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Topic: The iNotaphone 4

Joe Redifer
You need a beating today

Posts: 12859
From: Denver, Colorado
Registered: May 99

posted 07-19-2010 08:19 PM

I'd be afraid to use any "smartphone" hunched between my shoulder and my face. They're too skinny to get a good grip. My head would have to be near-horizontal. That would hurt my neck.

Why not use it like this instead?

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Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."

Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 07-19-2010 08:49 PM

I've had the HTC Evo 4G phone for about six weeks. I don't have as many problems with mine as what David was experiencing with his. Naturally, I'm quite a bit more happy about with it.

I might have considered the Droid X if it had been available in early June, but I needed a new mobile phone and had already been doing without for a couple weeks. Sprint's unlimited data plan, even with the additional $10 "4G" fee, made for a significantly lower phone bill than what I would have paid through AT&T for an iPhone or an Android phone from Verizon.

The only major complaint I have about the HTC Evo 4G is its battery life. Any smart phone with a large LCD screen is going to use up battery life much faster than standard phones. The Evo 4G just takes battery drain to another level. One upshot is the battery is removable and can be easily replaced with a spare. It also doesn't take very long (maybe an hour or two) for the phone to recharge. My old Samsung phone would take around 4 hours to recharge.

I recharge my phone battery usually once per day, usually with between 50% and 30% remaining in the battery. I use the Advanced Task Killer application and also check the phone's running services to shut down anything I don't need running in the background. We don't have 4G service here in Lawton yet, so I leave the 4G and WiFi antenna turned off (Wichita Falls and at least a dozen or so other cities in Texas have 4G).

I think Sprint has better service quality here in Southwest Oklahoma than AT&T. My call quality and reception is certainly quite a bit better.

The HTC Sense user interface is easy enough to use and more visually polished than the straight Android UI. The downside is while Android 2.2 is apparently already running on the Droid X anyone with an Evo 4G will have to wait a few more weeks for HTC to get its Sense UI built on top of it for an update.

I wish someone had told me about Swipe (a unique texting application) before its beta on the Evo 4G was closed. A lady at Oklahoma Blood Institute showed it to me on her Evo 4G and it seemed really cool. I think the Droid X comes with Swipe pre-installed.

quote: David Stambaugh
Apps that are "official" on the iPhone, like the CNN news reader, are only available from unknown 3rd party sources for Android. Netflix is another example.

I'm not sure I understand this complaint. Whether an app is available in Apple's app store or the Android market or is downloaded directly from a specific web site how is anyone going to know for sure whether the app is "official" or not? The most important thing to know is if the app is any good or not.

I haven't installed very many applications on my Evo 4G up to this point, just ones I know will be fun or useful. I'll usually check some reviews and opinions on a couple Android forums before installing.

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Julio Roberto
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 938
From: Madrid, Madrid, Spain
Registered: Oct 2008

posted 07-19-2010 10:03 PM

I can only comment on the Samsung Omnia 2.

It runs some flavor of Windows.

The veredict: don't get it either.

Reasonably good as a PDA. Totally worthless as a phone.

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Randy Stankey
Film God

Posts: 6539
From: Erie, Pennsylvania
Registered: Jun 99

posted 07-19-2010 10:19 PM

I want my phone to ring when people call me. I want to push numbers on the keypad when I want to call other people.

I don't want a touch screen. I don't want a camera. I don't want a calendar/datebook/notepad. I don't want games. I don't want iApps. I don't want to play music. I don't want slide-out keyboards.

I don't like the form factor. I either want a flip-open phone or I want the Nokia style monoblock phone. I don't want shit that rotates, slides or pops open. More shit to break.

It's a fucking PHONE, not a personal masturbation device.

Besides all that, the thing is too fucking expensive. It's too expensive to purchase. It's too expensive to pay the monthly bills.

I want to flip it open and talk to people. That's all.

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David Stambaugh
Film God

Posts: 4021
From: Eugene, Oregon
Registered: Jan 2002

posted 07-19-2010 10:31 PM

Take Netflix for example. If I want to manage my Netflix queue on an iPhone, there's an official Netflix-supplied, and Apple-verified, app for that.

If I want to do the same thing on the Evo, I can pick one of the numerous apps available, but none comes from Netflix.

The difference is I don't want to give any login credentials to an unknown and untrusted 3rd party, such as Pageonce, BeeKay, Next Mobile Web, The Hope Machine, Rishi Srivatsavai, Eddie Webb, SilentSmuggler, and pgray16. Those are the "companies" making apps for Android to manage Netflix queue. I'm not giving my login credentials and passing my info through an app that's completely unvetted.

I could live with the Evo. The problem is I've had an iPhone so everything else seems like a step in the wrong direction in too many ways.

I would never shoulder a smartphone. What about a Bluetooth headset?

Randy, I had ZERO interest in any smartphone, let alone one made by Apple, until I used an iPhone to get remote mail access working for some of my users. I thought I didn't want a camera or notes or web browsing or anything other than a functional phone. I learned otherwise and now there's no going back.

