The Android thread

[Average Guy]

Since the Android OS Is becoming so popular I thought I would make a thread for it (:

We can just talk about Android phones, Android news, apps and so on.

I will start by saying I can’t wait to get the Android 2.1 for my Hero. What I have heard is that it should be released in mid February (:
If you would like to see what you can expect comming with the 2.1 software you can see this video of the Nexus One with the new software (:
[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvU6g2V_oio[/YOUTUBE]

Start talking!

[Scott]

I am a Droid owner and I LOVE this phone! The way thing are integrated makes my life a little simpler. For instance, I can pull up a contact, click on their address, and it will navigate me to them flawlessly. I can also do a voice search like "navigate to Radio Shack near XXX street" and it knows that I am asking it tto search near me and finds me a list... same thing, click the address or phone number and it either calls or takes me there in an instant.

The app market is growing at a VERY rapid clip too!

I have looked at the 2.1 updates and a few of them looks pretty cool, while a few of them just seem pointless to me.

[Average Guy]

I like that after 5 mins the first person seeing this threads answers

But yes, the market is really getting big! And fast!
I have had my Hero since the beginning of August and you can really see the quality getting better too (:

[Scott]

I am also quite impressed with how freaking tough my phone is. I was very worried about spending the loot based on how rough I am on my phones. I have dropped this thing at least ten times and it just keeps on trucking!

[Redliner]

I am a Droid owner and I LOVE this phone! The way thing are integrated makes my life a little simpler. For instance, I can pull up a contact, click on their address, and it will navigate me to them flawlessly. I can also do a voice search like "navigate to Radio Shack near XXX street" and it knows that I am asking it tto search near me and finds me a list... same thing, click the address or phone number and it either calls or takes me there in an instant.

The app market is growing at a VERY rapid clip too!

I have looked at the 2.1 updates and a few of them looks pretty cool, while a few of them just seem pointless to me.

Could you please make a review of it?
I am VERY temped to buy an Android phone, but I still don´t know which one:
Samsung Galaxy, HTC Magic or Motorola Milestone (or Droid, depending where you live).

[Average Guy]

I have heard the Galaxy sucks balls for being an Android phone :S
And if you think about the Magic the why not the Hero? (:

[Jens]

I have my Hero since mid December and I adore it I can't imagine going back to a phone without Android.
It's very useful that you can link your contacts to twitter, facebook and flickr accounts and get notified when they do something.
HTC sense works like a dream with it and also can't wait 'till 2.1 is released

The messaging app can get quite laggy sometimes when I have lots of messages (like 2000-3000) in my inbox, guess that's quite normal though.

[Scott]

Could you please make a review of it?
I am VERY temped to buy an Android phone, but I still don´t know which one:
Samsung Galaxy, HTC Magic or Motorola Milestone (or Droid, depending where you live).

hmmm, let's see.... to start with I have what most folks consider to be bery large hands/ fingers. The complaints about the flatness of the keyboard concerned me at first, but after using it I find it pretty nice. I don't typically type very long messages and I am ok with correcting things a few times, but I find it very reasonable.

The screen is great, but I find myself cleaning smudges or "gunk" off the screen quite often. It picks up just about anything that touches it, but I am sure most phones of this type do the same thing.

I also have both the car dock and the multimedia dock. I don't have any music on my phone currently, but I can see how that would be quite useful. The car dock is my new best friend, and once I get the ability to dictate text messages in Android 2.1, that will be fantastic!

I have found the phone's reception to be MUCH better than my sister's Balckberry, and the data transfer speeds seem to be what they should be, but of course that is all very geographically dependent.

I have occasionally activated the camera on purpose, and pocket dialed people a few times, but no big deal... right?

My one big complaint about the camera is the LOUSY menu! It has all of the right options and settings, but the way it pops out and the way you get thru it is just clunky. Maybe I am just missing something, but it is a bit of a PITA to change settings quickly.

The speakerphone is pretty dang good, and the battery life is decent as well. I have run it in GPS mode for over 5 hours on a single charge, but I typically keep the screen brightness all the way down. The only time I need to turn up the brightness is outside in direct sunlight, and if you keep it up for any length of time it will decrease your battery life a in a very big way (nearly in half).

The only other thing that is sort of a "what the hell were they thinking" item is the location of the SD card. You have to pull the battery to get to it, but with a 16gb card right out of the box, and a data cable provided there is really not that much need to yank the card out unless you share it between devices. I would recommend just buying a dedicated card for whatever you might have been sharing with.

My sister has little tiny fingers (and I think she may be cold blooded) she has MAJOR trouble getting the screen to recognize that she wants something done, so I would certainly go to a store and try it out for yourself before committing to the phone.

Oh one other very annoying thing is that I have not found a way to delete only selected text messages in a group, it is all of them or one at a time... that is a pain in the ass sometimes too. I would like to delete only facebook SMS updates or something similar, but I have to do them one at a time and on a busy day that could take a while!

[thevictor390]

Android is a very strong candidate for my next phone, I just hope I can find a way to not be forced into a data plan (they're freaking expensive!).

Haven't looked at individual phones yet as I have to decide on carrier first.

[Koenig]

<---- Is waiting patiently for the Xperia X10. And by patiently, I mean not fucking patiently at all.

[gtrietsc]

Still rocking my G1. Got it at launch in 2008. Running an older build of Cyanogen Mod on it right now, but seriously going to try upgrading to a newer version with Donut code. Still love this phone!

