Don't Super-Size My Smartphone! 660
New submitter Steve Max writes "Editor Paul Ockenden wonders, 'Has anyone else noticed what's been happening to top-end smartphones recently? They've started to get big – really big. But do people really want that at the expense of carrying around such a huge, heavy lump of tech in their pocket?' The trend for bigger and bigger screens is clear, but is it what consumers want? Is it what you want?"
Bigger != Better (Score:3, Insightful)
I carried a Palm III and then a Handspring Visor for decade. I thought the size was the biggest negative. Now phones are even larger in height and width but a little thinner in most cases. Good grief. Which is why I looked around and got a tiny import Android phone with a puny 2.3" screen, just to carry something small for a change.
If I wanted to carry a tablet around I'd buy a frickin tablet. And that might be an option to consider if a tablet could replace both my laptop and phone but they currently can't. Even if you buy a tablet with a cell link they never seem to allow them to make a call or send a SMS text, but with a BT earpiece or a good speakerphone implementation a tablet could serve as a phone, it is just an arbitrary 'product differentiation' decision that disallows the option. Meanwhile tablets with keyboards are getting close to the lower bound of laptop territory. So someday I might be able to replace two devices with one... but not today.
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My phones have actually been going down in size since the early 2000s. My Treo 650 was the same size or maybe a bit smaller than my Treo 180, and my N900 is a bit smaller than my Treo 650. The only time size went up is when I went from a dumb phone (some cheapo Motorola) to a PDA-phone (Treo 180).
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As long as the phone fits into the breast pocket of my shirt I'm good. But what I miss on modern phones is the lid that my m505 had to protect the display.
Re:Bigger != Better (Score:5, Insightful)
Why are we even complaining about this? You can buy anything from a dumb-phone to a Galaxy Note. Pick what you like and leave people alone.
Re:Bigger != Better (Score:5, Insightful)
Apple only sell one size.
This is their astroturf, like that asinine "Google doesn't get packaging" Slashvertisement earlier.
Re:Bigger != Better (Score:5, Insightful)
Yeah, that's what my first impression was.
When screen sizes were often small, the iPhone's large screen was heralded as a great thing.
But now that somebody else (Samsung) has a best-selling larger screen, iFans say "don't make it bigger".
Re:Bigger != Better (Score:5, Insightful)
I believe you've hit the nail on the head. This is an iPhone concentric view point.
There is no shortage of smart phone models to choose from. People can have the size they want from any of 6 more manufacturers, in any platform except IOS. You often see people drawing a line in the sand that suggest 4.3 inch screens are the absolute maximum size they would ever buy, and a year later they post about 4.7. In the mean time they saw 4.6 and fell in love with it.
There is no reason for a blogger to jump into this fray. The market is deciding quite nicely.
(Actually it seems there was no fray until Ockenden decided to create one to garner readership, so I stand corrected, there apparently was a rather self serving reason for him to jump in).
I can't imagine a worse situation than having phone development directed by bloggers.
When large phones go unsold in favor of small ones the market will know exactly what is too big. The "Samsung Note" sells well. But not well enough for many others to enter that niche. The smallest smartphones [thetechworld.net] are selling as well. But again not as well as the flag ship phones from all the big manufacturers.
So Ockenden, please just butt out and vote with your wallet like the rest of us.
Comment removed (Score:5, Insightful)
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The problem I have with most 'clip on' battery packs is the lack of a dedicated port for them - you have to have that little cord running to the USB port, which ruins the lines and makes it more sensitive to be sticking into a pocket. Plus, you don't get proper power management that way, as the phone thinks it's still plugged in.
I honestly think that a true extended battery with a custom back is the better option - but you also run into that now your phone doesn't fit into standard protective cases. Do I
Re:Bigger != Better (Score:5, Funny)
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Replacing the screen on the iPhone 4 isn't too hard. You just need a special screwdriver - easily found on ebay. I recommend the Otterbox-type cases. That is, if you plan on dropping the phone.
