Which handset is the King of Smartphones? Gadget Show, 14 March 2011

neo_wales · 20-03-2011, 17:33

Millions love the iPhone, sells by the truck load so its got a lot going in its favour. Without the iPhone we would not have all the other smartphones to choose from today; it kickstarted the whole smartphone thing.

The iPhone has set a high standard but that standard is now matched by other phones and of course with Android we have the pick of good performance phones at prices affordable to many who can't afford Apple phones.

There is no definative test as to which is the better phone, the best is the one you are happy with.

linux.root · 20-03-2011, 17:40

Ii'm not an ihpone hater yet that is nonsense i had a compaq pc phone years before iphone came out then xda after that, if anything xda and palm kicked off the smart phone market1

carguy143 · 20-03-2011, 17:46

The argument about smartphones is always going to be an ongoing drawn out argument. In my opionin smart phones were indeed started with the likes of Nokia's Symbian OS, Palm OS, along with XDA phones. However, these early phones were mainly used by business people as a way to do email and internet browsing as they had a better battery life than the likes of laptops of their time. True smartphones for the masses were kicked off with Apple and the iPhone simply because it made a feature-packed phone easy to use for the masses. Android did come along later but it has lead to a healthier growth in the popularity of smart phones thanks to the level of customization on offer, not just in terms of Android, but the ability for phone manufacturers to create their own UI such as HTC's Sense.

neo_wales · 20-03-2011, 19:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by linux.root

Ii'm not an ihpone hater yet that is nonsense i had a compaq pc phone years before iphone came out then xda after that, if anything xda and palm kicked off the smart phone market1

I'm talking in more modern terms, phone, internet, GPS, MP3, wifi, camera, video etc all in one

My daughter had an XDA on O2 which was very good IIRC.

alanwarwic · 20-03-2011, 20:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by linux.root

Ii'm not an ihpone hater yet that is nonsense i had a compaq pc phone years before iphone came out

The difference was that whilst they ran Opera the mindset was business.
Then Apple sucked mass market fashion conscious iPod owners into paying £400+ to add a phone facility.

linux.root · 20-03-2011, 21:14

they could have saved some money by buying one of these

http://www.ishopvideogame.com/peel-5...3.html?ref=131

rwould · 20-03-2011, 21:27

The difference was the app store. Prior to that you had to be at least a bit IT literate to put have a decent range of things to put on the phones.

linux.root · 20-03-2011, 22:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by rwould

The difference was the app store. Prior to that you had to be at least a bit IT literate to put have a decent range of things to put on the phones.

That's actually a very good point!

Gary Glimmer · 21-03-2011, 00:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by neo_wales

Without the iPhone we would not have all the other smartphones to choose from today; it kickstarted the whole smartphone thing.

This sums up the whole ignorance of an iphone user.

they didnt invent the smartphone
they didnt invent the app
they didnt invent video calls
they didnt invent multitasking
they didnt invent gps in a phone
they didnt invent multi tasking
they didnt invent a camera in a phone

etc etc etc

keep those blinkers on kids.. who knows, they might invent something called 'flash' soon. or 'flashtime' as it'll no doubt be.

IslandNiles · 21-03-2011, 00:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gary Glimmer

This sums up the whole ignorance of an iphone user.

they didnt invent the smartphone
they didnt invent the app
they didnt invent video calls
they didnt invent multitasking
they didnt invent gps in a phone
they didnt invent multi tasking
they didnt invent a camera in a phone

etc etc etc

keep those blinkers on kids.. who knows, they might invent something called 'flash' soon. or 'flashtime' as it'll no doubt be.

I don't think neo_wales is even an iPhone user. But don't let that stop you. Quite a few of your posts are the usual Apple hate - calling people sheep for having the iPhone, saying they've wasted their money etc. It gets a bit tiresome after a while.

Red Arrow · 21-03-2011, 07:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gary Glimmer

This sums up the whole ignorance of an iphone user.

they didnt invent the smartphone
they didnt invent the app
they didnt invent video calls
they didnt invent multitasking
they didnt invent gps in a phone
they didnt invent multi tasking
they didnt invent a camera in a phone

etc etc etc

keep those blinkers on kids.. who knows, they might invent something called 'flash' soon. or 'flashtime' as it'll no doubt be.

Yes all true points. But what Apple did do was make it much easier to do all of the above.

I think the point rwould makes about the apps store was a major factor in the iPhones success.

