# Buyers:is iPhone 4 still your top choice?



## iphoneottawa (Apr 21, 2010)

I want to buy a new smart phone this summer. 
Is iPhone 4 still the best one out there?
How about Evo or Droid X?


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## daniels (Jul 27, 2009)

iphone 4 is the only thing im getting why? because its made by apple


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## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

I have an 3Gs, but given Apple's lame treatment of the antenna problem and their posting of the "excuse page" on other smart phones, I am leaning towards an Android next time. I really don't want to buy a problem they refuse to acknowledge or fix other than with a free piece of plastic.


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## KMPhotos (Jun 17, 2008)

SINC said:


> I have an 3Gs, but given Apple's lame treatment of the antenna problem and their posting of the "excuse page" on other smart phones, I am leaning towards an Android next time. I really don't want to buy a problem they refuse to acknowledge or fix other than with a free piece of plastic.


I get the frustration with Apple's response. I'm not all sunshine and rainbows about it either, but I never understand the argument that I'm going to another company because Apple refuses to fix the problem.
I've read and seen enough to understand that this problem exists with phones from all manufacturers. Yes, not everyone experiences them, but it's the same with the iPhone. There are a lot of people who don't have the issue. 
Anyway, back to my point, should every company acknowledge or fix the problem? From what you've said they should. 
It's too bad we can't track how many phones actually have this issue/problem. I'd love to see just how common it is. 
I'm interested to see how the iPhone holds up here in Canada. From the few that I know who have one, they don't seem tom have any issues. 
So we will know soon enough.


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## chas_m (Dec 2, 2007)

Do what you want, Don, but as demonstrated on innumerable and completely independent YouTube videos, all smartphones have the same problem if you hold them the same way.

As I live and travel in areas with strong Fido or AT&T signal, and because I'm not stupid enough to not put my multi-hundred-dollar phone in a case, I don't believe I'll have any issue with this, so the whole thing is, to me, moot. I'm just waiting for the Canadian launch, and to see what the plan offerings are before deciding what to get. I may decide to wait a while so as to more easily afford an iPad with a plan instead, but that's not because of "OverblownGate" -- it's because my iPhone 2G continues to work perfectly.


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## chas_m (Dec 2, 2007)

iphoneottawa said:


> I want to buy a new smart phone this summer.
> Is iPhone 4 still the best one out there?
> How about Evo or Droid X?


Consumer Reports actually does say that the iPhone 4 is far and away the best smartphone on the market.

Still.

They're just trying to parlay this PR blitz into suckering Apple-haters to subscribe.


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## HawkEye123 (Jan 27, 2010)

daniels said:


> iphone 4 is the only thing im getting why? because its made by apple


Pass some of that koolaid here. 

We love you Apple. 



*Btw, I am still getting an iPhone 4. I <3 the iPhone.


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## MannyP Design (Jun 8, 2000)

Nothing has changed for me—but I don't have an iPhone (yet); however I've tried the "grip o' death" on a couple of friend's phones (HTC, iPhone 3GS, Blackberry) and verify Apple's videos.

The competition has taken the opportunity to dog-pile Apple in order to gain face in a desperate attempt to claw back customers they've lost to a young smart phone company.

"PC guys are not going to just figure this out. They’re not going to just walk in."

All things considered, it's still a decent product and Apple is still beating the $hit out of the competition and it's pissing them off. The way I see it, is people are starting to become more conscious about how they hold their phones—I bet most people never thought about it until recently.


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## irontree (Oct 28, 2006)

As the owner of a dying iPhone 3g (8gb) I have no choice but to get the iPhone 4. I would never consider any other manufacturer because it also serves as my music player so iTunes integration, AAC/Lossless support is essential as well as gapless playback. I don't even think Blackberrys support gapless playback yet do they? Pathetic


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## Andrew Pratt (Feb 16, 2007)

I need to upgrade as well from my 3G and the 4G is the only one I'm looking at for a number of reasons...first I love my iPhone 3G and have a lot of quality apps that extend the usefulness of the phone well beyond I thought possible. Secondly with MobileMe it sync's seemlessly with my iMac(s) and my wifes iPhone...again not something I'd have with another brand without changing a lot on our backend. Thirdly What else is there that is perfect? Android phones aren't without issues either and some are pretty serious bugs.