Re:Bigger != Better (Score:5, Insightful)
I use monthly about 4-5 minutes air time on my phone. Rest of time is maps, browsing, reading and games. Phablets are prefect for me. I keep telling people that I don't have a phone but a small tablet with a phone app.
Re:Bigger != Better (Score:5, Funny)
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Pretty sure "phablets" was an intentional misspelling to create a portmanteau from the source words phone and tablet.
Re:Bigger != Better (Score:4, Informative)
Pretty sure dmacleod808 was referring to use of the word "prefect" instead of "perfect".
Re:Bigger != Better (Score:4, Insightful)
Maybe so, but a 'spelling checker' wouldn't have caught it - "prefect" is a real word.
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No, for "prefect". Which is a Ford
Fixed that for you.
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Re:Bigger != Better (Score:5, Informative)
If they came out with a "1/2" SIM card that let me put the same SIM in 2 different devices and if one was powered on while the other was still on I'd get an error message I would be all over that. I know I could buy another account but that'd cost me another $50+ a month.
So people are choosing the worst of both worlds. It's not a phone and it's not a tablet.
Here in Norway you can have twin cards on the same subscription... if you call your numbers, both phones call. SMSes reach both devices - and both devices are attached to the same subscription.
Sometimes there is a fee (I'm paying $3 a month for it), but it is nowhere near the fees for a second subscription.
Re:Bigger != Better (Score:5, Informative)
Your post is immediately more interesting than the linked article, because you actually claim experience with a larger device, albeit an archaic one that hardly resembles the smart phones the author is bemoaning.
Ockenden criticizes this 'growing' trend, quotes some twitter users criticizing the trend, and then concludes that the manufacturers of these smart phones don't know anything about their market, because consumers obviously want the old phones; great battery life and diminutive size are obviously all that matter.
This article would have been far more interesting had he actually claimed to have tried one of these newer bigger phones, or at least talked to somebody who has. I carry a Samsung Galaxy Note for work, and the biggest reservation I had coming from the much smaller HTC Desire, was its huge size and potential to eat battery life--the same concerns mentioned by Ockenden. Having read some reviews and seeing that the reviewers quickly overcame the same concerns after very short time with their Notes, I decided to take the plunge. Honesly, it took no time to get used to the size, and whenever I hold a smaller phone I'm amazed that anybody can find them useful for anything, and the battery life is at least as good as the Desire.
Re:Bigger != Better (Score:5, Insightful)
The whole debate is dumb: There's no shortage of choice at the small end; there's just more choice at the bigger end.
How is more choice a bad thing?
Re:Bigger != Better (Score:5, Insightful)
You got that from my head! You nailed it! The debate is dumb. Just look at the numbers...Samsung sold millions of the Galaxy Note in a few months.
And guess what: I am waiting for the next version. I spend little of my time making calls. To me, what matters is that big screen and I have come to love it.
Oh-My-Gawd, Becky. Look at her phone. It's so big! (Score:5, Funny)
I like big phones
...and I can not lie,
You other brothers can't deny,
When Tim Cook walks in with a white plastic case,
And puts a round corner in your face --
You get sprung!
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Just look at the numbers...Samsung sold millions of the Galaxy Note in a few months.
To be fair, was that a result of the screen size or the pointy stylus?
To date that has been the most frustrating part of the whole touch revolution for me: the fact that we had to trade off precision and usability in cold weather for, basically, multi-touch capabilities. I don't have a Note, because they came out after I 'settled' for the S2X (which I do love, btw, just can't use it for scribbles or sketches), but once I'm ready to move on, it'll be a stylus-capable interface or nothing.
And yes, the bigger
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What are you smoking?
How many smartphones with modern features, modern specs, and popular OS can you name that are compact enough to comforably fit in most people's pockets? Be realistic: This currently means iOS or Android, 1GHz+ CPU, and jeans or women's clothing (not cargo pants or overcoats).
