# Anyone recently got a new smartphone? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 22, 2013, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-recently-got-a-new-smartphone/656403 "2013-04-22T15:37:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2013, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-recently-got-a-new-smartphone/656403/41 "2013-05-01T13:43:32Z")
Hah - just read some of the 4-star reviews for that aCase model (I find them more useful than 5-star sometimes because they aren’t all “squee this is the greatest!”). This one was a standout: > [@acase review](#): > > …Pros, Cons and observations > > - The case is not waterproof so don’t drop your phone in the urinal. Not that that happened or anything. > - Fits like a glove. > - Makes your phone twice as thick as it uses to be > - Would take some seriously bad luck to break the screen > - Button controls are 95% of normal. I like them a little better now. > - Sleeps through the night. No 2AM feedings. > - Peanut Butter wipes right off. Not that I know or anything. > - Does not glow in the dark. > - Actually makes the phone more Ninja like > - Zero calories > - Goth > - Sits in place in my car. Used to slide around. > - Feels comfortable in my Dockers, Hiking pants and sporty shorts. In the front pocket. Falls right through my boxers. > - No bottle opener ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2013, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-recently-got-a-new-smartphone/656403/42 "2013-05-01T14:17:45Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > Interesting - in all the noodling around I never found that particular case - and they have it in **my** color (bright blue). Phooey. I ordered several others from Amazon to try out, none too expensive. There are several with the same general design, but I was impressed with the aCase one’s fit, finish and details. It’s about as low-bulk as a case can be and still offer protection. It makes the phone easier to grasp without making it so sticky it won’t go in and out of pockets, and the button extenders make all the buttons much easier to activate. Good (but untested so far) drop and bump protection, and great face-down screen protection. Mine are purple over black. > [@](#): > > I have SeekDroid already, seems to be similar to Anti DT - any advantages you know of for that vs. SeekDroid? Will definitely check into WiFi Analyzer - that sounds useful!! AFAIK all the “tracking” apps are about the same, and I think all smartphone users should install one. Get in the habit of looking for and registering WiFi service in all the usual places you go, and be sure the phone is set to prefer WiFi over network data - also to do updates etc. ONLY on WiFi. You’ll hardly use any network data unless you like to sit in the park watching movies. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2013, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-recently-got-a-new-smartphone/656403/43 "2013-05-01T14:27:30Z")
I got a Nexus 4 in March (after one of these threads!). It’s phenomenal. A lot of reviews complain that it doesn’t look like anything special, which it doesn’t (except up close), but you’ll quickly forget about that once you see the screen. It’s also superfast, very slim, and has a great speaker. The best part of all is that you can buy it from Google for $300 without signing a contract with anyone. ETA: I really ought to scroll _all_ the way down before posting. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2013, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-recently-got-a-new-smartphone/656403/44 "2013-05-01T14:43:21Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > … > Get in the habit of looking for and registering WiFi service in all the usual places you go, and be sure the phone is set to prefer WiFi over network data - also to do updates etc. ONLY on WiFi. You’ll hardly use any network data unless you like to sit in the park watching movies. I’ll have to check on the setting to force that. I was recently in the position of wanting to use wi-fi (at a hotel). Only, when you use wi-fi at a hotel you first have to try to go to a web page (any web page), then you get the hotel’s permission screen, then you’re connected to the wi-fi. But my phone was insisting on using the cell signal and wouldn’t even bring up that screen. Yeesh. Maybe simply turning off data would do that (I could swear I tried it though). I also need to play around with power management tools; I had Juice Defender for a while but found it didn’t do much, and I don’t like to leave the wi-fi on routinely because if I’m out and about it’s a minor battery waster. I think there are some (maybe even a JD setting) that turns on wi-fi based on your location, which would be preferable. A nifty tool I found a few months ago is Quick Profiles, which lets you set up a combination of things like ‘wifi off, screen timeout 2 minutes, data off’ and save it as a preset (some versions of Android have something similar built in). I have one for “driving the car, in the mount” so it doesn’t dim the screen on my map display, etc. A couple of quick taps and I’ve changed a bunch of settings at once. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2013, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-recently-got-a-new-smartphone/656403/45 "2013-05-01T14:55:24Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > Interesting - in all the noodling around I never found that particular case - and they have it in **my** color (bright blue). Phooey. I ordered several others from Amazon to try out, none too expensive. > [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > There are several with the same general design, but I was impressed with the aCase one’s fit, finish and details. It’s about as low-bulk as a case can be and still offer protection. It makes the phone easier to grasp without making it so sticky it won’t go in and out of pockets, and the button extenders make all the buttons much easier to activate. Good (but untested so far) drop and bump protection, and great face-down screen protection. Mine are purple over black. I’ve become a caseaholic since getting my Galaxy Note II; I’m up to 4 now. Yes, it is a sickness. 