Ask Tech Support LJ/DW

[feuervogel]

For those of you who have been following the saga of my Samsung Captivate and how I want to set it on fire, it's been acting weirder than usual, even after I got D to root it and put CyanogenMod 7 on it. Like, it gets really laggy, and at random it crashes to the skateboarding android boot screen. At 1 am, which wakes me up. This morning, it got stuck in a boot loop until I popped the battery. (The last time that happened, I had to re-flash it from recovery mode and lost 3 months' worth of data.)

As much as I hate the wastefulness of getting a new phone every two years, this phone just really sucks, and I can't even justify keeping it because it's a perfectly good phone. It's shit.

So, I need to decide between AT&T's Android offerings, the best of which right now is the Samsung Galaxy S2 Skyrocket (the Galaxy Note is too big, and too expensive at $249), and an iPhone. (The Galaxy S3 was just released, and it's $199, the same as a low-end iPhone 4S. However, I am extremely reluctant to get another new-hardware phone, based on how fucking broken the Captivate/Galaxy S was at launch. You may recall I used my warranty replacement TWICE in three months.)

Pros of Android:
- seamless integration with gmail, gcal, gmail contacts, gtalk
- I'm comfortable and familiar with it
- I like widgets
- I can get a refurbished Galaxy S2 for $9.99 online (though that is kind of terrifying; the phones I replaced under warranty because they had the randomly-powers-off bug could be resold as "refurbished.")

Cons of Android:
- can't update the software without Windows (thank you, Samsung)

Pros of iPhone:
- can update using my MacBook
- just fucking works

Cons of iPhone:
- doesn't sync gmail contacts (afaik)
- requires workarounds to make gcal work
- I don't really use my phone to listen to music
- not sure I can back up my saved data (Angry Birds, and, dammit, I have a lot of hard 3-stars on that)

So, friends, tell me: have any of you switched from Android to iPhone? Are my fears justified? Should I be concerned about the new hardware issue on the Galaxy S3 (same price as iPhone 4S!) What other questions should I be asking myself?

I'm ready to throw this piece of crap across the room. Help me decide what phone to get next, internet.

Comments

[donaithnen.livejournal.com]

As others have said, having to use Windows to update isn't normal. Maybe it is for Samsung, but not in general.

When is this upgrade going to be happening? Google is having their yearly conference in a couple weeks. The current rumor is that there will be five new Nexus phones announced for launch with the new Android release (supposedly 4.1 - Jelly Bean.) It's not certain when those would be coming out, but Google may say at the conference.

Have you looked at the Galaxy Nexus? I'm pretty sure it's available for AT&T. I posted my own pros/cons about it awhile back. I believe it's pretty much the same as the Galaxy S2, except it lives under the restrictions of Google's Nexus line. (The big ones being OTA updates and no manufacturer skins.) Aside for comments about poor camera quality i don't think there have been any significant complaints about it, though i admit i haven't researched it that heavily. I think you can get it pretty cheap if you're renewing your contract (too bad you're not on Verizon, it's on special for one cent on Amazon right now) and it may get even cheaper shortly after the Google conference if a bunch of new Nexus phones are announced.

You're on a family plan, right? Otherwise i'd suggest looking into getting the unlocked Galaxy Nexus online and signing up for a no contract plan if AT&T has any such thing, but i expect that wouldn't work for you.

[feuervogel]

As soon as possible. By Friday, most likely. These are AT&T's smartphones. No Nexus. (hahahahahaha NO WAY can I afford to buy an unlocked phone. I can barely afford to buy one under contract. Amazon lists them from $360 to $420. Hahahahahha, no. I'm still unemployed, and Ben still makes under 3k/month.)

I don't think AT&T does no-contract plans with data plans, or at least at a price I can afford. We're currently paying $110102 a month for 2 phones, 450 shared anytime minutes (plus rollover), 200 SMS per line, and 200 MB of data use per line. Can't beat that.

[donaithnen.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's a pretty good price. I'm currently paying $65 a month to T-Mobile for 500 minutes talk/unlimited text/5 gb data. I could get that down to $45 a month if i was willing to drop the data to 200 MB a month, or $40 if i was willing to drop the unlimited texting as well. However that's because i'm saving $20 a month since i got an unlocked phone. It's really worth it if you're still willing to stick to upgrading only every two years, but you've got to have the initial cash to get started.

It looks like AT&T is not the best place to be if you're a fan of Android, but i guess i'd already heard that. Apparently there's a bigger selection of phones at places like Best Buy, complete with the two year contract discount. I'm not sure why AT&T doesn't include them on their website. Looks like they've got the Nexus S currently (for $50) though not the Galaxy Nexus yet. I haven't done a lot of research on the Nexus S, so i don't know how it compares to the phones you've been looking at.

There's a story that AT&T should have an LTE version of the Galaxy Nexus soon, but who knows exactly when that will be.