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Give people an iPhone 4S, tell them it's an iPhone 5

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Re: Give people an iPhone 4S, tell them it's an iPhone 5

#221

Post by dkubb »

ollysb wrote: post #3
raldi wrote: post #2

It seems like the people who say the "new" one is thinner, lighter, more elegant, etc, all have cases on their phones. So in essence, the case sets your phone back a generation or two.

I never understand why people use cases. What's the point in preserving something in mint condition if you never see it without the case?

My wife drove down the freeway and forgot her iPhone on the roof. It flew off at about 90 kph (about 55 mph). It took her about 10 minutes to find the next turn-around and make it back to the phone. To make it worse she saw at least one car run it over as she was walking to pick it up.

I opened up the case and there's not a scratch on it. Aside from some dust the phone is still in mint condition. The case is nearly perfect too aside from one tiny bent plastic part under the rubber shell.

I won't say which case it is because I don't want to sound like an advertisement, but IMHO it's totally worth it to get a good one.

Re: Give people an iPhone 4S, tell them it's an iPhone 5

#222

Post by cwp »

mojowo11 wrote: post #145
jmspring wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Likewise. Mine has taken more than a few spills and the case has saved it. I may just be a klutz.

Serious question: given that you purchased a case and then dropped the phone in the case, how can you possible claim to know whether the case saved it? All you know is that you dropped your phone with a case on and it didn't break. I see this correlation = causation logic all the time about phone cases, and I find it quite bizarre. I've had an iPhone for 3 years now (3GS, then 4S). I've never used a case (or screen p…

Well, I replaced the screen on my phone twice before I bought a case. I've dropped my phone many times, both before and after I got the case, but with the case it doesn't seem to get damaged. I got the slimmest case I could find, so it's definitely not bulletproof, but it makes a difference. I'd guess I've saved myself one screen replacement so far. It's maybe 1.5 mm thick, just a touch higher than the volume buttons on my 4S, so it doesn't add much bulk.

This anecdote not the double-blind replicated clinical trial that HN seems to insist on as a rational basis for believing anything, but it's enough to convince me to keep using the case. There's such a thing as being too skeptical.

Re: Give people an iPhone 4S, tell them it's an iPhone 5

#223

Post by CamperBob2 »

szx wrote: post #61
bornhuetter wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Particularly the iPhone 4(s). It's got probably the best form factor of any phone ever made, but people put those massive black rubber things on them with a circle cut in the back to show the Apple logo. Absolute abomination.

Am I the only one who prefers the older (3GS) designs over the new ones (4+) in terms of ergonomics? Sure, my 4S is beautiful, but it just doesn't feel right in my hand. Something about the aluminum/glass seam bothers me, and so I got a slim case and never looked back.

No, you're not the only one! I much preferred the 3GS's design.

I will say that I'm the only one I know who considers the iPhone 4 to be a complete abortion of industrial design. It's fragile, it's unpleasant to hold due to sharp edges everywhere, and I almost always have to spin it around in my hands like a trained seal every time I pull it out of my pocket, because (unlike the 3GS) it's difficult to tell how it's oriented by feel alone. None of these things are true of a good design.

Apparently you can pull the SIM out of an AT&T iPhone 4 and wedge it directly into an unlocked Galaxy Nexus HSPA+, even though the iPhone takes a micro SIM. I ordered one of the latter after the iPhone 5 (non)announcement yesterday and am looking forward to seeing how that hack works.

Re: Give people an iPhone 4S, tell them it's an iPhone 5

#224

Post by Tycho »

szx wrote: post #61
bornhuetter wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Particularly the iPhone 4(s). It's got probably the best form factor of any phone ever made, but people put those massive black rubber things on them with a circle cut in the back to show the Apple logo. Absolute abomination.

