Smartphone help for a complete noob

RangerWickett · Aug 23, 2014

After serving me faithfully through 8 GenCons (well, 7, since I skipped a year), my Verizon LG flip phone is no more. I have never shopped for a smart phone, and haven't even had to worry about data plans or contracts or networks. I'm looking online for guidance, but perhaps you could offer a little advice on how this whole smartphone thing works. I'm used to phones that call people or occasionally text. I barely even take photos, since I don't think my phone had any way to transfer them to another device.

Seriously, I know less than Jon Snow. All I know is that it sounds nifty to have Cortana from Halo as my personal assistant, which would entail buying a Windows phone. Also it would be nice to be able to use consistent chargers/plugs, since I already have mini- and micro-USB, rather than needing proprietary Apple chargers.

Where do I start?

falcarrion · Aug 23, 2014

the first thing to do decide which operating system you want.

Umbran · Aug 23, 2014

I went through much the same just a few months ago. Here are some of my personal thoughts, in not much of a particular order. I am not an expert, just a person who did this conversion, and ended up fairly happy.

First point: Don't worry about it too much. Smartphone performance is actually starting to plateau a bit - sure there are improvements, new gizmos, but for your basic use - making a call, sending a text, some basic web-communications and such - they're all snappy enough, and the ancillary features are... ancillary to your experience. Samsung, Motorola, LG, HTC, Apple - they all *work*. iOS or Android? They both *work*. Windows? Honestly I know nothing about it, and cant' speak to it.

Don't worry about cables, either. Yes, maybe you'll need new ones. Live with that. Needing a new cable or two is not a reason to avoid a phone.

I am/was not already in the Apple ecosystem. I don't have an iPod, or an Apple laptop, so binding my future apps and music to iTunes didn't seem like a win to me. They are, however, very popular phones, and do their job well.

About carriers and plans:

If the carrier doesn't have signal where you typically go, it can suck. Ask your friends and coworkers what their carriers are, and how good their signal is at your home, workplace and so on.

It is my experience that, when the chips are down... none of the carriers give great customer service, I'm afraid. We wound up with smartphones because Sprint customer service truly stank, in fact. When my wife and I chose our phones, we did find someone at the store (Verizon) who didn't try to hard-sell us, and that and cost made the choice for us. We went to the store, and found a couple of phones that were free/inexpensive with a 2-year contract. My wife got a Motorola "Moto X", and mine is a Samsung "Galaxy S5". Neither of us has had any complaints about the devices. Mine is, in fact, better as an outright phone than my feature phone was. I expect that if you go with "free/cheap with contract", from a major manufacturer, you'll end up fine.

I kind of recommend this for first time buyers - you don't really know what features you'll really use, what features and interface bits really matter to you, until you start using the things. So, for your first, go with something that doesn't cost you much out of pocket, learn what you need in practice, and get what you really need when you upgrade.

Homicidal_Squirrel · Aug 24, 2014

RangerWickett said:
Where do I start?

You start by determining what you're budget is. Samsung and Apple make some great phones, and you can get plans with various carriers that give you unlimited everything, but if it's out of your price range, it doesn't really help. Also, you should stemming what you'd like to do, aside from making and receiving phone calls and texts. After figuring those two things out, you can start looking at phones in your price range that have features you like to use.

you can take Umbran's advice, angry go for the free phone, but you'd get stuck with a two year contract. I don't think it's worth the free phone. If I we're you, I'd ask a friend who has one of these spiffy smart phones to let you use there phone, and see if your like it.

the truth is, regardless of what phone you choose, there will be features you'll never use, and you'll be posting too much for the phone. Cell companies have figured out how to get as much money out of you, whether it's from the phone end or the plan end.

If you can, I'd suggest going ask out on the phone. Just go big. I mean, you may as well try out the best stuff out there. If you don't like it, you can always such phones. Yes, it'll cost you, but everything is going to cost you.

Umbran · Aug 25, 2014

Homicidal_Squirrel said:
you can take Umbran's advice, angry go for the free phone, but you'd get stuck with a two year contract.

Yeah, I know. I personally find the "stuck in a contract" issue to be overblown. Most folks get a carrier, and stick to it by habit for quite a while. If you haven't been jumping carriers before, there's no reason to expect it to happen now. And the phones that are free to cheap aren't somehow lackluster. See below.

If you can, I'd suggest going ask out on the phone. Just go big. I mean, you may as well try out the best stuff out there. If you don't like it, you can always such phones. Yes, it'll cost you, but everything is going to cost you.

Mind you, "going big" doesn't necessarily mean a big outlay. If you aren't allergic to a contract, a Samsung Galaxy S5 will cost you a whole $100 with Verizon, for example. iPhone 5s, HTC One - all $100. The iPhone 4s and Galaxy S4 are free with contract.

Oh, about data plans. The big question is - are you planning to stream video or audio content when not near wifi. My wife and I do not - we have 2 GB of data per month to share between the two of us, and we haven't come close to using all our data for a month yet. If we were watching TV shows, that'd be a different issue.

Homicidal_Squirrel · Aug 25, 2014

Umbran said:
Yeah, I know. I personally find the "stuck in a contract" issue to be overblown. Most folks get a carrier, and stick to it by habit for quite a while. If you haven't been jumping carriers before, there's no reason to expect it to happen now. And the phones that are free to cheap aren't somehow lackluster. See below.

I know. I've been with the same carrier for a bit over 12 years now. However, I do find it beneficial now that I'm not in a contract. It's far scarier to them when I say "I'm not liking the service I got for X reason, so I'd like to cancel my service. I can get things handled much faster. In any case, as you mentioned, if you're jumping around, or if you're willing to jump around for a better deal, being off contract is much better. My GF and her family have a data plan with Verizon, I think. They had one with T-Mobile before. Before that I think it was ATT or Sprint. In any case, they have been able to get a few more things for a slightly lower bill. It wouldn't have worked out too well if they were on a contract, which could end up costing about $200 per line to cancel.

