Other Phones On The Market

Posted:
in AppleOutsider edited September 2014
Pretend Apple never released the iPhone, hard to do I know but is there a phone on the market right now you could see your self owning.

I have pre-ordered a BlackBerry Passport, in a sea of common shapes and sizes it's a relief to see someone coming out with something that will make people do a double take when they see one on the street. I personally want one for remote server administration, writing scripts, reading, surfing, everythingthe Passports unique 1:1 aspect ratio display would be good at. Sure it doesn't fit in your pocket but as I carry purse it's not really a real breaker. I'm also a big, big fan of BB OS 10.3, just an absolute please to use.

The Moto X, I really like the robust design and the use of real leather and wood for the backing. It's not the fastest phone on the market but with as close to a vanilla Android built you can get without going Nexus, good design and use of decent specs it has all the makings of a good phone, with outstanding reviews to back it up.

How about you guys, any other phones tickle you fancy?

[IMG]http://berryflow.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Red.png[/IMG]

[IMG]http://cnet4.cbsistatic.com/hub/i/r/2014/07/29/8a2058c5-ca95-46b7-aa95-b945d914bbdd/thumbnail/770x578/446c54724ea3183fa9bc697b00d96c4a/blackberry-passport02.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://pocketnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/bamboo-wood-moto-x.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://core0.staticworld.net/images/article/2014/09/new-moto-x-leather-wood-plastic-100437289-primary.idge.jpg[/IMG]

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 18

    It’s adorable! I like it. Not so sure how usable the shape’s ratio will be, nor do I like the aping of some of Apple’s UI design language, but it’s cute and different and kudos for RIM trying to hang on as long as they can before the inevitable collapse.

  • Reply 2 of 18
    That Passport is a real odd duck.

    I foresee this thread dying young. ????
  • Reply 3 of 18
    muppetrymuppetry Posts: 3,331member

    The BB looks like an interesting design. I particularly like the re-imagined retro keyboard. Probably would have been a huge hit 10 years ago. I think if there were no iPhone then I would design one and become very wealthy.

  • Reply 4 of 18
    It’s adorable! I like it. Not so sure how usable the shape’s ratio will be, nor do I like the aping of some of Apple’s UI design language, but it’s cute and different and kudos for RIM trying to hang on as long as they can before the inevitable collapse.

    I think "Blackberry" will continue to live on as long as there are businesses that refuse to spend money to upgrade their systems. Old industries in which there is a dearth of competition...most likely various branches of government.
  • Reply 5 of 18
    relicrelic Posts: 4,735member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by SpamSandwich View Post



    That Passport is a real odd duck.



    I foresee this thread dying young. ????

    Probably, I just wanted to have a different discussion then bending iPhones. It is odd but that's what I like about it, that and I absolutely adore phones with keyboards. Just something new, Swisscom sold their pre-order stock in 24 hours. I'm sure there weren't that many to start out with but still encouraging none the less.

  • Reply 6 of 18
    relicrelic Posts: 4,735member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by SpamSandwich View Post





    I think "Blackberry" will continue to live on as long as there are businesses that refuse to spend money to upgrade their systems. Old industries in which there is a dearth of competition...most likely various branches of government.

    There is nothing to upgrade, the OS is advanced and the hardware is new, not really sure what your point is. Have you seen BB 10.3 in action, it's really quite nice.

  • Reply 7 of 18
    relic wrote: »
    Pretend Apple never released the iPhone, hard to do I know but is there a phone on the market right now you could see your self owning.

    Windows Phone. Or a pure Android, I believe they're called Nexus. But probably Windows; I think they did an excellent job of doing something different, and at the same time create an OS that works. It looks really....'more than ok'...except for the cutoffs, that part I don't get. I do get why they created it, and looking at the bigger picture it kinda makes sense: hmm, can't find that picture where we see a wide 'banner' or roll with a part of it with a phone; meaning you see the next and previous screen, and cut off text, on both sides of the phone. Anyway, this pic illustrates it a little as well:

    400


    Oh, tha hardware, I don't know. HTC or Nokia, no idea, and would have to try them both out. See if there's lag, feel the hardware and all that.

    I see I left Samsung out, possibly because of their 'skins'. Is it easy to while it and install a 'pure Android' on it? Do they have Tizen phones? I haven't looked I must confess.

    I see there's a nice one from Huawei as well:
    http://www.windowsphone.com/en-us/phones/huawei-w1?model=h883g

    1000

    But I probably like it because of the 4" screen. I don't like these large phone (yes, dislike the 6) and I mainly use my phone for calls/mail+messages/running app/camera/music/weather

    Peace. Best to you, hope your rib is better.
  • Reply 8 of 18
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,213member
    I'll give props to Motorola and the gen2 Moto X. As close as you can get to stock Android outside of a Nexus, no skinning to speak of. That means the next version of Android should hit at about the same time the Nexus devices get it.

