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Mobile OSs What's your smartphone OS history?

ChazUK

ChazUK

macrumors 603
Original poster
Feb 3, 2008
5,393
25
Essex (UK)
Just wondering how early people here got into the smartphone game and was wondering where your smartphone roots are?

I started on Symbian S60 (Nokia 7650) and UIQ (SonyEricsson P800).

Ever since I bought my first smartphone, I was hooked and over the years have clocked up time on(with a few handsets I remember, this is not an extensive list!):

  • Symbian S60 (Nokia 7650, 6600, 7610, N-Gage, N-Gage QD, N70, N74, N95, 5500xpressMusic)
  • Symbian UIQ (SonyErcissson P800, P900)
  • Windows Mobile (O2 XDA II, HTC Wizard)
  • iOS/iPhone OS (iPhone 3G, 3GS, iPhone 4)
  • Android (HTC Hero, Nexus One/S/Galaxy Nexus/Nexus 4, Galaxy S, S2, S3)
  • Windows Phone 7 (Samsung Omnia 7, HTC Titan)
  • WebOS (HP Pre3)
  • Windows Phone 8 (Nokia Lumia 620)
Quite a few £££'s spent on handsets and different platforms. :eek:

Primarily, I am an Android user today as the whole OS fits the bill of my old Windows Mobile tinkering days with modern hardware and (for me) it is the most functional OS. Having iOS and Windows Phone 8 at my disposal is a great thing to have and I am lucky in doing so though.

Still, despite all the general hate there was towards Symbian, the Nokia N95 is still my favourite phone of all time. The camera, the hardware, the Nokia services (Nokia Maps was fantastic), the memory expansion.. The phone that had it all and one of the few phones I kept until its dying days.

Anyone else interested in sharing where they've come from, where and why they are now with regards to a smartphone platform? Will be interesting to know where all sides have come from! :D
 
Started with a Samsung i730 running Windows Mobile, used it for 2 1/2 years

Switched to an HTC Touch Pro with a Samsung Blackjack as a backup, still WinMo

Then made the jump to iOS and used the 3GS, 4, and the 5

Now using WP8 on an HTC 8X. Gonna get the Lumia EOS/1020 whenever it comes to Verizon
 
My fondest memories were tinkering endlessly with Windows Mobile, actually Windows CE originally. Man I loved those phones. My experience was even earlier than that, I initially started out with a Palm V and a modem and was able to get it to make phone calls, then eventually graduated to the Windows CE handheld devices/PDA's before they were phones and with CF modems over Sprint 1G was able to use them as phones as well. Then the true windows mobile PDA phones came out and I was in heaven.

After that I kind of just jumped around between WM devices and eventually got into the iphone and kind of stayed there since. I've switched to Android several times during then, but always ended up coming back to the iphone. Today's windows phones fascinate me, but from what I understand they are not open like windows mobile used to be so I'm not sure I would find the same love with them as I did back in the day when they were completely hackable.

I still dream of having a full Windows interface on a phone, yeah I know I'm nuts but I just always liked it and do feel as if I'm currently living my dream in terms of tablets at least, having a FULL windows experience on an ipad sized tablet is something I never imagined would ever come true. Next step is one of those 6" or 7" windows tablets, and maybe someone will make a "Note" type of windows 6" phablet in the future, that would be the holy grail IMO if it had Metro/desktop on it AND phone capabilities.
 
Liquorpuki said:
Now using WP8 on an HTC 8X. Gonna get the Lumia EOS/1020 whenever it comes to Verizon
Click to expand...
That is going to be one killer camera phone.

Great to see Nokia still pushing it with the optical capabilities of phones and at last, true PureView is not wasted on an abandoned platform like the 808 PureView.

One of the big reasons I had my lengthy love affair with my N95 was because of the camera. One of the big aspects that made the original and 3g iPhone laughable for me was the ****** cameras Apple stuck on them. It really was painful moving from the N95 camera to the 3G cam.

Can't wait to hear how you find the 1020 when it hits.

