big eck
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Registered: 20th Apr 03
Location: Tullibody. Drives - Audi B8 S4 & Fiesta Zetec-S
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My missus is due an upgrade in January and has said she's deffo not going after another iPhone so is looking else where.
What's the best phone available just now???
She uses it for things like Facebook, spotify etc so all those apps are a must. Another big thing is a very good camera is a must. As long as the phone isn't massive and looks like your holding an iPad to your face to talk
Any ideas???
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evilrob
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Registered: 16th Mar 12
Location: Your mum's house
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I recently switched from iPhone to a Windows Phone - it's actually really good.
She might like the Nokia Lumia 1020 as it's got the best camera on any phone bar none.
Just throwing it out there as an alternative to the flood of Android device recommendations about to hit this thread!
[Edited on 02-12-2013 by evilrob]
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Dom
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Registered: 13th Sep 03
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Lumia 920/925/1020; Nexus 5; LG G2; BB Z10/Z30; Samsung S5 rumoured for late Jan early Feb
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big eck
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Registered: 20th Apr 03
Location: Tullibody. Drives - Audi B8 S4 & Fiesta Zetec-S
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The windows phone isn't an option. She wants to still be able to download apps.
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evilrob
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Registered: 16th Mar 12
Location: Your mum's house
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quote: Originally posted by big eck
The windows phone isn't an option. She wants to still be able to download apps.
The "Windows Phone doesn't have any apps" argument that you hear down the pub simply isn't true.
Which of the apps she needs isn't on this list:
- Facebook - official (although no need really because Windows Phone has deep - and very good - Facebook integration throughout the OS, as well as a feature called People Hub which pulls in all your social network feeds into one place). Unfortunately, if she's a big Facebooker, the iPhone Facebook app is probably the best official app of any platform in my experience. That said, check out how the People Hub works - it might be right up her street; I very rarely fire up the Facebook app because People Hub has got everything I need:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CG-AY-aag1Y
- Twitter - official (again no need because the OS has deep Twitter integration and the People Hub).
- WhatsApp - official.
- Instagram - there is an official app, but the third-party 6tag is probably the best Instagram client on any platform:
http://www.windowsphone.com/en-gb/store/app/6tag/7d795cdf-fb1b-4bdf-8f5e-76eb19f7079e
- Vine - there is an official app, again there is also the third-party 6sec which seems to work nicely (not really a big Vine-r):
http://www.windowsphone.com/en-us/store/app/6sec/f3e56189-4be6-4e43-9ea4-c85c08a1c8ba
- Snapchat - no official app yet, but the third-party 6snap does the job and completes the 6tag/6sec/6snap set; they all work really well.
- Skype - official
- Foursquare - official
- LinkedIn - official
- Netflix - official
- Spotify - official
- Rdio - official
- YouTube - there is an official one but it's shit; MetroTube trounces all other YouTube apps I've seen on any platform:
http://www.windowsphone.com/en-gb/store/app/metrotube/8d93224f-2808-e011-9264-00237de2db9e
- TV Catchup - official
- BBC Radio - official
- BBC iPlayer - official
- 4OD - official
- Demand 5 - official
- ITV Player - no official app, but you can get most on-demand ITV content via the Scottish TV STV app
- Amazon Kindle - official
- Amazon Mobile - official
- eBay - official
- PayPal - official
- Tapatalk - official
- TripAdvisor - official
- Groupon - official
- Tesco Groceries - official
- IMDB - official
- Wikipedia - official
I'm not a big gamer but I have the following installed, all as good as any other version:
- Rayman Jungle Run
- Plants vs. Zombies
- All the Angry Birds games
- Asphalt 8
- Halo: Spartan Assault
- FIFA 13
- Temple Run
- Mirror's Edge
- Jetpack Joyride
- Fruit Ninja
- Cut the Rope
- Modern Combat 4
All apps/games are free to try for typically 7-10 days.
Sky Go is coming soon. As is GTA San Andreas.
I haven't looked to see if there are any alternative browsers because the built-in one is fantastic; probably the best mobile browser I've used. So good, in fact, that I often go to the actual website for services I also have apps for!
All Nokia Windows Phones come with really good global GPS turn-by-turn satellite navigation software as standard, which is as good as the TomTom app I had on the iPhone - with the exception of no option to buy speed camera warnings (which I never did anyway).
[Edited on 02-12-2013 by evilrob]
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Rob_Quads
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Registered: 29th Mar 01
Location: southampton
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quote: Originally posted by evilrob
The "Windows Phone doesn't have any apps" argument that you hear down the pub simply isn't true.
[Edited on 02-12-2013 by evilrob]
I agree it isn't true
But it certainly is true that its often much lower on the list to get done or its not got the same capability. Perfect examples are, there is a iPlayer app but its not on the par with the iOS version as it still can't do downloads. Yes a Sky app is on the way...how much later than even the Android version has been out?
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big eck
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Registered: 20th Apr 03
Location: Tullibody. Drives - Audi B8 S4 & Fiesta Zetec-S
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She doesn't really like the look of the windows set up either so that's a no go.
Any other options???
