yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Epic 4G General] XxLostSoulxX:
My 3 Lines + 1400 Mins + Unlimited Messaging + Unlimited Data + 20% Work Discount As Well = Exactly $196 some change

I have nothing against you im just saying this in General

This is why most people say "Why pay more when you can do the same thing". Seriously So what if you get better coverage here and there; as long as we both make calls and send/receive texts does it make sense to pay more? And the famous oh well they have more phone... And it means they have more to worry about i rather have better support then more choices. There's more to that last part but stil...

Good Luck HAHA, Im sure they deploy more ICS devices 1st
[Epic 4G General] omair2005:
That price is what I'm getting quoted at for verizon.

And google already announced they are releasing it in 4th quarter. Partnering up 5 companies, 5 pure google phones.
[Epic 4G General] Bluerai:
Jelly bean sounds good to me. I'm up in mid August I think, so I can wait a bit more and see what's what. I just want something 'revolutionary' that is the next 'must have' to be included in there somewhere haha
[Epic 4G General] XxLostSoulxX:
Google is worse than Apple, ICS has barely made it to these phones and Bam now their coming out with a newer one atleast iOS 4 came out around July of 2010 then 5 in end of 2011.

Do realise though Apples Versions like 4. Whatever is a minor OS Update to where as Android 2.2 is a big upgrade from 2.1.

Androids Version History:

Screenies Below
[Epic 4G General] :
Google has nothing to do with the upgrading pace other phone companies have, blame OEMs. And even though Jelly bean is coming out soon, OEMs still have to optimize/change their UI, so either way you have it the rate phones are coming out are not that bad.
[Epic 4G General] xboxfanj:
I am confused as to why android is a device specific os. Its probably a dumb question, but why are android roms only good for one device, but the PC equivalent, which is Linux distros are compatible with nearly anything. Is it possible for Google to make everything cross compatible? That would make updates exponentially faster and better.
[Epic 4G General] andsamp:
That's what I'm paying for 4 lines right now except I can't always make calls or send texts. 3g is next to non existant.
[Epic 4G General] :
I had that same though recently. Google plan is/was to flood the cell phone market with it's own software without having to do much maintainance, while making a considerable profit. Google rely on the manipulation of Android as it's selling point, obviously but android got so popular so fast. Since there is so many android devices it's hard for OEMs to update all the phones on the market as fast as we want them to. Google problem rest with OEMs, many blame Google for Android problems and OEMs seem not to care about the hardware they are putting out for their phones which cause the problem with Android devices besides bad coding. Google should do what Microsoft is doing for their Tablets, making a requirement for mid - high end smartphones
[Epic 4G General] Magic Oreo:
something quadcore with a HD screen. :)
[Epic 4G General] XxLostSoulxX:
Dude at my house I have no bars and send txts and calls all day and it takes 3 seconds for a txt 2 go through and be sent, a call takes 5 seconds before it starts dialing. So something is wrong on your side.
[Epic 4G General] dead78:
the fatal flaw with this argument is that the $196 is going to Sprint. I would happily a bit more than I'm paying now if it meant having 3G speeds that cracked 0.40 Mbps up and down and 4G that I could stay connected to for more than 90 seconds. perhaps things will change a few months down the line, but considering the endless stream of lies I've heard from Sprint about why their data is poor in this part of New York City and how there's no flow of information between their various departments about precisely what is going on with the data network, I'm skeptical.

