smartphone demand flagging suddenly?

[lektrode]

interesting story here on samsung:
JPMorgan Cuts Estimates on Galaxy S4

Orders for the S4 smartphone, which went on sale last month, are slowing on weak demand in Europe that may impact profit margins, analysts led by JJ Park said in a report dated yesterday, citing supply chain checks. JPMorgan cut its share-price estimate for Samsung by 9.5 percent to 1.9 million won and lowered its 2013 earnings estimates by 9 percent.


“Compared to S3, S4 had stronger momentum in the first quarter of launch,” the analysts wrote, affirming their overweight rating on the stock. “But the following quarter’s shipment is expected to be disappointing and its peak-quarter number seems way below our previous estimates.”

and since i've reached the point where i need to replace my trusty and dumb lg6100 (after snaggin 5or6 of em on ebay for 25bux each after breaking/dunking them) - am wanting to get a smart phone - one that will work well with gps/mapping apps (goog earth etc)

any recommendations?

the S3 seems like its still a good bet (esp since its now last years hot model and i'm inclined to lag the bleeding edge on stuff like this)

any input here appreciated.

[vt]

Re: smartphone demand flagging suddenly?

I had a Samsung Galaxy big screen; traded it for an IPhone 5.

[dcarrigg]

Re: smartphone demand flagging suddenly?

Lek, if you're into saving dough (and I know so many of us here are), you might want to check out Republic Wireless. It's a new carrier. But it runs $19/mo unlimited voice/data/texting without a contract once you buy their motorola defy android smartphone deal (at least it's water/dust resistant). Makes calls through VOIP on wifi when you're around wifi you use and uses Sprint when not.

Only snags are 1) there's only the one phone choice, 2) picture messages don't work, but you can still send pictures through email and facebook, 3) you're running at 3G speeds, which seem fast enough to me, but I never had a smartphone before, and 4) they offer numbers with area codes in 48 states...but HI and NH are the two you can't get, and I know those places matter to you.

That said, the phone will work in HI and NH. So it really only matters if people who still use long distance on landlines call you with some regularity.

But I literally went from having two old flip phones from Verizon on a family plan with just minutes and texting for $1,400 per year to two smart phones with unlimited talk and data for $450 per year.

Can't beat it.

[shiny!]

Re: smartphone demand flagging suddenly?

Lek, if you're into saving dough (and I know so many of us here are), you might want to check out Republic Wireless. It's a new carrier. But it runs $19/mo unlimited voice/data/texting without a contract once you buy their motorola defy android smartphone deal (at least it's water/dust resistant). Makes calls through VOIP on wifi when you're around wifi you use and uses Sprint when not.

Only snags are 1) there's only the one phone choice, 2) picture messages don't work, but you can still send pictures through email and facebook, 3) you're running at 3G speeds, which seem fast enough to me, but I never had a smartphone before, and 4) they offer numbers with area codes in 48 states...but HI and NH are the two you can't get, and I know those places matter to you.

That said, the phone will work in HI and NH. So it really only matters if people who still use long distance on landlines call you with some regularity.

But I literally went from having two old flip phones from Verizon on a family plan with just minutes and texting for $1,400 per year to two smart phones with unlimited talk and data for $450 per year.

Can't beat it.

Ting.com is another good no-plan carrier (did I hear that from you originally?). You only pay $6/mth per phone, then only pay for what you use. First 100 minutes per month are an additional $3, first 100 texts per month are $3, first 100 MB data are $3... If you don't use much you don't pay much.

I'm thinking of breaking down and getting a cellphone, just to have in the car for emergencies. Ting's plan would be perfect for that. The only problem is Ting uses Sprint which doesn't cover AZ very well.

[Milton Kuo]

Re: smartphone demand flagging suddenly?

Lek, if you're into saving dough (and I know so many of us here are), you might want to check out Republic Wireless. It's a new carrier. But it runs $19/mo unlimited voice/data/texting without a contract once you buy their motorola defy android smartphone deal (at least it's water/dust resistant). Makes calls through VOIP on wifi when you're around wifi you use and uses Sprint when not.

Only snags are 1) there's only the one phone choice, 2) picture messages don't work, but you can still send pictures through email and facebook, 3) you're running at 3G speeds, which seem fast enough to me, but I never had a smartphone before, and 4) they offer numbers with area codes in 48 states...but HI and NH are the two you can't get, and I know those places matter to you.

That said, the phone will work in HI and NH. So it really only matters if people who still use long distance on landlines call you with some regularity.

But I literally went from having two old flip phones from Verizon on a family plan with just minutes and texting for $1,400 per year to two smart phones with unlimited talk and data for $450 per year.

Can't beat it.

Wow, this is a really good price. Thanks for sharing. If it weren't for the fact that my phone is paid for by my employer, I'd definitely sign up with these guys. ~$20/month for unlimited usage was what I said was a perfectly reasonable price years ago to those who listened to my complaints about the high cost of cellular phone service. Good to see someone agrees.

