New iPhone (5) Reviews Thread - Page 4

Salgueiros · 09-20-2012, 07:13 PM

Nothing with Bruce Lee can ever be Spam!

Now seriously, it is a way of reviewing a product. A funny and indirect way to tell how some people perceive a product. Now just relax and laugh a little.

DarkScribe · 09-20-2012, 07:40 PM

I have just had my first trial of the new OS6 maps. It seemed ok when at my home and connected to WiFi, but once in the car it crumbled. Slow, inaccurate, and the big issue, it relies on a constant data connection. One that sucks up bandwidth at a very hight rate. If you turn cellular data off, and haven't a WiFi connection available (I just turned the car's hotspot off) it puts up a cannot connect the the map server error. Using this app - even once it is "fixed" in a mapping sense will rack up some pretty big data bills. I have just switched back to MetroView. MetroView doesn't require a data connection, and it is fast and accurate.

sabredog · 09-20-2012, 10:12 PM

Hopefully Goggle maps will have a separate mapping app soon. I do prefer Metroview myself, but Google maps was quite handy for local walking stuff.

I am not that impressed with Apple map app either.

Andrew H. · 09-20-2012, 10:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CommonReader

I just wonder why this pleasant forum has descended into the boring hell of fanboi wars.
People should just buy what they personally prefer, as the Android phones, the iPhone and the MS phones are all competent products.

[snip]
I am so fed up with this journalistic prostitution that I won't buy an Apple product just for this reason alone. Yet I am not going to complain if my wife buys an iPhone to add to her other Apple stuff.

Quote:

Originally Posted by CommonReader

Back when the 4s was released all the Apple Hooray-Henrys told us how its 3,5" screen was just the perfect size and form factor for a phone. Now the very same people are telling us how splendid the new size and form is. Now, I understand why some people prefer a smaller screen while others prefer a larger one. Just cut the BS of always presenting just the current iPhone size as the very thing.
That's just like all additional specs of other phones are "marginal" - right to the moment when Apple catches up.

If you don't like the fanboi wars raging on MR, your first step should be to recognize that you are part of the problem. Which is caused, IMO, in large part by Apple haters coming on to the forum and posing content-free posts in an attempt to bait people who use Apple products, and often with the result of hijacking completely unrelated threads.

Which is not to say that there isn't room for a lot of criticism of Apple; there certainly is. But turning MR into an Apple hate zone isn't good for anyone.

As for the 3.5" size - there are tens of millions of people who use Apple products. Many were happy with the 3.5" size, and many wanted something larger. People are different like that. If you have cites calling out certain people for hypocrisy, feel free to post it. But otherwise there's no reason to assume that people happy about the larger phone are the "very same people" saying last year that there shouldn't be a larger phone.

And if you think journalistic prostitution only happens on the Apple side, you should get out more.

ScotiaBurrell · 09-21-2012, 09:57 AM

The editor of the the verge is a big Android fan. Here is his iPhone 5 review.

Quote:

The iPhone 5 is unquestionably the best iPhone ever made, and for the mass market, it's the best smartphone, period.

Quote:

But there's also another segment of the market, of which I consider myself a part. That segment thinks that there's still a lot of work to be done in mobile devices; still a lot of innovation to come. And that's not innovation for the sake of innovation. I mean real innovation in the way we use our phones, in the flexibility of those operating systems, in how those devices become an extension of ourselves. For that segment, I think the iPhone 5 and iOS 6 fall short. There's a lot more work to be done, but right now Apple seems to be in a holding pattern, too comfortable or too scared to take real chances.

I'll be eagerly awaiting the moment that Apple joins the messy fray again. I have no doubt it will happen. But until then, thank goodness for competition.

http://www.theverge.com/2012/9/21/33...phone-5-review

300com · 09-21-2012, 01:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ScotiaBurrell

The editor of the the verge is a big Android fan. Here is his iPhone 5 review.

Josh LOVES Apple! He just gives fairly unbiased reviews. Infact he wouldn't write bullshit and sign an NDA so he didn't get the phone first like rest of the sellouts.

holymadness · 09-21-2012, 02:16 PM

It's really quite lovely.

