Tablet and smart phone discussion thread

[ToddG]

After years of blind Apple fanboism, I am finally giving up on my iPhone. I need to do some research to figure out whether a Droid or Blackberry makes more sense for me, but the iPhone has got to go.


Typing on it, even after buying apps to help improve typing skill, is horrendous. Maybe I just have big thumbs, but unless I go very slow I cannot consistently hit the spacebar or other keys that are along the outside/border of the keypad.
Bluetooth is completely screwed up, and getting worse. On three different cars, if the phone is in my pocket the bluetooth connectivity blinks in and out. So if I want the benefit of the phone while driving, I have to take the time to place it in just the right position relative to the dashboard and keep it there.
Now the wi-fi is on the blink, too. I get a fast signal on my MacBook Pro, my wife's MacBook Pro, and my iPad. But the phone just spins its little icon and won't actually download anything.
After repeated attempts to get customer service from Apple, I still have a constant problem where emails I delete from my iPhone don't get deleted from my iPad... which means that when I pick up my iPad once every couple of weeks it has thousands of emails on it. And there is still no DELETE ALL option!
AT&T call drops. Nuff said.


I should probably bring it back to Apple and have them see if they can fix the connectivity issues, but everything I read online is that it's just part of a laundry list of known problems with the iPhone 4 and not getting fixed because the iPhone 5 will be out Soon™.

[JHC]

Android is a very potent OS and the Droid phones are pretty capable. What we are seeing in the US business market is that the iPad is just going monster in our space and our compatible business apps for it are a big hit. That said, I use a Verizon Droid smart phone its very capable. I can handily out download my elder sons iPhone for Kyle Lamb vids from his youtube channel.

I'm not so impressed by what BB has. I think they are in a lot of trouble.

[YVK]

I second the Droid with pull out keyboard. I have an original Motorola Droid and, while not perfect, I've not found any reasons to switch.

[LittleLebowski]

If the Droid doesn't behave the way you want, you can easily modify it. I like my Thunderbolt. Verizon's network is well worth any upgrade.

[JV_]

I've been forced to use a Blackberry for the past 5 years, I hate it. I would trade it for an Android system if that option was available.

The keyboard is easy to type on, but that's all it has going for it.

[LittleLebowski]

I didn't like the keyboard that came with my Droid so I bought a better one for $2. I like the removable 32 gig SD card and 40 gigs total storage. I like how I can use custom operating system images that are designed for speed or battery life. I really like being able to slap in a fresh battery instead of having to find a charger.

[TCinVA]

Somewhere Steve Jobs felt a disturbance in the force....

I have a 1st gen Motorolla Droid I've had for about 1.5 years now. The only complaints I have:

1. when I get updates to Ringdroid it tends to neuter my custom ringtones and I have to reset them.

2. The built-in camera on the 1st gen Motorolla Droid sucks. Other Android based phones do much better in that regard.

I split 50/50 between the physical keyboard and the on-screen. There are many custom on-screen keyboards available for reasonable prices if you don't like the one that comes as default on the particular phone you buy.

I'd advise trying to use some display models for your normal kind of stuff to see how that particular phone works for you.

The iPhone is the 1911 of smart phones. I knew sooner or later you'd catch up with the rest of the civilized world.

[LittleLebowski]

Digging the 4G speeds. When I'm on trips, I can tether my iPad or laptop to my Stood and surf at least as fast as at home.

http://www.speedtest.net/result/1265951490.png

[JV_]

LL - Those are impressive numbers - especially after considering the latency implications.

[LittleLebowski]

That's average, JV. I got 41 megs down while driving the other day.

[rsa-otc]

Having considered both the BB & Droid I went Droid II. My boss had a BB curve & I didn't like either the keyboard or track ball. My daughter had a BB storm that kept locking up when it received text messages. So I went Droid. I have huge fingers and have used the pull out key board exactly once. Since I don’t use it I wish I went with a model without that feature. IMO it makes the phone more fragile for something I don’t use.

One of the knocks against the droid was battery life. I got the extended life battery (which on the droid II is not much larger then the standard) and down loaded adv app killer. After tweaking the app killer setting I can go a day and a half of heavy use on one charge.

[ubervic]

I've been running the Android platform on an HTC Eris for about a year. Adequately quick & easy to use; easy to custom-configure with lots of apps and add-ons via the Android Market (many of which are absolutely free); voice-connectivity is great; touch-screen enables speedy and accurate typing/texting with intuitive auto-complete functionality, even with my abnormally fat thumbs. :o

I'm now looking at the Thunderbolt for its higher speed (4G vs 3G), larger screen, considerably more robust feature set and, frankly, it overcomes the occasionally buggy behavior of my low-cost-of-entry Eris.

No matter what, go with Verizon over AT&T if voice connectivity is important to you---Verizon's network kills AT&T's, hands down.

[MDS]

I've been forced to use a Blackberry for the past 5 years, I hate it. I would trade it for an Android system if that option was available.

The keyboard is easy to type on, but that's all it has going for it.

Ugh, I feel your pain - I've been in the same boat for 6+ years. Verizon recently acquired my employer, and I'm hoping we'll get more mobile options as Verizon employees. That said - they're pretty solid as phones and for simple email. I hate browsing or anything else on my BB - but if the OP rarely browses on his phone, it might be a good choice... nah, who am I kidding. BBs suck!

[JV_]

I've been tied down for MS Exchange integration. We're rolling out Good (http://www.good.com/)servers shortly .... I'll ditch this BB at my first opportunity.

[Jay Cunningham]

I've been running the Android platform on an HTC Eris for about a year.

:cool:

Awesome.

[fuse]

Is this why you didn't respond to my inquiry about AFHF in culpeper in Sept?


J/k


But seriously though

[jetfire]

I actually used to be a use Blackberry supporter, having used them for work for years and years. And I do stand by the statement that for email, they're simply the best device out there...but if you want to do other stuff, then they're usually crippled with a crappy OS, a weak browser, and not a lot of apps.

[TCinVA]

I've been tied down for MS Exchange integration. We're rolling out Good (http://www.good.com/)servers shortly .... I'll ditch this BB at my first opportunity.

Nitro-desk for Android OS works brilliantly with Exchange.

[MTechnik]

Nitro-desk for Android OS works brilliantly with Exchange.

Even without it the support isn't horrible. As long as there's an OWA site published, your android can sync mail and calendar from it.

[Kyle Reese]

I can personally attest to witnessing the awesome of your network earlier this month. :)


Digging the 4G speeds. When I'm on trips, I can tether my iPad or laptop to my Stood and surf at least as fast as at home.

http://www.speedtest.net/result/1265951490.png

[jslaker]

If you decide to go Blackberry, there's really zero point until Q4 when QNX based Blackberrys start hitting the market. BB6 is a dead end. Most of the hardcore Blackberry fanatics I know have ditched it for Android because RIM has utterly failed at getting their shit together and flat out said that they won't have competitive phones on the market til the end of the year.

EDIT:

Full disclosure: I am about as serious an Android nerd as you get. I pre-ordered a G1 (which was the first Android handset to hit the market) and I've owned a G2 since about a month after launch. I've run CyanogenMod since its earliest days. Etc.

When friends ask me what they should get these days, my opinion is essentially:

iPhone or Android are first tier depending on the person.
WP7
Blackberry until QNX phones hit the market.

[JV_]

Nitro-desk for Android OS works brilliantly with Exchange.

Unfortunately, I'm tied down by 'corporate' policies. They complain about encryption requirements and support services. If they don't approve it, I can't run it. If I circumvent it - I'm fired. But I shouldn't complain too much, I don't pay for the device or service.

[Frank B]

Here´s another vote for Android. I´ve a Nexus One and run CM 7 without any reason to complain.

[ToddG]

OK, sounds like I'm sold on Android. A few more questions:


Push email: with the iPhone, I need to jump through six kinds of hoops to get it to "push" my personal email on my own domain. Everything literally has to pass through MobileMe on the way in, and Google on the way out. Does Android do better? I really miss Blackberry's email compatibility.



re: Thunderbolt, have the battery life issues in 4G mode been resolved?



re: keyboards, I am very strongly favoring a physical keyboard. If other folks are downloading "better" keyboards for the Android phones, I don't see a way I can test that at Verizon.

syncing: Will I now be forced to use Google for my calendar, etc.? The one great thing about the iPhone is that my contacts and calendar auto-update whether I make changes in my phone, my iPad, or on my computer.

Verizon is a no-brainer. I only switched to AT&T for the iPhone and whatever the early opt-out penalty is, I'll pay it. After about three years with AT&T I am ready to poke my own eyes out.

[BCL]

Another vote for the thunderbolt. 4G speeds are awesome and droids have this amazing thing called insurance, which you can't get with the iPhone.

Also, if AT&T keeps their gay 2Gb limit once they transition to 4g, then a lot of people are going to pay overage charges.

The first two weeks that I had the thunderbolt, I used 10 gigs on 4G without even trying. The fact that 4G was a LOT faster than the Hilton network had a little to do with that.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[JHC]

OK, sounds like I'm sold on Android. A few more questions:


Push email: with the iPhone, I need to jump through six kinds of hoops to get it to "push" my personal email on my own domain. Everything literally has to pass through MobileMe on the way in, and Google on the way out. Does Android do better? I really miss Blackberry's email compatibility.



re: Thunderbolt, have the battery life issues in 4G mode been resolved?



re: keyboards, I am very strongly favoring a physical keyboard. If other folks are downloading "better" keyboards for the Android phones, I don't see a way I can test that at Verizon.

syncing: Will I now be forced to use Google for my calendar, etc.? The one great thing about the iPhone is that my contacts and calendar auto-update whether I make changes in my phone, my iPad, or on my computer.

Verizon is a no-brainer. I only switched to AT&T for the iPhone and whatever the early opt-out penalty is, I'll pay it. After about three years with AT&T I am ready to poke my own eyes out.

I need to be careful and "stay in my lane" here as there are vastly more Droid adept folks on this thread.

All I know is my email, calendar and contacts are synched - invisibly to me.

And I will say that setting up my Droid Eris to my office Outlook email was a snap and it pushes and "chimes" to the phone.

[ToddG]

Or... wait for iPhone5?

Rumored to have a physical keyboard and better antenna. I could ditch my AT&T iPhone4 for a Verizon iPhone5.

[SecondsCount]

I have the Blackberry Tour and my wife has a Motorola Droid X. Both have their pros and cons and I think the Android would probably fit you best Todd.

Since I mainly use my phone for business use, I like the Blackberry because that is what it is setup for. The keyboard buttons are small but after a couple weeks I had it figured out and can type on it pretty fast. Since it already comes with the typical office apps, email, etc., I only have one added app and that is Google Maps, so I can't tell you how much app support is out there. The biggest downer is that the web browser that comes with it sucks. It is slow and but at least it supports flash.

The Droid X is a nice setup for personal use. It is rather large but when surfing the web, watching video, etc. the larger screen really shines. It has SWIPE for typing and she loves it.

My company is looking at other options and I am pushing for the Droid Pro that has the keyboard. It looks like the best mix of both worlds.

[jslaker]

Push email: with the iPhone, I need to jump through six kinds of hoops to get it to "push" my personal email on my own domain. Everything literally has to pass through MobileMe on the way in, and Google on the way out. Does Android do better? I really miss Blackberry's email compatibility.

Gmail and Google Apps domain mail pushes instantly and seamlessly. Since I use Gmail for personal mail and Google Apps for all my business addresses, I haven't really looked into making push work with other systems.

[JDM]

Or... wait for iPhone5?

Rumored to have a physical keyboard and better antenna. I could ditch my AT&T iPhone4 for a Verizon iPhone5.

This is my plan.

[Prdator]

Or... wait for iPhone5?

Rumored to have a physical keyboard and better antenna. I could ditch my AT&T iPhone4 for a Verizon iPhone5.



I so hope this works out!!! I like my Iphone as long as im not trying to use the phone part...

[TCinVA]

OK, sounds like I'm sold on Android. A few more questions:


Push email: with the iPhone, I need to jump through six kinds of hoops to get it to "push" my personal email on my own domain. Everything literally has to pass through MobileMe on the way in, and Google on the way out. Does Android do better? I really miss Blackberry's email compatibility.



I get emails pushed from MS Exchange, from Gmail, and from a throwaway Yahoo account I send spam to. The default mail tools work well, and there are aftermarket mail programs that can expand and let you further tweak functionality. I have my phone set to notify me whenever I get a mail from one of my Gmail accounts. NitroDesk is set to retreive mail without notifying me.

You shouldn't have to jump through as many hoops to make mail work the way you want it to on Android.



syncing: Will I now be forced to use Google for my calendar, etc.? The one great thing about the iPhone is that my contacts and calendar auto-update whether I make changes in my phone, my iPad, or on my computer.


