[LiveBrianD]

How often do you guys think it's actually necessary to upgrade a phone? (assuming you want to be able to run current apps well) Personally, I think that 2 year upgrade cycles are stupid, given that the software on the device probably isn't all that out of date, and plus you might get upgrades. (Given how many phones still have android 2.3, I wouldn't be surprised if 4.0 suffices for 2+ years.) In fact, that's why I'm thinking of going prepaid - I don't pay the subsidized price when I see no reason to upgrade. Granted, I tend to not upgrade my hardware very often - for instance, I was still using a Pentium 4 machine when I built this i5 one, and I intend to hang on to this machine until it's at least 4.5 years old, at which point I'll be going to college and probably replacing everything. (unlike someone around here who's running a 2600K and a 680... )

[coastie65]

LiveBrianD, on 08 June 2012 - 07:32 PM, said:

How often do you guys think it's actually necessary to upgrade a phone? (assuming you want to be able to run current apps well) Personally, I think that 2 year upgrade cycles are stupid, given that the software on the device probably isn't all that out of date, and plus you might get upgrades. (Given how many phones still have android 2.3, I wouldn't be surprised if 4.0 suffices for 2+ years.) In fact, that's why I'm thinking of going prepaid - I don't pay the subsidized price when I see no reason to upgrade. Granted, I tend to not upgrade my hardware very often - for instance, I was still using a Pentium 4 machine when I built this i5 one, and I intend to hang on to this machine until it's at least 4.5 years old, at which point I'll be going to college and probably replacing everything. (unlike someone around here who's running a 2600K and a 680... )

Hey, I heard that. This thing and the Gateway, will probably be around for a while, although I'll probably move the Gateway to Windows 7. It didn't take too long after I activated my phone before I started getting firmware upgrades. This thing does do well on battery. I am on my thoird day and it is still over 75% charged, although I haven't played with it all that much so it has stayed in power saving mode for the most part and I turn it off at night when I go to bed ( I have a landline ).

[StickyMick]

Well, I used to be an Amiga fan. Started off with an A500 in 1989, got my first PC in 1990, an AMD DX4/120 with 16MB of RAM, 850MB HDD, an 4XCD-ROM and a 4MB VLB video card. Used that until 1996 when I took the plunge and built my PentiumII/350 with 64MB RAM, same HDD and CD-ROM drive and an ATI Rage Pro 16MB video card. That machine is now a PentiumIII/750 with 512MB RAM, same HDD, 12X CD-Rom drive and nVidia 6600GT.
In 2005 I built my current machine and upgraded that over time, now an AMD64x2/3800, 2GB RAM, 512MB nVidia 7300GS, 120GB IDE HDD and a 120GB SATA drive DVD-RW, CD-RW and the ZIP100 drive that I kept from the Pentium.

As for phones, I've pretty much been a Nokia user from the outset and since 1995 I've owned 7 handsets. My current handset that I've had for 2 years now (Nokia N900) is still going strong has pretty much put me in an awkward position because as hard as I look there's nothing out there to match it, IMO. I've tried Androids, iPhones and even the Nokia Winmobile devices, but just couldn't live with the corporate restrictions and lockouts/ins that come with them, so they've gone back and I've returned to the N900.
But I am keeping an eye on the Samsung Tizen Project and a similar thing being developed by HTC as a future reference for my next upgrade.

[LincolnSpector]

My Droid X is coming up to 2 years. I feel no need to replace it.

Oh, I suppose it would be cool to have a 4G phone, but then I'd lose my grandfathered unlimited data. And what's the point of 4G if you're scared to stream anything?

Lincoln

[LiveBrianD]

To be honest, I see no real point of 4G on a phone because of the loss in battery life. Besides, you'll just hit your data cap even faster if you use it. Idk... Honestly, I'm thinking about getting a phone that happens to have 4G (galaxy nexus on the $30/month tmobile prepaid plan - 5GB data, 100 minutes, unlimited texting) and disabling the 4G for battery life.

Are you actually going to replace the Droid X? (you're on Verizon, right?)