Harmon · 09-21-2012, 04:19 PM

Went over & looked at the 5. I'm upgrading from my 4 (not 4S - I follow the "skip a generation plan" with Apple). It is lighter than the 4s. I got used to the larger screen in about 2 minutes, and now my 4 screen is too small.

Basically, the "readable" portion of the new screen seems to result in at least 25% more reading space, depending on the app you are in. Because of the additional height, the 5 seems narrower than the 4s, and the 4s definitely feel bulkier.

I suspect that if I had smaller hands, I'd just upgrade to the 4S, if I were to upgrade at all. But I had no trouble reaching all portions of the screen with my thumb, so the 5 is an okay fit for me.

I'm annoyed by the map flap, though. I am astonished that Apple allowed a product that is, at best, beta, onto the iphone. But they did that with Siri, didn't they? Thing is, when Siri goes wrong, you can just shrug & enter text. But when the map goes wrong, you might not even know it until you've gone wrong & wasted a lot of time. Steve would fire someone - except with Steve, it wouldn't have made it on in the first place.

But I must say, the 5 does not seem much different than the 4s until you get them side by side. Apple has very nearly succeeded in getting a larger phone into the same physical dimensions as the original phone, and has managed to make them seem to be the same size even though they aren't, so long as they aren't compared side by side.

Prestidigitweeze · 09-21-2012, 04:34 PM

GPS is an important feature on any smartphone. Do any reviews compare the Google Maps app to Apple's Maps on the iPhone 5 (assuming both run)?

I'd also be interested in feedback on the best typing experience on any of the very latest smartphones using an external mini-keyboard.

Is keyboard integration more seamless on the SIII (with Jellybean), the Nokia 920 (W8) or the iP5 (iOS6)?

What about SQ? The Snapdragon S4 doesn't sound as good as the iP4's chip, but current LTE phone-ready chipsets use decidedly worse DACs than their Tegra counterparts. Is the same decline in sound quality apparent on the iP5 or not? It uses a Cirrus ADC/DAC amp which I've never seen before.

I'm a studio musician, so I might wait for the next chip generation if the iP5 is lackluster. That, or resign myself to an external DAC with an SIII.

holymadness · 09-21-2012, 09:31 PM

Well, after a few hours of use I am very content. What stands out most to me is the speed. The iPhone 5 is blazingly fast. Everything loads in a snap, there is no lag that I can see in any of my programs, and no delays waiting for a tap to register. For anyone who currently owns a 4 or earlier (as I did), this will be a major upgrade.

The size of the screen is still enough of a novelty that it surprises and delights me every time an app takes full advantage of it. Remarkably, almost every app I use daily already has: Kindle, Instapaper, Reeder, Tweetbot, Alien Blue, Articles, Downcast. I expect nearly every popular app to support the new resolution within a couple weeks. Reading is greatly improved as a result, and it's much easier to scan information at a glance in your email or calendar.

It is remarkable how lightweight and thin the phone is. I hardly notice I have it on me. I usually carry my phone in the breast pocket of my suit jacket and had to check it was there a few times just to be sure. That makes it all the nicer to hold for long periods of time, great for reading novels. Huge improvement.

A note about the maps: this is a mixed bag. After a fair bit of use, I'm convinced the problem is not the app, it's the data. In some ways, Apple's new app surpasses the old. The use of vectors instead of static images means zooming in and out is incredibly fast and smooth. 3D flyover is largely well-done (in my city, anyway) and visually impressive. Integration with Yelp is great for looking at restaurants nearby. And there are no ads or sponsored results.

However, the app can't even find my home unless I tell it the city and the exact postal code (apparently there are three other streets with the same name within a certain radius). Transit directions are nonexistent and I couldn't get any third-party apps to work. A great deal of data that was overlaid onto Google maps (store names, buildings, landmarks) is gone. It's frustrating to say the least. Hopefully they will get better in a big hurry, because the platform is quite nice.

If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask.

Prestidigitweeze · 09-22-2012, 12:30 PM

Is it still possible to use Google Maps under iOS6? If the answer is an apparent no, I'll look for possible workarounds on XDA in a few more weeks.

rdfry · 09-22-2012, 12:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Prestidigitweeze

Is it still possible to use Google Maps under iOS6? If the answer is an apparent no, I'll look for possible workarounds on XDA in a few more weeks.

