Need to get a smart phone. What's good?

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I thought I'd add my 2 cents. I work for AT&T, the galaxy S III is a great phone, both of my devices are android. I'm not too much of an iphone person although iphone is definitely user friendly. Many people upgrading from a basic phone have no problems adjusting to the iphone. With pretty much any phone you buy you're going to have some issues. The galaxy has some over heating issues, but most of that has been resolved by now. The iphone is having some software issues with ios 6 too. When considering a phone, think about what your network availability is. Where I live both AT&T and Verizon are 4G LTE so the internet speeds are going to be about 10x faster than on the 3G network. Also all iphones before the iphone 5 are not LTE devices, so if you're needing to use the internet, you're speeds aren't going to be as fast. With AT&T we claim the the 4S is 4G but it isn't capable of full LTE speeds.

square is a great application, I believe it only charges you 2.5% of your transaction, many businesses just build that into the price for the convenience of being able to use their debit/credit card. Also check into transferring your consumer account over to a business account. Many phone providers offer discounts and waive upgrade/renewal fees. When having a business account there are also many other benefits and applications that are available to you, so you may want to ask to speak with a small business consultant in order to make sure you're getting the best bang for your buck.

In my opinion the way to look at it is, you need to get a phone that you can grow in to. When you upgrade to a new phone you're signing a contract stating that you'll carry that device for the next 2 years (unless you buy a new one at full retail price, for example iphone 5 is $649.99) many phones that they are offering you at greatly discounted prices, (iphone 4 $.99) are end of life phones, and they're not going to be able to support software updates in the future which means you might not be able to use your phone to its full potential, especially if you're going to start using yours for business purposes.

Good luck, any questions let me know!!
 
The Intuit (quicken) card reader was real cheap and there is no transaction fee other than the card (Visa, etc).

The main issue with Apple hardware design, is that they are TOO QUICK to adopt new connetor types and transfer protocols. This forces users to buy expensive "version 1" equipment that gets outdated rather quickly, and is usually difficult to find (unless you go through Apple $$$). Sometimes the designs never make a full transition to the mainstream market (SCSI, Firewire, etc), and never come down in price.

I'm a PC guy, but Apple does make a beautiful integrated device o/s (unless you have to do serious troubleshooting or customization), and the smart phone is just about the perfect showcase platform for that.
 
Get a Galaxy S before they are pulled for being "Iphone copies"....supposed to happen next month? Maybe Saeton knows a little more. Iphone like and open source? Sounds good to me!
 
I've had a Galaxy S3 for a couple of days now. I upgraded from a LG Optimus, so I am familiar with the Android system. It's been a pretty good so far. They have seemed to remove the overheating problem. It's lightning fast and will do more things than I will ever need it to do. My kids both have Iphone 4S's and they like my Galaxy. It may be a little overwhelming for someone who is not familiar with smart phones. My buddy got one also and he hates it because he can barely figure out how to make a call on it!!

Get a good Otterbox case for whatever phone you get. The screens on all of them are pretty fragile and are expensive to replace.
 
BrianT said:
I've had a Galaxy S3 for a couple of days now. I upgraded from a LG Optimus, so I am familiar with the Android system. It's been a pretty good so far. They have seemed to remove the overheating problem. It's lightning fast and will do more things than I will ever need it to do. My kids both have Iphone 4S's and they like my Galaxy. It may be a little overwhelming for someone who is not familiar with smart phones. My buddy got one also and he hates it because he can barely figure out how to make a call on it!!

Get a good Otterbox case for whatever phone you get. The screens on all of them are pretty fragile and are expensive to replace.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info Brian. The cover sounds like a great idea. Mike
 
YY1 said:
The Intuit (quicken) card reader was real cheap and there is no transaction fee other than the card (Visa, etc).

The main issue with Apple hardware design, is that they are TOO QUICK to adopt new connetor types and transfer protocols. This forces users to buy expensive "version 1" equipment that gets outdated rather quickly, and is usually difficult to find (unless you go through Apple $$$). Sometimes the designs never make a full transition to the mainstream market (SCSI, Firewire, etc), and never come down in price.

