Android Phones

[Serapth]

Oh it was this, and it was sensationalist bullshit. Fuck tech "journalists" blow.

http://www.tgdaily.com/mobility-brief/50749-droid-x-bug-causes-screen-to-die

[Xerxes]

Got to make a living. Even it's reporting a little big issue.

[PathMaster]

So remind me how the subsidization works..

What is the cheapest, longterm, way to grab the Droid X? I do have the option of the New Every 2 year on my plan. I can not for the life of me figure out how much the actual subsidization would cost me per month. Going through VZ's site was useless. Monthly plan was $89 no matter what.

[Serapth]

So remind me how the subsidization works..

What is the cheapest, longterm, way to grab the Droid X? I do have the option of the New Every 2 year on my plan. I can not for the life of me figure out how much the actual subsidization would cost me per month. Going through VZ's site was useless. Monthly plan was $89 no matter what.

At 675 (http://www.expansys-usa.com/d.aspx?i=202045) without contract, frankly you will probably never break even.

[Xerxes]

$569.99 if he bought it from Verizon. You could possibly break even in 20 months. At least that's what I came to with my Nexus at a similar price point. I'd have to look into Verizon's plans though. I'll get back to it after I finish this call from work. Yay!

[PathMaster]

$570 on VZ's website.

[Serapth]

Now, how hard is it to get a new phone early down there? I mean here its trivial to talk them into giving you some promotion and a new phone well before your contract terms are up. Nicely for me too, my contract term is only 2 years.

[Xerxes]

Does Verizon even have unsubsidized plans?

[PathMaster]

Yea. You can buy the phone out right and not be under contract. I do need a new phone (since a third of my current phone's screen has dead pixels), but I really do not want to play the waiting game for dual core phones or a possible iPhone on VZ.

[zarathstra]

So remind me how the subsidization works..

What is the cheapest, longterm, way to grab the Droid X? I do have the option of the New Every 2 year on my plan. I can not for the life of me figure out how much the actual subsidization would cost me per month. Going through VZ's site was useless. Monthly plan was $89 no matter what.

The phone itself doesn't cost you anything per month (outside of the requires data plan). I may be misunderstanding the question.

In exchange for a 2 year contract, you get the phone for a discount. I think its $199 now. If you have New Every 2 on your account, you'll most likely get $50 or $100 off on top of that, provided you're within 4 months of the end of your contract.

Also, you always have the option of buying a phone outright and not signing a contract. You just pay a lot more for it.

Does Verizon even have unsubsidized plans?

The plans themselves don't have anything to do with the price of the phone or your contract. You can buy a phone at full price and get any plan your want, or sign a contract and get any plan you want. The only difference is how much you pay for the phone and how long you're obligated to keep yours service with the company.

[MagGnome]

Are you sure about that? I was under the impression from others in this thread that it costs more in the long-term to buy a phone outside of a contract. Apparently buying the phone with a subsidy costs $10 more per month?

[Xerxes]

The plans themselves don't have anything to do with the price of the phone or your contract. You can buy a phone at full price and get any plan your want, or sign a contract and get any plan you want. The only difference is how much you pay for the phone and how long you're obligated to keep yours service with the company.
Well no. I mean yes, but no. See you explained it right, but for example with TMO, being able to choose any plan you want includes a set of plans that's not contract based and are essentially cheaper than "normal" subsidized plans. Plans themselves don't really matter, unless you don't have a set of cheaper plans to choose with out contracts.

I could still be reading Verizon's page wrong, but with or without contract it look like prices are the same. :confused:

[PathMaster]

Yea, that is my confusion. Are people calculating the ETF in the cost of the phone, or is there a charge for a subsidized phone beyond the monthly cost?

[Cupelix]

Since we're talking about phone prices and how all that works, maybe someone can explain the following to me:

If I go to T-Mobile's website right now and choose to extend my contract with them by 2 years, it tells me that getting a Vibrant will cost me like $460. I have only been with T-Mobile for about 10 months, fwiw.

However, if I go to AndroidAndMe.com and go to their phone store, I can "Upgrade/Renew" my contract and get a Vibrant for $150. I don't understand why the T-Mobile reseller could do that, but T-Mobile directly can't. I'm very confused. The AndroidAndMe store says its upgrading me to the Even More Family plan (I have two lines); maybe the T-Mobile website isn't doing that? Why is switching to that plan instead of extending mine worth them charging me so much less? The only frustrating thing about the AndroidAndMe site is that it won't let me just upgrade one of my phones, it seems to force me to upgrade both. I'd also be nervous about my company's employee discount being lost in the process by doing it online.

Anyone have thoughts/explanations about this? I apologize if this has been covered elsewhere in this thread, but it might be worth the re-explanation.

[benson]

I'll answer a couple questions. First, subsidizing is the provider charging you less to buy a phone with a contract than MSRP. Say a phone is $450 MSRP. They charge you $200 for the phone, but you have to lock into a 2 year contract for that price. If you buy it for $450, you won't have the contract and could leave without ETF fees if you want. However, if you are going to a new provider, they usually will lock you in to a contract just for signing up for a plan.

There is an exception to that rule (at least for the big 4 providers), and that is T-Mobile. They have a plan that is $20+ a month cheaper than their contract plans called the Even More Plus plan. This plan is contract free, but you have to pay MSRP for your phone.

And for Cupelix's questions about the rates for the Vibrant. It'll cost you the $460 since you are 10 months into your plan. You cannot buy it subsidized currently. T-Mobile gives you a subsidy at 22 months I think. The other site you are looking at is quoting the new service/renewal (at 22 months) rates. If you were to actually try to upgrade there, you'd get the full price.

Further, you ask about your employee discount. That should remain the same as long as your account number doesn't change (which it shouldn't if you are just upgrading or changing plans, that won't change your account number).

Let me know if you'd like a better/more detailed explanation of anything here. I typed it out fast and hope it is good for a quick explanation.

[Inspector Fowler]

Howdy guys. My wife and I are ready to upgrade from our Blackberries. At the end of the month (next week, oh boy oh boy!) we want to order HTC Incredibles. We are sticking with Verizon - where we live the service is excellent, even though the plans are...pricey. I get a pretty steep discount for being a state employee anyway.

Being something of a gadget tinkerer and fiddler, I am interesting in rooting. I know the potential cons - the phone could be bricked, waiting for the mod community, etc.

What are the benefits? It seems like almost every tutorial mentions downloading the tethering app - I don't travel much but that's cool. I know it gets rid of any bloatware the phone came installed with.

But what else would this get me that might be worth the potential risks? I know that if I kill a phone this expensive I'll never get to post about it on CoG because I'll either die of shame or my wife will murder me. So in my mind this needs to be a valuable operation for me to try it.

[Siraris]

Unless you are on a phone that is not going to get new OS upgrades, there's very little reason to root.

[Adam Blue]

Unless you are on a phone that is not going to get new OS upgrades, there's very little reason to root.

Some cool apps require root. Android Tether is one (a must), along with Shoot Me.

To add more, phones can run much more efficiently. The XDA boards have a ton of information on this stuff and to find out which custom ROM may be best.

[JayVe]

Barnes & Noble Nook software available for Android.

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/22/nook-for-android-now-available-to-download-offers-ebook-lending/

Allows you to share books.

[benson]

Rooting is over-rated. I know you aren't going to get a Nexus One since you are on Verizon, but the Nexus One can become a wifi hotspot for tethering without rooting. It's built into the Android 2.2 OS. I'm sure that'll get disabled by Verizon on their phones, but just thought I'd point it out.

Also, I thought that there was another software out there that allowed it without rooting. Maybe PDA Net or something like that. I'm sure someone else will know this one.

Other than that, you can already install software from anywhere in Android (outside of the Market) without rooting. Rooting really only gives you the ability to install custom ROMs. That may be useful if your device falls behind in OS updates and someone creates an update for your device. Essentially, this is for phones like the G1 that are stuck at 1.6. People at XDA (Cyanogen and others) have created 2.2 ROMs for it, so you could be running the latest OS on the first Android phone even though it is not officially supported.

[Inspector Fowler]

So in other words, maybe I should wait to see how HTC supports/updates the Incredible before I try to root it? As I said, the tethering would be cool but isn't the deal maker for me. So if a year from now HTC/Verizon says they're not going to push Android 3.0 to "older" phones, I could root it then to take advantage of the newer OS?

I guess that makes sense. That is one reason why my wife (who is much better with money than I) has not tried to go for the original Droid, which is now 2 for 1 at Verizon (they want an activation on each one which is fine, because we have a family member who would like to hop in on our shared plan). There are so many articles bitching about how Motorola/Verizon pretty much don't push updates to it, so she wasn't interested.

All righty.

[GigaFuzz]

You can tether over USB or Blutooth using PDANet fine without rooting, but pre-2.2 you need to root to be able to use it as a wi-fi hotspot.

[Serapth]

You can tether over USB or Blutooth using PDANet fine without rooting, but pre-2.2 you need to root to be able to use it as a wi-fi hotspot.

This is the part that sucks.

[Xerxes]

This is the part that sucks.

Your phone will grow up one of these days. :confused:

Shame didn't it come out at the same time as the nexus?

[johnperkins21]

So in other words, maybe I should wait to see how HTC supports/updates the Incredible before I try to root it? As I said, the tethering would be cool but isn't the deal maker for me. So if a year from now HTC/Verizon says they're not going to push Android 3.0 to "older" phones, I could root it then to take advantage of the newer OS?

The Incredible is supposed to get Froyo in the next few weeks (http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2010/07/19/htc-droid-incredible-htc-email/), which would be a fairly quick turn-around. If this turns out to be true, it bodes well for future updates.

[PathMaster]

I'll answer a couple questions. First, subsidizing is the provider charging you less to buy a phone with a contract than MSRP. Say a phone is $450 MSRP. They charge you $200 for the phone, but you have to lock into a 2 year contract for that price. If you buy it for $450, you won't have the contract and could leave without ETF fees if you want. However, if you are going to a new provider, they usually will lock you in to a contract just for signing up for a plan.

Huh, so then I assume when people quote monthly costs of plans (Subbed vs Non-subbed), they are taking into account the ETF pro-rate?

[Xerxes]

Huh, so then I assume when people quote monthly costs of plans (Subbed vs Non-subbed), they are taking into account the ETF pro-rate?

I think the thing is, with Verizon you don't get a benefit aside from being able to leave when ever you want with out them trying to slap you with some sort of shitty charge for breaking a contract. TMO has a second set of cheaper plans for unsubsidized phones. Verizon doesn't seem to have such a plan.

[zarathstra]

So in other words, maybe I should wait to see how HTC supports/updates the Incredible before I try to root it? As I said, the tethering would be cool but isn't the deal maker for me. So if a year from now HTC/Verizon says they're not going to push Android 3.0 to "older" phones, I could root it then to take advantage of the newer OS?

