Do you have a smart phone?

Vater said:
I didn't have a problem with Android OS; I thought it was very good. But the dogged slowness of my current hardware has left me wanting the latest and greatest

I've got the original Droid too, and the slowness has been annoying me lately as well. Although for my fix, I plan on rooting it sometime soon, overclocking it a bit, and seeing if that gives me any significant improvement. If not, I'll pick up another Android phone sometime after the first of the year.

As long as Apple devices keep requiring you to use that pile of garbage otherwise known as iTunes, I'll never even consider any of their offerings.

I have a smarter-than-me droid. I know how to talk, text, and play angry birds. 'Bout it.

I try to keep cellphone budget to a minimum. If I use any sort of phone more then once a week, that's a high usage month for me. I managed to find a phone that does nothing but voice calls and doesn't have a camera or anything (later I found out it does text too). I hope I never have to replace it, especially since I only pay $15 every other month or so. Internet on the phone would be a neat toy, but not worth paying for. Besides, it's good to spend time totally disconnected.

I use and love Windows 6.5 on a Samsung Omnia II, but I'm dying for a new Samsung Windows Phone to become available for Verizon. If that doesn't happen by the time my contract is up, I'm moving over to a carrier that offers it. Really hoping it doesn't come to that because I enjoy just about everything about Verizon, but it really seems like they would rather just shove more Android and iPhone down everyone's throats rather than diversifying their Windows Phone lineup.

Android. Evo.

Just got an iPhone 4 through work and like it so far. Was using an older Android (Samsung Moment), but wanted to try something different, just to compare.

What amazes me is that neither my Android nor the iPhone have built-in speed dial (where you can put an icon on the main screen and one click to dial a contact). Its almost like phone related functions are an afterthought.

Yeah, unless you have a Jitterbug, it's not really a phone any more than it is a GPS, computer, game system, etc.

Nope, still using some LG flip style phone. I have a feeling within a few years we won't have much choice. I for one, don't need to be "connected" so never had the desire to get a smartphone. The required data plans are a big turnoff for me. I don't need the internet with me 24/7 :)

LostKause said:
I have a cheap pay-as-you-go AT&T Go Phone, and it's not very smart. I don't want to be enticed to spend every waking moment connected to the internet. How would I ever get any work done? I might make 5 phone calls a week on it.

What's that about... You from West Virginia or something? ;-)

What amazes me is that neither my Android nor the iPhone have built-in speed dial (where you can put an icon on the main screen and one click to dial a contact). Its almost like phone related functions are an afterthought.

Why do that when you can simply tell the phone who to call by hitting only one button...

Tekwardo said:

Why do that when you can simply tell the phone who to call by hitting only one button...

Because then I'd have to actually talk, when I can just press buttons and text. :)

edit: I use Google Voice Commands all the time, and I just figured out how much more I can actually do with it.

I like my Iphone 4S. Takes some of the best pictures I have ever seen with an Iphone. Wish Jeff would come out with a coasterbuzz ap.

Jeff is thinking about it.

IPhone 4. It still kicks ass so no need to upgrade for at least another year. :)

Android - 1st gen Droid, will be switching to a Galaxy Nexus or Droid RAZR (probably the Nexus).

But I am a self-admitted Google fanboy, even before my pay statements started saying Google at the top.

I'm on a halfway phone. It isn't exactly smart, but required the $10 data plan from VZW. I'd love to get a true smart phone (4s, please!), but the required data packages drive me (and my mom) nuts. As much as I would love to be able to just browse on a whim without finding wifi like I do with my iPod, I know that I really wouldn't use it much for that besides when I'm already using my iPod. The exception would be on a long trip in a car, or waiting somewhere without wifi.

I'll probably be clinging to the halfway phones until they're gone except for pay as you go, and then I'll be forced into a data plan.

Jeff said:

Pete said:
Windows Phone is good at social media integration, but I find Android devices to be superior in most other applications including a very well developed multi-tasking scheme that easily allows background services.

Mango does that as well, only the implementation is actually better, because it won't allow poorly written apps to kill your battery.

What I have heard about Mango, and please tell me if I'm wrong, is that the OS saves apps in their running state and allows for rapid restarts to the same state they were in. True background multitasking is only available in a few apps supplied with the phone like the music player. I've been led to believe that no API exists that is accessable to developers to allow true background multitasking. The API only allows for the save state multitaking, which is really not true multitasking.

I have a droid and love it, and I switched from att which is a ripoff to metropcs which is 50bucks a month with everything unlimited!

Actually, Mango works similarly to the way that iOS works, in that you can have running processes that jack in to certain functionality. There are a few "background agents" available for specific things like audio, and then two base types you develop on. One is a periodic task runner, the other for "resource intensive" tasks, and they run under certain conditions you specify (connected to Wi-Fi, plugged in, etc.). It's actually a pretty elegant solution overall. These are in addition to the notification services (via toast, live tiles and popups) that shipped with the phone originally.

I have an android, which is a Samsung Intercept. It's my first smartphone and I've had it a little over a year now. It's a love/hate thing for me. I can't use it where I live now (no signal, although I hear that's going to change soon) so a lot of the time I feel I am wasting my money on that alone. It freezes up quite often and I hate the poor battery life (as compared to my previous cell phones) and the fact that the screen is super-sensitive. It's just something I am still not used to since my previous cell phones have been flip-style, highly durable, easier to handle, and have much longer battery life.

On the plus side, I really enjoy it and all the bells and whistles that comes with having a smartphone. I love the GPS especially, which has come in very handy a few times. It's basically my mini-computer away from home. I love the large screen as well (as compared to my old phones.) The camera isn't half-bad, either.

Still, I sometimes wonder if all the bells and whistles are worth it. When I decided to go for a smartphone, I couldn't decide whether to get a pre-paid or just upgrade with Sprint (who I have used for nine years now.) I also miss my old (but very outdated) plan. It was half of what I am paying now but it didn't have unlimited texting, which became an issue after a while. Now I have unlimited data and text which is awesome. I only have 400 minutes a month but that suits me just fine. I never get anywhere close to that. They are super-handy to have while travelling, and I absolutely LOVE the apps. The apps are addicting at times. :)

I guess what I am trying to say is I regret buying it, but I also love it. It's a pain in the ass but it has also comes in extremely handy at times. :) When it's time for an upgrade there will be a LOT of things to take into consideration, but for the time being I am happy (or unhappy, depending on the circumstance) with what I have. It's become a necessary evil, at least in my life.

-Tina