maps on ios6

[T6]

"Well, I don't believe they need a Galaxy SIII killer... The iPhone already outsells it by a mile"

then why release iphone 5 with those known problems?  schedule a new phone each year then?

"I took a picture of my coworker on his Galaxy and they were so dark you couldn't hardly see him. I pulled out my iPhone 4 and the pictures were bright and clear as day! His camera is rated at more megapixels than mine"

the megapixels in iphone 4 or 4s?  4s is 8mp, same as sII, if it is iphone 4 then that is 5

the amount of megapixels doesn't help at all under low light conditions, it is the quality of the sensor what matters, iphone has always used better sensors but those cost more and their phones are more expensive

hardware and software are two different things, android is the os available for manufacturers and they choose what hardware to put in the phone, good or bad, cheap or expensive, if it is low quality to keep prices down, then that is logic, offer something that the competition can't or won't offer

"There are all sorts of little things his Android phone can't do, such as zoom a picture sent in a message, that my iPhone has no problem doing."

never heard of that feature or needed something similar, sounds interesting and helpful but probably patented by apple so possibly won't be on android soon

"The phone itself gives him troubles, sometimes. He's starting to think he'd rather have an iPhone."

that made me remember when i had to fix iphones, all sort of problems, not all of the fixed with a os upgrade

"I do like the open nature of Android and the idea of installing custom ROMs, but my iPhone always has the latest OS on it"

ios can be upgraded on some phones up to a certain point, same with android phones, i can upgrade my android device form version 2.3.4 to 4.0.4

now, i can choose to do it or not, at the moment i chose not to do it, there is benefits on updating the os but i like how it is now, maybe will update it later

on iphone you can do the same, keep the old os, lots of users are doing that to retain google maps app present on previous ios 5.1

i always find interesting your point of view, you really love apple products but sometimes you choose to ignore problems their devices have and praise other details where nobody is trying to compete with them, sometimes is hard to agree with you when talking about apple products

[ruel24]

So Samsung offers an upgrade from Android 2.3 to 4.0? Or are you referring to a Nexus or a rooted phone? The whole problem I have with Android phones is the lack of support. The carriers support them, and they pretty much don't bother with OS updates. They'd rather sell you the newest/latest poorly made phone that'll wear out faster than your contract does. I like that my warranty, accidental coverage, OS upgrades, and everything else is taken out of the hands of Verizon's greedy hands. It's also so well made, it's the longest lasting phone I've had EVER. I've owned Motorola, LG, and Nokia phones in the past. None of them lasted very long, and I always bought high end phones.

BTW, what you saw is correct. I have an iPhone 4, not a 4S. He has a Galaxy SII from T-Mobile. So, no one has ever sent you a picture, via text, that you needed to resize to see better? Seriously? I know my iPhone is smaller than the gargantuan Galaxy model, but even he wanted to make the picture bigger to have a better, more detailed look at it.

Honestly, T6, if there was an Android device that satisfied me as much and built as well. I'd be saying goodbye to iPhone. I really cherish open source and open formats. However, Apple has made me a happy camper so far. I just find Android still lacking in many ways, yet it does have a few nice bells and whistles.Maybe there's a future Android phone for me? I have considered Android tablets. I have trouble stomaching Apple's price for an iPad, only for it to go obsolete every couple of years. I can see myself with a Nexus tablet or rooting something else that I can keep updated.

[Just17]

I'm reading this discussion with interest ......  but I need to ask for clarification on something ......

when phones are referred to there appears to be a constant reference to a service provider being involved .....  so I get the impression people do not buy phones except with a specific service from a provider.

Are these phones freely available for purchase in a store-front?
What are the prices of, for instance, an iPhone5 and a Galaxy SIII from such a store front? .......  buying ONLY the phone ...

[joechimp]

Can I buy one of these phones without a phone plan and just a data plan?