I guess that makes sense. That is one reason why my wife (who is much better with money than I) has not tried to go for the original Droid, which is now 2 for 1 at Verizon (they want an activation on each one which is fine, because we have a family member who would like to hop in on our shared plan). There are so many articles bitching about how Motorola/Verizon pretty much don't push updates to it, so she wasn't interested.

All righty.

There's some pretty good evidence that the Droid is going to get 2.2 sometime in the next few weeks. Google only released the source code a couple weeks ago, so its not exactly taking ages. It got the 2.1 update fairly quickly.

[PathMaster]

Hah (http://androidandme.com/2010/07/news/droid-x-has-been-rooted-just-one-week-after-its-release/), Droid X rooted (http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2010/07/22/droid-x-gets-rooted/)....

The Droid X’s bootloader may remain locked up tighter than Fort Knox, but thanks to some industrious users from Alldroid the Droid X community at least has root access to sooth their pain.

[Cupelix]

There is an exception to that rule (at least for the big 4 providers), and that is T-Mobile. They have a plan that is $20+ a month cheaper than their contract plans called the Even More Plus plan. This plan is contract free, but you have to pay MSRP for your phone.

And for Cupelix's questions about the rates for the Vibrant. It'll cost you the $460 since you are 10 months into your plan. You cannot buy it subsidized currently. T-Mobile gives you a subsidy at 22 months I think. The other site you are looking at is quoting the new service/renewal (at 22 months) rates. If you were to actually try to upgrade there, you'd get the full price.

Further, you ask about your employee discount. That should remain the same as long as your account number doesn't change (which it shouldn't if you are just upgrading or changing plans, that won't change your account number).

Let me know if you'd like a better/more detailed explanation of anything here. I typed it out fast and hope it is good for a quick explanation.

So basically what it boils down to is that when this third party site refers to "renewing" your contract, they're really assuming that you're at least 22 months in to your plan? From their site, if you're already on the "Even More Family" plan, it appears they let you extend it by two years, regardless of how far you are into your current plan, and you can get the Vibrant for $150 per phone.

When T-Mobile first introduced the Even More plans - weren't they letting current customers switch to those without any consequences or termination fees? Seems like I should've jumped on that (or at least read the news more carefully!). It appears as far as T-Mobile's website is concerned, the only plan I can currently switch to is the Family Even More Plus plan, which for the same number of minutes is $40 more expensive a month than my current plan - this seems to contradict your statement that the Plus plans were cheaper than their corresponding non-plus plans.

[bstiff]

Sweet. Let us know how you like that Droid X. I really wish I had a big phone. Just the thought of that 4.3 screen. ^_^

I haven't had a whole lot of time this week to play with it but im getting used to it and starting to like it a lot. Most of the apps I used on the iphone are on the app store except the 100 pushups/ 200 situps thing but I can still use them on my old 3g. I was a little worried about size but looking at them together the x is only 1/2" or so longer than the iphone. My only pet peeve is there seems to be a lot of apps on it that Ill never use and no way to uninstall them through the app manager. I used task killer and that helped quite a bit but I'd like to get rid of the city id thing and a couple others.

For some reason my port from at&t didn't complete so I couldn't receive calls or set up my voice mail but I called the port support number last night and they pushed it through in about 10 minutes. So Im good to go now.

[Xerxes]

Apps you can't uninstall is starting to be a pet peeve. It's like bloatware when buying a Dell or HP computer. I format them asap. Sadly, the only option with these phones is rooting them to stock which seems like over kill for something that should be simple.

Cupelix, I'd say call Tmobile up instead of doing it on the phone. I did it that way and was no fuss. I only did that 7 months ago or so when the Nexus came out. I couldn't do it online cause I had a year left on my contract.

[benson]

So basically what it boils down to is that when this third party site refers to "renewing" your contract, they're really assuming that you're at least 22 months in to your plan? From their site, if you're already on the "Even More Family" plan, it appears they let you extend it by two years, regardless of how far you are into your current plan, and you can get the Vibrant for $150 per phone.

When T-Mobile first introduced the Even More plans - weren't they letting current customers switch to those without any consequences or termination fees? Seems like I should've jumped on that (or at least read the news more carefully!). It appears as far as T-Mobile's website is concerned, the only plan I can currently switch to is the Family Even More Plus plan, which for the same number of minutes is $40 more expensive a month than my current plan - this seems to contradict your statement that the Plus plans were cheaper than their corresponding non-plus plans.

So, here's a link to the T-Mobile Family Plans site (http://www.t-mobile.com/shop/plans/Cell-Phone-Plans.aspx?catgroup=Family&WT.z_unav=mst_shop_plans_family). Even More Plus is no annual contract and is anywhere from $20-40 cheaper per month than the equivalent Even More plan which is on a 2 year contract.

About switching to the no annual contract plans, if you are currently under contract T-Mobile will charge you $35 per contracted line to switch (if you have two lines, both still under contract, it will be $70; if you have two lines, one under contract, it will be $35). Also note that if you switch, your contract continues until its end date. If you are not under contract, no fee.

And whatever third-party site you are on, that's awesome that they'll give you the subsidy price regardless of how far you are into the contract. My only question about that is if they checked your contract to see if you are eligible for the upgrade or not. Like if you were to go to a T-Mobile store, or say Costco where they sell T-Mobile phones, and they check your upgrade eligibility, they'd let you know at that point what your price is going to be. Until they check that, they'll assume that you are eligible (usually).

[PathMaster]

My only pet peeve is there seems to be a lot of apps on it that Ill never use and no way to uninstall them through the app manager. I used task killer and that helped quite a bit but I'd like to get rid of the city id thing and a couple others.

Since it has been rooted, you can remove those apps.

[bstiff]

Anyone know if there's an actual manual for the droid x anywhere? I had to do some searching but finally figured out how to get my contacts from itunes converted over to google and synced with my phone. A little counter intuitive but I finally got them set up.

[zarathstra]

Anyone know if there's an actual manual for the droid x anywhere? I had to do some searching but finally figured out how to get my contacts from itunes converted over to google and synced with my phone. A little counter intuitive but I finally got them set up.

Motorola should have one on their website.

[Satertek]

Playstation emulator (psx4droid) is OUT. I'm stuck at "Authorizing purchase" though, durr.

Gives me time to hunt down the games I've been wanting to play that haven't been released on PSP/PS3 yet. (Got Chrono Cross, Legend of Dragoon and Legend of Legaia lost somewhere on one of my hard drives...)

Edit: Google has apparently flagged it as "customer review" http://twitter.com/zodttd, noone is able to download it for now...

[CappinCanuck]

Counting down the days until the HTC Desire is released on Telus (http://www.telusmobility.com/en/ON/htc_desire/index.shtml)up here. No word on Incredible.

[Grifter]

My captivate should be here tomorrow, I can't wait. Unfortunately being AT&T they loaded it with a bunch of bloat ware and blocked you from installing apps outside of the Android market place so I have no choice but to Root it.

Does anyone have a link to a good how to site for Rooting and possibly a "must know" list for new Android users?

[Satertek]

Does anyone have a link to a good how to site for Rooting and possibly a "must know" list for new Android users?

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=725555 (Fixed link for 64-bit driver is here (http://zedomax.com/blog/2010/07/14/samsung-vibrant-captivate-epic-4g-and-fascinate-galaxy-s-driver-download/))

After that, the easiest way to install non-market apps on it seems to be Droid Explorer (http://de.codeplex.com/).

[Grifter]

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=725555 (Fixed link for 64-bit driver is here (http://zedomax.com/blog/2010/07/14/samsung-vibrant-captivate-epic-4g-and-fascinate-galaxy-s-driver-download/))

After that, the easiest way to install non-market apps on it seems to be Droid Explorer (http://de.codeplex.com/).

Sweet, thank you.

[J Arcane]

Is there some way to tell the Nexus to stop turning off my fucking wifi when it's in sleep?

I never had this problem with any of my other phones, but Nexus just seems to turn off the connection whenever it feels like it. I realize this is a way to save power and all, but several of my app updates failed last night because the bloody thing kicked off in the middle of the downloads, and I don't have very good data signal out here, so no WiFi often means no internet at all.

[GigaFuzz]

Is there some way to tell the Nexus to stop turning off my fucking wifi when it's in sleep?

I never had this problem with any of my other phones, but Nexus just seems to turn off the connection whenever it feels like it. I realize this is a way to save power and all, but several of my app updates failed last night because the bloody thing kicked off in the middle of the downloads, and I don't have very good data signal out here, so no WiFi often means no internet at all.

On mine (HTC Legend) it's at:

Settings > Wireless & Networks > Wi-Fi Settings > Menu > Advanced > Wi-Fi sleep policy.

[J Arcane]

Thank you. I always forget about the menu button in Settings, on account of I'm already in a damn menu so why do I have to push a button to get more menu you stupid UI designer I hate you please die.

*ahem*

[GigaFuzz]

Thank you. I always forget about the menu button in Settings, on account of I'm already in a damn menu so why do I have to push a button to get more menu you stupid UI designer I hate you please die.

*ahem*

Hey, if you wanted usability you should have bought a damn iPhone! :p

[Grifter]

Hey, if you wanted usability you should have bought a damn iPhone! :p

Yeah but he can actually call some one on his phone... it may have to be to tech support but at least he can make the call. ;)

That's the one thing I'm not looking forward to, learning all the little things about the phone you generally take for granted in a phone you've had a while all over again.

[Xerxes]

Yeah but he can actually call some one on his phone... it may have to be to tech support but at least he can make the call. ;)

That's the one thing I'm not looking forward to, learning all the little things about the phone you generally take for granted in a phone you've had a while all over again.

When in doubt, press the menu button.:o

[bstiff]

Hey, if you wanted usability you should have bought a damn iPhone! :p

But he wanted a phone, not a paperweight that plays music.

[PathMaster]

Droid X ordered for $90.

[CptTripps]

Picked up the Samsung Captivate a couple days ago. Rooted and enabled sideloading of apps (fuck you ATT), deleted their bloatware and now I am in love. Great phone. Cam is nice in good light, vid cam is better and the screen is fantastic. Being in Alaska my only other options were Iphone, Droid or the HTC Desire. Sadly, I am stuck with ATT.

Oh yeah, got it at Walmart for $150 with contract vs. $200 at the ATT store.

[PathMaster]

Hahaha: There really is an App for that (everything it seems)!

Droid X one click rooting app (http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2010/07/27/droid-x-gets-one-click-rooting-tool/)!

The application installs all the files and drivers necessary for rooting the DROID X, and launches with two simple buttons — “root me” and “unroot me”.