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Dom
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Registered: 13th Sep 03
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quote: Originally posted by Dom
Lumia 920/925/1020; Nexus 5; LG G2; BB Z10/Z30; Samsung S5 rumoured for late Jan early Feb
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A2H GO
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Registered: 14th Sep 04
Location: Stoke
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Windows Phone - Doesn't like windows
iPhone - Doesn't want an iPhone
Blackberry - Wants a good selection of apps
Android - Doesn't want anything massive
Not much left there...
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evilrob
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Registered: 16th Mar 12
Location: Your mum's house
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quote: Originally posted by A2H GO
Windows Phone - Doesn't like windows
iPhone - Doesn't want an iPhone
Blackberry - Wants a good selection of apps
Android - Doesn't want anything massive
Not much left there...
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Dom
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Registered: 13th Sep 03
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quote: Originally posted by A2H GO
Blackberry - Wants a good selection of apps
Can use Android apps with little issue and the 10.2 update will make it easier; bloody good devices tbf.
Eck - take her to a phone shop and show her a load
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evilrob
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Registered: 16th Mar 12
Location: Your mum's house
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quote: Originally posted by big eck
She doesn't really like the look of the windows set up either so that's a no go.
Oh right, cos Android is a beautiful treat for the eyes...
I think, like many people, you're dismissing Windows Phone on prejudice - I can highly recommend going to a phone shop and having a play with one before writing it off; in particular take a photo with one - if a great camera is important to her, you just can't get any better than a Lumia 1020 at the moment.
quote: Originally posted by big eck
Any other options???
You can probably pick up the HTC One / Xperia Z / S4 on the cheap now they've been out a while. They're all a bit big though. HTC One has the best camera of those three. As Dom said, might be worth hanging on for the S5, but it won't be cheap at launch.
Tbh, if Facebook, Camera and Spotify are important, as well as not having comedically large Dom Joly-style proportions (Android phones in particular seem to be getting bigger every year) - the iPhone is really the best at these four specific things overall.
What's her beef with iPhone just now? While some devices do have cameras you can take much better photos with than an iPhone if you know what you're doing (i.e. you're prepared to set the exposure manually - aperture/shutter speed/contrast/white balance etc.), in my experience, the iPhone delivers a pleasing shot in automatic mode far more consistently than the cameras on other phones. As mentioned before, if she's used to the iOS Facebook app, which while not perfect, it's the least worst Facebook app on any platform and anything else is likely to piss her off. Same goes for Spotify.
[Edited on 02-12-2013 by evilrob]
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Balling
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quote: Originally posted by evilrob
Oh right, cos Android is a beautiful treat for the eyes...
The version running on the new Nexus (vanilla 4.4?) looks great to me. Mind you, I haven't seen it in person.
Nexus definitely looks like the most logical option, if Android is the OS of choice.
Played with a HTC One this weekend and it really is a quite nice phone. Way too big for me, but nicely build. Camera seems very good.
The OS it was running looked quite dated though, so maybe that's a price you pay when opting for an HTC with their Sense theme. Probably Dom will say it's easily changed, but it's not something I'd want to be messing about with on my wife's phone.
It's no secret that I favour iPhones personally and recently upgrading a 4 to a 5s hasn't changed that in the slightest. As snappy as I could want, fantastic camera and small enough to easily fit in a pocket.
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dannymccann
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Registered: 9th Aug 06
Location: Doddington, Lincolnshire
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I also prejudged Windows phones to be shit, but I think my next phone will be a Windows phone. My Nexus 4 is great and fine for the time being, but the Windows phones I've played with feel so polished it's hard to argue against (for me anyway, I'm only a light user).
I certainly won't be going for an iPhone, I simply can't afford them
[Edited on 02-12-2013 by dannymccann]
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Dom
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quote: Originally posted by Balling
Probably Dom will say it's easily changed, but it's not something I'd want to be messing about with on my wife's phone.
Believe it's getting 4.4 and you can easily install another launcher (installs the same as any other Android app from the Play Store) if that's your issue.
Good phone though but the HTC M8, the successor, is rumoured to be out in Feburary.
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evilrob
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Registered: 16th Mar 12
Location: Your mum's house
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quote: Originally posted by Dom
HTC M8, the successor, is rumoured to be out in Feburary.
Is this specifically aimed at the CS market? If so I'm looking forward to the "HTC Lips" and the "HTC Do u want to fight me?"
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Dom
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Registered: 13th Sep 03
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quote: Originally posted by evilrob
quote: Originally posted by Dom
HTC M8, the successor, is rumoured to be out in Feburary.
Is this specifically aimed at the CS market? If so I'm looking forward to the "HTC Lips" and the "HTC Do u want to fight me?"
I agree, it's a shit name....
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Munchie
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Registered: 17th Jul 01
Location: I swap goats for mobile phones
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Nexus not KitKat now?
Also any information on S5 yet? I have S4 and LOVE IT
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Rob E
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Registered: 1st Jan 06
Location: Madeley, Stafford....I want to live back in Wales!
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I settled for an Xperia Z1. Very happy with it and would recommend it. It took a bit of adjusting to because I have had the iPhone 4S for the past couple of years but I'm glad I made the switch
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