DT-Side Chat Thread v. The Blu-Ray is out so I changed the friggin' title

[?]

TBH I was also waiting for someone else to start that thread, but in the end I thought "whatever" and did it myself

[Onno]

Got an 8.5/10 for my bachelor thesis today, so I officially have a BSc in Earth Science now! 

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

Congratulations!

[Scorpion]

Awesome! Congrats! Now celebrate by getting drunk.

[Onno]

Thanks guys! 

Awesome! Congrats! Now celebrate by getting drunk.

I shall oblige you!

[hefdaddy42]

Congratulations!

[?]

Congrats dude!

[aprilethereal]

Awesome

[Onno]

And thanks a lot to you guys too!

[?]

So... apparently my phone is dying a slow and painful death, as it doesn't charge even if you keep it plugged in for a whole day (no, it's not the battery - I got a new one and it didn't help at all). Any suggestions on what phone I should get next (except Nokia )?

[Sir Walrus Cauliflower]

So... apparently my phone is dying a slow and painful death, as it doesn't charge even if you keep it plugged in for a whole day (no, it's not the battery - I got a new one and it didn't help at all). Any suggestions on what phone I should get next (except Nokia )?

I'd go with a Galaxy S5, Good pixel density, and it's very durable. It has a removable battery, and a 32GB SD card is about a $25 upgrade IIRC, which can be switched out or installed easily. It works really well for me so far. I haven't had any issues, and I love how customizable it is.

[Onno]

If you want a smartphone, I'd suggest one with more than about 512 MB RAM. I have an LG Optimus L5, and while it's a decent phone, even when I'm not running any apps in the foreground it tends to get slow sometimes simply because of apps running in the background, like WhatsApp. It's pretty annoying.

[Sir Walrus Cauliflower]

If you want a smartphone, I'd suggest one with more than about 512 MB RAM. I have an LG Optimus L5, and while it's a decent phone, even when I'm not running any apps in the foreground it tends to get slow sometimes simply because of apps running in the background, like WhatsApp. It's pretty annoying.

Yeah, RAM and a good CPU. The S5 has 2GB of RAM, and it's got a quadcore Snapdragon 801 @ 2.5GHz

[hefdaddy42]

My wife got the S5 recently and loves it.

[aprilethereal]

If you want a smartphone, I'd suggest one with more than about 512 MB RAM. I have an LG Optimus L5, and while it's a decent phone, even when I'm not running any apps in the foreground it tends to get slow sometimes simply because of apps running in the background, like WhatsApp. It's pretty annoying.

Yup, same here. I have an older Galaxy with 350 mb RAM and it's a pain to use it sometimes.

[?]

Thanks for the tips, everyone! I've been checking out a few websites to compare the prices and features of different phones, and there's one Samsung Galaxy model with 768 MB RAM and a 1800 mAh battery that I'm thinking of buying. My current Windows Phone has a 1300 mAh battery and it had to be charged daily, because I used it so much, which may have led to its demise. I can only hope this one would survive longer

[MoraWintersoul]

You'd think that, with never models of phones, the battery would improve, but everything keeps getting worse. Granted, the phones are like mini computers now, but the fragility is awful. I still don't have a smartphone and I kinda dread the day I will have to get one - my current phone can go five to seven days without charging.

[BlobVanDam]

It seems they don't improve the batteries at the same rate as they up the power requirements for the better hardware. Smart phones get better and better at the "smart" part, but in my observation worse at being actual phones.
If they combined the best battery with the lowest-tech phone, it would probably last a month between charges, but it's probably not worth it for them to bother. The money is in the smartphones.

I don't even have a proper phone, because I don't leave the house. I have an older iPhone, but it's only using wifi at home. If/when I get a source of actual moneys, I'll get a phone if for no other reason, just because a lot of things require it.

[?]

I got my second phone in 2007 and didn't buy another one until 2011. It lasted just 1½ years until the touch screen broke, and then I got the current smartphone, which has now met its fate after a year and 3-4 months. Meanwhile, the old phone with minimal features (you can play music and videos and use crappy WAP, and that's it) is still unbroken and works as my backup phone, even after I'd used it actively for 4 years. Conclusion: phones get more fancy, but less durable - technology sucks...

[BlobVanDam]

I got my second phone in 2007 and didn't buy another one until 2011. It lasted just 1½ years until the touch screen broke, and then I got the current smartphone, which has now met its fate after a year and 3-4 months. Meanwhile, the old phone with minimal features is still unbroken and works as my backup phone, even after I used it actively for 4 years. Conclusion: phones get more fancy, but less durable - technology sucks...