[bstiff]

Being new to the andriod line, what exactly does rooting allow you to do? I know it allows you to load some custom ui/app things whic I haven't really looked into it as the bootloader on the x hasn't been cracked yet from what Ive heard so you can't load the uncertified mods ect (at least that's my understanding, I could be wrong). The only thing I could see rooting the x for is if it allowed you to uninstall all the pre loaded crap that Im never going to use that's just taking up space.

[Adam Blue]

Supposedly the Evo is getting 2.2 tomorrow.

Source. (http://phandroid.com/2010/07/29/htc-evo-4g-to-receive-feature-packed-android-2-2-update-starting-tomorrow/)

[CptTripps]

Being new to the andriod line, what exactly does rooting allow you to do? I know it allows you to load some custom ui/app things whic I haven't really looked into it as the bootloader on the x hasn't been cracked yet from what Ive heard so you can't load the uncertified mods ect (at least that's my understanding, I could be wrong). The only thing I could see rooting the x for is if it allowed you to uninstall all the pre loaded crap that Im never going to use that's just taking up space.

For me it was the bloatware and also a requirement for enabling the sideloading of apps which is not allowed by att.

[CptTripps]

Psssh. Captivate is on Amazon for $89.99 (with new contract of course). Could have saved myself $60.

[Adam Blue]

Froyo available on the Evo. Effing awesome. HTC added some sweet apps and widgets. Now there's an official flashlight app. and radio widget, among other things.

[Inspector Fowler]

I just ordered an Incredible. It shipped the same day, which is pretty awesome considering all the stores around here are sold out "for at least a month" and their website told me it wouldn't be in stock until next week.

Looking forward to a new silly gadget.

[BabyJesus]

Yeah. Just got mine after waiting a month. Love it! Finally found a build of swype that works on it.

Look for an extended battery though. Stock is pretty weak.


Sent from my Incredible using Tapatalk

[Inspector Fowler]

Yeah. Just got mine after waiting a month. Love it! Finally found a build of swype that works on it.

Look for an extended battery though. Stock is pretty weak.


Sent from my Incredible using Tapatalk

I ordered the extended battery with it. My Blackberry gets used enough, with GPS, wi-fi, etc, I can imagine that the stock 1300 mah really won't get me far.

[wyeast]

Dear Microsoft: When you decided to overhaul the "look" of live.com pages (incl hotmail) you broke their functionality on my CLIQ's browser. *crosses arms*

[BabyJesus]

But they did add some cool new stuff to it. Can't you get hotmail from the email app?


Sent from my Incredible using Tapatalk.

[wyeast]

my main beef is that even trying to route through their "mobile" pages, still directs you to the same live.com login screen that fizzles on the phone. *crosses arms*

[Mot Wakorb]

Blah, the Froyo update for Evo is pretty much gone everywhere, and I'm not sure I feel like doing the reboot and update - especially since the version isn't ready for the Android store, which means many of my apps aren't even usable. I'll wait until the official release (Supposedly this week).

[Smoof]

Hey, EVO users.

I'm thinking I'm going to pick one up soon here. Probably towards the end of August. Frankly, I'm tired of having moderate phone after moderate phone and really want something top of the line this time. But my question is, how is texting on the EVO? I tend to send a lot of texts, so it's one of the main things I look for in a phone. I was playing around with the Samsung Intercept yesterday at the Sprint store and I liked it a lot for that capability. Unfortunately, the screen was a bit fuzzy (low res) and small, but it otherwise seemed like a pretty cool Droid. I also played with the EVO (which, amusingly enough, seemed slower than the intercept when it came to loading web sites. But this is on the stock browser and I'm sure Opera improves things substantially) and tested texting on it. It seemed to work okay at best; the predictive text seemed pretty damn good, frankly, but I imagine myself having a hard time getting acquainted to texting on a touch screen. I have a lot of problems surfing the net on my Zune with the onscreen keyboard, so I'm wondering if it's the same for the EVO. Moreover, is it possible to turn the EVO to a landscape mode for texting? It seems as though it would make a lot more sense.

[Adam Blue]

Yeah, landscape is now a standard thing. Touch just comes with experience. You just have to do it a lot to get it down.

As for the update, yeah you can wait for tomorrow but the one out now (even though pulled, you can find anywhere) is easy to install. Boot screen is as easy as powering on while pressing 'volume up'.

So far I haven't come across one App that does not work. I haven't heard of this Android store issue.

[Mot Wakorb]

Yeah, landscape is now a standard thing. Touch just comes with experience. You just have to do it a lot to get it down.

As for the update, yeah you can wait for tomorrow but the one out now (even though pulled, you can find anywhere) is easy to install. Boot screen is as easy as powering on while pressing 'volume up'.

So far I haven't come across one App that does not work. I haven't heard of this Android store issue.

If a firmware version doesn't exist in the Android store, some apps won't appear. I had a pre-release of 2.1 on my Hero that apps like MLB At-Bat wouldn't show up because compatibility wasn't confirmed, yet. I had to wait until the official release and then I could actually download those apps again.

As for the update - I was having all sorts of trouble trying, as well as the fact HTC has come out and said "this isn't the final version". I've been reading all sorts of reports on multiple websites that battery life issues have appeared as well as users complaining of speed issues. I'll wait until Tuesday, hopefully they make some large strides (if there are any differences at all, obviously.

[nabokovfan87]

Picked up the Samsung Captivate a couple days ago. Rooted and enabled sideloading of apps (fuck you ATT), deleted their bloatware and now I am in love. Great phone. Cam is nice in good light, vid cam is better and the screen is fantastic. Being in Alaska my only other options were Iphone, Droid or the HTC Desire. Sadly, I am stuck with ATT.

Oh yeah, got it at Walmart for $150 with contract vs. $200 at the ATT store.

Be sure to update in a week or so with further impressions. From what I have seen, that appears to be the best hardware out there, which makes me want.

[Inspector Fowler]

My Incredible showed up. So far I love it. The learning curve is interesting vs my old Blackberry, but it does what I want (so far).

I will say a huge thank you to those here who have recommended Songbird in the past. Not only did I escape iTunes a long time ago, but it automatically recognized and wanted to sync with the HTC. I was expecting to at least have to download a plug-in but as soon as Songbird started it was ready to sync my library. Not bad at all!

[J Arcane]

I did the wi-fi hotspot thing on my Nexus for the first time today, to tether it to my new netbook.

That was pretty awesome.

Of course, T-Mobile's policy on it is vague so who knows if they like me doing it, but I'd imagine in small amounts they're not going to notice anyway.

Just don't go torrenting Blu-rays on it or anything.

[Mike Kelehan]

I did the wi-fi hotspot thing on my Nexus for the first time today.

That was pretty awesome.

Right? It was extremely valuable while I was moving, before the internet was hooked up. It'll be even more valuable when I go on vacation next week, so I can continue working from the beach house.

Oh, and I was at a friend's, and we all wanted to connect to DQVC in Dragon Quest 9, but his network was WPA2, and those of us with older DS models couldn't connect, so I just whipped out my phone and set up a quick hotspot.

It's really awesome.

[J Arcane]

!!!!

I didn't think about that!

I can't have my router on my home network on anything but WPA2 or the bastard neighbor will start downloading torrents on it again. So no DS downloads for me.

But the range on my Nexus should be fine in short bursts, I'd just need to be somewhere I get better signal than here.

[Mot Wakorb]

I liked the wireless hotspot feature for the month I had it with Sprint - I'm just not willing to pay $30 for it.

Now, I did finally get my Froyo update for my Evo, not really noticing too much of a difference as most of the changes are "under the hood" but some apps definitely are running better than they did before. I really am loving that the platform keeps evolving.

[Crittias]

I can't have my router on my home network on anything but WPA2 or the bastard neighbor will start downloading torrents on it again. So no DS downloads for me.Why not just filter on MAC addresses?

[J Arcane]

Why not just filter on MAC addresses?
I'm lazy, and this is easier. I rarely use the DS online and it's the only device with the inability to use the WPA2. In fact, until DQ came out I'd stopped playing it, and sold my own.

[zarathstra]

I've got official Froyo on my Moto Droid! Woot. Liking it so far. Flash 10.1, 5 home screens, more widgets, plus the phone seems snappier and more responsive. Thanks, Motorola!

[pomeroy]

I've got official Froyo on my Moto Droid! Woot. Liking it so far. Flash 10.1, 5 home screens, more widgets, plus the phone seems snappier and more responsive. Thanks, Motorola!

OH COME ON! Where's mine at?

[Mike Kelehan]

OH COME ON! Where's mine at?

http://www.androidcentral.com/froyo-droid-has-arrived-heres-how-get-it-without-waiting-froyogeddon

[Crittias]

Installed the unofficial 2.1 onto my Cliq. Gives my outdated hardware some new life. So far, it's running very well. It's nice to not be limited to 1.5 compatible applications any more.

[pomeroy]

Apparently there's an issue with that build. So I'll just wait.

[Banacek]

I did the wi-fi hotspot thing on my Nexus for the first time today, to tether it to my new netbook.

That was pretty awesome.

Of course, T-Mobile's policy on it is vague so who knows if they like me doing it, but I'd imagine in small amounts they're not going to notice anyway.

Just don't go torrenting Blu-rays on it or anything.

I've been using the rooted tethering app on my G1 for over a year now on T-Mobile, and they haven't cared. I agree with the "don't torrent" advice though.

[Smoof]

A couple of questions about the Sprint HTC Hero if anyone is willing to answer:

So, I've been wanting to get a new phone for awhile now and Android looks like the ticket. I've been looking at the EVO, Hero and the new Intercept. I hear the Intercept has quite a few problems and isn't exactly the best phone to have the "full android experience" (I'm unsure of what that means). The EVO seems really nice, but I'm afraid it might be a bit out of my price range right now and not exactly what I'm looking for. So, I come to the Hero. The Hero looks like a pretty decent phone, but I've heard of it having many problems itself. Things like a slow dialer and whatnot; but similarly I've also heard that these can be resolved by rooting it or doing other various fixes that are related to the openness of the Android OS.

So my question is, is the Hero worth it? I was looking at perhaps picking one up on Ebay, as my current Sprint Upgrade is only worth $75 and the Hero or any other phone would end-up costing me $75 more than the advertised price, as well as an additional $100, because of the mail in rebate. So, close as I can figure an EVO would cost me about $375 upfront (Plus that additional $10 a month, which is annoying, considering 4G isn't even offered in Denver yet, to my knowledge) and a Hero would be around $325 with the Intercept coming in at $275. Picking up a Hero on ebay seems to be the cheapest option (likely used) for around $150 give or take $20. My problem is, I'm really worried about having craptastic performance that I cannot resolve with the Hero. My current phone is frustrating as it is with a lack of service in my house (though I'm not sure a new phone would resolve this), as well as lack of service in many other places and other annoying glitches and issues (Samsung Exclaim).