I can think of exactly three: the Xperia Active, the Xperia Mini and the Xperia Mini Pro. All of those are made by a single manufacturer. You
Re:Bigger != Better (Score:5, Insightful)
How many smartphones with modern features, modern specs, and popular OS can you name that are compact enough to comforably fit in most people's pockets?
I think that part may be overstating things a bit. Admittedly, I'm not a small man, but if I can fit a Nook Color with cover in my pocket, then I can't help but think someone complaining about a 4" phone in their pocket may be playing "princess and the pea" just a little.
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The Galaxy Nexus has 9PPI less than the iPhone retina display. Can you see the difference without a magnifying glass?
Re:Bigger != Better (Score:5, Informative)
HTC Rezound - 342 ppi
HTC One X - 312 ppi
LG Optimus LTE - 329 ppi
LG LU1400 - 333 ppi
Nokia E6 - 328 ppi
Galaxy Nexus - 316 ppi
Samsung Galaxy S3 - 306 ppi
Samsung S8000 Jet - 300ppi
Sony Xperia S - 342 ppi
Sony Xperia ion - 323 ppi
Toshiba Portege G900 - 313 ppi
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I don't know, I like 3-4" phones. You can do quite a bit more with the screen real estate, ESPECIALLY if it has an on-screen keyboard. However, I'd be even more happy if the phones were twice as thick, and 3-4 times as heavy, if the space/weight were effectively spent on improving battery life and recepetion.
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I have an HTC Evo 4G and it's just about the right size.
Phone is 4.75" x 2.5"
Screen is 3.75" x 2.25"
So lets say 5" by 2.5" is a reasonable size for the phone itself. Big enough to see maps and such, small enough to still fit in my pockets or more importantly, on my hip.
If consumers didn't want big phones (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:If consumers didn't want big phones (Score:4, Insightful)
If I buy cable TV and it includes ESPN, does that mean I want ESPN? No.
Consumers want certain features. If those features are only available on a phone with an extra-large screen, they are forced to buy it, or otherwise skip the feature they want.
I own a iPhone, not because I'm in love with Apple or it's feature sets, but because I like the size. I do not want a larger phone.
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>>>If I buy cable TV and it includes ESPN, does that mean I want ESPN? No.
LOL!
And ESPN charges 3-4 dollars per home each month. What a rip. I thought this part of the article was insightful: "I recently witnessed HTC's official Twitter account proudly retweeting a couple of folk who claimed theyâ(TM)d managed to get a full day's use out of their HTC One X phones, as if this were some kind of epic win. Wow! A whole day without a trip to the charger! I'm sorry, but in my book a full day is the
Re:If consumers didn't want big phones (Score:5, Insightful)
That's an interesting theory you have there, but I'd like to know what features it is that consumers want that are only available with a large screen. I did a bit of shopping recently, and none of the sales reps or literature mentioned anything that the large-screen phones could do that the small-screen ones couldn't, at least with Android-based models from the same manufacturer.
I know many people who bought large-screen phones because they watch video and view pictures on their phone far, far more than they use it for calls. However, they've pretty much reached the limit of pocket size. Once the phone won't fit in someone's shirt pocket, they're not interested in it as a phone and seem more likely to opt for a full-scale tablet instead.
I know very few people who make heavy use of smart phones as phones. The heavy phone users still seem to prefer older, smaller devices whose screens are completely useless for displaying photos or browsing the 'net, much less watching a video.
I suspect most people who buy smart phones are like my friends: they need/want a portable internet device more than they want to make phone calls. Technically they have to be able to make phone calls, but it's the "extras" that guide their buying choices because every cell phone can make a call, right down to the $30 clamshell phones.
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This is true bigger is better. For a phone about 5" is the max. Well with fondle slabs, the sky is the limit. My 4.3" Android is no bigger than the smaller iPhone screens and I have small hands. Not too large. Anything beyond a 5" would be a tablet.
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Re:If consumers didn't want big phones (Score:4, Funny)
Why yes I would like an unfolding phone, just make sure it doesn't fold up like a road map because I could never get those folds correct.