[waldojim]

Sadly, my transitions are all based on what I have and what I want.

When I had my Samsung A900 (little black flip phone that wouldn't die), I used it until I found a phone I wanted to replace it. That was the Motorola Q, and it was a couple years before I bothered with it. Since then, I have been on a yearly upgrade cycle (only get into 1 year agreements). While I like my phones, I like having new phones too much. The bright side, is that I buy cheap, so it doesn't hurt too much.

[compnovo]

LiveBrianD, on 10 June 2012 - 04:34 PM, said:

To be honest, I see no real point of 4G on a phone because of the loss in battery life.

I've got 4G on my Lumia 900 which I keep turned off most of the time to conserve data (rather than battery) since the plan I have provides only 300 MB. So far I'm using less than 100 MB per month because I usually have access to WiFi. However, when I use the 4G it's a treat, it's very fast. When the Lumia sleeps it turns off WiFi to save the battery but I don't know if it does the same with the data connection. I'll have to test it...

Prior to getting the Lumia I had an HTC 8125 (http://reviews.cnet....7-31732999.html) for over six years. It was an excellent phone in its (pre-iPhone and Android) day, extremely versatile, so I was reluctant to upgrade. Suffice it to say, I tend to hold on to phones for a long time. We'll see how long I keep the Lumia but I'm thinking at least two years (the length of the contract ).

[LiveBrianD]

Hey, I know a guy with a Windows Mobile phone from 2005 or so. He's reluctant to upgrade because he's grandfathered into a really cheap plan on Sprint. (come on, STILL holding on to that? )

[LiveBrianD]

waldojim, on 10 June 2012 - 05:24 PM, said:

Sadly, my transitions are all based on what I have and what I want.

When I had my Samsung A900 (little black flip phone that wouldn't die), I used it until I found a phone I wanted to replace it. That was the Motorola Q, and it was a couple years before I bothered with it. Since then, I have been on a yearly upgrade cycle (only get into 1 year agreements). While I like my phones, I like having new phones too much. The bright side, is that I buy cheap, so it doesn't hurt too much.

Where are you managing to get 1 year contracts?

[LincolnSpector]

LiveBrianD, on 10 June 2012 - 04:34 PM, said:

Are you actually going to replace the Droid X? (you're on Verizon, right?)

I'm on Verizon, and I have no plans to replace the Droid X. I suppose I will eventually--either because it's falling apart or because it has become too out-of-date (a real issue in my line of work)--not because I wan't something else.

And yes, I'm with Verizon.

Lincoln

This post has been edited by LincolnSpector: 11 June 2012 - 07:34 AM

[StickyMick]

The dilemma I have, and no doubt a few million other people, is that manufacturers and service providers are now demanding "always on" data connections. They haven't introduced 4G in the UK as yet, many places don't even have 2.5G yet let alone 3G, which makes for an excrutiatingly painful experience with an "always on" connection.

For example, I live in a 3G area, but if I travel just 1.75 miles to work I lose that as it switches to a 2G connection and throughout the day I can see my connection hopping between 3G, 2.5G, and 2G. When it does that the battery drain is phenomenal, and if I make a couple of data connections to check Facebook or emails (when it eventually connects) it's even worse.
Imagine an "always on" connection under those circumstances (scanning for new emails, updating Facebook status widgets, weather updates and maybe adverts constantly refreshing) and at a cost of £5:00 for 500MB, you can see why it's gonna be painful.

[compnovo]

StickyMick, on 11 June 2012 - 09:57 AM, said:

The dilemma I have, and no doubt a few million other people, is that manufacturers and service providers are now demanding "always on" data connections.

Wow, that sucks. I was required to have a data plan with AT&T (US) but I have the option to turn it off with my phone. If there was fine print in the contract about keeping it on I didn't see it (and never will...).