On the matter of people who still make long distance phone calls from land lines, if anyone on iTulip is still doing this or has friends/family that do, I'd recommend they sign up for a free Google Voice account. You can make free long distance phone calls in the U.S. (and Canada, I think) even if you don't have a computer. Interestingly, you can also make and receive phone calls even if you don't have a phone. Google talked about charging for this service a few years ago but as of yet, it's still free. In my opinion, Google Voice is one of the most useful services that Google offers.

[charliebrown]

Re: smartphone demand flagging suddenly?

I'm using tracPhone. I bought an lg 800 which is a dumb phone with a touch screen. I can call or send texts and run some other simple apps on it like calculator, camera, notepad etc. I pay $19 for three months and that give you 60 minutes. The phone I bought from e-bay cost me $20.00 and comes with a plan that triples those minute cards from 60 for three months to 180. Minute cards can be bought on line to avoid the hastle of buying them at a retail store. If you do this the pin comes to you in your e-mail. The only time I really use my phone is to call my wife/friends to tell them where I am. 180 minutes in 3 months is plenty enough minutes for that. In fact I have built up a surplus of 600 minutes.

[charliebrown]

Re: smartphone demand flagging suddenly?

For those of you who are scared to use the internet for calling. And I mean people who don't have broadband or feel more comfortable plugging a phone into a jack
and that is all there is to it, (think about your parents, grand-parents etc), or don't want to set up google voice etc. I use pioneer telephone long distance. 2.7c per minute long distance, no minium. I have had nothing but excellent service from these folks for over 5 years. Intra state long distance is also very competitive.

[c1ue]

Re: smartphone demand flagging suddenly?

If you don't want to spend a lot of money on the hardware, you can buy a used, 2 year old smartphone for $100 to $150.

You still have to pay for service though - that's not cheap. Smartphone data generally adds $30-50/month.

If you haven't used a smartphone before, there isn't really a concrete benefit to getting a late model one. I'd suggest getting an older one to test out before committing for a big purchase.

I personally use an EVO 4G Shift - this phone is only 2 years old (released January 2011), but I managed to buy a used one for only $120 in late 2011 (same year!).

The data speeds - they matter mostly for serious internet browsing or map use.

[shiny!]

Re: smartphone demand flagging suddenly?

For those of you who are scared to use the internet for calling. And I mean people who don't have broadband or feel more comfortable plugging a phone into a jack
and that is all there is to it, (thing about your parents, grand-parents etc), or don't want to set up google voice etc. I use pioneer telephone long distance. 2.7c per minute long distance, no minium. I have had nothing but excellent service from these folks for over 5 years. Intra state long distance is also very competitive, in

+1 for Pioneer long distance. I used them totally trouble-free for many years. Make sure you put a PICC Freeze on your phone line so you never get slammed by a fly-by-night l.d. carrier.

But I can go one better than Pioneer: My AT&T Long Distance phone card. Bought it about 20 years ago and recharge as needed. It's 3 cents/minute and I don't need to have long distance access on my land line account. Eliminating the Federal Long Distance Access and Interstate Service fees on my monthly phone bill saves me over $8/mth. I make so few calls, it doesn't make sense to pay those fees.

Google Voice is free, but how private is it? I don't like the idea of Google having access to my phone records.

[shiny!]

Re: smartphone demand flagging suddenly?

If you don't want to spend a lot of money on the hardware, you can buy a used, 2 year old smartphone for $100 to $150.

You still have to pay for service though - that's not cheap. Smartphone data generally adds $30-50/month.

If you haven't used a smartphone before, there isn't really a concrete benefit to getting a late model one. I'd suggest getting an older one to test out before committing for a big purchase.

I personally use an EVO 4G Shift - this phone is only 2 years old (released January 2011), but I managed to buy a used one for only $120 in late 2011 (same year!).

The data speeds - they matter mostly for serious internet browsing or map use.

What's the cheapest type of phone and data speed that would let me view maps? The only time I'd need a cellphone is if my car breaks down or if i get lost and want to see a map. Ting has some non-smart phones that they say can access the web, but I have my doubts as to how usable they might be in that regard. And they use Sprint, which is patchy service around here at best.

[pianodoctor]

Re: smartphone demand flagging suddenly?

By coincidence I've been comparing plans this past weekend. Check out the Smart Talk prepaid plans from Walmart. Unlimited talk, text and data for $45 month prepaid. Same coverage as the majors- on the same equipment. Buy 180 days at a time and it's even cheaper. The only reason I'm not doing it is I can't port my land line number over. If you want to port your number over, you have to get on a plan for at least twice the price, grrrr. Of course this Walmart plan is for people who really want to use a smart phone for all it can do. If you don't need all the bells and whistles and don't yak a lot there are cheaper ways to get basic cell service. Like I buy $100 worth of time, prepaid, for a cell phone I have. This would give up to about 400 minutes max ($0.25/minute) and you have 1 year to use it up. I use far less than that. So basically I'm paying $100/year for basic cell phone and yakking less than half what I'm paying for. You can use some smart phones with that plan, but you can't do everything with them you could do with a data plan.

