Now is the worst time ever to buy an Android phone

opus · 23-03-2012 7:03am #1

Interesting article saying essentially to wait for the next HTC & Samsung phones before taking the plunge on a new phone.

Android phones have never been as impressive as they are today. They have never been as responsive, as slim or as powerful. Their displays have never been more vivid or more stunning. Their data speeds have never been as fast. Competition is now hotter than ever before in the smartphone market and consumers are reaping the benefits. At its core, each and every new smartphone that launches is an engineering feat that simply could not have existed a few short years ago. And yet as amazing as the current crop of smartphones might be, there has probably never been a worse time in Android’s brief but storied history for savvy users to buy a smartphone.

Read more....

Mr E · 23-03-2012 8:04am

Makes perfect sense. My contract is up in May (coming from a Desire HD), so happy days...

evolutionqy7 · 23-03-2012 9:01am

Its never a good time to buy an Android phone. Its the wild jungle. Some one will have a new phone or better specs the day you buy yours

vicM · 23-03-2012 9:08am

evolutionqy7 wrote: »

Its never a good time to buy an Android phone. Its the wild jungle. Some one will have a new phone or better specs the day you buy yours

Spot on..bought my SGS2 at launch and finding it hard to envy any other phone

godtabh · 23-03-2012 9:09am

evolutionqy7 wrote: »

Its never a good time to buy an Android phone. Its the wild jungle. Some one will have a new phone or better specs the day you buy yours

As with all technology it gets outdated as son as you buy it!

cormie · 23-03-2012 9:25am

I'm still very happy with my desire, does everything I need it to and more. The size is perfect and the "real" buttons and track pad are brilliant. However, it's suffering from a major bug which I can't find any info on google of how to fix, I'm not sure if it's every android phone and just because I've a lot of contacts (over 2,000) that not many others have experienced it. The bug is basically that you could receive a text from someone, write a reply out, press send and it will have sent to someone else you were recently texting. Very annoying, I've put up with it for about 2 years now, have had the same bug on 2 desires, a few different roms and a few different text apps so I don't know what it could be

Maybe just the phone itself!

Any new phones out that are like the desire with real buttons and that trackpad which I find invaluable?

evolutionqy7 · 23-03-2012 10:02am

godtabh wrote: »

evolutionqy7 wrote: »

Its never a good time to buy an Android phone. Its the wild jungle. Some one will have a new phone or better specs the day you buy yours

As with all technology it gets outdated as son as you buy it!

Yeah but you don't care half as much about upgrading your tv or home cinema.

Where as its a bit worse with the phone as you use it quite a lot every day.

Any time I plan to purchase an Android handset I always in my mind find some handsets that should be coming out and sort of delay myself from purchasing, cause I know something better is going to be around the corner in a month or two.

Bad Panda · 23-03-2012 10:09am

The article doesn't really state (with any new insight) as to why it's the worst time to buy an Android phone except to say that better technology will be out in 6-12 months time.

Like we don't know that. :rolleyes:

Besides, even if the tech is better in 6 months time, it's hardly going to be so good as to render, for example, the HTC One X obsolete.

bandit197 · 23-03-2012 10:17am

My upgrade is due in two weeks, I go on a monthly rolling contract after that.

I'll have to avoid phone shops for a couple of months until the Galaxy S III is revealed or Ill be home with the HTC One X. Not saying that's a bad thing, looks to be a great phone but need to see what Samsung come up with first.

Jarren · 23-03-2012 12:49pm

cormie wrote: »

I'm still very happy with my desire, does everything I need it to and more. The size is perfect and the "real" buttons and track pad are brilliant. However, it's suffering from a major bug which I can't find any info on google of how to fix, I'm not sure if it's every android phone and just because I've a lot of contacts (over 2,000) that not many others have experienced it. The bug is basically that you could receive a text from someone, write a reply out, press send and it will have sent to someone else you were recently texting. Very annoying, I've put up with it for about 2 years now, have had the same bug on 2 desires, a few different roms and a few different text apps so I don't know what it could be Maybe just the phone itself!

Any new phones out that are like the desire with real buttons and that trackpad which I find invaluable?

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.handcent.nextsms&hl=en

try that and report back if i'ts not working.