----------
spinedoc77 said:
I still dream of having a full Windows interface on a phone, yeah I know I'm nuts but I just always liked it and do feel as if I'm currently living my dream in terms of tablets at least, having a FULL windows experience on an ipad sized tablet is something I never imagined would ever come true. Next step is one of those 6" or 7" windows tablets, and maybe someone will make a "Note" type of windows 6" phablet in the future, that would be the holy grail IMO if it had Metro/desktop on it AND phone capabilities.
Click to expand...

This really had me excited when I first heard of it.

http://www.gsmarena.com/itg_xpphone_runs_windows_xp_can_be_preordered_now-news-1130.php

http://techcrunch.com/2009/12/28/more-video-of-the-xpphone-released/

Full on Windows XP on a phone? Madness but super cool at the same time!

Screen-shot-2009-12-28-at-December-28-11.44.26-AM.png


A low powered Atom based Windows 8 phone could be a special thing, if not a little large.

Great replies so far! :D
 
ChazUK said:
That is going to be one killer camera phone.

Great to see Nokia still pushing it with the optical capabilities of phones and at last, true PureView is not wasted on an abandoned platform like the 808 PureView.

One of the big reasons I had my lengthy love affair with my N95 was because of the camera. One of the big aspects that made the original and 3g iPhone laughable for me was the ****** cameras Apple stuck on them. It really was painful moving from the N95 camera to the 3G cam.

Can't wait to hear how you find the 1020 when it hits.

----------



This really had me excited when I first heard of it.

http://www.gsmarena.com/itg_xpphone_runs_windows_xp_can_be_preordered_now-news-1130.php

http://techcrunch.com/2009/12/28/more-video-of-the-xpphone-released/

Full on Windows XP on a phone? Madness but super cool at the same time!

Image

A low powered Atom based Windows 8 phone could be a special thing, if not a little large.

Great replies so far! :D
Click to expand...

Haha, I remember that device well, I drooled over it as well,but by that time I was solidly into the iphone ecosystem, I think I had a Fujitsu P-series convertible tablet at that time with windows xp on it.
 
I'm only 15 so.....
iPhone 3GS launch day
iPhone 4 launch day
iPhone 4S launch day:D

Then I got bored of iOS and got a nexus 4 on(you guessed it!) launch day:D
So far pretty happy with my choice.
 
HTC PPC6700 - first smartphone I owned but terrible battery life

HTC Touch Pro - awesome smartphone, much needed upgrade over the 6700

Samung Epic 4g - terrible battery life, returned it after a couple days but the display was nice and the keyboard was good to use, just too bad about the battery life

iPhone 4 - got the iPhone after I returned the Epic 4g. A much better performing phone than the Epic 4g.

Samsung Galaxy S2 - awesome phone

iPhone 4s - sucked back in the Apple system

My next phones will either be the GS4 Google Edition or the Galaxy Note 3. My history is always switching back between Android(pre-Jelly Bean Android) and iPhones.

For tablets, I've primarily used iPads from the iPad 2, iPad 3, iPad Mini, to the iPad 4 and most likely the iPad 5 if it gets an iPad Mini style makeover. The only Android tablets I've used is the Nexus 7 but I wouldn't mind switching to Android in the future.
 
I was 17 when the iPhone 3G came to Australia in 2008. I was working at a video store and for nearly 2 months straight I didn't spend any money on anything but essentials, then I saved up and bought one.

The following year when I turned 18 I signed up to a contract for the 3GS.

The year after that I started working at the Apple store in my city, and bought a 4 on the day of release.

About 6 months into my tenure with the 4, I felt like I wanted to try something different, so I bought a HTC Desire HD. It wasn't a great phone, but I could see that Android had potential.

I went back to my 4 for another 6 months or so, and then I swapped my 4 for a Galaxy S2 which was a huge gamble as I didn't have an ios device to go back to.

Turns out it was the best decision ever. I loved the S2, I loved the S3 and currently love my S4 :)
I can't see myself deviating from the Galaxy S anytime soon...the One NEARLY dragged me away, but it had a few too many deal breakers for me.
 