I'm a PC guy, but Apple does make a beautiful integrated device o/s (unless you have to do serious troubleshooting or customization), and the smart phone is just about the perfect showcase platform for that.
Click to expand...

I was looking at the Intuit reader. thanks for the info. tmm
 
scott2683 said:
I thought I'd add my 2 cents. I work for AT&T, the galaxy S III is a great phone, both of my devices are android. I'm not too much of an iphone person although iphone is definitely user friendly. Many people upgrading from a basic phone have no problems adjusting to the iphone. With pretty much any phone you buy you're going to have some issues. The galaxy has some over heating issues, but most of that has been resolved by now. The iphone is having some software issues with ios 6 too. When considering a phone, think about what your network availability is. Where I live both AT&T and Verizon are 4G LTE so the internet speeds are going to be about 10x faster than on the 3G network. Also all iphones before the iphone 5 are not LTE devices, so if you're needing to use the internet, you're speeds aren't going to be as fast. With AT&T we claim the the 4S is 4G but it isn't capable of full LTE speeds.

square is a great application, I believe it only charges you 2.5% of your transaction, many businesses just build that into the price for the convenience of being able to use their debit/credit card. Also check into transferring your consumer account over to a business account. Many phone providers offer discounts and waive upgrade/renewal fees. When having a business account there are also many other benefits and applications that are available to you, so you may want to ask to speak with a small business consultant in order to make sure you're getting the best bang for your buck.

In my opinion the way to look at it is, you need to get a phone that you can grow in to. When you upgrade to a new phone you're signing a contract stating that you'll carry that device for the next 2 years (unless you buy a new one at full retail price, for example iphone 5 is $649.99) many phones that they are offering you at greatly discounted prices, (iphone 4 $.99) are end of life phones, and they're not going to be able to support software updates in the future which means you might not be able to use your phone to its full potential, especially if you're going to start using yours for business purposes.

Good luck, any questions let me know!!
Click to expand...

I'm learning a lot here Scott. Thanks for your input. tmm
 
For what its worth I have had my iPhone 4 for a little over 2 years.. its the best phone I have ever owned.. Never had any issues with it... battery, talk, or web wise... Now the iPhone 5 is finally here, I will probably have to stick with the 4 for at least a year (until the price of the 5 comes down a little... the price for it is way to steep for me.. )..
 
Timely discussion, wife calls me and tells me she just dropped her cheapo Android entry level phone....used Droid X for $38, or a replacement screen for $28? Her contract is up Dec...but I bet the Droid X is still better than many new entry level phones. She doesnt even want a data plan, just talk and text. Our house wi-fi is good enough for her.
 
My Barista uses the square n iphone 4s and he swears by it . I have a 4s ( great phone) and looking into the square and now Intuit/quickbooks has a credit card set up for phones too. The problem for my business is most of my work orders are over the phone and I never see a person so no credit card to scan .
 
Smart phone your funny...As far as i'm concerned no suck thing...More like dumb phone.Makes calls on their own opens apps you don't need used battery like it will last for ever .I have proof my phone will not only unlock it's self but will also take pictures of my desk or the ceiling at random times. Touch screen will lock up at will. and for some reason it likes to text jibberish.Smart phone right.....
 
Not to steal this thread...but what phone would be good for a 'hearing impaired' person such as myself? I use hearing aids in both ears. Any 'normal' phones with good volume?

Glenn
 
Ive got an iPhone 4. had it for a year and a half with no problems. Ive never had and android phone but i hear you can get virus's on them just like a PC. Apple controls what apps you can install on the phone and are must less prone to that problem. when my contract is up I'll be getting an iPhone 5 .
 
I would consider an I phone but my carrier does Android. Lots of complaints from I phone users once they get out of town and that's where I spend most of my time.
 
Just bought an I phone 4s yesterday. I have all apple products so it was a logical choice. Everything synced up so its a great setup.
 
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