    The only core add-ons are actually useful stuff, and updated via Google Play rather than waiting on a full OS upgrade. Smart.
    http://www.androidcentral.com/inside-new-moto-app-home-most-cool-moto-x-features

    Another big plus is when it's paired with their new blue-tooth earpiece the Moto Hint. I'd take that over a smartwatch like the 360.
    http://www.slashgear.com/moto-hint-hands-on-your-whispering-personal-assistant-05344822/

    Biggest complaint? Potentially less than average battery times. I expect that to be solved with Android L, and for those heavy users there's still the Motorola Turbo Charger: 8 more hours of use with just a 15 minute charge.

    Speed-wise it more than holds its own, outperforming many other flagship smartphones in the standard benchmark tests. (not the latest iPhone of course)
  • Reply 9 of 18
    gatorguy wrote: »

    Another big plus is when it's paired with their new blue-tooth earpiece the Moto Hint. I'd take that over a smartwatch like the 360.

    I think that is the most disrespectful thing to do, wear an earpiece when someone is talking to you. A notification on your phone or watch can simply be ignored. Heck, even emphasize your undevided attention to the other person. Wearing a whispering earpiece does just the opposite.
  • Reply 10 of 18
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,213member
    philboogie wrote: »
    I think that is the most disrespectful thing to do, wear an earpiece when someone is talking to you. A notification on your phone or watch can simply be ignored. Heck, even emphasize your undevided attention to the other person. Wearing a whispering earpiece does just the opposite.

    As a businessman you might have a different opinion of its value...

    and FWIW the Hint is no larger than a typical hearing aid (and might even be confused for one) which largely goes unnoticed. No one would know if you aren't paying them "undivided attention" as long as you aren't talking to "it" would they?

    On the contrary, rude/disrespectful is talking to a friend but glancing at your phone (or watch) every time it vibrates for a notification. Looking at your watch shows you might be bored and ready to go elsewhere. Glancing at your phone makes it obvious what they're saying is less important than the text you just got. You've seen both pretty often I'm sure. Using the Moto Hint addresses both social issues but still keeps you connected if that's important to you.

    BTW it will work with Siri and your iPhone too and with Apple lacking a similar product it doesn't impact their revenue at all. You just don't get all the use advantages you would with a Motorola smartphone.
  • Reply 11 of 18
    relicrelic Posts: 4,735member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by PhilBoogie View Post





    Windows Phone. Or a pure Android, I believe they're called Nexus. But probably Windows; I id an excellent job of doing something's erent, and at the samedoesn't create an OS that works. It looks really....'more than for tdefinitelys, that part I don't get. I do get why they created it, and looking at the bigger picture it kinda makes sense: hmm, can't find that picture where we see a wide 'banner' or roll with a part of it with a phone; meaning you see the next and previous screen, and cut off text, on both sides of the phonemes nyway, this as 







    Oh, tha hardware, I don't know. HTC or Nokia, no idea, and would have to try them both out. See if there's lag, feel the hardware and all that.



    I see I left Samsung out, possibly because of their 'skins'. Is it easy to while it and install a 'pure Android' on it? Do they have Tizen phones? I haven't looked I must confess.



    I see there's a nice one from Huawei as well:

    http://www.windowsphone.com/en-us/phones/huawei-w1?model=h883g







    But I probably like it because of the 4" screen. I don't like these large phone (yes, dislike the 6) and I mainly use my phone for calls/mail+messages/running app/camera/music/weather



    Peace. Best to you, hope your rib is better.

    I like Huawei products, this is the first Windows 8 phones I've seen from them, kind of cute. I like Windows 8.1 phones. Though I think I would prefer the Lumia 930, my son has one, the orange model and I have to say it's one of the nicest looking phones on the market. My son has actually been a Windows Mobile user since the Lumia 800, he likes to communicate with all of his XBox friends. My ribs feel a lot better, though they itch and it's something you can't scratch.

     

  • Reply 12 of 18
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,213member
    philboogie wrote: »

    I see there's a nice one from Huawei as well:
    http://www.windowsphone.com/en-us/phones/huawei-w1?model=h883g

    1000

    But I probably like it because of the 4" screen. I don't like these large phone (yes, dislike the 6) and I mainly use my phone for calls/mail+messages/running app/camera/music/weather.

    That Huawei is not really a small phone. It's a relatively large phone with a smallish display. As an example last years Moto X with a 4.7" display is nearly the same dimensions and due to it's well-shaped tapered back probably much more pleasant to hold

    Huawei w/4" display: 124.5 x 63.7 x 10.5 mm (4.90 x 2.51 x 0.41 in)
    Motorola w/4.7" display: 129.3 x 65.3 x 10.4 mm (5.09 x 2.57 x 0.41 in)
    and for reference iPhone 6: 138.1 x 67 x 6.9 mm (5.44 x 2.64 x 0.27 in)