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## irontree (Oct 28, 2006)

Andrew Pratt said:


> I need to upgrade as well from my 3G and the 4G is the only one I'm looking at for a number of reasons...first I love my iPhone 3G and have a lot of quality apps that extend the usefulness of the phone well beyond I thought possible. Secondly with MobileMe it sync's seemlessly with my iMac(s) and my wifes iPhone...again not something I'd have with another brand without changing a lot on our backend. Thirdly What else is there that is perfect? Android phones aren't without issues either and some are pretty serious bugs.


Yes, I almost forgot to mention my $$ investment in apps and some very addictive games indeed!


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## mc3251 (Sep 28, 2007)

I thought the press conference was fairly well handled by Jobs. Blaming the other phones was a little sucky but I was impressed by the factual and data driven approach. 
I have a 3gs. I wish the battery life was better, but I don't get a lot of dropped calls. It's fine.


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## bringonthenite (Aug 7, 2007)

It'a all about the Face Time and HD video recording with my phone for me. The display is awesome! Just playing with the iPhone in a Boston Apple store had me sold.


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## bsenka (Jan 27, 2009)

Until Apple starts acting grown-up about the serious antenna issues, and informs us how they've fixed it, I'm not buying. Their blame game press conference was childish and unprofessional.

It's too bad too, because my current cell contract is up in a few weeks. I was very much looking forward to getting the iPhone 4. Until I see Apple actually fixing the antenna issue (instead of misdirection, lying, and selective statistics), I'll let the other suckers buy the defective units, and wait for the fixed ones.

I have no idea what I would get instead though. Part of me wants to support the Canadian product and 'settle' for a BlackBerry.


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## jakey (Jul 8, 2008)

I loved the design when it was announced and I am fond of the iOS.

Nothing's changed for me. I'm buying on the 30th (or soon thereafter).


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## MomentsofSanity (Jul 9, 2008)

mc3251 said:


> I thought the press conference was fairly well handled by Jobs. Blaming the other phones was a little sucky but I was impressed by the factual and data driven approach.
> I have a 3gs. I wish the battery life was better, but I don't get a lot of dropped calls. It's fine.


The problem I had with the data approach IS the fact they started with a "look at the other phones" theme. Fine they each show degradation in signal strength but what is the rate of dropped calls for those phones? All they showed is it drops more calls than the 3GS. But how did the 3GS, or iPhone 4 compare to all the others. 

If you're going to point the finger at the other guy at the start you best be prepared to compare everything to the other guy.


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## spiffychristian (Mar 17, 2008)

.


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## G-Mo (Sep 26, 2007)

Andrew Pratt said:


> I need to upgrade as well from my 3G and the 4G is the only one I'm looking at for a number of reasons...


There is no iPhone 4G, it's iPhone 4. 4G can greatly confuse folks into network speeds the iPhone 4 is not capable of... I'm hoping the next iPhone (next year) will be the iPhone 4G!!


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## modsuperstar (Nov 23, 2004)

I find I'd have a real tough time moving away from an Apple phone. It's like a Windows user who doesn't want to move over to a Mac because they'd have to rebuy software. I've invested in buying apps on the iPhone platform and don't want to walk away from that. 

That being said I still think the iPhone is the top thing going right now. Sure I have beefs with it, but I've tried using Android and it just doesn't have the same UI polish that I've come to expect with Apple products. I'm really looking forward to having a decent camera in my pocket after dealing with the iPhone 2Gs camera for the last 2 years.


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## thadley (Jul 8, 2008)

Yeah still getting the iPhone 4. I've played around with BlackBerries but the general lack of apps (and most of the ones I've tried have been buggy as hell) push me away from it. The areas I spend 95% of my time have excellent signal coverage and I don't generally hold my iPhone 3GS in the Death Grip. Also not a big calling person, so that's not really much of an issue for me either.


