Category: Rants and Raves

Traditional BLOG entries, visitor comments, stories, juicy material and opinions relating to mobile phone, gadgets and the communications industry.

  • The state of the smart phone market after the Samsung Galaxy Fold II

    The Smartphone market is pretty boring at the time of this post. So much so that we can’t be bothered putting up new reviews.

    Why is it boring? The US has stopped Google licensing Android to Chinese manufacturers specifically Huawei and that means that they need to develop their own operating system.Competition is great but let’s face it the company doesn’t have the creative  thinking to do it and of course the hidden Government interference.

    Apple iPhone development has stagnated as they focus on providing services to exisiting customers. At least they’ve stopped suing people claiming patent infringements on rounded icons and metal slabs. Apple used to genuinely improve other people technology either by copying or buying them out but clearly that activity is now hidden in shareholders reports and hidden. It’s there own fault really not listening to customers but instead their fan base and shouts down any criticism that would have improved the product.

    The Gaxlay Fold is the most talked about phone on the market at the moment. It’s innovative and unique however it clearly has problems. A company like Samsung has clearly shown that it has the tech and knowledge but shows how difficult it really is to design and make a new type of phone. They do deserve acknowledgement currently missing from  ‘influencers’ which have likewise succumbed to mediocrity and blatant bias just to keep up the number of visits and views.

    Android is still the most flexible system on the market and the best value. Apple iOS is still the dictatorship of the OS world and still needs to sell on brand rather than substance, compared to Android phones. There are no challengers which is a problem and why we will be taking this website off into a different direction and focus by the end of the year!

  • Why a pre-paid mobile phone plan is a great idea in 2016

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    Which type of mobile phone plan or network plan is an important decision you have to make at some point or other. In 2016 the range of plans have become very different from a mere 2 years ago so if your phone plan has come to an end it's a great time to look at your options. You can continue to use the plan you initially signed up for but it will probably be out of date hence no longer value for money. We believe the pre-paid plan phone option is the best 'plan' to get for many people. Having a Pre-paid plan means that you have to pay in advance periodically, usually 28 days. Paying or recharging within the time period usually means that any unused credit will 'roll-over' or accumulate. Most pre-paid plans in 2016 will have this feature but some still don't for some reason. Pre-paid packages like any other plan have a set amount to call time, txt amount and data allocation. For example: if you purchased a $30 prepaid value and you don't use that amount it will roll-over or accumulate to the next period, so you'll have $60 in your prepaid balance and what ever is left on your call time, txt or data! Since your calls, txt and data are usually not included in this amount the $30 can be used for other things like music subscription of more data or even txt. If you use up your allocation you can always use your credit to purchase more call time, txt or data. Just be careful which pre-paid package you get as some may not be a complete roll over eg. only call time or data but not the most valuable roll over credits e.g. your recharge amounts! After a year or 12 recharges you may end up with $360 in credit and what whatever unused call time, txt or data accumulated over the year. The $360 can be used for other things like Apps on the Google Play store or Apple App Store, music subscriptions where available and even overseas data allowance if you're travelling to a different country. Pre-Paid Best features of Pre-Paid Plans You can buy a SIM only OR get one with a entry level mobile phone. You can purchase a mid-range phone outright and still cost less overall and get more benefits. Unused credit is rolled over every time you recharge for most plans in 2016. Unused credit can be used to pay for Apps and other subscriptions like music or movies. Plans on offer go from 28 days to 365 days before a recharge is due. Worst features of Pre-paid plans The phone handset you are getting is usually very basic to no phone at all. You will need to purchase a decent mobile phone. You need to remember to purchase re-charges every month. You loose everything if you don't recharge each month so can't be late.  

  • Budget Pre-paid phone in Australia

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    When we use the term 'Budget' we mean great value and not cheap for the sake of cheapness. For example the iPhone 5s 16Gig selling for around $500 is not a Budget phone it's a bit of a rip off. Sure if you really wanted a iPhone and is currently the cheapest model and is in run out. A budget phone is one that is as capable of working and looking like a top range phone with minimal compromise and as good as a mid range phone without the cost. Mid range phones in 2016 are usually superseded top range phone that is a couple of years old so can be budget phone too but that's dependent on cost. The Budget phone also needs to be able to last 2 years. All things considered the winner of our Budget phone recommendation is the Oppo R7s. The Oppo R7s is Andriod OS phone and priced around the $450 mark as we write. (Review coming up next) It's spec list does not match the current top end models but its not a huge gap in spec and hits the mid range without the mid-range pricing. The screen quality and size along with the in the hand feel easily makes it the winner for a budget phone. Other features of the R7S features a metal body, dual sim, nice screen and camera fast Octa-core CPUs large RAM and expandable memory slot. When the Oppo R7S is combined with a pre-paid SIM specifically an appropriate $30 pre-paid plan, the ones with enough data and unlimited calls and text you're looking at a 12 month total cost of $810 and over 24 months $1,170 - in additional if you get a plan with roll over benefits there's plenty of credit left over for a additional music streaming and other apps you can actually buy!