There are a number of pages out there with instructions on syncing your iPad through Google's tools...but I've never done it myself. Enough people pull it off that it shouldn't be all that bad.

[NGCSUGrad09]

Not to be the paranoid guy or anything, but as an iPhone user this has me concerned...

http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/137432/20110423/apple-we-must-have-comprehensive-user-location-data-on-you.htm

What do you guys say about the tracking done by Apple? I know we sign agreements to it, etc, etc. However, I don't know how cool I am with the fact that they believe they must have a directory of everywhere I have been. Reading about it has had me considering switching away now that my contract is about up.

[LittleLebowski]

I find it very disturbing that law enforcement has known about this for so long.

[ToddG]

Rumors of a physical keyboard in the iPhone5 seem to be dying away.

It looks like a Droid 2 is in my immediate future unless one of you guys tells me, "Wait, there is the even better android phone coming out next month..."

[MTechnik]

Rumors of a physical keyboard in the iPhone5 seem to be dying away.

It looks like a Droid 2 is in my immediate future unless one of you guys tells me, "Wait, there is the even better android phone coming out next month..."

If it matters to you, make sure Verizon leaves in Tethering, or check the custom rom options for enabling it...

[LittleLebowski]

If Todd gets a Droid, we'll make sure he gets tethering, rooted, etc...

[NickA]

It looks like a Droid 2 is in my immediate future unless one of you guys tells me, "Wait, there is the even better android phone coming out next month..."
There's ALWAYS a better Android coming out next month, something you don't have to consider as often with the iphone. That said, the Droid or any of the HTC offerings should serve you just fine.

[jslaker]

There's ALWAYS a better Android coming out next month

This.

I tend to be partial to HTC phones since they tend to be the most hack-friendly. But I also like to tinker, so that's not for everybody. The Droids are nice and Samsung's phones are incredibly popular (though I don't care for the AMOLED screens, personally). Lots of good options either way.

[ToddG]

OK, I should have asked a more specific question.

Is anyone aware of an upcoming android phone with physical keyboard worthy of serious consideration to rival the Droid 2?

[jslaker]

OK, I should have asked a more specific question.

Is anyone aware of an upcoming android phone with physical keyboard worthy of serious consideration to rival the Droid 2?

http://gizmodo.com/#!5782045/three-motorola-android-phones-leak-out-with-the-targa-showing-a-sizeable-camera-hump

Keep in mind that the Droid 2 is around 8 months old, so it's in the second half of its lifecycle at this point.

[Savage Hands]

So are you looking at moving to Verizon from At&T? I'd probably skip a physical keyboard and wait for the Droid X2 to be released if you had to have a keyboard then wait for the Droid 3.

[Frank B]

OK, I should have asked a more specific question.

Is anyone aware of an upcoming android phone with physical keyboard worthy of serious consideration to rival the Droid 2?
Todd,
you may look at the Sony Experia X10 series. It sports a physical keyboard.
http://www.sonyericsson.com/cws/products/mobilephones/overview/xperiax10minipro?cc=us&lc=en

[randypollock]

I find that using swype is the best way to "type" on a on screen keyboard. If you have an android phone try it...big or little fingers it doesn't matter I have been using it for almost a year now...also Google speak it works well when you have a good connection.

http://www.swypeinc.com/

[ToddG]

So I went to Verizon yesterday and looked at the Droid 2, some Droid with Swype, and the Thunderbolt.

I couldn't type particularly fast on any of them, but the 2 with its physical keyboard seemed the most capable of speed once I got accustomed to it.

I'm not even sure how Swype is supposed to work if you're used to typing with two thumbs. It was neat, but not nearly as fast as I can type on a Blackberry.

I've decided to take my iPhone4 to the Apple Store to get replaced (hopefully) for now, as apparently others have had similar signal/antenna issues with early 4's... mine was pre-ordered so it's from the very first batch. If that fixes everything but the keyboard, I can hold out until later in the year to compare the 5 to the Droids at the time.

Tethering sounds awesome in concept, but candidly I never travel anywhere with my notebook anymore and my iPad gets more than adequate speed even over AT&T 3G.

[jslaker]

I'm not even sure how Swype is supposed to work if you're used to typing with two thumbs. It was neat, but not nearly as fast as I can type on a Blackberry.

My G2 came with Swype, I hated it, replaced it.

Later on FlexT9 (http://www.nuance.com/for-individuals/by-product/flex-t9-for-android/index.htm) came out which I picked up primarily for the better text prediction and Dragon speech-to-text engine. It also supports a swipe-style input.

What I've found is that for anything "substantial" I default to the hardware keyboard. For quick responses where I don't feel like flipping open the hardware keyboard, I'll tap on the screen two-handed like a normal OSK. Where I've found swipe comes in really handy, though, is for one-handed input when my other hand is occupied (generally a drink or cigarette in my case).

I'd never use swipe input full-time -- because it is slower than a hardware keyboard or standard OSK -- but it's kind of become one of those nice-to-have sort of features that I'd probably miss a little if it went away tomorrow.

[Savage Hands]

Swype takes getting use too, but is really good when you need to text one handed for whatever reason.

[JM Campbell]

Got my wife the AT&T version of the Evo on sat. Her Iphone was crapping out, running supper slow and not getting reception worth a hoot (3G).

That Droid is pretty slick and has some great preloaded programs.

Downfalls I see so far...
*batt does not last long, although that app killer program supposed to fix that
*coming from Iphone it at times is hard to navigate for her

Pros...
*awesome that when hooked up to a comp ITunes doesn't come up and take over your screen--my pet peeve ;)
*contact info is more in depth ie b-day, relationship to user, assign to group contacts for messages ect.
*according to the wife it does not drop calls...we have 3 famous spots for dropped calls, 2 on the highway commute and our living room.

I'd have more to say if it was mine but I've only played with it for a few minutes.
I might dump my 32gig 3GS that has done me well so far if it can meet her work demands.

[randypollock]

Got my wife the AT&T version of the Evo on sat. Her Iphone was crapping out, running supper slow and not getting reception worth a hoot (3G).

That Droid is pretty slick and has some great preloaded programs.

Downfalls I see so far...
*batt does not last long, although that app killer program supposed to fix that
*coming from Iphone it at times is hard to navigate for her

Pros...
*awesome that when hooked up to a comp ITunes doesn't come up and take over your screen--my pet peeve ;)
*contact info is more in depth ie b-day, relationship to user, assign to group contacts for messages ect.
*according to the wife it does not drop calls...we have 3 famous spots for dropped calls, 2 on the highway commute and our living room.

I'd have more to say if it was mine but I've only played with it for a few minutes.
I might dump my 32gig 3GS that has done me well so far if it can meet her work demands.

Steve Jobs called, he is "concerned" with your recent purchase...wait...sorry his called just dropped.

Welcome to the Droid side.

HTC Incredible (with OLED screen) waiting on the Motorola Bionic

[jslaker]

*batt does not last long, although that app killer program supposed to fix that

Uninstall that app killer ASAP. If anything, it's hurting your battery life.

App killers basically fight with the way that Android is designed to handle application and memory management and end up causing the system to constantly thrash RAM as a result. They're totally counterproductive and only popular because people don't understand Android's architecture. :)

That said, the EVO does have a reputation for being less than amazing in terms of battery life.

[LittleLebowski]

The biggest difference for me on batter life was a custom ROM and kernel on my Thunderbolt.

[Macfan31]

I would recommend getting the Blackberry Bold Touch coming out this summer if you don't get your Iphone fixed or up to your standards. I would never go with a Droid phone as of right now. Almost every deputy I work with has a Droid and none get the battery life I get with the Iphone. One put in an extended battery and still can't get the life of the Iphone I can get. I think the Droids will certainly improve, but I don't think they are "there" yet. The two people I know who got physical keyboards with Droids, didn't end up liking them.

The Iphone has better apps to choose from IMO, but I haven't ended up using apps near as much as I thought I would. This is why I am considering going to the Blackberry Bold Touch. Texting is much better with the Blackberry and with the touch features it will have, will make using it even quicker. I use my phone for a calendar system for work, court dates, training, etc. I don't have a single song on mine and don't really use the internet most days. I guess this would make a major difference in battery life lasting, but on the days I do browse heavily, I still get a much better battery life than they do.

The one thing keeping me with the Iphone, is the ability to take pictures of checks and deposit the funds into my bank account by simply taking a photo. My bank has the option for the Iphone and the Droid, but for some reason hasn't released it for the Blackberry.

You probably already know about this site, but if you want good Blackberry info, go to
Crackberry.com

[jslaker]

There's no way I'd recommend a Blackberry to anybody right now. Blackberry 6 is dead and there won't be any QNX based phones on the market until at least Q4. I just can't see tying yourself down with a 2 year contract on a phone that is an absolute dead end as far as developers are concerned.

ETA:

I use my phone for a calendar system for work, court dates, training, etc. I don't have a single song on mine and don't really use the internet most days. I guess this would make a major difference in battery life lasting, but on the days I do browse heavily, I still get a much better battery life than they do.

In all seriousness, have you looked any at Windows Phone 7? I think it does a fantastic job of what you want, even if it's a bit less app-centric right now. It's a very clean, simple experience for the built-in stuff, which is what you're wanting.

[JV_]

I've been tied down for MS Exchange integration. We're rolling out Good (http://www.good.com/)servers shortly .... I'll ditch this BB at my first opportunity.

HTC Thunderbolt on the way!!

[Macfan31]

Can't say I know a lot about the Windows phone, but I'm open to something new as my contract expires in June. I just watched the a video on the new Blackberry Bold Touch and liked what I saw, I guess I just really miss a easy to use touch keyboard.

[LittleLebowski]

HTC Thunderbolt on the way!!

Good move. Get the extended battery (2750mAh). I'll help you root it. You can get these for $129.

[JV_]

Good move. Get the extended battery (2750mAh). I'll help you root it. You can get these for $129.Thanks, but I can't. I didn't buy it (work did) and they won't pay for it.

[LittleLebowski]

Thanks, but I can't. I didn't buy it (work did) and they won't pay for it.

Gingerbread should be out for it soon. There is a new radio update (firmware) as well.

[LittleLebowski]

Just got 36 megs down while sitting at a light.

[ToddG]

Just got 36 megs down while sitting at a light.

Probably would have been 46 but his battery died after the first 22 seconds. :p

[LittleLebowski]

Getting 2 days of light use easy. Heavy use halves that.

[ffhounddog]

I got a old Droid and it works well. I use a Blackberry Bold for work and it last a long time.

[JM Campbell]

A little update on the wifes HTC Inspire from ATT, been hearing about how awesome the phone is. Her one complaint is the battery life sucks at about 4 hours till it needs a recharge is bugging the hell out of her.

Since the Inspire is ATT, the EVO is Sprint so they are the same phone I ASSume they should use the same battery right? If that's right I need that ext battery for her.

I really like the sound of the battery life that Littlelebowski is getting out of his droid, as all married men know...if the wife aint happy you sure as hell aren't going to be happy.

Any info on apps to make it more batt friendly or what to dump that is just not needed. I've had a IPhone for 2 years so the droid is quite new to me and I have no clue how to set one up for profenciey.

If any of you have the time for a small tutorial PM I'd love one.

Thanks for the helpfull advice in advance!

[LittleLebowski]

I'm hesitant to advise any of the stuff I did as I cannot walk you through particulars for your own phone.

Basically I rooted the phone, giving me the power to do anything to the phone. That gives you the power to turn off all of the stupid crap that runs at startup from the factory. Also makes the phone faster. Then I found a custom ROM and kernel (they are usually packaged with one another) and installed them using ROM Manager. The custom ROMs and kernels are designed for certain things. I use a "battery sipping" kernel and also now have the power to underclock my CPU.

[LittleLebowski]

http://www.droidforums.net/

and

http://forum.xda-developers.com/index.php

[TAP]

A little update on the wifes HTC Inspire from ATT, been hearing about how awesome the phone is. Her one complaint is the battery life sucks at about 4 hours till it needs a recharge is bugging the hell out of her.

Since the Inspire is ATT, the EVO is Sprint so they are the same phone I ASSume they should use the same battery right? If that's right I need that ext battery for her.

I really like the sound of the battery life that Littlelebowski is getting out of his droid, as all married men know...if the wife aint happy you sure as hell aren't going to be happy.

Any info on apps to make it more batt friendly or what to dump that is just not needed. I've had a IPhone for 2 years so the droid is quite new to me and I have no clue how to set one up for profenciey.

If any of you have the time for a small tutorial PM I'd love one.

Thanks for the helpfull advice in advance!

Make sure wifi is turned off if you aren't using it. I've found that wifi uses a lot of battery life on the android phones.

[LittleLebowski]

The best thing you can do without rooting that I have noticed is turn down the brightness and disable the automatic brightness.

