If you have an Android, install TextSecure, so The Man can't read your texts. RedPhone too, so The Man can't listen to your calls, but who uses a phone to talk on the phone?
If you have an iPhone, throw it away and get an Android because freedom. If you have an iPhone and don't want to throw it away, install Signal, so The Man can't read your texts or listen to your calls.
They're both made by Whisper Systems, Moxie Marlinspike's company. If you don't know who Moxie is, he's a security-type guy who's on team Internet. These are all open-sauce and built with the latest and greatest in crypto.
My Nexus 4 has finally given up the ghost, leaving me with a fairly urgent need for a new phone. I'm looking for a no-contract, unlocked phone under $400; is there any particular reason not to go with a Nexus 5?
The only phone I would consider comparing it to is the 2014 Motorola Moto X.
For future buys of the Nexus 5 and 6 you can't get a free replacement if you crack the screen but otherwise there really isn't any reason to not get a Nexus 5.
Currently nothing is worth getting.
Samsung is trash because of Touchwiz, if there was a Google Play Edition of this I would recommend it. HTC crashed and burned because the lead designer had a fight with the CEO, the CEO won hence it is overpriced with worse internals.
I've decided that iOS is completely unusable for a variety of reasons, but primarily because of the wacked text-selection functionality that doesn't seem to have improved since the iPhone 3G (the little magnifying glass thing that lets you refine your selection with the handles).
Text selection on Android is so much easier that there's just no comparison whatsoever. In fact, 9 out of 10 times Android correctly anticipates exactly what I was trying to select with just a single held tap and no need for refinement, which NEVER happens in iOS.
Sorry that I got an iPhone but wanted better iPhoto compatibility. Oops, iPhoto is getting deprecated.. :-P
EDIT: Case in point, 5.1 has dropped for the N4 and my 2013 MotoX is still on 4.4.4.
Might also have to do with the way carriers in the US treat their phones as different models. Apparently there are HTC phones in the US which still don't have the OTA update but I had mine update just over 2 months ago. Motorola also seem to have their own separate update app for some reason. Also some companies are skipping 5.0 to get 5.1 for their models.
My family's Sprint contract ends early next month. My parents are going back to Verizon because they are not happy with the voice service on Sprint, and they will be staying with basic flip phones. My brother and I will be using smart phones. I get acceptable service around where I live in Watertown, MA, but 4g coverage is spotty. Take a step one direction and you're in high quality 4g heaven, step another way and you might be getting the slowest 3g in the history of planet earth. My conundrum is this: When I do use cellular data, I tend to use a lot of it for podcasts and Youtube videos and whatnot. I am hesitant to go to Verizon because they charge through the roof for data. I could stay with Sprint, and just deal with the oddities of the service, or I could go to T-Mobile, which would give me unlimited data like Sprint does, and it apparently has good 4g coverage in the areas I tend to go to, but then I have to pay so much more for the phone because they don't subsidize. Would anyone here have any advice to offer to me?
At least try T-Mobile before going Verizon. I'm near you and switched to T-Mobile from AT&T with no regrets. T-Mo also offers a (seemingly fair, haven't tried it) payment plan option instead of subsidizing.
I've been very happy since I switched to a pay as you go model and buy my phones up front. It's quite liberating not being stuck in a contract for any amount of time. If T-Mobile works for your area, go with it. I only left T-Mobile cause they weren't really working for the kind of travelling I do. (Lots of driving, not always in the most populated areas.)
What George said. T-mobile was great in populated areas, but shit in the sticks. $30 per month for unlimited data is as good as you're going to find until Google gets their mobile out.
So, I've got the Samsung Galaxy Nexus (SCH-i515), which is a dinosaur at this point. It's slow, it has terrible battery life, and I've cracked the fuck out of the screen. It works sorta, but it's slowly becoming dead weight.
Talking to a friend put some ideas in my head. Here are some facts:
1) I'm on month-to-month with Verizon, so contract is not an issue. 2) Upgrading my phone removes my grandfathered unlimited data. 3) I currently use ~3 GB of LTE data per month. 4) I pay $75/month, which includes a discount for being a civil servant.
My friend, who lives like 3 minutes away, is on an MVNO - specifically Cricket Wireless, who has excellent coverage in my area. $45/month for 5 GB data, unlimited talk and text. That's pretty fantastic and would fit my needs exactly.
You can bring an unlocked GSM phone to Cricket for $1, plus a one-time activation fee of up to $25.
The Oneplus One is currently $300 for the 64 GB model.
