[clug] Slightly OT: Smartphone Suggestions

[rodryan]

On 21/08/14 13:53, Paul Rands wrote:
>
>
> Hi Guys,
>
> I am due for a new phone in the next month or two. And
> looking for some direction from other users as to what to go and look
> at.
Perhaps wait a couple!!! of months and get an Ubuntu Phone.
Good luck with your search
Rod Ryan
>
> The current contracted phone is a Sony Xperia Go. Except this
> thing has proven to be a piece of crap. Annoying slow, crap battery life
> (at best 2/3 of the day with useable charge), crap camera and clunky
> button and socket locations. Also PC manager only supports Windows and
> OSX. It now is stuck in a constant rebooting loop that I can't seem to
> bypass. I was initially keen on the phone because it was the only
> smartphone on offer at the time that was dustproof and water resistant,
> it also weighs half that of the iPhone I was replacing. I was interested
> in the Sony because of the past performance of my Sony Ericsson /
> Ericsson phones from the past.
>
> The current phone is the old iPhone 4 I
> replaced with the Sony. It works fine using the current iOS and I get
> 1.5 days of battery from full charge. It's a little sluggish, but not
> unbearably. That said it's heavy, the camera isn't that great and the
> home button has clagged out and it's becoming end of life for iOS
> updates as well. I reverted back to this when I left IT and had to hand
> back my company issued iPhone 4S. The biggest thing I miss from the 4S
> is how well Siri worked for sending voice generated SMS and email and
> accurate voice dialling from the home screen.
>
> So far I have been
> looking at the Nexus 5 and the Samsung Galaxy 4 Mini or the 5. But I
> both have a lot of pros and cons which is making it hard to make a
> decision.
>
> What I am looking for:
>
>   	* Screen no bigger than around 5
> inches
>   	* Voice dialling, voice SMS and voice email from the locked
> home screen
>   	* Camera that doesn't get super fuzzy or grainy using zoom
> or in low light
>   	* At least 1 day usage from full charge, my call usage
> is around 2 to 4 calls a day, lasting 5 to 20 minutes each. And sending
> 10 to 20 SMS per day. I also play a few games, such as Word With
> Friends, Bejeweled Blitz, and use it for social media and web browsing.
> Watching video and playing games seem to cause the most performance
> issues I've experienced on the Sony and iPhone.
>   	* Easy accessibility
> to accessories such as screen protectors, cases, etc.
>   	* PC management
> software that I can run under Linux, or the very least Wine or easily
> accessible using tools that I can install via repositories or without
> much fiddling. I found I couldn't access the inbuilt memory of the Sony
> reliably using Ubuntu.
>   	* Would prefer expandable SD storage
>   	* Would
> prefer charging and headphone connection on the vertical ends of the
> phone.
>   	* Also need a clear loud earpiece on the handset itself. The
> iPhone is good in shopping centres, and I don't have to strain to
> listen, but the Sony it's hard to hear even at full volume. I suffer
> from tinnitus and have both whistling and ringing in my ears, and also
> suffer from years of using headphones after working in radio.
>   	* 4G
> preferred
>   	* Running latest version of the OS, not lagging behind a
> couple of versions
>   	* Minimally customised OS by the telco or
> manufacturer
>   	* Would also be keen to find a matching 10 inch tablet as
> well
>
> I've been waiting in anticipation for Ubuntu phones to be
> released, but I think I might waiting for quite a while yet. Very much
> looking at Android this time around.
>
> Thanks in advance, as usual.
>
> --
>
> --
> Paul Rands
> lists at paulrands.com
>
>