All Things Android - Apps, Phones, Tablets - Discussion

Nice! You could have flipped it on eBay and made $200 if it's in mint condition. I just don't want to spend $400+ and see the Verizon logo on it. I thought about the X920d Butterfly as well, but the ridiculous price tag and missing UMTS PCS band is holding me back.

 

That was my plan until I started using it The Verizon apps are a pain, but I should be able to get it on a cheap AT&T unlimited plan.

Sent from my HTC6435LVW using Tapatalk 2

 

I think I am going to switch to the DNA. First, the battery life is better than my Nexus 4. Second, since my dad pays up to $45 of my cell phone bill(I like this setup, it lets me change carriers whenever I want to), I can switch to an AT&T GoPhone plan that's a bit cheaper than my current H2o plan.

 

Apparently our Sony representative had his feelings hurt by the lack of enthusiasm to the ZL, and made a deal with upper management to leave us five phones to hopefully build up some hype. Glad I didn't pay for one.

 

AT&T’s Samsung Galaxy S4 will be yours for $249.99. Pre-orders start on April 16 » Unwired View

AT&T's going to be milking this one. I can see them offering the 32 GB for $299 and the 64 GB for $349 with a contract.

 

good thing my AT&T store gave me a $50 off any phone deal. hopefully this means it's coming out in april-early may on att

 

Yep, just enough time for the HTC One to enjoy a brief surge of sales before being pushed back into obscurity.

I have to say, I am disappointed with a lot of the big launches this year. Of all the flagship phones being launched thus far, Samsung seems to be the only one yet again that will enjoy a soaring sales figure. The GS4 is the only one that people are inquiring about around my workplace.

 

I was honestly hoping that the One and the Xperia ZL/Z were going to at least be notable launches. The Xperia looks to be a non-starter in the US, and the One is going to be quickly eclipsed by the GS4.

 

Could it be that AT&T will offer the 32 GB for $250? maybe it's the only model they'll carry.

 

There we go...

Spoiler

 

These are not too bad either.

Spoiler

Guess which phone it is..

 

One X+?

Sent from my HTC6435LVW using Tapatalk 2

 

Octa-core Galaxy S4 benchmarks surface, live up to expectations - GSMArena.com news

Bit peeved now...

 

And Apple, with probably only an S update, will end up there because of all the 4S people coming off their 2-year contracts.

Hopefully, we'll see a Nexus 5 and an XPhone to make it more interesting.

 

No, it's the HTC One.

 

And not a single GPU bench was given. :/

 

Good point.
Still, indications are that the Exynos models are going to be the better handsets - I may have to try and acquire one from South Korea.


On a separate note, this is interesting: Samsung Galaxy S4 vs. HTC One vs. Apple iPhone 5 display test confirms AMOLEDs can finally do accurate colors - GSMArena Blog

 

Oh wow. I know the white balance on my Note II is pretty spot on, and for once I've not any issue with grays. The colors still have wayyyy too much punch, but that's why I love AMOLED. As long as they haven't messed with the contrast on this newer panel...

 

The S3 has similar screen modes in the display settings, so the Note2 probably does too.
There's no Adobe mode but from what the GSMArena article says, it seems that movie mode is more accurate anyway.

 

Benchmarks aren't everything though. Sure it's a great pissing match spec to throw out there but the experience on Windows Phone shows that you don't need to have high end specs to deliver a good experience.

 

HTC One the first smartphone to score 1/10 on repairability from iFixit

My interest in this phone has greatly waned at this point. Between the hyped Ultra Pixel camera, build quality issues and now being darn near impossible to repair without actually damaging something else in the process has pretty much driven the last nail in this coffin. The only 2013 Android handsets that are actually living up to their hype thus far is the Optimus G Pro and the GS4.

 

I'm sorry, I like Apple products, but when I look at the S4 with all its bells and whistles next to the iPhone 5, I can't help but feel like the iPhone is more of a toy than a smartphone.

 

Oh cmon, who repairs their phone themselves? If it has a problem you get a brand new replacement. People seem to be looking for excuses to not like the HTC One. It's quite pathetic actually.

 

The camera is, in fact, terrible. It's not that it's a horrible phone, it's just not good enough to accomplish what it needs to, which is eat some of Samsung's market share.

