really don't care about that. The camera on the phone is by far the best I've seen on any smartphone (as of the time I bought the phone a year ago, at least). So, my take is to not be afraid of choosing a Windows phone (the 928, at least).
40 posted on 11/26/2014 2:51:05 PM PST by Major Matt Mason ("Journalism is dead. All news is suspect." - Noamie)
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