IvanIV · 21-03-2011, 07:41

They did not invent it, but they sold it to many people, made them believe they need all that and they are the best ones to give it to them. It's more marketing than anything else.

clonmult · 21-03-2011, 07:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by Red Arrow

Yes all true points. But what Apple did do was make it much easier to do all of the above.

I think the point rwould makes about the apps store was a major factor in the iPhones success.

They didn't make it easier to do all the above.

They just sprinkled magic apple fairy dust on it, and the features that some of us had been taking for granted for years suddenly became "cool".

neo_wales · 21-03-2011, 08:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gary Glimmer

This sums up the whole ignorance of an iphone user.

they didnt invent the smartphone
they didnt invent the app
they didnt invent video calls
they didnt invent multitasking
they didnt invent gps in a phone
they didnt invent multi tasking
they didnt invent a camera in a phone

etc etc etc

keep those blinkers on kids.. who knows, they might invent something called 'flash' soon. or 'flashtime' as it'll no doubt be.

Gary, I use an android, an old G1 and have no intention of every buying an iPhone. I was mearly giving credit where credit is due and I believe that without the iPhone smartphones would not be where they are today. Just my opinion.

grumpyoldbat · 21-03-2011, 10:07

Apple didn't invent any of this stuff, I've been using PDAs since last century and most of the features were available in various guises, even if you had to pick up your email by using infrared to link your PDA to your phone

The difference is, that was always the domain of your Grade A nerd.

What Apple have successfully achieved where Palm/Windows Mobile/BlackBerry failed is to take smartphones and adding apps to them mainstream. Symbian may have sold the most smartphones over the last few years, but I guarantee that the majority of the people who bought a Nokia N95 had no idea what the phone could do. I had loads of friends who didn't even know it HAD GPS and maps on board, let alone use it.

Apple, love em or loathe em have opened up smartphones to the masses. By making an app market an essential part of smartphone use, they've made the whole experience 100 times better for everyone, no matter which smartphone platform you choose.

Oh and before I get accused of being an Apple fan-bitch. I own, and use, both iPhone and Android phone (and have had Palm, Windows Mobile, BlackBerry, and Symbian smartphones in the past).

Red Arrow · 21-03-2011, 10:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by clonmult

They didn't make it easier to do all the above.

They just sprinkled magic apple fairy dust on it, and the features that some of us had been taking for granted for years suddenly became "cool".

I don't agree, sorry. Look at Windows Mobile years ago, which at the time was considered by many as the OS to use if you wanted a smart phone. It was awful, such a poor user interface making it hard to do anything. Symbian was better, but I didn't really like the interface that much more.

Yeah those are all features many smartphone users have had for years, but it's hard to argue against the fact that Apple came along and made a UI which made it far easier to use these features. Call it magic Apple fairy dust if you want, but it works for them.

Oh and this is coming from an Android user.

Bagsbunny · 21-03-2011, 10:15

Although I'm massively fond of my HTC Desire, and often tell my customers it's a good iPhone alternative , for less money...
I had occasion to use a friend's iPhone 4 on Saturday night, streaming video, viewing photo's and using GPS...have to say, very impressed (my Desire for some reason, had me in Islington. I was in Greenwich!)

Not quite impressed enough to justify the price difference, though!

clonmult · 21-03-2011, 10:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by Red Arrow

I don't agree, sorry. Look at Windows Mobile years ago, which at the time was considered by many as the OS to use if you wanted a smart phone. It was awful, such a poor user interface making it hard to do anything. Symbian was better, but I didn't really like the interface that much more.

Yeah those are all features many smartphone users have had for years, but it's hard to argue against the fact that Apple came along and made a UI which made it far easier to use these features. Call it magic Apple fairy dust if you want, but it works for them.

Oh and this is coming from an Android user.

Apple have made it popular to have all these features, and made them a little more accessible (not that they were ever difficult to use before), but no way was WM ever considered the OS to use if you wanted a smartphone. It was always second best to Symbian.

I still reckon that Apple have dumbed down the interface too far. Symbian has generally been a little more awkward, and I do think that Android has struck a fairly sensible middle ground between the two.

Stiggles · 21-03-2011, 13:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bagsbunny

(my Desire for some reason, had me in Islington. I was in Greenwich!)

The reading for the location etc comes from the cell tower so not the phones fault.

