The Android thread

Hello there Android thread,

my new Desire HD arrived this morning. I am trying to get used to it, although it's a great big slab.

Any recommended apps or general Android tips? I've been stuck on Symbian for the last 8 years or so...

We have a thread about apps, but now it?s gotten very big, so I think you should post there with more specific questions. We will gladly help. :)
 
I always find it kind of funny when people buy something and then ask online what they should do with it. :p

You should tell us what type of apps you're after, or what you want to do to your phone (speed it up, change the interface, carrier unlock, etc.), and we'll be glad to help!


Edit: Okay, here's some stuff you'll probably want to check out any way:
  • Swype keyboard: You might have heard of this one, you can either touch type or slide your finger around to type.
  • Taptalk forum app: It's an app that lets you browse many forums (like this one) in a mobile-friendly format, which will spare your data and load stuff quicker.
  • Google Chrome to Phone: Allows you to instantly send files or links from Chrome browser to your Android (check Fox to Phone extension if you use Firefox).
  • Google Goggles: Basically a photographic search engine, you snap photos of anything from barcodes to book covers and it Googles it for you.
  • Plume: In my opinion the best Android Twitter client, lots of features and nice looking widgets which the native Twitter app is missing.
  • Winamp: Like the name suggest, it's a music player which has WiFi sync with Winamp on PC. Lots of people prefer PowerAMP because it has EQ settings, but it's not free.
  • Notification Notes: It's like tying a string around your finger, it lets you jot down notes like so many other apps, but this one places them in the notification bar up top as a frequent reminder.

Those are the ones I install first and use the most... other than that, just peruse the categories in the Market app or check out sites that do Android app reviews.
 
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I always find it kind of funny when people buy something and then ask online what they should do with it. :p

I know it's daft of me, and I hesitated over posting, but I can't for the life of me get to grips with the phone properly. I want to set the home screen as I like, remove the Orange carrier branding, make it not always want to connect to everything...

You should tell us what type of apps you're after, or what you want to do to your phone (speed it up, change the interface, carrier unlock, etc.), and we'll be glad to help!

I got an app-killing app, as apparently that's needed. Anything that saves the battery would be nice, as would geocaching apps and any good games (I have angry birds already).

I'd love to have swype but it demands wifi before I can install it and I have none.


Edit: Okay, here's some stuff you'll probably want to check out any way:
  • Swype keyboard: You might have heard of this one, you can either touch type or slide your finger around to type.
  • Taptalk forum app: It's an app that lets you browse many forums (like this one) in a mobile-friendly format, which will spare your data and load stuff quicker.
  • Google Chrome to Phone: Allows you to instantly send files or links from Chrome browser to your Android (check Fox to Phone extension if you use Firefox).
  • Google Goggles: Basically a photographic search engine, you snap photos of anything from barcodes to book covers and it Googles it for you.
  • Plume: In my opinion the best Android Twitter client, lots of features and nice looking widgets which the native Twitter app is missing.
  • Winamp: Like the name suggest, it's a music player which has WiFi sync with Winamp on PC. Lots of people prefer PowerAMP because it has EQ settings, but it's not free.
  • Notification Notes: It's like tying a string around your finger, it lets you jot down notes like so many other apps, but this one places them in the notification bar up top as a frequent reminder.

Those are the ones I install first and use the most... other than that, just peruse the categories in the Market app or check out sites that do Android app reviews.

I'm going to try and get all of them. The app store is great but a little unfocused in terms of saying "THESE ARE THE BEST ESSENTIALS GET THEM".

Some kind of dictionary or translation thing (a French/English dictionary, ideally) would be nice. The Amazon barcode scanner is great.


Also, if someone could explain Android 2.2 and 2.3 and why 2.3 will be so good when HTC phones get it in April I would be appreciative, thank you.
 
I got an app-killing app, as apparently that's needed. Anything that saves the battery would be nice, as would geocaching apps and any good games (I have angry birds already).

Actually, task killers are the work of the devil according to most Android Guru, and should be avoided on recent version of Android (2.0 and more, not sure about 1.6).
 
Yeah, I fail to see the value in an task killers, as their function is handled by the OS anyway.... I do have one just as a task manager though.

Basically, don't overthink things. If someone tells you to get something and you don't understand the use for it, by all means don't bother. The OS runs fine on its own.

I don't know about offline dictionaries, but Google Translate has a nice app.
 
I'f you can't get Swype, I'd also recommend gingerbread keyboard, as the stock HTC one is not very good if you ask me.
 
SERIOUSLY pissed about the iheartradio update. They dropped over 200 stations off their program "on accident" and I while they claim to be working on a fix, it has been over a week with zero updates. I usually listen to this show from Orlando called The Philips Phile when I go to bed, but since they broke the app I just go to bed annoyed every night.



Actually, task killers are the work of the devil according to most Android Guru, and should be avoided on recent version of Android (2.0 and more, not sure about 1.6).

If you are running 1.6 a task killer can be a good thing, all versions above 2.0 should NOT use a task killer. I proved that the battery life is reduced by about 15% if you run a task killer with those versions.
 
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The DHD gets decent battery life as it is. My Inspire has about 30% left after 10 hours of bluetooth music and moderate usage, most of the time struggling to maintain reception. This works well for me since I usually use it pretty lightly at home, so by the time I go to bed it's just died or close to it, making for happy charge cycles. That said, more is always better, and I'll be keeping an eye out for extended batteries.

EDIT: Decided to run SpeedTest. The 4G in my house is weird, I jump back and forth between 2 and 5 bars. so I think it's a bit shoddy. I got better speeds with 3G on previous phones. I think this ping is a bit lower though.
38676013.png


On wifi:
38676195.png
 
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That's good news, I'll be letting dome people know for sure.
 
Going back to standard keyboard is unbearable after using swype for so long.
 
http://ow.ly/4h4Iq For all you Doctor Who / Android fans

https://pic.armedcats.net/b/bl/blayde/2011/03/18/Dalek_Droid_4d829946cc92e.png
 
HTC desire S or Sony Ericsson Neo?

Both 3.7" screens and 1 GHz snapdragons.

The Desire S has a ton more RAM (384 mb vs 768 mb) but the Neo is about ? 100 cheaper and has a better camera and HDMI out.
 
Unless the camera is really important or the phone is meant to be your primary media source for your TV, stay away from the SE.
 
HTC desire S or Sony Ericsson Neo?

Both 3.7" screens and 1 GHz snapdragons.

The Desire S has a ton more RAM (384 mb vs 768 mb) but the Neo is about ? 100 cheaper and has a better camera and HDMI out.

Choose the one with the skin and design you like the best.
I would take the Desire any day. The skin works great and I'll bet it's quite a lot faster than the Sony :)
 
Did another speedtest in an area with a strong signal.
38821174.png


Still not impressed, but it's fast enough anyway.
 
Avoid SE like the plague. They updates are almost nonexistant and there are more issues with hardware and software than even with Samsung. The camera is decent on the Desire S and if you fork over a few bucks more for a good media player like Power-Amp (for music) and Rock Player (for video), the SE won't handle media any better.
 
So considering SE and Samsung phones are kind of problematic, that kind of limits the choice for decent Android manufacturers.

There's HTC and... who, Motorola? They got their problems with the locked/exploding bootloaders and whatnot... it really does seem like HTC is the only company putting in noticeable effort.
 
I know two people with Samsung phones (Captivate and Fascinate) and both are very happy with them, I'd have no qualms about getting one myself. HTC does seem to be the best option though. It goes against my nature to use a bloated UI overhaul like HTC Sense, but it's completely won me over after trying stock Android....
 
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