I figure if I pick-up a Hero now, I can use it for at least a year until I have a full upgrade and then upgrade to the latest and greatest Android at that point. Or, if I really like the Hero, I can just keep it until I'm ready to ditch it. So what's the word on the Hero? Many of you guys seem knowledgeable and trustworthy concerning Android phones which is why I'm coming to you. There's too many different opinions out there on the Hero and I can't get a really solid answer to my questions.

[civil]

I own the Eris, which is supposed to be almost the same phone with slight cosmetic variations. My advice: Skip it. I don't regret switching over to Verizon, but I do regret getting the Eris. There are far too many things that are, for lack of better term wrong, with the phone. My only consolation is that the phone was free, but other than that I regret it. It actually seems to get slower over time, the slow dial feature is maddening, and there are far too many other smaller things that make it a POS in my opinion.

That said, I haven't rooted the phone and plan to do so when I can set aside the time (never done it before so I want to make sure I can do it properly). I've heard rooting fixes some issues, but others are inherent in the phone itself. As with all opinions, YMMV.

[MagGnome]

It also apparently hampers one's ability to respond to text messages.

I'd avoid it.

[Smoof]

So really, the only Android phones worth looking at on Sprint right now are the following: EVO.

Essentially, I can't afford an Android and should stop bothering now?
The Intercept looks like a neat phone, but apparently there are some issues with apps due to the odd screen resolution. There are apparently other problems with it as well which hamper a lot of people. The Moment seems nice, but it's also not without its many problems. The Epic seems nice, but again, it will likely be unaffordable. As well, it seems like every Samsung phone that's ever existed (I've only ever owned Samsung) has issues.

[Adam Blue]

Skip the Hero.

[Serapth]

.... ug, now I have "I'm holding out for a hero......." in my head.

QN6F7M15YdE


Actually, its a pretty damned good song.

[civil]

It also apparently hampers one's ability to respond to text messages.

I'd avoid it.
For some of us that's a plus, Jacob. ;)

[MagGnome]

I'm sort of over text messaging, anyway. Between my mom, my sister, and a friend of mine, I'm about ready to toss the phone off of a cliff.

[Smoof]

Most of my time spent on my phone is using the internet and texting, which is one of the reasons I was looking at the Intercept. Since it's a phone built for that kind of thing, but considered a lot of the lackluster shit I've been seeing, I'm not sure if it's really a phone for me or not.

[JayVe]

Wireless hotspot changes everything. It completely alters the way you think about using the Internet. My office is now anywhere I have a signal.

[Mot Wakorb]

Wireless hotspot changes everything. It completely alters the way you think about using the Internet. My office is now anywhere I have a signal.

I love the feature as well, but I don't know that it's worth $30/month to me - that's insane for how much I'd really use it.

[Siraris]

My boss got an HTC Desire today. It's sexy as shit. I want to sell my Nexus for one.

[JayVe]

I love the feature as well, but I don't know that it's worth $30/month to me - that's insane for how much I'd really use it.
I have an app that lets you make a WiFi hotspot on your regular plan. No $30.

Verizon gives it away. Sprint turns a blind eye if you hack your Pre. Not Android, but the feature itself still rocks.

Eventually, your connection will be completely separate from your phone. You'll walk around with your connection, maybe on your wrist, and every device you use will piggyback off of the data connection. There won't be a phone connection, cause even your voice will be data. Maybe you'll have a tiny handset or earpiece. You'll have a pocket-sized screen, and maybe a tablet all running off of your IP connection.

[Mot Wakorb]

I have an app that lets you make a WiFi hotspot on your regular plan. No $30.

Verizon gives it away. Sprint turns a blind eye if you hack your Pre. Not Android, but the feature itself still rocks.

Eventually, your connection will be completely separate from your phone. You'll walk around with your connection, maybe on your wrist, and every device you use will piggyback off of the data connection. There won't be a phone connection, cause even your voice will be data. Maybe you'll have a tiny handset or earpiece. You'll have a pocket-sized screen, and maybe a tablet all running off of your IP connection.

Look forward to the future much? ;)

[MagGnome]

Yep, and the one telecom company left will charge you $200+ a month for that connection. :p

[axion]

My boss got an HTC Desire today. It's sexy as shit. I want to sell my Nexus for one.

Awesome, I think this is my next phone. It should be hitting up here very shortly and I'm up for a renewal.

EDIT: Looks like it came out today, excellent, and very good price too.

[StarGypsy]

My Droid X should be in on monday the 9th. My patience ran out 3 hours ago. I am now chewing on my keyboard. It's not a pretty sight.

[PathMaster]

Activated my Droid X today (free activation on weekends!). Rough start with a frozen boot. But after I yanked the battery, it worked great! Screen is actually bigger than my whole previous phone.

[StarGypsy]

Activated my Droid X today (free activation on weekends!). Rough start with a frozen boot. But after I yanked the battery, it worked great! Screen is actually bigger than my whole previous phone.

Glad to hear you're enjoying it.
I'm going to start smoking and chewing on the desk.
Hope I don't start a fire.

[benson]

Hey, the Xperia X10 is finally coming to the USA on AT&T - source is Engadget (http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/09/sony-ericsson-xperia-10-officially-debuts-on-atandt-130-on-contr/). Very reasonably priced if you ask me (on contract of course).

[Xerxes]

Hey, the Xperia X10 is finally coming to the USA on AT&T - source is Engadget (http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/09/sony-ericsson-xperia-10-officially-debuts-on-atandt-130-on-contr/). Very reasonably priced if you ask me (on contract of course).

Boooo... Android 1.6.

If anything, today's announcement should have included 2.2 update talks/

[J Arcane]

At this juncture, releasing a phone on 1.6 borders on criminal.

[Serapth]

Well, 2.1 ( hopefully 2 ) is confirmed for "fall".

I agree though, launching a 1.6 device if effing retarded.

[Ghostbear]

I got an Incredible yesterday. I really like it. :D

[rifter]

I have had a vibrant for a week and a half now. Love it. Super AMOLED rocks. Variations are coming out on all major carriers.

[MagGnome]

I might end up going with the Vibrant when my contract is up in December.

[bstiff]

Anyone know of any good icon packs for the dock? I have launcher pro but am looking for something a little different. I keep meaning to change the default app screen icon because I keep hitting it instead of the dialer. For some reason it just looks like a phone key pad to me.

[Squidbot]

My boss got an HTC Desire today. It's sexy as shit. I want to sell my Nexus for one.

I've had one of these for a couple of months, and I bloody love the thing. It also helped keep me sane when I had no internet for a month.

[Xerxes]

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2010/08/psp-mockupengadget.jpg
Sony Ericsson to introduce Android 3.0 gaming platform and PSP Go-like smartphone (http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/11/exclusive-sony-ericsson-to-introduce-android-3-0-gaming-platfor/)

Do want?

Wait... Sony Ericsson? Can't the sony gaming group make it? :/

[Shadowstorm]

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/news/2010/08/droid-2-launches-thursday-with-froyo-flash.ars

Droid 2 doesn't stray too far from the original's hardware. It has a vertical QWERTY slider with a 3.7" WVGA touchscreen, includes a 5MP autofocus camera with dual-LED flash, and has GPS, WiFi, and Bluetooth. The main changes appear to be an upgrade to a 1GHz ARM processor, 8GB of built-in flash memory, a slightly revised slider mechanism, and a redesigned keyboard (which looks to be a significant improvement on the original).

For those who love the Droid X but would prefer a hardware-based QWERTY keypad instead of touchscreen.

Picking one up this Saturday.

[Sandman]

I'm waiting till September for this one:

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2010/08/r2d2-droid2-itw-2.jpg

a R2 D2 themed Droid 2? win. This is the droid I'm looking for.

[J Arcane]

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2010/08/psp-mockupengadget.jpg
Sony Ericsson to introduce Android 3.0 gaming platform and PSP Go-like smartphone (http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/11/exclusive-sony-ericsson-to-introduce-android-3-0-gaming-platfor/)

Do want?

Wait... Sony Ericsson? Can't the sony gaming group make it? :/
I would buy this soooo fast. The only thing I can think of that could make me drop my Nexus.

So long as I can find one unlocked.

[Banacek]

Shit, can I use the controls as a keyboard? Hmm, would that be better or worse then an on-screen keyboard?

[Xerxes]

I know us Androidists are different than everyone else, but I guess since it's game focused Doc Finger made a news story about it.

[Xerxes]

That Dell Thunder is looking nice. Streak is getting a update but it's too small to be a tablet and too big to be a phone.

[JayVe]

Look forward to the future much? ;)

Yes. Yes I do.

[Inspector Fowler]

Hey - I know this might vary with interface a bit but I was wondering if there was a way to set different tones with different accounts. On my Blackberry, it played different tones for a text, a work e-mail, and a personal e-mail.

On my Incredible, it just plays the same tone for all "notifications". It's a little thing but it was sometimes nice if I was doing something else to know what just came through on the phone.

[J Arcane]

The Gmail app will let you set seperate ringtones for each account, just go into settings while in the inbox of the account.

The regular Email app appears to do the same thing.

However, the non-Gmail email application doesn't seem to be universal on Android phones, so I don't know what the Incredible is running. But in theory I should think it would do the same thing.

[Inspector Fowler]

My work e-mail is Exchange. And the default Exchange app doesn't sync properly. So I am using Touchdown.

But you're right, the Gmail app lets me pick my own sound! So that has its own sound now. Now I just need to differentiate my text messages and my work e-mails.

Which leads me to another question: I know how to tell the phone that an MP3 is a ringtone. How do I make a sound into a system sound? I used to have a bunch of Star Trek sounds I used to differentiate my accounts, and I could put them on this phone except that I dunno how to do that. I mean, I know I can upload them to the SD card or the phone's internal storage, but how do I tell Android that I want to use it as a system sound?

[StarGypsy]

I got my Droid X on Tuesday and the wife picked up a Droid 2 today. Both are great smart phones. It's gonna take a couple of weeks to set up the windows though. I keep tweaking them to get the feel just right.

[Bone]

I'm waiting till September for this one:

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2010/08/r2d2-droid2-itw-2.jpg

a R2 D2 themed Droid 2? win. This is the droid I'm looking for.

This didn't get any love. I love it. Would be 1000x cooler if it had a mini projector to display hot princesses begging for my help.

[pomeroy]

Well, hello Froyo. Glad you could make it.

[Crittias]

For anyone looking to jump from another carrier to T-Mobile, Amazon Wireless is offering new TMo customers the Samsung Vibrant for $0.01. (http://wireless.amazon.com/dp/B003TXSKNE?ie=UTF8&tag=i4ufututechne-20)

[civil]

Make sure to read the fine print on those deals! You can get seriously fucked over.