Having said that, my desire hd did it to me the other day as well. Seems worse on Vodafone.

clonmult · 21-03-2011, 14:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stiggles

The reading for the location etc comes from the cell tower so not the phones fault.

Having said that, my desire hd did it to me the other day as well. Seems worse on Vodafone.

In that case its not doing it with GPS, its purely using cell tower triangulation, which can be hilariously bad. If it uses GPS, then it'll nail your location within a few feet.

Stuart P · 21-03-2011, 14:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by clonmult

In that case its not doing it with GPS, its purely using cell tower triangulation, which can be hilariously bad. If it uses GPS, then it'll nail your location within a few feet.

agreed. if i have gps turned off and rely on the towers, i end up out in some random farmers field 1/2 mile away rather than my home address

DotNetWill · 21-03-2011, 14:47

Reading some of the comments on the last page or so I think some people have forgotten phones like the Nokia N95 existed.

neo_wales · 21-03-2011, 15:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by clonmult

In that case its not doing it with GPS, its purely using cell tower triangulation, which can be hilariously bad. If it uses GPS, then it'll nail your location within a few feet.

Subject to satellite acquisition of course.

IslandNiles · 21-03-2011, 15:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by DotNetWill

Reading some of the comments on the last page or so I think some people have forgotten phones like the Nokia N95 existed.

The N95 was a good phone, but not really comparable to smartphones as we currently understand them.

DotNetWill · 21-03-2011, 16:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by IslandNiles

The N95 was a good phone, but not really comparable to smartphones as we currently understand them.

Why not? The only thing it was lacking was the touch screen, it had apps, GPS, a decent web browser, multi tasking, email, etc.

I see my iPhone as an evolution of that.

20-03-2011, 17:33	#176
neo_wales Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: South Wales/Gran Canaria Posts: 8,298	Millions love the iPhone, sells by the truck load so its got a lot going in its favour. Without the iPhone we would not have all the other smartphones to choose from today; it kickstarted the whole smartphone thing. The iPhone has set a high standard but that standard is now matched by other phones and of course with Android we have the pick of good performance phones at prices affordable to many who can't afford Apple phones. There is no definative test as to which is the better phone, the best is the one you are happy with.

20-03-2011, 17:40	#177
linux.root Forum Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 270	Ii'm not an ihpone hater yet that is nonsense i had a compaq pc phone years before iphone came out then xda after that, if anything xda and palm kicked off the smart phone market1

20-03-2011, 17:46	#178
carguy143 Forum Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Leyland Posts: 1,971	The argument about smartphones is always going to be an ongoing drawn out argument. In my opionin smart phones were indeed started with the likes of Nokia's Symbian OS, Palm OS, along with XDA phones. However, these early phones were mainly used by business people as a way to do email and internet browsing as they had a better battery life than the likes of laptops of their time. True smartphones for the masses were kicked off with Apple and the iPhone simply because it made a feature-packed phone easy to use for the masses. Android did come along later but it has lead to a healthier growth in the popularity of smart phones thanks to the level of customization on offer, not just in terms of Android, but the ability for phone manufacturers to create their own UI such as HTC's Sense.

20-03-2011, 19:33	#179
neo_wales Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: South Wales/Gran Canaria Posts: 8,298	Quote: Originally Posted by linux.root Ii'm not an ihpone hater yet that is nonsense i had a compaq pc phone years before iphone came out then xda after that, if anything xda and palm kicked off the smart phone market1 I'm talking in more modern terms, phone, internet, GPS, MP3, wifi, camera, video etc all in one My daughter had an XDA on O2 which was very good IIRC.

20-03-2011, 20:25	#180
alanwarwic Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: the wild world web Posts: 28,132	Quote: Originally Posted by linux.root Ii'm not an ihpone hater yet that is nonsense i had a compaq pc phone years before iphone came out The difference was that whilst they ran Opera the mindset was business. Then Apple sucked mass market fashion conscious iPod owners into paying £400+ to add a phone facility.

20-03-2011, 21:14	#181
linux.root Forum Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 270	they could have saved some money by buying one of these http://www.ishopvideogame.com/peel-5...3.html?ref=131

20-03-2011, 21:27	#182
rwould Forum Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Nottingham Posts: 4,893	The difference was the app store. Prior to that you had to be at least a bit IT literate to put have a decent range of things to put on the phones.

20-03-2011, 22:15	#183
linux.root Forum Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 270	Quote: Originally Posted by rwould The difference was the app store. Prior to that you had to be at least a bit IT literate to put have a decent range of things to put on the phones. That's actually a very good point!

