looking to upgrade

anon(5140585)

Well-known member
Sep 1, 2010
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I currently use a Blackberry Tour and looking to upgrade to an Android device. The two in mind are the Optimus S and HTC Evo Shift. I like everything about the Shift, except the sliding keyboard and in turn, love the candybar shape of the S. I read several reviews about the S and everyone seems to say that the S compares on most levels for the basics of a smartphone. I would like a flash, but will sacrifice.

Looking for some firsthand input on the S:

1) does it take quality pictures/videos?
2) is it pretty responsive and snappy?
3) anything else you like?

I need to upgrade before March 31st when Sprint cancels their premiere stuff, so any information would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance!
 

cmags

Well-known member
Nov 29, 2010
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In my opinion, the phone takes decent pictures, but is most limited in low-light (no flash), and for motion shots (I usually have to take 4-5 pics of my 4-month-old son before I get one that he didn't move through causing a good deal of motion blur). It's 3.2 MP just like the Tour's but with no flash. Other than the flash it's most likely on par. I'm happy with it for a phone camera and when used right can take pretty good pics. But it won't replace my digital camera for important events.

Out of the box, the phone is quite snappy. It is very close to a vanilla Android experience, especially if you don't load it down with a bunch of Sprint ID junk. For a entry-level user however, the ID feature can be pretty useful. If you're more advanced, rooting, adding a custom ROM, and overclocking the phone can make it really fly.

This is my first Android phone, but I really like it. It's well built, feels solid, easy to mod (if you like that sort of thing), and does what I need it to do without being too big a battery hog (compared to some of the more powerful Android phones). A very well rounded phone overall in my opinion. And at the price, you get a *lot* of phone for your money.
 
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anon(5140585)

Well-known member
Sep 1, 2010
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thanks for the great input. I have a 21 month old and your pic/camera input helps. I am more advanced with customizing phones, but only for BBs. I read a lot about customizing androids, so i may take the leap and get this phone over the Shift.
 

bigmikehwt

Member
Dec 11, 2010
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I have found the camera to be pretty good. I also really enjoy the camera apps that allow you to use different effects. The video is pretty good aswell.

I have had just about every type of phone there is and have the urge to get anew one about every six months and have been very happy with the optimus S. It is verry responsive and the screen is crisp. It also has the same graphics proccesor as the EVO snd because the screen is not as big it displays 3d graphics just as fast if not alittle faster.

This phone also has some great developers cooking up ROMs if you really want to customize the phone to your liking. Sprint ID is also nice for android newbies. Overall I have been very happy with the phone and have recomended it to several people. It has a decent Camera but will not take the place of a point and shoot digital camera. I would recomend this phone over most out there.

Edit: There are alot of great apps to keep your 21 month old entertained no matter which phone you choose. This phone has stood up to my 2 1/2 year old and my 14 month old very well were my wifes moment has had to be replaced because they accdentaly broke the slide out keyboard when she wasn't looking. Just a thought.
 

apinkel

Well-known member
Jul 12, 2010
141
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I'd echo the comments already posted. Here's a link to a thread with some user reviews that I posted my thoughts too.

http://forum.androidcentral.com/lg-optimus-s/51938-optimus-s-review.html

A couple updates since I posted my review...
-Sprint has released an update to address the SD card unmount issue although this update makes it difficult to root the phone.
-Sprint has changed their pricing so all smartphones now require the $10 add-on that was formerly just reserved for the 4G phones.
 

MaXXimus

Well-known member
Jan 6, 2011
150
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The Optimus us my first smartphone and I have been thoroughly impressed. I have 2 on my plan, both rooted. I can't speak for the Shift, but the dev support for this device is great.

Swyped from my LS670 using Tapatalk
 
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outdors21

Well-known member
Oct 19, 2010
60
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So...where do you live? If you live anywhere near a 4G area, get a 4G phone.

You have to pay an extra $10 a month either way, so you might as well get a phone that has 4G capability...just in case.

