There Has to Be Another Phone Choice

By Jeralyn, Section Blog Related
Posted on Wed Oct 05, 2016 at 08:19:51 PM EST
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The new iPhone update really sucks. I hate it so much I want a different phone. Mashable has 7 reasons not to update. Too bad I hadn't read it before absently clicking on the update button.

After the update, I spent over an hour turning off every app, messaging app, calendar app and location feature I could find and it still opens with messages on the home screen and then goes to a dark screen that says "Wednesday October 5" and under that the whole screen is dark blue except for a button that says "edit."

When I click on "edit" a screen comes up asking me to add widgets. Did Apple become Wordpress overnight? I don't want fricking widgets, I want my phone back. [More...]

Guess what? According to Apple's website, you can't uninstall the update. Did I mention it's slow as molasses if you have an iPhone 5s with only 16 MB?

Apple Music really sucks too. Syncing never works the way you think it will, and iCloud is a horrible product. I never know what's going to show up and what will be gone forever after logging in to iCloud.

A few months ago, Apple swapped out my version of "Dead Flowers" on Sticky Fingers for a second version that's on a remastered version of Sticky Fingers. (There are two versions on the new release, and they sound entirely different.) I want the original version I uploaded to iTunes from my CD of Sticky Fingers a decade ago -- not the new version. Who the f* is Apple to tell me what version of my paid-for music I can listen to? It just swapped them out and the original one is gone.

I only have three versions of my "real music" left -- one is on my old iPhone 4, one is on my iPad (the first version Apple made for which updates are no longer available) and one is on my iPod Touch -- I have disabled the internet on all of them so Apple can't touch them. (I have many backup copies of all my music dating to 2006 on various computers, cd's and external hard drives, but I have no idea how to get them onto my current iPhone.)

So does anyone have a Samsung Galaxy? What do you think? Is it better or worse than an iPhone?

The bottom line: Change often sucks. It's something to think about -- before you update your phone and especially before you vote.

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There Has to Be Another Phone Choice | 24 comments (24 topical)

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LOL! Now you know why ... (5.00 / 1) (#1)
by Donald from Hawaii on Wed Oct 05, 2016 at 08:45:27 PM EST

... Hillary Clinton fought tooth-and-nail to keep her Blackberry when she worked at the State Dept. As far as your issues with Apple's iPhone are concerned, I believe that Lily Tomlin's Ernestine the operator explained it all to you 40 years ago on SNL.

Have a wonderful evening.

P.S.: I can't believe that ad parody is now 40 years old. It first aired on Sept. 18, 1976 and is still hilarious.

;-D

the obvious solution (5.00 / 1) (#2)
by Mr Natural on Wed Oct 05, 2016 at 09:25:45 PM EST

is to take the unit into an apple store, hand it to someone, anyone really, at the genius bar in the back of the store.

Then walk to the front of the store and buy a new phone.

I did notice it filled up my phone (none / 0) (#3)
by ruffian on Wed Oct 05, 2016 at 10:34:01 PM EST

I can imagine what a dog it must be on a 5 without much spare space on it. I'm sure that is the root of your bugs. Ugh. Sorry for your bad experience. I like some of the update, like the much easier to read Maps, and I like the notifier better too. I don't use Music that much.

Anyway, I am nowhere near dissatisfied enough to change to an android phone. That would be way too much change for me.

: I just bought an exploding Droid for Josh ;) (none / 0) (#9)
by Militarytracy on Fri Oct 07, 2016 at 10:41:15 AM EST

Hopefully they've debugged that bug. On backorder for 2 wks...exploding and all

I have (none / 0) (#4)
by TrevorBolder on Thu Oct 06, 2016 at 06:03:22 AM EST

a emergency cell phone in my glove compartment,

And posts like this keep me from getting a smart phone

My 80+ year old Mother just converted (none / 0) (#5)
by Mr Natural on Thu Oct 06, 2016 at 10:03:21 AM EST

to an iPhone. She loves it. She sends texts. lol.

My wife just got a new iPhone 7+. She loves it. The camera is great. It has a pre and post trigger capture feature. Instead of recording a single image, it records a 1.5 second-ish sequence of images. Events that manifest and vanish in the tenths of seconds that usually transpire before you can press the "shutter" release are caught on virtual film. I don't know how rolling shutter (jello) distortion is handled or if it is or has to be.

There is a bit of sticker shock since the Telcos don't really want to finance phones anymore. The 128GB phone was $840, the price of a laptop or two (or five, in the case of cheap chromebooks).

My advice: don't upgrade the software; upgrade the hardware. It's much faster. As I tell everyone, the older you get, the less time you have to wait.

