Greetings from a new member

[Muqtar]

Greetings all,

I am new to the site and new to the Android OS. Coming from an Apple background, and have grown slightly bored of the interface and limitations of the IOS world.

I have made the decision to jump from AT&T\iPhone 4 to (most likely) Sprint\Samsung Epic 4G touch.

I am a little concerned about making the jump to a device that would be supported on the Wimax network when the LTE network was announced today for Sprint.

I dont want to buy in at the end of a fading technology, and at the same time, I dont feel like waiting 6 months to a year to get on board what may be a rough start to the LTE implementation.

I realize this might not be the right place to post on something like this, but this decision in front of me is one of the first on my adventure.

Also curious what any members of the forum have to say about this phone. It seems bad ass, although I am also attracted to the Motorola photon.

If HTC had an equivalent generational phone (I do NOT like the 3D phone myself), I would buy it because I love the HTC style interface.

Anyways, feed back, thoughts or any other comments are welcome.

Respect,
Muqtar

 

[Kie]

Welcome to the forums!

I might be biased since I have one, but definitely get that phone. You won't regret it. There's a lot of support for it and it's still (arguably) the best Android smartphone on the market!

 

[jefboyardee]

I dont want to buy in at the end of a fading technology

Yikes! Harsh! But since you put it that way, these days, everything seems to be a fading technology, so you gotta pick something and cross your fingers, otherwise just watch from the sidelines.

 

[EarlyMon]

Epic 4G Touch, or Photon, great phones, you can't go wrong.

I like my Evo 3D, but rarely use the 3D feature. Great colors! But that's my personal bias.

Welcome to the forums!

 

[darkuni]

Welcome man! That's a sweet-ass phone .. I don't think you will be displeased with it.

You gotta jump in SOMEWHERE ... I dare say every single on of us here has been "bit" - by a poor phone and/or carrier choice. There is almost ALWAYS some form of exit strategy

Nice to bring on another green robot conscript!

 

[Muqtar]

Thanks for the warm welcome people. I will continue to do my research and try to figure out what the best purchase is. I wanted to clarify that although the HTC phones are what I like the most, the 3D feature strains my eyes and pushed me away from the brand. If I knew that they were coming out with something else, I would wait for a bit to get it, depending on how the specs measured up.

I look forward to learning about the culture and capabilities of Android. I don't hate apple, and my wife continues to enjoy her IPAD. I will pass on my iPhone 4 to her and it is about what she wants. I am a systems & network engineer and it is logical that I would get bored from being boxed in by IOS.

Thank you all for your replies.

Have a good day,
Muqtar

 

[EarlyMon]

The 3D is only there when you want it. When you don't, it's not. And the display in no way suffers in 2D mode.

I have overclocked mine to the now standard speed of 1.5GHz found on the Sensation XE or Rezound. Other than that and the 3D add ons, it's the same platform as those two, and that is their current top platform.

HTC tends to announce their new stuff at the Mobile World Congress, following CES, and then products launch after that. So I would be surprised to see a new HTC offering on Sprint before June.

The Epic 4G Touch is a newer model of the SGS2 platform, so until we find out dates and details on the SGS3, the Epic is the current platform for the Samsung top end on Sprint as well.

That leaves the Samsung Galaxy Nexus and any new surprises from the Google / Motorola marriage as the likely candidates to hit Sprint before summer.

Not sure of your time frame, so I'm just tossing out some general guidelines on Sprint's schedule.

 

[jefboyardee]

Muqtar posted this as pat of a broader question and I can

 

[jefboyardee]

I dont want to buy in at the end of a fading technology

I can

 

[Granite1]

Hmmm, don't understand where that came from.

Last I checked google just released the next variant of their code, and the next generation of phones are supposed to operate differently. I think they are advancing and taking new ideas into account. I wouldn't call that fading, maybe evolving.

 

[EarlyMon]

I think you're worrying about the conjecture of a new user who is coming over from an iPhone and excited to learn about Android and choose the right phone.

So - no, Android, still on its meteoric rise across the world, is far from a fading technology - quite the opposite.

 

[Logan47]

Think of it this way; the limitations of android are how far you as the end user want to take it. IOS is a closed system and a closed door in more ways than one. Take the red pill.....

 

[Muqtar]

I dont want to buy in at the end of a fading technology, and at the same time, I dont feel like waiting 6 months to a year to get on board what may be a rough start to the LTE implementation.

The entire sentence should be self explanatory. The potential fading technology (actually well documented though) is WiMax. Not Android. The technology that will replace it is LTE.

I am nervous about buying my android phone (that photon is looking sexier by the day actually) when I know that it will be replaced by an LTE compatible device within 12 months.

I dont think Android is fading at all.

Hope that clears the misunderstanding up.

 

[jefboyardee]

Apparently, my bad, I misunderstood who was fading. But being the owner of a gimpy Optimus S, where Sprint botched its Gingerbread upgrade and then botched its do-over downgrade, I see the Android as fading. Anyway, someone please delete this thread, sorry.

 

[lunatic59]

The entire sentence should be self explanatory. The potential fading technology (actually well documented though) is WiMax. Not Android. The technology that will replace it is LTE.

I am nervous about buying my android phone (that photon is looking sexier by the day actually) when I know that it will be replaced by an LTE compatible device within 12 months.

I dont think Android is fading at all.

Hope that clears the misunderstanding up.

You'll have to forgive the conclusion jumping. Sometimes it's easy to get defensive when there is a misunderstanding. Now that you've cleared that up, i think your question is more of a philosophical nature than one of technology.

Truly LTE is going to be the dominant technology, but Sprint making an announcement is a far cry from implementation. Recently I went with the Galaxy S2 (i777) instead of the SkyRocket which supports LTE because my area has spotty or non-existent LTE coverage from AT&T. If I bought into the future technology, I would have compromised for a phone that had a slower CPU/GPU and would have had a bigger power drain from the LTE Radio with no discernible benefit until LTE was fully implemented in my area of use. I'm of the mindset that by the time LTE is dominant where I am now, I'll be ready for a new phone.

As long as the phone suits my needs now, and works well with the existing technologies, the future can wait until tomorrow.

If you are of the mindset that it is important to have the latest technology, you will always be chasing a carrot just out of reach. Granted you will be ahead of the pack, but at a cost of dealing with bleeding edge bugs and high prices of new releases.

 

[Muqtar]

Good response Lunatic. I am familiar with picking a point in the waves of technology and sticking with it. I just built a gaming PC about 2 months ago and had to do the same thing.

I am super excited about getting into the android game, hell, I might even jump early and go buy the thing today, if Mrs Muqtar lets me of course.

Take care,
Muqtar

 

[lunatic59]

I might even jump early and go buy the thing today, if Mrs Muqtar lets me of course.

Take care,
Muqtar

Now there's something I can't help you with, although from personal experience if the Mrs. says is a loud irritated tone "you're buying WHAT??!!", the correct response is flowers.

 

[Muqtar]

Psshhhh ..... Up at the sprint store buying the Photon right now !

Mrs Muqtar gave her approval.

 

[Muqtar]

I have it here at home and I LOVE IT. There is a lot to it, but today was a damn good day.

 

[Gmash]

I have it here at home and I LOVE IT. There is a lot to it, but today was a damn good day.

Congrats! Enjoy your new toy!