I have an Optimus and love it, but if I am still with Sprint when I upgrade (The premier plan changes really piss me off), then I'll be getting a 4G phone.
 

apinkel

Well-known member
Jul 12, 2010
141
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I'm probably in the minority but with current gen smartphones I don't see much benefit to 4G. Browsing the web is limited by the CPU and 3G seems fast enough to me for music and youtube streaming. I can see the benefit if you are doing a lot of downloading over a tethered connection... but even surfing the web on my laptop tethered to 3G on my opt S is surprisingly snappy for me. Not to mention that current 4G radios are inefficient battery hogs.

Next year I'm sure that will change as phones get faster processors and more efficient 4G radios emerge... but I don't see it as a draw for too many people in real-world use today.
 

anon(5140585)

Well-known member
Sep 1, 2010
106
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So...where do you live? If you live anywhere near a 4G area, get a 4G phone.

You have to pay an extra $10 a month either way, so you might as well get a phone that has 4G capability...just in case.

I have an Optimus and love it, but if I am still with Sprint when I upgrade (The premier plan changes really piss me off), then I'll be getting a 4G phone.

not in a 4g area, and all those phones are either to big (evo) or sliders (shift and epic). not my style
 

anon(5140585)

Well-known member
Sep 1, 2010
106
3
0
I have found the camera to be pretty good. I also really enjoy the camera apps that allow you to use different effects. The video is pretty good aswell.

I have had just about every type of phone there is and have the urge to get anew one about every six months and have been very happy with the optimus S. It is verry responsive and the screen is crisp. It also has the same graphics proccesor as the EVO snd because the screen is not as big it displays 3d graphics just as fast if not alittle faster.

This phone also has some great developers cooking up ROMs if you really want to customize the phone to your liking. Sprint ID is also nice for android newbies. Overall I have been very happy with the phone and have recomended it to several people. It has a decent Camera but will not take the place of a point and shoot digital camera. I would recomend this phone over most out there.

Edit: There are alot of great apps to keep your 21 month old entertained no matter which phone you choose. This phone has stood up to my 2 1/2 year old and my 14 month old very well were my wifes moment has had to be replaced because they accdentaly broke the slide out keyboard when she wasn't looking. Just a thought.

thanks for the update! my son already destroyed my wife's bb curve. good to know!
 

Sarcoptic

Well-known member
Jan 16, 2011
45
7
0
I do like my S however I would not waste an upgrade on it. If I were in your shoes I would look for the most powerful android phone you can get. The phone you purchase will need to go 2 years. The S is not that phone. True we are getting gingerbread however we don't have basic features like flash. The most powerful phone out for sprint is the epic however build quality is shotty. Next comes the evo and evo shift. If you don't need the keyboard get the evo.
 

chardog

Well-known member
Dec 3, 2010
47
5
0
this is my first android, and I love it. I have been a windows mobile user for a while, and only have a little bb experience. I own two iphone's that I use when traveling.

The screen is small on the optimus, but other than that, it's an outstanding phone. This current update nag is annoying, but aside from that, this phone is great. Similar to the iphone, it's very reliable, and can be pretty simplistic. Unlike the iphone, this phone has widget support, which is fantastic. The voice to text by google is downright amazing for a phone. I have dragon naturally speaking, and it cant even compare in accuracy.

the photo's are pretty good. Resolution doesnt mean much imo. A canon D30 DSLR takes only 3mp pictures, but their fantastic. Better quality than any point and shoot camera. So what you should look for are sample pictures from the web. Never judge a camera based on megapixels, judge on sharpness, color reproduction, and contrast.

the phone itself feels very snappy. in terms of comparison, it will definitely be faster web browsing than your blackberry, and similar page rendering to an iphone 3gs. App support is excellent.

cons about the phone:
- doesnt play videos in full screen, always seems to leave black bars on the side.
- no flash for cameras.... I dont even own a point and shoot, so when I dont have my DSLR around, I resort on this phone. it's pretty good, but flash would make it better. not a deal breaker.
- the screen is noticably smaller than the iphone, especially when held side by side.
- screen resolution is low, but pictures and videos are ok. Think typical screens are 1080p, this one would come in at 720p.
- Another knock on the screen is that it's not good outdoors.
- Outlook sync.... what a huge letdown. No outlook sync! you got to pay for an app that can do this. dished out 20 bux for gsyncit. Dont like the idea of needing the cloud to sync my stuff. I think there are other apps that dont need the cloud, but not sure.
- No LED to alert of missed calls or received messages
- Lastly, some of the apps seem kinda weak. I dont like the default dialer, the default launcher, and even the default text messaging.

