yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Epic 4G General] gTen:
That is exactly the point, I wish more companies exploited targeting niche markets because there is demand. The biggest issue has to do with demographics. People who like keyboard phones are willing to spend more then those that like slates but they expect to have top of the line features. I remember buying my TP2 for 350$ on contract. This is why the Epic did so well. Epic may have done even better if it was a world phone to get more professionals on board that travel.

Right now I am trying to get a new kb phone and am trying to decide between the photon Q and the mach. Initially photon q is suppose to be the high end option but personally I am having a hard time justifying one over the other. That is how close those 2 are to me.

So yes, to keyboard phone users, things like SD cards, removable batteries, big batteries and not embedded sims are important. because think logically, we are carrying around an extra keyboard because we tend to spend more time interacting with our phones for professional reasons. If we are going as far as carrying a keyboard over all these slates, that means we as users are much more picky. The photon Q is sadly a mid range phone with a high price tag.

But also I think it is brand based, cause I saw Optimus G going for 120$ preorder on wirefly so I think depending on brand can effect the price too.

Oh and I am all for a 4.5" slider with minimum 720p resolution and an A15 processor ;)
[Epic 4G General] Effsi:
on the fence, looks like note 2 is now my top choice. played with it in store and it wasn't too bad despite me being rather compact myself.
[Epic 4G General] xboxfanj:
I'm thinking Optimus G. It looks like the best phone out as long as the bootloader can be cracked.
[Epic 4G General] MeetFace:
I haven't been able to stop wanting the Note II since the first time I played with it, despite and because of its amazing size.

So much to love about the N2
[Epic 4G General] jworkcoo:
Thinking about getting the Note 2 or leave Sprint and get the Nexus 4 off contract.
[Epic 4G General] dbpaddler:
Nexus 4 and Straight Talk for $45/mo. But I couldn't deal with an embedded battery and no card expansion. I picked up a 64gb SanDisk for $40. I pretty much have my laptop on my phone.

I'd love to see a convertible lapdock ala the Lenovo Yoga so I could ditch my laptop for good. Dual view on the lapdock would be enough to satisfy my multitasking needs while on the road.

Sent from your 18yr old daughter's room

---------- Post added at 10:46 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:41 AM ----------

All you Nexus 4 and Optimus G people, enjoy your embedded battery and lack of removable storage. Bad enough you have to give up the productive keyboard to get a good phone, but to get a crippled slate? No thanks.

Sent from your 18yr old daughter's room
[Epic 4G General] xboxfanj:
To be honest, 32 gb is 2x more than I have now so that doesn't really matter too much to me. I don't see myself going beyond that. The battery, I don't like that it's embedded, but I would rather an embedded battery than a slick, cheap plastic-esque feel. Keyboard I would prefer not to give up, but I can't take the awful battery life I have on my epic and the new keyboard phones are not high end, so I can't just wait for a new one since my epic can't last a whole school day with minimal use.
[Epic 4G General] omair2005:
Samsung s3, 98¢, yes cents, at Sam's Club on black Friday!!!
[Epic 4G General] jworkcoo:
I doubt that this will be a upgrade price
[Epic 4G General] dbpaddler:
Always find it funny people still equate the use of plastic to being cheap. The same tired argument was there with the evo and the epic. Owning the Note 2 and S3, neither feels cheap, to me. But I actually enjoy the build quality of the Epic over the Evo as well and owned both phones. We all have preferences of course, just don't see the need to slam it like that.

Sent from your 18yr old daughter's room
[Epic 4G General] omair2005:
Ppl have went in and asked the reps and they said it works for upgrades too! Slickdeals
[Epic 4G General] Effsi:
exactly how I felt.

As much as I wanted to love the nexus 4 and opt g I don't think I can handle the lack of sd. I'm already slammed for space on my epic with a 16gb card in it, 32gb in theory should be enough for me but I rather have the option of carrying more media on me. my main three concerns about the note are the lack of svdo (altho I am already used to that), size (after handling doesn't seem as bad as I thought), and lack of a dedicated camera button.