Before delving into the smartphone world I used a variety of PDAs--first was a Palm IIIe, I believe and then moved onto Windows devices (Compaq Ipaq and Dell Axim). My first smartphone was an AT&T Tilt (rebadged HTC Tytn II) before moving to iOS. I've had all of the iPhone models but also spent some time using a Samsung Focus (WP7), which I liked. Since last year I've used:

- iPhone 4
- iPhone 4s
- Galaxy Nexus
- iPhone 5
- Nexus 4
- Galaxy Note II
- HTC One

I really like the One and don't expect to switch anytime soon. The next rumored iPhone does nothing for me and the only aspect of the One I find a bit wanting is the camera. So unless next years version of the One has an 8 Ultrapixel camera, the next device I'm anticipating is the 2014 iPhone.
 
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My first Smartphone was the iPhone, before that it was various Sony or Nokia Dumbphones.

  • iPhone 2G
  • iPhone 3G
  • iPhone 4
  • iPhone 4S
  • Lumia 900
  • iPhone 5
  • Nexus 4
  • Galaxy S4
 
I'll be the first to admit I've been a smartphone addict since before the category was defined. I've used virtually every OS created. Given the fact I've carried a minimum of two active phones for well over a decade, it's been fun and educational. The number of phones I've owned and operating systems I've tried is amazing as I look back. Not only that no matter which platform were talking about they each got used for at least a year. I'm simply not quick to reject any of them until I've learned them and given them a very thorough test.
 
I had cell phones before they got "smart" and that included a huge Nokia brick (had worm or centipede or whatever as only game) then I got cool enough to get a silver flip... I think it was an LG ...it had a camera, which was awesome at the time

First smart phone was...

Motorola Q - had a physical keyboard (not touch screen) and I couldn't pay for internet, but I was pumped to use the calendar on my phone because before I carried my flip and a Palm PDA to do my scheduling....

Then I got the big upgrade

IPhone 3g - truly a modern technical wonder to me ;)
IPhone 3gs on launch day
IPhone 4 on launch day
IPhone 4s on launch day

Grew tired of iOS so...

Galaxy S3 off of eBay :)
Happily running CM10.1 on it

Now I've got my eye on the Moto X, Note 3, and keeping an eye on used Galaxy S4 as well (switched to no contract provider so I upgrade whenever I want)
 
I started in 2005....

Palm OS (Trēo 650 and 700p)
Blackberry OS (Blackberry Curve)
WebOS (Loved it, Palm Prē)
Android (HTC Hero, used it for a month when I sold my Prē until I could upgrade)
iOS (iPhone 4S)
 
I got my first cellphone shortly before university freshman year. A few weeks later 9/11 hit. :(

Sanyo long-candybar phone, CDMA, Telus
Another Sanyo phone after I lost the first one, same carrier

Switched to Rogers after about ~5 years, because it's hella easier to switch phones with SIM slots than to do it with CDMA.

ROKR E1 via 3-year contract
Nokia X5800 (unlocked) from a local phone seller
iPhone 4S at launch, new 3-year contract (about 15 months left on it atm)
SGS4 (unlocked) right now
 
Samsung Galaxy S
Samsung Galaxy S2
Samsung Galaxy S3

Guess I was destined to use Android. But stayed with iOS for tablets.
 
HTC HERO -> touchscreen defect

IPHONE 4 -> my brother's, sold it after a week, but only after i managed to brick it by jailbreaking

NOKIA LUMIA 800 -> sold it after a couple of months because of atrocious battery life and camera

SAMSUNG NOTE -> got stolen

HTC DESIRE HD -> sold it because of battery life and camera again

SAMSUNG NOTE -> just too big for summer

IPHONE 5 -> gave it to my mother after a while cause of boredom with ios

HTC ONE -> loving it so far, cept for the camera and battery life could be better too
 
I have owned a lot of smartphones over the years. I'm only going to talk about the ones that were important to my platform exploration here.

My first smartphone was Symbian S60. At the time it was the best smartphone OS. It was about as easy to use as a normal feature phone but it had so many apps and was surprisingly advanced for its time.

I had a few Symbian phones then decided to mess with Windows Mobile. Didn't like it too much, it was too fiddly and performance was bad. Customisable, sure, but it wasn't great as an OS. Didn't keep hold of that for long.

Then I got my first BlackBerry. These were of course all the rage back then, and had even become a cultural icon. So I joined the craze. For a communications device these things were excellent, I'm still not sure I own anything better for pure communication. But as smartphones they weren't so great. Aside from themes (which were often rubbish and used up the battery a lot for some reason) there wasn't much in the way of customisation either.

