[chbot] OT : smart phone shopping list

Hadley Rich hads at nice.net.nz
Sun Aug 11 23:20:02 BST 2013


On 12/08/13 10:10, Volker Kuhlmann wrote:
> Heh! I've been keeping a bit of an eye on it too, but no matter how much
> money I was thinking of spending, my list of satisfactory options is so
> far empty.
>
> My main requirements would be:
>
>    reception
>    call quality
>    GPS
>    software upgrades / support / security fixes
>
> Pick any two. Given the price tag of those "smart" jobs, and the fact
> they're called a tele*phone*, Consumer tends to find that a <$100 dumb
> job usually does a better job. Along with these signal strength
> problems, plenty of manufacturers can't make the GPS work properly
> either - well what's the point of the price tag if google maps doesn't
> work properly.
>
> Google's offerings are a bit better priced and have the software problem
> better sorted, but I'm a bit reluctant to buy google hardware.
>
> The advice I'd give is to prioritise the required feature list, zero in
> on some models, and tick their capabilities off using Consumer,
> duckduckgo and the specs.
>
> And do let us know when you've found one why you found it particularly
> good for the purpose you wanted it for.

If you can deal with the general privacy issues of Android then I'm 
quite happy with the LG/Google Nexus 4. The main issue is trying to 
strike a balance between crippling the functionality and protecting a 
shred of privacy.

The processor is fast, software is updated quickly on Nexus devices, GPS 
works well (still gets a quickish lock with the WiFi location phone home 
turned thing off), reception is on par with any smart phone I've seen.

I bought from the Google Play store for AU$350 but they're available 
from around the place in NZ.

hads


-- 
http://nice.net.nz



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