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## MannyP Design (Jun 8, 2000)

You might want to rethink the HTC Droid Eris while you're at it.


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## MannyP Design (Jun 8, 2000)

mc3251 said:


> I thought the press conference was fairly well handled by Jobs. Blaming the other phones was a little sucky but I was impressed by the factual and data driven approach.
> I have a 3gs. I wish the battery life was better, but I don't get a lot of dropped calls. It's fine.


Apple didn't blame anyone but the technology—the antenna issue is not unique to Apple, which is exactly what they illustrated. You can find plenty of user videos for many different smartphones and how the antenna is affected just by holding it differently:





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## jimbotelecom (May 29, 2009)

Buying a 4G - No problem. Probably doing an outright purchase in order to get an unlocked phone for travel. I suspect that because Canada's GSM networks are beefier and less congested than AT&T's in the USA we will not experience major issues. Anyway we're getting a free bumper which is fine. My wife will get my less than month old 3Gs replacement and I'll hack the 3G she's currently using to have a little fun.

I've had a lot of phones and Apple is running head and tails over the competition.


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## wonderings (Jun 10, 2003)

bsenka;988369
I have no idea what I would get instead though. Part of me wants to support the Canadian product and 'settle' for a BlackBerry.[/QUOTE said:


> I tried switching to a Blackberry Bold because I didnt want my data and was not using my iPhone much and was hoping to save on the data. I didnt last 24 hrs before swapping my Blackberry Bold back for an iPhone 3G. I HATE the UI they have for RIM phones, it reminds me of WM for some reason. Each to there own, but I cant stand using those phones and have not met any who have gone from a blackberry to an iPhone who said they missed how the blackberry worked.


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## groovetube (Jan 2, 2003)

MannyP Design said:


> You might want to rethink the HTC Droid Eris while you're at it.


if the antennae is where that diagram is, the normal way to hold the phone shouldn't affect it.

What is somewhat puzzling, is that there doesn't seem to be a major complaint on the other phones apple tried to implicate in "antennagate". Is it just that apple product users are just whiners?

I'm going to wait a little and see what the word is here. I got mixed reviews from friends in the US, but they did all said dropped calls were more.


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## thadley (Jul 8, 2008)

groovetube said:


> if the antennae is where that diagram is, the normal way to hold the phone shouldn't affect it.
> 
> What is somewhat puzzling, is that there doesn't seem to be a major complaint on the other phones apple tried to implicate in "antennagate". Is it just that apple product users are just whiners?
> 
> I'm going to wait a little and see what the word is here. I got mixed reviews from friends in the US, but they did all said dropped calls were more.


I've heard there were similar issues with the Nexus One, but it had such a small user base that it never got much attention.


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## Elric (Jul 30, 2005)

groovetube said:


> if the antennae is where that diagram is, the normal way to hold the phone shouldn't affect it.
> 
> What is somewhat puzzling, is that there doesn't seem to be a major complaint on the other phones apple tried to implicate in "antennagate". Is it just that apple product users are just whiners?
> 
> I'm going to wait a little and see what the word is here. I got mixed reviews from friends in the US, but they did all said dropped calls were more.


I think the reason there hasn't been any real complaints is the fact, no phone gets the publicity that the iPhone does. EVERYONE is out looking for SOMETHING wrong with it. I have had hundreds of dropped calls over the decades and never once thought to call the phone manufacturer (from Nokias and Samsungs in the 90's, to Sony Ericssons and the iPhone in the 2000s). I (and I think many others) just bad mouth our service providers for the crappy coverage.


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## groovetube (Jan 2, 2003)

I would say the blackberry gets plenty of attention, and nada. My wife just got a brand new one from work, and try as we could, no amounts of 'death gripping' could do a thing, whatsoever...

The only other phone I have handy here is a test N97, and same thing, I can death grip it with both of my big paws, and nada. no dropped calls or signal.