EDIT: I came back to edit my post but it's mangled on the edit screen so I'm recomposing parts of this. Sorry.

A couple other things. A lot of businesses use Microsoft Exchange for email, and set up mobile access for their employees. The Exchange admin can enforce a policy requiring mobile users to secure their devices with a PIN so if the phone is lost, there's less chance of compromise.

There's an Android app that easily bypasses the PIN policy. So much for that layer of security. I've read the same thing can be done on an iPhone too but only if the phone is jailbroken (have not confirmed).

Speaking of phones locked with a PIN... To silence an iPhone, I flip a switch on the side of the phone. I can do that without unlocking the phone with the PIN. To silence a PIN-secured Evo, I have to wake up the phone, slide the unlock screen, enter my PIN, press "Unlock", then either hold down the volume-down button or hold down the main sleep switch for several seconds until the menu appears that lets me silence the phone. The point being the PIN lock on the iPhone is far less intrusive and seems less likely to be thwarted. The Evo lock is a big nuisance in comparison.

Again much of this is fixable in software but we're discussing the phones as they work now, not how they might work in the future if the user is patient.

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Mike Blakesley
Film God

Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99

posted 07-19-2010 11:10 PM

I don't have an iphone or a droid but I'm looking at going to a smart phone in the next few months. And I'm glad to hear (from Joe) that the iPod Touch has the best sound, because I just bought one of them for Lynn for our 10th anniversary. Always nice to know I made a good pick! (She loves it, too.)

The one iThing that really bugs me is iTunes. I switched computers recently and made a backup of my iPod songs onto CDs. When I loaded the CDs back into the new computer, a few albums' worth of songs are now missing. No idea how many, yet. I just keep finding new ones not being there when I want to listen to them. #&$#%

Also on iTunes, why don't they make it possible to "stitch" two or more songs together so they automatically play one after the other in shuffle mode? For example, Queen's "We Will Rock You" should always be immediately followed by "We Are the Champions." Alan Parsons' "Sirius" should always be followed by "Eye in the Sky." Pink Floyd's "Speak To Me" should always be followed by the entire rest of the "Dark Side of the Moon" album. And so on.

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Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."

Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 07-19-2010 11:11 PM

quote: David Stambaugh
The difference is I don't want to give any login credentials to an untrusted 3rd party or risk having that 3rd party snooping around my phone. Netflix apps for Android are offered by "companies" like Pageonce, BeeKay, Next Mobile Web, The Hope Machine, Rishi Srivatsavai, Eddie Webb, SilentSmuggler, and pgray16. They can't manage my queue without me being logged in and passing my info through their app. Not gonna happen.

Thanks for the explanation.

In that regard, I've downloaded Android based applications for managing certain financial accounts (mortgage, credit card accounts, car insurance, etc.) directly from those companies rather than trusting the Android Market on whether what I was seeing was the official application.

Some applications seem a little unnecessary such as ones that are only a watered down mini version of a web site.

I do like how Facebook integrates with my phone book. The mobile version of Yelp integrates with my phone's GPS to add certain features I don't get through the regular Yelp web site. I've had some fun using the language translation app Talk To Me -although it tries to bleep out bad words, but isn't great at censoring words like "shit." Google Sky Map is pretty fun if you're into astronomy at all.

quote: Randy Stankey
I don't want a touch screen. I don't want a camera. I don't want a calendar/datebook/notepad. I don't want games. I don't want iApps. I don't want to play music. I don't want slide-out keyboards.

My problem is too many people I know like texting comments more often than making phone calls. And I've too often found myself in the situation where texting is better than talking -like when you're in a loud night club, bar or rock concert.

I simply cannot tolerate using a standard numerical phone key pad for entering text messages. A smart phone touch screen isn't the easiest thing to use for typing messages, but I can text on it a lot faster than I could ever manage with my old phone.

Originally, I was only looking at a "feature phone" with a full keyboard, such as the Samsung Impression through AT&T. Unfortunately, to qualify for a phone like that I would need to add a $20 per month texting plan or $30 per month data plan on top of the base plan. At that price it seems like you're getting a better bang for the buck going with a smart phone.

Edit - had to add something regarding music on phones:

My new phone definitely works better than my old phone for playing music, but I don't use it for playing music files or listening to radio. Most of the time when I'm listening to music on a portable player I'm working out -bicycling, jogging, lifting weights at the gym, etc. My $50 Sansa Clip+ is perfect for that. The device is small, very easy to use, supports a good variety of music formats, has a built in FM/AM radio, voice recorder and even has a MiniSD card slot. Because the device is small and cheap I'm not nearly as worried about breaking it while exercising as I am of ruining a smart phone.

Also, the Sansa Clip+ will play WAV files off a music CD seamlessly without inserting stupid 2 second breaks in between the songs.

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David Stambaugh
Film God

Posts: 4021
From: Eugene, Oregon
Registered: Jan 2002

posted 07-19-2010 11:21 PM

Bobby (et al), Sorry, I went back to add something to my post and the forum editor mangled it. I had to recompose a lot of it and it's not the same now as what you quoted. Just wanted to explain that. Not that I changed the general gist of anything I originally said.