As for the free phones, no they aren't totally terrible. There are a few that are pretty cool. T-Mobile, and probably some of the other carriers, give out the Nexus 5 free. It's not a bad phone, it's just not the latest.

Mind you, "going big" doesn't necessarily mean a big outlay. If you aren't allergic to a contract, a Samsung Galaxy S5 will cost you a whole $100 with Verizon, for example. iPhone 5s, HTC One - all $100. The iPhone 4s and Galaxy S4 are free with contract.

I like the big outlays. I have the Note 3, and I can't wait to for the Note 4 to come out. It's a fun phone with a large screen. It doesn't have the largest screen as Samsung and some other companies make much bigger phones, but the Note 3's screen is much better for watching videos than say the iPhone.

Oh, about data plans. The big question is - are you planning to stream video or audio content when not near wifi. My wife and I do not - we have 2 GB of data per month to share between the two of us, and we haven't come close to using all our data for a month yet. If we were watching TV shows, that'd be a different issue.

Every once in a while I feel as if my phone has been possessed by a used car salesman. I have T-mobile, and they give you unlimited data, just not unlimited high-speed data. I have 3.5 GB of dat, or something like that. Every once in a while I'll be somewhere and I'll need to use my computer to do some quick online work. I'll share my device's mobile data, so I can get online with my computer. That'll use up a bit of data, so once in a while I'll get close to my monthly limit of high-speed data, and my phone instantly tries to sell me more data. It's very pushy. It tries to make me feel bad that I'm running out of data.

Janx · Aug 25, 2014

contracts are how you get an iPhone for $200 instead of $600+

An unless buying the phone outright makes the monthly bill dramatically cheaper, saving $5/month is not significant.

At least in my area, Spring and T-Mobile suck for coverage. They are the wannabe contenders, and the only reason they have better rates is because their signal sucks. I've seen people get messages or voicemail delivered hours or days late.

get Verizon or AT&T or go Amish.

For iPhone considerations:
don't get the oldest model, get the newest. They have a 3 year supported OS lifespan. With the 6 about to come out, the iPhone 4s is at end of life, which means the latest patches won't be supported on it.
Don't get the cheapest model, go up at least one size (to the $200 model). Price = storage on iPhones, so don't be stingy.
Just about any App you want on iPhone is on Android, except there's less risk of malware on iOS. And every App a normal person would want on Android is on iPhone (often first).
If you don't customize the inner bits of your PC, you aren't likely to need to customization bits of Android, the iPhone's "tightened" interface is sufficient for normal humans.
your model will be "good" for 2 years (length of contract) and can be sold for half of what you paid for it under contract (buy at $200, sell at $100, spend towards new model)
iOS updates will support for 3 years

For Android considerations:
it's often cheaper, got a bigger screen
customizable if you're tech-saavy
most support microSD for more storage
works just fine for getting things done
somebody will release a better model in 3 months
Android updates seem to stop for a given model within a year or so

To me, the biggest concern about Android is Malware and needless complexity. If you are helpless with fixing your PC, or worse, are always getting it infected, buy an iPhone. Somebody like that justifying Android is like the village idiot trying to get everyone to run Ubuntu Linux. It's not the right tool for everyone, even if the interface has gotten better.

For Windows Mobile considerations:
I hear some good things about the OS
it's got the smallest slice of the market

I am not an Android fan. I have an Android and an iPhone, and being an actual tech industry guy, I am competent to form an educated opinion.

But don't sweat that. Buy a newer model Android from Google or Samsung, or buy an Apple iPhone 6 next month. That's the best advice you can get for hardware performance and longevity of support (plus resale value).

or just get the cheapest model you can, but don't come whining about how weak it is.

Zaukrie · Aug 25, 2014

Pick the carrier based on conversation with others in your area. Then buy a galaxy s5. Great phone.

elawai · Aug 27, 2014

I think I would go Windows Phone + TMobile no contract for a first time purchase

Windows Phones are easy for most people new users to get into (iPhones apparently easy to start off with too), and if you go with TMobile I think you can get a nice entry level Windows phone at a good price, and you could start with their entry level plan to start (and I can actually figure out with what I'm getting in their plans). This will give you a good idea how much usage you'll get or want to get out of your phone, with a smaller initial investment.

I like some of the phones people have suggested, but for instance, the Samsung Galaxy 5 is a terrific phone, but I think it is burden by the ten billion extra Samsung applications they include on the phone (plus if you go Verizon or AT&T they add even more preloaded apps).

The iPhone is nice, but the cost of entry is still pretty high even if you are subsidized.

Umbran · Aug 27, 2014

elawai said:
I like some of the phones people have suggested, but for instance, the Samsung Galaxy 5 is a terrific phone, but I think it is burden by the ten billion extra Samsung applications they include on the phone (plus if you go Verizon or AT&T they add even more preloaded apps).

As someone who has recently gotten the Galaxy S5, from Verizon. Yes, there are a few apps on it I don't use. So what?

There aren't "ten-billion" of them. There's a half-dozen links to various parts of the Google store (which aren't something you'd call out Samsung or Veriozon for providing). Another half-dozen for various Amazon services. Verizon has a couple that don't make a lot of sense, but a couple that seem reasonable, and a couple I actually use - like the one for accessing your Verizon account! I've shuffled the ones I don't expect to use off into a folder. If and when I need extra space, I can uninstall/delete them. Their mere presence does not keep the phone from performing in a snappy way.

So, really, this problem seems overstated, to me.