I don't have an iphone 4 to compare though.

It isn't so much I'm doubting the issue exists in other phones, I have no way of testing all of them, but I have learned youtubes of tests mean absolutely squat. But, the way apple has handled it, I think blows. But that's my opinion.


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## hayesk (Mar 5, 2000)

I plan on getting one. If it doesn't work, I'll send it back. It's that simple.


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## Joker Eh (Jan 22, 2008)

Well I have to say I was in the New York Apple store on Friday and tried the death grip on an iPhone 4 and could only get the bars to go down 2 notches and I was still able to make a couple of long distance calls back home ;-) with it.


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## fjnmusic (Oct 29, 2006)

SINC said:


> I have an 3Gs, but given Apple's lame treatment of the antenna problem and their posting of the "excuse page" on other smart phones, I am leaning towards an Android next time. I really don't want to buy a problem they refuse to acknowledge or fix other than with a free piece of plastic.


It's not an "excuse page," SINC. Steve Jobs is a techno-geek and he tries to explain it in a way even non-techno-geeks can understand. He was just being honest at the press conference on Friday--something I haven't seen other cellphone manufacturers have the balls to admit yet. And a decrease in signal strength does not affect the sound of your call unless it drops off entirely. And it has zero effect on your data stream unless you lose both the 3G signal AND the Edge signal. Different antenna entirely.

I live in a relatively weak signal area on the far edge of Sherwood Park and I'll be lucky to get 3 or 4 bars at the best of times. Seldom if ever do I get dropped calls though. I tried the so-called death grip on my 3GS and sure enough, Jobs is right--it drops down to 2 or 1 or even no bars and I lose the signal altogether. The display has a delay before the bar drop is shown even though the signal has dropped immediately, just as Jobs described. A case alleviates this "weakness." So by putting the antenna on the outside instead of the inside, Apple figured they could boost the signal more, but the tradeoff is that the signal _appears_ to be more tentative when the phone is held tightly in a certain way.

Fact is, no one holds their phone that way. It's quite unnatural. There's thousands of ways you can hold a phone--why do people insist on trying to hold it—and use it—in the one way that's going to give them problems? Talk about forbidden fruit.


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## fjnmusic (Oct 29, 2006)

HawkEye123 said:


> Pass some of that koolaid here.
> 
> We love you Apple.
> 
> ...


For the record, it was Flavor-Aid, not Kool-Aid. You can look it up.


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## Elric (Jul 30, 2005)

groovetube said:


> I would say the blackberry gets plenty of attention, and nada. My wife just got a brand new one from work, and try as we could, no amounts of 'death gripping' could do a thing, whatsoever...
> 
> The only other phone I have handy here is a test N97, and same thing, I can death grip it with both of my big paws, and nada. no dropped calls or signal.
> 
> ...


There are no real "Blackberry Haters", like there are Apple Haters. No one is grasping at straws to find flaws in a BB...

As for your own Death Grip, are you in a low signal area to begin with? That's the key.


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## groovetube (Jan 2, 2003)

maybe because with blackberry users, there aren't so many superior smug kool aid drinkers to hate. Hey I use apple stuff as much as the next guy, but sometimes the ones I see mouthing off so hard are just begging to be made fun of.

And yes the signal was not high to begin with.

this is making the rounds everywhere now:
YouTube - Reality distortion field remains strong with Steve Jobs after antennagate


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## fjnmusic (Oct 29, 2006)

groovetube said:


> maybe because with blackberry users, there aren't so many superior smug kool aid drinkers to hate. Hey I use apple stuff as much as the next guy, but sometimes the ones I see mouthing off so hard are just begging to be made fun of.
> 
> And yes the signal was not high to begin with.
> 
> ...


Flavor Aid, GT, Flavor Aid. Not Kool Aid. You could look it up.


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## Elric (Jul 30, 2005)

I remember Flavour Aid... wasn't it Canadian even?