I kept with BlackBerry until the OG iPhone hit. As soon as I saw that I knew I had to have it. So I jumped to iOS and it was awesome. For the first few years after the iPhone came out it was simply the best smartphone OS. I was early in on the jailbreak scene back when you had to use command line tools to run filesystem exploits, so I maintained the customisability and was running third party apps before the App Store was even a thing.

Eventually I got bored of iOS and wanted a new shiny thing, and remembering how I loved Nokias and Symbian S60 before, I bought a Nokia 5800. It was essentially the same old Symbian from a few years ago with a resistive touchscreen on awful cheap hardware. It was very unreliable too. One of the worst phones I ever bought. Sold it after a month.

After that I looked at Palm's offerings and jumped to webOS. I absolutely loved webOS. I wish Palm had been able to keep going and HP hadn't ****ed **** up. It was buggy at times and the app selection was, of course, limited, and yes it was a bit slow too, but it was so beautiful and easy to use that I simply didn't care. I also loved the Palm Pre hardware with the exception of the keyboard which I found difficult to use.

I wish I could say I got the next Pre, but since it was literally just an overclocked version of the original, I instead went back to an iPhone 3GS and used that for a while, again jailbroke it, generally enjoyed it for the duration of its use.

From there I was looking more and more at Android. It's a concept I'd liked right from the beginning, but in the past it had failed to deliver. I didn't really want a phone running Android Doughnut or Eclair or Froyo. So I played it safe and got an iPhone 4.

However, a year later, after the release of Ice Cream Sandwich, I finally got myself an Android phone. I flashed CyanogenMod and was welcomed into a whole new level of customisation. It was awesome. Right up until the HTC hardware broke. Since I got it off eBay I had no choice but to give up on it and go back to my old iPhone 4.

And that's where I am today. I also replaced my iPad with a Nexus 7 a few months back so I'm still an Android user today and I love it. This month I will be getting a new phone and it'll likely run Android. Right now it's the best OS with the best hardware being made for it IMO.
 
I had a dumb Sanyo feature phone beforehand. I had a pretty bad experience with it. But then I wanted a Windows Mobile phone to match my Pocket PC at the time which I loved. :rolleyes: I ended up ditching it and didn't have a phone for a good while until the iPhone showed up. (I have no use for texting - It costs too much, and I have no use for voice, no one calls me, and I can't talk very well anyway)

iPhone 2G in 2007 - It fell out of my back pocket into a bucket of clean water in 2010. :eek:

And then I had a Samsung T349, a GORGEOUS feature phone. Miles and miles and miles beyond that stupid Sanyo phone - I could get internet on it and e-mail! Sold it without a loss too.

iPhone 4 in 2010 - I dropped it, and the battery is now all messed up.

Samsung Galaxy S2 Skyrocket in 2012 - I bought it refurbished. The camera got dented earlier this year, but I can't fix it because the screws are all stripped. Hence I'm never buying a refurbished on contract phone ever again.

Huawei Fusion 2 in 2013 - The only GoPhone worth buying at the moment, $80 well spent. $40 something refurbished at the moment. Got drenched in the rain with no problems whatsoever. It has the better screen compared to the S2. Not as rich, but then again, not as blue either, haha.

Going back to the iPhone when the next one comes out. But if that one breaks in the future before a new one drops, I'll go for another Android.
 
Can I play? I loved the hackable days of WinMo

- T mobile HTC Dash
- HTC Touch Pro 2 (best physical qwerty ever made on a phone)
-HTC T mobile G1 (1st android device)
- Samsung Behold 2 (worst android device ever and reason why I just recently started buying Samsung devices again)
- HTC Mytouch 3G Fender edition
- HTC HD2 (1st 1gig snapdragon phone with a 4.3" display, I loved this phone)
- HTC Nexus One
- iPhone 4 (1st idevice, I was enamored with the app store)
- HTC Inspire 4G
- iPhone 4s (still own)
- HTC One X (still own)
- HTC One X+
- Samsung Galaxy S4 (currently go to device)

As you can see I've always been a huge fan of HTC. I wish they would go back to their business model when they were the little guy. Very timely updates
 
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