[Thailandnotes]

Re: smartphone demand flagging suddenly?

I’ve always been suspicious about how much phones cost after I paid 19 dollars for a Verizon USB modem on ebay. Verizon wanted 200 dollars for the exact same, or you could have it for “free” with a 2-year contract.

Awhile back I read an article saying 20 % of smart phone owners don’t have a contract. It will be interesting to watch the locked phone - 1 or 2 year contracts crumble if VOIP can ever pull a real end-run around the big phone companies.

Republic Wireless reviewed

http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2013/...artphone-plan/

Freedompop…wikipedia

Eventually FreedomPop intends to offer all Americans free Internet after it switches to Sprint 3G/4G/LTE service in 2013.[7] …The added Sprint coverage will include 3G and 4G networks with the added LTE sometime later in the year. [9]

FreedomPop's business plan is to provide a base amount of data (500MB) to users for free, sell excess data at the rate of $0.01-$0.02 per megabyte, and allow users to trade unused data capacities with each other on a social network. FreedomPop will also sell wireless accessories.[10] Tony Miller, FreedomPop's vice president of marketing, believes that 10-15% of users will opt for premium plans.[11] This freemium revenue model is similar to that of Dropbox and Spotify,

[shiny!]

Re: smartphone demand flagging suddenly?

Here's some less-than-happy customer reviews of Republic Wireless:

http://www.clarkhoward.com/videos/cl...ss-deal/vFmkM/

[lektrode]

Re: smartphone demand flagging suddenly?

Here's some less-than-happy customer reviews of Republic Wireless:

http://www.clarkhoward.com/videos/cl...ss-deal/vFmkM/

Do not ever expect to be able to use this service as you would any other cell phone provider. It is likely not to work when you need it most.

There is a huge list of issues beyond not being able to make calls.

I could go on and on. Dismiss what I say here at your own risk. Do not believe the marketing hype of low cost and "unlimited" usage. Do not EVER rely on a Republic Wireless phone to work in an emergency situation. Ever!

that one kinda says it all...
altho i'd imagine their service works better in some places than others - eh, dc? (assuming they perty good in the ole nynex area?)

but since my celtel is my biz 'lifeline', not sure i'd ever want to dump verizon - esp since i travel a lot from my home/office and need the vzw service on a daily basis for car/plane reservations/checkin/boardpass etc, mat'l/eqpt purchase, mfr info downloads (never mind the daily fix of 'tulip ;)

have also had a taste of others - who shall remain nameless - and found their coverage and/or custserv less than adequate

that said, after running contractless for the past several years, i'm less than inclined to go for the 'free' phone - that req's a 2year lockup - and mr c1ue's suggestion seems best way to go - look for last years 'must have' units on ebay

but for mapping/gps, does anybody have any insight/opinions on whether the i-phone is better at this vs the androids ?

am specifically referring to being out n about and needing info on location/directions with commerce-oriented overlay - ie: am in such n such location and need to find where the nearest place is to get something, or who's got the best pizza and sells it by the slice - or even: which route is all choked up with traffic and whats best way to avoid it....

and/or: out mtn biking (in a cel-enabled area) and want to get some idea of how steep the terrain ahead might be, or how much further it is to the river/lake - and which opsys has the best apps for that?

is it hands-down iphone or do the androids do a better job of interfacing with googles stuff?

and muchos mahalos to all for the input!

[charliebrown]

Re: smartphone demand flagging suddenly?

I just got a freedompop hot spot. So far its working great. I use about 1G / month for e-mail and surfing. This amounts to 10.00 a month for home internet (500MB free + .02$ MB after that). DSL is expensive in my area. $20.00 a month + all of the taxes which I assume will bring the bill closer to 24 - 26 per month. the 4G
wireless also is faster on download then DSL. I'm not sure if the hot spot is tied to my geographic location or not. If it isn't it also means I have internet
anywhere there is coverage. I will have to move the hot spot a few miles away and see if it still connects.

Shiny, I don't know if your area has them, but in the chicago area, we have six county atlases. They come in a spiral bound book for about $30.00. It has every
street in my six county area (which is a lot), and has grid markers and a street index. You don't really need a internet map for most navigation unless you leave your
area a lot. Even then, if it is a planned trip you can print maps off of mapquest and bring them with you. Beats a $30.00/mo+ data plan just to have a map.
I keep one in my car at all times which I got at a garage sale for $3.00, and have one at home.

Another handy thing to have is a GPS, you can pick up a used one for 20-30 bucks that has crude maps, but best of all if you are broken down and don't
know where you are, you can call and give exact coordinates of where you are.