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Joe Redifer
You need a beating today

Posts: 12859
From: Denver, Colorado
Registered: May 99

posted 07-19-2010 11:45 PM

quote: Mike Blakesley
Also on iTunes, why don't they make it possible to "stitch" two or more songs together so they automatically play one after the other in shuffle mode? For example, Queen's "We Will Rock You" should always be immediately followed by "We Are the Champions." Alan Parsons' "Sirius" should always be followed by "Eye in the Sky." Pink Floyd's "Speak To Me" should always be followed by the entire rest of the "Dark Side of the Moon" album. And so on.

If certain songs are ALWAYS meant to be together, they should be a single file.

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Brad Miller
Administrator

Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99

posted 07-19-2010 11:50 PM

Mike, if you end up going the iRoute, don't get the 4 unless there is documentation that the proximity detector is truly fixed. Otherwise if you simply must get an iProduct, stick with the 3GS since you can actually use that as a phone.

So far no complaints on the Droid X. It's response is faster than the iPhone 4 too and I LOVE that I can plug it straight into my computer and drag/drop files into and out of it just like an external hard drive instead of having to use that damned iTunes. I have also found it is noticeably easier to hold as a phone, despite the case being just a tiny bit larger and the top end being a little fatter. (That lip makes it easy to pull out of your pocket quickly too.)

The case design was the one major improvement to me on the iPhone 4 was the squared edges made it easier to grasp...but of course that isn't an actual phone, so its back to the rounded slip-out-of-your-hands 3G/3GS for your iPhone options should you simply HAVE to have one. [Razz]

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Mike Blakesley
Film God

Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99

posted 07-20-2010 03:27 AM

quote: Joe Redifer
If certain songs are ALWAYS meant to be together, they should be a single file.

Not necessarily. In one of my examples, the Alan Parsons tunes, you could definitely play "Eye In The Sky" on its own (it was a hit single, after all) but the song "Sirius" segues directly into "Eye" so it sounds dumb if played by itself.

I just am surprised that with all the other bells-n-whistles they can build into software that they haven't thought of this semi-obvious thing.

Brad - thanks for the advice. I'm hearing more and more good things about the Droid phones but by the time I'm ready to get one in a few months, there'll probably be a few more generations gone by.

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Joe Redifer
You need a beating today

Posts: 12859
From: Denver, Colorado
Registered: May 99

posted 07-20-2010 04:07 AM

Mike, you can do that in iTunes. Just make sure your tracks are sequentially numbered in the GET INFO screen. Make sure both tracks have the same GROUPING name. Under track number, make sure that the first song is track 1 of 2. The second track should be track 2 of 2. On both tracks, go to the OPTIONS tab and check "Part of a gapless album". Select OK to close the window. In iTunes, go to CONTROLS > SHUFFLE and select "Shuffle by Groupings". Then select "Turn on Shuffle". This way, if track 1 randomly plays, it will always go to track 2. But track 2 can still be selected by itself randomly.

Unfortunately, this does not seem to carry over to the iPod, at least no way that I have yet found.

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Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."

Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 07-20-2010 11:23 AM

quote: Brad Miller
So far no complaints on the Droid X. It's response is faster than the iPhone 4 too and I LOVE that I can plug it straight into my computer and drag/drop files into and out of it just like an external hard drive instead of having to use that damned iTunes.

That's a feature I like about my HTC Evo 4G. I can charge the phone's battery while having it attached as a USB external disc drive. The USB cable also comes with a wall power outlet adapter for conventional charging.

With my old Samsung phone I used the MiniSD card a lot for transferring files between the phone and computer. The arrangement with my Evo 4G is more simple. And it's a good thing too. The MiniSD card in the Evo 4G is tucked deep in the phone, under the battery.
[Roll Eyes]

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David Stambaugh
Film God

Posts: 4021
From: Eugene, Oregon
Registered: Jan 2002

posted 07-20-2010 11:39 AM

USB mode is "trickle charge" on the Evo, will take substantially longer to charge the battery than using the AC adapter. iPhone is the same way.

The stock Evo battery is rated at 1500 mAh. The largest aftermarket battery I can find right now is 1700 mAh. If one comes out that's > 2000 mAh that might be worth getting.

The Evo is indeed substantially faster than my old iPhone 3G. It runs circles around it in terms of, say, rendering a web page.

EDIT: I'm told by a fellow Evo user that there's an 1800 mAh battery for the Evo and that's the limit for a 1-cell battery. Someone is offering a 2-cell 3600 mAh too. The 3600 is larger and requires a new rear case piece for the Evo, and of course that makes the phone itself thicker and thus standard phone protective cases won't fit it any more.

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Matt Johnston
Film Handler

Posts: 37
From: Fort Myers, FL
Registered: Oct 2009

posted 07-20-2010 12:09 PM

Seidio sells a 3500mAh extended battery for the Evo.

Trickle charge is correct, but typically that's limited by the USB port.

FWIW, my wife has been an iphone user since the 2G iphone... she recently made the switch to an Evo and LOVES it.

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