I would say that at the moment no. Wasn't Google maps coded into the OS since that is no longer the case there is no app.

Apache · 09-22-2012, 12:50 PM

could you not access google maps through Safari?
Apache

holymadness · 09-22-2012, 12:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Prestidigitweeze

Is it still possible to use Google Maps under iOS6? If the answer is an apparent no, I'll look for possible workarounds on XDA in a few more weeks.

You can access them via Safari by going to maps.google.com. You can even save the site as an icon on your screen.

Not an ideal workaround but the web app has all the functionality of the old native app.

rdfry · 09-22-2012, 02:49 PM

[QUOTE=holymadness;2233367]You can access them via Safari by going to maps.google.com. You can even save the site as an icon on your screen.

Not an ideal workaround but the web app has all the functionality of the old native app.[/QUOTe

You are right? I never use the google web site for maps. luckily I have had turn by turn on Google maps since introduction.

09-21-2012, 04:19 PM	#53
Harmon King of the Bongo Drums Posts: 1,622 Karma: 5927225 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: Excelsior! (Strange...)	Went over & looked at the 5. I'm upgrading from my 4 (not 4S - I follow the "skip a generation plan" with Apple). It is lighter than the 4s. I got used to the larger screen in about 2 minutes, and now my 4 screen is too small. Basically, the "readable" portion of the new screen seems to result in at least 25% more reading space, depending on the app you are in. Because of the additional height, the 5 seems narrower than the 4s, and the 4s definitely feel bulkier. I suspect that if I had smaller hands, I'd just upgrade to the 4S, if I were to upgrade at all. But I had no trouble reaching all portions of the screen with my thumb, so the 5 is an okay fit for me. I'm annoyed by the map flap, though. I am astonished that Apple allowed a product that is, at best, beta, onto the iphone. But they did that with Siri, didn't they? Thing is, when Siri goes wrong, you can just shrug & enter text. But when the map goes wrong, you might not even know it until you've gone wrong & wasted a lot of time. Steve would fire someone - except with Steve, it wouldn't have made it on in the first place. But I must say, the 5 does not seem much different than the 4s until you get them side by side. Apple has very nearly succeeded in getting a larger phone into the same physical dimensions as the original phone, and has managed to make them seem to be the same size even though they aren't, so long as they aren't compared side by side. Last edited by Harmon; 09-21-2012 at 05:08 PM.

09-21-2012, 04:34 PM	#54
Prestidigitweeze Fledgling Demagogue Posts: 2,384 Karma: 31132263 Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: White Plains Device: Clara HD; Oasis 2; Aura HD; iPad Air; PRS-350; Galaxy S7.	GPS is an important feature on any smartphone. Do any reviews compare the Google Maps app to Apple's Maps on the iPhone 5 (assuming both run)? I'd also be interested in feedback on the best typing experience on any of the very latest smartphones using an external mini-keyboard. Is keyboard integration more seamless on the SIII (with Jellybean), the Nokia 920 (W8) or the iP5 (iOS6)? What about SQ? The Snapdragon S4 doesn't sound as good as the iP4's chip, but current LTE phone-ready chipsets use decidedly worse DACs than their Tegra counterparts. Is the same decline in sound quality apparent on the iP5 or not? It uses a Cirrus ADC/DAC amp which I've never seen before. I'm a studio musician, so I might wait for the next chip generation if the iP5 is lackluster. That, or resign myself to an external DAC with an SIII. Last edited by Prestidigitweeze; 09-22-2012 at 12:28 PM. Reason: Various errors due to typing into phone's visor-shaped text window.

09-22-2012, 12:30 PM	#56
Prestidigitweeze Fledgling Demagogue Posts: 2,384 Karma: 31132263 Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: White Plains Device: Clara HD; Oasis 2; Aura HD; iPad Air; PRS-350; Galaxy S7.	Is it still possible to use Google Maps under iOS6? If the answer is an apparent no, I'll look for possible workarounds on XDA in a few more weeks. Last edited by Prestidigitweeze; 09-22-2012 at 12:34 PM.