[JV_]

Liking the Thunderbolt so far ... too bad I'm 3G inside of my building. I'll run the speed test at lunch.

[LittleLebowski]

Liking the Thunderbolt so far ... too bad I'm 3G inside of my building. I'll run the speed test at lunch.

There's lots of little tricks to it like holding down the Home button to show all recently accessed apps, stuff like that. It's very configurable.

[JV_]

The Thuderbolt should ship with the extended battery.

With GPS and Wifi OFF, I'm happy to see 24 hours of no charging!

[MDS]

The Thuderbolt should ship with the extended battery.

With GPS and Wifi OFF, I'm happy to see 24 hours of no charging!

Could the 3G-only signal in your building be killing the battery life?

[LittleLebowski]

Could the 3G-only signal in your building be killing the battery life?

Possibly. There's an app on Market that allows you to change the phone's settings to keep it from hunting for a 4g signal. LET On/Off is its name, I believe.

[JV_]

Good thought, I'll give it a try. I don't have much 4G coverage in my area.

[LittleLebowski]

Good thought, I'll give it a try. I don't have much 4G coverage in my area.

It has a lot of options and can make the difference between having email coverage and not versus the stock settings that you can't adjust.

[45R]

I am still running a First Generation iPhone...........

Waiting for the Iphone 5 to come out before upgrading. A friend recently upgraded to the Motorola Atrix. He keeps complaining that the OS is too hard to use and he is a freaking software engineer. :confused: Something about that makes me laugh

[LittleLebowski]

Todd, this might be compelling.....

I'm watching South Park's latest episode via their website on my Thunderbolt via cellular signal. Just like being at home on a computer. Don't have to buy anything on iTunes, no syncing files over, it just works.

[orionz06]

Are you at work?

[LittleLebowski]

Are you at work?

Yup, my work is quiet and leaves me alone. I am also encouraged to carry concealed :D

[WGFinley]

I've decided to take my iPhone4 to the Apple Store to get replaced (hopefully) for now, as apparently others have had similar signal/antenna issues with early 4's... mine was pre-ordered so it's from the very first batch. If that fixes everything but the keyboard, I can hold out until later in the year to compare the 5 to the Droids at the time.

So did they replace your iPhone Todd? Sounds like you definitely have some kind of hardware issue with it. I have my phone configured to a number of bluetooth devices including my Honda Ridgeline and it works like clockwork every time.

I had a Gen 2 iPod that had a broken hard drive, I took it in thinking they would send it in to be fixed. To my amazement the guy at the Genius Bar pulled out another iPod for me to walk out with and I've been an Apple fanboi ever since.

I think the dropped calls have been mainly on Apple's end and have been getting better for me. I love my iPhone 4 and think with some fixes you can have her running right. Also you don't have to go through .me to get pushed email, I'm getting mine from Yahoo and Gmail as well with no problems once you configure those mail accounts.

--Guy

[ToddG]

I've not made it to the Apple store yet. Hopefully this week.

Re: push mail, my issue is that I have my own domain(s). There's a very complicated way to get it done (I bounce all of my incoming mail to my .me account and send through a gmail account that bounces my outgoing from my domain) but it's annoying and all of my emails arrive "from yaddayadda@pistol-training.com via yaddayadda@gmail.com" which trips up some spam filters, especially DOJ and DOD filters.

TJ keeps telling me to move to a full on gmail solution but that, again, would require time and effort and I haven't even been able to get across town to the Apple store yet, have I? :cool:

[jslaker]

TJ keeps telling me to move to a full on gmail solution but that, again, would require time and effort and I haven't even been able to get across town to the Apple store yet, have I? :cool:

Heh, I'd second the recommendation to move over to Google Apps (http://www.google.com/apps/intl/en/group/index.html) if you're running mail for your own domain anyway. It's how I handle all my personal and work domains and how I set up as many of my clients as I can. Once it's up and running it's probably the easiest email set up for smaller domains.

As far as setting it up, it takes maybe 45 minutes if you haven't done it before, and the only "hard" part is feeding your domain registrar the right DNS info for GApps. Some registrars -- like the one I use, namecheap -- literally even have a checkbox in their management panel that'll set up Google Apps mail for you.

[JV_]

Another happy Google Apps user here...

Their SPAM filtering is 2nd to none, and I didn't opt for the Postini upgrade.

[ToddG]

I appreciate it. The issue for me is that I have about 50 email addresses that I'd have to migrate and, well, I haven't finished Dragon Age 2 yet so you know, priorities and stuff...

[orionz06]

I appreciate it. The issue for me is that I have about 50 email addresses that I'd have to migrate and, well, I haven't finished Dragon Age 2 yet so you know, priorities and stuff...

Minions, you need them.

[NickA]

Minions, you need them.
No kidding...50 email addresses!? A good reminder that as cool as Todd's job must be it ain't all fun and games on the range.

[ToddG]

Thinking about the Droid 3.

Query: I checked and it looks like I'll need gmail to get push mail (I don't have an Exchange server for my small business). Is it just me or does Google charge $50/yr per email address for business accounts? I'm not paying $2,500 a year just for push.

Can I have some @pistol-training.com addresses handled by Google and some handled by my hosting company, or is it all-or-nothing?

[JV_]

The regular gmail client in andriod is fine, it's plenty speedy for new mail arrivals.

I use google apps, the free edition, without issues. It's not all or nothing, it's controlled by your DNS entries. You can point portions to Google while others remain the same.

[ToddG]

In English?

Let's suppose I have three email address, one@dot.com, two@dot.com, and three@dot.com. I want to get the gmail push feature of Android with one@dot.com but don't want to pay for the others. Can I do that while the emails to and from one@dot.com look natural (rather than going through a @gmail.com account)?

Also on an unrelated note, I just installed a new HP printer that is wireless on our network. The iPhone and iPad can print directly to it. Will the Droid 3 have this capability as well? It's not at all a deal breaker for me, just curious.

[fuse]

Also on an unrelated note, I just installed a new HP printer that is wireless on our network. The iPhone and iPad can print directly to it. Will the Droid 3 have this capability as well? It's not at all a deal breaker for me, just curious.


Seems likely.

sent via Android 3.1

[JV_]

Let's suppose I have three email address, one@dot.com, two@dot.com, and three@dot.com. I want to get the gmail push feature of Android with one@dot.com but don't want to pay for the others. Can I do that while the emails to and from one@dot.com look natural (rather than going through a @gmail.com account)?Why do you think you need the push feature? The mail app on Android, which is not browsing to a web page, is very quick getting new messages on its own, it's near real time. It's nothing like using a pop3 or imap4 client.

You can have 1 email box and have multiple addresses assigned to it. You don't need to have 3 separate accounts just to use 3 different addresses. You can have the mail filtered/separated with the tools gmail provides.

I don't know about android printing, I've never tried it.

If you want, you can play with mine tomorrow. I have the mail app, about 10 email addresses, and an HTC Thunderbolt.

[TCinVA]

JV's right, Todd....90% of the time when I've emailed you it's been on my phone. I get the notifications pretty much as soon as the server sees a new message for me. I never saw a delay of more than 30 seconds between having something show up in Gmail and having a notification on my Droid. I pretty much rely completely on the phone to notify me when I have mail. You can edit the check frequency on the default mail client down to every 5 minutes.

As for wireless printing, it doesn't seem like a built in function with the current versions of Android. There are apps that can accomplish it, though. PrinterShare seems to be a popular app for that.

[seabiscuit]

My phone usually notifies me of new email before my computer does.

Also, I do know that google has "cloud printing," although I'm not sure if it works from android.

[jslaker]

In English?

Let's suppose I have three email address, one@dot.com, two@dot.com, and three@dot.com. I want to get the gmail push feature of Android with one@dot.com but don't want to pay for the others. Can I do that while the emails to and from one@dot.com look natural (rather than going through a @gmail.com account)?

You probably want the standard (http://www.google.com/apps/intl/en/group/index.html)Google Apps package. You can have up to 10 user accounts on the domain for free, but practically an unlimited number of addresses using the Groups feature. A group is just an email address that takes everything it receives at an address and forwards it to whomever you tell it to.

That is to say if you need one@dot.com and two@dot.com to have completely separate inboxes, you need to use 2 user accounts, but if you're just using separate email addresses for organizational purposes, you can use the groups feature to simply forward those addresses to any users you have.

For example, at work, my user is jslaker@domain.com, but I also receive mail from info@domain.com, purchasing@domain.com, rma@domain.com, etc. That all counts as one user account as far as Google Apps is concerned. Groups can forward mail to as many users as you'd like, even to people with email addresses on other domains.

It's really a lot less confusing in practice than it sounds.

[JV_]

but practically an unlimited number of addresses using the Groups feature.Using a group is an overly complicated way to get get an email alias for a user. The alias feature is right under the user setup, it's called a Nickname.

[jslaker]

Using a group is an overly complicated way to get get an email alias for a user. The alias feature is right under the user setup, it's called a Nickname.

If you only plan on having a single user on the domain or a user just wants something like both first@domain.com and firstlast@domain.com, I generally would agree.

I tend to lean toward using groups simply because it keeps the management on a single interface page (rather than on each individual user's account page) and gives you the additional flexibility of being able to alias an address to multiple users if you need to.

Either way, point is that user accounts != email addresses as far as GApps is concerned.

[JV_]

With a group, are you able to source emails from the group address?

[jslaker]

With a group, are you able to source emails from the group address?


I'm a Google Apps for Business user sending from a domain alias or nickname.

Sign in to your Google Apps email.
Click the gear icon in the upper-right and select Gmail settings along the top of any page, and select the Accounts tab.
Under Send mail as, click Add another email address.
In the Email address field, enter your name and alternate email address.
Click Next Step >> and then click Send Verification. Gmail will send a verification message to your other email address to confirm that you own it.
Locate the message from Gmail. Open it and and either click the link contained in the message or enter the confirmation code in the Accounts section of your Google Apps email settings.

http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=22370

It could stand to be a bit more integrated/automated, IMO, but it works as advertised.

[ToddG]

Thanks, everyone (including Tom Jones, who took time out of hand-carving Gadgets from raw unobtanium to call and talk me through this stuff). I actually stopped by a Verizon tonight to check one out, but they don't have one yet.

I played with the soft keyboard on the Thunderbolt again and it is still no better than my iPhone. While the 4G is tempting, the new limited (and expensive) bandwidth makes the idea of depending on it for tethering less functional.

I'd say I'm about 75% of the way to getting an android, though.

[seabiscuit]

The SwiftKey X keyboard that was mentioned in another thread is awesome, I consider it a great improvement over the stock keyboard.

[jslaker]

I played with the soft keyboard on the Thunderbolt again and it is still no better than my iPhone.
The nice thing with Android is that the softkeyboard is just another user replaceable component; there's almost certainly one on the market you'd end up liking.

[ToddG]

I'm not committing to a phone unless I'm confident before I leave the store that the keyboard is better. If I forewent the physical slider QWETY only to discover that my big clumsy thumbs were the culprit rather than the soft keyboards, I'd be a miserable guy...

[TCinVA]

Recovering from Apple-ism isn't an easy process. It will take some time.

We're here for you, bro. This is a supportive, loving environment.

[SLG]

Todd,

You know we don't have an iphone, but we have a bunch of i and apple products. Plenty of problems with them...not that pc's don't.

[ToddG]

I'm far from giving up on Apple. We're extremely happy with our MBPs, my iPad is great (typing on it now from an Outback in Warrenton, VA), even our Apple TV has been better than I ever would have guessed.

I'm considering a new phone because AT&T drops my calls multiple times a day; typing on the iPhone is nearly futile for me at times; and, even with my new replacement phone I'm still having all sorts of antenna issues. While iOS5 has some pretty neat features, I'm not sure it's worth giving up things like "being able to make phone calls on my phone" and "being able to send emails."

[jslaker]

If I forewent the physical slider QWETY only to discover that my big clumsy thumbs were the culprit rather than the soft keyboards, I'd be a miserable guy...

Hey, you've discovered why I went with my G2 instead of a softkey-only phone. :cool: In all seriousness, I use the softkeyboard more than I have on my old G1, but I still find that having a physical keyboard makes life easier for me for anything longer than a very short quip... like this post.

[jslaker]

Todd,

You know we don't have an iphone, but we have a bunch of i and apple products. Plenty of problems with them...not that pc's don't.
I've managed to break my MBP more times in the last 4 years than any of the PCs I owned before it... it's still been a good laptop on the whole, though. Then again, I'm the kind of guy that owns a Macintosh, worked on a Linux box all day today, and who generally spends most of my day dealing with Windows at work (as well as my Windows gaming machine at home), so I'm not exactly representative. I tend to be harder on laptops than Todd is on guns.

[ToddG]

Another query that proves I'm too lazy to Google tonight: what about all my iTunes music?

