Galaxy S4

[onthecouchagain]

I'll agree in that right now there is no ideal device that matches my needs--closest thing I've found is the Note 2 and based on the what I've read/seen about the One, S4, and Xperia Z, I'm staying with the Note 2. Bummer to because the One looked sooo good on paper and in photos.

IIRC, I thought you really liked your Galaxy Nexus. Why not pick up a used one (probably fairly cheap) to use for a bit to see what else is on the horizon in the coming months?

I don't wanna go backwards, now.

The Nexus 4 should've been my 2013 phone. Alas... it failed.

 

[McCool71]

You mean banning Gizmodo for the whole stolen iphone 4 thing? I haven't heard of another incident that was based off just a bad review or unflattering picture, link?

One prime example being Leo Laporte of This Week in Tech (best podcast network out there by far IMO with shows like This Week In Tech, MacBreak Weekly, Windows Weekly, iPad Today, Tech News Today and so on - check it out: http://www.twit.tv).

He pushed it a bit by streaming form the iPad announcement though, so I can see that Apple got annoyed (he is still banned from all Apple events):

He live streamed the iPad announcement from his laptop. You see, Apple likes to edit the video, in case there are any Zuckerberg type mishaps and they unveil a secret logo. Also, the second richest company in America (after Exon, thanks for asking), likes to skimp on paying for copyrighted music, so they like to edit those out.

http://altavistagoogle.blogspot.no/2010/06/leo-laporte-banned-from-wwdc.html

 

[NT1440]

: cough : Note : cough :

The note is not a flagship phone. It's practically a different product category from a phone.

 

[tbayrgs]

I don't wanna go backwards, now.

The Nexus 4 should've been my 2013 phone. Alas... it failed.

Understand but better than settling on another device that doesn't quite do it for you.

And I feel your pain on the Nexus 4--same thing for me, wanted it to work but just couldn't live with it.

 

[NT1440]

One prime example being Leo Laporte of This Week in Tech (best podcast network out there by far IMO - check it out: http://www.twit.tv).

He pushed it a bit by streaming form the iPad announcement though, so I can see that Apple got annoyed (he is still banned from all Apple events):

He live streamed the iPad announcement from his laptop. You see, Apple likes to edit the video, in case there are any Zuckerberg type mishaps and they unveil a secret logo. Also, the second richest company in America (after Exon, thanks for asking), likes to skimp on paying for copyrighted music, so they like to edit those out.

http://altavistagoogle.blogspot.no/2010/06/leo-laporte-banned-from-wwdc.html

That is completely different from giving a bad review.....

 

[onthecouchagain]

Understand but better than settling on another device that doesn't quite do it for you.

And I feel your pain on the Nexus 4--same thing for me, wanted it to work but just couldn't live with it.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but for the first time in a long time, the iPhone 5 is in the running for my phone this year.

 

[MRU]

It seems I wasn't the only one thinking bad 50's infomercial vibe...

http://news.cnet.com/8301-31322_3-57574466-256/samsung-gs4-launch-tone-deaf-and-shockingly-sexist/

 

[wxman2003]

That is completely different from giving a bad review.....

Apple stopped attending Macworld because it could not control the event. And thus they no longer attend or make any announcements there. It's all on their campus, highly controlled, exclusive invitations. You have to be an A lister.

 

[tbayrgs]

I can't believe I'm saying this, but for the first time in a long time, the iPhone 5 is in the running for my phone this year.

I saw your same comment in another thread and nearly spit out my coffee, knowing your current feelings about iOS.

Really?? I don't find the S4 enough of an upgrade over my Note 2 but if I was coming from any of my previous devices (iPhone 5, Nexus 4), I'd be hard pressed to try anything other than the S4--and I still like quite a bit about the iPhone/iOS.

What elements of the S4 are causing concern for you? Surely they can't be worse than the restrictions you find iOS imposes.

 

[wxman2003]

One thing for sure, Apple will file a lawsuit tomorrow trying to prevent the SG4 from being sold in US because of copyright infringement.

 

[quagmire]

Apple stopped attending Macworld because it could not control the event. And thus they no longer attend or make any announcements there. It's all on their campus, highly controlled, exclusive invitations. You have to be an A lister.

Now you're just being repetitive......

What is going to make the GS4 for me is what CPU the US will get. If it is the Exynos 5, the GS4 will draw my interest. If it's the Snapdragon, then whatever. I'm not a spec whore, but I will not settle for an inferior CPU.

 

[NT1440]

Apple stopped attending Macworld because it could not control the event. And thus they no longer attend or make any announcements there. It's all on their campus, highly controlled, exclusive invitations. You have to be an A lister.