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09-20-2012, 07:13 PM	#46
Salgueiros Eudaimonia Posts: 898 Karma: 9164418 Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Vancouver, Canada Device: Sony PRS T2, Sony PRS T3, Sony DPT-RP1	Nothing with Bruce Lee can ever be Spam! Now seriously, it is a way of reviewing a product. A funny and indirect way to tell how some people perceive a product. Now just relax and laugh a little.

09-20-2012, 07:40 PM	#47
DarkScribe Apprentice Curmudgeon. Posts: 427 Karma: 3286968 Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Runaway Bay, QLD, , Australia Device: Kindle DX Graphite, Touch, Paperwhite, Sony, and Nook.	I have just had my first trial of the new OS6 maps. It seemed ok when at my home and connected to WiFi, but once in the car it crumbled. Slow, inaccurate, and the big issue, it relies on a constant data connection. One that sucks up bandwidth at a very hight rate. If you turn cellular data off, and haven't a WiFi connection available (I just turned the car's hotspot off) it puts up a cannot connect the the map server error. Using this app - even once it is "fixed" in a mapping sense will rack up some pretty big data bills. I have just switched back to MetroView. MetroView doesn't require a data connection, and it is fast and accurate.

09-20-2012, 10:12 PM	#48
sabredog Geographically Restricted Posts: 2,629 Karma: 14933353 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Perth, Australia Device: Sony PRS-T3, Kindle Voyage, iPad Air2, Nexus7v2	Hopefully Goggle maps will have a separate mapping app soon. I do prefer Metroview myself, but Google maps was quite handy for local walking stuff. I am not that impressed with Apple map app either.

09-21-2012, 02:16 PM	#52
holymadness Guru Posts: 722 Karma: 2084955 Join Date: Dec 2010 Device: iPhone	It's really quite lovely.

09-21-2012, 09:31 PM	#55
holymadness Guru Posts: 722 Karma: 2084955 Join Date: Dec 2010 Device: iPhone	Well, after a few hours of use I am very content. What stands out most to me is the speed. The iPhone 5 is blazingly fast. Everything loads in a snap, there is no lag that I can see in any of my programs, and no delays waiting for a tap to register. For anyone who currently owns a 4 or earlier (as I did), this will be a major upgrade. The size of the screen is still enough of a novelty that it surprises and delights me every time an app takes full advantage of it. Remarkably, almost every app I use daily already has: Kindle, Instapaper, Reeder, Tweetbot, Alien Blue, Articles, Downcast. I expect nearly every popular app to support the new resolution within a couple weeks. Reading is greatly improved as a result, and it's much easier to scan information at a glance in your email or calendar. It is remarkable how lightweight and thin the phone is. I hardly notice I have it on me. I usually carry my phone in the breast pocket of my suit jacket and had to check it was there a few times just to be sure. That makes it all the nicer to hold for long periods of time, great for reading novels. Huge improvement. A note about the maps: this is a mixed bag. After a fair bit of use, I'm convinced the problem is not the app, it's the data. In some ways, Apple's new app surpasses the old. The use of vectors instead of static images means zooming in and out is incredibly fast and smooth. 3D flyover is largely well-done (in my city, anyway) and visually impressive. Integration with Yelp is great for looking at restaurants nearby. And there are no ads or sponsored results. However, the app can't even find my home unless I tell it the city and the exact postal code (apparently there are three other streets with the same name within a certain radius). Transit directions are nonexistent and I couldn't get any third-party apps to work. A great deal of data that was overlaid onto Google maps (store names, buildings, landmarks) is gone. It's frustrating to say the least. Hopefully they will get better in a big hurry, because the platform is quite nice. If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask.

09-22-2012, 12:50 PM	#58
Apache Readaholic Posts: 5,132 Karma: 89858112 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: South Georgia Device: Surface Pro 6 / Galaxy Tab A 8"	could you not access google maps through Safari? Apache

09-22-2012, 02:49 PM	#60
rdfry loving the books Posts: 374 Karma: 18825402 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: DFW Device: Rooted Nook, Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4, Galaxy Note 5, 2 Fire 7s Note 8	[QUOTE=holymadness;2233367]You can access them via Safari by going to maps.google.com. You can even save the site as an icon on your screen. Not an ideal workaround but the web app has all the functionality of the old native app.[/QUOTe You are right? I never use the google web site for maps. luckily I have had turn by turn on Google maps since introduction.