[seabiscuit]

Depends on whether it's tied up with iTunes. If it's simply MP3's, you can transfer to your Android... Although the music application isn't nearly as good as an iPod/iPhone.

[fuse]

I'm not committing to a phone unless I'm confident before I leave the store that the keyboard is better. If I forewent the physical slider QWETY only to discover that my big clumsy thumbs were the culprit rather than the soft keyboards, I'd be a miserable guy...

It sounds like you are not using your on-screen keyboard on your phone correctly.

I believe the key to a positive experience using a virtual or soft keyboard is to have a very aggressive auto-predict/correct feature, and to have alot of faith in it.

It's almost like a sight picture for fast close range shooting on large easy targets. You don't need a perfect sight picture for every shot, rather you just need to see what you need to see. When I type on my phone, I go very fast and I bet I miss 30% or more of my keystrokes, but my fingers land close enough to their targets and the auto-correct/predict software fixes my mistakes with astonishing accuracy and consistency.

The mentioned swifttype keyboard I made a thread about is scary. It freaking learns how I type and think, and seriously knows with very high percentage what word I am going to type next, and usually after only a letter or two. It's like alien technology or some mind control AI craziness. Also as I said in the thread, spacing and punctuation are also very intuitive.


The other very popular keyboard on android is swype. I don't have too much experience with it but many swear by it.

sent via Android 3.1

[seabiscuit]

I tried Swype... Not as fast as SwiftKey, and made my phone crash a lot. And terrible with a horizontal screen.

[JV_]

Another query that proves I'm too lazy to Google tonight: what about all my iTunes music?
http://androidforums.com/android-media/139655-how-sync-itunes-android.html#post1287081

[Savage Hands]

24 hours of SwiftKey and i am seriously impressed!!!

[ToddG]

Thanks, JV. I see you put your evening to good use. We didn't leave Chili's until a quarter after eleven. :cool:

[JV_]

We didn't leave Chili's until a quarter after eleven. :cool:I was sleeping by 10. :D

[fuse]

24 hours of SwiftKey and i am seriously impressed!!!

I am pretty sure it will take over the universe. I for one welcome our new overlords.

[ToddG]

Called my local Verizon store; they confirmed Droid 3's in stock. Drove over and they had nothing but a non-working dummy model for people to handle. They said the Best Buy down the street had both a working display model and inventory. So I drove to Best Buy and, of course, they had nothing.

In the meantime, people who have somehow got a hold of Droid 3's report mostly positive experiences but disappointment with the screen and camera. Those are exactly the kinds of things I'd like to see and evaluate first hand before committing.

[TCinVA]

I dont know why cell retailers are so awful about having demo units, but it seems to be universal.

[ToddG]

Bought the Droid 3 about three hours ago.

I am less than three hours from bringing it back, most likely in pieces.

I cannot get it to connect to smtp.gmail.com as an outgoing mail server. It "synced" to my gmail account -- which I created just for this phone after getting all my stupid MX server entries changed -- but though it said my email account was one of the things synced, it really wasn't. So then I tried adding the email manually, and it wouldn't accept it, either. If I cannot send and receive email on the phone using their own damn gmail service, I am done.

Is there some way to re-order the "favorites" list in the contacts?

It has dozens of apps that I do not want, and many of them cannot be deleted.

The home screen will only turn horizontal if I open the physical keyboard; it doesn't change when I simply tilt the device 90 degrees.

I will admit the physical keyboard is fantastic.

I feel like I need to read a giant manual to figure this thing out. It is so much less user-friendly and intuitive than the iPhone it's not even funny.

[LittleLebowski]

Todd, I really do hate to say it but you need to head on over to the droid forums brother.

As far as uninstalling crapware that came with it......wait until someone posts an easy "how to root" video for the Droid 3.

It will get easier to use and you will get it set up the way you want.

Forums......

I'll poke around for ya as well.

[JV_]

I cannot get it to connect to smtp.gmail.com as an outgoing mail server.It sounds like you're not using the gmail app, but trying to imap/pop the mail from Google. Can you clarify this?

If you're using the app, all you need is the email address and password, everything else is done behind the scenes - IIRC.

[ToddG]

JV -- You are correct. I stupidly thought the email program would allow me to do email. It never entered my mind that I needed a special not-email-but-GMail app. Now it's working fine. I don't suppose there is a way to turn "conversations" off?

LilL -- Brother, if I literally need to go to forums to figure out how to set up my phone, that sort of proves the point of how complicated it is compared to the iPhone, no?

I appear to have managed to sync contacts from my Mac to Gmail to the phone, and exported the Mac calendar stuff to Gmail which synced to the phone. The phone's calendar is weak, btw. The question now is will it sync in the other direction or do I now need to start keeping two copies of everything, the phone and the Mac/iPad.

[ToddG]

The keyboard is seriously nice. I'm still slow on it -- probably no faster than if I were using the iphone soft keyboard without mistakes -- but the potential is clearly there.

Sent from my DROID3 using Tapatalk

[seabiscuit]

I find Google Calendar more robust, and it will sync both phone to computer and computer to phone.

ETA: I don't know a way to turn off conversations, but with a little use I think you'll find them more natural. I hate how MX creates a new, unlinked message for each reply.

[JV_]

JV -- You are correct. I stupidly thought the email program would allow me to do email. It never entered my mind that I needed a special not-email-but-GMail app. Now it's working fine. I don't suppose there is a way to turn "conversations" off?

The standard email app is the traditional "pull/polling" email app. When you use the GMail app, you get that near real time notification that you want (for free). No, you can't turn off the conversation view, but you can do it in the web gui if you want.

I'll second the Google Calendar App, it's great.

[ToddG]

I understand some people like conversations versus by-time listing of emails. I don't.

The Google calendar app is something that will run on my Mac and iPad when they do not have cell/wifi connections?

More weakness: you cannot change the order of your Favorites in the browser, and the first five are dedicated (locked) to three Verizon pages and two Google pages.

The only way to control the order of Favorites in the Contact List is to delete everyone in your Favorites and re-enter them all in the order you want. In other words, if you get a new best friend (or employer, etc.) and want that person at the top of your Favorites you have to start from scratch.

This is not the uber-freedom break-free-of-the-iPhone-chains I was promised.

[fuse]

If you didn't want a learning curve, you should have stayed with the iPhone.

You'll get past this.

[ToddG]

Actually, I was mistaken. It appears no matter what you do, you cannot change the order of your favorites in the Dialer, either. They must be alphabetical.

It's not a learning curve when the software lacks functionality.

[seabiscuit]

Favorites in browser? I have Bookmarks, not Favorites, all of which are user-configurable. Have you tried the bookmarks widget?

You could sync google calendar with iCal, I believe. iCal would work offline and sync with Google when it gets a connection.

Even in conversation view, there are timestamps.

As for contacts, I don't use favorites, I simply punch in the first two or three characters in the contact name on the number pad and the contact pops up. Works for me.

The messaging widget is also handy.

[seabiscuit]

Actually, I was mistaken. It appears no matter what you do, you cannot change the order of your favorites in the Dialer, either. They must be alphabetical.

It's not a learning curve when the software lacks functionality.

Speed dial?

[fuse]

I think we collectively messed up recommending you switch platforms.

Android can definitely be like a finicky 1911, especially to a noob. We all know how you love finicky 1911s.

Also, I personally forgot you have a freaking mac and ipad. Getting another iPhone seems like a rather obvious no-brainer...

[LittleLebowski]

Actually, I was mistaken. It appears no matter what you do, you cannot change the order of your favorites in the Dialer, either. They must be alphabetical.

It's not a learning curve when the software lacks functionality.

Have you searched Market for dialer replacements? There's usually a replacement that is uber configurable such as Handcent formtexting.

Take a look at this.
http://www.apktop.com/rocketdial-pro-smart-dialer-2-7-7.html

[ToddG]

Favorites in browser? I have Bookmarks, not Favorites, all of which are user-configurable. Have you tried the bookmarks widget?

Sorry, bookmarks. The bookmark widget may work if I have to, but I'd rather not be running an additional widget and I really prefer to use one thing (browser) for browsing. It has a Bookmark area, but those cannot be reordered as best I can tell.


You could sync google calendar with iCal, I believe. iCal would work offline and sync with Google when it gets a connection.

I'm going to play with this.


Even in conversation view, there are timestamps.

Yes, but within the conversation. It's just a personal preference thing, and I'm very surprised Google and Android don't allow folks to turn it off.


As for contacts, I don't use favorites, I simply punch in the first two or three characters in the contact name on the number pad and the contact pops up. Works for me.

I'll try that. Also, because it's a feature missing on the iPhone, I didn't realize there was a Speed Dial until about half an hour ago. I'm using that for half a dozen of my most-frequent favorites. Still, not being able to organize the favorites list is ghey.

Lil'L, thanks for the tip. On the one hand, very annoying that I need to download new software to get the phone to work like I want (especially since I already have many MB of bloatware that cannot be deleted). But on the other hand, very cool that it's a possibility unlike in iPhone where many applications were take-what-you-get.

[LittleLebowski]

Todd, remember that you have sixteen gigs on board and can add THIRTY TWO more via a micro SD card. Stop worrying about space so much... Go buy a micro SD card. Buy an extended battery (if they are out yet). Buy two. Install the Dolphin HD browser and enjoy Flash.

[ToddG]

Yeah, but I have at least 15.9G of country & rap music.

:p

I do need a micro-SD card. I thought I had one somewhere, but apparently not.

[TCinVA]

A program like ES file explorer may allow you to locate and delete apps you don't want, assuming it doesn't require root permissions to accomplish. The beautiful thing about Android is that when default programs loaded on the phone (which can vary from manufacturer/provider combo to manufacturer/provider combo) suck there are usually other programs available that work better.

There are, for example, a number of contact apps out there that can replace the default one that Verizon apparently vandalized on your phone.

[seabiscuit]

The bookmarks widget also has that little Earth in the upper right which takes you to the web.

Although you're right, the widget takes up a lot of screen. And the browser isn't as good as the iPhone's, I think. There are other browser options.

[NickA]

There's an app called BookmarkSB that rearranges your browser bookmarks.
ETA: hang in there, the first few days out of the Matrix are bound to be rough but it'll get better.

[jslaker]

Lil'L, thanks for the tip. On the one hand, very annoying that I need to download new software to get the phone to work like I want (especially since I already have many MB of bloatware that cannot be deleted). But on the other hand, very cool that it's a possibility unlike in iPhone where many applications were take-what-you-get.

Totally agreed, and this is what makes me love the platform. "Core" features like the home screen/launcher[1], dialer, SMS app, soft keyboard, browser, etc can all be replaced just like regular applications if you don't like the way they behave out of the box. There are a lot of options on the market for all of these, and most people should be able to find a combination they like.

Totally agree with you on the bloatware. I hate that carriers and handset manufacturers insist on screwing around with things, usually to the detriment of the end-user experience. It's why I won't even look at a phone if it's not running stock, unskinned Android and I highly prefer it be rootable.

[1] - many of the replacement launchers offer the ability to hide apps in the app drawer. This (irritatingly) won't actually remove the carrier crapware from the phone entirely, but it would at least hide it so you don't have to look at it every time you open up your app drawer.

[ToddG]

Re: apps and deletion

Apparently, there is a hard limit of 2G for apps. So regardless of how much storage I add (I've got a 32G card that should arrive tomorrow), I'm still limited to 2G of apps. All the more reason to be annoyed about all the bloatware.

[jslaker]

Re: apps and deletion

Apparently, there is a hard limit of 2G for apps. So regardless of how much storage I add (I've got a 32G card that should arrive tomorrow), I'm still limited to 2G of apps. All the more reason to be annoyed about all the bloatware.
FWIW, my phone has about 1.5gb, I have in excess of 100 apps installed, and I have around 500mb free. Most apps install the exec to the app memory, and all data to the SD/expanded memory.

[ToddG]

Good to know. Thanks, jslaker.

For all the headaches, I really do want it to work out. After all, it's not like going back to the iPhone would be perfect... there's a reason (a number of them, actually) that I switched in the first place.

[da6dspanburg]

Re: apps and deletion

Apparently, there is a hard limit of 2G for apps. So regardless of how much storage I add (I've got a 32G card that should arrive tomorrow), I'm still limited to 2G of apps. All the more reason to be annoyed about all the bloatware.

I Use an app called "App 2 SD" that will move apps from main Storage to the SD Card.

HTC Thunderbolt (unrooted at this point in time)

[LittleLebowski]

I'm really digging Rocket Dialer. Glad I bought it.

[YVK]

Upgraded to droid 3 from original last week and so far very happy. Digging the global phone capabilities and option to unlock
The phone. Called global support last Thursday and they provided an unlock code; flew into europe yesterday, bought sim card, put in unlock code and it works like charm. Seems still expensive for per minute rate, havent quite calculated it with jetlag and all, but beats the hell out of verizons international roaming charges.-

[NickA]

Todd- how's the Droid transition going?

