And boys -- let's watch the swearing.

Mayor ,'Chosen'


Buffistechnology 3: "Press Some Buttons, See What Happens."

Got a question about technology? Ask it here. Discussion of hardware, software, TiVos, multi-region DVDs, Windows, Macs, LINUX, hand-helds, iPods, anything tech related. Better than any helpdesk!


Consuela - May 23, 2013 10:42:56 am PDT #22482 of 25497
We are Buffistas. This isn't our first apocalypse. -- Pix

I just got a Nexus 4 that way, Gris. I pay $50/month for unlimited calls/texts and 500MB data. Seems to be working, although I have to make sure the phone only updates its apps when I have wifi access at home.


Polter-Cow - May 23, 2013 10:46:18 am PDT #22483 of 25497
What else besides ramen can you scoop? YOU CAN SCOOP THIS WORLD FROM DARKNESS!

Hm, the unlocked Galaxy S4 is still close to $700, same as on the T-Mobile site. We'll see what they can do for me.


Gris - May 23, 2013 10:50:59 am PDT #22484 of 25497
Hey. New board.

Cool. I still strongly recommend switching to one of the new plans (rather than staying grandfathered on your old one), unless it's far more expensive for you. Contracts suck.

Also, make sure you play with a galaxy s4 before jumping in. Some people think they're too big. Not me, but some people. The HTC One has a lot of good buzz as a competitor for a reason.

Also, the Nexus 4 is $349 unlocked directly from Google, and is a pretty awesome phone too, though it has no LTE (if that's even available in your area.)


Maria - May 23, 2013 10:56:50 am PDT #22485 of 25497
Not so nice is that I'm about to ruin a Friday morning for a bunch of people because of a series of unfortunate events and an upset foreign government. - shrift

P-C, the S4 will be expensive because it's new. You're not going to find much of a deal on it. I actually prefer my S3.


Polter-Cow - May 23, 2013 11:31:16 am PDT #22486 of 25497
What else besides ramen can you scoop? YOU CAN SCOOP THIS WORLD FROM DARKNESS!

Cool. I still strongly recommend switching to one of the new plans (rather than staying grandfathered on your old one), unless it's far more expensive for you. Contracts suck.

Oh, no, I agree that the new plan is great. It seemed counterintuitive at first, but once I understood the implications, I loved it.

Also, make sure you play with a galaxy s4 before jumping in. Some people think they're too big. Not me, but some people. The HTC One has a lot of good buzz as a competitor for a reason.

It's about the same size as the S3, isn't it? My brother and sister have that, and it's bigger than my current phone, but it looks like that's the trend, so not much I can do there. I tend to stick with the same brand for phones (all my non-smartphones were Motorola) since I know how to use them. The HTC One does look pretty good, though.

P-C, the S4 will be expensive because it's new. You're not going to find much of a deal on it. I actually prefer my S3.

How come? It looks like the S4 is a more powerful phone, and given how quickly my Exhibit became shitty in comparison to the rest of the market, I'd rather go with the new phone that will remain useful for longer. It doesn't look like there's a reason to upgrade from an S3 to an S4, but since either one would be a huge upgrade for me, I'd prefer the latter.


Gris - May 23, 2013 3:57:27 pm PDT #22487 of 25497
Hey. New board.

I'm not sure you'll find the S4 version of Touchwiz (Samsung's custom overlay on Android) to be that similar to the Exhibit version. It will probably be about equally foreign to you as the Sense interface on the HTC one. And neither of them will be particularly confusing - I've used about 20 different android interfaces, including several versions of both Touchwiz and Sense, and they all feel basically like Android. Mainly, the widgets are different.

I'd probably get the Nexus 4 if I were getting a non-super-gigantic phone, because it's so cheap for its awesomeness, but the HTC One is NICE and would definitely tempt me.


Liese S. - May 25, 2013 9:47:52 am PDT #22488 of 25497
"Faded like the lilac, he thought."

I'm ready to upgrade per my contract, and since I'm on the fourth iteration of this Droid 3, I'm ready to move off that train, too. Which makes me sad because basically the Droid 4 is the only remaining current smartphone that still has a tactile keyboard. So I guess I'm giving that up.

I'm looking at the HTC One and the Sony Xperia Z. Anyone have any experience with the latter? It's supposed to be moisture and dust-proof, and given that I had so many failures with the earlier phone, I am thinking maybe my environmental conditions are just rougher than a normal phone can handle.

Or I could head to the Apple ecosystem, I suppose.


Liese S. - May 25, 2013 11:26:38 am PDT #22489 of 25497
"Faded like the lilac, he thought."

Hmm, looks like the HTC One is a "maybe later" for Verizon and the Z is a "no." I dunno.


Polter-Cow - May 26, 2013 6:23:35 pm PDT #22490 of 25497
What else besides ramen can you scoop? YOU CAN SCOOP THIS WORLD FROM DARKNESS!

I bought the Galaxy S4 yesterday, and I'm still getting used to it, but holy shit, is it ever an upgrade from my old phone. I think a lot of it is the Android OS, but still, damn.


le nubian - May 27, 2013 7:40:12 pm PDT #22491 of 25497
"And to be clear, I am the hell. And the high water."

I may have posted something like this in the past, so if so, please forgive the repost. Beau is involved in an online football league on the PS3 and needs a league management online software alternative. Do any of you know of such a thing? He used to use League Daddy, but it is now defunct.