 

Really? Lets talk about someone who doesn't have a $200 deductible. Let's talk about someone that buys off-contract. Lets also talk about someone that might make a mistake and drop their high-end smartphone. An iPhone 5 owner could replace the screen quite easily. A Galaxy S III/Note II owner, no quite so easy, but it can still be done a crap ton easier than the One.

The One is down right pathetic in more ways than one. The battery is non-user replacable, there is no memory card slot, the case is a demon to get into, and the camera is a PoS.

EDIT: Excuse my rather harsh look on it, but given how the progression of mobile design should be going, this is a step in every opposite direction.

 

So basically this forum has become a Samsung Galaxy S IV marketing/anti-competition thread much like the Windows Phone forum ended up like about 6 months ago. lol lame

 

Um...I do? The last phone I repaired was the One X+ and I'm not tied to any brand either.

Which is a shame, because the One X is extremely easy to get into and repair/replace components.

 

Actually, the One isn't that far ahead of Exynos 4412. The Exynos based GS4 will be far ahead in GPU benches, IMO. Tell WP8 to run Epic Citadel 8 then get back to me.

Not at all. I've used all three major OS's. Windows Phone, iOS, and Android. iOS has a very predictable OS and case design. Windows Phone, I regret only having enough experience with the OS... not the hardware, though it was quite nice. And lastly Android... the "Windows" of smartphone OS's. It's devices should be easy to get into, since they're so ubiquitous. There's no need to send a phone in for service when you can do it yourself, unless you can't do the job for less than the cost of the repair.

Also, since the iPhone 4, there has been a paradigm shift in case design that has made it easier to replace certain components inside a smartphone, including the headphone jack, the display, the speaker(s), and the USB jack. None of these are simple on the One. Actually, by a 1 out of 10, none of these would be simple for someone that's seasoned with smartphone disassembly. And if it's that difficult for a normal user to get apart, how does it fare with HTC's repair techs? AT&T's repair techs?

 

No, the One just isn't that impressive. Sometimes people have different opinions than you.

 

I would choose the One because I like Sense more than Touchwiz, the build quality, and the capacitive home button. I also generally prefer HTC's screens to Samsung's AMOLEDs.

Edit: actually, I wouldn't buy either. But, if someone was going to give me one for free, I'd choose the One.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

 

Why is the camera "terrible"? and what makes you think it's about eating Samsung's market share, and not Sony's or Motorola's?

So someone who buys off contract, what about it, what are the chances their phone will have a problem mathematically? and if it does what happens? How is it different than an iPhone dying or a Samsung dying? If they drop it and break it they can cross ship it and get a new one sent back, all their data can be backed up on HTC servers, and OTG battery chargers and OTG micro USB micro SD card readers exist, so I guess I'm not quite seeing this epic issue. The chances of the battery just dying especially with an even more reliable battery (lithium polymer) seems incredibly small. If it did, would it be the end of the world? the battery does have a 2 year warranty and the phone would be replaced, data can be backed up to HTC servers or your own OTG storage.

Maybe I'm just not looking hard enough for these issues?

 

Now, now. These aren't the iOS forums. You don't need to get into a tinkle contest about which iPhone variant is better.

But Megacharge, I have to concur with the rest of them in that the new One's specs were somewhat disappointing. Considering the phones HTC made three years ago which left the Motorola DROID line in the dust, I would expect them to go above and beyond the Samsung Galaxy line instead of just matching it.

 

Because Sony and Motorola barely have any real market share in 2012 Android smartphones. If you're not planning to eat the dominant player's market share, you've already lost.

If my GS3's screen shattered, I would order the front glass and panel and replace it myself. A less-of-a-techie would go out and have a repair person do the swap, or carry around a broken smartphone until the contract term is up.

With the HTC One, that looks to be nigh impossible, or at least extremely costly if a phone tech is willing to do the fix for you. So depending on your needs, it could be a negative strike against the One, though I wouldn't consider it to be nearly as much of a concern as the lack of a microSD slot.

 

Yep, that's so true. We should tell Sony, Motorola and HTC to just pack it in and stop making phones period, because you know, why bother, they already lost..