    I assume you wouldn't mind a large display in a small footprint. It's the overall size that bothers you correct?
  • Reply 13 of 18
    relicrelic Posts: 4,735member
    Neat BlackBerry is reporting over [URL=http://www.cnet.com/news/blackberry-ceo-200000-passports-ordered-since-launch/]200,000[/URL] Passports sold already. What's even more interesting, these are unsubsidized, unlocked phones, so these people paid full price for them. They also sold out in 6 hours. Normal carriers havn't started carrying them yet but when they do BlackBerry just might have a small hit on their hands. Nothing remotely even coming close to Apple iPhone 6 numbers but decent enough for BlackBerry none the less. Yay, good for them, just shows if you do something outside of the norm, use decent specs, there are people out there who will buy your products. Shipping date is said to be Oct. 6th, I can't wait to get my hands on mine. I hope it's going to be the best remote terminal , forum writing, general surfing, email/message writing phone that I own, we shall see.
  • Reply 14 of 18
    relic wrote: »
    Neat BlackBerry is reporting over 200,000 Passports sold already. What's even more interesting, these are unsubsidized, unlocked phones, so these people paid full price for them. They also sold out in 6 hours. Normal carriers havn't started carrying them yet but when they do BlackBerry just might have a small hit on their hands. Nothing remotely even coming close to Apple iPhone 6 numbers but decent enough for BlackBerry none the less. Yay, good for them, just shows if you do something outside of the norm, use decent specs, there are people out there who will buy your products. Shipping date is said to be Oct. 6th, I can't wait to get my hands on mine. I hope it's going to be the best remote terminal , forum writing, general surfing, email/message writing phone that I own, we shall see.

    I doubt a "small hit" is enough to stop the bleeding at Blackberry.
  • Reply 15 of 18
    relicrelic Posts: 4,735member
    I doubt a "small hit" is enough to stop the bleeding at Blackberry.

    Actually their no longer hemorrhaging money and have stated that they will break even in the fourth. When was the last time you checked on their progress? Their stock is up, though not by much. I have high hopes for them, so much that I bought 10,000 shares at 6.20 in January, there at 10.30 and their expected to close at 11.00 today, though I doubt it. This new CEO seems to be the guy for the job, hopefully he can keep it up. That's why I have no problem in buying a phone from them.
  • Reply 16 of 18
    relic wrote: »
    Actually their no longer hemorrhaging money and have stated that they will break even in the fourth. When was the last time you checked on their progress? Their stock is up, though not by much. I have high hopes for them, so much that I bought 10,000 shares at 6.20 in January, there at 10.30 and their expected to close at 11.00 today, though I doubt it. This new CEO seems to be the guy for the job, hopefully he can keep it up. That's why I have no problem in buying a phone from them.

    Their stock is down to where they were 11 years ago. They are deeply, deeply damaged and you're being optimistic if you think they'll be around in 5 years. Best case scenario? They sell off their remaining business to a Chinese or Indian buyer.
  • Reply 17 of 18
    relicrelic Posts: 4,735member
    Their stock is down to where they were 11 years ago. They are deeply, deeply damaged and you're being optimistic if you think they'll be around in 5 years. Best case scenario? They sell off their remaining business to a Chinese or Indian buyer.

    Okay, will see what we will see, I guess I just have a little more faith. I'm not expecting them to regain any lost glory or anything that optimistic but I'm confident that the niche they currently fill will keep them going. When all is said and done though I'v already made 40 grand from my miss placed optimism. After using their BB OS I thought there was no way people can ignore this forever, it's too good, defiantly better than Android.
  • Reply 18 of 18
    gatorguy wrote: »
    That Huawei is not really a small phone. It's a relatively large phone with a smallish display. As an example last years Moto X with a 4.7" display is nearly the same dimensions and due to it's well-shaped tapered back probably much more pleasant to hold

    Huawei w/4" display: 124.5 x 63.7 x 10.5 mm (4.90 x 2.51 x 0.41 in)
    Motorola w/4.7" display: 129.3 x 65.3 x 10.4 mm (5.09 x 2.57 x 0.41 in)
    and for reference iPhone 6: 138.1 x 67 x 6.9 mm (5.44 x 2.64 x 0.27 in)

    I assume you wouldn't mind a large display in a small footprint. It's the overall size that bothers you correct?

    Thanks for the dimensions: I must admit that I simply looked at the screen size and the picture. So good o you to point this out.

    relic wrote: »
    Shipping date is said to be Oct. 6th, I can't wait to get my hands on mine.

    Please, do post here once you've used it for a few days. I'm also interested in the things we don;t normally get to see: packaging, any accessories, a special website for this new product, stuff like that. (if it's not too much copy-paste trouble; sometimes these things take up a vast amount of time)

    relic wrote: »
    After using their BB OS I thought there was no way people can ignore this forever, it's too good, defiantly better than Android.

    That's quite a statement; now you really have peaked my interest. Though the PP HW seems too large for my taste. Though looking at their product page a couple of things do stand out:

    • 13MP OIS camera
    • quad microphone system
    • 4.5" Square touch display
    • 32GB Internal storage
    • 30HRS battery life
    • 1440 x 1440 resolution, 453 PPI
    • 1080p HD video recording at 60 fps
    • MicroSD memory card
    • Height 128 mm / 5.04 in
    • Width 90.3 mm / 3.56 in
    • Depth 9.3 mm / 0.36 in
    • Weight 196g / 6.91 oz

    And the square screen:
    "WorkWide"
    700700
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