The official tablet (and other useless electronics) thread!

[G.Irish]

FINALLY SWITCHING from Sprint in a few weeks!! Probably headed toward Verizon unless there's a really good reason for AT&T (had a bad experience with them and their "internet service"). Anyone on Verizon recommend a specific phone other than an iPhone? I am hoping they come out with the S4 active by then but that might be wishful thinking.

If you go AT&T they're GSM so you can use your phone overseas. Having used my smartphone while abroad for the first time in 2012, I don't ever wanna go back. But I guess that depends on how much you travel abroad, and where you tend to go. Another way to go is just to buy an old unlocked GSM smartphone.

[Evan]

FYI as of the past 8 months or so most verizon phones now come unlocked , have GSM and UMTS radios and are world capable, They have a sim slot already for LTE.

I think some sprint phones have world phone capability too, but you have to buy the service from them since they dont have accessible sim slots.

[Sully]

I think they should get rid of all phones except one android (doesn't matter which) and the iPhone

Within 3 years, we'll have a civil war between android and iPhone users. Skynet will become self aware and the world will end.

Android users will have the advantage because obviously android OS would make better terminators. While they would only last a year before glitching And turning on there owners, themselves, or each other, apple OS terminators would only be capable of playing chop sticks on the piano and taking pictures. They would also be made of glass so they wouldn't be very durable.

Choose your side wisely

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

[WRXtranceformed]

Nice thanks for the input gentlemen. I don't do a lot of international travel for business so I am good on that (although we are going to Mexico next Jan)

[Evan]

wow. flagship smartphone for $200 outright contract free?
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combine that with the T-mobile $50 plan or StraightTalk $45 plan and you have a great way to smartphone on the cheap, contract free.

[HAULN-SS]

No LTE without a pain in the ass

[Evan]

Yeah I used to think that was a big deal, but its really not. I regularly get 15 mb/s with a ~50ms ping on tmobile hspa+, and verizon's LTE network is now oversaturated to the point that its not much faster, other than a slightly better ping. thats not worth paying the verizon tax IMO

edit: anecdote: just asked a coworker with a verizon lte phone to do a speedtest, which surprised me (esp the ping)

him: (8x on verizon)
me: (nexus 4 on tmobile)

honestly i was surprised

[G.Irish]

I've gotta say I've been pretty happy with TMo. Sometimes the coverage is shit when I go outside the DC Metro area but for the most part it's been good. I'm very happy that I'm not locked into a contract and I pay less per month than I did with AT&T.

[HAULN-SS]

Well if we're talking anecdotes, on my LTE phone at my house I get 50mbps on a good day, 20ish on a bad...but just got 2.29 at work..so..yeah..that sucks. My upload was 4.09 though..much better than either of you got.

[Evan]

You missed the point Derek, Im talking a direct head to head comparison, same time, same place in a populated environment. Yes, he said that at midnight he can get 30mb/s, but in the real world, with actual people around, Verizon's LTE network is way too saturated to be a big improvement.

[WRXtranceformed]

What does T-Mobile's coverage map look like vs. Verizon? I'm not concerned about cost because I'm not paying for it. My biggest concern is getting coverage everywhere I travel to in the US. Sprint has actually prevented me from doing business in several cases. I don't really care about speed, anything will be faster than the Sprint network.

[Evan]

If cost and contract is no concern, go with Verizon.

[WRXtranceformed]

Good stuff. I was with Verizon for almost 10 years and switched to Sprint in the past due to cost. Sprint wasn't that bad for a while but I think they sold off a bunch of their towers and never kept building up their infrastructure like the other carriers....they just got left in the dust.

[Evan]

I agree, thats why I left sprint too about a year ago. Never a problem with voice but data speeds were AWFUL. Started getting a little better around the time I left but it was too little too late.

[GregF]

Im looking to replace my macbook pro so Ive been doing some research. And being a CIS major, I figured Id go with a PC this time around. Well, picking out the perfect PC is so much more difficult than picking out the perfect Mac. Ive looked at tons of computers of every brand and read the reviews for everything Im interested in but there always seems to be at least one draw back that I just cant get over. Well, finally, I think lenovo is coming out with something I can live with for the next few years: the Lenovo Yoga 2. Thoughts?

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[Evan]

Yoga 2 is tits. I have the original yoga and its fantastic. Yoga 2 is even better.
A couple coworkers are stoked about it, and picking one up.

[*insertusernamehere*]

Yoga 2 is tits. I have the original yoga and its fantastic. Yoga 2 is even better.
A couple coworkers are stoked about it, and picking one up.

Abso-freakin-lutely my mom has one and its great! I love that thing

[Ken]

Have you considered the Lenovo Helix as well?

[GregF]

Im tempted to buy the Yoga 1 because I dont feel like waiting, but I think the wait till oct 18th will be well worth it. The screen alone is unreal and the backlit keyboard is a must. The weight reduction just tops it off for me and makes it that much more convenient for taking it to class everyday. Im honestly hard pressed to find a better PC for the money.

Have you considered the Lenovo Helix as well?

I did look at it, but its more expensive than I want to spend and I think an IdeaPad will fit me better than a ThinkPad

[Jake]

Well, my mom will just love a pink iPhone 5c when her iPhone 4 is due for upgrade.

Apple seems to have fallen off the innovation wagon with the past few revisions of iPhone. I'm finally thinking Android is mature enough to be seriously considered. Granted, I still have more time on my contract, but today's iAnnouncements do nothing for me. And I've had iOS 7 as a beta for a few weeks (through work) and I... kinda don't like it.