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Well, they’ve got to say something, and camera tech is one area where Nokia is able to differentiate. The OS is almost a non-starter, because HTC and Samsung have that, too. To the extent Nokia can tout their own apps, they generally do.

about 2 hours ago on Nokia STOP!!!!!

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AirPlay is really one of those things that I don’t appreciate the utility of until I’m using a non-Apple product, at which point not having AirPlay is incredibly irritating.

It’s also a very “Apple” feature, in that it’s extremely useful, effortlessly so, and a certain brand of tech nerd honestly thinks that something fiddly and cumbersome like DLNA is a worthwhile substitute.

about 3 hours ago on Is Xbox One a threat to (the future of) Apple TV?

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if you have a non android suggestion like some of the cheap Nokia Lumia Range example i would also like to hear it.

And knowing is half the battle!

For the record, I second the Lumia suggestions.

1 day ago on Best Android Phone Under $150 1 reply 2 recommends

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Except that Google has actually decreased the price over its last two Nexus launches. The next Nexus phone will launch around the same $300-$350 price point. Stuff like the stock GS4 is an aberration, which is why it isn’t called “Galaxy Nexus 2” or something.

2 days ago on Will the Nexus 4 still be relevant in a year(thinking of buying)? 2 replies 1 recommend

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I have the Android version, and it’s a wonderful companion to the excellent Sonic CD port. I’d love to see Sonic 2 and Sonic 3 & Knuckles get the same treatment.

2 days ago on Sonic the Hedgehog 1 v2.0 for iOS.... 1 reply

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I’m mostly copying and pasting this from another thread.

Droid 4 is what I use, and that or its Sprint equivalent (Photon Q) are probably your best bet. The keyboard is fantastic, which is why I keep using it even though it has a god-awful screen (pentile qHD LCD with tons of ghosting) and a terrible camera.

But the performance is still good for a year-old device, Motorola and Verizon have been surprisingly good about updates (mine is on 4.1.2), LTE is very snappy, and it’s by far the best QWERTY on a cell phone – backlit and with a dedicated number row. Motorola’s skin is also very, very light. I can barely tell it’s not totally stock.bq.

It’s worth noting that the 4 is over a year old at this point, and already showing its age in regard to how it runs. I’d also be surprised to see it updated much more.

I second the suggestion of the Note 2 as an alternative. If I had to buy another phone right now, that’s probably what I’d go with since I have no better QWERTY option.

I should also add that the Jellybean update kind of borked the D4 keyboard in certain apps. The shift key is very hit-or-miss now. But, again, I can’t overstate how awesome the keyboard is generally.

2 days ago on Best Android phone with a hardware keyboard on Verizon. 1 recommend

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You joke, but this is entirely sensible consumer behavior. It’s not uncommon for the uninitiated to think they’re getting a great deal by paying as low a price as they can, only to find that they’ve purchased a piece of garbage. It’s not a bad move to make your next purchase based on value rather than price alone.

2 days ago on Android for cheap/medium handsets is a disgrace 1 reply 4 recommends

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I tend to agree, and this also means that many Android phones that launch with decent specs wind up running like garbage after a year or so.

If I was in the market for a budget phone right now, I’d either go for one of the cheaper Lumias or an Asha phone. Android is enough of a headache even on high end hardware.

2 days ago on Android for cheap/medium handsets is a disgrace

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If nothing else, the next Nexus – not the stock GS4 – will probably be just as cheap as the 4, and Nexus phones tend to hold their value pretty well, so you could always just take good care of it and sell it later.

2 days ago on Will the Nexus 4 still be relevant in a year(thinking of buying)? 1 reply 1 recommend

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The first Droid was the pinnacle of, well, Motorola. It has been downhill since then. So the 4 definitely doesn’t feel or look as nice as the original.

That said, the thing is a tank. I am a clumsy person who drops his phone all the time, and the 4 is holding up great after over a year of abuse. The slider is solid as ever, and the keyboard is still wonderfully clicky.

