KVR Audio

ugo · Post by **ugo** » Tue Jun 07, 2011 7:14 am

[Edit]I went for a 32GB iPhone 4.

I'd like to hear what your recommendations are on this.

My old phone is on it's last leg. It's starting to fall apart and reception/transmission has gone down the tubes. Even when I can hear other people, they say I cut out all the time. So I figure it is time for me to retire my ancient Motorola L7, and while I'm at it I may as well replace it with a smart phone. (Not that I'm looking forward to my phone bill going up due to data fees.)

The three I seem to keep coming back to are the Droid X, Droid X2, and the iPhone 4.

Droid X: free with a new contract
Free (with contract), nice big screen, supposedly well built, not all that old, only comes with 8GB built-in plus a 2GB card, but you can put an inexpensive 32GB card into it to boost the storage to 40GB.

Cons: Android music apps lagging way behind iOS.

Droid X2: $100 with a new contract
All the benefits of a DX plus a higher resolution screen, dual core 1GHz processor, and an 8GB card.

Cons: same as above.

iPhone 4 16GB: $200, unless I get a refurb
Most of the good music apps are only for iOS and I hear it's screen is still the best.

Cons: more than I want to spend, memory is fixed at 16 GB unless I fork out more cash for the 32GB model and even then its still 8GB less than what a DX or DX2 can deliver, battery can't be replaced.

My expected usage in order of priority is as follows:
Most of the time: simply talking on the phone
Nearly every day: using it as an mp3 player in the car
Sometimes: checking email, looking stuff up online, etc.
The odd occasion when I'm stuck somewhere for a while: use audio and art apps to pass the time
Rarely: taking pictures (since I usually have a real camera with me) or shooting video

Of course any of them will likely satisfy main requirement. I've heard that my net time is likely to increase once I get used to having a smart phone around. This wouldn't surprise me, since I'm only pretty much all the time already. But again, any will take care of that too.

Since I'll be using it in my car as an mp3 player, storage is definitely important so the Droids win points there.

But due to my hectic schedule, I don't tend to have much downtime - let alone when I'm away from my laptop or desktops. So as much as I like the idea of having great audio apps on-hand at all times, I can't help but question how important that feature really is for me.

What I keep trying to figure out is:

DX vs DX2
- Is the faster processor and higher resolution screen really worth the $100 price increase over $0.

- Is the DX2 more likely to receive future OS updates than the DX, and therefore (combined with the faster processor) remain useful over a longer period of time?

- Anything else about the DX2 that is better than the DX?

Droids vs iPhone 4:
- Are there other things about the iPhone that really make it several hundred dollars better?

- Might I be kicking myself later by not having the platform that most of the cool music apps are available for, or are we likely to see an increase in equally cool audio apps being released for Android?

By the way, I haven't been considering the Atrix (even though it can have 8 more gigs of ram...but a worse camera and slightly smaller screen) since I don't know when 4G is going to be in my area and because I've been thinking about switching from AT&T to Verizon.

So...based on the above, what are your thoughts? Will the DX2 be of any significant real-world advantage over the DX? Is it really worth it to spend several hundred extra for an iPhone if I may not be making all that much use of the available music apps?

kuniklo · Post by **kuniklo** » Tue Jun 07, 2011 11:59 am

I prefer Android for phone, email etc. The integration with google's services is a big win. Apple may catch up with iCloud, but I doubt it. You may miss out on future Android updates if you get an older phone though. It can be frustrating waiting for a carrier to catch up to the main Android distribution. I'd probably try to find an old Nexus if I wanted to buy an older, cheaper phone.

If music apps matter to you it's iPhone all the way though. Android is at least two years behind.

Dewaine · Post by **Dewaine** » Tue Jun 07, 2011 12:24 pm

I have an iPhone 4, and think it is the best ever.... and if music making is a priority, then the iPhone 4 is the only real choice.... however, your list of needs seems to lean to normal smartphone use, and for that Droid is just as good. and it really comes down to personal preference...

tehlord · Post by **tehlord** » Tue Jun 07, 2011 12:27 pm

kuniklo wrote:I prefer Android for phone, email etc. The integration with google's services is a big win. Apple may catch up with iCloud, but I doubt it. You may miss out on future Android updates if you get an older phone though. It can be frustrating waiting for a carrier to catch up to the main Android distribution. I'd probably try to find an old Nexus if I wanted to buy an older, cheaper phone.

If music apps matter to you it's iPhone all the way though. Android is at least two years behind.

I have both and this sums it up pretty well imo

ugo · Post by **ugo** » Wed Jun 08, 2011 3:49 am

Thanks for the advice, guys. As nice as it would be to have access to so many more music apps, if I don't get much of a chance to use them it sounds like the added expense might not be easily justified.

Future upgrades may be a concern, though, so in that respect perhaps the extra $100 on an X2 over an X would be worth my while.

Ah yes...I remember the days when the big question was whether to get a cordless phone or stick with a cord.