[Crittias]

Make sure to read the fine print on those deals! You can get seriously fucked over.Definitely good advice. Thanks for the disclaimer, civil.

[civil]

Hope you didn't take it as a jab, I just wanted to warn the good folks. I almost went with a similar deal, but when I spoke to a Verizon rep (regarding an unlreated issue but thought I'd get their opinion on this deal) they asked me if I had read the fine print, to which I had to answer I didn't. Then I did.

When you purchase your device with service from Amazon.com, we automatically pass along an instant discount from the carrier to you. This discount has been provided to you based on your agreement to (a) activate a new, or extend an existing, line of service for this device with the carrier, and (b) maintain this service in good standing for a minimum of 181 consecutive days. If you do not activate or extend a line of service in connection with this device, or if your service is canceled/disconnected before 181 consecutive days, Amazon.com will charge you $250 per device, plus applicable taxes.

That includes the normal 30 days you'd get from a carrier to cancel, so if you decide you don't like your new carrier you owe Amazon some dough. IIRC, you also have to pay the full price for the phone to them and if you have an issue with your phone you have to go through Amazon. This was a while ago, so things may have changed.

[Serapth]

Just updated my HTC Dream to 2.2 via cyanogen. What a pain in the ass...

[MagGnome]

Isn't that pretty much like any other cell phone discount though?

In reply to Civil^

[civil]

Amazon's fees are/were on top of cell carriers.

[Crittias]

Hope you didn't take it as a jab.Not at all! You're absolutely right that people should do their homework. I'm already a TMo customer, so the deal doesn't apply to me, and as a consequence, I didn't look at it very hard.

[civil]

Phew. My mama always told me: Don't fuck with the collegiates!

[Voodoo]

Just updated my HTC Dream to 2.2 via cyanogen. What a pain in the ass...
Certainly the initial setup was a pain but after it is hard to compare as I can't install several different mixes of iOS on my iPhone without having to dock it to a PC.

[Serapth]

Certainly the initial setup was a pain but after it is hard to compare as I can't install several different mixes of iOS on my iPhone without having to dock it to a PC.

Yeah, once you have the bootloader installed and phone rooted, and figure out the order of things, its pretty nice.

That said, the order of things fucked me up. Nowhere does it say you install cyro, then the kernal and thats a VERY key piece of information. The process should be able to be refined down to a two or three click process installer by this point. All the fastboot and adb commands specifically.

[Voodoo]

Yeah, once you have the bootloader installed and phone rooted, and figure out the order of things, its pretty nice.

That said, the order of things fucked me up. Nowhere does it say you install cyro, then the kernal and thats a VERY key piece of information. The process should be able to be refined down to a two or three click process installer by this point. All the fastboot and adb commands specifically.
In the event that I have to do it again, I created my own scripts for the fastboot and adb commands. :)

[Banacek]

http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/19/exclusive-droid-pro-is-the-global-version-of-the-droid-2-lg-en/

Once they root this and it works with T-Mobile this will be my phone.

[pomeroy]

I just read about the Droid 2. Lamesville.

[Banacek]

I just read about the Droid 2. Lamesville.

What's bad about it?

[pomeroy]

What's bad about it?

The new hardware doesn't show significant performance gains over the Droid 1 (especially one running Froyo) and they've cocked it all up and aren't running vanilla Android anymore.

[Banacek]

The new hardware doesn't show significant performance gains over the Droid 1 (especially one running Froyo) and they've cocked it all up and aren't running vanilla Android anymore.

That's weaksauce. I have to figure the Droid Pro is going to be the same.

[Xerxes]

I wonder is the G2 going to be the latest in low brow phones.

[johnperkins21]

That's weaksauce. I have to figure the Droid Pro is going to be the same.

Yes. The Droid Pro is the global version of the Droid 2 (http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/19/exclusive-droid-pro-is-the-global-version-of-the-droid-2-lg-en/). Same phone, same issues.

[biosc1]

The new hardware doesn't show significant performance gains over the Droid 1 (especially one running Froyo) and they've cocked it all up and aren't running vanilla Android anymore.

I am shopping for a new phone and I'm getting pretty disappointed with AT&T and Rogers (up here) fiddling with the OS to give it their own skin/programs.

[Serapth]

The new hardware doesn't show significant performance gains over the Droid 1 (especially one running Froyo) and they've cocked it all up and aren't ru

I am shopping for a new phone and I'm getting pretty disappointed with AT&T and Rogers (up here) fiddling with the OS to give it their own skin/programs.

Actually, at least with my x10, all rogers apps are simply apps, which can be uninstalled. One of the few times Rogers isn't actually to blame.

Sony ericsson on the other hand.........

[bstiff]

just an fyi for any droid x owners, the 2.2 update has been leaked. Seems to work ok though some people have been having problems, I think mainly people who have rooted and uninstalled bloatware.

http://androidforums.com/motorola-droid-x/154274-anyone-running-2-2-dx-leak-yet.html

[Xerxes]

Parting ways with my G1. (http://www.colonyofgamers.com/cogforums/showthread.php?t=19214)

[PathMaster]

just an fyi for any droid x owners, the 2.2 update has been leaked. Seems to work ok though some people have been having problems, I think mainly people who have rooted and uninstalled bloatware.

http://androidforums.com/motorola-droid-x/154274-anyone-running-2-2-dx-leak-yet.html

I think I will be waiting for the OTA update.

[axion]

Gonna be picking up the Desire this week, can't wait.

[DiBiddilyBop]

So I'm thinking of picking up a new phone tomorrow and from my research the Droid Incredible is still pretty much the best droid phone on the market now and in the foreseeable future. I need a new cell phone and Verizon seems like a good choice... anyone have any reasons I shouldn't be picking this one up?

[johnperkins21]

So I'm thinking of picking up a new phone tomorrow and from my research the Droid Incredible is still pretty much the best droid phone on the market now and in the foreseeable future. I need a new cell phone and Verizon seems like a good choice... anyone have any reasons I shouldn't be picking this one up?

It won't work with the Wiimote without rooting it. Other than that, I love mine.

[Adam Blue]

So I'm thinking of picking up a new phone tomorrow and from my research the Droid Incredible is still pretty much the best droid phone on the market now and in the foreseeable future. I need a new cell phone and Verizon seems like a good choice... anyone have any reasons I shouldn't be picking this one up?

Sprint is cheaper and the Evo is better (IMO).

[DiBiddilyBop]

Sprint is cheaper and the Evo is better (IMO).

That may be true, but I'm now living in the boonies so no 4G for me.

[Adam Blue]

That may be true, but I'm now living in the boonies so no 4G for me.

It's still the best on 3G too.

[johnperkins21]

Sprint is cheaper and the Evo is better (IMO).

The EVO and the Incredible are almost the exact same phone. The only real difference is the 4.3" LCD screen vs. the 3.7" AMOLED screen, and the front facing camera on the EVO. I prefer the smaller size as it fits in my pocket better.

And Sprint isn't cheaper once you include the mandatory $10 4G tax, even if you're in a non-4G area.

[PathMaster]

I love my droid x!

[Adam Blue]

The EVO and the Incredible are almost the exact same phone. The only real difference is the 4.3" LCD screen vs. the 3.7" AMOLED screen, and the front facing camera on the EVO. I prefer the smaller size as it fits in my pocket better.

And Sprint isn't cheaper once you include the mandatory $10 4G tax, even if you're in a non-4G area.

And with mention of 4G, don't forget the 4G difference - it's pretty awesome if it's in your area already. And if on 4G, you can get simultaneous voice and data. CDMA alone doesn't allow that. Also, Sprint allows free wireless hotspot, there's video calling, and an HDMI out port. And It's not really a 4G tax. Sprint charges way less, and still does with the $10 premium. The reason for the data premium is because they need to start making money back on having crazy phones on their network. Also being LCD, the screen is very visible in day light.

I'm a smaller guy and the Evo fits in my pocket with no problem. The incredible has a smaller screen on the front space of the phone, and the Evo screen just takes up the front of the phone putting each one close to the same size.

I did this research before choosing my phone.

I just checked with Verizon's site, and Sprint is still cheaper. $90 gives me unlimited phone to phone any network, unlimited data, and unlimited text.

[jpublic]

I'm in the current countdown - my wireless carrier is getting the Samsung Galaxy S (international version) in.

I know it's not the best of the best for Android phones, but it's slick enough for me and my wife.

[Inspector Fowler]

Find friends with both networks.

Where I live Sprint sucks donkey cock. They provide all the data for our mobile computers and the signal breaks ALL the time. I thought it might be our...suspect...IT department until I talked to a lot of employees at the University - Sprint is the provider for the whole campus and almost everybody hates the quality of data service they provide.

Verizon, on the other hand, has much better reception in general around here. It's more reliable, so to me it's worth the price.

But where you live, that might all be totally reversed! So figure out which network you'd rather live with, and base it off that. A cool phone doesn't mean squat if you're always shouting about your signal strength. :)

[Siraris]

I'm in the current countdown - my wireless carrier is getting the Samsung Galaxy S (international version) in.

I know it's not the best of the best for Android phones, but it's slick enough for me and my wife.

Why do you say it's not the best of the best? It's one of the top 5 Android phones on the market.

[BabyJesus]

Why do you say it's not the best of the best? It's one of the top 5 Android phones on the market.

Probably due to some of the changes Samsung smacked onto the OS. Check some reviews lots of the bitching about it, and some of the changes aren't even consistent between carriers....

[DiBiddilyBop]

Well, my plans to get the Incredible just got flipped all around. I'm in US Cellular country and apparently none of the big networks have that great of reception around here. At first I was going to go with Verizon anyway since US Cellular has terrible phone choices, but I guess they're getting the Desire on Friday, so good timing for me. It looks very comparable to the Incredible, so I'll be going with that.

[Smoof]

The reason for the data premium is because they need to start making money back on having crazy phones on their network.


What "crazy phones" are you talking about? The only options Sprint has for "crazy phones" or nice, awesome phones are the EVO and the Epic and they're both priced out of a lot of peoples range. 4G is a farce; I wouldn't pay for something when it's not even in my area yet and I can't use it.

[Dukefrukem]

Well, my plans to get the Incredible just got flipped all around. I'm in US Cellular country and apparently none of the big networks have that great of reception around here. At first I was going to go with Verizon anyway since US Cellular has terrible phone choices, but I guess they're getting the Desire on Friday, so good timing for me. It looks very comparable to the Incredible, so I'll be going with that.

You won't be disappointed.

[DiBiddilyBop]

I'm pretty stoked about it. My GF has been rocking the G1 for a while now and I've never actually owned a smartphone. The Desire looks like a pretty sweet phone and only lags behind the Incredible when it comes to the camera which I will rarely, if ever, use. Color me excited.

