This is a phone way too old for applecare and I actually bought it to replace my previously rusted out iPhone 4. I bought a repair kit for it and when I took it apart, Miami humidity had done its thing with it.

I am technically inclined from both a software and a hardware perspective - mainly was wanting to know how you liked the phone you had and if you would change it. Obviously if you had both the Apple and the Samsung which do you like better and why?

I can hang out until the 6 comes out - but I have a unlimited data plan, so I can never use the contract upgrade if I want to keep that. I really do, since up here in the great state of Alaska, you can't get unlimited internet at the house! YEP - there is a limit to how much data you can transfer at the house. The kids won't like not being able to stream movies and youtube videos all night long, but it is what it is.

Apple's proprietary tactics almost completely killed the company (IMHO). However, because they won't let people mess with their stuff, it is also, IMHO, one of the reasons their stuff is so stable. I wish they'd use the tagline - Apple... It just works. With that comes the price of being able to do with it what you want - for example - Bluetooth functionality is restricted so no way to do a BT GPS or OBDII receiver without jailbreaking...

On Edit regarding the repair kt - No reason to dump money into an old phone. All I need to keep using it is a case - it is the BACK glass that is broken, didn't even break around the camera. I almost bought a $20 case at Wal-Mart and went... Why I am doing that, when I want a newer phone.

 

If programmers don't make enough money starting out then I don't know what making money is anymore. Microsoft has hired 4 of my friends who do whats called MSSA(Military Program to Civilian). All of them have started out at 70k+ with stock options.

Plus you are sitting down all day, come do a physical job like working on a farm, cleaning up horse stalls, etc and then tell me that programmers don't get paid enough....

 

I think for the most part, you'll find that users of both ecosystems are happy with what they have. Unlike vehicles, it's a small purchase that happens frequently, so you have time to experiment and pick what you want. I decided after using an iPod touch that I was not comfortable with iTunes or the Apple UI, nor did I like the connector they used(pre-lightning). Android allows me the modifications that I want. Like PlayerZ28, I currently have a Nexus 4. I love that neither Google nor my carrier force me to use software that I don't want. Downside is the battery is not easily serviceable(most here shouldn't have trouble with it though) nor does it have an SD card slot. That's where Samsung shines. So just like a vehicle, each brand has its pluses and minuses. I decided what works best for me and went with it.

I think upgrading phones is definitely worth it. The iPhone 4 came out in 2010. Whether you upgrade to an S5 or a 5S, you'll see a huge improvement in speed. I'm guessing you're on Verizon, so the Nexus line would be out of the question(my default recommendation for non-VZW users). Maybe a Moto X or its upcoming successor. They're reasonably priced, which given that you are not being subsidized is a bonus, and Moto is known for great radio technology, and they don't really fudge around with the OS like the other manufacturers do.

 

Windows phone for me. I switched from Apple which I liked, just wanted to try something new, to Android which I'll never go back to, and now i'm at Windows phone which i'll probably never switch from. The only thing I don't like about the windows phones are the lack of otter box cases.

 

I guess I like to play fate. I don't have a case at all on my Nexus 4, which has a glass back like the iPhone 4.

 

Matt, I've done everything you have listed; programmers don't get paid enough. The grass isn't greener on the other side, it's just a different style of work. Maybe I can throw in there that I would go back and do another combat tour (pick one) before programming again, or doing it full time.

 

On another note, my sales guy sent me a text today asking how the truck was doing and if I needed anything. This is the third time he has done it since receiving the truck. Thought that was a nice gesture.

 

Good sales man.....

 

I've had my cell phones longer than I've had this truck! haha

 

Hi Trent.......
I am Not trying to start a battle.....
USB ports do support up to 24VDC and at least 1.0 amps. Easter Seals - Goodwill, where I retired from June 2013, has 100+ HP computers used for Point of Sale that have these USB ports on them.

My Asus Laptop that I am using right now has one USB port designed for charging stuff.......1+ amp current capability.

Standards are so nice when they exist.......I can work on many pieces of equipment and not have a high learning curve on each one. But that was a big part of why all 70+ file servers, all 1500+ workstations and all 100+ switches and all 30 routers were all one brand.

 

NOW.......For the next debate........

What type of lawn grass do you have........

 

Greenish........

 

Well I think it should be Blue........Kentucky Blue Grass.........

 

Yep, I was going to make an allusion to the USB-Plus-Power standard but I deleted that section because I was starting to get long winded. I have set up countless PoS terminals which have 2D scanners, pole displays, and printers that run on USB +24V, however devices which use that are typically same-vendor intended for use within a packaged system. Also the D-series Dell laptop docks have such connectors on them, for an external optical drive. In fact I'm looking at a Y cable on my desk right now, for USB+24 that breaks out the data to a regular USB B end and the powered side to a 3 pin DIN for hooking up Epson receipt printers without an additional power brick.

It's still a different connector, basically parked beside the standard USB A connector, and requires a different cable to take advantage of it.
I agree that you see these out there, but you may never see it in widespread deployment on anything other than purpose-built or industrial market hardware. And the point of this was so that it would be convenient and readily available right?

The latest iteration of the USB standard has a voluntary 'Battery Charging' allowance that permits dumb PDs to draw 1.5A and smart PDs up to 5A (whether the device handshakes over the link layer or if it only has the DC pins wired with no data communication at all) and it's over the regular connectors, but since it's voluntary, manufacturers and integrators are free to implement this feature at their own discretion and it may not be available on all devices. I'd be leery of running 5A over the pins on a Micro USB connector though.

Single-vendor systems can be nice to work on and support right when you set it up brand new, but they are subject to vendor forced obsolescence. They can send you an Product EoL notice and you're DONE for support, and if you continue to run the system beyond its (manufacturer defined) product lifecycle -which is almost always done in the real world - maintenance and repair parts costs go up, and support resources are practically nonexistent other than the peer user base. Story of my life as that describes probably the majority of systems I work on.

 

I have a mixture of Bermuda and San Augustine and I like them both.