🙂 One of my cases is very similar to the aCase model you referenced. It is the [Body Glove Dimensions](http://www.bodyglovemobile.com/product/samsung-galaxy-note-2-tpu-case-charcoal,431,118.htm) case. It fits very tightly on the phone and, I believe, the lip would protect the phone if it was dropped on its face (I haven’t actually tried it with this case). Instead of rubberized bump-outs for the side buttons, this case has cutouts so you have direct contact with the buttons. I also like it because the notched pattern on the back prevents it from sliding around as it sits on my car seat. It’s also very thin… I don’t know if that’s a good or a bad thing. Also, as far as I know, it only comes in the charcoal color. I also have the [Incipio SA-330 LGND](http://www.amazon.com/Incipio-SA-330-LGND-Samsung-Galaxy/dp/B009ZWT6UY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1367419463&sr=8-1&keywords=incipio+galaxy+note+2)case that has a cover that doubles as a stand. The nice thing about this case is it has an elastic strap that you flip over the front when the cover is closed, completely eliminating the possibility of your phone falling out or getting dinged as it is completely protected. It also has cutouts for the buttons and S-pen. I have to admit that I mostly use my [Zenus Prestige Bohemian M Diary](http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Prestige-Bohemian-Genuine-Lambskin/dp/B009ZOPQ4M/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1366694575&sr=8-10&keywords=zenus%20galaxy%20note%202&tag=5336612429-20) wallet case because of its additional utility, and because with the cover snapped, I could probably throw the phone against the wall and nothing would happen to it. My final case is simply a brushed metallic bumper with a brushed metallic back cover. It looks very cool, but it makes the phone twice as heavy and very thick. I’d say this case would provide almost as much drop protection as my wallet case as the front and back lips are very pronounced. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2013, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-recently-got-a-new-smartphone/656403/46 "2013-05-01T15:04:46Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > I also need to play around with power management tools; I had Juice Defender for a while but found it didn’t do much, and I don’t like to leave the wi-fi on routinely because if I’m out and about it’s a minor battery waster. You probably don’t need any second-party power control apps. The Note II has fantastic battery life already; if it tends to run down on you, turn on the inherent Power Saver mode and do the usual things like turn down the screen brightness a bit. I have not had wifi be a particular power drain and frequently get 48 hours of standby with moderate use. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2013, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-recently-got-a-new-smartphone/656403/47 "2013-05-01T15:09:51Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > I’ll also need to play around with power management tools; I had Juice Defender for a while but found it didn’t do much, and I don’t like to leave the wi-fi on routinely because if I’m out and about it’s a minor battery waster. I think there are some (maybe even a JD setting) that turns on wi-fi based on your location, which would be preferable. Don’t bother with power management tools. All they do is shut off services which aren’t using any power in the first place (because of the way Android works). All you need is Watchdog, which will tell you if any apps are actually using CPU cycles while in the background. ---
**Author:** ![typoink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2013, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-recently-got-a-new-smartphone/656403/48 "2013-05-01T18:32:03Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > I recently switched to an HTC 8X, which isn’t an Android phone but I have to say HTC’s really making some nice hardware now. Too late for the OP, but seconded if anybody else is cruising for recommendations. The 8X is excellently designed physically, and WP8 is a great OS if you have a function-first mentality. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2013, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-recently-got-a-new-smartphone/656403/49 "2013-05-01T20:02:54Z")
> [@typoink](#): > > Too late for the OP, but seconded if anybody else is cruising for recommendations. > > The 8X is excellently designed physically, and WP8 is a great OS if you have a function-first mentality. I’m not clear what you mean by ‘function first’ mentality. The 8X is a Windows phone and, although the device itself may be fine, unfortunately, that OS is a deal-breaker for me. ---
**Author:** ![typoink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2013, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-recently-got-a-new-smartphone/656403/50 "2013-05-01T21:32:08Z")
> [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > I’m not clear what you mean by ‘function first’ mentality. > > The 8X is a Windows phone and, although the device itself may be fine, unfortunately, that OS is a deal-breaker for me. By function first, I mean that actually _doing things_ on Windows phones is very, very efficient. If you want a phone that you can grab, wake up, do your task / retrieve your info, and put back away quickly, WP8 is the strongest OS I’ve seen. I spend far less time maintaining my 8X than I ever have with any Android device. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-recently-got-a-new-smartphone/656403/51 "2013-05-02T00:38:20Z")
> [@typoink](#): > > By function first, I mean that actually _doing things_ on Windows phones is very, very efficient. If you want a phone that you can grab, wake up, do your task / retrieve your info, and put back away quickly, WP8 is the strongest OS I’ve seen. > > I spend far less time maintaining my 8X than I ever have with any Android device. I’d say that’s probably a user preference thing. I don’t spend any time at all maintaining my Galaxy Note II. I did at the beginning, very much so, and I appreciated that I could make the device look and function the way I wanted it to. Now, I just use it. I do admit to being overjoyed that the ability to reconfigure the UI and UE of my phone is inherent in the OS of my device, which is something Windows and IOS simply don’t have. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-recently-got-a-new-smartphone/656403.md?page=2)