I cannot find any reason not to buy a Oneplus One, ditch Verizon, grab a SIM from Cricket while they're running a sale, and save $30 a month.
I pay for the phone in 10 months with the savings, and given my rate of upgrading (like every 3 years), I'll save a bunch of money over my likely usage window.
The only things I could think to do differently are:
1) Buy a cheapass phone through Cricket to just save a bunch of money. 2) Wait for the Oneplus Two announcement, and either hope for a cheaper One or wait it out and get the Two.
1 is possible, but I'd like an actual upgrade to a sleeker phone, and honestly $300 for the One is a steal.
2 is pretty unrealistic, because the most generous estimates are a Q4 release date, and the Two's specs so far don't sound dramatically upgraded from the One.
Comments
If you have an iPhone, throw it away and get an Android because freedom.
If you have an iPhone and don't want to throw it away, install Signal, so The Man can't read your texts or listen to your calls.
They're both made by Whisper Systems, Moxie Marlinspike's company. If you don't know who Moxie is, he's a security-type guy who's on team Internet. These are all open-sauce and built with the latest and greatest in crypto.
For future buys of the Nexus 5 and 6 you can't get a free replacement if you crack the screen but otherwise there really isn't any reason to not get a Nexus 5.
Currently nothing is worth getting.
Samsung is trash because of Touchwiz, if there was a Google Play Edition of this I would recommend it.
HTC crashed and burned because the lead designer had a fight with the CEO, the CEO won hence it is overpriced with worse internals.
Don't buy anything with a Snapdragon 810 in it.
My fear already is that Sony is dropping the line entirely and 5.1 will never drop.
EDIT: Case in point, 5.1 has dropped for the N4 and my 2013 MotoX is still on 4.4.4.
Text selection on Android is so much easier that there's just no comparison whatsoever. In fact, 9 out of 10 times Android correctly anticipates exactly what I was trying to select with just a single held tap and no need for refinement, which NEVER happens in iOS.
Sorry that I got an iPhone but wanted better iPhoto compatibility. Oops, iPhoto is getting deprecated.. :-P
Apparently there are HTC phones in the US which still don't have the OTA update but I had mine update just over 2 months ago.
Motorola also seem to have their own separate update app for some reason.
Also some companies are skipping 5.0 to get 5.1 for their models.
Penny Arcade is always relevant.
My conundrum is this: When I do use cellular data, I tend to use a lot of it for podcasts and Youtube videos and whatnot. I am hesitant to go to Verizon because they charge through the roof for data. I could stay with Sprint, and just deal with the oddities of the service, or I could go to T-Mobile, which would give me unlimited data like Sprint does, and it apparently has good 4g coverage in the areas I tend to go to, but then I have to pay so much more for the phone because they don't subsidize. Would anyone here have any advice to offer to me?
So, I've got the Samsung Galaxy Nexus (SCH-i515), which is a dinosaur at this point. It's slow, it has terrible battery life, and I've cracked the fuck out of the screen. It works sorta, but it's slowly becoming dead weight.
Talking to a friend put some ideas in my head. Here are some facts:
1) I'm on month-to-month with Verizon, so contract is not an issue.
2) Upgrading my phone removes my grandfathered unlimited data.
3) I currently use ~3 GB of LTE data per month.
4) I pay $75/month, which includes a discount for being a civil servant.
My friend, who lives like 3 minutes away, is on an MVNO - specifically Cricket Wireless, who has excellent coverage in my area. $45/month for 5 GB data, unlimited talk and text. That's pretty fantastic and would fit my needs exactly.
You can bring an unlocked GSM phone to Cricket for $1, plus a one-time activation fee of up to $25.
The Oneplus One is currently $300 for the 64 GB model.
I cannot find any reason not to buy a Oneplus One, ditch Verizon, grab a SIM from Cricket while they're running a sale, and save $30 a month.
I pay for the phone in 10 months with the savings, and given my rate of upgrading (like every 3 years), I'll save a bunch of money over my likely usage window.
The only things I could think to do differently are:
1) Buy a cheapass phone through Cricket to just save a bunch of money.
2) Wait for the Oneplus Two announcement, and either hope for a cheaper One or wait it out and get the Two.
1 is possible, but I'd like an actual upgrade to a sleeker phone, and honestly $300 for the One is a steal.
2 is pretty unrealistic, because the most generous estimates are a Q4 release date, and the Two's specs so far don't sound dramatically upgraded from the One.
Thoughts?