  • Budget Pre-paid Phone Plan in Australia

    There are so many pre-paid phone plans and packages to choose from for those who want not only cheapness but better overall value. For example a pre-paid plan with lots of talk and txt is nice but plan that includes data as well would be even better if it included a decent mobile phone!  We have already being using a few over the last few months to see which was the best for April 2016.

    It is also important to relies that pre-paid users are not the basic users that their where once classified as. Pre-paid users are often teenagers or sub teens with a hand me down smart phone, usually an iPhone! They don’t bill shock but a defined credit limit that teaches them budgeting and responsibility. It also allows them to switch networks easily if they get what they want. They are critical users as they really show social network trends. These however are not normal users they use internet data extensively.

    Not all phone users are the same so we considered what we call the ‘normal user’ that makes a few voice calls and a few texts, some Skyping, Whatsapp, Facebook and Instagram when on the go and the rest when near an accessible Wi-Fi network.

    – The most important factor of pre-paid plans is to recharge on or before the expiry date, usually 28-30 days.
    – Choose a plan that allows ‘rollover’ of unused credit.
    – Choose a plan the allows you to use credit for extra data or calls.
    – Choose a plan that allows you to use credit for App store purchases.

    The best all round pre-paid plan is the the Telstra $30 Freedom Plus Plan. It features the rollover of all unused credit if you ‘recharge’, ability to get additional data and overseas packs with that credit.  Unused credit can also be used in the Google store for Apps and services. The only flaw is the $700 call credit to non-Telstra numbers but unlimited to Telstra phones. Moving up to the $40 plan means even more data and unlimited national calls and some international calls.

    The second best pre-paid phone plan is the Optus Ultimate $30. The significant flaw is the rollover of data only so you loose $30 if not used in that month. However the benefits are unlimited calls and txt (if you still do that) but a relatively large 3 Gigs of data per month. Moving up plans don’t really help due to the limited rollover.

    Note that these phone plans in particular from Optus and Telstra are better that the post paid alternative when paying the same $30 as long as you remember to recharge.

    Our recommended mobile phone for a pre-paid package will follow shortly!

  • Pre-paid Plan Vs Post Paid Plans Intro

    We’ve been a little quiet because we’ve been analyzing and debating over which is the best type of phone plan to have. It’s not an easy task as each have their own significant advantages and disadvantages.

    We are not going to present a long winded plans comparison or review because like us you really only want the quickest summary preferably in point form, which we can’t really do for such a topic.While  we’re not restricted to the minimum number of words we have to post as per other commercial websites so we will keep it to the point. Of course ti won’t be just about plans but we’ll also be working out which are the best phone packages too not restricted to the top end models which should be interesting,..

    The final draft will be posted here in a couple of weeks!

  • Apple iOS Vs Android Vs Microsoft Windows Phone 2016

    hyp4mhz
    To start of 2016 we decided to once again compare the 3 main mobile phone operating systems again to see what's changed and to assess our own views on which is the best system to get. Apple iOS is used only for Apple's iPhones. Many are familiar with the system over the years and it is one of slickest systems out there. It is limited by the hardware it runs on and Apple's inability to innovate functionality further than the basics. Flaws are getting bigger too especially when official Apple accessories do not work with current models and problems with iTunes is half only half of it, for 2016 it's probably gone backwards overall in terms of ease of use. iOS also requires the latest hardware to run properly. We also hate the notification system downloading Apple biased news. Gone are the days when iOS was the most efficient its now sluggish on any model other than the latest. Android OS is used by every other manufacturer and many are familiar with the way it works. Android is a slick as iOS in default mode used but the Nexus models. Although Google develops the core other manufacturers have taken to modifying it with wildly different results. The best implementation is arguably Sony but it needs to cut back on 'Sony' experience Apps which can be combined into 2 apps not 6 or more as it is now. Samsung's Android version is the next best experience with genuinely useful mods however it makes it the interface not as slick as the others. The bare bones Nexus is probably the next best as it requires a number of other apps before it can be fully utilised which is arguably the point. Most models have microSD expansion which means longer life and easy data transfers and added to the ability of Android to play any movie, music file for example is brilliant. Unfortunately the amazing functionality of Android can still make it confusing to first time users. Windows Phone OS is very good no question. Easily the slickest and easiest to use on any sort of hardware. Just plug it into any Windows PC and you can manage your content. Lots of new features have improved usability and speed. We think it will thane the world a little longer to realise how good it is. The biggest problem is still the lack of Apps  but give it a little more time. We think Android and Windows Phone have advanced the most since the last time we reviewed them and should be your next choice in mobile phones.  

