Smartphones

[TinCow]

I've decided to go with the iPhone 5. I've played around with the droid phones and there are advantages to them, but they do not seem to outweigh the disadvantages of switching away. The thing that was most significant for me was simply usability. I picked up a Galaxy S3 and the thing took a while to figure out how to use. Settings were not located in intuitive places and controls were not easy to understand. While I was able to get the hang of it within a few minutes, I'm really not looking for a PC experience on my phone. I don't spend time fiddling with my phone, it just lives in my pocket and I want it to work when I need it without any fuss. The S3 and similarly sized windows phones are also just too large. I really like the larger screens, but I think I would get annoyed having something so bulky in my pocket. I'm actually very surprised by how noticeable the reduced weight on the iPhone 5 is. I expected it to be not distinguishable, but after holding the 5, my current 4 feels like a paperweight.

That said, I'm not going to buy the 5 until the Google Maps app is available. Even ignoring the heavily publicized issues with the new Apple maps system, the thing doesn't look as good as the old Google maps version and there's (obviously) no Streetview. Since the maps app is one of my most used utilities, I'm not going to shift phones until I can retain access to Google.

[CBR]

Windows Phone 8x by HTC might be an alternative. 4.3 inches, so slightly smaller than most of the new phones. http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/19/w...n-mobile-os-p/

[Lemur]

That said, I'm not going to buy the 5 until the Google Maps app is available.

There is a hack that should be available shortly (jailbreak required), or you can wait until the Google App gets approved.

[TinCow]

Yeah, I know. I'm going to wait for the app to be approved. If I wanted to jailbreak the thing, I'd just get a droid phone. I don't want fiddly crap with my phone, and I also don't want to void my Apple warranty. Apple have given me superb customer service in the past and I'm not keen on losing it. I dropped my iPad 2 and cracked the screen all the way through only a month after I bought the thing. I took it into an Apple store, and they replaced it on the spot with a new iPad 2 for free, even though the damage was my fault and not covered by the warranty. That kind of customer service weighs heavily in my decision. If I went for a windows phone or a droid phone, my customer service would be through my phone company, which means it would be horrible.

[Lemur]

Understood re: customer service. That said, my brother never met a device he didn't root, and he loves the iPhone for its sheer hackability. When he needs to take it into Apple for some reason or another, he just reloads the original firmware. Seems to work out. Your mileage may vary.