[T6]

"So Samsung offers an upgrade from Android 2.3 to 4.0? Or are you referring to a Nexus or a rooted phone?"

on many models they offered such upgrade, also lg, sony, and other companies, except alcatel and huawei, they are stuck on 2.3 from what i have seen

if a device can be upgraded or not depends on the amount of ram, amount of internal memory and size of the cpu, those are the limitations that determine the version of android you can use

android 2.3 is around 170 mbs, android 4 is a bit bigger and uses more ram, , it is good if you have 512 mbs of ram minimum and 400mbs of internal storage

i upgraded a lg optimus that was abandoned in 2010 at version 2.1(originally came with 1.6) to cyanogenmod 2.3.7, it is working perfectly, while the hardware specs allow it and you are willing to spend some time, you can keep updated any phone, modified or not

the only version i didn't liked from android is 2.1, it has many limitations that doesn't allow users to do much with their phones and microsd cards

after version 2.3.4 you can do pretty much the same between all the versions released, differences are new features, new keyboard, new artwork(depending if the company uses stock android ui or modified ui) and specific changes on camera and similar stuff, things that you don't care much or you can improve by installing a app without changing the os

it is alot similar to ios, some minor version upgrades offer minor changes but others offer big changes or corrections

"So, no one has ever sent you a picture, via text, that you needed to resize to see better? Seriously?"

no, i don't like text messages(had a couple problems with those) outside live messenger or facebook, when my friends wants to show me a image, they send me a email or the link to the image, maybe we are a bit old school on that

"I know my iPhone is smaller than the gargantuan Galaxy model"

which galaxy, the 4" or the new 4.7"?  your iphone is 3.5, some consider that too big and others consider that small, i find hard to consider usable the 4.7" on sIII, i wouldn't have one, i find a bit annoying having a big smartphone, for me any iphone is too big and thick, samsung is big too but alot thinner, motorola droid is razr is thin enough but big too, hard to accept one shape and size, a matter of taste i think

about tablets, it is a market that will disappear eventually, i think that 4 or 5 years, or phones grow to 5 - 6 inches filling the space of most tablets or tablets become dirt cheap, thin, small and flexible as paper so you can carry one alot more easily than your phone

sounds impossible but those technologies are not that far from us, flexible displays exist now, flexible pcbs exist now too and flexible batteries were announced a couple months ago

one will kill another or both will merge into a new market, really portable pcs with real communication capabilities, capable of do anything a laptop can, what most os around seems to be preparing to

[Wildman]

I have a prepaid Tracfone that cost me $14 us and a $100 us per year for minutes, that does the same things, and just as well...
(and yes, I have compared, Daughter has both a iPhone and Android) 

[T6]

"Can I buy one of these phones without a phone plan and just a data plan?"

yes, i searched for such plan and seem to exist on prepaid services

there is other plans on certain companies, you know that such plans change on each company

"I have a prepaid Tracfone that cost me $14 us and a $100 us per year for minutes, that does the same things, and just as well"

you compared a very basic cellphone to a smartphone, there is no comparison, you can't install apps, you can't browse web on 3g or wifi(except expensive models, none at 14 dollars) and some of those models doesn't have cameras or the camera is so bad that it shouldn't have a camera

i'm not going to talk about call quality, mic quality or signal strength on those cheap lg or samsung phones 

[Wildman]

Valid points, but, I still talk, text, send emails, and pictures from my (off ebay) cheap phones. 
Anything else, I use the computer...

[T6]

"Google is said to have started distributing a test version of its rumored iOS Maps app to certain users.

According to a Wall Street Journal source, several key figures outside of the search engine firm have received the test version of Google Maps on their iPhones.

Apparently, the finishing touches are now being applied to the application, which is said be similar to the app present on Android. Consequently, iPhone users won't have to rely on the mobile browser version, as well as Apple's own abysmal maps app."

http://www.tomsguide.com/us/Google-Maps-App-Apple-iOS,news-16322.html

[aguila]

But will Apple allow ihr in their AppStore?

[The Chief]

I'm reading this discussion with interest ......  but I need to ask for clarification on something ......

when phones are referred to there appears to be a constant reference to a service provider being involved .....  so I get the impression people do not buy phones except with a specific service from a provider.

Are these phones freely available for purchase in a store-front?
What are the prices of, for instance, an iPhone5 and a Galaxy SIII from such a store front? .......  buying ONLY the phone ...

