The Cell Phone / Mobile Phone Thread

Man, I think that's the cool part. That was only the name in pre-alpha, but it got leaked, and Microsoft decided to keep it. TBH, any other name wouldn't sound as nice. I think they were going to give it a regular Angolophonic female name.

So my Galaxy S3 isn't holding it's charge quite like it used to.

Used to last 2 days or so but now I'm finding it gives out halfway through the day now.

Is it just getting old or is there something I can do?

A new battery might help, but it's probably more from the power demands of newer software.

It's also possible there's been some change in the way you use it. Are you using it more often while it's off the charger? Did you turn on something radio-related like GPS or Bluetooth? Do you spend less time in range of a known wifi network than you used to (cellular data takes more power than wifi).

edited 25th Sep '14 5:39:14 PM by TParadox

I use it about the same as I always have more or less.

Not enough to cause that drastic a change.

Quite likely it's the battery going - remember that you should charge it when it reaches around 20% of its power, and make sure it never gets entirely drained.

Oh, and try and be consistent on your use of wi-fi.

And I already do that. Hmm, guess I need a new battery. Or maybe I can upgrade to a better one.

Of course, now that I've long since decided I like an onscreen keyboard better than bluetooth (provided sufficient size and swiping), the Holy Grail is available for models other than iPhone.

Well okay, it's got the same layout as the Bluetooth keyboard I hated and didn't last a week with, but it's magnetic and a lot thinner!

I only just today put that keyboard case on ebay. I liked the part that actually held the phone, and I liked not taking a whole bunch of pictures of it.

Kinda tempted to switch to T-Mobile when/if I get a job. My area is well covered, so what's the harm?

This new one from Microsoft looks nice:

http://lumiaconversations.microsoft.com/2014/11/11/lumia-535/

Only crap feature is the removal of the dedicated camera button that the older models like my Lumia 520 had, which is made even sillier by the inclusion of two 5 megapixel cameras on the unit, one for selfies, and one for normal snapping purposes. It's got one gigabyte of RAM and eight gigabytes of storage which isn't so bad.

I like how its the 535, and yet is better than the 635 in every way.

Quick question for the hardcore Android fans out there - there's a particular bit of software which I'm told will run on Lollipop quite well, but doesn't on other versions of Android for one reason or another.

Are there any phones I could get right now as a business phone which will go to Lollipop quickly, or would it be worth just buying the first Lollipop phone to come out?

Anyone got any recommendations for low-middle end Android handsets?

Since I have one of these and I'm intending to upgrade it.

Go for the Sony Xperia M which is around £100, if you can.

If not, go for the Acer Liquid Z4, which is around £75.

If you want to get Lollipop earliest, get a Nexus or Play Edition phone.

@ Treble. You should consider getting the Moto G 4G. You can get it on shit- to middle-shit tier pricing ranges at major network stores. I know Tesco does it for £16/mo. For the price, you're getting mid-range specs at shit-tier prices. Although the back camera is only 3.2 MP, if that's a worry.

There is though the issue of contracts.

Paradox - I don't need it too early, just looking for something which will get it relatively early. Think of it as the difference between buying a book the day it comes out, or getting it a few weeks later.

edited 21st Nov '14 8:06:40 AM by RatherRandomRachel

Oh yeah. Its a shame nobody does 12- or 18-monthers any more. Everything is 24 mo. Although Tesco and O2 split the cost of the phone and the airtime. If you're looking off-contract, then the Desire 610 is pretty good.

Of course, you could switch to Windows Phone. You could get the Microsoft Lumia 635 for a fair bit cheaper than the Moto G 4G.

At the moment I'm just looking for something I can drop my existing SIM into. For the record, it's an Orange Dolphin pay-as-you-go SIM, not a contract SIM.

edited 21st Nov '14 8:22:15 AM by Deadbeatloser22

I made some theoretical phone designs in my blog.

@ Treble. Well, that means you'll need an EE-based telephone (because EE no longer do Orange or T-Mobile plans any more).

Moto G 4G: £149.99

HTC Desire 610: £179.99

Microsoft Devices Lumia 635: £99.99

All prices from the EE Store.

Bro, they look nice, but they're really square...

edited 21st Nov '14 8:37:13 AM by Inhopelessguy

Or anything SIM-free.

Oh.

Well, those are the most value-for-money telephones I could find (anything else is incredibly shit-tier or too expensive), but those prices are a bit cheaper than that of unlocked SIM-free phones (ie from Clove.co.uk or the Carphone Whorehouse Warehouse).

Either way, I'm probably going to head into the city centre tomorrow and see what I can find.

It's very hard to put in circular curves.

Plus if you give it rounded corners Apple will sue you for breaching their design patents.

...Then again they also hold design patents on square and rectangular devices, so...