Re:If consumers didn't want big phones (Score:4, Funny)
Oh yeah? Well as one of the only people in the world who still has a pair of Jncos in his closet, who's stupid now?
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You can have big screens without a big phone, just make the phone take up more of the screen's face (and with a landscape slider, you can still have a full keyboard). Plus pretty soon the higher-end phones will all have projectors in them anyways.
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Most phones are *already* pretty much all screen. Even my highly outdated Droid I has only a small area that is not-screen - 1cm on the top and bottom, 1/2cm on the sides. And from what I've seen, newer phones tend to have even less non-screen space.
So if you want a bigger screen, you kind of have to get a bigger phone. Or a projector, but that brings in its own problems (how do you play Angry Birds on it?).
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Yeah. This is why Samsung is likely to get away with an extra 0.2" of diagonal for the next Galaxy Note without increasing physical dimensions - but no more.
As to "do consumers want them?" - If consumers didn't want them, they wouldn't be selling.
I was originally concerned about the portability issues of my Galaxy Note (5.3" screen). At this point - my old phone with a 4.5" screen feels like a tiny toy to me.
The Note, believe it or not, fits more comfortably in my hand, the keyboard is FAR easier to use,
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You're forgetting that all the emo kids are wearing skinny jeans that barely fit a pack of gum these days :)
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>>>Correction, they want big screens
Yeah but arent they tired of carrying around a big 4 or 5 inch slab hanging off their hip? My phone measures a measley 2.5 x 1" and I already get annoyed having to carry* it around all the time.
*
*Still haven't found a good case. The snap-on kind pops off & falls to the ground, and the belt-type doesn't work when I have no belt.
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1. I don't have a pocket big enough for a small phone.
2. One pocket has a wallet in it, the other usually change and keys. Back pkckets are where phones go to be bent and cracked.
3. Clips, belt pouches, etc work fine. Some are not noticeable, others are just glommy. Not as stupid as pants on the ground, sir.
4. A phablet or a phone *and* a tablet would be close to justifying my carrying a manbag. If I can find one that isn't too, um, well, you know.
5. Trust me on this, nothing about your phone, even rive
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What's stupid about slide-out keyboards? That was the #1 reason I got the phone I did. I can use a slide-out keyboard on my 3.2" screen phone with tactile feedback, or I can get some behemoth that no longer fits in my pocket and type at half the speed on the on-screen keyboard.
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Does it matter? A free market can accommodate his bias, your bias, and my bias and we can all be happy. Technology doesn't have to be some fascist nightmare.
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It's not a free market. Often phn manufacturers and network providers (more data used == more revenue) restrict choices and if the cost of producing a phn is greater than what you can mae from sales the model is discontinued. Not matter what you want.
Henry Ford said something like "They can have any color they want, as long as it is black." That is the situation we are in and why you cannot appeal to a free market argument.
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Everything mechanical is prone to break prematurely. That's why I never went for a clamshell phone like the StarTAC or a Nokia Commander, and that's why I don't want a slide-out keyboard.
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The point is: if you want a high end smartphone AND you don't want a 4.5+ inch screen, what are your options? What quad-core Android comes in such form factor?
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Not quad, but very nice dual core would be the Rezound. I am sure HTC will update this design to quad very soon.
Of course big phone get the best hardware first, it is easier to cram it in there.
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Asking for a 2.3'' touchscreen is nuts. I'm asking for a 4-4.3'' high end phone. Even a Galaxy SII (arguably the best of last year's dual cores) isn't 100% lag-free, the browser could be faster, the resolution isn't impressive anymore (they could use a DPI similar to the Galaxy Nexus, or even bigger, and have a qHD/720p screen on 4.3 inches). I want the phone to fit well in my pockets; when I use it, I can handle the "small" (which was considered "huge" only 2 years ago) screen. It's not like I can't see in
Re:If consumers didn't want big phones (Score:4, Funny)
Yeah, the HP Veer was just a huge success because people are really clamoring for a smaller phone.