They left because the Macworld yearly event made for very jarring update cycles as their product lines expanded. You're right about the company liking to do things on their own terms, but we have yet to get to the claim that you made in the first place, that apple has kicked people out for bad reviews or pictures. Each instance you've shown has a whole lot more going on with it.

 

[wxman2003]

They left because the Macworld yearly event made for very jarring update cycles as their product lines expanded. You're right about the company liking to do things on their own terms, but we have yet to get to the claim that you made in the first place, that apple has kicked people out for bad reviews or pictures. Each instance you've shown has a whole lot more going on with it.

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/apple/apple-prs-dirty-little-secret/12291

 

[onthecouchagain]

I could see Air View being extremely useful. There are many times I'm using Flipboard and I'm on the fence about a story. Hovering over it to see a bigger preview is perfect.

 

[Georgij]

When I was watching the announcement - I was thinking 'What the f I am watching?'
It was more about horny middle age women dancing than about the specs.

I liked the inbuilt translate, even tho there are many apps that offer similar feature.

 

[NT1440]

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/apple/apple-prs-dirty-little-secret/12291

Thank you, I knew if I asked long enough we'd get to the point you were actually trying to make. Just a tip, don't go to the easy answers you discussed earlier when they don't prove the point that you were getting at.

I'll let you know when I'm done with the article.

 

[KentuckyHouse]

Understand but better than settling on another device that doesn't quite do it for you.

And I feel your pain on the Nexus 4--same thing for me, wanted it to work but just couldn't live with it.

I'd love to know what about the Nexus 4 didn't work for you guys. I've been thinking about picking one up since I'm kinda disappointed with the S4 and I've already got the S3.

Any advice?

 

[onthecouchagain]

I saw your same comment in another thread and nearly spit out my coffee, knowing your current feelings about iOS.

Really?? I don't find the S4 enough of an upgrade over my Note 2 but if I was coming from any of my previous devices (iPhone 5, Nexus 4), I'd be hard pressed to try anything other than the S4--and I still like quite a bit about the iPhone/iOS.

What elements of the S4 are causing concern for you? Surely they can't be worse than the restrictions you find iOS imposes.

I just feel like Samsung should be punished for not taking this opportunity to really run with their Galaxy phone. I mean, this was their year to really take off.

I don't know. I was never a huge fan of Samsung and the S4 rubs me in the wrong way.

My opinions might change over time and when reviews start rolling out.

Plus TouchWiz... Yuck.

----------

I'd love to know what about the Nexus 4 didn't work for you guys. I've been thinking about picking one up since I'm kinda disappointed with the S4 and I've already got the S3.

Any advice?

Please read my recent posts in the Nexus 4 Owners Thread.

There is a serious mic issue with certain Nexus 4 devices where call quality is really poor (you'll sound choppy to the person on the other end).

I've had personal experience with this (across multiple Nexus 4 replacement units) and have read and heard anecdotal experiences of this same issue.

Plus, the camera sucks (I mean, sucks! Don't let anyone BS you by saying it's "okay" or "good enough." It flat out sucks), and there are sometimes odd touch screen issues. Also, battery life isn't all that. Not to mention it lacks LTE (which would be okay if the battery life was what was promised, but it's not).

Unless you insist on saving money and being off contract/unlocked, I'd look elsewhere. Up to you, of course.

And this is coming from a huge believer of the Nexus program (not so much anymore, I guess).

 

[linuxcooldude]

I'll repeat this as much as I have to.

There's a reason why people respond to Samsung's [if true] minor S3-to-S4 upgrade differently than they do to Apple's minor upgrades.

Samsung's smartphone lineup is so much more versatile than Apple's. Samsung has a wide range of phones to cover different sizes and price levels, many of them are current generation, and offer different experiences but still remain smartphones.

With Apple, there is only one screen size that is of current generation. The smaller option is over a year old, and there's no larger screen size at all.

The Galaxy S4 is Samsung's flagship phone. The iPhone 5 is Apples flagship phone. I think its irrelevant regarding Samsung's other series phones.

Also, just taking their phones at face value, the S3 offers so much more packed into it than the iPhone 5 -- in other words, it truly is hard for Samsung to introduce many hardware changes (and again, they have other lineups to cover other ground in the smartphone world). Apple, on the other hand, intentionally withholds hardware changes (they don't believe wireless charging is worth it, nor in screen size options, nor NFC, nor notification lights, nor expandable memory, etc.).

You keep on passing the buck to Samsung's other phone lines.

Apples decision on waiting until certain technologies mature, are not worth it or better alternatives. Their is no compelling reason for Apple to use NFC at this time. Not widely adopted, even Google Wallet only shows 28 merchants currently using it. Worldwide maybe 8% in a few years it might go to 10%. This is after being adopted 7 years ago.