Technology (and every product in general) is built to be more consumable. It's not designed to last, it's designed to impress and sell. They expect people to just constantly upgrade like the consumer whores they all are.
All of our old cartridge based video game consoles still work perfectly after 15-25 years. The XBOX 360 we bought November last year (second hand, but a recent model)? Died months ago.

[MoraWintersoul]

I usually used second hand phones until 2010, when I got the one I'm using today. It's nothing fancy:


but it still works!

[Bolsters]

I don't understand these people who dump their phone on an annual basis just to pick up the latest model. The previous phone worked fine, the upgrades in hardware are minimal at best, and I don't even want to know how much it costs to do that every year.

[King Postwhore]

I got a hand me down Droid 3 from my boss but it is acting weird.  That may be the only reason I upgrade on the company's dime.

[Zydar]

I usually used second hand phones until 2010, when I got the one I'm using today. It's nothing fancy:
https://i.bullfax.com/imgs/29de080605e6a87a0a196e4449613fd054cb2210.jpg

but it still works!

I have that model as my job phone at the office. Works great, and the battery lasts very long.

[?]

Technology (and every product in general) is built to be more consumable. It's not designed to last, it's designed to impress and sell. They expect people to just constantly upgrade like the consumer whores they all are.
All of our old cartridge based video game consoles still work perfectly after 15-25 years. The XBOX 360 we bought November last year (second hand, but a recent model)? Died months ago.

Yeah, of course you can get your phone (or any other device) repaired, but it's so expensive that you're better off buying a new one.

Speaking of game consoles, I got a PlayStation 2 back in 2003 and it's still not broken! That may have something to do with the fact that I've barely played anything in the past 5 years, but I still watch DVDs with it every now and then and it's working just fine.

[GentlemanofDread]

The main reason 360s break, If I recall correctly, is because they get really dusty inside, so in most cases all you actually need to do is clean it.

[BlobVanDam]

The main reason 360s break, If I recall correctly, is because they get really dusty inside, so in most cases all you actually need to do is clean it.

Given that it stopped working after a period of non-use sitting on the floor, I considered that. But I would have thought that would cause overheating or something after having it on for a while, but it keeps resetting after only being on a few seconds. The error code lights weren't really much use, but seemed to indicate something else.
It's worth a try, as it's just sitting there right now.

[GentlemanofDread]

I actually had one of the old ones, it had constant use and didn't red ring, it just died. My step-dad cleaned it and it ran fine. I've heard the same happens in the new ones too, but not had it happen yet.

[hefdaddy42]

We still have a Playstation 2 and it still works.

[King Postwhore]

I have an original Atari 2600 and it still works.  King FTW!!

[BlobVanDam]

This is a 250G S model, and it's not the RROD problem, and it's not outright dead. It just gets stuck in a constant starting loop. It seems consistent with something so benign.
Do you have to open it up to clean it? Or can I just clean it up Nintendo cartridge style?

I have an original Atari 2600 and it still works.  King FTW!!

Ours still works too! Let's network them and play multi-player Adventure!

[GentlemanofDread]

Unfortunantly, you've got open it up to clean it! Nintendo style, I miss you too.

[BlobVanDam]

Unfortunantly, you've got open it up to clean it! Nintendo style, I miss you too.

Ah damn. I guess it couldn't hurt to give it a try. It's not under any warranty anyway, and I've cleaned my computer plenty of times enough. I'll give it a try tomorrow if I'm feeling brave enough.

[King Postwhore]

This is a 250G S model, and it's not the RROD problem, and it's not outright dead. It just gets stuck in a constant starting loop. It seems consistent with something so benign.
Do you have to open it up to clean it? Or can I just clean it up Nintendo cartridge style?

I have an original Atari 2600 and it still works.  King FTW!!

Ours still works too! Let's network them and play multi-player Adventure!

No kidding!  Problem is, we have about 65 games but a good amount are not working.  I wonder if it's dust!

[BlobVanDam]

This is a 250G S model, and it's not the RROD problem, and it's not outright dead. It just gets stuck in a constant starting loop. It seems consistent with something so benign.
Do you have to open it up to clean it? Or can I just clean it up Nintendo cartridge style?

I have an original Atari 2600 and it still works.  King FTW!!

Ours still works too! Let's network them and play multi-player Adventure!

No kidding!  Problem is, we have about 65 games but a good amount are not working.  I wonder if it's dust!

You don't have the later model with the 250+ built in games?! Poor man! I think we only ever owned 2 or 3 extra games on top of the built in ones. We had Ghostbusters and Winter Games, can't remember what else if anything.