What's your smartphone ?

[ynrozturk]

I sure hope not.

[N8N]

Nexus 4 price drop!
Hoping new phone is coming out soon (hopefully with sd card and more durability). Im tempted to sell my s4.

SD is over, google-"designed" devices will not have SD.  Don't know why?  exFat

No more SD Cards in Nexus devices because Google is trying to push Google Drive.

Well I know what I won't be buying.  It's bad enough that I need to remove my SD card now to transfer files or use it as a thumb drive.

[TheeCOoon]

Im poor. Using LG Lollipop............................ for the past 5 years .................................................. and im on this forum trying to buy keycaps..........................................

[KangarooZombies]

Im poor. Using LG Lollipop............................ for the past 5 years .................................................. and im on this forum trying to buy keycaps..........................................

Please, just stop spamming the forum.

You really aren't going to make friends fast this way.

Kangaroo~

[TheeCOoon]

Im poor. Using LG Lollipop............................ for the past 5 years .................................................. and im on this forum trying to buy keycaps..........................................

Please, just stop spamming the forum.

You really aren't going to make friends fast this way.

Kangaroo~

=( Im sorry ~~~. Im trying not to spam but I want to fit in with the crowd ASAP and these topics are fun to real lol. I would wait for tomorrow but I am leaving soon so i want to put in as many replys so when i get back i can reply to tons of new msgs =).
Sorry for any inconvenience I will stop posting now.

[KangarooZombies]

Im poor. Using LG Lollipop............................ for the past 5 years .................................................. and im on this forum trying to buy keycaps..........................................

Please, just stop spamming the forum.

You really aren't going to make friends fast this way.

Kangaroo~

=( Im sorry ~~~. Im trying not to spam but I want to fit in with the crowd ASAP and these topics are fun to real lol. I would wait for tomorrow but I am leaving soon so i want to put in as many replys so when i get back i can reply to tons of new msgs =).
Sorry for any inconvenience I will stop posting now.

Just pace yourself bud.

There's no reason to rush your post count so high.

Give it time. Spamming is not something looked upon favorably in this forum.

Thanks.
Kangaroo~

[ynrozturk]

Nexus 4 price drop!
Hoping new phone is coming out soon (hopefully with sd card and more durability). Im tempted to sell my s4.

SD is over, google-"designed" devices will not have SD.  Don't know why?  exFat

No more SD Cards in Nexus devices because Google is trying to push Google Drive.

Well I know what I won't be buying.  It's bad enough that I need to remove my SD card now to transfer files or use it as a thumb drive.

Well the thing is, Nexus devices are priced incredibly well. Personally I can live without an SD card slot. As a matter of fact I've never had the use of one on my Galaxy Nexus - the 16GB's seems to be more than enough. Most people forget that it's a phone, not a computer or an entertainment system. I use my Nexus 7 for movies and other media and whatnot, and I never clutter my Galaxy Nexus. I don't know, that's just me. But not being able to remove the battery sucks. I love that about my Galaxy Nexus and Nexus 7.

[melt]

had an iPhone 5... sold it... had a Galaxy Note 2... sold it... had a blackberry z10... sold it... now I'm using a freaking galaxy mini and it's quite frankly the worst phone ever created... iPhone 5 was my personal favorite and will have to buy another iPhone after I finally gather the courage to flush this phone down the toilet, haha.

[tjcaustin]

had an iPhone 5... sold it... had a Galaxy Note 2... sold it... had a blackberry z10... sold it... now I'm using a freaking galaxy mini and it's quite frankly the worst phone ever created... iPhone 5 was my personal favorite and will have to buy another iPhone after I finally gather the courage to flush this phone down the toilet, haha.

Wait until the 20th, then you can get a gold iPhone 5s

[rknize]

Google doesn't care very much about SD slot because they would like you to use the cloud, yes.  They do care a little in markets that have poor data coverage, so I am waiting to see how that plays out on KLP.  Trying to support SD cards on HC/ICS/JB became more annoying with every Android release.