[Adam Blue]

What "crazy phones" are you talking about? The only options Sprint has for "crazy phones" or nice, awesome phones are the EVO and the Epic and they're both priced out of a lot of peoples range. 4G is a farce; I wouldn't pay for something when it's not even in my area yet and I can't use it.

The Evo and Epic are priced no higher than an iPhone (and we know how that sells). With the hardware as powerful as it is being able to access data at high speeds, data consumption used by the in high demand Evo will hit the network differently than any previous from Sprint. Don't forget the iPhone worked out the same way, yet to get the same serving you have to pay well over $100. I went from paying $120 on ATT to $90 on Sprint. And 4G, from experience, is no farce. The phone is fucking fast on its own, but if you happen to be in a 4G area it's magical. Downside to not having 4G in your area? None. The Evo is fucking fast.

Again, I did the research...and this made the most sense. Though, I can understand if you just don't get Sprint in your area.

[Smoof]

Though, I can understand if you just don't get Sprint in your area.

I am with Sprint.

Downside to not having 4G in your area? None. The Evo is fucking fast.

Beyond the extra $10 a month down the drain, right? It seems silly to me that Sprint would charge you for their premium service and not even have it in your area, seems a little shady to me.

I'm not arguing that the EVO isn't a fast phone, I'm arguing the fact that paying an extra $10 per month is ridiculous when most people can't even use 4G. Also, I was arguing with your assertion that Sprint has "crazy phones." As someone who was just recently looking at a new phone from Sprint, they have shit outside the EVO and Epic, both of which I have no interest in at the current moment. The Moment is a crap phone, the Intercept is a glorified feature phone and the Hero is a great phone, but only if you root and rom it. I'm just wondering what "crazy phones" you're referring to outside the EVO and Epic, because it seems to me, other carriers have similar offerings to the EVO and Epic, but also have a wide range of other nice Android devices that Sprint does not.

[Siraris]

I'm pretty stoked about it. My GF has been rocking the G1 for a while now and I've never actually owned a smartphone. The Desire looks like a pretty sweet phone and only lags behind the Incredible when it comes to the camera which I will rarely, if ever, use. Color me excited.

My boss has a Desire, it's a nice phone. That being said, I'd want the Incredible over the Desire.

[Adam Blue]

I am with Sprint.



Beyond the extra $10 a month down the drain, right? It seems silly to me that Sprint would charge you for their premium service and not even have it in your area, seems a little shady to me.

I'm not arguing that the EVO isn't a fast phone, I'm arguing the fact that paying an extra $10 per month is ridiculous when most people can't even use 4G. Also, I was arguing with your assertion that Sprint has "crazy phones." As someone who was just recently looking at a new phone from Sprint, they have shit outside the EVO and Epic, both of which I have no interest in at the current moment. The Moment is a crap phone, the Intercept is a glorified feature phone and the Hero is a great phone, but only if you root and rom it. I'm just wondering what "crazy phones" you're referring to outside the EVO and Epic, because it seems to me, other carriers have similar offerings to the EVO and Epic, but also have a wide range of other nice Android devices that Sprint does not.

I'm sure I already pointed this out, but the $10 isn't for 4G. The $10 premium will be the norm once the rest of the old hardware phases out, but...well, I explained it before.

So what if other carriers have phones similar to the Evo and Epic? Are they priced less? No. This is just a new standard. Sprint can't survive that long with low prices. Once they caught back up the only way they will survive with all the new customers is to get closer to their competitors...and I think I said that already.

Not sure what you're trying to get at...it's pretty cut and dry what's going on.

[hunterx280]

I've been running a Nexus One for a couple months now and I'm loving it. My wife got so jealous when I got it, she made me order her one, too. It's too bad they killed the Google Online Store. It's a great phone. My only complaint is the battery life could be better but I'm coming off an old Blackberry Pearl that I only used for voice and SMS. That thing lasted forever.

[CptTripps]

Still loving the captivate. GPS still sucks and am waiting on froyo (Sept so they say) but other than it kicks ass. I loaded the one click lag fix and my benchmark went from 900 to just over 2000. I read the reasoning behind it but all in all its snappier and I don't get any stutter in 3d games (I started to get a little once my card started filling up).

Amazon having them for $.01 on special probably wont hurt sales either. And removing all the att crap is pretty darn easy.

[Smoof]

Bought a Hero, against people's advice here. Main reason being, I hear it's a so-so phone normally, but when rooted, it's excellent. I got it Friday evening and managed to get to the Sprint store before they closed and activated it. Saturday evening, I rooted it and installed Fresh 2.3.3 and have been installing various modifications, etc. Changed the kernel so I could overclock/downclock it, changed the battery indicator and have been messing about with other things as well.

So far, I'm loving it. I liked it normally, but I'm really loving all the shit I can do with it while I'm rooted. The battery savings with the overclock utility are amazing; I have it set so once the screen turns off, it automatically downclocks the CPU to about 125mhz and if it needs to do something while the screen is off, it'll clock it up to around 245. Screen on, but sitting idle, it'll sit at 245 and then if I'm doing something, it'll ramp up to 710. It's wonderful.

[axion]

Picked up my Desire yesterday, loving it so far, nice and smooth.

[PathMaster]

Loving my Droid X. Grabbed the leather case with a kickstand from VZ as well as a screen protector, while I wait for Otterbox to actually release their cases.

Went on vacation with the my phone and it worked exceptionally well. Even used it to look up other rides at Hershey Park while I was in line. I also just realized I could view *.cbr files with a new APP. Loving Galaxy Domination as well.

Anyone else have some must have apps?

[Serapth]

Ok, just installed the HTC keyboard on my x10 and shit is 1000 times better.

Sony Ericsson, you fucking blow at software!

[jpublic]

I got my Galaxy S Vibrant (international variant, not T-Mobile) and oh my god I love it. I need to download that HTC KB though, the default Android one is eh.

[Serapth]

I got my Galaxy S Vibrant (international variant, not T-Mobile) and oh my god I love it. I need to download that HTC KB though, the default Android one is eh.

I found it constantly didn't register keys on the edge of the screen, like '1'. Very annoying. They would hilite, but wouldn't actually type on screen. HTC keyboard fixed that completely and has a ton better predictive text and a fast simply way of updating your dictionary.

[Mike Kelehan]

I've been running a Nexus One for a couple months now and I'm loving it. My wife got so jealous when I got it, she made me order her one, too. It's too bad they killed the Google Online Store. It's a great phone. My only complaint is the battery life could be better but I'm coming off an old Blackberry Pearl that I only used for voice and SMS. That thing lasted forever.

Turn off active wallpapers, and keep the GPS off unless you're using it, and it'll last all day, no problem.

[Adam Blue]

I find Touchpal to be beyond what the HTC keyboard can do. Though, I still think the HTC keyboard is better than the stock Android one.

[Crittias]

I need to download that HTC KB though, the default Android one is eh.

HTC keyboard fixed that completely and has a ton better predictive text and a fast simply way of updating your dictionary.

I find Touchpal to be beyond what the HTC keyboard can do. Though, I still think the HTC keyboard is better than the stock Android one.I don't know anything about the HTC keyboard software, but I do know that Swype, once you get used to it, is an EXTREMELY fast alternative to any other software keyboard I've used. I'm faster using Swype than I am on my slideout keyboard on my Cliq.

[civil]

Swype is amazing. My only beef is its trouble with smaller words.

[Serapth]

I can't install swype for some reason, but im guessing its one of those "slide your finger from letter to letter" keyboards? Frankly, I end up finding those annoying as every time I want to do an acronym or perhaps a word not in their dictionary ( like say, goatfucker ), its incredibly painful.

Could by swype is superior to the others ( like Shapewriter ). All told though, im pretty delighted with the HTC keyboard.

[civil]

Canadian, I actually got mine to remember "shitcunt" and such. It memorizes words that are new to it, so you and your mom can communicate without hindrance.

[Serapth]

My mom once texted me...

"Did you know on T9 if you type cock you get anal"


First off, a very disturbing conversation to have with your mom. Second, that is kinda a weird and interesting coincidence. Just another on of those examples where autocompletition can completely change the meaning of a sentence...

[civil]

Funny, she texted the same thing to me.

Though in my case, it was a booty text.

[Crittias]

Just another on of those examples where autocompletition can completely change the meaning of a sentence...My wife was teaching a finance class where she was discussing AAA-rated bonds. Unfortunately, Powerpoint's spellchecker had "corrected" her slides to read, "Ass-rated bonds." Needless to say, her students enjoyed that lecture.

Last week, she was writing a referee report for a journal, and she meant to type, "Was there a policy shift?" Instead, her report said, "Was their policy shit?" NOT the same thing...or was it? I accused her of a Freudian slip, but she was not amused.

(she corrected it before sending it to the journal.)

[Serapth]

Funny, she texted the same thing to me.

Though in my case, it was a booty text.

Again you still owe her 5$.

[Serapth]

My wife was teaching a finance class where she was discussing AAA-rated bonds. Unfortunately, Powerpoint's spellchecker had "corrected" her slides to read, "Ass-rated bonds." Needless to say, her students enjoyed that lecture.

Last week, she was writing a referee report for a journal, and she meant to type, "Was there a policy shift?" Instead, her report said, "Was their policy shit?" NOT the same thing...or was it? I accused her of a Freudian slip, but she was not amused.

(she corrected it before sending it to the journal.)

Nice, classic example.

In buying our house, our realitors name was "Terri", which pretty much everybody knows isn't how you spell it!

Anyways, every email or text message auto-corrected it to "Terrible" which lead to one or two, um, interesting emails.

Hello Terrible,
...

[PathMaster]

Swype is great.

[Rogue_hunter]

I can't install swype for some reason, but im guessing its one of those "slide your finger from letter to letter" keyboards? Frankly, I end up finding those annoying as every time I want to do an acronym or perhaps a word not in their dictionary ( like say, goatfucker ), its incredibly painful.

Could by swype is superior to the others ( like Shapewriter ). All told though, im pretty delighted with the HTC keyboard.

It's still in beta, but comes preinstalled on certain phones. And like civil has pointed out, it learns.
Another one that learns, but I'm not as comfortable using is SwiftKey. It reads all your MMS messages and learns your common works, then as you type suggests the word. After selecting the word you want it even suggests the next. A friend is really fast with it, but I've gotten used to swype and am much more efficient with it.

[Xerxes]

Has anybody seen any specs on the G2?

[jpublic]

Swype is great.

I actually just started using Swype, and think it's pretty slick.

I just wish the damn symbol/letter setup was different. I would prefer my numbers in a strip, not as a faux-numpad when I hit the Sym button.

[PathMaster]

There are a few things I need to still get used to, but it is far easier to use in nearly all cases.

[DiBiddilyBop]

So I went ahead and got the HTC Desire. First of all, this phone is amazing. It gets great reception and is blazing fast.