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## MannyP Design (Jun 8, 2000)

groovetube said:


> maybe because with blackberry users, there aren't so many superior smug kool aid drinkers to hate. Hey I use apple stuff as much as the next guy, but sometimes the ones I see mouthing off so hard are just begging to be made fun of.
> 
> And yes the signal was not high to begin with.
> 
> ...


You have to laugh when people start throwing around their thoughts about which platform has the higher collection of douche-bags—as if one could qualify their claim with any degree of certainty. Blackberry has their own subculture of smug corporate zealots. You'd never know it, if you spend most of your time on a Mac forum. 

The fact of the matter is Apple has been experiencing an amazing 10+ years of success and a lot of people hate them for it—heck, people hated Apple when they were on death's door and were calling for Jobs to shut it down; and they hate them today (tenfold) because of their success.

It's no surprise people want to see Apple crash and burn—they've been kicking arse at almost everything they've done. So when Apple finally stumbles, people are clamouring for a shot to kick 'em in the face.

The fact of the matter is this: Despite Apple's issues with the iPhone 4, Consumer Reports STILL rates it higher than other smart-phones—above Blackberry, Nokia, HTC, etc.

But that's not compelling enough of a story for the media; and it's certainly not on the minds of Apple bashers.


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## groovetube (Jan 2, 2003)

I don't think it's so much the success, but the smug superiority. it's always been there, regardless of the success. I've always seen it, before 2003 when I used peecees, there were a few apple users we all just wanted to hoof everytime they started mouthing how much better their mac was.

And no, you don't likely notice it when all you've probably ever used were macs, and hang at mac forums true.


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## fjnmusic (Oct 29, 2006)

MannyP Design said:


> The fact of the matter is this: Despite Apple's issues with the iPhone 4, Consumer Reports STILL rates it higher than other smart-phones—above Blackberry, Nokia, HTC, etc.
> 
> But that's not compelling enough of a story for the media; and it's certainly not on the minds of Apple bashers.


Sheesh. It makes you wonder...if CR rates the iPhone 4 the best of all the phones it tested and yet still couldn't recommend it, what on earth does that say about all the other brand phones?


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## fjnmusic (Oct 29, 2006)

Elric said:


> I remember Flavour Aid... wasn't it Canadian even?


Chicago, Illinois, in 1929 was when Flavor Aid first made its mark, Elric. It was the beverage of choice in the Jonestown Massacre, often mis-attributed by bloggers and anti-Apple fanboys to the Kool Aid brand. Just so we're all clear.


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## groovetube (Jan 2, 2003)

I love this. Somehow, if you don't tow the party line and don't drink the kool, er, sorry, "flavor" aid, you're anti-apple, or an apple basher.

I suppose the over 10 grand spent on apple stuff over the last 6 months doesn't speak much but being a smart arse on a forum does I suppose.


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## MannyP Design (Jun 8, 2000)

What's next; people criticizing Apple because microwaves interfere with Airport base stations? :lmao:


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## fjnmusic (Oct 29, 2006)

groovetube said:


> I love this. Somehow, if you don't tow the party line and don't drink the kool, er, sorry, "flavor" aid, you're anti-apple, or an apple basher.
> 
> I suppose the over 10 grand spent on apple stuff over the last 6 months doesn't speak much but being a smart arse on a forum does I suppose.


 :clap:


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## hexcalibur (May 27, 2010)

groovetube said:


> I love this. Somehow, if you don't tow the party line and don't drink the kool, er, sorry, "flavor" aid, you're anti-apple, or an apple basher.
> 
> I suppose the over 10 grand spent on apple stuff over the last 6 months doesn't speak much but being a smart arse on a forum does I suppose.


It's "toe the party line." Aside from that, point taken. 

I'll probably upgrade to the iPhone 4 once Rogers agrees to sell me one at a subsidized price. There was never any question about whether it would go inside a case (I'm pretty clumsy) so this whole antenna issue has been irrelevant to me. I understand the issue, but it's clearly been blown way out of proportion. Wake me up when they're selling fewer than 500,000 phones a week.