[ToddG]

Android itself I like.

Verizon has been outstanding in terms of customer service compared to AT&T. Google is about the same as Apple... mediocre-to-poor.

The D3 itself is nice but has very poor call quality. After talking to a friend at Verizon this is apparently not an uncommon complaint. I'm on my second D3 already and it still has a very tinny receiver. Voicemails that sound fine on my landline and on my wife's Blackberry are unintelligible on the D3. The sample D3 at the Verizon store, on the other hand, plays them perfectly well. So it's clearly some kind of hardware luck of the draw.

I've been playing with Swype and I'm almost as fast with it as the physical keyboard. So I'm thinking about turning the D3 in for a Charge or, if they'll extend my trial period far enough, the Function (Galaxy S II).

[NickA]

The D3 itself is nice but has very poor call quality. After talking to a friend at Verizon this is apparently not an uncommon complaint. I'm on my second D3 already and it still has a very tinny receiver. Voicemails that sound fine on my landline and on my wife's Blackberry are unintelligible on the D3. The sample D3 at the Verizon store, on the other hand, plays them perfectly well. So it's clearly some kind of hardware luck of the draw.
What did you think you were buying, a PHONE or something? :) it's definitely ridiculous that many high end phones do everything well except phone calls.
Glad to hear it's mostly going well, hope you find the right hardware.

[LittleLebowski]

App 2 SD Pro is the free app of the day today at the Amazon app store......

[da6dspanburg]

App 2 SD Pro is the free app of the day today at the Amazon app store......

Darn. I paid for mine last month. A great App.

[NickA]

Question- when you switch to a new phone do all of your apps just re-download from the market? What about from Amazon? (I got SwiftKey free from there).

[LittleLebowski]

Question- when you switch to a new phone do all of your apps just re-download from the market? What about from Amazon? (I got SwiftKey free from there).

Yes and yes for your paid apps.

[NickA]

Yes and yes for your paid apps.
Cool... Mrs. A is getting a Motorola Photon from her work, so I get her EVO instead of waiting 3 more months to upgrade my craptastic Moment.

[ToddG]

Sitting here at a Caribou Coffee getting some work done on my computer. Their (free) internet access is wonky so I did the mobile hotspot thing with my phone. I'm getting 15Mbps download to my MacBook Pro.

For whatever reason, though, every time I've accessed the Android hotspot from my iPad I max out around 1.5Mbps.

[fuse]

Sitting here at a Caribou Coffee getting some work done on my computer. Their (free) internet access is wonky so I did the mobile hotspot thing with my phone. I'm getting 15Mbps download to my MacBook Pro.

For whatever reason, though, every time I've accessed the Android hotspot from my iPad I max out around 1.5Mbps.

This is not surprising. I have found the interaction between multiple tablets (iPad and android) and my phone's mobile hotspot has been less than great. My 6 year old dell laptop? No problem.

Mobile OS's (and possibly mobile hardware) for whatever reason don't seem to play nice together.

[jslaker]

This is not surprising. I have found the interaction between multiple tablets (iPad and android) and my phone's mobile hotspot has been less than great. My 6 year old dell laptop? No problem.

Mobile OS's (and possibly mobile hardware) for whatever reason don't seem to play nice together.

I've found that the mobile devices seem to have throughput issues in general. I'm honestly not entirely sure what causes the issue, but it's been repeatable across a range of hardware for me.

EDIT:

Does the ipad have n hardware? 1.5mbs wouldn't shock me at all in a busy coffee shop with g data rates.

[LittleLebowski]

Well, good thing you didn't wait for the iPhone5, Todd :D

[fuse]

Though I wasn't too worried, i am relieved our verizon LTE will remain iPhone-free for at least another year.

[LittleLebowski]

I've found that the mobile devices seem to have throughput issues in general. I'm honestly not entirely sure what causes the issue, but it's been repeatable across a range of hardware for me.

EDIT:

Does the ipad have n hardware? 1.5mbs wouldn't shock me at all in a busy coffee shop with g data rates.

I believe it's a power saving issue for the mobile radio (wireless).

[ToddG]

How would that work, though?

My iPad, on wifi, gets normal wifi speeds. When it's tethered using the same wifi radio (I think), it doesn't.

Example:

ipad on home wifi: 18.42 download, 4.01 upload

Samsung Charge 4G LTE in hotspot mode: 16.66 download, 3.68 upload

ipad tethered via Charge hotspot: 6.16 download, 2.32 upload

And that's by far the fastest I've seen from the tethered iPad. Often, it's unable to achieve 2mbps download speed even when the phone itself is pulling down 5-8 times that.

[LittleLebowski]

That may make my assumption incorrect, Todd. Sounds like your phone doesn't have the power to transmit like a normal WiFi hotspot does.

[JV_]

Sounds like your phone doesn't have the power to transmit like a normal WiFi hotspot does.But standalone APs need to service clients potentially much further away than a hotspot phone, the hotspot'd phone is likely pretty close to the clients so power should be less of an issue.

[LittleLebowski]

But standalone APs need to service clients potentially much further away than a hotspot phone, the hotspot'd phone is likely pretty close to the clients so power should be less of an issue.

Probably.... Could be the hotspot software. Could be power. Could be channel.

[fuse]

I bet its the power. Compare it with the phone plugged in and not plugged in.

Also try it with the phone's screen on when it's plugged in. Made all the difference with my thunderbolt, weirdly.

[LittleLebowski]

Looking forward to the Nexus Prime launch.

Also, the inevitable Hitler parody is here (http://realdanlyons.com/blog/2011/10/05/hitler-is-furious-about-the-iphone-4s/). Pretty good one, actually.

[orionz06]

Don't ever fall for the lemonparty.

[NickA]

I bet its the power. Compare it with the phone plugged in and not plugged in.

Also try it with the phone's screen on when it's plugged in. Made all the difference with my thunderbolt, weirdly.

Maybe something gets put to sleep when the screen turns off ?

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk

[ToddG]

My Samsung Charge is slowly dying.

It is freezing up 2-3 times per day and needing a hard reboot. I've even had to remove the battery once because the power button wouldn't respond after holding it down for almost a minute. It stops receiving email for an hour at a time and then won't let me delete anything... which also requires a reboot.

Shot timers, smartphones... I'm a walking EMP field.

[jslaker]

It is freezing up 2-3 times per day and needing a hard reboot. I've even had to remove the battery once because the power button wouldn't respond after holding it down for almost a minute. It stops receiving email for an hour at a time and then won't let me delete anything... which also requires a reboot.

Almost sounds like you've got a badly behaving background service eating up memory. Settings --> Applications --> Running Services will show you what's registered as a service on your phone and how much memory they're using each; I've seen poorly-written apps do some odd things.



Shot timers, smartphones... I'm a walking EMP field.

Between your propensity for destroying electronics and creative firearm assembly techniques, I'm fairly sure you have a potentially lucrative consulting business for ruggedized products on your hands somewhere there. :p

[TommyG]

I recently read this thread to assist me in choosing a new phone. I ordered a Thunderbolt from the Best Buy website this morning. I am on Verizon and am up for an upgrade/2 year contract extension. The phone price and shipping were free. Total order at checkout: 0.00. Jump on it if you are in the market.

[BWT]

My Samsung Charge is slowly dying.

It is freezing up 2-3 times per day and needing a hard reboot. I've even had to remove the battery once because the power button wouldn't respond after holding it down for almost a minute. It stops receiving email for an hour at a time and then won't let me delete anything... which also requires a reboot.

Shot timers, smartphones... I'm a walking EMP field.

I was sitting here just thinking that last part, I was thinking "I've never heard of the problems he has with electronics" and boom, you beat me to the punch.

[TCinVA]

I have the new iPhone 4S.

Getting used to doing things the Apple way after spending a few years with Android is...an experience. The most annoying iPhone bit at the moment is notifications. My previous Android phone had a simple little LED light that would blink green when a text or a new email came in. This was good as the phone usually sat at my desk in a cradle. If I went to the head or had to stop in the conference room for another excuse to ponder what in God's name I'm doing with my life (aka "meeting") without my phone I could easily see that there was something waiting for me.

No such luck with the iPhone, at least not so far as I can see. You have to actually turn the screen on and check the phone to see if something shows up if you miss the sound associated with the text/email arriving.

On the plus side, web browsing is much faster and much more slick. Management of the wireless ethernet connection is light years better, as leaving it enabled doesn't Dracula the battery to death. The camera is stunningly good. My Droid, bless it's little heart, couldn't take a good picture.

...and unlike Todd's original iPhone, mine actually works as a phone.

The siri functionality, which I originally thought to be rather gimmicky, is actually pretty convenient...especially for sending texts.

[fuse]

To be fair, to compare an OG droid to the new iPhone is like comparing a 1942 German luger to a P30.

Glad you like your phone though.

[JM Campbell]

Anybody have a good comparison of the iPhone 4s and the new Androids?

It is upgrade time for me.

Current phone is iPhone 3gs, I have enjoyed this phone but I am not married to it.

AT&T is my provider if it really matters and another note I'm not a computer guru like some here so some of the techy stuff goes over my head.

I use my phone for work and personal, ie email, web browsing and of course tapatalk for forums. I don't do FaceBook or Twitter so I don't need the ultimate social media driven smart phone.

Thanks for your input gents/gals.

[MDS]

Anybody have a good comparison of the iPhone 4s and the new Androids?


My wife has the new iphone, I have a droid bionic. For a typical user the differences are in the details, really, and it's pretty much a wash imo. If you don't mind a bigger phone, the extra screen real estate of the droid is nice.

[JMorse]

I really like my 4s, but the Android Galaxy S2 I had with Sprint was fantastic too. I didn't care for the Evo3D I had, so I found Android a bit hit and miss.
I do miss the larger screen, but don't miss carrying around a huge phone. Not sure you can go wrong with anything new.

[JM Campbell]

Just got done molesting a Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket....very nice indeed. It's on the top of my list.

I was not excited about the 4s, they didn't even let you play around with SIRI...don't know what was up with that but the rep was saying forget the iPhone and pick up the Skyrocket. His reasoning was that apple really hasn't put anything into the new iPhone and the comp/android has/will surpass them (little bit of fanboy there I think but I don't follow the tech so I have no dog in that fight).

[TCinVA]

I don't have many complaints about the iPhone 4s...but I will say that the process required to add a custom ringtone is enough to make you want to punch a girl scout in the face.

Playing audiobooks through my car stereo head unit (pioneer doesn't support android, at least not on the model I own) is very nice, though.

Siri is useful when she understands you. When she's confused it's back to beating up girl scouts in terms of frustration levels.

[JM Campbell]

Well I'm restoring my 3gs as I type...froze and shut down all on it's own this afternoon. I think it's jealous I was playing with another phone.

I see what your saying about the SIRI, I was able to use a coworkers 4s since mine was down to make some calls. I ended up messing around with it for about thirty minutes. I found it to be not much more then my 3gs with the latest software.

I'm going to try out the Skyrocket again and most likely buy it on Thursday....LTE is in San Antonio for the AT&T network so it's time to get some strange :D

[LOKNLOD]

I don't have many complaints about the iPhone 4s...but I will say that the process required to add a custom ringtone is enough to make you want to punch a girl scout in the face.


Ever tried Audiko (http://audiko.net/)? Upload or link to a song (including on youtube) and it'll let you cut a piece out for a ring tone. Save the file, put it in your itunes library, and it'll be availbe to sync to your phone as an ringtone. The website is crap, but it works.

[TCinVA]

Ah, you see, it's that whole "add it to your library" bit that is the rub. The iPhone requires an .m4r file added to iTunes just so with just the right preferences set up just the right way or else it doesn't work. Otherwise it looks like it is on the device but it isn't usable in your contacts menu. With ring droid you could snip an mp3 right on the phone and set it as a tone...or go some place like zedge and download mp3 files others had trimmed and instantly set it a a ringtone on the phone.

On the iPhone to make "danger zone" from archer my text notification from Todd I had to make the Mp3 an AAC, then rename it to an mp4, then import it into Garage Band, then use Garage band to send it to iTunes, THEN put it on the phone.

...and by that point it's no longer a funny joke. It's just annoying and not worth it...like dating a hot chick who insists on listening to Nickelback.

[LOKNLOD]

Ah, custom text notification tone is a whole different animal than just a ringtone. My sympathy level just went from "why is he making this hard?" to "I ought to send a Hallmark card". Apple did make it a bitch to use custom text tones.