Likewise, Samsung doesn't recycle their design for two years, as Apple has been doing, and will likely continue to do with the 5S.

So, is the S3-to-S4 upgrade small? Sure -- as small as the 4S-to-5 upgrade, if you want to really compare. But does Samsung take two years to do it? No.

And the Galaxy S4 is not? Changing phone design every year does not necessarily give you anything better.


TL;DR: No one is giving Samsung a free pass. Samsung just has their bases more covered.[/QUOTE]

 

[KentuckyHouse]

Please read my recent posts in the Nexus 4 Owners Thread.

There is a serious mic issue with certain Nexus 4 devices where call quality is really poor (you'll sound choppy to the person on the other end).

I've had personal experience with this (across multiple Nexus 4 replacement units) and have read and heard anecdotal experiences of this same issue.

Plus, the camera sucks (I mean, sucks! Don't let anyone BS you by saying it's "okay" or "good enough." It flat out sucks), and there are sometimes odd touch screen issues. Also, battery life isn't all that. Not to mention it lacks LTE (which would be okay if the battery life was what was promised, but it's not).

Unless you insist on saving money and being off contract/unlocked, I'd look elsewhere. Up to you, of course.

And this is coming from a huge believer of the Nexus program (not so much anymore, I guess).

Wow, thanks for that! I had no idea there were all those problems lurking out there. I'll have to go check out that owners thread too.

I've also thought about trying to find a gently used Note 2. I may have to put that front and center now.

Thanks!

 

[tbayrgs]

I'd love to know what about the Nexus 4 didn't work for you guys. I've been thinking about picking one up since I'm kinda disappointed with the S4 and I've already got the S3.

Any advice?

1). Battery life was atrocious. I sold mine before the latest JB update (4.2.2?) that supposedly improved battery performance but for the most part, everything I've read shows it's still pretty subpar. Granted, I was a moderately heavy user of my device--never could make it through a day without having to charge it.

2). Camera performance is also subpar--low light or good lighting just didn't yield good results.

3) Build quality. Materials and design are great--I found it to be a beautiful phone, felt great in the hand. I read quite a bit about various issues/irregularities with build quality, including a big problem I experienced. I had to RMA mine due to a problem with the display--would turn yellow in the lower corner and get very hot after even moderate use. Replacement didn't have the discoloring issue but still would get hot.

4) Lack of LTE. I'm on AT&T and I usually avg 2-4 Mbps down during the day, usually a little better at night. After using LTE for a few months, I found this a bit painful. Wasn't a dealbreaker but definitely didn't help the N4's case. Tmobile speeds seem to be quite a bit better.

Now, this was my personal experience. I seen quite a few others on these forums who are very happy with they're units so I don't pretend to claim my bad experience is the norm.

 

[onthecouchagain]

So are the bands around the device real metal, or that fake brush metal, again like the S3?

 

[tbayrgs]

Wow, thanks for that! I had no idea there were all those problems lurking out there. I'll have to go check out that owners thread too.

I've also thought about trying to find a gently used Note 2. I may have to put that front and center now.

Thanks!

FWIW, I moved from the Nexus 4 to a Note 2 and am very pleased with the change--addressed nearly all of the problems I had with the N4.

 

[KentuckyHouse]

1). Battery life was atrocious. I sold mine before the latest JB update (4.2.2?) that supposedly improved battery performance but for the most part, everything I've read shows it's still pretty subpar. Granted, I was a moderately heavy user of my device--never could make it through a day without having to charge it.

2). Camera performance is also subpar--low light or good lighting just didn't yield good results.

3) Build quality. Materials and design are great--I found it to be a beautiful phone, felt great in the hand. I read quite a bit about various issues/irregularities with build quality, including a big problem I experienced. I had to RMA mine due to a problem with the display--would turn yellow in the lower corner and get very hot after even moderate use. Replacement didn't have the discoloring issue but still would get hot.

4) Lack of LTE. I'm on AT&T and I usually avg 2-4 Mbps down during the day, usually a little better at night. After using LTE for a few months, I found this a bit painful. Wasn't a dealbreaker but definitely didn't help the N4's case. Tmobile speeds seem to be quite a bit better.

Now, this was my personal experience. I seen quite a few others on these forums who are very happy with they're units so I don't pretend to claim my bad experience is the norm.

Thank you. I really need to go read that owners thread for a while. I knew about a few of these issues, but I had no idea there were that many.

 

[tekboi]

Wasn't really impressed by the phone. Alot things seem gimmicky and the spec bumps are underwhelming. And that presentation didn't help them either. That had to be the most corny & obnoxious unveiling of an electronic product I have ever seen in my life.