Thinking about an upgrade... I have friends and family with iphones and the like, but they still look a tad small for looking at email and such for Jr. I don't want to carry around a full sized tablet, but I do want some computing power, and I want to take pics and vids with it on the go. I don't have one of them new-phangled phones... I still have a flip-phone that doesn't have the web or take texting... I was reading they have some fairly large sized ones out now... so what do y'all think of them. I will defer to my learned fellow members experiences and opinion before I put my coins in the hat. Thanks in advance.
I have no knowledge on the subject, but I do have thoughts on the matter: Why do you need your phone and your computing power to be on the same device? Anything big enough for comfortable computing is awkwardly large for telephoning. I'd recommend having two separate devices: A flip phone for phone calls, and a tablet for portable computing. The iPad Mini is a great little device, easy to carry around and big enough for computing. It has more screen area than any of the other small tablets, but if you don't care for Apple or iOS or the price is an issue, there are other mini-tablets to choose from, or if you don't need something that small, then a full-size tablet might be even easier for computing. I have no plans to get a smartphone. I plan on upgrading from my Mini to an iPad Air because of its light weight and my new bionic eyes (can't see close up without glasses any more -- reality is never as sweet as fantasy) and I just find that the form factor I want in a phone and in a computing device are very different. Of course, you could get a phablet and stick a Bluetooth earpiece in your ear so you don't have to actually handle the phone to make phone calls. I know a guy who walks around everywhere with his bluetooth headset on. Looks kind of silly, if you ask me, but it works for him. I don't need my iPad where I use my phone, and when I travel (which is the main reason I wanted a lightweight tablet) most of the places I go have wi-fi internet but no cell phone service. Another reason for having two devices instead of one is that when a device dies, you still have the other.
I'm just as happy to travel without all the electronics. Navigation would be handy sometimes, but my favourite places to travel have zero internet access, rendering most such devices dead weight. In part, I travel to get away from it all, not take it all with me. Putting all my business data in one easy-to-lose place would also be risky. As 'cool' as it is to have one 'do-everything' machine, there are advantages to not doing so.
Myself I want the biggest screen I can get in a device that is no bigger than 5" by 2.5". I might let that stretch a little for the right phone someday but for now I'm not looking at anything with a screen over 5". I want my phone to be able to fit in a shirt pocket if I have one or a front jeans pocket if I don't. If it gets too big for either pocket I don't think I'd want to carry it around all the time. I'm also buying my phones and using Virgin Mobile for unlimited data at $35/mo. So I tend to ignore the $300 and up phones. The last one I got was a Kyocera event (3.5" screen) for $45 but I might splurge and get a 5" phone sometime soon when I can get one for $100 that has a dual core processor and a 4G radio. Right now the choices if I had to pull the trigger would be either LG Optimus F3 4G LTE with a 4" screen for $150 or Virgin Mobile Supreme with a 5" screen for $250 and since I'm expecting newer phones every 3 to 6 months to be added to the list of possibles I'd go for the cheaper of the two as a holdover for now and look again for a 5" phone I like to drop to my price level. Keep in mind I'm talking no contract prices, if you get a phone with a 2 year contract you are paying hundreds of dollars extra for the phone contract on top of whatever they charge you up front for the phone.
It's not considered to be a Phablet, but I'm liking my S4. It's big enough to be moderately useful on the go for internet, navigation, impromptu grand-kid videos, taking/sending an "is THIS it??" pic at the store, etc..but it's not like wagging around a 7-8 inch tablet. Your call.It's like picking a new car or truck.There is no wrong answer if it works for you. Good Luck.
Wife has the Note 3, Son has the S4 and I have Casio Commando 4G. All are excellent. Different strokes for different folks, but I needed rugged and waterproof. Purchased 2 cradle charger bases and the 2950 extended battery with cover. Still have my original G'zOne Type-S and 1st gen Commando in perfect working order.