However, I did just go make a new tone from audiko from an MP3 file, downloaded into the ringtones folder, added it to my itunes library, then checked the box to sync it to my phone, did so, and now have it available to use as a text tone. First time I've tried it in a while, not sure if the latest updates have made it better, or perhaps audiko changed their file type up to make it play nice. All told, it took between 5 -10 minutes, and that included picking out a song and letting itunes update run. Give it a try.

[TCinVA]

Saw this today and laughed until I was dizzy. Some adult language so be forwarned:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eLELOBuT-Q

[JM Campbell]

Just picked up a Samsung Gallaxy II S Skyrocket.

All I can say is WOW. LTE is FAST!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using Tapatalk

[LOKNLOD]

Just picked up a Samsung Fallacy II S Skyrocket.

All I can say is WOW. LTE is FAST!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using Tapatalk

Freudian slip, or is that a "damn you autocorrect!"?

They are pretty cool phones. Several of the guys at work just got them.

[JM Campbell]

LOL! Guess I should pay more attention.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using Tapatalk

[LittleLebowski]

A generous friend in the firearms industry just gave me a NIB Galaxy Nexus. I am very impressed with the form factor, speed, and UI layout.

[G60]

I, too ditched iOS for an android device, a Galaxy Skyrocket. I'm ditching it for a Galaxy Nexus, though. One of my biggest gripes with android devices is how long it takes the carriers and manufacturers to release the latest firmware, and all the bloatware. The Skyrocket just got ICS the other day, and the OS has been out for almost a year. And with Jelly Bean being released for the Galaxy Nexus yesterday, all these devices that just got ICS are still one generation behind. I tried the root/custom ROM thing, didn't really like it.

I like the concept of Google's Nexus devices as it will be free of bloatware, and almost guaranteed to get the latest software updates as soon as they're released. I barely every actually talk on my phone, so I'm also considering dropping my service and going prepaid, which will offset the cost of a no-contract handset within a couple months.

[SeriousStudent]

My main phone right now is a Samsung Galaxy II S Skyrocket, on AT&T with 4G LTE. I just got the ICS upgrade notification yesterday, and upgraded it tonight. No issues, it went fine.

It is wicked fast, I have hit download speeds of up to 34 MBps, and upload of 18 MBps.

I also have a Nokia Windows 7 phone, and an iPhone 3Gs. I am a fan of Touchdown as an email client, and I like the notifications better on the Droid. So I used the Droid phone the most.

But as I frequently tell folks, it's an operating system, not a religion. We have all sorts of stuff at work, so I have all sorts of devices and computers.

I'll probably get a Google tablet to play with, to match the iPad at work and the rooted Nook Color that my daughter is always stealing.

[NickA]

Once you guys have had some time on the Nexus I'd love to hear more, especially how the battery holds up. I'm due for an update and thinking about the Nexus or the Galaxy S2. I'd love to go all in with the S3 or one of the new HTC's but honestly they're not worth the extra money (for me, since I'm not a power user by a long shot).

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk 2

[LittleLebowski]

I'll probably get a Google tablet to play with, to match the iPad at work and the rooted Nook Color that my daughter is always stealing.

The Nexus 7 looks great.

[vcdgrips]

The Nexus 7 makes me think that last Xmas' 199.99 Kindle Fires are going to be about 99.00 this Xmas.

I like my Fire as do my 13 year olds. We have enjoyed them since Xmas. Like all things techno, there is always something better coming down the road, better and usually cheaper.

It will be interesting to see if the Nexus can hold the 199.00 pricepoint if Apple puts out a reduced size iPad and prices it agressively i.e. 199.00 to 249.00.

I will say that the 7 inch form factor has a place for me given its abilty to slip into a jacket/suitcoat/sportscoat pocket.

[JodyH]

Samsung phones and tablets = game over, end of discussion.
7" tablet is worthless. My phone does everything a 7" does, plus makes calls. 10" tablet is the perfect size.

[jstyer]

Samsung phones and tablets = game over, end of discussion.
7" tablet is worthless. My phone does everything a 7" does, plus makes calls. 10" tablet is the perfect size.

This.

[rsa-otc]

Samsung phones and tablets = game over, end of discussion.
7" tablet is worthless. My phone does everything a 7" does, plus makes calls. 10" tablet is the perfect size.

Sorry; have to disagree. Older eyes find phone screens to small for more than an ocasional glance. 10" is a little bit to big for reading on a constant basis. For some a 7" has it's place.

[JodyH]

Samsung Galaxy S3 has a 4.8" HD screen, and makes phone calls.
:cool:

[orionz06]

Samsung Galaxy S3 has a 4.8" HD screen, and makes phone calls.
:cool:

You'd need a satchel just to carry the thing.

[JodyH]

You'd need a satchel just to carry the thing.
Try shopping in the men's wear section of the store, the pockets are bigger.
:p

[orionz06]

http://community.secondlife.com/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/46555iF071E7F92FCE26EF/image-size/original?v=mpbl-1&px=-1


But really, I wear khakis (from the mens department) that are flat front straight leg and generally have larger pockets than normal dress clothes and still can't manage some of these monstrous phones.

Why in the hell are phones trending to be tablet sized and tablets trending to be phone size? Soon enough they will converge.

[SeriousStudent]

The Nexus 7 looks great.

I talked to one of our desktop and mobility folks today, and they plan on getting a dozen or so to play with. He's added me to the eval group.

[LittleLebowski]

I'm digging Jelly Bean on the Galaxy Nexus phone so far.

[Jason F]

http://community.secondlife.com/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/46555iF071E7F92FCE26EF/image-size/original?v=mpbl-1&px=-1


But really, I wear khakis (from the mens department) that are flat front straight leg and generally have larger pockets than normal dress clothes and still can't manage some of these monstrous phones.

Why in the hell are phones trending to be tablet sized and tablets trending to be phone size? Soon enough they will converge.

AMEN! I saw a lady walking around the other evening with a phone that I could swear wasn't much smaller than my iPad. It covered the entire side of her head, and then she had a hard time jamming it back in her purse because of the overwhelming size of the thing!

I love & hate my iPhone 4. The things I hate the most are usually related to AT&T (network coverage, speed issues). The things I love are usually related to the Apple product. Unfortunately you can't have one without the other. Sure, there's Verizon & Sprint, but I actually do a lot of calls where I also access email or websites, so going to them really isn't a viable option for me.

Plus I'm still mad at Verizon when they couldn't explain 5 years ago why I should pay a 40% premium for service when I was shopping for a new provider. "It's the network, sir" was all the robots in the store could say when I showed them apples-to-apples comparisons of a phone & service plan with some competitors.

[sheperd80]

**Edited because i didnt thouroughly read this thread before posting and got off topic lol.

I dont know much about blackberry but i like android for my uses. But i can admit that its mostly preference.

Heres why i prefer Android..(btw i no longer root, these are stock features)

-Free music (dont hate)
-Fully customizable interface, and i mean FULLY, u can do anything
-Multiple phones to choose from (i like the galaxy s series)
-Bigger phones for my fat thumbs and bad eyes
-Wider range of apps (not saying more apps) with less restrictions (sometimes thats a bad thing)
-Multiple buttons!
-Google is conquering the universe
-Voice command just as good as siri, it just doesnt talk back as much
-Itunes is horrid, i can do everything without a PC except update firmware which is not often.
-Pocketband, amazing app for music lovers
-side by side androids version of similar apps tend to impress more
-the google family of apps (earth, maps, skymap, shopper, etc) are fantastic
-the list goes on and on
-rooting gives even more capability such as overclocking without voiding your warranty!

My advice to anyone considering changing platforms is to buy a phone somewhere that has a good 30 day return policy and try it out for the full 30 days.

[BWT]

You were struggling to see the 3.5'' display?

[littlejerry]

My turn....

I am about to make the leap into smart phones. We are about to upgrade our Verizon family plan and the difference in price is minimal for me to take part in the addiction.

I'm sold on Android, but unsure as to which phone. I hate the prospect of carrying around a massive tablet-like device in my pocket (its already crowded in there with a flashlight and spare mag...). I also don't like the idea of having to baby a phone. I typically keep my phone in my front pocket pocket all of the time - hunting, shooting, driving, etc and its never been a problem with old tech. Unfortunately the web is littered with horror stories of "I leaned up against a counter/picked up a box/bent over funny/etc and my screen cracked" so now I'm paranoid about buying an overly thin phone(I saw a bunch of complaints about the new RAZR and RAZR MAXX).

I also want decent battery life, as in greater than a work day. If I have to charge the phone every night I'll be less than happy. What the hell are you supposed to do when you go camping?

I will be a relatively light user, so hopefully that will help.

Looking at Amazon Wireless(Great prices!) these are my options:
RAZR MAXX - $100 (still worried about cracking the thing and its size)
Droid Incredible 4g - $50 - good size, mediocre battery life
Galaxy Nexus - FREE - big phone and worried about battery life


Any guidance?

ETA- anyone tried a shot-timer app? Do they actually work?

[derekb]

I also want decent battery life, as in greater than a work day. If I have to charge the phone every night I'll be less than happy. What the hell are you supposed to do when you go camping?

I don't know that a smartphone exists that won't need nightly charging, without some serious power management on your part. Going so far as to turn off network, automatic updating, GPS, every 'extraneous' feature might net you two days of use on most models, but my phone (HTC thunderbolt) is usually down to 30% by the end of the day (12-14 hour span) with relatively minimal usage, no phone calls. That's leaving network on, with updates for things like social networks and email set to whatever (short) defaults they have.

If I was going camping, if my vehicle was nearby then it's car charger, and probably turning off a lot of data or keeping the phone off as much as possible (I am camping, after all). If that's not workable, then you can find plenty of decent supplemental battery packs in the 12-15Ah range that'll give you several days of usage, used for nightly charging, in my experience.

[JodyH]

Just activated my Motorola Atrix HD, so far it's a nice upgrade over my Atrix 4G.
The larger screen rocks and Ice Cream Sandwich is a smooth OS.

[Default.mp3]

I also want decent battery life, as in greater than a work day. If I have to charge the phone every night I'll be less than happy. What the hell are you supposed to do when you go camping?

I will be a relatively light user, so hopefully that will help.

Well, if you're a light user, then sticking with 3G could probably bring down the power consumption quite a bit. 4G is cool and all, but it's also one of the largest issues with battery life. The Galaxy Nexus has a decent amount of aftermarket support, and you can probably find giant extended batteries there, although their quality is sometimes... questionable. If anything, for the camping part, just stock up on a couple of OEM batteries (although, depending on where you are, keeping the phone on may just suck down battery; if the signal is weak or nonexistent, the phone will be pumping a lot of power into trying to find/boost that signal) or bring along a portable battery pack (e.g., http://www.mophie.com/category-s/53.htm). As for the charging every day thing, well, that's just the cost of getting a smartphone these days. If you're real tech savvy, or know someone that is, the Nexus would probably be the best shot at extending battery life, given that it has many custom ROMs, many of which allow you access to real basic stuff that's generally off limits on the stock ROM, and thus allows you to fine tune the battery usage on the phone.

Or, if you got the coin, you could try to look for phones that have inductive chargers available for them. Essentially, you swap out the back cover of your phone (and possibly the battery), and you just place the phone on a special mat to charge it. No cables needed to connect to the phone. It's kinda pricey, and it's not good for the battery (IIRC, issues with heat and stuff will cut the lifespan of the battery down), but if convenience is that important, well... it's worth a look.


ETA- anyone tried a shot-timer app? Do they actually work?

I use the IPSC Shot Timer (Beta). It works decently for dry fire, and is passable for outdoors live fire. In an indoor range, I usually just use it in par timer mode, since the echos play Hell with the acoustics, and the mics on the phone really isn't designed for this kind of work.


I don't know that a smartphone exists that won't need nightly charging, without some serious power management on your part. Going so far as to turn off network, automatic updating, GPS, every 'extraneous' feature might net you two days of use on most models, but my phone (HTC thunderbolt) is usually down to 30% by the end of the day (12-14 hour span) with relatively minimal usage, no phone calls. That's leaving network on, with updates for things like social networks and email set to whatever (short) defaults they have.

Well, the Thunderbolt was a first gen 4G phone, and its cruddy battery life is no secret. My Galaxy S3 seems to be pretty decent on battery life (can probably go two, maybe three days without charging if just light usage), but then again, most people made a big deal about how the S3's battery life was amazing compared to most other 4G phones.

[derekb]

Well, the Thunderbolt was a first gen 4G phone, and its cruddy battery life is no secret. My Galaxy S3 seems to be pretty decent on battery life (can probably go two, maybe three days without charging if just light usage), but then again, most people made a big deal about how the S3's battery life was amazing compared to most other 4G phones.