Some OEMs are going away from them for different reasons.  Designers don't like the slot, EE's don't like how much PCB real estate the socket uses, and product bean-counters don't like paying for it.  However, it's a feature that customers want and OEMs do want to provide it when they can.

What has put the final nail into the coffin of the uSD card was the SDXC standard itself from the SDA.  It mandates exFAT for >32GB parts (even though FAT32 can support larger volumes than that).  This behavior is enforced by Windows (though it can be overridden on the command line, if you are determined).  So if you want to support those cards and put SDXC on the box of your product, you have to pay a Microsoft tax to license several patents.  That cost depends on your bargaining position with Microsoft.  Have you seen the lawsuits happening in the mobile space?

[Winther]

Havent had that many smartphones. I started with the iPhone 3G, then got the iPhone 4, then I got over all the Apple hype thank god! Now I have an S3, I like it and probably wont swap it for some time..

[pagosElite]

First phone ever was an LG Cookie, then a Samsung Gravity 3, now my gorgeous Nexus 4 16GB.

[Winther]

First phone ever was an LG Cookie, then a Samsung Gravity 3, now my gorgeous Nexus 4 16GB.

I would go for a Nexus phone if it was a little higher end. From what I know the Nexus 4 is really cheap compared to the other phones out there right now, and that is really cool, but would like something better or on par with HTC One, S4 and the upcoming Note 3 (just not that big though..)

[ynrozturk]

The Nexus 4 is a ridiculously good phone for it's price. The only downsides are that the back is glass as well as the front (obviously) so it's a bit fragile. Really should be used with a bumper. And no removable battery which kind of sucks. I'd still take it over the HTC One and day of the week.

[esoomenona]

I really wish AT&T hadn't ridden the iPhone's **** for so long, completely ignoring Android. That is what caused me to leave them for Verizon and the Droid. Now, I have unlimited internet which I can't get anywhere else, but I don't think there will be another Nexus on Verizon... *sigh*

[Winther]

The Nexus 4 is a ridiculously good phone for it's price. The only downsides are that the back is glass as well as the front (obviously) so it's a bit fragile. Really should be used with a bumper. And no removable battery which kind of sucks. I'd still take it over the HTC One and day of the week.

You would take the Nexuz over the HTC One? Why - if you dont think about the price?

[ynrozturk]

Because the Nexus 4 is stock Android, and stock Android is a beautiful thing. Quick and prompt updates from Google. No gimmicky "Beats Audio" nonsense on the back of the phone.

[demik]

stock android best android

[tjcaustin]

Because the Nexus 4 is stock Android, and stock Android is a beautiful thing. Quick and prompt updates from Google. No gimmicky "Beats Audio" nonsense on the back of the phone.

The one and s4 are both available in stock forms through google play.  Admittedly, that means you're paying full price for the phone with no chance of a subsidy, but cutting edge(or close) and stock android used to go hand in hand.

[ynrozturk]

I've played around with an HTC One with stock Android and it's just a bit awkward. You've got the home buttons and stuff on the screen which doesn't make too much sense with stock Android. That's one of the best things about a Nexus device - completely blank screen with no buttons and clutter, and you lose none of the functionality. And like you said, you'd be paying the full price of the phone. The Nexus 4 now is like $250, absolute steal. It was still more than half the price of these other high end phones when it was released.

I dunno, I'm just a stock Android, Nexus kind of guy. Especially after unlocking and rooting a few HTC devices for friends, I'll never stray from a Nexus. It's just too much of a hassle.

[davkol]

Custom Android is the best Android.

[esoomenona]

Custom Android is the best Android.

And Nexus devices do it best.

[Malphas]

Custom Android is a very vague term. Essentially every phone with the OEM and carrier bloatware stuffed into it qualifies as a custom ROM. I presume davkol means third-party custom ROMs like CyanogenMod, which don't really impress me either. I've tried various custom ROMs on various phones, and although they are sometimes marginally better than the manufacturer's own ROM, I've found the performance and battery life to be inferior (the guy that ports CyanogenMod to Huaewei phones has said this is an inevitability of using anything other than the OEM ROM). Not only that, but generally all these third-party ROMs are the same philosophy as OEM-customised ROMs - it's someone taking stock Android and deciding they know what's best to install for the user (launchers, apps, etc.), rather than letting the user choose themselves. Personally I'd rather have minimalist stock Android then set it up the way I want.

