Innovation

[anticpated]

Who in your humble opinion is the most innovative mobile tech company?

What mobile tech changed the way you go about your day to day activities?

Do advertisements or Youtube endorsed "influencers" (so hate that term) make informed decisions about what you buy?

Do you feel the market is so monopolised now, it has lost some of its edge and creativity?

Finally from these handsets, which do you think is best for your needs - iPhone, Samsung, Huawei, Oneplus, LG, Sony, Motorola or Google Pixel?

[Glory1]

For me, certainly at the moment, it is Samsung. My S10+ provides everything I need to stream, buy on line, download and anything else others would normally do through their PCs or laptops.

From @viridis' recent review the new Sony also looks like a keeper.

I buy based purely on previous experience and am not really influenced by advertising. Though I will admit to being interested by some advertising. 

I rarely view YouTube and adverts are those seen on TV. But I don't rush out and buy based on advertising. I do as much investigating as one can first and try to make an informed decision based on what information I've managed to find. 

According to advertising every product is perfect. Which, of course, is nonsense. Some things are better than others based on what you want to do with the product.

Advertising is good to make you aware of a phone but it is always wise to investigate further. What suits one person won't always suit another. And it's always a case of what you want to use a phone for that should sell a particular brand to you; not what other people think.

[viridis]

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@anticpated wrote:

Who in your humble opinion is the most innovative mobile tech company?

No contest, Sony.

No other manufacturer has put anywhere near as many world firsts into their devices as Sony.

Apple used to be the most innovative, but I think the drive for innovation died with Jobs, since then it's Sony that sets trends, sounds crazy I know, but most these features you're having on ANY smartphone nowadays, appeared first on Xperia. It's quite possibly the most underrated brand in existence imo, and you can see a few of the innovations here:

https://blogs.sonymobile.com/2018/07/04/smartphone-innovation-the-evolution-of-xperia-smartphones-an...

You can now add 4k oled as well

What mobile tech changed the way you go about your day to day activities?

Mobile tech IS my day to day, it just evolves lol

Do advertisements or Youtube endorsed "influencers" (so hate that term) make informed decisions about what you buy?

Nope, most are paid off and will say exactly what the job entails, I only trust word of mouth, and smaller YouTubers who have to buy products.

Do you feel the market is so monopolised now, it has lost some of its edge and creativity?

Monopolised, yes 100%. Some people actually believe Android is the Samsung OS and other brands copy them with the os design, these people are also normally the ones that advise other to buy Samsung as "it's easier to use than any others" except of course that historically, Samsung's Android skin was the most intensive and difficult to navigate.

Likewise, iPhones sell literally because they are iPhones.

Finally from these handsets, which do you think is best for your needs - iPhone, Samsung, Huawei, Oneplus, LG, Sony, Motorola or Google Pixel?

Sony and if pushed Samsung..

If I had to have another brand aside from these, it would actually be Nokia that gets my money, they are moving up.

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[Cleoriff]

Not sure I'm the right person to reply on this thread as I use my phone less than many people.

Since smartphones came into being, I have always had a Samsung phone. I love it as it meets my needs.

I'm not much of a photographer, but having a smartphone allows me to take instant shots without the bother of a camera.

I'm not into the 'latest and greatest'. I have a Note 8 which suits me perfectly. It's underused so will probably last me a long time

It has a large screen and keyboard which I need.

I'm not influenced by advertising or YouTube. If I need advice I ask on here. The answers I get are informative and unbiased.

I use my laptop more than my phone. Controversially, if I had to give up one of those, it would be my phone. (shock horror)

When and if the time comes I have to change my phone, I will get another Samsung. No question about that.

[gmarkj]

Most innovative is hard - they all do things differently: Samsung S-Pen, Sony cameras and screens are ones that come to mind.

If I had to pick then I would echo @viridis with Sony.

Might sound daft, but the biggest change was reading apps and the Kindle one in particular. I used to read a lot of physical books, but since the Kindle app and Kindle Unlimited I very rarely read books - despite having a large pile at home waiting for me.

If I have 5 minutes to spare waiting for something/someone, then I will often open up the current book and read a few pages.

No. Don't watch adverts on TV (TiVo, so fast forward through them), ignore the ones played in the cinema and the ones on radio are just terrible.

YouTubers don't really give impartial reviews. I would either read several online reviews, or find someone who actually had the item in question or (where possible) try it out myself.

Before buying anything I normally make a shortlist and compare features/spec to find out which matches most closely what I am looking for and/or stands out. Plus which is most cost effective or cheapest!

I don't tend to stick to one brand - I have owned Sony, Samsung, HTC and LG in the past. So as mentioned I would see which one covered the most of my requirements, and is the best for price.

The only one I would avoid are iPhone - overpriced for what you get, and very much locked down without a lot of work/time.

[anticpated]

Some good answers there.

[anticpated]

Who in your humble opinion is the most innovative mobile tech company?

In many ways I would say companies from the Chinese market are the most innovative at the moment as they are putting companies from Korea and the US under pressure to be more creative and provide better value for money. By introducing biometric security devices into mobile devices and better camera options for a smaller price. Oneplus for example, even though they have no official IP rating - factory testing and extensive user experiences prove they are durable.

What mobile tech changed the way you go about your day to day activities?

The Android platform changed the way I run my day to day operations. For one, it was a cheaper alternative to Apple and worked in an easier way than you first might expect. Granted to you were tied to Google to get the best from it. However the lack of propreiety hardware connections made it more attractive.

Do advertisements or Youtube endorsed "influencers" (so hate that term) make informed decisions about what you buy?

I watch some videos on Youtube or GSMArena to get a non-objective feedback on the products. It also gives you more detailed technical specifications. It is important to understand why you are buying a product and not just to be swayed by the marketing crowd.

Do you feel the market is so monopolised now, it has lost some of its edge and creativity?

There is a glut of products on the market in all fields of technology. In the mobile market, they are far too many options. Apple may have just a few products however that isn't for everyone. 

Finally from these handsets, which do you think is best for your needs - iPhone, Samsung, Huawei, Oneplus, LG, Sony, Motorola or Google Pixel?

The best phone should suit the individual and not be determined by peers or mass marketing. I like LG as you know, not a fan of the Samsung interface although I have been interested in Oneplus recently as their products seem to get better with each implementation.

[Anonymous]

None of the above, have used an HMD (Nokia badged) phone since last year and am very impressed with the hardware quality and they've stood by their promise to get security updates out promptly (am using a SIM Free Nokia 5)

[jonsie]

O2 used to be the front - centre of innovation but sadly they seem to follow the other networks instead of being the trail blazers they once were. Its all about the money...... 

[Anonymous]

I think smartphones have reached a plateau in terms of breakthrough technology, which is why so many of us are hanging on to our handsets, rather than upgrading them every year.

Samsung’s disappointing attempt at a foldable phone is a case in point, and it’s interesting that Apple are rumoured to be developing a phone that will be marginally larger than the iPhone SE, but it’ll still have a 5.4-inch screen. I get the popularity of larger screen phones, but there’s an optimum size for one-handed use, and it would be typical of Apple if they were to reverse what seems to be an obvious trend. 

Are Apple products still innovative? I think so, the current iPad Pro certainly is, and while we might have to wait until next year for something more exciting to emerge for the iPhone, I think there’s enough reasons for them to feel optimistic.