Let the telco or apple techs handle the details and data transfer.


That camera is the big temptation for me (none / 0) (#7)
by ruffian on Thu Oct 06, 2016 at 08:17:23 PM EST

I don't really want the larger size phone, but I might be wavering on that. My friends that have the larger size don't seem to have any problem fitting it in their pockets, etc. Does your wife like the size?


: The larger display she likes very much. (none / 0) (#10)
by Mr Natural on Fri Oct 07, 2016 at 12:05:20 PM EST

And it is very fast, much faster than the 4 she replaced.
It doesn't fit in all her pockets. She doesn't feel comfortable sitting on it when it's in her back pocket.
The game we played together before dinner in restaurants, Bookworm, seems to have disappeared from the iTunes store.
As I mentioned, the camera is pretty good.
My Galaxy 3 phone is four generations behind. If I upgrade it will be primarily for a faster camera. That's turned out to be my primary use of this thing, which is weird since phone cameras barely have lenses.

I love having a keyboard (none / 0) (#6)
by BackFromOhio on Thu Oct 06, 2016 at 10:52:07 AM EST

so I recently purchased a Blackberry Priv - an android phone with large screen and full, pull-out blackbry keyboard. Have to go to Vzn to have it hooked up. I am hoping it's as good as reviews say and I'd like it to be.

Jeralyn, there is something wrong (none / 0) (#8)
by fishcamp on Thu Oct 06, 2016 at 09:16:24 PM EST

with your phone. Take it back and they will give you a new one. Every time I'm in an Apple Store I see new phones gladly being exchanged. Btw on Sticky Fingers my favorite song is Can't you hear me knocking, because the second half is a four minute vocal free rolling tune that fits perfectly in my surfing, skiing, and fishing films. Don't tell Mick

I wouldn't switch (none / 0) (#11)
by Natal on Fri Oct 07, 2016 at 03:34:00 PM EST

to Android for handling music. Apple's itunes for managing music on your iphone is so simple and it's virtually bug-free in comparison to Android which requires a bit more technical expertise in my experience.

Also I recommend getting Apple Care when buying a new phone. My wife and I both have it and when any issues arise we go to Apple Store and always get them resolved. Also immediate person-to-person consultation is available anytime. You pay more for Apple products but worth it imho. Android doesn't have the same level service.

I think I have decided to (none / 0) (#12)
by Jeralyn on Fri Oct 07, 2016 at 07:14:17 PM EST

buy a new iPhone 7. I'm not ready for Android -- all my music is in iTunes and has been for a decade. But I may have them transfer an old backup rather than whatever is on my phone now.

There is nothing "wrong" with my iphone 5S, it just only has 16 MB of storage and is too limited. I can't really figure out why a new phone should cost as much as a new laptop, and it's really hard to justify. Maybe I'll just get a new iPad instead of a new iPhone.

The new iPhones are so big they remind me of cell phones from the early 80's (Miami vice style.) Yes, they are lighter, but still too big to hold comfortably or fit in a jeans pocket.

Today I finally got the two videos I want to watch while on the treadmill at the gym from my computer to my iPhone -- I did it by using Air Drop -- but it went to photos, not iTunes, so it doesn't show up in iTunes. So, so frustrating!

Jeralyn, you might take a look (none / 0) (#13)
by caseyOR on Fri Oct 07, 2016 at 10:00:26 PM EST

at the iPhone 5SE. It is new, the same size as the 5 S. Faster than the 5S. It will handle the new updated iOS. The camera is better than the one on your current phone, but not as good as the camera on the 7 and 7 plus.

Also, get more than 16 mb.

The iPhone costs so much more for customers now because cell phone companies are no longer subsidizing the cost. Customers pay the whole cost of the phone now.


: My wife has the 5 SE (none / 0) (#14)
by Natal on Fri Oct 07, 2016 at 10:37:17 PM EST

with 64G and it's got same processor as my 6s. But she complains that the small screen is hard on her eyes.

Well there something wrong, (none / 0) (#15)
by fishcamp on Sat Oct 08, 2016 at 08:27:30 PM EST

and that's that it only has 16 GB's of space, and that was wrong of Apple to offer one like that.


Sorry mb's not GB's. (none / 0) (#16)
by fishcamp on Sat Oct 08, 2016 at 10:38:08 PM EST

Apple's second mistake was going from the 16mb to the 64mb, and skipping the important 32mb iPhone. They have since changed this, since 16mb is simply not enough, as you and many others have found out. The newer iCloud is much better and I keep most of my stuff up there, however with my 128mb iPhone 6 I can keep everything on the phone too. I also have a 128 mb iPad, so everything is on it as well. Then my 1 Terabyte MBP also has everything on it, but in a less compressed format. Finally I have everything backed up on a 2 terabyte airport time capsule. I don't plan to ever lose the 21 movies I have made, the 5,500 photos, and 4,800 songs.