s3 would be my second choice atm which atleast has svdo and a more normal size, but still lacks the camera button and superior screen+processor+batterylife.
[Epic 4G General] omair2005:
For 98¢ you can't go wrong with the S3..
[Epic 4G General] dbpaddler:
I own the Note2 and S3. Battery life on both have been great under heavy use. I work in some signal challenged areas and the improved roaming has been a plus, and still being able to swap a battery if need be is still key. For me, I go by what is minimally acceptable and what do I really want. When I had the Photon Q, I really wanted to keep my keyboard. But knowing how my battery drains (on any phone including the iphone 4s I brought with me to comparison test), I can't deal with an embedded battery. Even squeaking by the day without the battery dying, I was still left with an almost empty battery to carry me through the evening, turning off data, charging with a battery pack and all the other inconveniences. I really don't get the concept. The qHD screen to me was also below my minimally acceptable threshold. HD on the S3 and Note 2 are above that threshold. So while not having the higher PPI of the LG, I'm still in a happy place, especially coming from WVGA. Streaming Netflix looks phenom on both phones and text is crisp even when small. In the end, you just have to weigh the pros and cons while balancing what you really need and what you want.

I hate to sound like a Samsung fanboy, but with HTC, Motorola and LG hopping on the embedded bandwagon, I'll remain in Sammy's camp. Taking away my options is never a way to win me over. Heck, Moto embeds but the user doesn't even see a benefit. If an embedded battery takes up less room than a removable, give me the bigger battery, not the slimmer case. They want us to do more on our phones yet don't give us the proper tools to do it with.

Plus the universal design of the S3 and Note 2 give me more hope of better accessories down the road. The hdmi dock for them is pretty sweet, and if you can get it for $50, it is great to keep in the work and travel bag.
[Epic 4G General] ashamir:
XDA, what do we think about the HTC One X+?

AT&T recently announced its upcoming release and while it has nonremovable battery (an issue I used to think I cared about but never utilize on the Epic), it comes with 64GB of built in storage. I hear the screen rivals or even bests the S3 screen.

I am eager to move on from the Epic and I've held out about as long as I can!
[Epic 4G General] xboxfanj:
The screen is good, but I dislike the tegra processor, especially since its worse than the evolte and gs3's s4 and gnote2s exynos4 and the optimus g's processor. Tegra is also a bit annoying to develop for. Also, 1gb ram is a bit weak these days. Htc's build quality is nice, but 1gb ram is not enough to handle sense's resource heavy ui.
[Epic 4G General] jworkcoo:
Looks like this will be my next phone then...lol I'm still unable to verify if they will have it available for Sprint....I hope so though.

Edit: Spoke to Sam's Club and they will have the Sprint GS3's for 96 cents...I'm upgrading my membership to plus for only $16 and that will allow me to have access to a VIP event this Sunday from 8-10pm in which they will have the phones. Hopefully if all goes well, I will be saying so long to our faithful epic.
[Epic 4G General] XxLostSoulxX:
Optimus G is From LG and even phonearena said its just lacking in areas where it could have potential and grow. And I agree, look at N4 already looks bad from hardware wise especially battery.

Or if you want T-Mobile, the N4 is GSM so yeah! T-Mobile's 3g network that hits on avg 6 to 15Mbps is pretty good faster than wimaxx and lte from sprint in most areas.

I think most phones now are not going to implement the camera button anymore. And I hear you I have a 32Gb card that has about a few gigs left.

SVDO I forgot what that means.???

I hate it because when a phone freezes I like to be able to turn it off easily by REMOVING the battery lol. 64Gb is actually nice for onboard. It uses SLCD3 I believe.

I'm waiting to see the HTC BUTTERFLY. Not the J that's qHD and smaller
[Epic 4G General] dbpaddler:
If you're thinking of going the N4 route on t-mobile, do not buy the t-mob version. Last I read they were not allowing Wifi calling on it. Though I guess it doesn't matter as one could most likely just mod it with the Wifi calling feature of the international version.

Sent from your 18yr old daughter's room
[Epic 4G General] VaderSS:
Physical keyboard and removable battery are not negotiable for me. I can't stand typing on my Kindle Fire, and it is huge in comparison to any phone I will be using. And batteries are consumables. A few months of heavy usage and the difference in life is noticable. At work during the busy times, I always have a 2 batts in chargers and one in the phone, 'cause I know I will go through at least one by mid-day.

Starting to think I will stick with the Epic until developer support dissapears. With TPR 2.21 and V6 Supercharger, I feel like I have a new phone already.
[Epic 4G General] Effsi:
ya the htc evo lte seemed to have a camera button still but the lack of the button is the first thing i noticed once I launched the app. I never use the onscreen to snap my photo. I also use the camera button as a play/pause button when my phones screen is off. sad days...