you seem to be of the opinion that as long as the service works most of the time, it's a smart option to save the money. my opinion is that paying for service that is consistently 4-5x slower than the company says it's supposed to be and fights me tooth and nail when I have to call every week to tell them how bad it is (and spend hours and hours on the phone) is a waste of money and time. I know there are people out there who live in better coverage areas, but for those of us who are bamboozled by Sprint on a daily basis, the "but you're saving money and getting unlimited data!" argument is meaningless.
[Epic 4G General] xboxfanj:
The only way it can get any faster is if they get more money, so you leaving will make the service worse considering they'll get that much less money. The more people we have now, the better LTE will be.
[Epic 4G General] :
This for those who have or will be getting a Galaxy Note. Who said you had to give up your keyboard
[Epic 4G General] ÜBER™:
A compact keyboard... do you see how big that thing is? :D besides 5.3inch screen how could you possible need a hardware keyboard?
[Epic 4G General] andsamp:
I wish I could make sprint understand that. I have 4 phones doing the same thing. Also anyone with sprint who visits has the same problems. Sprint sucks sooo bad.
[Epic 4G General] andsamp:
Its a fight everytime with them. Its like talkin with a used car salesman. Unlimited crap is what it is.
[Epic 4G General] :
Older folks, and people who write a lot like me need keyboards like this :)
[Epic 4G General] KennyG123:
Exactly. The touchscreens are so sensitve as you get close to the onscreen keyboard it hits the wrong key.
[Epic 4G General] jbadboy2007:
I came from a touch screen only to this phone. I love the kb. But could go without if needed to
[Epic 4G General] stir fry a lot:
is it true that the early Galaxy phones (including the Epic and NS4G) suffered from weak antenaes? Both my wife and I have terrible coverage and i'm wondering if it is only on Sprint's end or is it a combination of the two. If it's true does the current Nexus still suffer from a weaker signal than other manufacturer's phones?
[Epic 4G General] XxLostSoulxX:
Not only that but my fingers hurt after awhile and feel weird the KB gives support and cushion
[Epic 4G General] jbadboy2007:
From what I hear its all cdma phones except motorolas cuz they have some patent that allows them superior signal quality.
[Epic 4G General] snowmanwithahat:
I can confirm similar results in Jackson, mi. Network speeds used to be around 1Mbps, usually around 30Kbps in town. It's horrible

I am pretty sure I'm switching to Verizon purely because of the network speeds in my area... Our ATT... Either way it's not going to be t mobile or sprint because my company doesn't have contracts with them
[Epic 4G General] dbpaddler:
You still give up screen real estate and text editing ease when going to an on screen keyboard plain and simple. I'll never go to a slate and only keep a photon around as a backup and world phone. As a business tool doing extensive document work and long business emails, slates don't cut it. Haven't touched my travel laptop since getting my galaxy 8.9. I use my Epic for 90% of my Office work because I can zip around with the Epic's keyboard and be done before my laptop would be up and running. And media consumption and extended sessions when I'm in one place are easily handled with the 8.9 and the keyboard dock that sits in my work bag.

For how thin and light phones are now, I don't see how Samsung can ignore making a premium 4.3" slider. It would have no bigger footprint than the epic with a slightly bigger screen and thinner body. Size was always the bigest knock on sliders back to PPC sliders. That should no longer be a valid knock, and the convenience of a good 5 row keyboard with cursor keys is invaluable to many.
[Epic 4G General] dirtbag1975:
I really hope Sammy understands that there are many people the absolutely love a physical keyboard, and develop a new slider. I don't care how good at touch screen texting I become I always find the experience cumbersome and ultimately annoying. I can fly on the physical keyboard with ease and will miss it if they don't bring something worthy to market.
[Epic 4G General] dbpaddler:
My friends on iphones and android slates always ask me how the hell do I reply so fast to texts and such. They write with slang and abbreviations all the time, and I always write in spelled out full sentences. I don't care what keyboard app one is using, you can't type faster than you think (well some obviously do, and it's painful), and I found swyping is more annoying when I am stuck mid thought or changing up my thought process on the fly where typing on a hard keyboard is much more fluid when thinking through thoughts while typing.

I had some guy on engadget call me a moron for thinking one could be more productive on a slider as opposed to a slate. I referred him to multiple articles trying to make selecting and editing text easier on screen and asked him to point out one such article for sliders or even one complaint thread.

