4"+ smartphones -- the market has spoken (and it says yes) (1 Viewer)

[ManW_TheUncool]

Sam, I don't really want to have to tweak either, but there's no free lunch, so even w/ iOS, we're doing some tweaking anyway... _Man_

 

[Sam Posten]

How so. I'm intrigued! More than backgrounds, folder locations and wifi setup what else?

 

[DaveF]

There's always the myriad of settings, like Notifications, Shared Calendar alerts, or Do Not Disturb. It's not nearly to the level of rooting and rearranging the entire OS like Ron was describing for his GS3. But the iPhone is not adjustment free.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

So far the only notable extra tweaking I find needed on the GS3 is power management because it seems to be a battery hog. Other than that, it's really just personal pref me thinks -- and the GN2 doesn't have the battery issue. Would probably help if Samsung provided more sensible defaults for its power-saving mode and start from there instead (at least for the GS3). Thing is you'll have far greater options to customize the phone to your liking than w/ the iPhone besides the hardware considerations, eg. larger screen choice, replaceable battery, upgradeable storage, etc. For instance, I just found out my designed-for-iPhone Sennheiser headset doesn't work w/ the GS3 at all for phone calls (like it did w/ my old BB) by default due to the diff wiring design. Since that's apparently a common enough issue (w/ many folks either jumping from iPhone or simply not realizing the problem before buying), there's an app or two that's available to address that, which probably don't exist for the counterpart in iOS (though I could be wrong on that). It's not a perfect fix, but it at least gives me back the same functionalities I had on my old BB. Would suck if I had to get new, diff headset for the GS3 -- there aren't anything similar enough in this range besides the fact they're not exactly cheap to replace... And I agree w/ others that the overly tight integration between Apple's own apps and iOS basically sucks if/when you want something better/diff to replace their apps, eg. Maps, web browser, etc. FWIW, I'm still in no hurry to upgrade to iOS6 on my iPad due in part to the Maps issue... Yeah, I understand that's Apple's way, but that doesn't make it good by default though... And no, I'm not looking to root my phone or switch out the UI skin or launcher or the like... though it's nice to have the flexibility of swappable keyboard apps, widgets and such for basic tweaks... _Man_

 

[Sam Posten]

Before you accuse me of flip flopping again, remember this:

I don't like the bigger androids today because of a number of factors: -The form isn't comfortable in my hands -The resolution is about equivalent to the iPad and I'd rather have a bigger device with that (OR BETTER!) pixel density or a smaller device with remarkable pixel density, this seems like a poor equivalent for the size -They tend to eat up more battery life Could Apple solve these issues and make me happy?  Probably.  I bet an Android developer who wanted to could too, but I'm not holding my breath for either of them to do so.

When I link to this: http://www.imore.com/imagining-5-inch-iphone I post that because I think it is interesting, not because I want one. I think the current size is perfect for the way I use a phone but it is hard to argue with this:

For some of those, size sells. Imagine you walked into a Big Box retailer and all the television sets, from 32- to 70+-inches all cost pretty much the same thing. Imagine the 70+-inch television, or even the 102-inch television, cost less than the 32-inch one. Thanks to carrier subsidies and agendas, that's the current situation for the iPhone. Customers walk into carriers or retailers and see the $199 iPhone on the shelf alongside 4.5- to 5-inch or bigger Android phones and Windows Phones. Bigger equals better, so they buy bigger.

It's that whole lizard brain thing again for some people "I know this feels like the right sized but did I make a mistake not going BIGGER for the same price? Bigger has to be better righttttttt????" =) Apple clearly will make things harder on Devs by swapping resolution and aspect ratio when it makes the device better. I think the transition to the 5's ratio was smoother than I would have expected ANd I grudgingly admit that the extra space is usable without sacrificing one-handedness for me, even with my stubby fat fingers. But I've used coworkers GS3s and Notes and they just feel so wrong to me. If I had to guess how I'd see Apple managing that I'd expect they would do something they haven't done before: Keep the same size phone and refresh it as normal, faster, more storage etc. but add a "Pro" model for those who want to spend more to get the bigger screen but same features otherwise. That's very un-iOS like tho as it would create a bigger fragmentation than exists between iPhone and iPad now. Could resolution independence unify iPhone (of multiple sizes), iPad, TV and even desktop style devices to remove this fragmentation? I dunno, but it would certainly act as a huge force multiplier if it worked right.

 

[Sam Posten]

I think I threw up a little =) http://www.marco.org/2013/01/31/iphone-plus-speculation

 

[Hanson]

The real question is whether or not Apple is willing to release a phone without a Retina screen. Especially when it's half the ppi of competing 5" Android phones. Personally, I don't think they could take the ridicule.

 

[RobertR]

The real question is whether or not Apple is willing to release a phone without a Retina screen. Especially when it's half the ppi of competing 5" Android phones. Personally, I don't think they could take the ridicule.

They'd also have to be willing to take a certain amount of ridicule for putting out a 5 inch screen, after claiming that 4 inches is "ideal".

 

[Hanson]

Nah, Apple hand waves away that stuff without breaking a sweat. Both the iPad Mini and the 4" iPhone are both devices that contradict earlier positions. They don't care nor do their followers. But having an inferior screen density is a different matter. It's the kind of thing Samsung can use in their marketing. That's why I don't think Apple will go with a larger phone until they've worked out the ppi issue.

