Topic: Apple makes huge phones cool, or are the reviewer's biased?

[Pugnate]

http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/phablet-reviews-iphone-6-plus-and-before/

[Xessive]

Man, I liked big phones before they were cool!

[scottws]

It's nothing new.  It's clear that since Steve Jobs retired (and died) that Apple has been chasing Android with the iPhone and iOS.  The only truly innovative feature they have that Android doesn't is the Touch ID.  Everything else is something Android had for 2+ years before iOS/iPhone got it.  But Apple fans eat it up, even if it was something they made fun of before.

I remember seeing that stupid "Cheeeeeeeeeeeese" commercial when the iPhone got panoramic pictures.  I had that feature on my Galaxy Nexus since 2011.

The list goes on:

* NFC payments
* Widgets
* Notification list
* Quick settings panel
* Larger screens
* Phablets
* Customizable keyboards
* Battery statistics

[Cobra951]

Meanwhile, my phone is still exactly this:


Hehehe!

I can't imagine trying to use one of those large-pocket computers as a telephone.  It's like holding a PSP or Vita up to your face.  It's amazing Verizon still lets my trusty flip phone work.  But how much longer?  I guess I'll have to join the big-screen crowd sooner or later.

[Quemaqua]

I have zero interest in smartphones. I like having a smartphone-like device of some sort around, but I want my phone to just be a phone. It calls, it texts, maybe it does some navigation or web. Beyond that, no. I don't want apps, music, anything else. I want a dedicated device for that stuff because ... well, because I fucking use it. What good is a smartphone when it's constantly out of juice because you're using it for all this stuff? I see people with smartphones and they're constantly looking for a charger and having issues using the thing for actual communication when they need it because it does everything else so well. So a small phone and an iPod Touch has worked out very well for me.

[scottws]

Well one nice thing about smartphones is the always-connected nature of the computing device.  But you're right, battery use is a problem.

I wanted to say something about Touch ID that I forgot to in my original post.  It actually goes for any fingerprint authentication system and is not limited to smart phones.  In the United States, you should not use only a fingerprint to lock private information.  You should still use a PIN, password, or passphrase instead of or in addition to your fingerprint.  The reason is that a PIN, password, or passphrase is something you know while a fingerprint is something you have.  So the former has 5th amendment protection while the latter does not.

[idolminds]

The battery life thing always makes me kind of chuckle because they are constantly trying to make the things smaller and thinner. You don't have to make it a brick, but if you left it a little thicker you can make the battery pack larger and thus have more battery life.

NO! MUST SHAVE OFF A FRACTION IF AN INCH! MAKE IT EVEN LIGHTER BECAUSE ANOTHER HALF OUNCE IS TOO HEAVY FOR MY FRAIL HIPSTER WRISTS!

[Xessive]

That's what I miss about my old phones. They were thicker but the other dimensions were technically smaller. I really miss it when 33% battery life meant "two more days till it's time to recharge."

[Cobra951]

Yes.  My 6-year-old LG still has the original battery, and it still lasts me a week here at home.  At Sandy's, it would only last a couple of days, because the cell service there sucks.  The phone has to work a lot harder to reach the one lonely tower, wherever it may be.  It would get quite warm in my pocket too.

I hadn't thought about the 5th-amendment thing, Scott.   You're right.  Something to remember.

Edit:  Shit.  Did I say 6 years?  Make that more than 7.  I just did the math.  Damn, how time evaporates at this age.

[iPPi]

The always-connected nature of a smartphone is a blessing and a curse.  It means you're almost always expected to respond to work emails at any time of the day. 

[scottws]

Yeah, that's true.  I usually set an expectation with my manager before accepting the job.  Unfortunately not everyone has the luxury of the manager agreeing to the terms.  But typically if they want me working after hours pretty much on a daily basis, I don't want to work there anyway.

I've made that mistake too many times and worked places that had accountants calling about not being able to open spreadsheets at 11pm and end up working 60 hours a week.  I get burned out in two years or less that way.

[Cools!]

Yes.  My 6-year-old LG still has the original battery, and it still lasts me a week here at home.  At Sandy's, it would only last a couple of days, because the cell service there sucks.  The phone has to work a lot harder to reach the one lonely tower, wherever it may be.  It would get quite warm in my pocket too.

I hadn't thought about the 5th-amendment thing, Scott.   You're right.  Something to remember.

Edit:  Shit.  Did I say 6 years?  Make that more than 7.  I just did the math.  Damn, how time evaporates at this age.

I'm still using my Motorola Razr from 2005. Battery is still going strong. I have an iPod Touch for apps and when I have access to WiFi.

From observing my friends I would say poor battery life is the most common issue with smartphones right now. I am constantly hearing "hey sorry, my battery died" and many people carry a charger with them so they can survive a late night from home.

[gpw11]

The battery life thing always makes me kind of chuckle because they are constantly trying to make the things smaller and thinner. You don't have to make it a brick, but if you left it a little thicker you can make the battery pack larger and thus have more battery life.

NO! MUST SHAVE OFF A FRACTION IF AN INCH! MAKE IT EVEN LIGHTER BECAUSE ANOTHER HALF OUNCE IS TOO HEAVY FOR MY FRAIL HIPSTER WRISTS!

I've seen a huge backlash against this train of thought in recent months.  It's been really apparent with the iPhone bending thing - more and more comments saying fuck thick phones, improve the battery life, and more and more people opting to buy phones because of battery life alone.   I'm guessing manufacturers will start focusing on this again soon.

As for the phablets, same kind of deal.  Obviously people still like them and it's good to have that option, but I've seen more and more people upset that phones are all heading in that direction.  The comments on leaked Nexus 6 info are all upset that it's a large form factor phone.  Seems like a lot of people are happy in the 4.7-5" range and not willing to go higher.   Of course, there's a market for bigger, but with more and more phones going that way it's nice to see that there's a large amount of people not willing to move on - manufacturers will have to start focusing on smaller flagships again.

[idolminds]

Also what is with people using speakerphone in public? Why is that a thing?

[Xessive]

Also what is with people using speakerphone in public? Why is that a thing?

Yeah, that's weird. More douchey than the bluetooth headset.