My only beef is gingerbread introduced a frivolous step for editing text. Whenever I highlight text via the keyboard and long press on it, you no longer get the edit menu (cut, copy, paste). You get the selection menu (select word, all....). Makes no sense. I already selected the text I'm editing. Why they added that extra step is beyond me. It's annoying and kills my work flow.
[Epic 4G General] xboxfanj:
I agree. Wish I could get a good slider on my next upgrade, but unfortunately, those don't exist anymore, so we need to adapt instead of waiting for something that won't happen. No more styluses, no more track pads, no more keyboards.
[Epic 4G General] dbpaddler:
Why upgrade then? You're just one more person sucking it up and not complaining to sprint. *2, ask dan.... Let them know and don't upgrade. My epic is more useful with the keyboard than a 720p 4.5" quad core slate. People that whine about lag care more about their themes and bling than actual productivity. I keep trying the latest slate and keep coming back to the epic.
[Epic 4G General] xboxfanj:
Is emailing the CEO really going to help? Do you think he's just gonna say oh, dbpaddler says we need more sliders, I'm gonna tell HTC Samsung Motorola and lg to make them? Complaining to customer service won't help, store associates won't help. So not worth the time and effort, when I can just accept their decisions and get what's there rather than what should be there.
[Epic 4G General] dbpaddler:
The more that voice their opinion, the better the chances. Are you that apathetic in other decisions as well? It takes a couple minutes to make a call or write an email. I actually cancel lines and tell my rep the user switched to verizon for the droid 4. Have almost 30 lines on the account. They don't need to know it's just normal turnover. And if my Verizon rep friend ever manages to put together a package competitive with the sprint one, I'll move the account in a heartbeat. Price is the only thing keeping us on sprint, and if three or four of us are clinging to our epics, I'll gladly go to a carrier that has the better selection of phones. $30k per year isn't big business, but it's not too shabby of an account.
[Epic 4G General] xboxfanj:
Personally, haven't seen any great keyboard phones on any carrier. The Droid four isn't anything great. I don't think manufacturers are focusing on keyboards anymore, not just carriers. If keyboard phones sold really well, I'm sure that they would be rushing more phones with them, bit since they don't, it doesn't make that much sense from a business standpoint.
[Epic 4G General] dbpaddler:
well I guess that's it then. You have spoken :rolleyes: Enjoy your generic slate that's pretty much the same as every other slate that's out there, but you' find something to whine about with it anyway. I guess Motorola saw no value in making four generations of a slider. Or Samsung making the Epic for Verizon. Or the countless subpar sliders like the mytouch and sidekick line (though i'd take the sidekick 4g over any mytouch) or the Arrive. Even the mfgs are caught up in the spec war like the camera companies were in the megapixel wars, and that has started to subside (thankfully). They're too busy trying to one up one another on the slate front, they've forgotten how people actually use their phones instead of relying on third party keyboards and such to try and make the slates more productive.