[techie4fun]

LiveBrianD, on 10 June 2012 - 08:39 PM, said:

Hey, I know a guy with a Windows Mobile phone from 2005 or so. He's reluctant to upgrade because he's grandfathered into a really cheap plan on Sprint. (come on, STILL holding on to that? )

yep, thats my dad

[smax013]

LiveBrianD, on 08 June 2012 - 07:32 PM, said:

How often do you guys think it's actually necessary to upgrade a phone? (assuming you want to be able to run current apps well) Personally, I think that 2 year upgrade cycles are stupid, given that the software on the device probably isn't all that out of date, and plus you might get upgrades. (Given how many phones still have android 2.3, I wouldn't be surprised if 4.0 suffices for 2+ years.) In fact, that's why I'm thinking of going prepaid - I don't pay the subsidized price when I see no reason to upgrade. Granted, I tend to not upgrade my hardware very often - for instance, I was still using a Pentium 4 machine when I built this i5 one, and I intend to hang on to this machine until it's at least 4.5 years old, at which point I'll be going to college and probably replacing everything. (unlike someone around here who's running a 2600K and a 680... )

Keep in mind that you are actually taking about the CONTRACT CYCLE, which is not necessarily the same as the "upgrade cycle". When you reach the end of your contract, it is not necessary to upgrade to a new phone. Personally, I had my Treo 755p for about 4 years as it did what I needed and Sprint did not have a phone that I considered worth the upgrade. I finally did upgrade to an Evo 4G, but it died a little more than a year into the 2 year contract so I am now on an iPhone. If it had not died, I may have stuck with the Evo until my contract was up and then gone to an iPhone (it "fits" better into my "ecosystem" that I use than an Android phone does...but I did rather like the Evo 4G...until it died).

Point is that the 2 year cycle is more about contracts than upgrades. Now, since many people want the "latest and greatest" toys, they may choose to upgrade when their contact is up...some even before that.

[LiveBrianD]

How did the Evo die?

Also, yes, I know that you don't have to upgrade every 2 years, though everyone I know with a smartphone does anyway.

[smax013]

LiveBrianD, on 12 June 2012 - 08:38 PM, said:

How did the Evo die?

Also, yes, I know that you don't have to upgrade every 2 years, though everyone I know with a smartphone does anyway.

It is stuck in some weird constant re-boot cycle. After about 30 secs to a minute after powering it up, it will reboot...shake, stir, repeat. I have tried resetting/wiping it with no luck. When it first started, I could get it to break the cycle by pulling the battery for a few minutes...now it does not matter what I do, it will just keep rebooting...kind of bad for a phone.

[LiveBrianD]

Can you get it fixed under warranty?

[smax013]

LiveBrianD, on 12 June 2012 - 08:59 PM, said:

Can you get it fixed under warranty?

It was outside of the warranty period.

I was paying Sprint for their "repair/replace" policy, but they told me it was gonna take them about a month to get me a replacement. I could have gotten a replacement cheaper Android phone sooner, but I did not want a cheaper, lower cost, and less powerful/feature filled phone...I wanted either another Evo 4G or something on par (or better) than it. So, I dumped Sprint because I was not going to keep paying for cell service when I did not have a working cell phone and they would not get me an equivalent working model for about a month all after paying $7 a month for more than a year to supposedly get me a replacement if something went wrong.

I suppose at some point I might see if I can root it to see if that helps (some body else might want the phone and it will give me experience with rooting an Android phone). But, that might be problematic if I cannot keep in on long enough before it reboots.

[waldojim]

LiveBrianD, on 10 June 2012 - 08:40 PM, said:

waldojim, on 10 June 2012 - 05:24 PM, said:

Sadly, my transitions are all based on what I have and what I want.

When I had my Samsung A900 (little black flip phone that wouldn't die), I used it until I found a phone I wanted to replace it. That was the Motorola Q, and it was a couple years before I bothered with it. Since then, I have been on a yearly upgrade cycle (only get into 1 year agreements). While I like my phones, I like having new phones too much. The bright side, is that I buy cheap, so it doesn't hurt too much.

Where are you managing to get 1 year contracts?

In store, or online. It is an option, just ask.

[LiveBrianD]

How does that work then? Do you pay more upfront?