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I find the move to everything-touch-screen to be stupid. The slight out keyboard, especially on a smaller phone, is nice. No killed screen space for the keyboard.
And there are plenty of small phones.
I just wish they had a smart phone (or laptop for that matter), where you could adjust the volume while it was off, like with those old volume sliders/rollers/dials.
I know lots of people who hate big phones (Score:5, Interesting)
My wife got an HP Veer specifically because it's smaller than a credit card. Most of her clothing doesn't have pockets big enough to fit an iPhone, so she got a dead-end phone with an antiquated OS because she's not going to carry a giant phone around. Her friends all think it's fantastic.
Appearance versus function. (Score:2)
Most of her clothing doesn't have pockets big enough to fit an iPhone, so she got a dead-end phone with an antiquated OS because she's not going to carry a giant phone around. Her friends all think it's fantastic.
That's because her friends don't have to actually use it. The size might actually be fantastic but that doesn't mean the phone is. I used to have a Nokia E70 "smartphone" with a fold out keyboard. It looked cool and everyone would say so but the screen was too small for practical use and the software interface sucked hard. It was easier to carry but it was a crappy phone. As you say, her phone is antiquated and there is a price to pay for that. My wire carries her phone in a belt holder for the same r
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Re:I know lots of people who hate big phones (Score:5, Interesting)
I can see it now (Score:2)
The convergence of tablet and smartphone: Just put a mic and a speaker in the right places on a tablet with a cell modem.
Dell Streak (Score:2)
The 5" Dell Streak was probably the best hardware piece I wished to own. Sadly, the software part was disastrous. I still think a 5" screen smartphone-tablet bridge device would be perfect in terms of covering both smartphone and tablet functions. Pair a Bluetooth headset with the device and all of a sudden size is no longer that important.
What I mean is I would pick a 5" screen device any day instead of carrying both a smartphone AND a tablet.
So yeah, supersized smartphones are bad if they are only conside
It's not that... (Score:5, Funny)
Wrong trend in two dimensions (Score:2)
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I find the iPad is also too thin. There's definitely a lower limit where decreased thickness no longer makes sense. The tapered edges (to give the illusion of even lower thickness) sure don't help.
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Yes I do, thanks for asking (Score:5, Insightful)
I personally like the larger screen devices that are going on the market. Being a male of above average height and hand size, these kinds of phones are just as easy for me to carry, and offer a better visual experience (after all why have such a powerful smartphone if you are limited to 3.5" of screen space). Surely the larger phones aren't for everyone, and to that end there are still smaller screened phones you can buy, no one is making you buy a large screen phone. Choice is good!
LG Optimus Slider (Score:2)
I got the LG Optimus Slider (3.2" screen) because it has the largest physical (sliderout) keyboard possible while still fitting comfortably in my pocket along with my keys and other stuff I carry all the time. I wouldn't mind a slightly taller phone (I have deep pockets), but I wouldn't want it to be any wider and certainly no thicker. My primary reason for a smartphone was email and some very light web browsing/GPS. Angry Birds works ok on it, but I'd be just as happy playing Tetris on my old Tracfone to p
Seems like... (Score:2)
This seems like it'd be better suited as a poll with options. That being said:
I like the size of the iPhone because it's just the right size. Regardless of whether Jobs would bless my holding-technique, it fits right in there, and my average-sized mitts can reach the whole screen without needing two hands. On the rare occasion I find my phone accidentally being held Landscape, I'm often initially awkward in putting two hands on the device. Just doesn't feel right.
I had a brief fling with a Droid X last year
Yes, it is! (Score:3)
Just look at the sales numbers for things like Galaxy Note, Galaxy S3, and HTC One X.
Huge screens = huge sales.
Personally, I'm salivating over the Gaaxy Note 2, which should have an even bigger screen than the original.
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". Is that proof people want smaller screens? No." Actually, yes. I can see why you wouldn't' think so because...