And regardless of your opinion on the droid 4, it's still a more productive option than ANY slate whether it's the Note, One or GS3. The non removable battery is its worst issue. i'll take the keyboard and deal with the screen over a slate. i have the photon, and the screen isn't bad. It's just not great.
[Epic 4G General] xboxfanj:
part of what you say here is reaffirming what I'm saying. what I meant in my post is that most companies do not have flagship keyboard phones and end up releasing sub par mid range to low range ones like the my touch and sidekick and stratosphere. and what do you mean I would find something to whine about? I haven't whined in any of my posts here. I like having a keyboard, but a bigger screen without it isn't a deal breaker. I can type pretty fast on my tablet without a hardware keyboard, so it'll probably end up being a similar kind of thing. I'd get used to it. You have to go whatever way the technology market is going. If they're not making any flagship keyboard phones, its probably better to just get something without it rather than trying to convince them to make something different. Flip phones were probably better for dialing faster, but people ditched those as the technology market moved away from them in favor of touch screen devices. the market is moving away from keyboard phones as well.
[Epic 4G General] dohturdima:
Alas, as much as I hate to say it, xboxfanj is right. As much as I would prefer having a physical keyboard on my next phone, there are fewer and fewer phones that have them and it seems that this is a trend that is going to continue. No flagship phones have a physical KB, and none seem to be in the works. This is one of the reasons I am holding on to the Epic, despite my unhappiness with Sprint - besides Droid 4 (which has its share of problems, locked bootloader, non removable battery and so-so sceen being primary) there aren't many true upgrade options with a KB. No Droid Maxx, Galaxy III or HTC One with a KB... means that at some point will have to adjust to using an on-screen KB, which I loath to use but the majority of others have no problem with - or be stuck with a mediocre phone just for the KB.
[Epic 4G General] jbadboy2007:
This epic is still not eol that's why there is not another flagship slider yet. I agree that 80% focus is on slate and specs but from what I've seen all carriers keep one slider in the rotation at all times. I think its pretty safe to say that the gs3 for sprint or the next samsung after will have a slider.
[Epic 4G General] dbpaddler:
Why would they EOL something when there is no replacement? The Shift is the only other slider out there, and it's not even an alternative with the smaller screen and no dedicated number row. Usually a phone will have a replacement in the works, announced or what not before they EOL it unless it's just a clunker. So they obviously see some value in the slider. Maybe just not enough to give it a replacement yet.
[Epic 4G General] jbadboy2007:
This phone is still a great seller. And not only that it is still in a comparable range specs wise to the phones being released now. The only thing partially outdated on this phone is the software. I am kinda dissapointed that the newer phones don't actually have better features than they do. Like 2x2 wifi and other features to really make these closer to laptops
[Epic 4G General] omair2005:
It's safer to say Sprint gs3 will not have a slider.. They'll release a slider at a <$150 price point
[Epic 4G General] xboxfanj:
I think the epic was only a slider since samsung already planned a slider called the galaxy s pro. Now that samsung isn't planning any highend ones, we probably won't see one on sprint.
[Epic 4G General] haas599:
I plan on buying a next-gen Nexus device direct from Google and putting it on a cheap 3G service like Straight Talk or something. I love my Epic but i got never got WiiMax in my area and LTE is not going to come anytime soon from Verizon or Sprint. I have WiFi access most of the time anyway and 3G has been good enough for Google Maps and streaming music which is what i use my phone for in the car.
[Epic 4G General] ÜBER™:
Smart man :D
[Epic 4G General] ac16313:
Wow, I hate when people say the bigger the screen that you don't need a keyboard. I have a tablet and I went out and bought a keyboard because on screen keyboards suck. I personally would love to have a keyboard slider like the Epic still.
[Epic 4G General] ÜBER™:
That's reasonable, but a tablet doesn't fit in one hand. I would go out and buy an external keyboard for a tablet. But i wouldnt for something as small as a phone. Someday you'll have to face the fact that.. keyboards are dead and useless to manufacturers. Not to say i don't miss the keyboard on my epic... i do terribly its definetly not as easy on my Gnex to type. But that doesn't mean I'm gunna stick it out until doomsday for a flagship keyboard phone. Because its just not going to happen.
[Epic 4G General] ac16313:
I wouldn't buy a Bluetooth keyboard for a phone, but I'm also not waiting for a keyboard phone. Like I said I'd love a GS3 slider but if not I'm still going for it. I've already faced that sad sad fact when the E4GT came out :(
[Epic 4G General] jbadboy2007:
Its not samsungs decision to include the slider or not its sprints just like this was the only variant of the galaxy s line to receive a kb. It is very possibly sprints version of the gs3 could have a slider if not ill play the waiting game. I've been sitting on an upgrade almost a year now. I'm in no rush to get a barely improved phone. I'm looking for the wow factor and the best bang for my buck. Honestly I could prolly stay with this phone for another 2 years and be extremely happy with it :D
[Epic 4G General] Ceelos09:
Anyone see the LG slider image that leaked? Its basically supposed to be the LG Viper but with a 5 row QWERTY hardware keyboard. 1.2ghz dual core S3 snapdragon, LTE IPS screen. Forgot the rest, I'm at work so I can't link atm :p
[Epic 4G General] Bliger241:
http://www.theverge.com/2012/5/23/3...row-qwerty-sliding-smartphone-with-sprint-lte
[Epic 4G General] xboxfanj:
S4 and I would get it, but s3 is kinda slow. May still have to get evo lte or next nexus.
[Epic 4G General] ÜBER™:
Nexus....
[Epic 4G General] XxLostSoulxX:
Galaxy S 3 > Nexus > EVO LTE
[Epic 4G General] ÜBER™:
Newest nexus ( not the gnex) > SGS3> Evo.
[Epic 4G General] dbpaddler:
SGS4 > Newest nexus > Evo.

Oh wait, neither of the first two will even be up for a preorder in the near future. And good luck even seeing that nexus at sprint anywhere near that nov 5th time frame. All vaporware for now.
[Epic 4G General] Jayavarman:
Excellent. I look forward to more phone models with a physical keyboard. :)
[Epic 4G General] dbpaddler:
My fear will be current Epic owners won't see it as enough of an upgrade (i'm not sure I do), and potential owners will feel it's too far behind the premium slates spec wise and just pass on it. Then they'll say there is no market for sliders, and we'll be SOL.