[ynrozturk]

That said, there are some really good ROM's out there, though, like PAC ROM and Paranoid Android. You can pretty much control your battery life and do huge amounts of tweaking. For example I've gotten about a weeks battery life out of my Nexus 7 tablet simply by under clocking the CPU to 800mhz, instead of running it on the 1.3mhz it ships with. Some ROM's aren't too good with battery regardless, true. Such as the Vanir ROM - no matter what I did with the kernel the thing still just drained very quickly. For Nexus devices, unlocked, rooted yet stock is still the best way to go in most cases. If you don't like the launcher well, that's what Nova Launcher is for.

[davkol]

Custom Android is a very vague term. Essentially every phone with the OEM and carrier bloatware stuffed into it qualifies as a custom ROM. I presume davkol means third-party custom ROMs like CyanogenMod, which don't really impress me either. I've tried various custom ROMs on various phones, and although they are sometimes marginally better than the manufacturer's own ROM, I've found the performance and battery life to be inferior (the guy that ports CyanogenMod to Huaewei phones has said this is an inevitability of using anything other than the OEM ROM). Not only that, but generally all these third-party ROMs are the same philosophy as OEM-customised ROMs - it's someone taking stock Android and deciding they know what's best to install for the user (launchers, apps, etc.), rather than letting the user choose themselves. Personally I'd rather have minimalist stock Android then set it up the way I want.

At least it isn't so obviously filled with crap and malware. No Android would be even better Android, though.

[pichu23]

Nexus 4 user. Might get whatever Apple is coming out with next.

[demik]

As of friday galaxy s4 thanks to tj

[Game Theory]

Galaxy S3 now with CyanogenMod

[Glissant]

As of friday galaxy s4 thanks to tj

Did it change your life?

[concept73]

Had my Samsung Galaxy S4 for about 2 months now, LOVING IT!

[evolveS]

Nexus 4... until the next release (hopefully with LTE).

BLEEDING EDGE 4 LYFE

[Emospence]

Samsung Galaxy S III.. Non LTE.

[demik]

As of friday galaxy s4 thanks to tj

Did it change your life?

not really, but it's nice to look at something different.

[tsangan]

As of friday galaxy s4 thanks to tj

Did it change your life?

not really, but it's nice to look at something different.

You run through phones really really REALLY fast

[Tarzan]

Question for the mobile-literati; if you spend the extra coin to get an "unlocked" Android phone, and strip all the carrier-specific bloatware off of it, is that "jail-breaking" your phone? 

Or does that term only come into play if you buy a phone under a contract?

I like Android as an operating system, but it annoys me no end to have all those applications I cannot delete, taking up space and prompting me endlessly for updates, even when I disable updates.

[SpAmRaY]

Question for the mobile-literati; if you spend the extra coin to get an "unlocked" Android phone, and strip all the carrier-specific bloatware off of it, is that "jail-breaking" your phone? 

Or does that term only come into play if you buy a phone under a contract?

I like Android as an operating system, but it annoys me no end to have all those applications I cannot delete, taking up space and prompting me endlessly for updates, even when I disable updates.

'jail breaking' is usually reserved for iphones

having an unlocked android phone with no bloat is called buying a nexus

sorry i couldn't resist

the problem with android is depending on the manufacturer the phones usually have a locked boot loader and also no root access. Thanks verizon and att for that. And with verizon when you freeze or remove stock apps the over the air updates usually fail.

Not all of them are like this but most on verizon come this way.

I think a better term would be 'rooting' and 'unlocking boot loader'
 

[ynrozturk]

It basically works like this.

If you get for example a Galaxy S4 through a carrier, it's going to have bloatware on it.. not to mention Samsung's own bloatware. The 16GB version of the S4 is taken up by 8GB of OS and bloatware, so you're left with very little space to work with.