Am I the only one who prefers the older (3GS) designs over the new ones (4+) in terms of ergonomics? Sure, my 4S is beautiful, but it just doesn't feel right in my hand. Something about the aluminum/glass seam bothers me, and so I got a slim case and never looked back.

Yes. Still haven't upgraded from a 3G for this reason. Feels much nicer to hold than other phones do.

Re: Give people an iPhone 4S, tell them it's an iPhone 5

#225

Post by rdtsc »

Tyrannosaurs wrote: post #5
ollysb wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I never understand why people use cases. What's the point in preserving something in mint condition if you never see it without the case?

It's not about preserving it in mint condition, it's about preserving it in usable condition. I can't speak for others but my case has saved my phone from a smashed screen on several occasions. EDIT: Should possibly also add that I have small children (1 and 3 - that's their ages rather than their names) who use it and I'm damned if I'm giving it to them without a case on...

> It's not about preserving it in mint condition, it's about preserving it in usable condition.

And for me that means not bothering with an expensive smartphone. I had a phone like that, sat on it and broke its screen. It was hundreds of dollars down the drain. I don't want to have to worry about a stupid phone or not putting it in the right pocket, or it getting wet, I got other things on my mind usually. So I just have a simple flip phone. If a mugger wants to steal it fine, they can have. If sit on it again and break it, "ok", I'll get another one.

Maybe everyone is just incredibly rich or like to spend a lot of time worrying about their expensive toy, I am neither.

Re: Give people an iPhone 4S, tell them it's an iPhone 5

#226

Post by rdtsc »

eridius wrote: post #199
jarek wrote: post #174

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why is tile more likely to break a screen than concrete, out of curiosity? I'll admit I only ever dropped a watch onto tile and it did break the internals.

Ceramic is extremely hard (albeit brittle). Much more so than concrete (or wood flooring, or other common floor surfaces).

Fun fact ceramic used in spark plugs for ex. is so hard, a small piece of it thrown against a car window will destroy that window.

Mythbusters clip: http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=a5d_1257946254

Re: Give people an iPhone 4S, tell them it's an iPhone 5

#227

Post by barbs »

rdtsc wrote: post #225
Tyrannosaurs wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not about preserving it in mint condition, it's about preserving it in usable condition. I can't speak for others but my case has saved my phone from a smashed screen on several occasions. EDIT: Should possibly also add that I have small children (1 and 3 - that's their ages rather than their names) who use it and I'm damned if I'm giving it to them without a case on...

> It's not about preserving it in mint condition, it's about preserving it in usable condition. And for me that means not bothering with an expensive smartphone. I had a phone like that, sat on it and broke its screen. It was hundreds of dollars down the drain. I don't want to have to worry about a stupid phone or not putting it in the right pocket, or it getting wet, I got other things on my mind usually. So I just…

I had a nokia 3315 for most of last year for similar reasons. Nuff said.

Re: Give people an iPhone 4S, tell them it's an iPhone 5

#229

Post by dunstad »

dkubb wrote: post #221
ollysb wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I never understand why people use cases. What's the point in preserving something in mint condition if you never see it without the case?

My wife drove down the freeway and forgot her iPhone on the roof. It flew off at about 90 kph (about 55 mph). It took her about 10 minutes to find the next turn-around and make it back to the phone. To make it worse she saw at least one car run it over as she was walking to pick it up. I opened up the case and there's not a scratch on it. Aside from some dust the phone is still in mint condition. The case is nearly p…

I'd say a case taht stops a phone breaking when it gets run over by a car is worth hearing about.

Re: Give people an iPhone 4S, tell them it's an iPhone 5

#230

Post by moe »

bornhuetter wrote: post #37
eloisant wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Considering the number of iPhones with shattered screens that I see, I'm not sure "full glass" is the best form factor.

I didn't mean practical, I meant beautiful.

That's rather subjective, isn't it?

There's various other phones that I find more visually attractive than the iPhone and a whole lot of them are more comfortable to operate (no sharp edges, lighter).

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