Macy0161 · 23-03-2012 12:52pm

What price will, say the SIII, be at launch? Compared to the SII which you can get for free on a €30 a month contract now. Technology always moves fast, but that doesn't mean that the existing one is obsolete.

kart · 23-03-2012 1:01pm

evolutionqy7 wrote: »

Its never a good time to buy an Android phone. Its the wild jungle. Some one will have a new phone or better specs the day you buy yours

Yep, its neverending.
But in all fairness...why do we buy these things? Its not cos of having 'newer than neighbour has'. Its for all the other reasons. At least for most people. For all the things we fancy and like in new ones.
SO the fact that there is new one out every week, should not make much difference really.

Most people don not use everything androids offer. And every new android is not upgraded a lot in all of the things either. So everyone knows when is the time to upgrade their own android according to what they use in it.

(ps i know u were with a bite of sarcasm)

Professey Chin · 23-03-2012 1:04pm

Macy0161 wrote: »

What price will, say the SIII, be at launch? Compared to the SII which you can get for free on a €30 a month contract now. Technology always moves fast, but that doesn't mean that the existing one is obsolete.

Sim free im betting between 550-600.
One X is the main phone on my hitlist atm. Only think thats bothering me is the sealed battery so Im gonna wait to see how the battery is before jumping

Atomic Pineapple · 23-03-2012 1:30pm

evolutionqy7 wrote: »

Yeah but you don't care half as much about upgrading your tv or home cinema.

Where as its a bit worse with the phone as you use it quite a lot every day.

Any time I plan to purchase an Android handset I always in my mind find some handsets that should be coming out and sort of delay myself from purchasing, cause I know something better is going to be around the corner in a month or two.

Same as with any type of handsets really not just Android ones, Windows Phone will see the same, iPhones are slight exceptions in that there's no competition apart from waiting for the next iteration but still people have to make a choice on buying a 4S now or wait to see news of the 5.

cormie · 23-03-2012 1:33pm

Jarren wrote: »

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.handcent.nextsms&hl=en

try that and report back if i'ts not working.

Cheers, have tried stock sms, handscent, go sms on different roms and all had the same problem. Sticking with GO SMS at the moment for other reasons but they all seem to have the same problem.

Saadyst · 23-03-2012 1:55pm

cormie wrote: »

I'm still very happy with my desire, does everything I need it to and more. The size is perfect and the "real" buttons and track pad are brilliant. However, it's suffering from a major bug which I can't find any info on google of how to fix, I'm not sure if it's every android phone and just because I've a lot of contacts (over 2,000) that not many others have experienced it. The bug is basically that you could receive a text from someone, write a reply out, press send and it will have sent to someone else you were recently texting. Very annoying, I've put up with it for about 2 years now, have had the same bug on 2 desires, a few different roms and a few different text apps so I don't know what it could be Maybe just the phone itself!

Any new phones out that are like the desire with real buttons and that trackpad which I find invaluable?

Thought this was a major issue that Google fixed?

http://www.engadget.com/2010/12/31/android-still-has-horrible-text-messaging-bugs-thatll-get-you-f/

http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/21/nexus-s-ota-2-3-2-update-rolling-out-now-your-sms-relations-wil/

Jarren · 23-03-2012 1:57pm

or this

If you have over 1000 texts in a conversation that possibly could happen but i have had 3-4 people each with over 1000 and i have not seen it happen. With 1000 or more texts in a conversation the only thing i have seen is it takes a bit longer to delete the thread.
The issue with the "sending to the wrong person" especially in two different texting apps, boils down to errors in your contact list (address book)......there are wrong entries in there.
Both the phone texting app and handcent both use your contacts list/ address book to send emails, texts or make phone calls.
When you have alot of texts going your phone may be gettings the contact mixed up because the same number or name is on two different contact cards (duplicate contacts).
What or Why would this happen? When you enter info onto a contact card, you put it where you want. Usually no issues with this part unless you just not paying attention and putting it all on the wrong contact.
The common way this happens is after your contacts are all set up or brought over to the phone................"and Then".....you SYNC the phone.
The sync process willl create duplicate contacts, make new contacts with info and wrong info at that. You will get one persons nunber with another persons name and vise versa.
There is no way two different texting apps will give you this issue unless there is issues with your contact list. Your contacts list needs a going thru and fixed. Each contact card needs to be checked, edited and corrected as needed. Delete all duplicate contacts, dont keep any duplicates at all.
FYI - The contacts list is your address book which is used by the phone to send texts, emails, make calls and whatever else you need the contact info for.
When you set up your contacts you can do all kinds of numbers for each contacts so fill those in for each contact on that single card.Most entries you can do multiple entries for each phone, email.
When you connect your phone to your computer, set your phone so that the primary connection is data that way it wont automatically do the sync. Everytime it syncs you will end up redoing or fixing your contact list (its a real pain doing that each time).
No other reason two different programs will give you this same issue, its definetly not a phone issue......its just the contact list.

http://community.htc.com/na/htc-forums/android/f/107/t/12961.aspx?PageIndex=3

cormie · 23-03-2012 3:18pm

Thanks guys, but I don't think either of them relate to me. My phone is currently running CM7 7.1.0-Desire on Android 2.3.7 which I believe to be much newer than the bug fix roll out described above.