Yes I think the new iPhone 7 will be good for you, but they are ridiculously expensive. In fact my iPhone 6 was $938, which is stupid, but true. I had to wait in a line of more than 20 people waiting to buy iPhones. Then the salesman offered me $100 for my old iPhone 4. I asked him what it was really worth and he said $200, so I sent it to an old friend in the Philippines. Strangely my non phone iPad rings when my iPhone rings, as long as they are in close proximity, how close I don't know, but it scared me the first time they both started ringing. Ok, end of Apple rant...


i think that's the bluetooth (none / 0) (#17)
by Jeralyn on Sat Oct 08, 2016 at 11:04:19 PM EST

that makes that happen. For a while, my iMac would ring when my phone rang. There's a setting on the iMac that allowed me to turn it off.

I think what really bugs me is spending so much money for a phone when I turn almost every feature off because I don't want them.


Yes, you are right, (none / 0) (#18)
by fishcamp on Sun Oct 09, 2016 at 07:22:22 AM EST

but I keep my bluetooth turned on with my iPad, since that's the way I send music to my new Samsung wonder bar and sub woofer. Also the speaker and microphone are better on the iPad, especially since I dropped a blob of fettuccini sauce on the ear piece of my iPhone.

I sold my big McIntosh sound equipment, since I don't listen to music the way I used to. My old JBL Studio Monitors model 4425 have become collector items, and are worth about $1200 I recently found out. They weigh 65 lbs. apiece. I plan to advertise them for sale to the greater Miami area, since I don't want to ship them. Someone up there must want them.


I sold my McIntosh (none / 0) (#23)
by Jeralyn on Mon Oct 10, 2016 at 03:09:15 AM EST

2205 Amp on EBay in 2013 for $1,250. to someone in Florida. I had it professionally packed at a UPS Store -- 100 pounds-- at a cost of $143.00. They used foam boards, bubble wrap, double
boxed it with peanuts in outer box and Fedex still managed to destroyed it during shipping -- there was $1,200 in damage-- broken glass, knobs and they split the wood casing. The carton was crushed and they delivered it that way. I took a zillion photos when I brought it to UPS and it was in perfect condition (nothwithstanding I bought it new in 1978.) The buyer took photos of how Fedex delivered it and the damage. It was insured but Fedex was a nightmare for me to deal with because I hadn't taken it to Fedex directly but to UPS which gave it to Fedex. So the UPS store had to handle the claim. Thanks to Ebay and paypal, and the buyer not objecting, I got paid pretty quick , and he was able to get it fixed.

I also sold the preamp, amp and two sets of huge Klipsch speakers on Ebay -- all purchased in the late 70's -- and they all arrived fine. The problem with selling that stuff is how heavy it is to schelp to UPS or any professional packer, and how unreliable shipping companies are. I still have a huge Nakamichi tape deck and B&O speakers and a Beomaster in storage. It's just not worth the trouble to sell.


: Sometimes you can donate (none / 0) (#24)
by fishcamp on Tue Oct 11, 2016 at 08:30:32 AM EST

stuff, and take a tax credit...ha

I drive my husband nuts (none / 0) (#22)
by Amiss on Sun Oct 09, 2016 at 03:41:29 PM EST

because I am the same way.I don't want my email or FB on my phone. I use my kindle for most things like that. I get hospitalized quite a lot these days, and it goes with me. The same when we go out of town.


Ads by Shoppy (none / 0) (#19)
by fishcamp on Sun Oct 09, 2016 at 08:11:09 AM EST

have been popping up continually on my Apple devices, so I think I just fixed it. I googled Shoppy Tool and it sent me to Malware, which I was hesitant to download until I read it is an Apple product. I used it and it worked. They have a long story about how hacker types are now gaining access to Apple, where previously they were not. It also has a windows version. I just did it, so haven't totally proven it works on all my sites, but it is working on the first two I checked. They have a next section if it didn't work. I am truly happy to be rid of these popups.

: BTW, it's free... (none / 0) (#20)
by fishcamp on Sun Oct 09, 2016 at 08:16:32 AM EST

Correction, (none / 0) (#21)
by fishcamp on Sun Oct 09, 2016 at 08:43:14 AM EST

It is not an Apple product, but is approved by them, as it is for windows or Microsoft. Apple no longer lets people download third party apps unless they come from the Apple Store apps, or are approved by them. This Malware app is approved, since it downloaded and worked. It worked very fast and is FREE.