Most of the smartphones whose specs I've seen don't have batteries exceeding 1500mA, which means their batteries are not what I'd call significantly more capacious than a lot of the later-generation 'dumb' phones (I think my last clamshell had a 1200mA extended battery, and I regularly got 2-3 days of use from it), so you couple a similar battery capacity with processing power and resources orders of magnitude more powerful (and power-hungry) and you get performance that, generally (and hopefully more exceptions arise) is worse from a longevity standpoint. If more smartphones are getting significantly better at power management, that's awesome, and I look forward to my next upgrade. There are upper limits on just how efficient they could be, I think, and battery densities aren't increasing at nearly the rate that power requirements are.

[littlejerry]

I'm willing to accept every-other-day charging(seems like thats the best one can get with new phones). I'm just particularly sensative to battery life because my current LG flip phone goes for weeks without a charge. I typically average 200 minutes and 100 texts a month and this phone will reliably go 2 weeks(my typical charge cycle). On light months I can actually go 3-4 weeks. I can go out of town for a long weekend and the last thing I worry about is charging my phone. I typically don't take a charger unless I'm gone for more than a week.


I'm on the verge of getting the Incredible 4G. Its the smallest of the new 4g phones and felt reasonably durable in my hands. The big screen/thin frame combo scares the hell out of me. Seems like I'd be carrying around a graham cracker in my pocket and trying not to break it.

The RAZR MAXX is really appealing with its 3000 mAh battery but there are a few too many complaints about broken screens out there.

[fuse]

after my relatively faithful Motorola bionic went for a swim a few days ago, I decided to splurge and buy a samsung Galaxy SIII on ebay

wasn't that much cheaper than buying full retail at the store since its still so new, but,

wow.

this thing is amazing, on all counts. super fast, super smooth. I thought android 2.3.x was pretty good, about 90-95% of the way there. 4.0 really puts it past the finish line. Reckon I'll find out about 4.1 in a couple months or so.

really impressive battery life as well, which is to be expected with a massive 2100 mAh unit.

the hardware is very impressively thin. unfortunately, the plastic is pretty slippery. with these two issues combined I can see myself dropping this as I take it out of my pocket because its so slick. and then I would most certainly cry. because its just so gorgeous. so, I ordered a flexible rubber case that should give some more grip. this will be the first case I have had on a modern giant android smartphone since my sweet OG HTC Evo back in 2010.

no stoppages or failures of any kind. its more accurate than I am. (its a gun forum, right?)

highly recommended

[fuse]

Well, the Thunderbolt was a first gen 4G phone, and its cruddy battery life is no secret. My Galaxy S3 seems to be pretty decent on battery life (can probably go two, maybe three days without charging if just light usage), but then again, most people made a big deal about how the S3's battery life was amazing compared to most other 4G phones.

the thunderbolt had many, many, many problems. the oem extended battery was pretty much required equipment.

I am seeing similar results with the battery life on my Galaxy S3. very pleasantly surprised.



I'm willing to accept every-other-day charging(seems like thats the best one can get with new phones). I'm just particularly sensative to battery life because my current LG flip phone goes for weeks without a charge. I typically average 200 minutes and 100 texts a month and this phone will reliably go 2 weeks(my typical charge cycle). On light months I can actually go 3-4 weeks. I can go out of town for a long weekend and the last thing I worry about is charging my phone. I typically don't take a charger unless I'm gone for more than a week.



your only solution is to hop in a time machine and travel to a time where battery tech and ultra low voltage CPU tech has evolved 3 or 4 generations ahead of their current states.

a smartphone is not a dumbphone. they cannot be compared. you are sensitive to battery life. I am sensitive to, oh I don't know, the things my phone can do that a dumb phone cannot. which is everything, except calling and texting people.

we can do amazing things with our phones right now, but we have to generally accept crap battery life. It used to be much worse, and its is indeed getting better, as mentioned. you can perhaps buy a solar phone charger, made for backpackers and cross-country cyclists and the like, for when you're camping.

honestly it sounds like you aren't really missing out. smartphones don't have to be for everyone. if you really wanted or needed a smartphone, you would have probably had one by now.

I predict though, that if you get one, you'll wonder how you lived before you had it.


Unfortunately the web is littered with horror stories of "I leaned up against a counter/picked up a box/bent over funny/etc and my screen cracked" so now I'm paranoid about buying an overly thin phone(I saw a bunch of complaints about the new RAZR and RAZR MAXX).

I would not read too much into this. this is the internet, its a giant echo chamber. the RAZR maxx is probably the best game in town right now for battery life. the only thing I personally don't like about the RAZRs is the fact that the battery is not user-replaceable. batteries all wear out, eventually. at some point (may be 3 years, may be 1.5 years) it will only hold about 50-70% of its charge, and that may put you past being able to make it through the day. its easy to buy a new battery on amazon or ebay for $20 and pop it in if your phone lets you do that, not so much for the RAZRs. this is why they are so awesomely thin, though.



also, I know you're set on android, and it pains me to say this, but, have you considered the iphone? its known to have pretty good battery life, and fits in the pocket much better than the android monsters.

[derekb]

For the record, the otter box hard cases are the paramount of phone protection in my opinion. I had to retire mine because the plastic screen cover had gotten fairly scuffed, though otterbox will replace it with some amount of hassle (detailed photographs). They significantly increase the size of the phone, but offer a combination of non-slip rubber case with serious shock/crush protection.

[Byron]

A lot of what I'll note has already been said by others, but I still want to offer my agreement to those posters as the points often bear repeating:

Compared to 'dumb' phones, smartphones are indeed battery hogs. That's just physics (quite literally), and there's no way around it. All of the features that we appreciate in these phones come at their respective battery costs, and the cumulative effect is readily apparent. The only way a modern smartphone will last a week on a charge is if it is in airplane mode for most of that time and not actually used as a phone. I say this from experience; I currently use my old HTC Incredible as an mp3 player / alarm clock and get 1-2 weeks on a charge. When I was using it as a phone, I would get 1-2 days.

The screen itself is generally the largest consumer of power (again; one of those inescapable reasons why smartphones use more battery than dumb phones). Turning down screen brightness can have a large impact. The built-in auto-brightness functions generally do a good job of this, though not universally (some phones that I've seen run much brighter auto-settings than others). If anyone feels like nerding out, here's a long post I wrote a while back on a developer forum: Effects of CPU Frequency and Screen Brightness on Power Consumption (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=979359)
(Side note: these days if you feel like reading a developer forum, I would recommend RootzWiki (http://rootzwiki.com/index) rather than XDA)

The Thunderbolt was an abortion of a phone. I don't mean that to insult those who own them, but that's about as realistic an assessment as one can make on that particular model. And yes, burning through batteries at supersonic speed was something at which it excelled.

4G is indeed an unnecessary drain for most people, particularly those who aren't heavy users. As I noted the other day in another thread (http://pistol-forum.com/showthread.php?4959-Picking-a-tablet&p=86318#post86318), I am a power user of my devices, and I still leave my 4G switched off most of the time. There are rarely times when I simultaneously need that much speed but am away from a Wi-Fi source. Given that, there's no need for me to leave the 4G radio on 24/7 and I save battery by keeping it on 3G.

As I also noted in that thread, I am partial to Nexus devices because of their massive support-base for developers, but that's irrelevant to the average user who won't ever root his device. Something that may be relevant, however, is that Nexus devices don't come with the bloatware found on many other Android phones, which can sometimes actually affect battery life (some of those pre-installed apps may poll service locations in the background, or use other resources that impact the battery).

If going with a non-Nexus Android phone, I would give serious consideration to what version of Android it is running. It's important to remember that unlike the iPhone, where every device is made by the same manufacturer, Android devices are made by countless companies, each with their own pros/cons. HTC's implementation of Android is a different user experience from Motorola's implementation, for example. Additionally, because of this (not to mention hardware considerations), different phones will get upgraded at far different times (if ever). I'm currently running 4.1 (JellyBean) which blows 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) out of the water, which in turn blew 2.3 (Gingerbread) out of the water. The majority of devices, however, are still on Gingerbread, which is a 2 year old operating system at this point. And if you hear that XXX version is coming to your device in XXX months, it is generally wise not to believe the hype. If your manufacturer makes an official announcement of an ETA, it's usually safe to pad that by a few more months.

[Default.mp3]

For the record, the otter box hard cases are the paramount of phone protection in my opinion. I had to retire mine because the plastic screen cover had gotten fairly scuffed, though otterbox will replace it with some amount of hassle (detailed photographs). They significantly increase the size of the phone, but offer a combination of non-slip rubber case with serious shock/crush protection.

I ran with an Otterbox Defender on my Droid X, and continued it with my S3. Honestly, I already got a sweet belt, might as well hang more crap off of it, right? While I can be considered a techie, I'm not a huge phone guy, so I don't know just how often the RAZR MAXXs are having broken screens, but if you're rock it in an Otterbox with holster, I think it would be rather tough to break the screen outside of accidental drops. However, as fuse noted, the RAZR MAXX's non-user-replaceable battery can be an issue in the long run. I'm sure that enough units were moved that people will be offering battery replacement services/kits, but it certainly would be much more of a hassle. IMO, I'd rather just get a phone with user replaceable batteries and swap if need be, maybe keep a battery charger so that one's always charged for sure.


(Side note: these days if you feel like reading a developer forum, I would recommend RootzWiki (http://rootzwiki.com/index) rather than XDA)

Do you mind expounding why? I've been very cautious about forums these days, after realizing that a noob would have trouble figuring out why LF/PF/etc. is so awesome and TOS™ is so bad (or for something more techie, HeadFi vs. HydrogenAudio).

[derekb]

However, as fuse noted, the RAZR MAXX's non-user-replaceable battery can be an issue in the long run.

After that apple debacle I have trouble understanding why -anyone- would want a phone with a built-in expiration date.

[littlejerry]

Thanks for all of the input.

The iPhone is a no-go for me. My wife has one and while I love the size, it has two breakable sides, no replaceable battery, and on-top of that I just don't jive with Apple products.

I realize that I am being completely unrealistic on battery life. What I want doesn't exist and I'll have to make the same sacrifice as everyone else. And seeing as everyone else is able to live with it, I'm confident I'll be able to suck it up and deal with it as well. Hopefully the RAZR MAXX will push other device makers to start competing on battery life. Like you said though, non user replaceable battery is really a no-go.

It is interesting to hear about using an older smartphone as a MP3 player and getting weeks of battery life out of it. I wonder if you could configure the 3g/4g stuff to turn off when the phone wasn't in use. I almost certainly would turn off 4g unless I needed screaming fast data download.

Seems like my decision is really between the Nexus, Incredible 4g, and Galaxy SIII now. The Nexus has Jelly-Bean while the others are running Ice Cream Sandwich. The Nexus is free, the Incredible is $50, and the Galaxy SIII is $150.

My wife had an interesting perspective: she said I should focus on the form factor because the UI and, to some extent, the battery life will be something I can work with and improve after getting the phone. I'm leaning toward the Incredible 4G now because of this.

[bdcheung]

One can replace the iPhone battery. It's not as easy as devices with dedicated battery compartments but it can be done. I bought a kit and replaced the battery on my iPhone 4. No problems.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[fuse]

One can replace the iPhone battery. It's not as easy as devices with dedicated battery compartments but it can be done. I bought a kit and replaced the battery on my iPhone 4. No problems.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I have been in the room and witnessed/helped a friend do this. It is not something the average person would attempt.

Granted, this was an iphone 3G, and there was soldering involved. It was ballsy. It worked, though.

[fuse]

Thanks for all of the input.

The iPhone is a no-go for me. My wife has one and while I love the size, it has two breakable sides, no replaceable battery, and on-top of that I just don't jive with Apple products.

I realize that I am being completely unrealistic on battery life. What I want doesn't exist and I'll have to make the same sacrifice as everyone else. And seeing as everyone else is able to live with it, I'm confident I'll be able to suck it up and deal with it as well. Hopefully the RAZR MAXX will push other device makers to start competing on battery life. Like you said though, non user replaceable battery is really a no-go.

It is interesting to hear about using an older smartphone as a MP3 player and getting weeks of battery life out of it. I wonder if you could configure the 3g/4g stuff to turn off when the phone wasn't in use. I almost certainly would turn off 4g unless I needed screaming fast data download.

Seems like my decision is really between the Nexus, Incredible 4g, and Galaxy SIII now. The Nexus has Jelly-Bean while the others are running Ice Cream Sandwich. The Nexus is free, the Incredible is $50, and the Galaxy SIII is $150.

My wife had an interesting perspective: she said I should focus on the form factor because the UI and, to some extent, the battery life will be something I can work with and improve after getting the phone. I'm leaning toward the Incredible 4G now because of this.

GSIII will have the best battery life, and will get jelly bean in Q4.

[orionz06]

I am on iPhone #2 (in 4 years), the wife had 2 for 3 years, the stepmom has had one for no less than a year each time and has had an iPhone since they came out, and my dad is on #2 in 5 years or so. No one has needed to replace a battery. Is the non-replaceable battery really that much of an issue or do we just bitch about it because we can't find any other reason? Seems really lame. I get not liking Apple but everyone I know who prefers something else isn't out there with dozens of spare batteries.

