I have iPhone4, now 5 or Samsung Galaxy note2

Bingolingo

Upgrading to the 5 from the 4 is worthwhile IMO. The new processor ab-so-lutely flys in comparison to the 4; the camera is much improved; the bigger screen is an improvement and the aesthetics of the phone (as have all iPhones) stands head and shoulders above any plastic phablet. You'll also get to keep any apps you've bought instead of having to start anew from the Play Store.

Having said that, the Note 2 and the Galaxy S3 are outstanding phones; hardly subtle though.

Kernel_Sanders

Bingolingo wrote: »

Having said that, the Note 2 and the Galaxy S3 are outstanding phones; hardly subtle though.

By 'subtle', do you mean that they have larger screens?

Bingolingo

Kernel_Sanders wrote: »

By 'subtle', do you mean that they have larger screens?

Yes. They are the phone versions of, say, a Humvee, in comparison to a normal size vehicle.

diamonds

Those thinking of a Galaxy Note I or II, consider the Blackberry Playbook from £100 at Currys/PC World, simply use wifi hotspot on your mobile, Playbook for email & browsing let alone battery, screen quality and size. Beats a ipad 2 hands down, the new BB 10 OS is due in a few months, battery staying power is amazing.

Battery consumption issues in a "mobile" like Note make it not suitable for most people.

Fifer

Bingolingo wrote: »

Yes. They are the phone versions of, say, a Humvee, in comparison to a normal size vehicle.

But the iPhone was the phone version of a Humvee when first launched as all other phones then were much smaller.

Bingolingo

Fifer wrote: »

But the iPhone was the phone version of a Humvee when first launched as all other phones then were much smaller.

No, not true. There were plenty of big, chunky smartphones around before the iphone. They just weren't super massive giants like the Note 2.

Idiophreak

diamonds wrote: »

Battery consumption issues in a "mobile" like Note make it not suitable for most people.

Eh? Are "most people" not capable of plugging a phone in when they go to bed?

I've used the note 2 pretty much continuously some days...calls, videos, games, you name it - and never had it not last til bed time...I've done two days of "normal" use without charging and I've not even looked into any mechanisms to extend the battery's life.

Bingolingo

diamonds wrote: »

Those thinking of a Galaxy Note I or II, consider the Blackberry Playbook from £100 at Currys/PC World, simply use wifi hotspot on your mobile, Playbook for email & browsing let alone battery, screen quality and size. Beats a ipad 2 hands down, the new BB 10 OS is due in a few months, battery staying power is amazing.

Battery consumption issues in a "mobile" like Note make it not suitable for most people.

I agree the £100 price tag is attractive but to say the playbook beats the ipad2 hands down is curious: why? I'd find it quite hard to compare the devices with software, screen size etc. all very different.

I'd say a comparison to a device like the Nexus 7 would be more appropriate. Even though the Nexus is £50 more I'd suggest that was a better option than a much older Playbook with its better screen, processor and available applications.

diamonds

Idiophreak wrote: »

Eh? Are "most people" not capable of plugging a phone in when they go to bed?

I've used the note 2 pretty much continuously some days...calls, videos, games, you name it - and never had it not last til bed time...I've done two days of "normal" use without charging and I've not even looked into any mechanisms to extend the battery's life.

High end users need more than a nightly charge, one device with a screen even just to make a call before the screen blanks out that big screen burns battery power, network strength & bands is also one aspect no NOTE user can control in battery control.

I'm not saying its not a good bit of kit, I'm saying there are drawbacks too it. Battery & cost are two.

No way would I put all my eggs in one basket even more at that price with a long contract tie in !

A decent functional smartphone & Playbook outright for £150 and 30 day contract sims - bargain, flexibility and battery durability.

diamonds

Bingolingo wrote: »

I agree the £100 price tag is attractive but to say the playbook beats the ipad2 hands down is curious: why? I'd find it quite hard to compare the devices with software, screen size etc. all very different.

I'd say a comparison to a device like the Nexus 7 would be more appropriate. Even though the Nexus is £50 more I'd suggest that was a better option than a much older Playbook with its better screen, processor and available applications.

Screen is better quality, its the better more scratch resistant Japanese version of Chinese Gorilla glass. Size is more compact, easier to use and carry. Software as in OS ? Handles better, less restrictive, more intuitive, apps all open in own browser windows, easier to close and open, open - swipe up from app icon, close app - swipe screen up in full screen mode or open browser/app review from desktop.

Not easy to explain but I've had ipad & iphone & Playbook is much better user experience. Less Blackberry than Apple apps but can load Android apps. BB 10 OS is due in a few months.

The screen on Playbook was top of the range at launch & it still holds it own.

Nexus ? More money for less storage ?

The processor in Playbook is 1GHZ and the current 2.1 OS flies by. OS 10 is even better as its the final complete QNX OS over all Blackberry devices, in the developers beta at the moment it flies like a Airbus A380, only few months till OS 10 launch

You really need to go see a display model in Currys/PC world people, most will be sold after a little play instore.

Really £100 beats a long contract & Note or a £500 ipad for what you get, each to their own though, I'm just saying as a owner of what I have had/have now, my experiences of these products, I'm a fanboi of experience not a "corporate logo"

Note I borrowed and battery was a failure for me, I saw Playbook and seen good battery life reviews, SOLD, best device I have bought in last couple of years.

Blackberry mobile phone users (I'm not) can easy use their Blackberry as a secure modem to a secure Blackberry connection, other mobile users like me have to use wifi hotspot on a mobile, less secure but great all the same.

The cost of a Playbook was on par with a ipad at launch, now 64GB is £430 cheaper than it was in June 2011. Why ? Playbook 4G LTE is coming UK, well its not like many can afford the 4G data pricetag (based on EE4G anyway!) let alone on top of a estimated £500/£600 upfront cost :rotfl:

Dixons Group have bought a large recall of USA Playbook stock from retailers as Apple thrashed it in the states with ipad "must have" wannabee persons sold on vanity "consumers" went for Apple. But then Playbook OS1 was a rushed release & Blackberry failed on it, 2.0 & 2.1 OS's have brought it to life as will BB 10OS even more.

Shelf life of BB10 is 3 years which works out great as £25 payment to Currys/PC World do instant UNLIMITED replacements instore on them for 3 years, even if its your accidental damage http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/care-plans-instant-replacement-325-commercial.html

So its a bargain all round, BB10 will take the OS to workhorse mode with 3 year OS and replacements. ALL for just over £100 ( with discount codes )

Have a read below, the review should have been rewritten not tweaked, as it does not address all the improvements:

http://www.techradar.com/news/mobile-computing/tablets/blackberry-playbook-64gb-gets-hefty-uk-price-cut-1093378