21-03-2011, 00:38	#184
Gary Glimmer Inactive Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 196	Quote: Originally Posted by neo_wales Without the iPhone we would not have all the other smartphones to choose from today; it kickstarted the whole smartphone thing. This sums up the whole ignorance of an iphone user. they didnt invent the smartphone they didnt invent the app they didnt invent video calls they didnt invent multitasking they didnt invent gps in a phone they didnt invent multi tasking they didnt invent a camera in a phone etc etc etc keep those blinkers on kids.. who knows, they might invent something called 'flash' soon. or 'flashtime' as it'll no doubt be.

21-03-2011, 00:53	#185
IslandNiles Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 13,091	Quote: Originally Posted by Gary Glimmer This sums up the whole ignorance of an iphone user. they didnt invent the smartphone they didnt invent the app they didnt invent video calls they didnt invent multitasking they didnt invent gps in a phone they didnt invent multi tasking they didnt invent a camera in a phone etc etc etc keep those blinkers on kids.. who knows, they might invent something called 'flash' soon. or 'flashtime' as it'll no doubt be. I don't think neo_wales is even an iPhone user. But don't let that stop you. Quite a few of your posts are the usual Apple hate - calling people sheep for having the iPhone, saying they've wasted their money etc. It gets a bit tiresome after a while.

21-03-2011, 07:08	#186
Red Arrow Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Mars Posts: 10,688	Quote: Originally Posted by Gary Glimmer This sums up the whole ignorance of an iphone user. they didnt invent the smartphone they didnt invent the app they didnt invent video calls they didnt invent multitasking they didnt invent gps in a phone they didnt invent multi tasking they didnt invent a camera in a phone etc etc etc keep those blinkers on kids.. who knows, they might invent something called 'flash' soon. or 'flashtime' as it'll no doubt be. Yes all true points. But what Apple did do was make it much easier to do all of the above. I think the point rwould makes about the apps store was a major factor in the iPhones success.

21-03-2011, 07:41	#187
IvanIV Forum Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 25,199	They did not invent it, but they sold it to many people, made them believe they need all that and they are the best ones to give it to them. It's more marketing than anything else.

21-03-2011, 07:50	#188
clonmult Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: UK Posts: 3,291	Quote: Originally Posted by Red Arrow Yes all true points. But what Apple did do was make it much easier to do all of the above. I think the point rwould makes about the apps store was a major factor in the iPhones success. They didn't make it easier to do all the above. They just sprinkled magic apple fairy dust on it, and the features that some of us had been taking for granted for years suddenly became "cool".

21-03-2011, 08:44	#189
neo_wales Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: South Wales/Gran Canaria Posts: 8,298	Quote: Originally Posted by Gary Glimmer This sums up the whole ignorance of an iphone user. they didnt invent the smartphone they didnt invent the app they didnt invent video calls they didnt invent multitasking they didnt invent gps in a phone they didnt invent multi tasking they didnt invent a camera in a phone etc etc etc keep those blinkers on kids.. who knows, they might invent something called 'flash' soon. or 'flashtime' as it'll no doubt be. Gary, I use an android, an old G1 and have no intention of every buying an iPhone. I was mearly giving credit where credit is due and I believe that without the iPhone smartphones would not be where they are today. Just my opinion.

21-03-2011, 10:07	#190
grumpyoldbat Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 3,636	Apple didn't invent any of this stuff, I've been using PDAs since last century and most of the features were available in various guises, even if you had to pick up your email by using infrared to link your PDA to your phone The difference is, that was always the domain of your Grade A nerd. What Apple have successfully achieved where Palm/Windows Mobile/BlackBerry failed is to take smartphones and adding apps to them mainstream. Symbian may have sold the most smartphones over the last few years, but I guarantee that the majority of the people who bought a Nokia N95 had no idea what the phone could do. I had loads of friends who didn't even know it HAD GPS and maps on board, let alone use it. Apple, love em or loathe em have opened up smartphones to the masses. By making an app market an essential part of smartphone use, they've made the whole experience 100 times better for everyone, no matter which smartphone platform you choose. Oh and before I get accused of being an Apple fan-bitch. I own, and use, both iPhone and Android phone (and have had Palm, Windows Mobile, BlackBerry, and Symbian smartphones in the past).