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## groovetube (Jan 2, 2003)

hexcalibur said:


> It's "toe the party line." Aside from that, point taken.


As long as it made you -feel- smart, I guess that's all that matters.


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## hexcalibur (May 27, 2010)

groovetube said:


> As long as it made you -feel- smart, I guess that's all that matters.


Some people like to know when they've made a mistake. If you're not one of them, my apologies. No harm done -- and I still agree with your point about voting with your wallet.


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## iphoneottawa (Apr 21, 2010)

Motorola Droid X, the best Android & the best competitor for iPhone 4 | USA News Week


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## groovetube (Jan 2, 2003)

hexcalibur said:


> Some people like to know when they've made a mistake. If you're not one of them, my apologies. No harm done -- and I still agree with your point about voting with your wallet.


Pointing out someone's spelling errors is a something people often use on forums to appear superior. There's a few "english professors" around here it seems.

I personally couldn't care less if I in haste said tow, or toe, but it seems of paramount importance to some it seems.


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## groovetube (Jan 2, 2003)

iphoneottawa said:


> Motorola Droid X, the best Android & the best competitor for iPhone 4 | USA News Week


The people I know who have recent droid love them. I'm kinda wondering what will come out in the next 6 months. The iphone 4 looks good, but apple coming out with a new phone at best once a year, is going to be a handicap in this heating up race.


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## mc3251 (Sep 28, 2007)

Actually, "tow the corporate line" is an interesting alternative.

I never thought I'd be glad I have a contract, but I do, and I love my iPhone 3gs. So fortunately, I don't have to even think about it for a year and a half.


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## modsuperstar (Nov 23, 2004)

fjnmusic said:


> Flavor Aid, GT, Flavor Aid. Not Kool Aid. You could look it up.


Drinking the Kool-Aid - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Does it really matter? I think the term "drinking the kool aid" has become pretty synonymous with the concept of blindly following or accepting something, whether it is historically accurate or not is really irrelevant. 

In the real world do you correct people on semantics all the time, or accept that you get the gist of what they are saying and let the conversation move on?


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## ldphoto (Jul 9, 2009)

I am convinced that the iPhone is the best phone for the usage I make, but I am not convinced that the 4 is better than my 3GS. 

I work in an area of really low signal (inside an all brick building, metalized solar film on the windows and at least 5km away from the closest cell tower). I get one bar at best with the phone just resting on my desk, and it's not uncommon to lose 3G connectivity entirely, falling back to GSM/EDGE or just plain Searching... Holding the 3Gs often makes it lose the cell signal entirely. If the 4 has less receive sensitivity than the 3Gs, it'll be dead in the water here.

At least I have Wi-Fi at work. I'd still like an external antenna


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## iphoneottawa (Apr 21, 2010)

Well, well, what we have here:
Droid X owners complaining of flickering, defective screens | Electronista


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## Elric (Jul 30, 2005)

iphoneottawa said:


> Well, well, what we have here:
> Droid X owners complaining of flickering, defective screens | Electronista


But guess what, the "average person" has no idea what a Droid X is, so it's not going to make huge headlines, nor will it spur any kind of press conference. Press release, but no conference...


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## Joker Eh (Jan 22, 2008)

Elric said:


> But guess what, the "average person" has no idea what a Droid X is, so it's not going to make huge headlines, nor will it spur any kind of press conference. Press release, but no conference...


And are these phones available in Canada? Not that I could find so who cares about this Driod stuff. I just need my new iPhone because my current one is breaking down day by day. Right now I have to press real hard sometimes to get the home button to work.


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## iphoneottawa (Apr 21, 2010)

All valid points 
I'll also go with iPhone 4.
Talked to our Rogers business rep today and sent in a pre-order.
Hope he'll have it on the 30th !


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## daniels (Jul 27, 2009)

how did u get a pre order?


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## iphoneottawa (Apr 21, 2010)

He emailed me a pre order form. It was a generic form asking some basic info on my Rogers business account.


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