 

[RobertR]

Nah, Apple hand waves away that stuff without breaking a sweat. Both the iPad Mini and the 4" iPhone are both devices that contradict earlier positions. They don't care nor do their followers. But having an inferior screen density is a different matter. It's the kind of thing Samsung can use in their marketing. That's why I don't think Apple will go with a larger phone until they've worked out the ppi issue.

You're right. It is amusing, though, to think of something being said like "5 Android inches feels wrong and uncomfortable, but 5 Iphone inches feels great".

 

[Ray Chuang]

I myself have been using a Samsung Galaxy S III (T-Mobile) for two months and totally love it, especially since I upgraded to Android 4.1.1 ("Jelly Bean"). I've been getting up to 15 megabits/second download speeds, way more than enough for the mobile-phone optimized web sites out there and I can play back YouTube videos with no stuttering. :tu: Believe me, the 4.8" display makes a huge difference, especially displaying in portrait mode with the Facebook and Twitter apps. I saw a friend's iPhone 5 running Twitter in portrait mode and I could barely read the text, even with the Retina display.

 

[Hanson]

It looks like Man's dreams of a 7" tablet-phone have finally come true:
http://www.theverge.com/2013/2/25/4027214/asus-fonepad-specifications-features
7" tablet with 3G and voice (no 4G this time around). And interestingly, an Atom processor instead of your typical ARM processor.
At $249, the presumably 8GB model it has similar specs to the 32GB Nexus 7 except it comes with an SD card slot.
The one real trade off here is the camera -- if you are used to using your phone as your primary shooter, the 3MP rear camera probably won't cut it.
For those who don't follow these threads regularly, I am referring to Man W, not mankind in general.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

Hehheh... Had thought they were only planning to release this outside the USA, but maybe that only applies to their hybrid/dockable PadFone, which seems more intriquing to me just now: http://www.theverge.com/2013/2/25/4027226/asus-announces-padfone-infinity _Man_

 

[Sam Posten]

Guess all the innovation has gone out of Samsung and they are on their way to losing their cool, amirite? https://twitter.com/iDannyOcean/status/312360077719900160/photo/1

 

[mylan]

Guess all the innovation has gone out of Samsung and they are on their way to losing their cool, amirite? https://twitter.com/iDannyOcean/status/312360077719900160/photo/1

Doubtful, they'll sell a boatload just like the S3. I got an S3 on launch day last year and at the same time bought my wife an iphone 4s. I sat there and looked at the difference and almost felt sorry for her, but I figured she would get used to the iphone quicker, this being her first smartphone. The S4 is 5" vs. 4.8" for the S3, same overall size with lots of new feautures, did you not read the article? Or just post a pic? Just the ability to pause video when you look away has got to have Jobs rolling over in this grave, as is the ability to scroll web pages by tilting the phone.

 

[mattCR]

Originally Posted by Sam Posten
Guess all the innovation has gone out of Samsung and they are on their way to losing their cool, amirite?
https://twitter.com/iDannyOcean/status/312360077719900160/photo/1

Somehow, I don't think the market will agree. Faster processor, 1080P, higher res cameras, eye tracking, upgraded OS, multi-tasks.. it's kind of adding NoteII functionality into the S3, boosting the display.
I admit, I don't see a breakthrough feature, but I'm betting on a lot of adopters

 

[Sam Posten]

I admit, I don't see a breakthrough feature, but I'm betting on a lot of adopters

Guess I should have added a smiley Matt, I was being 100% sarcastic. It looks like a great update under the hood even if the devices look nearly identical from their plastic shell. I'm just echoing the press here saying exactly that: no breakthrough features but who cares, faster better stronger, what more do you want, jetpacks?

 

[KeithAP]

Seems like a nice update. However, the most interesting thing is the Game Pad accessory, a game controller that attaches to the phone. Not that I really care about that, but on Samsung's page for its description it indicates it will work with screens from 4" - 6.3". That second number being the interesting part.
-Keith

 

[Hanson]

The S4 doesn't have a single earthshaking feature, but there are reports that the camera is amazing and matches the One in low light performance without sacrificing 9MP:

http://mobile-review.com/review/samsung-galaxy-s4-camera.shtml (in Russian, use Chrome and translate).

"Total in one word - love. S4 camera in perfect and outperforms other phones, which proves that this comparison." (the "other phones" are the HTC One, iPhone 5, and GS3).

Also, the screen reportedly gorgeous. A bigger leap than the merely taller screen on the i5 (which was a solution to a problem that never existed).

While no means a leap in form and function like the HTC one, the S3 to S4 step is still greater than the 4S to the 5 (and miles ahead of the 4 to 4S refresh).

I will say for all the accolades accorded to Apple for their engineering, I think people are underrating Samsung's engineers. They created a phone that is the same height, width, and weight as the S3 but thinner while packing a larger battery and screen. I don't know what the Note 3 brings, but if the actual device dimensions increase, I will probably fall back to the S4.

 

[Sam Posten]

Heh.

Samsung Screen Sizes: 2.8 3.14 3.2 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.65 3.7 3.97 4 4.2 4.27 4.3 4.5 4.52 4.6 4.8 5 5.3 5.5 5.8 6.3 7 7.7. 8 10 10.1