With regards contacts, I have a lot of contacts, but generally delete all text messages as soon as they are responded to. If Jarren texts me asking what time the cinema is and I don't know until I get home, I'll wait till I get home, reply and then delete the whole conversation, if in the mean time Saadyst has sent me a text I might then reply to him, but even after I've deleted the thread with Jarren, it may still go to Jarren when I wrote it in the thread of Saddyst. It only happens with people I've recently texted so a text would never somehow go to someone I hadn't texted in months and there's no pattern either in that a text meant for Saadyst always goes to Jarren, it just so happens that Jarren was someone I was recently texting.

My phone book is kept in quite an OCD manner, each contact has one number only, so I'd have 3 different contacts for Jarren if I have his mobile, home and work number, saved as Jarren Mobile, Jarren Home and Jarren Work, they wouldn't all be under the one contact card along with his email and postal address info etc. Each contact has the country code also, again all very well organised, so +353, +44 in front of each relative number, when I'm asking somebody for their phone number, I'd usually have +3538 already typed before they say 08. All my contacts are saved in a sub group in Gmail, only contacts with phone numbers are in this group, over 2,200 contacts, then I have another sub group for another set of numbers where there's 50 numbers (some of these are the same contact as the other group and I just have two groups ticked on their contact card) and then an "ungrouped" one where I currenty have 11 gtalk/g+ contacts who have email addresses. There's no duplicates anywhere and I keep a close eye on my contact list as I use it for customer referencing etc also. I do have over 1,000 contacts whose names begin with VTA but again I can't see this being the cause as it happens between contacts of any name.

I don't sync contacts when connected with my PC, they all just sync to gmail and I can see them from there. Maybe it's a bug within all androids but only shows its face when you have a high number of contacts

Nothingbetter2d · 23-03-2012 3:19pm

vicM wrote: »

Spot on..bought my SGS2 at launch and finding it hard to envy any other phone

except maybe the sgs3 perhaps :P

Jarren · 23-03-2012 3:57pm

cormie wrote: »

Thanks guys, but I don't think either of them relate to me. My phone is currently running CM7 7.1.0-Desire on Android 2.3.7 which I believe to be much newer than the bug fix roll out described above.

With regards contacts, I have a lot of contacts, but generally delete all text messages as soon as they are responded to. If Jarren texts me asking what time the cinema is and I don't know until I get home, I'll wait till I get home, reply and then delete the whole conversation, if in the mean time Saadyst has sent me a text I might then reply to him, but even after I've deleted the thread with Jarren, it may still go to Jarren when I wrote it in the thread of Saddyst. It only happens with people I've recently texted so a text would never somehow go to someone I hadn't texted in months and there's no pattern either in that a text meant for Saadyst always goes to Jarren, it just so happens that Jarren was someone I was recently texting.

My phone book is kept in quite an OCD manner, each contact has one number only, so I'd have 3 different contacts for Jarren if I have his mobile, home and work number, saved as Jarren Mobile, Jarren Home and Jarren Work, they wouldn't all be under the one contact card along with his email and postal address info etc. Each contact has the country code also, again all very well organised, so +353, +44 in front of each relative number, when I'm asking somebody for their phone number, I'd usually have +3538 already typed before they say 08. All my contacts are saved in a sub group in Gmail, only contacts with phone numbers are in this group, over 2,200 contacts, then I have another sub group for another set of numbers where there's 50 numbers (some of these are the same contact as the other group and I just have two groups ticked on their contact card) and then an "ungrouped" one where I currenty have 11 gtalk/g+ contacts who have email addresses. There's no duplicates anywhere and I keep a close eye on my contact list as I use it for customer referencing etc also. I do have over 1,000 contacts whose names begin with VTA but again I can't see this being the cause as it happens between contacts of any name.