I would recommend dialer one, launcher pro, and handcent sms immediately.
 

anon(5140585)

Well-known member
Sep 1, 2010
106
3
0
I do like my S however I would not waste an upgrade on it. If I were in your shoes I would look for the most powerful android phone you can get. The phone you purchase will need to go 2 years. The S is not that phone. True we are getting gingerbread however we don't have basic features like flash. The most powerful phone out for sprint is the epic however build quality is shotty. Next comes the evo and evo shift. If you don't need the keyboard get the evo.

I totally agree with "wasting an upgrade". I wanted wait till the pre3 or better bb came out, but no longer have that option with the premier changing status. I do like the evo, just feel it is a little on the big side. Shift and epic are out of the running. As I was reading reviews on best buy's site, I noticed the S does not have an indicator for new items. That's almost a deal breaker since I rely on my little red bb tour light. Oh man, the choices to make. You may have changed my mind from S to Evo, but we shall see within a week or two. Maybe I'll pull a Brett Favre at Best Buy one night shortly!
 

chardog

Well-known member
Dec 3, 2010
47
5
0
I totally agree with "wasting an upgrade". I wanted wait till the pre3 or better bb came out, but no longer have that option with the premier changing status. I do like the evo, just feel it is a little on the big side. Shift and epic are out of the running. As I was reading reviews on best buy's site, I noticed the S does not have an indicator for new items. That's almost a deal breaker since I rely on my little red bb tour light. Oh man, the choices to make. You may have changed my mind from S to Evo, but we shall see within a week or two. Maybe I'll pull a Brett Favre at Best Buy one night shortly!

there's a fix for that

http://forum.androidcentral.com/lg-...help-replace-missing-leds-optimus-phones.html
 

Sarcoptic

Well-known member
Jan 16, 2011
45
7
0
Yeah I use NoLED for notifications...it works perfectly as far as displaying on the screen. You could always just hold up like I did. I purchased my S outright for $200 off ebay. Hoping to god they release the optimus 3d then use my upgrade on that...
 

anon(5140585)

Well-known member
Sep 1, 2010
106
3
0
Yeah I use NoLED for notifications...it works perfectly as far as displaying on the screen. You could always just hold up like I did. I purchased my S outright for $200 off ebay. Hoping to god they release the optimus 3d then use my upgrade on that...

I usually do buy phones off ebay, but I was due for an upgrade on jan 1, 2011 andi kept waiting for something I would be content with. Now since sprint is changing their upgrade for primary lines on family plans, it's crunch time. Thge only phone I forsee coming to sprint by march 31 is the HTC Arrive... Not interested in windows phone 7.
 

philbert1998

New member
Jul 24, 2010
1
0
0
I currently use a Blackberry Tour and looking to upgrade to an Android device. The two in mind are the Optimus S and HTC Evo Shift. I like everything about the Shift, except the sliding keyboard and in turn, love the candybar shape of the S. I read several reviews about the S and everyone seems to say that the S compares on most levels for the basics of a smartphone. I would like a flash, but will sacrifice.

Looking for some firsthand input on the S:

1) does it take quality pictures/videos?
2) is it pretty responsive and snappy?
3) anything else you like?

I need to upgrade before March 31st when Sprint cancels their premiere stuff, so any information would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance!


I'm waiting on the Optimus 2X which is dual core.From what i've learned it sounds like a beast.:D
 

anon(5140585)

Well-known member
Sep 1, 2010
106
3
0
one more question... i really like the blackberry "bedside mode" does the android os offer anything similar to this? built in or on the marketplace?
 

apinkel

Well-known member
Jul 12, 2010
141
15
0
What is bedside mode? Shut's off all notifications except phone calls?

If so I do that thru tasker which is a powerful utility for automating almost anything you might want... turn volume down during work hours, silence phone during meetings, turn wifi on at home, etc.. But it does take a bit to master.
 

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