4 days ago on Are there any decent qwerty android devices anymore?

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It looks just as bad as you’d think. Although I will say that the color saturation and depth of blacks are pretty good.

4 days ago on Are there any decent qwerty android devices anymore?

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Droid 4 is what I use, and that or its Sprint equivalent (Photon Q) are probably your best bet. The keyboard is fantastic, which is why I keep using it even though it has a god-awful screen (pentile qHD LCD with tons of ghosting) and a terrible camera.

But the performance is still good for a year-old device, Motorola and Verizon have been surprisingly good about updates (mine is on 4.1.2), LTE is very snappy, and it’s by far the best QWERTY on a cell phone – backlit and with a dedicated number row. Motorola’s skin is also very, very light. I can barely tell it’s not totally stock.

4 days ago on Are there any decent qwerty android devices anymore? 2 replies

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I like Verizon’s coverage (I get LTE where I didn’t have service period with other carriers), but I agree. Poor phone selection and crazy prices. Not that I use Windows Phone, but the Verizon versions of both recent Nokia phones are totally hideous.

Although actually, for whatever reason LTE coverage in New York has sucked lately. I’ve dropped down to Verizon’s (terribly slow) 3G service very frequently.

4 days ago on Verizon is Suckie

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So there’s no such thing as an “Android” company that’s profiting at Apple’s expense, and Apple isn’t deteriorating. Apple makes more money than its competitors combined, every Android OEM not named “Samsung” is circling the drain, and Samsung makes more money from mobile phone sales than Google does from everything it does.

So it’s totally proper of the Verge not to report some bogus “Apple is doooooomed!” slant on this news.

5 days ago on Windows Phone overtakes BlackBerry to claim third place in 2013 smartphone shipments 1 recommend

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What company is “Android,” exactly?

6 days ago on Windows Phone overtakes BlackBerry to claim third place in 2013 smartphone shipments 1 reply 1 recommend

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From day one I’ve been saying that Microsoft is just going to XBox this thing. That is, they will dump money into Windows Phone until it sticks, however long it takes, no matter what. That’s why I’m not really impressed by whatever brand loyalty Blackberry might have.

It might be true, sure, but one thing Blackberry doesn’t have that Microsoft does is a practically unlimited sum of money to throw behind their mobile OS. I don’t know that Windows Phone is really going to take off anytime soon, but I do know that Microsoft will keep it around forever.

6 days ago on Windows Phone overtakes BlackBerry to claim third place in 2013 smartphone shipments 1 reply 8 recommends

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I would buy that so hard.

6 days ago on This is the new Nexus: a first look at Samsung's Galaxy S4 with stock Android

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This. I think it’s a great idea, but I have zero desire to leave Verizon’s LTE coverage.

6 days ago on Google turns the Samsung Galaxy S4 into a Nexus phone, coming June 26th for $649 3 recommends

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Firstly, I’m not so sure that it “doesn’t require a ton of effort” to adapt an app for Android.

Secondly, yeah, it’s kind of irritating. Whenever I find a fantastic app or game on my iPad, I can almost always assume that there either won’t be an Android version or if there is it’ll suck in comparison.

6 days ago on How do you feel about iOS exclusivity?

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No, he’s right. The average consumer isn’t going to know or care about processor speed or RAM, but “This one’s screen looks nicer” or “This one seems faster” or “This one takes better pictures” are typical layperson responses to trying out phones. And if they’re buying from a US carrier store, you can be sure the salesperson is throwing around megapixel counts and assorted specs like there’s no tomorrow. Someone like my mom would never in a million years be able to tell you the difference in screen resolutions between her old iPhone 3GS and her iPhone 4S, but she knows the newer phone has a better screen.

That’s something that Apple gets right. iPhone ads never get into highly technical specs, they just say “The fastest iPhone ever,” and stuff like that.

7 days ago on The Reason smaller phones fail?