So now the question is to root or not to root. Doesn't look like I can yet with the version of phone I have, but I was just wondering what big benefit I would get from rooting. I assume I'd lose the Sense UI which I really like, and although I know I could install non-marketplace apps, I'm just not sure what the "must haves" are that would make it worth it. I know a lot of people here have rooted phones, so I'm hoping to get some insight into the costs/benefits of doing so.

[Adam Blue]

Nah, rooting shouldn't remove SenseUI. It just gives you privileges for certain things that have been blocked out.

[Smoof]

So I went ahead and got the HTC Desire. First of all, this phone is amazing. It gets great reception and is blazing fast.

So now the question is to root or not to root. Doesn't look like I can yet with the version of phone I have, but I was just wondering what big benefit I would get from rooting. I assume I'd lose the Sense UI which I really like, and although I know I could install non-marketplace apps, I'm just not sure what the "must haves" are that would make it worth it. I know a lot of people here have rooted phones, so I'm hoping to get some insight into the costs/benefits of doing so.

Only installing a custom ROM you MIGHT get rid of SenseUI (depending on developer). On my Hero, which is rooted and running Fresh 2.3.3, I still have sense and the goodies that come with it.

I'm very happy with my Hero as a rooted/rom'd phone. I only used it for a day stock and it seemed perfectly fine, but there's a lot I can do being rooted.

[Inspector Fowler]

My Incredible just had a huge update. Says it's running Android 2.2, I think it was on 2.1 before.

Anything I should try to notice? And don't say tethering, Verizon still charges for that crap ;)

[Ghostbear]

The UI seems cleaned up, programs are running faster, battery life seems marginally improved.

Sent from my Incredible using Tapatalk

[Bone]

Hey Jeremy... you can disable that tapatalk message in the options menu. Unless you just prefer to lord your mobile-centric lifestyle over us.

[Ghostbear]

I have disabled it. :)

[Bone]

There, now that's a clean post.

- Bone

[Ghostbear]

There, now that's a clean post.

- Bone

GAH! I hate you so much right now.

[MagGnome]

Thanks for disabling that "Tapatalk" notification. It was all over the boards a month or so ago, and I find it very annoying.

[DylonCorp]

Has anybody seen any specs on the G2?

Soon, my friend. Probably this week. They're trying to push the new BB this week, maybe next.

[Xerxes]

Soon, my friend. Probably this week. They're trying to push the new BB this week, maybe next.

I now know has a 800MHz processor. So it's a step back. :(

The MyTouchHD might be the next big thing TMO gets in android.

[Crittias]

I now know has a 800MHz processor. So it's a step back. :(

The MyTouchHD might be the next big thing TMO gets in android.That 200MHz deficit may not be that big a deal. From AndroidGuys (http://www.androidguys.com/2010/09/02/tmobile-scoop-confirms-g2-800-mhz-scorpion-processor/):

T-Mobile has confirmed that their next Android handset, the G2, will not be a 1GHz processor after all. But it's not all bad news as the carrier tells us the phone will be powered by an 800MHz Scorpion. For those who fear that the 200MHz difference sounds slower, bear this in mind - the Qualcomm MSM7230 contains a considerably faster Adreno 205 GPU than the Snapdragon. We'll have to wait until the tests and benchmarks start rolling in before we know for sure, but the G2 should be just a powerful as anything on the market when it arrives. Maybe even more so.

[Xerxes]

That 200MHz deficit may not be that big a deal. From AndroidGuys (http://www.androidguys.com/2010/09/02/tmobile-scoop-confirms-g2-800-mhz-scorpion-processor/):

Oh my. I was thinking they were using a down clocked Snapdragon.

[Lance Uppercut]

Riddle me this, CoGgers, should I get a MyTouch, or the Galaxy?

[Satertek]

Galaxy S, no question. It's still the fastest phone in existence, and appears it'll hold that title until the dual-core chip phones come out early next year, and it's not that much more expensive than the mytouch 3G slide ($20 more on contract, $70 more off contract)

[Lance Uppercut]

Galaxy S, no question. It's still the fastest phone in existence, and appears it'll hold that title until the dual-core chip phones come out early next year, and it's not that much more expensive than the mytouch 3G slide ($20 more on contract, $70 more off contract)

I did a little more research and I like what I'm reading about this phone (mkv support was unexpected and welcomed). However it seems most people don't like that GUI. I'm a total Android noob, but how easy is it to switch UIs on these phones?

[J Arcane]

Riddle me this, CoGgers, should I get a MyTouch, or the Galaxy?
Wait for the G2.

Mytouch is nothing special, and the Galaxy, while impressive, is married to TouchWiz, Samsung's knockoff iPhone interface.

The G2 is a stock Google phone, which should mean faster updates, plus it's the first decent looking keyboard I've seen on an Android phone, and trust me, you want that, even if you think you don't.

[MagGnome]

When is the G2 coming out, and do we know yet what the price will look like?

[Lance Uppercut]

Wait for the G2.

Mytouch is nothing special, and the Galaxy, while impressive, is married to TouchWiz, Samsung's knockoff iPhone interface.

The G2 is a stock Google phone, which should mean faster updates, plus it's the first decent looking keyboard I've seen on an Android phone, and trust me, you want that, even if you think you don't.

Too late. My old phone is rapidly dying, and I needed a new phone now, so I just got back from getting a Galaxy. I'm p impressed, I just need to find a way to change that UI if I decide I can't live with it.

[Xerxes]

Too late. My old phone is rapidly dying, and I needed a new phone now, so I just got back from getting a Galaxy. I'm p impressed, I just need to find a way to change that UI if I decide I can't live with it.

You can put one UI on top of the Touch Wiz like Launcher Pro.

[PathMaster]

So I am starting to crave the ability to have more home screens or nest folders. Any idea how that is possible, if at all?

[Crittias]

So I am starting to crave the ability to have more home screens or nest folders. Any idea how that is possible, if at all?

And...your answer:
You can put one UI on top of the Touch Wiz like Launcher Pro.

[Lance Uppercut]

You can put one UI on top of the Touch Wiz like Launcher Pro.

That doesn't sound very efficient...

[StarGypsy]

So I am starting to crave the ability to have more home screens or nest folders. Any idea how that is possible, if at all?

Launcher Pro and Multicon are what I recommend.
Both work great on my X.

[appel]

You can put one UI on top of the Touch Wiz like Launcher Pro.

You can replace the TouchWiz launcher with another one like Launcher Pro. But the rest of Touch Wiz (calendar, contacts, changes to the Android core and so on) you can't replace unless you root and find a custom rom without that stuff.

Same with HTC or Motorola phones. For most people this isn't really an issue though since they like the changes/additions and don't mind the extra bugs. :)

[DylonCorp]

When is the G2 coming out, and do we know yet what the price will look like?

http://www.tmonews.com/tag/t-mobile-g2/

tl;dr: Sept 29th, $200 on contract, $500 retail. Perhaps.

[MagGnome]

Thanks for the information!

[Crittias]

http://www.tmonews.com/tag/t-mobile-g2/

tl;dr: Sept 29th, $200 on contract, $500 retail. Perhaps.I think my wife might finally be ready to ditch her Cliq and upgrade. She definitely wants a slideout keyboard, so this phone may do the trick for her.

[Satertek]

I did a little more research and I like what I'm reading about this phone (mkv support was unexpected and welcomed). However it seems most people don't like that GUI. I'm a total Android noob, but how easy is it to switch UIs on these phones?

I love TouchWiz. Bunch of improvements over stock Android IMO like all the options on the pulldown menu (toggles for wifi, gps, silent mode, etc), 7 home screens and pages for apps instead of one long list. Contact list is great too, swipe left on someone's name to text them or right to call them. I'll have trouble giving it up when I eventually switch over to CM for 3.0.

The G2 is slower so there's really no point waiting unless you live in an HSPA+ area and want 14Mbps instead of "only" 7.


the Galaxy, while impressive, is married to TouchWiz, Samsung's knockoff iPhone interface.
.

People say this and I just don't get it. The only similarity is that apps are stored as pages instead of one long list, and there's so much more to it (see above)

[Crittias]

The G2 is slowerWant to provide a source for this fact? It's processor runs at 800MHz instead of 1GHZ, but it's a different processor (Scorpion instead of Snapdragon) so it's not an apples-to-apples comparison.

[Satertek]

Want to provide a source for this fact? It's processor runs at 800MHz instead of 1GHZ, but it's a different processor (Scorpion instead of Snapdragon) so it's not an apples-to-apples comparison.

The Galaxy S uses Samsung's Hummingbird processor. You're right I should be waiting until we get the full specs to bash it though, but unless it uses the newest PowerVR SGX545, the Galaxy S with its SGX540 will still be the one to beat.

Edit: Looks like Qualcomm doesn't even use PowerVR. This crap is too complicated, lol.

[Crittias]

The Galaxy S uses Samsung's Hummingbird processor.My bad. You're right, this crap IS too complicated! :)

[Lance Uppercut]

I love TouchWiz. Bunch of improvements over stock Android IMO like all the options on the pulldown menu (toggles for wifi, gps, silent mode, etc), 7 home screens and pages for apps instead of one long list. Contact list is great too, swipe left on someone's name to text them or right to call them. I'll have trouble giving it up when I eventually switch over to CM for 3.0.

The G2 is slower so there's really no point waiting unless you live in an HSPA+ area and want 14Mbps instead of "only" 7.




People say this and I just don't get it. The only similarity is that apps are stored as pages instead of one long list, and there's so much more to it (see above)

I'm inclined to agree, I don't have any trouble reaching what I want to access on TouchWiz. Maybe I won't be switching UIs after all.

What is bugging me though is I can't figure out how to use custom tones on sound notifications other than ringtones. I've got an mp3 file of the Metal Gear codec sound that would be perfect for text messages.

[Satertek]

I've got an mp3 file of the Metal Gear codec sound that would be perfect for text messages.

Open up messaging then hit menu and settings from there. Notification sound at the bottom of the list.

[Smoof]

So, I've had my Sprint Hero for just over a week now and it's been rooted for almost as long (one day less than I've owned it) and I have to say, it's a fantastic phone. I switched ROM's a few days ago from Fresh to Zen and it's a major improvement. Zen is a bit faster and the interface is much, much nicer (I believe it's ported from the Mytouch 3G). For all the complaints I've heard about the Hero as a stock phone, I can't imagine hating this thing, ever. It's the perfect size, runs all the applications I want well* and the little track ball comes in handy.

*My only complaint right now is that Nesoid runs like shit. It's very, very choppy. However, I'm not going to attribute this to the Hero's processor (Currently overclocked on Zen to 691), because every other game and application I have runs fine. I think it has more to do with poor coding on the developers part. One more complaint: Battery life. It lasts long enough, but I'm always worried I'm going to run out of battery when I need it the most. I bought an extended battery, but I don't think it's been cycled enough yet to really see any improvement, as it seems the stock battery lasts just as long, if not longer. But I figure this is more an aspect of Android in general, as opposed to the Hero.