  • Apple iTunes 11 update is really bad

    Oh dear – Apple really stuffed up with the iTunes 11 re-design!

    It is basically a mess. Sure there is some vague logic to it – maybe but NO it is quite and utterly stupid. They should have kept the Windows Explorer design they originally copied. I’m sure you know what we mean and it will take a true Apple die hard fan to try and explain why it makes thing easier. Maybe you have to use it one handed! LOL

    Even the latest Windows 8 redesign works infinitely better and easier to understand. When your 11 year old can understand Windows 8 in 10 minutes but still can’t quite work out iTunes you have a problem – Nope really serious problem.

    BTW you have to press SHOW SIDEBAR under the VIEW menu to restore it back to a interface that you can actually understand.

    We can image millions of people looking at the default screen after the upgrade and going WTF like we did!

     

  • Apple iOS Vs Android Vs Microsoft Windows Phone

    hyp4mhz
    We often get asked which is our favorite OS for our mobile phone so we decided to do a our first real article and comparison on the big three mobile phone operating systems and some hardware as well! None of the companies send us anything but media releases so there is not bias unlike the majority of commercial websites. In fact there is not interest other than our own. Before continuing we would like to make it clear what our primary choice operating system is: iOS and the Apple iPhone but it has nothing to do with iOS itself but its ability to run apps and music. If Apple had not provided this ease to access to content (music & movies) for mostly a reasonably price we would definitely choose another type of mobile phone. (We currently use Android for our secondary phones!) However we can announce our intention to change to Windows in the next 12 months so we can write up the latest on this 'new' OS. Apart from the apps and content we like Apple's iOS because it's simple and responsive but it is looking very tired in 2012, it has next to no customisation options and very few display settings you can adjust. The much hyped retina display produces details but the images are washed out, opposite of the camera's photos which produce fake over saturated colours. SIRI is the most interesting voice recognition program to date but since it needs the internet to work makes it no more useful than prior attempts. Apple's new maps software is also primitive and huge step backwards form the Google version. It is also annoying to use because once the single button wears out there is very little you can do, especially so when only 12 month into a 24 month contract. Furthermore the lack of a replaceable battery, small screen and no expandable memory is marketing genius but people aren't stupid and will choose alternate phones in a next year or two. We love Android OS for smartphones! much more so than Apple iOS or Windows Phone OS. Simply because the user interface can be made as simple or as complex as you wish. There are plenty of customisation options on Android to play with and plenty of apps to install. Some of the manufacturer's custom Android enhancements and larger screen and superior voice call and reception namely by HTC make it the only choice. (We have a laugh when Apple boasts that it has 3 microphones in the iPhone5 - that's because it really needs it due to lower voice and sound quality in prior iPhones - and honestly it doesn't sound any better) Android's media capabilities are amazing for a mobile phone.  It can play virtually any main stream audio and video format you care to think and one of the key selling points. Finally there are so many options and models to choose from that it makes shopping fun again together with the ability to be an individual. The only problem is that its music is not available in this country otherwise we'd switch immediately. As for Windows Phone OS: it is relatively simple to use, has a great browser and connectivity with Outlook, LIVE and Hotmail, polished apps but next to no customisation options. There are only a few but significant issues we have with all versions a this stage. Firstly none of the models have expandable memory and next there are very few models to choose from. It also takes a bit longer to work out how to do things beyond the basics even adding tiles and a world clock was an interesting experience. Considering that Microsoft has chosen not to allow any but a few insignificant mods to the user interface is a disappointment along with poor media player and lack of apps or cheap content reeks of Apple's monopoly like attitude to phones users which is definitely why it this OS will never be popular as the others. So that's what we think.

  • Apple iPhone4 signal strength problem

    We really find Apple’s explanation of the signal strength problem in the iPhone 4 is quite silly.

    They are now blaming the formula used to calculating the number of bars to show inaccurate.  However if you just think ever so briefly about it that fact that the signal strength indicator does drop when holding it the way anyone would hold a mobile phone indicates that there is a problem regardless.