". The iPhone is much smaller than those but outsells them all put together." That isn't true.
Samsung sells more smart phones then Apple. There smart phones are bigger then Apple's Smart phone.
People are leaving Apple, and other smart phone manufacturer to go to Samsung's larger screens.
How do you like them Apples?
Big Phones? No. Small Computers (Score:5, Interesting)
They are small computers with phones built in. Anymore, people use Bluetooth headsets to talk, so hold a big thing up isn't a big deal. And when they text, which people do far more than talk anymore, on average, people want big screens and keyboards. Same goes for web browsing, pictures, etc. So, the trend is to provide a smaller portable computer and communication (and tracking, depending on who you listen to) device.
The focus has shifted.
Re:Big Phones? No. Small Computers (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Big Phones? No. Small Computers (Score:5, Funny)
I honestly do not know anyone who uses a Bluetooth headset regularly. I only make a handful of calls a day, lasting 3-4 minutes at most, so a Bluetooth headset would just be more trouble than it's worth.
But how will other people know you're a successful, important douchebag?!!
Droid X big enough for me (Score:2)
I wouldn't want anything bigger than my Droid X. It's big enough to use the screen for maps and browsing but small enough to hold for phone purposes.
If I had anything significantly bigger, I'd likely have to rely on a Bluetooth accessories all the time.
Hardware keyboard (Score:2)
I don't want a bigger screen, I want a good phone with a solid hardware keyboard. As of right now there is virtually no alternatives to BlackBerry Bold 9900 or maybe Droid Pro (slide out keyboards don't count, they're barely better than on-screen ones and make the device size balloon even worse than large screens)... I'm sure majority of consumers want to watch videos and play videogames on their mobile devices - I want to keep using mine for communicating and a hardware keyboard just cannot be beat.
Yes, it is what I want (Score:2)
Samsung Note is hecka big (Score:2)
I'm fine with a slightly larger phone as long as it's comfortable in my jeans pocket. The iphone screen is too small IMHO and I don't like typing on it. I like a big more screen real easte.
Last night was the first time I was able to demo a Galaxy 3. I held it next to my Galaxy S2 (Sprint epic touch version) The G3 is a hair longer because it has rounded edges. The screen is .5 inches longer and it's mostly accomplished by having less bezel area. I'm fine with that kind of change.
The Samsung Note is ano
Ever post something on /. you wish you could edit? (Score:2)
Somewhere a 3rd grade teacher is telling me to write "I like a bit more screen real estate" on a chalk board 300 times.
Can we have an edit button like everyone else please?
Yes. (Score:4, Insightful)
I want the biggest screen that fits comfortable in my pocket. Thin and light would be good, too.
YMMV (Score:2)
Sure, this guy may not want to supersize his smartphone, but he doesn't speak for me or other people who may want the functionality of a smartphone with the usability of a tablet. Either the author doesn't realize different devices fit different needs, or the author wasn't able to think of a more interesting or pressing issue to write about.
Just buy a small one if you don't like a big one (Score:3)
It's that easy. Why do people keep making prescriptions that would affect absolutely everyone, just because they personally don't like something?
If you want a small phone, buy one, period.
Anything else is just saying that your taste and your desires are more important than anybody else's. That's just not true and sure sign of pure arrogance.
In a phone? No. (Score:3)
I had an Android phone, and now I have an iPhone - but if the rumored 7.85" iPad comes out, I'm seriously thinking about carrying that and a small dumb phone instead.
I've seen the big phones, and their screens seem like the worst of both worlds... still too small to really be useful, but big enough where the size starts to be something you have to think about. Given that I hardly ever make phone calls, I think what I'd really like is a smallish tablet that happens to have phone hardware built-in - but it would have to have the ability to vibrate/ring/alarm to really replace a phone for me. Such a device would fit in the cargo pants I usually wear or in the coat pocket I've got handy 9 months out of the year.
It's all relative (Score:4, Funny)
As somebody that sold the Motorola "book" cell phones back in the early 90's, I find it funny calling these tiny things "huge and heavy".