I do like the looks of the keyboard though. But 4" wvga? I don't care if it's IPS. They couldn't go 4.3" qHD at the least? 4.3 should easily be manageable in a slider and just gives more room for the keyboard side. The footprint doesn't really need to be bigger than the Epic.
[Epic 4G General] xboxfanj:
Maybe one of the five nexus manufacturers will make a keyboard variant.
[Epic 4G General] DroidApprentice:
LG to me is a bull**** manufacturer, at least for cell phones. I know any one with a good rep can sometimes make a bad phone, and even the ones who aren't best can make a decent one, but that model would have to get some stellar reviews for me to even consider it.
[Epic 4G General] :
Google hired the couple/duo who made the first android phone G1(qwerty), and yea they've designed the xbox 360, the prototype android phone also qwerty that look similar to the BB line.
[Epic 4G General] KillerFu:
This: http://briefmobile.com/exclusive-new-lg-eclipse-image-reveals-removable-battery-and-nfc

Plus this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubuntu_for_Android

Plus Jelly Bean is my dream phone at this moment. Would be so awesome to no longer drag my work laptop around instead this setup.
[Epic 4G General] Jayavarman:
Agreed. And it seems the camera is only 5-MP. I will pass.

http://www.unwiredview.com/2012/05/...dual-core-qualcomm-snapdragon-s4-cpu-and-nfc/
[Epic 4G General] thirdcoastraised:
Upgrading to the SGS3 myself and since becoming accustomed to my touch screen keyboard I can respond to texts as fast as when I had a keyboard. BUT I'm not saying its better or worse than a keyboard. Epic 4G is being EOL this quarter by Sprint as is the E4GT. Highly doubtful that Sammy will produce another slider. Sgs3 has 12mp rear camera and 2mp front face. They are producing one of the next nexus devices, but agree, don't look for any of those 5 devices (btw only 3 are actual phones) to be on ANY carrier by the Nov. 5th reveal of Jellybean. Unpacked New York happening within next 2 weeks and CSR at Sprint I spoke to today said as soon as Sammy officially unveils the U.S. version Sprint will announce a pre-order date. No games with SGS3 all carriers will have and release on same date...Samsung learned a good lesson with what happened to the gs2. BTW, my job affords me this info, any e4gt owners in this thread should be aware that the official build is complete and will be sent to Sprint as soon as they confirm they are ready to receive. Just remember that if you go back to GB and accept that OTA, you will lose root, and the hole has been plugged again, although it won't take long for devs here to figure it out again. But you can also just stay put and wait for the .tar file to be released and Odin that, thus never losing root. The E4GT will be the first American GS2 device to receive the official update.

Sent using my Epic(ly) AMAZING SPH-D710 on the sometimes network Rocking Blu Kuban 1.0.3.4! Maybe a Longhorn Orange Kuban soon?
[Epic 4G General] Fire n mage:
There's a rumored device called the motorola photon QE I heard about believed to be a possible slider.
[Epic 4G General] xboxfanj:
Where? A Google search doesn't return any results that are relevant for me.
[Epic 4G General] omair2005:
http://www.intomobile.com/2012/04/25/motorola-photon-q-4g-lte-heading-sprint/

this maybe?
[Epic 4G General] Fire n mage:
I haven't even seen this article, I just saw a it in the rumored phone section of phandroid I think, but this gives even more info, if that is an actually picture I can see where the keyboard might be, be I doubt it will be. Keyboard and a kickstand is so far unheard of
[Epic 4G General] MДЯCЦSДИT:
Motorola = Blur, locked bootloader

I'm still getting the jelly bean nexus
[Epic 4G General] xboxfanj:
Which one? There's supposedly five. What manufacturer?
[Epic 4G General] yuseiatlas:
There is a long time till jan bro until then the new Nexus phone would be released you can get the unlock version or even on Sprint if it came out earlier by then but usually the Nexus phones are the best android phones in the year they get released on so yeah.....
[Epic 4G General] :
Motorola isn't using Blur anymore, it's new ICS phones will have a new UI
[Epic 4G General] jbadboy2007:
If that moto has an led screen its worth considering.
[Epic 4G General] omair2005:
What about their cell reception (cdma patent?).. Would that give better sound quality, faster speeds? If so I might consider moto if they release something asop
[Epic 4G General] xboxfanj:
I think Moto's new UI is Blur renamed.
[Epic 4G General] dohturdima:
Moto is as anti AOSP as they come, Google ownership notwithstanding. It locks as much down as it can since Droid 2