Quote:
Originally Posted by Ravensknight
Ok, can we get some ACTUAL reviews here, instead of pissing contests?
I'd like to hear from people who have not had a smart phone before and decided to jump in with the I5.
I have a tracfone, but am seriously thinking of moving up. And I would like to know what a newbie thinks of the I5 before I put down that kind of money...
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Actual reviews? Easy. From a smart phone novice? Not so easy.
I own and have used all platforms. My first smartphone was a BlackBerry from the first BlackBerry up until the second generation of the BlackBerry touch screen phones - the 95xx series. I used them happily for nearly a decade, they did what I required. They had push email - my first requirement - I needed to be reachable without having to check my mail every few minutes. They are encrypted, very efficiently, something that has caused Governments in trouble spots to close their servers down. I made the jump to an iPhone 4S - I didn't bother with the earlier version, although I was familiar with them. My wife and family had them from the start. I switched to the iPhone for compatibility and easy synching (contacts and email) with my Macbook Air, iPad etc., and the ability to use them as a hotspot; plus Siri. I use Siri a lot - more I think that any other iPhone owner among my friends and family. While driving I use Siri to take down thoughts and email them to me, to take and send messages, to read email to me and to do research (Wolfram Alpha, not Google.) I really like the phone. If I didn't already have it, I might consider the iPhone 5 - once the bugs have been fixed - but as it suits me so well, I would not consider an upgrade just for a slightly larger screen and a fraction less weight. I also have a Galaxy IIIS. If I didn't have the iPhone and wasn't so familiar with it, I would in all likelihood be very happy with it as a primary phone.
I don't love or hate any inanimate object - I save such for very nice or very nasty people. I do have both Macs and PCs and use them equally. For a while I used the Macs in order to run software that was not available on PCs. Such as Scrivener. As almost all software of note is now cross platform, I will consider carefully before buying new equipment. If I lost all my phones and had to start again, I would buy based purely on my needs, not the brand. Brand loyalty is not a realistic consideration. Apple once had a lead in areas of innovation, but now just about all of their competition can match them. An issue that is important is warranty. My iPhone has a twenty-four hour "exchange for new" (at a premium cost) policy. Any phone that I bought would have to match that.
I do not use the phone for important pictures, I am a keen photographer and carry a compact Leica for that purpose. I do not play games - so sheer volume of gaming apps is not a consideration. I do listen to music and with Apple's ability to synch my entire collection between all devices - and increase the quality to their iTunes store level - that moves the pendulum in Apple's direction.
There you have it - my POV. It probably won't help you at all, any more than me suggesting what to choose from a restaurant menu. I am a late comer to Apple phones although I have been an Apple user since the first Mac. (Even the IIe come to think of it.) I am very happy with my phone, but not because of the brand, simply because it does much of what I want it to do.