The Chase · Post by **The Chase** » Wed Jun 08, 2011 4:13 am

I'm an Android guy, but based on what you are looking to use the phone for, an iphone would probably be better for you.

If you are looking at Android though, I would recommend the Samsung Galaxy S II. It has the best screen and camera (I know you said it's not a priority but it is still nice to have just in case) in phones in this gen (as the SGS1 did of last gen) and its processing power won't be dated any time soon. And Samsung launched it with completely open sourced firmware and drivers, so it's not going to be stuck at any particular version any time soon, either.

abstractcats · Post by **abstractcats** » Wed Jun 08, 2011 4:18 am

The Chase wrote:I'm an Android guy, but based on what you are looking to use the phone for, an iphone would probably be better for you.

If you are looking at Android though, I would recommend the Samsung Galaxy S II. It has the best screen and camera (I know you said it's not a priority but it is still nice to have just in case) in phones in this gen (as the SGS1 did of last gen) and its processing power won't be dated any time soon. And Samsung launched it with completely open sourced firmware and drivers, so it's not going to be stuck at any particular version any time soon, either.

Does the Galaxy S have an image editor on it?
I have the Samsung Flight and it has a nice little image editor(w/ warp, filter and and some others).

dusted william · Post by **dusted william** » Wed Jun 08, 2011 4:51 am

I would have to say get the iphone 4.

I have the iphone 3, and I didn't think I'd use it like I do, but I use it all the time. I bought mine used and jailbroke it to run on Tmobile.

I use it for everything. I do most of my regular computer stuff on it more than my computer.

My son has the G2X and while it is powerful. I just think that as a muso I would want an iphone.

Also, I never thought I'd say this, but I like I think it's an awesome mp3 player as well. I listen to music all day at work.

I can easily just download so many podcasts in itunes right from my phone, all kinds. educational, musical, I listen to most of my knew music now on podcasts that I download straight to my phone over the air or wifi.

dw

saichele · Post by **saichele** » Thu Jun 09, 2011 3:33 am

and, for now, iPhone wins by a mile. just so many more stellar apps and specialized accessories. and for music apps, it's absolutely no contest.

ugo · Post by **ugo** » Thu Jun 09, 2011 4:41 am

(Looks like Ben hasn't fixed the posting bug in the wider widths yet.)

Thanks for the info, guys.

The iPhone 4 certainly does seem great. The only problem I have with it is that I've got to spend $200 - $300 to get one. It's a bit hard for me to justify that expense these days, especially when I likely will have almost no time to use those audio apps. I could bring that price down a bit if I went with a refurb 16 gig, but I'm hesitant to go for a refurb on a mobile device. (And I'd prefer more than 16 gigs.)

I was just reading that the Droid X2 has some stability problems, as does the newly released 2.3 update for the DX1. Looks like the only reliable DX right now is a DX1 running 2.2. Hmmm... perhaps I should start branching out and looking into other phones too.

DF2R · Post by **DF2R** » Thu Jun 09, 2011 5:27 am

The iOS 5 info is out, so you might want to have a peak and see if there's anything in it that would be cool for you.

kuniklo · Post by **kuniklo** » Thu Jun 09, 2011 6:13 am

ugo wrote: The iPhone 4 certainly does seem great. The only problem I have with it is that I've got to spend $200 - $300 to get one.

The upfront cost of any of these phones is going to be dwarfed by the accumulated monthly payments on your carrier's contract.

TristezaOrange · Post by **TristezaOrange** » Thu Jun 09, 2011 6:47 am

If you're into music apps there's no contest: get an iPhone. Case closed.

But since you don't seem like you'll be using them that much, I can share my experience with my new phone. My family got me a Samsung Galaxy S II as a present a couple of days ago and I can't describe what a beast it is. You may not want the newest and fastest but the experience is mind-blowing to say the least. That lovely screen doesn't hurt either.

This thing doesn't seem to slow down for anything too: I was downloading and installing about ten apps at the same time, using background data and browsing (with full Flash enabled in the browser) and it didn't skip a beat. Seriously fine stuff.

Does it matter to you? Probably not - but if you're gonna get a phone, you should probably get one that you'll enjoy using immensely. The upfront costs are insignificant in comparison the the rape by the carriers.

IncarnateX · Post by **IncarnateX** » Thu Jun 09, 2011 8:18 am

ugo wrote:I'd like to hear what your recommendations are on this.

My recommendations might be a little bit biased, but I think you should buy an iPhone and start developing gear for iPhone and iPad.

(And remember to implement copy and paste audio transfer!)

ugo · Post by **ugo** » Thu Jun 09, 2011 7:06 pm

Well, the decision has been made. A surprise occurred today that allowed me to afford to go ahead and buy a 32GB iPhone 4 - so I went to the store and bought it today!

Now it's time to get my email setup (not sure why I'm having a problem with my server settings right now), start filling it up with music, and start checking out some apps.

Droid X, X2, or iPhone 4? [solved - iPhone]