Since lack of micro SD slot is not a problem due to micro USB micro SD adapters, it's not a big deal then. Besides, most people don't break their phones, and I don't see how this phone is being talked about like it's garbage, by 3 guys in here that may repair their own phones when they break them just because the phone is not for them. It doesn't mean it's garbage just because someone may not be able to replace the screen on a phone they'll probably never break, and just because someone falsely believes a company has to eat Samsung's in sales in order to have any validity. Lets not get carried away now..

 

I'll ignore the sarcasm, since it's not going to get us anywhere. It's a valid business strategy statement. Everyone in the smartphone business knows they have to cut into Samsung and Apple's market, because that's what really counts. It's tough to break even (let alone become successful) by groveling in the single-digit market share percentages.

That holds true for any business, really. It's all a competition to become the market leader, because that's who's making real profits.

These ideas are discussed in depth in Crossing the Chasm (Moore) and to a lesser extent in The Innovator's Dilemma (Christensen).

Wait... how does that increase the amount of internal storage in the phone?

I don't think anyone's getting carried away, nor is anyone saying the HTC One is garbage (at least I'm not). It's IMO the second-best smartphone option coming up right now, and has distinct advantages over the S4 in several areas, ie, the very nice stereo speakers.

 

How does that invalidate the HTC One though? Because the sentiment in here from some of these guys is that to them, the HTC One isn't a valid device (even aside from their initial overblown gripes) because they believe it wont eat a big enough chunk of Samsung's market share.

It doesn't have to, that's the point, you use it when you need it, if 32GB or 64GB isn't enough.

Some of the previous posters insinuated it and flat out called it that, but it's nice to see that you at least are more realistic in your view and description.

 

It doesn't invalidate the HTC One, a point that I never made. On the other hand, I do believe that as nice a device that it is, given the GS4's cemented broad appeal and distinct advantages to many power users, the One won't be nearly enough to turn the tide in HTC's favor.

Ah, thought I missed a possible technical workaround. Well, for those without unlimited data plans and with relatively large music collections (I fall under both categories), expandable storage is pretty much a necessity. In those usage cases, having a microSD slot is an indisputable advantage.

 

It is, it's a tiny little adapter that plugs into the micro USB and reads micro SD. Pretty useful for iPhone users and anyone else who wants a phone with no expandable storage, but still needs more than 64GB's.

 

Every review I've read says that the camera is terrible. I've seen photographic evidence that shows that the camera is terrible. And if HTC is only concerned about taking Sony's or Motorola's share, they're looking at an increasingly small piece of the pie.

 

You don't seem to understand that the One is basically HTC's last best hope. The company is in very serious financial trouble and desperately needed something to stem the bleeding and try to help them gain ground on Samsung. The One, while a perfectly capable phone, is not good enough to do that.

 

You've inspired me to pick one up, managed to talk them down to $350 from $400. It already has the new 2.0.x firmware on it though, which Verizon conveniently coerced HTC to prevent it from being bootloader unlocked. I'm mulling over whether or not I want to ship it out to get it JTAG'ed for S-Off.

 

HTC One is Durable, But Near Impossible to Repair - HotHardware

 

Isn't there a website where you can unlock HTC devices. I did so myself. Dunno about newer devices though.

 

So it should be called "The Done"?

(apologies to Megacharge)

 

I don't think it's HTC's last hope period, but I do think it's HTC's last hurrah as an independent phone maker. I think it's increasingly looking at partnership with other, more financially stable tech companies, and this trend will continue in the future. HTC somehow talked Microsoft into adopting it instead of Nokia as the "signature" OEM for WP8, and now HTC is collaborating with Facebook on an Android-based Facebook phone:

Facebook to reveal custom version of Android on new HTC device at upcoming event, says NYT | The Verge

 

HTC, you've disappointed me...

 

Yeah... like the HTC Status was such a hit.

I'm thinking the fbPhone isn't going to do much better than The Done.

Can HTC get Best Buy to do this?

Best Buy Samsung store: launch timed to coincide with Galaxy S4 | BGR

Google better open some Google stores before Samsung takes over.