I don't know what svdo stands for and am too lazy to google it but it allows voice and data on at the same time. like the gsm devices are able to do and the more recent cdma devices. the s3 has it, but the note 2 didn't get it for some reason. the hardware isnt there so it can't be modded in.
[Epic 4G General] ghostrid3r:
^^^ Already committed to this route. Purchased a 16gb N4 during the crazy fire sale on Google play, T-mobile sim stater kit on the way, plan on jumping the Epic SERO ($60 plan) ship in favor for N4 + $30 prepaid 100min/unl text & data. :victory:
[Epic 4G General] DenverScubaSteve:
So, black Friday

Galaxy s3 at sams for $0.96

Or

Galaxy nexus at sprint $0, after rebate

Thoughts on these 2?
[Epic 4G General] zanderman112:
I think my sig speaks for itself lol. Gnex is older, GS3 has better hardware.

Posted by Mr. Z's Galaxy S3.
[Epic 4G General] :
See you in the forums soon Z :D
[Epic 4G General] orlzzt:
I think I'm leaning towards the S3 also. I love the "idea" of the Note2, and I love the quad core processor...but there's no way I can keep that thing in my pants pocket.

(No comments from the peanut gallery, thank you)
[Epic 4G General] MeetFace:
My Note II is absolutely amazing. Loooooove it!

sent from my ginormous Note II
[Epic 4G General] flastnoles11:
Trade in those skinny jeans for something bigger! Lol... jk I feel exactly the same way

Sent from my muffin
[Epic 4G General] ghostrid3r:
deleted
[Epic 4G General] latindor17:
I got the optimus G and I couldn't be happier!! Such a beast of a phone and the boot loader is almost unlocked as well

Sent from my super fast Optimus G!!!
[Epic 4G General] Domminater:
Hey have y'all checked out the Samsung Galaxy S 4 rumours? I feel like, although I've had an upgrade since October, it would be worth it to wait until March 2013 for the most beast phone ever. I mean, I've had the epic for over 2 years already, and it's still going strong. The sgs4 sounds like a mobile juggernaut though.
[Epic 4G General] MeetFace:
If I were a manufacturer, I might strategically not put every bell and whistle on my non flagship Nexus device. That way there's a unique compelling reason to get both the flagship device and the Nexus.

Just my $.02 I think hardware-wise, the Samsung Nexus will not be creme de la creme.

sent from my ginormous Note II
[Epic 4G General] dbpaddler:
What rumors? The only rumor I remember floating around was quickly proven false.
[Epic 4G General] Domminater:
http://m.techradar.com/news/phone-a...samsung-galaxy-s4-what-we-want-to-see-1089523

http://m.christianpost.com/news/sam...-1080p-4-99-inch-super-amoled-display--85084/

http://www.ibtimes.com/samsung-gala...andset-allegedly-revealed-report-korea-857764

http://www.pc-tablet.com/10814-sams...ic-oled-display-generation-galaxy-smartphone/

I've just gathered info from these articles.
[Epic 4G General] dbpaddler:
You missed the point.

The March release date rumors were squelched by Samsung via Twitter. Not doubting what the specs will be. There's always something new on the horizon. Depends how long you want to wait and how much longer you can deal with your current tech. Personally, I really hate typing on screen, even on the big Note 2. I've actually been using my Epic over wifi and doing work on it since I'm still more efficient on the real keyboard than I am with swiftkey and all its screwed up predictions and having to correct and not getting predictions across the board which is really annoying.

If someone would make a good BT keyboard case for the S3, I'd consider selling the Note 2. Now if someone would make a good BT keyboard case for the N2, that would be pretty cool.
[Epic 4G General] orlzzt:
So this 96 cents at Sam'sClub thing...is that a "door buster"?
[Epic 4G General] acegolfer:
I've received my Nexus 4 yesterday and set it up with $30 tmo plan. It's nice but I won't forget the epic4g experience.
[Epic 4G General] omair2005:
First come first served.. you can try pricematching with staples
[Epic 4G General] jeffro18:
Ok, just got my GS3 and charging it up. My wife has had one for several months already. Time to retire this epic to a wifi device for my daughter. Lots of good times on these epic forums even though I have been mainly lurking lately. Hope to see some of you guys on the other side.
[Epic 4G General] omair2005:
got my Verizon S3. Long time coming.. wish everyone the best!!
[Epic 4G General] mark8503:
Got my nexus 4 earlier this week and I just want to tell anyone considering getting one that it will definitely be worth the wait. Beautiful phone, killer specs and its pure Google.
[Epic 4G General] zanderman112:
Has broken USB Host mode :/ (could be software issue though.)