Otherwise, I'm absolutely loving having an Android phone and all the things it can do.

[Lance Uppercut]

Open up messaging then hit menu and settings from there. Notification sound at the bottom of the list.

Ok, but my problem is that there's no visible option for custom sounds.

[Inspector Fowler]

Lance - you have to make folders on your phone's storage. Try making audio\notifications, move your file into that folder, then reboot your phone, and it should see any sounds in there. You can do the same thing for alarms and ringtones.

[Codicier]

I'm looking at getting an Android phone. In Canada my options are limited but currently I'm considering getting the HTC Desire on Telus.

I have some questions for people who have been following developments more closely than I have. I've not really owned a cellphone until recently and it's still a basic piece of crap phone so there's probably a lot of detail, especially with smartphones, I'm not up to speed on. Apologies if these questions are annoyingly basic.

I want an unlocked phone first of all. I also want to root the phone so I can install the latest stock Android build myself on it and remove any custom carrier or manufacturer skin or whatever that is on it.

Are these two actions one and the same on smartphones? If a phone is unlocked it still isn't necessarily rooted right? However, if I root the phone does that also unlock it?

I'd like to buy the phone without contract but I'm thinking that if I'm already planning on going with an existing handset/carrier pair then I should just get a contract (if the phone is unlocked though, which I've read in unlikely with phones sold on a contract) and save myself the upfront cash.

Of course, if anyone in Canada has tips on a better carrier/plan available in my area then please let me know. :)

[axion]

I have the Desire and I have kept it stock, so I can't answer your questions as to rooting etc. Anything else I'm more than happy to answer.

I am extremely happy with the phone, it's fast, the screen is beautiful, and Sense is pretty. I'm not a "power user" however so depending on your planned usage I may not be the best metric to go by.

[Codicier]

I have the Desire and I have kept it stock, so I can't answer your questions as to rooting etc. Anything else I'm more than happy to answer.

I am extremely happy with the phone, it's fast, the screen is beautiful, and Sense is pretty. I'm not a "power user" however so depending on your planned usage I may not be the best metric to go by.

Can you tell me what carrier/plan you're on and if you're happy with it?

[axion]

Yeah right now I'm on the Telus Student 40 and it is actually a really good deal. I get unlimited texting, unlimited talk to 10 numbers nationwide, voice mail, unlimited nights and weekends starting at 6PM, 100 anytime minutes and 100MB of data.

As you can see there isn't a lot of data included but I chose it because I'm almost always in a wifi hotspot, either at home or at school. If you anticipate using a lot of data you can upgrade to the Student 50 and get 1GB of data included. Also there is no caller ID which is an extra $8 a month.

Overall the plan works great for me, especially as a student and living away from home I can put all the long distance numbers in my 10 favourites and call for "free."

EDIT for US citizens: Yes our plans suck compared to down there I'm told, this really is a good deal up here.

[Codicier]

Thanks for the info.

There are GPS apps available for Android right? Could I use the Desire as a GPS unit as well? Would the usage count towards data on whatever plan I have?

[MagGnome]

EDIT for US citizens: Yes our plans suck compared to down there I'm told, this really is a good deal up here.

I was getting ready to type out a post exclaiming how surprised I was at the apparent primitiveness of your phone plan. Sorry. :o

No caller ID? That hasn't been a paid feature in the States since the 90s. I can't even imagine having a phone without it now.

[Codicier]

Yeah I've been looking over plans: http://www.cellphones.ca/

It's pretty incredible how shitty most of them are. Everything is an extra charge of some sort.

[axion]

Yes the GPS usage would count towards your data usage when you are navigating, as for how much, that I'm not sure of. You can download apps to monitor your data usage on the fly and it will warn you when you are getting close to your cap and even shut off your data I think (3g watchdog is a free one).

[Banacek]

http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/20/sonys-playstation-division-looking-for-engineers-with-android-d/

Hmm, very interesting...

[PathMaster]

True to their word, Verizon will be pushing out Froyo (http://www.pcworld.com/article/205895/droid_x_getting_froyo_this_wednesday.html?tk=hp_ne w)to Droid X phones in the late summer. Granted, it is the LAST day of summer, but still summer. ;)

[MagGnome]

Wasn't yesterday the last day of summer?

[bstiff]

True to their word, Verizon will be pushing out Froyo (http://www.pcworld.com/article/205895/droid_x_getting_froyo_this_wednesday.html?tk=hp_ne w)to Droid X phones in the late summer. Granted, it is the LAST day of summer, but still summer. ;)


About time. Now that the when's froyo coming posts are dying down, I predict the next crop of posts on the android boards will be "that's it?" I flashed the leaked 2.2 a while back and it fixed quite a few of the issues I had with my X. I started having a couple glitches and had to flash back to 2.1 so we'll see how it goes tomorrow.

[StarGypsy]

Downloading Froyo for my X.
11:34 pm CST :)

[bstiff]

Just an fyi for anyone who rooted and removed the bloatware, you have to flash back to 2.1 before attempting an ota update otherwise the ota will fail. If you've remove apps and attempted to upgrade and failed you're pretty much stuck until the 2.3 gets leaked if ever. Trying to flash back to 2.1 from that point is apparently permabricking peoples phones. Im amazed at the number of people over at phandroid who attempted to root their $600 phone without knowing what they were doing and are now staring at a 600 dollar paperweight. I wonder if motorola will start checking bricked phones for root access once they restore them.

[Smoof]

I put Cyanogenmod CM6 (Froyo 2.2) on my Sprint Hero yesterday and so far, I'm really liking it. It doesn't seem to be any faster than ZenHero and a little worse in some instances (flashed a new kernal to Zen and Nesoid was running great. Not so under Froyo), but otherwise, it's pretty cool. It's definitely something different from a SenseUI based ROM, but I'm still liking it quite a bit. I'm hoping to fiddle with it more this afternoon on my break at school, hopefully getting it setup just the way I want. Also seems like my battery life is a bit better. I do hate this weather widget I downloaded though (Snowstorm), it works, but it seems a bit finicky, as it's changed my location for some reason. Anyone know of a decent, free weather widget?

[Mot Wakorb]

I put Cyanogenmod CM6 (Froyo 2.2) on my Sprint Hero yesterday and so far, I'm really liking it. It doesn't seem to be any faster than ZenHero and a little worse in some instances (flashed a new kernal to Zen and Nesoid was running great. Not so under Froyo), but otherwise, it's pretty cool. It's definitely something different from a SenseUI based ROM, but I'm still liking it quite a bit. I'm hoping to fiddle with it more this afternoon on my break at school, hopefully getting it setup just the way I want. Also seems like my battery life is a bit better. I do hate this weather widget I downloaded though (Snowstorm), it works, but it seems a bit finicky, as it's changed my location for some reason. Anyone know of a decent, free weather widget?

Weather Channel, if you liked the Sense app, get Beautiful Widgets.

[Codicier]

So since this thread is a little more active again, I just want to point back to my slightly earlier posts and ask again if anyone could clarify that rooting/unlocking stuff for me. Also if anyone has any other advice for someone wanting to go the slightly more involved route when getting started with Android that would also be helpful. :)

[PathMaster]

Anyone grab the Froyo update for their Droid X yet? Any issues? Improvements?

[Smoof]

So since this thread is a little more active again, I just want to point back to my slightly earlier posts and ask again if anyone could clarify that rooting/unlocking stuff for me. Also if anyone has any other advice for someone wanting to go the slightly more involved route when getting started with Android that would also be helpful. :)

Rooting gives you Super User Permissions. In essence, it's like opening the back door to the phone; it allows you to do things with the phone that the manufacturer or your provider doesn't allow/want you to do.

For example, I have the Sprint HTC Hero. Normally, it's a pretty buggy phone; it's sluggish, has lots of lag and things like that. Look around the internet and you'll find a lot of complaints about it; people really dislike the phone. Then, look anywhere that talks about rooting the Hero and you'll find lots of love. Rooting and installing a custom ROM (A variation of the stock OS. There are countless developers out there making different ROMS. I've tried three different ones so far) will allow you to remove a lot of the bloat from the phone that comes preinstalled and that your provider won't allow you to remove. A lot of that bloat slows the phone down, drains battery life, things of that nature. So, when I rooted and put a new ROM on my phone, it got rid of all Sprint's bullshit you can't remove (Nascar app, football app, Sprint TV) and allowed me to do things with the phone I couldn't do normally (Sprint offers Wifi tethering on the HTC EVO 4G; unfortunately, it's only available on the EVO and it costs something like an extra $15 a month to use. However, once I rooted my HERO, I am also able to use wifi tethering and it costs me no extra money. As well, I can overclock/underclock my CPU, which can both increase performance and decrease battery drain). Moreover, Sprint and HTC have stopped supporting the Hero; that means it took forever to get the 2.1 update (though it had it before I bought my Hero) and that is all Hero users are getting. We will not get Froyo or Gingerbread (though, Gingerbread probably wouldn't run on the phone anyway). However, via rooting, you can get those things. As of right now, I'm running Froyo (Android 2.2), because I'm rooted. So I get all those fancy updates EVO owners and many other Android owners are getting.

Rooting and ROMing mostly just allows you to use your phone the way you want to use it. Android can be customized heavily, but rooting allows even more customization. Also, most phones come with some of their manufacturers crap preinstalled. Things like MotoBlur, Samsung Touchwiz and SenseUI. I've not used anything beyond Sense, as it's an HTC thing and I have an HTC phone. I like it, but getting rid of it (not all ROMs ditch these things. The first two I used had Sense still) speeds-up the phone a bit and theoretically saves battery life. As well, you can also do a full backup of your phone (Nandroid), which allows you to back it up in whatever state you like. As an example, I'm on my third different ROM right now, but at any moment I can load-up my recovery mode and restore one of my previous setups, which includes all my applications, notes, changes to my interface, etc.

The only real problem with rooting is that it allows for piracy. Because you open that back door, you can install applications via those means. Piracy is, unfortunately, a problem on the platform. I make sure to purchase all the applications I like so as to support those developers doing something on the platform, but it's not always enough.

[Zagrash]

I pre-ordered the G2 today, I'm finally getting away from the G1. Stock 2.2 with a keyboard was just too much to pass up. I'll now be anxiously awaiting it's delivery.

Right after I got off the phone with T-Mob's customer service, I remembered that the last phone I pre-ordered through them got delivered to Redondo Beach, CA, rather than to my house. I'll be particularly upset if that happens again.

[J Arcane]

I want to pre-order one as well I think, but first I need to sell my Nexus One.