 

That's pretty interesting. That's the fun thing about non final software and early reviews is you can get some hits and misses. While I'm sure you're going to say most or all of what you've seen is miss, I'm just the opposite. Most of what I've seen is excellent considering it's a 4mp camera. Some have been quite bad actually, leading people over at XDA to believe that it's a camera software issue. A few users at XDA got their One's already with final release software and the pics the camera is taking are very impressive. Also, you guys really need to be patient when it comes to review sites, for starters, some of the facts they show while they may be facts at the time, are things that can and may be fixed with software revisions like the One's camera. Also, need to keep in mind that any added commentary from review sites aside from hardware test results are essentially opinion pieces, and only reflect the views of that individual or company which can and most likely is driven by a slight bit of bias, negatively or positively. The battery tests for instance being another issue, mainstream review sites rating it average at best, while actual users are showing the exact opposite and getting incredible results far ahead of anything mainstream sites have shown or anything anyone expected.

Sense UI from everything I've seen is silky smooth, users also reporting smoothness they've never experienced before on any previous Android phone. I had the SGS and SGSII and always ran into the odd hiccup and bit of lag here and there when navigating the UI, my GF has the same issue on her SGSII. Although it's pre-release software so I won't pass any final judgement on it, touchwiz on the S4 from almost every video I've seen has been laggy as hell just navigating the UI, showing the same issues that my SGS and SGSII have. I sincerely hope this isn't the case with the final software release. I'm sure people will just say, oh put a custom rom on it, and that'll be fine, but most of the average users won't do that, and if Samsung doesn't get this fixed they are going to be presenting people with an unpleasant touchwiz experience.

There are many things the HTC One has going for it this time around to get them back into profitability, and in my opinion, that's the smarter thing for them to do. Set a goal of profitability that will enable them to get to the next round where they can try to improve on the things they're doing right and increase their profitability more. Jumping from 3rd or 4th to market leader doesn't exactly happen over night. It took Samsung quite a few years to get where they are in overtaking Apple, I'd imagine it would take HTC just as long or longer to over take that position if they can. They need to take things one step at a time.

Fixed. But yeah when a company is in this kind of dire straights, they need to just focus on making themselves profitable again, then use that as a jumping off point. Baby steps at this point, that's what will get them back in the game, realistically.

 

HTC was the big dog in the Android market. They aren't anymore. It's not a matter of a company growing. They were big, they have fallen. Yes, it took Samsung time to get to where HTC was. The difference is that HTC doesn't seem to be doing much about it. Baby steps aren't going to cut it when revenue is down 60%.

The camera is bad. Everything I've read seems to be in agreement about this. The smoothness is a non-issue, specwise these phones are more than powerful enough to run the OS and any app you can throw at it without so much as a hiccup.

I get that you really like your phone. It's a nice phone. It's just that the S4 does everything better. The One is the kind of phone that HTC should have been putting together instead of crap like the Rezound. At this stage of the game, though, they needed something that was going to blow the pants off the next Galaxy, and the One isn't it. You can say it's my opinion, I guess. We'll see.

 

Except that there's not a software update that will make it into an 8MP camera. Even the Blackberries are toting decent 8MP cameras now.

Also, yes, a software update can do a lot for a camera sensor... but first you have to understand how that sensor works. HTC is still trying to get their math right on the color/WB/saturation/luminance... and IMHO, they're still using the same values, for a lot of settings, that they used on previous handsets of theirs, like the One X. Every time I look at the sky portion of a photo taken by a smartphone, it's IMMEDIATELY apparent which OEM it came from. Apple, Samsung, and on occasion Motorola can pull off a perfect blue tone. Like a good IPS display, you can calibrate your camera software to produce more natural, warmer photos. HTC always goes for contrast/pop. But then that's me nit-picking.

The One DOES have pretty good low-light photography, but they made the sacrifice of better low-light performance at the expense of decent day time performance. But what really makes this so funny, is that the One was meant for low-light shooting... and the Galaxy S 4 still produces better results in photos 90% of the time, with video looking better pretty much 95% of the time. The video from the One is either underexposed, too much contrast is being applied, or their gamma curve is WAY off with colors making a big visual POP. The GS4 is more balanced and better exposed.

And to top it off, the GS4 does this with a denser, smaller sensor. So not only will you be getting a better picture, you're getting one with several times more detail.

On the topic of anything NON-camera related on the One, it's a decent phone. But it's still a b-movie, where it should have been a blockbuster.