If that's the case, you should root and unlock the phone. After doing that, you're free to install from a vast selection of custom ROM's or pure, stock Android.

If you don't want to deal with the fuss of unlocking/rooting, you can always just buy a phone with stock Android, like the Nexus 4, or the Galaxy Nexus before it. The HTC One and Galaxy S4 was also released with the stock Android OS recently.

[Tarzan]

It basically works like this.

If you get for example a Galaxy S4 through a carrier, it's going to have bloatware on it.. not to mention Samsung's own bloatware. The 16GB version of the S4 is taken up by 8GB of OS and bloatware, so you're left with very little space to work with.

If that's the case, you should root and unlock the phone. After doing that, you're free to install from a vast selection of custom ROM's or pure, stock Android.

If you don't want to deal with the fuss of unlocking/rooting, you can always just buy a phone with stock Android, like the Nexus 4, or the Galaxy Nexus before it. The HTC One and Galaxy S4 was also released with the stock Android OS recently.

I appreciate the info!  And yes, SpamRay, your input as well. 

I'm looking at getting a Samsung Note 3, probably from T-Mobile.  I should probably wait a bit, as they're going to command quite a price premium for the next few months, but once I get one I'd like to know how to remove the pre-installed games and miscellaneous crap.  Sounds like I need to read up on unlocking and rooting.

Thanks!

[ynrozturk]

If you're considering a Note 3 then I have to step in again.

The Note 3 will come with a lot of Samsung software, but in this case, it's probably going to be software you will need and use if you're buying a Note 3. For example all the things you can do with the stylus, etc. If you buy a Note 3 and install stock Android on it, you will LOSE all of that functionality. Well not lose it entirely, but you will lose the pre installed Samsung apps, which are quite nice for this. You can still install 3rd party apps and whatnot for drawing, etc, but it probably won't be as good. Just something to be aware of.

[Tarzan]

If you're considering a Note 3 then I have to step in again.

The Note 3 will come with a lot of Samsung software, but in this case, it's probably going to be software you will need and use if you're buying a Note 3. For example all the things you can do with the stylus, etc. If you buy a Note 3 and install stock Android on it, you will LOSE all of that functionality. Well not lose it entirely, but you will lose the pre installed Samsung apps, which are quite nice for this. You can still install 3rd party apps and whatnot for drawing, etc, but it probably won't be as good. Just something to be aware of.

Yep, I figured that from reading the Note 3 reviews.  I'm interested in trying out some of the Note-specific apps developed by Samsung, just want to make sure I know how to de-install bundled games or apps I'd never use.

[demik]

As of friday galaxy s4 thanks to tj

Did it change your life?

not really, but it's nice to look at something different.

You run through phones really really REALLY fast

i know!!! it used to be a lot worse

[cactux]

Prototype tr378

[domoaligato]

I already pre-ordered my note 3.
I have participated a lot on xda and will basically just install apex launcher and forget that sense is on it.
To be honest I am not even sure If I will even root it. (coming from someone that normally root hacks every device within one hour of ownership).

[domoaligato]

Prototype tr378

what is a tr378?

[cactux]

Prototype unit  nick name ;-)

[Glissant]

As of friday galaxy s4 thanks to tj

Did it change your life?

not really, but it's nice to look at something different.

Yeah it didn't change my life either . I still install a new ROM every other week )

[oscillik]

I currently have the Nexus 4, and I'm waiting for the next Nexus phone if it ever comes around...seems like it's not too far away considering all the leaked info going around.

[MTManiac]

the nexus 5 looks to be coming soon

I am tempted to pick up an LG G2

[ynrozturk]

I'd just wait for the Nexus 5. Vanilla Android FTW.

[domoaligato]

As of friday galaxy s4 thanks to tj

Did it change your life?

not really, but it's nice to look at something different.

Yeah it didn't change my life either . I still install a new ROM every other week )

tried uXylon Nightlies w/IR Blaster ?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2320997

I am curious how the ir blaster works on it and if it allows you to use the Samsung watchon app or something else.
when I get my note 3 If I want to go to a custom rom I want to keep the ir blaster functional so I would port this rom to the new device.