I don't sync contacts when connected with my PC, they all just sync to gmail and I can see them from there. Maybe it's a bug within all androids but only shows its face when you have a high number of contacts

Nope

Well the news is that it has a major bug that hasn't been fixed in your case.

Statement from Google.

Thanks to everyone for your patience while we've been investigating these reports. As it turns out, we believe there are two distinct situations being discussed on this issue chain. Fortunately, we have fixes for both of them.

When some users tap to open a message in the Messaging application, they're seeing a different message appear instead. We don't believe this issue is affecting many users, but we've developed a fix that we're preparing to deploy. Of course, double-checking the displayed message before hitting "Send" will prevent any messages from being sent to the wrong recipients. We've found in testing this issue, it is more likely to occur if you tap on a message before the Messaging app is fully loaded, so we recommend waiting for all the elements to load before clicking on the message you want to display.

Separately, some users have reported that their SMS messages are being delivered to the wrong people. It took us some time to reproduce this issue, as it appears that it's only occurring very rarely. Even so, we've now managed to both reproduce it and develop a fix that we will deploy.

While we don't anticipate any persistent problems, we'll continue to investigate in case we come up with additional ways to trigger these bugs. Thanks again for helping us improve Android.

http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=9392&cnum=500&cstart=1401#c1460

email google and ask them what is the latest update on the matter.

cormie · 23-03-2012 4:22pm

That's still more than a year old, so maybe it's fixed for everyone but me

I popped a mail to the thread owner anyway so maybe I'll hear something back but I'm guessing I'll just be stuck with this problem

vicM · 23-03-2012 4:35pm

Nothingbetter2d wrote: »

except maybe the sgs3 perhaps :P

Probably, but im hearing rumours of a sealed battery and non-expandable memory, of course they are just rumours but..;)

manual_man · 23-03-2012 4:59pm

New phones will always have a higher spec, but it's debatable how much this is actually relevant with modern high spec phones when used on a day to day basis. Personally I don't think there's a better time to buy an Android phone, Samsung, Sony Ericsson and HTC have all come out with crackers lately. Apps and development have come on a long way, and (unless you have a pretty old phone) we'll all be getting ICS upgrades soon. Not a good time to buy Android? Pfft

killbillvol2 · 23-03-2012 5:03pm

Cormie, I probably have upwards of 2000 separate pieces of contact data but if I have 5 different numbers for one person they're under one entry. I've never had an issue like yours. Maybe a reorganisation would fix it for you?

cormie · 23-03-2012 5:19pm

I don't see how it would make a difference really, I mean even if I trimmed the contacts who I have a few numbers for into the one entry, I'd still have over 2,000 contacts anyway.

Had just deleted a message from someone and got a new message off someone else, when I opened up the new message, the title of the thread was the other person

tok9 · 24-03-2012 10:19am

Half thinking of getting a new phone, Whats the best on the market at the moment? Galaxy Nexus?

Edit - Looking at the phones I want. The nexus and Galaxy S2 look like the obvious choices. Anyone any opinions?

A bit off topic but I'm guessing it'd be safe to get it in a vodafone store and use it with meteor since they both sell the phone? Reason is because someone is due an upgrade.

Mr E · 24-03-2012 11:46am

If you can wait a month (HTC) or two (Samsung), you can get a next generation phone, rather than regret it by buying now.

cup of tea · 24-03-2012 11:51am

cormie wrote: »

The bug is basically that you could receive a text from someone, write a reply out, press send and it will have sent to someone else you were recently texting

If you had 2 women on the go, that bug could land you in very hot water!

cormie · 24-03-2012 11:54am

Plenty more scenarios it could get you in deep trouble too, dodgy bug for some alright!

tok9 · 24-03-2012 12:08pm

Mr E wrote: »

If you can wait a month (HTC) or two (Samsung), you can get a next generation phone, rather than regret it by buying now.

I'll be waiting anyway, turns out the person has to get a different plan if they wanted to upgrade.

Any phone in particular coming out soon? I'd probably get one before or at the start of June.

manual_man · 24-03-2012 12:11pm

tok9 wrote: »

Mr E wrote: »

If you can wait a month (HTC) or two (Samsung), you can get a next generation phone, rather than regret it by buying now.

I'll be waiting anyway, turns out the person has to get a different plan if they wanted to upgrade.

Any phone in particular coming out soon? I'd probably get one before or at the start of June.

you're best looking at the Samsung, HTC, and Sony Ericsson sites. they should give you an idea of what's coming out

Now is the worst time ever to buy an Android phone

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