21-03-2011, 10:10	#191
Red Arrow Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Mars Posts: 10,688	Quote: Originally Posted by clonmult They didn't make it easier to do all the above. They just sprinkled magic apple fairy dust on it, and the features that some of us had been taking for granted for years suddenly became "cool". I don't agree, sorry. Look at Windows Mobile years ago, which at the time was considered by many as the OS to use if you wanted a smart phone. It was awful, such a poor user interface making it hard to do anything. Symbian was better, but I didn't really like the interface that much more. Yeah those are all features many smartphone users have had for years, but it's hard to argue against the fact that Apple came along and made a UI which made it far easier to use these features. Call it magic Apple fairy dust if you want, but it works for them. Oh and this is coming from an Android user.

21-03-2011, 10:15	#192
Bagsbunny Forum Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Charlton, SE7 Posts: 359	Although I'm massively fond of my HTC Desire, and often tell my customers it's a good iPhone alternative , for less money... I had occasion to use a friend's iPhone 4 on Saturday night, streaming video, viewing photo's and using GPS...have to say, very impressed (my Desire for some reason, had me in Islington. I was in Greenwich!) Not quite impressed enough to justify the price difference, though!

21-03-2011, 10:35	#193
clonmult Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: UK Posts: 3,291	Quote: Originally Posted by Red Arrow I don't agree, sorry. Look at Windows Mobile years ago, which at the time was considered by many as the OS to use if you wanted a smart phone. It was awful, such a poor user interface making it hard to do anything. Symbian was better, but I didn't really like the interface that much more. Yeah those are all features many smartphone users have had for years, but it's hard to argue against the fact that Apple came along and made a UI which made it far easier to use these features. Call it magic Apple fairy dust if you want, but it works for them. Oh and this is coming from an Android user. Apple have made it popular to have all these features, and made them a little more accessible (not that they were ever difficult to use before), but no way was WM ever considered the OS to use if you wanted a smartphone. It was always second best to Symbian. I still reckon that Apple have dumbed down the interface too far. Symbian has generally been a little more awkward, and I do think that Android has struck a fairly sensible middle ground between the two.

21-03-2011, 13:37	#194
Stiggles Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Dundee, Scotland Posts: 9,293	Quote: Originally Posted by Bagsbunny (my Desire for some reason, had me in Islington. I was in Greenwich!) The reading for the location etc comes from the cell tower so not the phones fault. Having said that, my desire hd did it to me the other day as well. Seems worse on Vodafone.

21-03-2011, 14:35	#195
clonmult Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: UK Posts: 3,291	Quote: Originally Posted by Stiggles The reading for the location etc comes from the cell tower so not the phones fault. Having said that, my desire hd did it to me the other day as well. Seems worse on Vodafone. In that case its not doing it with GPS, its purely using cell tower triangulation, which can be hilariously bad. If it uses GPS, then it'll nail your location within a few feet.

DS Forums

Which handset is the King of Smartphones? Gadget Show, 14 March 2011

21-03-2011, 14:42	#196
Stuart P Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Hitchin Posts: 922	Quote: Originally Posted by clonmult In that case its not doing it with GPS, its purely using cell tower triangulation, which can be hilariously bad. If it uses GPS, then it'll nail your location within a few feet. agreed. if i have gps turned off and rely on the towers, i end up out in some random farmers field 1/2 mile away rather than my home address

21-03-2011, 14:47	#197
DotNetWill Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Cheshire Posts: 4,398	Reading some of the comments on the last page or so I think some people have forgotten phones like the Nokia N95 existed.

21-03-2011, 15:21	#198
neo_wales Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: South Wales/Gran Canaria Posts: 8,298	Quote: Originally Posted by clonmult In that case its not doing it with GPS, its purely using cell tower triangulation, which can be hilariously bad. If it uses GPS, then it'll nail your location within a few feet. Subject to satellite acquisition of course.

21-03-2011, 15:59	#199
IslandNiles Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 13,091	Quote: Originally Posted by DotNetWill Reading some of the comments on the last page or so I think some people have forgotten phones like the Nokia N95 existed. The N95 was a good phone, but not really comparable to smartphones as we currently understand them.

21-03-2011, 16:17	#200
DotNetWill Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Cheshire Posts: 4,398	Quote: Originally Posted by IslandNiles The N95 was a good phone, but not really comparable to smartphones as we currently understand them. Why not? The only thing it was lacking was the touch screen, it had apps, GPS, a decent web browser, multi tasking, email, etc. I see my iPhone as an evolution of that.