Incoming! Android Content

[zepp21]

I can say that with my Android (Droid2) that the battery life in the beginning was mediocre. I'd have to charge it midway through the day, otherwise it would die. After a week, the battery life was considerably better and now I only need to charge it at night. A friend, yes I have friends , said that the batter doesn't come fully charged and takes several nights to become "fully charged" The only downside is I wish more apps were released for Android and iOS at the same time

[Rambam]

Had the same experience with my HTC Desire, after a few weeks the battery life improved significantly.
I`ve had it for a year now and the battery life is still more or less the same, not bad
Android FTW

[ezcheese]

Well, I made it through the entire day one one charge! Android FTW indeed!

BTW, have I said how much I love the window shade feature?

[userfriendly]

not familiar with Android OS, but does the GPS have a manual on/off switch or is it only on when an app (google maps, yelp, etc...) needs it?

Yes you can turn GPS on or off.

[lilhoody]

[ericf4]

i like the finger feature your vid camera has where it simulates the users finger over the corner of the lens......sweet android app im sure

[lilhoody]

i like the finger feature your vid camera has where it simulates the users finger over the corner of the lens......sweet android app im sure

Technology! It's incredible. Would you have imagined this ten years ago, that cameras, much less phones, could be capable of such simulation? The joy this app must bring to wood-shop teachers everywhere. Now, they can again dork up images the way able bodied people have manually done for years. And to think we took this ability for granted!

[ezcheese]

i like the finger feature your vid camera has where it simulates the users finger over the corner of the lens......sweet android app im sure

Technology! It's incredible. Would you have imagined this ten years ago, that cameras, much less phones, could be capable of such simulation? The joy this app must bring to wood-shop teachers everywhere. Now, they can again dork up images the way able bodied people have manually done for years. And to think we took this ability for granted!

[lilhoody]

All right dudes, sorry for making fun of you. I want a new phone, the BB isn't cutting the cheese anymore and mine is on the fritz. I keep losing media when your wives are sexting me.

I'm with and like Verizon out here in the West. Adam, ATT sucks here too, don't feel bad. Wife has a Droid X, it's cool, but a little big. I was thinking an IPhone now that Verizon had them. I read your thread and I'm confused as fuck, plus I have no idea what half the shit your talking about is or means. Then you guys start talking about upgraded processors and shit. Huh? Where? Who? Why? How much?

Lay it on me. I even watched those videos Derek posted ( I know I made fun of those too). Even then I couldn't decide.

[toxicavenger]

damn Darin be a man and just buy a plain phone. you don't need all that ghey shit like, internet and texting.

[SCM64]

All right dudes, sorry for making fun of you. I want a new phone, the BB isn't cutting the cheese anymore and mine is on the fritz. I keep losing media when your wives are sexting me.

I'm with and like Verizon out here in the West. Adam, ATT sucks here too, don't feel bad. Wife has a Droid X, it's cool, but a little big. I was thinking an IPhone now that Verizon had them. I read your thread and I'm confused as fuck, plus I have no idea what half the shit your talking about is or means. Then you guys start talking about upgraded processors and shit. Huh? Where? Who? Why? How much?

Lay it on me. I even watched those videos Derek posted ( I know I made fun of those too). Even then I couldn't decide.

Don't dick around. Just get the iPhone.

[lilhoody]

IPhone you say? If that is what sexually desirable RockStar Mods use, then it's what I want.

Terry, I wish it were that simple. I try to resist technology, but it is always in my face! I had to up my technology game when I promoted. Texting is the only way some of my employees communicate. Twice I had to upgrade my plan because they were crushing me with overages. They also all want to use Google Calender instead of the calendar on my desk to schedule time off.

[lilhoody]

If I don't follow Steven's advice and get the IPhone (mainly because the 5 is coming) and I go with a Droid X or similar, can they be upgraded with these after market processors and such you all speak of?
I'd like more than a year with one, maybe I don't need that. The last three smart phones Ive had lasted about a year.

[ezcheese]

By the time you get your new phone activated it's already outdated so I wouldn't worry so much about that. If you end up doing a lot of screwing around and web surfing I would highly recommend getting one with 4G capabilities. 3G is pretty sluggish.

What network are you on?

[ezcheese]

Just noticed you're on Verizon. They already have three 4G phones including mine. Verizon's 4G LTE network is unparalleled.

[Isthmus]

not familiar with Android OS, but does the GPS have a manual on/off switch or is it only on when an app (google maps, yelp, etc...) needs it?

Yes you can turn GPS on or off.

to elaborate, Android has a toggle widget that allows you to turn on specific system functions on and off with a touch. the native widget looks like this:



It allows you to toggle (from L to R) Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, Syncing, and levels of screen brightness. the market also has several similar widgets that expand on the number of things you can toggle on and off.

It really makes turning services on and off a breeze, which really helps save battery life.

[toxicavenger]

I bought my wife a Nokia X6 for At&T.

Oh "D" your a puss.