[Scott]

Android is a very strong candidate for my next phone, I just hope I can find a way to not be forced into a data plan (they're freaking expensive!).

Haven't looked at individual phones yet as I have to decide on carrier first.

not happening... prepare to pay...

[thevictor390]

If that is truly the case, then Android is not happening. I do not need a data plan. I do not want a dataplan if it's more expensive than $10/month or so. I do want a smartphone. However, I will get a basic phone if that's what it takes to not be forced into an expensive plan.

[Nabster]

I was in the same boat as you as far as the data plan. My previous phone was an "enhanced phone" and the unlimited data plan was $10 a month on it. My Droid has a $30/month unlimited data plan, but it's wholly worth it. I didn't think it would be when I got the phone, but my mind has been changed. I guess you have to realize with a smart phone, it's always connected and checking everything online. You can call up whatever you need in just a few presses.

Anyway, I had the same opinion as you, I didn't think I needed a data plan, but that changed when I got the phone and started to realize what it did. It is worth it.

[Scott]

Anyway, I had the same opinion as you, I didn't think I needed a data plan, but that changed when I got the phone and started to realize what it did. It is worth it.

I agree 100%

[Jens]

^ +1

[Redliner]

Thanks a lot, Scott!

I have heard the Galaxy sucks balls for being an Android phone :S
And if you think about the Magic the why not the Hero? (:

No reason, the Magic is just more common.
I will take a look at the Hero prices.

Android is a very strong candidate for my next phone, I just hope I can find a way to not be forced into a data plan (they're freaking expensive!).

Haven't looked at individual phones yet as I have to decide on carrier first.

Why do you want an Android phone then?

[Backdraft]

hmmm, let's see.... to start with I have what most folks consider to be bery large hands/ fingers. The complaints about the flatness of the keyboard concerned me at first, but after using it I find it pretty nice. I don't typically type very long messages and I am ok with correcting things a few times, but I find it very reasonable.

Or you could get Swype for Android and not even have to use the physical keyboard for most messenging and typing.

My one big complaint about the camera is the LOUSY menu! It has all of the right options and settings, but the way it pops out and the way you get thru it is just clunky. Maybe I am just missing something, but it is a bit of a PITA to change settings quickly.

You could maybe try PicSay Pro, however it is a paid app ($4), but I've heard good things about it and it even won an Android Network Award.

The only other thing that is sort of a "what the hell were they thinking" item is the location of the SD card. You have to pull the battery to get to it, but with a 16gb card right out of the box, and a data cable provided there is really not that much need to yank the card out unless you share it between devices. I would recommend just buying a dedicated card for whatever you might have been sharing with.

That's because it's not meant to be taken out periodically and you are supposed to use a microUSB data cable for your PC-to-mobile transfers. If you want to share things between devices, you can try Bluetooth File Transfer(available for free on the market), even though the data transfer rate may be a bit slow.

Android is a very strong candidate for my next phone, I just hope I can find a way to not be forced into a data plan (they're freaking expensive!).

Not really a good chance of that happening, especially in the tightly controlled US market. Of course, there are ways to obtain an unlocked smartphone through other, 3rd party vendors without attaching a data plan (just like same thing with the iPhone), but that's up to you if you want to trust those methods or not.

As for me personally, I've been using the Droid for the last 3 months or so and have come to like it, despite it's obvious drawbacks (odd shape, physical keyboard, etc.). I would say I'm fairly familiar with this device (and also Android in general to a degree), so feel free to ask me questions about the device or Android/apps in general.

I'll type a more comprehensive review/thoughts on Android and also a list of the best and most useful apps I've used once I have some time.

[Scott]

Or you could get Swype for Android and not even have to use the physical keyboard for most messenging and typing.

I do alot of "blind" typing, so having an actual keyboard is imperative. I really don't mind correcting something now and then, and it would really be no different with Swype, but it is still an interesting app!

You could maybe try PicSay Pro, however it is a paid app ($4), but I've heard good things about it and it even won an Android Network Award.

I have that app actually, but it doesn't do anything for tweaking camera settings. I think I just need to play with it more and figure out a better way to use it.

That's because it's not meant to be taken out periodically and you are supposed to use a microUSB data cable for your PC-to-mobile transfers. If you want to share things between devices, you can try Bluetooth File Transfer(available for free on the market), even though the data transfer rate may be a bit slow.

I think you misunderstood what I was referring to. I have a friend that shares one SD card between 3 or 4 devices, so for him this would be a PITA. If he would stop being so dang cheap and just buy a few other cards, you are absolutely correct.

As for me personally, I've been using the Droid for the last 3 months or so and have come to like it, despite it's obvious drawbacks (odd shape, physical keyboard, etc.). I would say I'm fairly familiar with this device (and also Android in general to a degree), so feel free to ask me questions about the device or Android/apps in general.

I'll type a more comprehensive review/thoughts on Android and also a list of the best and most useful apps I've used once I have some time.

I really don't mind the shape, but I think the camera button is in a weird spot and it is still a bit glitchy. Every now and then when I go to use the camera the phone just freaks out, but I just hit the button again and it works perfectly. My only other shape related complaint would be that the volume button needs a bit more variation from the housing so you know what is what, but it isn't terrible.

[thevictor390]

Why do you want an Android phone then?

I have plenty of chances to use the internet features with wifi, and I'm a sucker for the customization. I got a taste of what 3rd party app support can do on a phone with my current Windows Mobile device and I want more!

Plus I appreciate that it's not "locked down" like the iPhone.