Yes, but hardly anyone can afford them with out the subsidy included in the service plan.  An iPhone 5 with out the service contract is nearly $700 dollars. $200 with the 2 year service contract.  An iPhone 4 without the plan is nearly $500 - but free with a 2 year service contract. And, like any cell phone, it's pretty much useless without a service plan, so the choice is easy.

[Just17]

I'm reading this discussion with interest ......  but I need to ask for clarification on something ......

when phones are referred to there appears to be a constant reference to a service provider being involved .....  so I get the impression people do not buy phones except with a specific service from a provider.

Are these phones freely available for purchase in a store-front?
What are the prices of, for instance, an iPhone5 and a Galaxy SIII from such a store front? .......  buying ONLY the phone ...

Yes, but hardly anyone can afford them with out the subsidy included in the service plan.  An iPhone 5 with out the service contract is nearly $700 dollars. $200 with the 2 year service contract.  An iPhone 4 without the plan is nearly $500 - but free with a 2 year service contract. And, like any cell phone, it's pretty much useless without a service plan, so the choice is easy.

Thanks for the price info.

I have a phone and no service plan .....  as in monthly fees ......  and make and receive calls without problem by buying credit as and when I need and can afford.

My phone is NOT locked to any provider so I can use a SIM card from whomever I wish, on a pay-as-you-go basis.

I have never read about such a scheme from US residents and wonder if this happens there?

Of course I do not pay anything to receive calls on my mobile, so even without any credit I can receive calls.

From what I have read it appears that everyone receiving a mobile call in the USA must pay for that privilege ......  is this true?

[joechimp]

You have a cell phone that receives calls for free. No company involved. And you use a pay as you go card to make calls.
I know of nothing that does that, so I am surprised to learn this.

[T6]

"Of course I do not pay anything to receive calls on my mobile, so even without any credit I can receive calls."

that is a prepaid service

i have used my phone like this since 2003

you have prepaid or you get a bill at the end of the month(contract)

afik, this is offered by t-mobile in north america too, between other companies

http://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/pay-by-the-day-cell-phone-plans

i left my line without money for 2 years and i still received calls, who pays is who makes the call but i am not on that company or in that country and i know that some companies like to disable the line if you don't put money in the line each 6 months(choose wisely your cellphone company)

about data plan, i searched and found that you can have a data plan for some days, only when you need it

i know i can do that here too, 200 mbs per day on a 3.5G network for 2 dollars more or less

i will try that to use the gps and internet connection to get maps online some day on my phone while traveling on the car

about the price of the iphone, yes, it is prohibitively expensive to buy one without a contract, it has sense to get one in a month plan but it is still a bit expensive, i only would try to get a 4S for free, pay 200 dollars for the iphone 5, no way on earth, knowing that you have to wait 2 years with that phone that could end with dead battery in the first year and loose warranty in the same time? then pay full cost of another? i won't do that

it is beneficial to get a phone without a contract because you can put the simcard you want and use it, no restrictions in any company in any country you are

[Just17]

You have a cell phone that receives calls for free. No company involved. And you use a pay as you go card to make calls.
I know of nothing that does that, so I am surprised to learn this.

Not a pay as you go 'card' .......  I can purchase credit at most local shops for whichever provider I wish to use and have a SIM card for. PAYG SIM cards are generally free .....  or cost maybe €10 but come with €10 credit.

that is a prepaid service
i have used my phone like this since 2003
you have prepaid or you get a bill at the end of the month(contract)

T6 .....  I already stated that this is NOT the case.

It seems that in the EU recipients of mobile calls do not pay whereas in the USA they do.

The other matter in which there might be some difference is with phones that are 'out of contract'.
All owners (EU) are entitled to have their phone unlocked and the info to do this must be provided to them, if needed, by the service provider.

Some years back when I had a monthly plan with a provider - part of the job at the time - I requested and received the needed info from the provider to unlock my phone ....  and that was during the contract time.
I then used my phone at weekends with a private SIM card, and during the week with the company SIM.

So there appear to be considerable differences in how things work and what is available in different locations.

EDIT:
            Here is an example of one provider ......  you pay in advance €10 which gets you 1 month of connection to their service. For that you get unlimited texts and calls to all other mobile providers .....  and no costs for receiving calls or texts.
 If you don't pay, you do not make calls.