Posted by Mr. Z's Galaxy S3.
[Epic 4G General] tbob18:
I was thinking about getting the S3 for $50, but then realized that voodoo color/sound is not available.. I don't think I could deal with the ~8000k color temperature on that screen.
[Epic 4G General] zanderman112:
I know I personally don't miss voodoo color. This screen is gorgeous. My suggestion is to play around with one in a store. If you're lucky, one of the employees might have one to let you see a non-abused screen lol.

Posted by Mr. Z's Galaxy S3.
[Epic 4G General] tbob18:
Yeah, I guess I just need the ability to adjust the colors as every screen is a little different. I use my phone to view photography occasionally and it needs to be at least moderately accurate.. My Epic is currently pretty close with the help of voodoo color, just about 20-30% over-saturated and the gamma curve is a bit inconsistent.

It is really too bad that Android does not support ICC profiles.
[Epic 4G General] tazfanatic:
Good bye to mine and the wifes Epic

Well I pulled the trigger for me and the wife we both upgraded to the GS3 couldn't pass it up not at 49 bucks. I kept mine as media player / stand alone gps and turned the wife's in. Had to report mine as stolen in order to keep it :( had to spend an additional 50 for each for early "termination" because I was a week away from being eligible. Still saved a 100 bucks for each phone and actually save more cause the wife wanted the Note2 but changed her mind to the GS3. It helped that I am getting her a Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 for Christmas LOL. Anyways thanks to all the GREAT freaking devs here and I hope Kenny release's his ROM soon so I can make that my first one LOL. Of course you know I am going have to look at CM. Any who it has been fun enjoy and I will be around to assist when I can with the newbies. Didn't want to start a thread to say good bye if you want me to I will.
[Epic 4G General] orlzzt:
Got my GS3 today for $50. Really love it so far but I will always have a special place in my heart for my OG Epic...
[Epic 4G General] :
Got the galaxy s3 too huh :D

I got the pebble s3
[Epic 4G General] tazfanatic:
They only had the white where I went.

EDIT:

I am trying to give TW 24 hours to grow on me but it isn't working LOL looks like CM10 here I come!
[Epic 4G General] KennyG123:
Uploading my test version to dev-host now. Couldn't get it to finish booting all night so attacked it with a fresh start this morning. Not as easy as my baby the Epic..but I see you already gave up on TW...lol.
[Epic 4G General] tazfanatic:
LOL d/l now this WILL be my first flash! just trying to figure out "flash counter" i saw some where. Yes all ready rooted as soon as I got home with it last night lol.
[Epic 4G General] XxLostSoulxX:
(Q) Should i get the note 2 or wait for S4

i can wait out for a phone to come out in 2013 and i saw a few articles about the S4 regarding it a possible launch in feb of 2013 or Q2 of 2013.

So as the title states would it be worth to hold out on because i know there is somebody that owns an epic that said he was standing on an upgrade for a year. i would wait 6 months the latest for a newer device. i know there is always something better coming out! thats the industry but i was a little concerned on the fact being in a family plan that results if they wanted to leave i doubt it but if another carrier was cheaper at that point they'd have to wait for me (i.e 6 months) to do so. i wouldn't pay for any early termination fees. Because they always have some time of good deals near for christmas or start of the year Q1 2013, theres going to be something coming thats obviously newer to start the year off.

Possibly even the HTC J 1920x1080p Display, 440ppi, 64GB of Memory, etc... this is in Japan as of right now though.
[Epic 4G General] BloatedDuck404:
Unless your on cdma i dont see why you would install cm10 on a galaxy S3 when you can buy a nexus 4 for half the price.
[Epic 4G General] xboxfanj:
It's on VZW as well as the Droid DNA.
[Epic 4G General] :
The nexus 4 isn't available for Sprint
[Epic 4G General] dbpaddler:
Yeah, who wants a removable battery and expandable storage anyway. And on contract you can get the S3 for a pittance right now. So I'm not seeing the logic.