Convergence (Score:2)
Personally, I don't want them bigger (Score:2)
I have an IPhone 4S, and it's about the right size for me. Most days, I wear jeans to work, and anything bigger than the IPhone would be uncomfortable to carry around in my front pocket (not to mention cumbersome to take out when I need to answer it). I can see the benefits to having a larger screen with a higher resolution, but the bottom line is you have to drag it around with you.
There's always the option of using a belt clip, which would make it easier to carry around a phone with a larger form factor,
Why are technology writers so insufferable? (Score:3)
Pocket? Maybe not. So what? (Score:3)
IME, more often than not, with typical attire, men with large smartphones carry them on belt clips, and women carry them in purses (many of which have dedicated compartments for them.) That's actually not that uncommon even with smaller phones.
My Dream Phone (Score:4, Funny)
There's only one solution to this... (Score:5, Insightful)
The phones are getting bigger, because customers seem to be attracted to bigger screens. But once the screens become too big, the devices also get too big, at which point people start to want smaller phones again. After all, the main reason to carry it with you is because it's a portable communications device; all that computing power is great, but only if the devices remain small.
Therefore, the only solution is to not have such big screens on the phones and instead use external display devices. The possibility of using e.g mini HDMI connectors to couple them to larger monitors is one solution, but I think a much better one would be to connect them to head-mounted displays (HMDs). Then it would once again not be a problem for the phones themselves to have smaller displays, allowing them to be used primarily as input devices.
Re:There's only one solution to this... (Score:4, Funny)
The possibility of using e.g mini HDMI connectors to couple them to larger monitors is one solution, but I think a much better one would be to connect them to head-mounted displays (HMDs).
But then you'll get accosted and attacked in McDonald's...
Comment removed (Score:3)
4.6" is good for me (Score:3)
The screen on my Galaxy Nexus is the perfect size for me. Still fits in my pocket, and my thumb can reach the entire screen while the phone is held comfortably in my hand. It's a bit of a stretch to reach the pull-down notification bar, but it's still within reach. I think any larger screen would be too big to use one handed.
My girlfriend, on the other hand, can't use my Nexus one handed, her thumb is not long enough to reach the top of the screen, and it's even a bit of a stretch to reach over to the left-side of the screen. So she's much happier with the 3.1" screen on her phone.
My Nexus is still large enough for us to both comfortably watch a movie on an airplane. A bigger screen might be nice for that, but not if I need to carry it in my pocket or use it one handed while standing in the bus.
Related Article (Score:3)
Here [eetimes.com] is an EE Times article on the same subject. The article and commenters agree people using mass transit (mostly outside the US) want to minimize carried weight and prefer a single device with a large screen instead of two devices (pad and phone). If you are already carrying a day pack, the size is less of a problem than weight from two batteries.
Yes and no (Score:3)
(emphasis mine) If I may paraphrase the question: "Has anyone noticed that if you select among the most expensive phones which have the most expensive components, probably because they have the largest screens, that this tiny subset of the market happens to have the largest screens?"
Yes and no. Some people do, some people don't.
You don't really want a bigger phone. (Score:3)
Come on! (Score:3)
Come on, people over 500 messages and no:
'Is that a Galaxy in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?'
I'm kinda disappointed.
Re: (Score:2)
Maybe they are being made for the same people as the original Xbox controllers?
I loved my Xbox controllers. The "S" controllers for Japanese children with vestigial right-palm-fingers were ridiculous.
Re: (Score:3)
"Judging by sales? No. The 3.7" iPhone is outselling every device on the planet."
Samsung sells more smart iphones the any other company, as of Q1. There phones are >4". SO it seems people are moving to the bigger screen. I'm sure having more features helps as well.
Apple marketed and made smart phone popular, but they aren't currently doing anything new or novel with them
It's news for nerd because screen size and smart phones are a hot nerd topic.
Disagree? then why the hell did you post?