[Isthmus]

Alright lillihood, lets see if I can sum it up for you.

there are three main platforms for smartphones and tablets right now: Android, IOS (what the Iphone uses), and Blackberry. Yes there are other operating systems (such as Windows Phone 7, Symbian, and WebOS, but hardly anybody uses them, so forget about them). Windows might become a player if their deal with Nokia ever yields any product. for now though they are notworth considering.

You obviously no longer want Blackberry (who can blame you) so lets give you the skinny on Android, IOS and Windows.

The first thing to understand is that they are all operating systems. Just like home computers, the hardware is mostly off the shelf and for the most part (though not always) the same suppliers build the guts that most of these phones use, regardless of whose brand is no it. Also some companies (mainly apple and HP and to a lesser degree microsoft), control every aspect of the phone, both in terms of hardware and software. This means that they are able to ensure that all their software and apps designed to work on their phones, work exactly as they want them too, and that stuff is stable and fast at all times. the downer is that most of the companies that do this achieve that stability and functionality by limiting features and locking you out of your phone's internals. In other words, there is very little you can do in terms of customizing the experience or servicing the unit.

The different operating systems basically giev you different levels of control, relative to apps and ability to customize the experience. Here is how I see them:

Windows.
pros: By far the easiest to use of all the smartphone operating systems. It's tile design is made for reading information at a glance.
Cons: Very few phones currently use them. not currently available in tablets. Relatively few apps. ebnvironment is very tightly controlled by microsoft and has almost no custiming. It is pretty muched locked to microsoft for services (search navigation, etc.).
Recommendation: This is an OS for your grandparents or luddites wanting their first smartphone. If you think technology is voodoo magic, then this is for you. If you can still wipe your own ass, then pass.

IOS.
Pros: the oldest of the major smartphone platforms and the one with the most third party developer support. It is also rock solid and super stable. Easy to use (my 3 year old uses my ios devices better then me sometimes). More apps than any other system and the apps almost always work as intended (no system crashes or slow downs). No Malware.
Cons: Apple lock-in (everything goes through apple and works best on apple hardware). NO WIDGETS. No native navigation. Reliance on Itunes for updating data. Proprietary connectors and heavy use of DRM. Now tehering of any kind. No porn.
Recommendation: If you are looking for a platform that is rock solid, stable, and works every single time you turn it on, then look no further. keep in mind that cutomization is limited and there are no widgets. Also you will not be able to service the unit (it is encapsulated and uses proprietary screws that require an apple wrench to open). If you break it or kill the battery on a new model, only apple can fix it. They are also close to the most expensive smartphones on the market.

Android:
Pros: Flexibility. YOu can run android as intended by the manufacturer or customize the crap out of it. If you don't like the desktop environment, then replace it for one that you like. YOu want animated wallpapers, its got them. You want widgets, its got them. want porn, its got it. Want software from a source other than the market, side load from anywere. Android is at it's most basic, a lot like IOS in that it runs right out of the box. However, in manty ways it is much much more, as it allows you to customize the experience quite extensively, allowing you to use the device in a way unique to you. Android is second only to apple in number of apps. Android devices also have removable and upgradeable memory, batteries you can switch yourself and for the most part use off the shelf connectors. Their file system is also not proprietary, which means that it works with any computer system without being tied to a single program (like IOS and Itunes)
Cons: Flexibility. Yes that flexibvility comes with negatives as well. for example the vetting process for apps is nearly as rigorous as it is for ios apps, so it is not uncommon to find an app that simply doesn't run or crashes in some phones, but runs perfectly on others. Also because android is made available for free to manufacturers, they are able to put it in littreally hundreds of different devices. The problem is that not all the devices have the same level of development or the same specs. As a result, as android continues to evolve, older, lower spec devices often find themselves stuck unable to upgrade their operating systems.
Recommendations: android is not difficult, but it does have a learning curve that is a bit greater than on most other phones. because of it's flexibility there is greater in-built instability and possibility for uploading malware apps. On the plus side is supper customizable and allows you to run tons of programs at the same time. It is also available from every carrier. My only recommendation is that you buy the absolute highest end model you can find so as to ensure that future software upgrades don't break it. Also the closest you can get to vanilla android, the greater the chance that you will get upgrade in a timely manner and that the system will remain stable.

There is more to consider and I've left a few things out, but this is generally it. personally I recommend that if you are not afraid to learn a bit about the technology, then android give much more to the user than any other platform, especially when it is used on high end hardware. If what you want is something nearly as powerful, but much more stable and easier to use, then just get an Iphone.

As for android hardware, what you buy is what you get. you can't swap out and upgrade processors on any phone. The best you can do on android is change batteries and swap out memory (which is more than you can do on any other platform BTW). the point is to do your research and choose wisely because the phone you end up buying is the one you'll be living with for a while. If you do decide to go with Android, then I would recommend that you pick something on your network, with a bigger battery and with dual core processors of a minimum 1ghz a piece. I believe there are 1.2ghz dual cores available right now and there will be 1.4ghz dual cores available sometime this fall.

I hope that helps a little.