Sent from your 18yr old daughter's room
[Epic 4G General] XxLostSoulxX:
No there is a htc j which is only like 4" its not the butterfly model with a bigger screen and ppi check out phonearena it'll show you they even did a review on the vzw and mentioned that its not the giant version so yeah
[Epic 4G General] xboxfanj:
The htc j is the one s with a different ui and weaker processor. It is the predecessor to the butterfly.
[Epic 4G General] XxLostSoulxX:
Exactly hence why I said Butterfly and I would like to see that in the states, that one is only Japan as of right now.

MWC 2013 Hopefully S4 would pop up in that event Feb. 2013
[Epic 4G General] steelers_exe:
I just got the GS3 this weekend also, and I was surprised to learn that their version of PA doesn't have a working 4.2 camera and keyboard yet. The phone is awesome, but I'm missing my epic while I'm typing this, haha. Still keeping one of my epics as a media/gaming device though, its been very good to me.
[Epic 4G General] mark8503:
The logic is $45-50 bill with an awesome phone, not to mention no waiting for updates or cyanogen. BTW have actually held one? Solid build, all glass, looks better than an s3 IMO.
[Epic 4G General] dbpaddler:
It wouldn't matter if I held it or took it on a date and made it breakfast the next morning. The phone could be liquid sex, and I could care less if my battery is near death during my work day or I have to rely on the cloud for work files and constantly manage what's on my phone because my storage is so limited. Sorry, but I just don't get the whole trend to become like the iphone. You take an open platform that prides itself on openness and choice and clamp down phone designs by embedding. The funnier thing is you don't even give the consumer any real benefit. The batteries aren't any bigger and the memory isn't any greater. All they did was make the phone thinner, a department where they really weren't hurting.

And I have about 42gb of my 64gb card filled with work files, presentations, pdf's, music, photos and movies. I can pretty much keep all of my work folders synced on my phone from the computer. No reliance on cloud downloading needed except for dropsync to keep things up to date. And when I have a heavy work day and the lack of signal strength is killing the battery, I don't have to tether to a battery pack or outlet.

It's a phone. It serves a purpose. I don't care if it's sexy or benchmarks slightly better, or has a screen with a little more pop. I won't be constantly comparing the two side by side. I don't run benchmarks and need to brag. I need to use my phone and be productive. Not trying to rant, I just don't get the whole whip em' out and compare when people are talking about phones. Overall usefulness wins out over a little faster processor and a slightly better screen.

I really wish someone would make a premium slate again, and I guess I have to say I wish Samsung would because they'd be the only ones to give it a replaceable battery and expandable storage. I still use my Epic when I'm situations I can carry it and know I'll be on wifi. It's funny, when you go back to using the Epic and do some serious typing, you realize how much more productive one can be with a real keyboard.
[Epic 4G General] xboxfanj:
Sd cards are too slow. It takes so long to load all the apps from there on startup and a virtual partition is much faster for that and flashing zips. I wish sd's were faster, but they are too slow and have negatively impacted my experience. As of now though, they are somewhat of a necessity since embedded storage is weak at best. Embedded battery, the only pro I can see for that is that if you drop your phone, the battery won't fall out. I do like being able to battery pull. I wish I didn't have to buy from samsung to get both of these though.
[Epic 4G General] dbpaddler:
16gb on board isn't enough room for your apps?

And I can't complain about your last sentence. It does suck there is no real company choice for phones with a removable battery and expandable storage. I would think that was one of the determining factors for quite a few of us not going with the Photon Q, outside of the low res screen.
[Epic 4G General] mark8503:
Huh? What you said has nothing to do with what I said. Fast updates, cheap bill without a contract and its a good looking phone. I also have no problem with battery life at all.

If you need your phone to do all that then it sounds like you would be better off with a netbook/laptop.
[Epic 4G General] dbpaddler:
you missed the point. In the grand scheme, those features don't really help one be productive with their phone. So it's great if you're happy with the limited storage and charging your phone if you happen to have a rough day with it. A scenario I had the other day. Plugged the phone in overnight to charge. Well the plug was halfway out and the phone didn't charge. Had about 20% left to start my day. I would've been hosed with an embedded battery. It's not the norm, but sh*t does happen.

And for someone that frequents this place, you suggest getting a laptop? Sorry, that just makes zero sense in this day and age. The only time I ever carried my Dell 11z is if I knew I had time to kill. It sits in the car charged most of the time, collecting dust. Do you not get the point of convergence?
[Epic 4G General] mark8503:
No I get the point but like you said it's a phone. I'm just saying if you need a phone with ~80GB of storage then maybe a phone isn't your answer.