About smartphones + Giveaway

I have an iPhone 3gs and don't really like it. I've had it for a while I guess but it's often incredibly slow and crashes.
That and iTunes is a pain in the ass...

If you can't maintain android OS. I'd suggest iOS. Maybe get the low version of iphone 5c

Get something with Windows Phone 8. Pay whatever you want really, WP is made so it rarely freezes and is always smooth. Don't pay attention to the Microsoft haters, its actually a really good OS.

Nokia Lumia 521 or Moto G if you want something cheap. Not sure what prices are in your country though.

Android 4.0+ is much better than 2.3

Let me qualify this with I don't personally own a smart phone, but I do work for a cell phone provider and take supervisor calls, so I know about what phones are reliable.

Because of this, I really can't recommend an iphone. With iphones you can't expand the memory with a SD card and once you go iphone, Apple will dig its claws into you and make you stay by making their stuff not work with any other phones. It's a pain to go from android to ios or ios to android as far as transferring your contacts and data goes. Also Apple phones depend on Apple for warranty and I've had customers with older iphones be unable to get a replacement in warranty. Also from the descriptions I've heard, it seems that the screens on iphones break a lot easier than on other phones.

Also really haven't heard a lot of good stuff about the Nokia Luminas. Mostly the 920 gets complaints, but a lot of people consider windows phones inferior. Avoid the 920 for sure, I definitely get calls on issues with those and they tend to have multiple replacements. That and the HTC One X are on my shit list, thankfully the HTC One X is no longer made. I also don't hear good reviews on Pantech phones. I have heard little on the Lumina 1020 or 520 and there's also a HTC Windows phone that I hear little on, but cannot say if that is because few people own them or because there are no major issues that tend to crop up.

My personal recommendations based on what gets the least amount of warranty exchange requests and customer experiences that I've heard would be about any Samsung Galaxy, LG G2, or Moto X.

Whatever you do, avoid Windows Mobile 6.5. /shudder

The XCover was a very low end phone to begin with. It's not exactly the best showcase for an OS. If you're basing your impression of Android off that phone, then it's definitely skewed. A Nexus 5 would give you a much better experience.

If you really want to try a different OS, I suggest you look into either Windows Phone 8 (MS extended support from July 8th 2014 to January 12th, 2016) or Blackberry. Both systems have a limited number of apps but since it's not your priority it shouldn't be a problem for you. The new Blackberry devices can run Android apps though (you have to sideload them) so you could fill that apps void if there's something you really wanted.

I had an iPhone 3G for several years (surprised it lasted that long) and only recently changed to Lumia 720. I've never had an Android phone so can't say anything about that.

iOS and iPhones suck. They are only decent after jailbreaking them and getting some features through that which should have existed in the first place. To be honest, my experience is only limited up to iOS 4.2.1, because that's the last version for the 3G. Apple pretty much wanted to make you buy a new one by locking the older models from getting app updates and any new apps. There was absolutely no reason why some apps wouldn't have worked on the older models except for the iOS 4.3 requirement.

My main problem with the iPhone was that it often got stuck on calls and crashed. Very common scenario was that I was listening to music and then got a call and could answer it and everything. But when the call ended, the phone would get stuck and I had to do a soft reset. Quite often I also couldn't answer a call for couple of seconds, because the UI element didn't work. Sometimes I wouldn't receive any calls or sms messages until I rebooted the phone.

Windows Phone has its problems too. Syncing the phone is really badly done. I couldn't even transfer a 470mb video from the phone to my PC due to an I/O error. I've also had the UI stop responding in a way that I couldn't open anything from the main menu until I rebooted the phone. That has happened couple of times. Aside from that, the UI feels smooth and feels more responsive than iOS' UI. The lack of apps doesn't really bother me since I found pretty much everything I needed. Some better music app would be great though.

TL;DR Never used Android, iOS sucks, WP is average.

I've never had a smartphone and likely never will, so I'm of no use to you. But I hope you find something that works better for your situation.

I'm not a phone expert, but your Galaxy XCover has basically the same specs of my Motorola Defy+ and I will tell you that, the phone is clumsy, even though Gingerbread was good, it is quite an old version of Android and from that to the newest ones (I'm using a modded 4.1.2 on my Defy+)... Man, the phone feels different.

You might be sad with Android but the reason might not be the OS, it probably is the phone. 512mb of RAM and a singlecore 800MHz CPU might be kinda slow. You can't take what you see from an iPhone and compare it to a Windows Phone or your experience with Android without getting devices with the same level of hardware.

I see myself as an Android lover. I do love that little system and I know a little bit about it. If I were to recommend you an android phone, I'd go with either a Samsung Galaxy S4, an HTC One, a Nexus 5 or, if you are going for cheaper phones, a Moto X or Moto G.

But well, that's what I would recommend, I'd totally read what the other guys said first. About iOS? I hate it for personal reasons and experiences. Windows Phone? I like it, great, clean, fast.

Don't get iOS. I have an iPod Touch and just ugh, it has soo many problems, just don't get it. Though I would recommend the Nokia Lumia Series, really cheap, dosen't have many games, but it's good.

Depends on where you live.

In the U.S. a Moto G would be good enough (and really cheap too).

Anywhere else, probably Sony Xperia L or M. I'm not the biggest fan of budget Samsung devices.

Nokia Lumias are pretty good, get the Lumia 520 or 525 (I'm not really sure about WP8 sorry.)

you can get a nice phone from fastcardtech

"P.S. I only use my smartphone for light web-browsing and to listen to music while on the go. So there is no need to go through the most expensive gadgets on the market."

Okay, forget anything iOS then

windows phone,nuff said

Windows phone is terrible and iOS is too limiting. Android ftw!

s2 plus!

HTC One here, got it for Christmas. I love it, does nearly everything really fast, simple to use, and it's not by apple :P. I would say this, best battery I've seen since the old nokias.

only Android, my father recently got WP8-phone, it's really - ****, my father - old man, but they simplisize too much even for him

If you've been using the original Xcover, no wonder you think Android is crap. Well, I can assure you it's the phone, not the OS. If you want to do more with your phone than the occasional phonecall and some texting, get the S2 Plus. I'm currently using the original SGS2 and it is completely up to par what's being available today, haven't felt any need to upgrade for a newer one so far. If, on the other hand, you're only planning to use it for a call now and then, get a regular dumbphone. Wouldn't wish a Windows phone on my worst enemy. It's a cold breeze from the stone-age of smartphones.

Pick Android instead of Windows. Just do it.

I´ve had two samsungs and both were rubbish. The samsung ace suddenly stopped working, then I bought the SIII and it stopped charging after a week. Maybe I´m just unlucky. For your needs i´d buy the nokia 525, I have the 520 and works like a charm so the newer version should be slightly better. Also, the price is great, you can get the 520 for 100€ or the 525 for 125-140€.

Google Nexus 5.

Google Nexus 5.