[bdcheung]

I have been in the room and witnessed/helped a friend do this. It is not something the average person would attempt.

Granted, this was an iphone 3G, and there was soldering involved. It was ballsy. It worked, though.

My 4 required no soldering.

Remove 2 screws, slide off rear plate, unscrew and remove connector, remove battery, reverse procedure.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Byron]

It is interesting to hear about using an older smartphone as a MP3 player and getting weeks of battery life out of it. I wonder if you could configure the 3g/4g stuff to turn off when the phone wasn't in use. I almost certainly would turn off 4g unless I needed screaming fast data download.
There is an Android app called Tasker (http://tasker.dinglisch.net/index.html) that can manipulate almost any setting/variable within the phone (especially if you have root/admin privileges, but still a ton of things if stock). You could absolutely use it to switch data on and off depending on a number of circumstances. It could do it based on time of day, location, proximity to known wifi hotspots... etc etc etc. It has amazing capabilities, but an admittedly steep learning curve. I use it constantly, and have numerous profiles set up through which it will cycle. When I arrive at work, for example, it notices that I'm in proximity of certain wifi routers, sets my phone to vibrate (in case I left the ringer on), adjusts brightness, UI settings, and even where my calls should be forwarded (I use a Google Voice number which can ring to my mobile, my office, or anywhere else that I designate).

You could use Tasker to turn data on or off, to turn sync on or off, or any number of other battery saving methods. Just note that the greatest savings (like Airplane mode) come at the sacrifice of no longer being able to receive calls while engaged. If I were going on a long trip without power, I would set up a Tasker profile on a schedule so that the phone remains in Airplane mode except for certain small windows of time each day where it checks data and pulls any new messages I might have. Then I would just tell family/friends, "I won't be able to receive calls, but if you leave me a message I will get it at the top of the hour... or every other hour... etc"


Is the non-replaceable battery really that much of an issue or do we just bitch about it because we can't find any other reason? Seems really lame. I get not liking Apple but everyone I know who prefers something else isn't out there with dozens of spare batteries.
Not a great analogy, but it's kind of like a pistol that needs cleaning every 300 rounds or it will malfunction. For the vast majority of consumers, this would not only be acceptable, but something that they would never even have to consider; their range trips aren't that long and they clean it after every trip anyway.

For a small number of users, this will be completely unacceptable. Since they are the heavy users, they will loudly voice their concerns, and those concerns will eventually bleed over into the users who don't neccessarily need better, but want it.

To answer your question more directly, I know a number of people who tote spare batteries, external chargers, or all sorts of other power-management devices. They are definitely not your average user, but the capability is crucial for them. My brother, for example, is an Android app developer and is constantly testing things. He absolutely needs to be able to swap batteries at a moment's notice (and he does).

Even if a battery doesn't completely crap out, as has been mentioned, the effective lifespan shortens over time. A 2 year old battery just isn't holding the same charge as a new one. Again, maybe this is acceptable to the user, who isn't pushing it towards its limit anyway. But just because a battery hasn't failed completely does not mean that it is performing to its previous capabilities.

I also know some users who aren't "power" users but have just accepted crippling battery dependence as a way of life. I can't count how many young women in my office bring their iPhone chargers to the bars with them. I rarely see the men doing this. I guess the women I know love their Facebooking and games a lot more than the men, and that means they don't want to be away from a charge for more than a few hours at a time.

So it's an overblown concern for some, but a very realistic concern for others.

[littlejerry]

I am on iPhone #2 (in 4 years), the wife had 2 for 3 years, the stepmom has had one for no less than a year each time and has had an iPhone since they came out, and my dad is on #2 in 5 years or so. No one has needed to replace a battery. Is the non-replaceable battery really that much of an issue or do we just bitch about it because we can't find any other reason? Seems really lame. I get not liking Apple but everyone I know who prefers something else isn't out there with dozens of spare batteries.

For me it is less about replacing the battery and more about having spares. I was on a road trip with friends last year and I recall two people in the car having to fight over who got to plug in their phone next...

Perhaps I'm exaggerating a bit but it still seems like I am frequently away from a power outlet for more than 12 hours(in my spare time, not during the week). During small game and big game season I'm in the woods without an outlet and far away from a car. I carry a phone for emergencies. Having to leave the thing in the car is a no-go for me. I'd rather carry it plus a spare to get me through a night or two in the woods.

[fuse]

My 4 required no soldering.

Remove 2 screws, slide off rear plate, unscrew and remove connector, remove battery, reverse procedure.




That's rad. The previous iphone required more work, you could say

[derekb]

Perhaps I'm exaggerating a bit but it still seems like I am frequently away from a power outlet for more than 12 hours(in my spare time, not during the week). During small game and big game season I'm in the woods without an outlet and far away from a car. I carry a phone for emergencies. Having to leave the thing in the car is a no-go for me. I'd rather carry it plus a spare to get me through a night or two in the woods.

I have one of these, and recommend it. (http://www.amazon.com/New-Trent-Thunderbolt-Blackberry-IMP120D/dp/B003ZBZ64Q/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1344816823&sr=8-3&keywords=usb+battery) It can get my thunderbolt through three days of light to moderate usage.

[JodyH]

Am I the only one who leaves all the electronic crap at home when I go into the woods?
Maybe it comes from living in the southwest where cell phone service does not exist "out there".
There are many, many places out here where cell service is non-existent for 100 miles or more (and that's on the drive to the backcountry).

[JDM]

Am I the only one who leaves all the electronic crap at home when I go into the woods?
Maybe it comes from living in the southwest where cell phone service does not exist "out there".
There are many, many places out here where cell service is non-existent for 100 miles or more (and that's on the drive to the backcountry).

No, you aren't the only one.

[Byron]

(Side note: these days if you feel like reading a developer forum, I would recommend RootzWiki (http://rootzwiki.com/index) rather than XDA)

Do you mind expounding why? I've been very cautious about forums these days, after realizing that a noob would have trouble figuring out why LF/PF/etc. is so awesome and TOS™ is so bad (or for something more techie, HeadFi vs. HydrogenAudio).
Apologies for not replying sooner: I missed this question before.

XDA was (and still is) a fantastic resource for information: It's one of the largest developer forums out there. As forums often do, however, it grew beyond its initial scope. It's completely subjective, but at some point the balance seemed to tip away from 'developers who can troubleshoot' and towards 'kids who want c00l stuff on their phone'. They also started commercializing certain aspects of the site and politics started creeping in (like who should and should not be considered "recognized" developers). The environment didn't turn fully toxic, but certainly more than it had been in the past. A dev would contribute something positive, "noobs" would come along expecting to have their hand held, veteran members would pitch a fit, noobs would throw a tantrum right back, and the dev would be stuck looking on at a trainwreck of a thread just because he wanted to contribute.

I haven't contributed to XDA in months, but I still get PM's and Emails from people who stumble on my 2-3 year old threads and want me to personally help them with something. These requests tend to be largely unrelated to what I actually contributed, and often ask for shady favors. For example:


ur so great cos u know edit the framework of a rom..
i wish i can be like u..

can u hlp me delete
the words GingerDX B.Jay & eagleeyetom
at the bottom of the lockscreen??

or u teach me how to do it.. pls..

i know it is not allowed by the developer but pls hlp me..
i will keep it as secret..
ur hlp will be appreciated...

This guy was asking me for help modifying another forum member's work in ways specifically against the author's wishes.

It was crap like this that drove me away from XDA. I got tired of the weird messages. I got tired of putting together a detailed guide only for someone to reply, "lolz dusn't work!"

A lot of veterans and devs then moved over to RootzWiki. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty who stayed at XDA and plenty of other dev sites. Rootz is smaller, but overall tends to have a more educated community that is more respectful towards devs and less demanding. That's not to say it's 100% free from the entitled types, just that they appear in smaller numbers.

[Oregonguy]

I just got the Galaxy S III, and i want to use the Skype often and to know how long would the battery last if i leave Skype running/on all day on my S3?


-----------------------------------
Play iTunes on Galaxy S (http://ifiresoft.com/drmtips/itunes-to-galaxy-s-ii.html)

[LittleLebowski]

I am stomp down amazed that the iPhone5 cannot do voice and data at the same time on Verizon and Sprint.


http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/13/iphone-5-calls-data/

[orionz06]

Still? Nothing more awesome than checking email and doing other stuff while hearing the wife in the background.

[TAP]

I'm very close to purchasing two Nexus 7 tablets. My main use for these right now will be video chat between my kids and their grandparents. My dad's health is not good so I would like for my kids to communicate more with them. I know facetime and the ipad is very user friendly but the cost of two ipads is out of my budget range at the moment. How well does the video chat work for android/nexus? Is the google talk video chat easy to use? My mom is not very technically savvy so I would like to purchase something easy for her to use and I'm a little afraid of the andriod os for her beyond the basics. She has a samsung SII so android isn't totally foreign to her. I also think having two of the same devices will help me troubleshoot if there are any issues.

Any thoughts, advice, etc?

Thanks.

[rob_s]

Why in the hell are phones trending to be tablet sized and tablets trending to be phone size? Soon enough they will converge.

Because, just like tactical flashlights, the nerds, geeks, dorks, and dweebs are the vocal part of the market, and so when a guy calls up his cousin "the computer guy" still living in mom's basement and asks "what smartphone should I get" he gets directed to the enthusiast product. This happens with almost everything in life. Go ask a guy that road bikes every day what you should buy to go for a ride with the kids and he'll tell you that you can't possibly live without a $1k+ bike. Look at how many people post on the internet "what AR should I get" and people reply with "Larue OBR" with zero idea what the guy wants to do with it or how often he'll shoot.

I bet that woman with the phone she couldn't get back into her purse has never done a single thing with that phone that she couldn't have done with a Motorola Razor.

[tremiles]

I'm very close to purchasing two Nexus 7 tablets. My main use for these right now will be video chat between my kids and their grandparents. My dad's health is not good so I would like for my kids to communicate more with them. I know facetime and the ipad is very user friendly but the cost of two ipads is out of my budget range at the moment. How well does the video chat work for android/nexus? Is the google talk video chat easy to use? My mom is not very technically savvy so I would like to purchase something easy for her to use and I'm a little afraid of the andriod os for her beyond the basics. She has a samsung SII so android isn't totally foreign to her. I also think having two of the same devices will help me troubleshoot if there are any issues.

Any thoughts, advice, etc?

Thanks.

I think it will work very well for that task as long as you go into the purchase understanding that there's no expandability via microSD (the only reason I don't own one). If you don't like GoogleTalk, you can always use Skype as well.

Sent from my DROID2 using Tapatalk 2

[longball]

I moved from a Blackberry to an iPhone a couple years ago. While I do not have any real complaints about it, (other than AT&T's atrocious customer service) I am looking for something different. One of the things I am most concerned about with the android is battery life. I can't get to a charger during the day so a phone who's battery doesn't last all day is a no go. This led me to the Motorola Razr Maxx as a possible option. Problem is I'm not finding a lot of people who have one I can mess with. Do any of you own one or have any experience with one? The search button only led me to this thread but I can't find the specific mention of the Maxx.

[JodyH]

I've had good luck with Motorola/Android phones, but look into the Samsung Galaxy S3. I bought a 4200mAh battery off Amazon and am currently showing 34% charge remaining after 2 days 5 hours of use. And I use my phone quite a bit for text, email, internet, navigation and a few calls. Once I get this battery conditioned I think I'll be able to get 80 hours out of a charge.

Sent from my SGH-I747M using Tapatalk 2

[LittleLebowski]

I think that the Android phones are coming into their own. My rooted (with Jelly Bean) Verizon Galaxy Nexus delivers admirable battery life and speed.

[Byron]

...Once I get this battery conditioned...
Li-ion batteries cannot be conditioned; conditioning is a practice left over from the days of Ni chemistry where batteries had "memory."

Charge them up to full the first time you get them, then just use them. Avoid depleting them fully, and if storing for long periods, try to do so at a partial charge state (i.e. 50% full rather than 100%).

Small, frequent charges will lead to longer battery life than large, infrequent ones (i.e. forget the old school method of waiting until the device is drained before recharging it)

Some good resources:
http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/charging_lithium_ion_batteries
http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/how_to_prolong_lithium_based_batteries

I know that some people will disagree and say that they have seen differences from conditioning their Li-ion batteries. This could be a placebo effect or it could simply be a re-calibration of the device itself; not the battery. Our devices don't have perfect ways of knowing the exact percentage of juice left; they offer us a value based on numerous types of different readings. Draining to 0 and then charging to 100 might re-calibrate your device's meter, but it is harmful to the battery itself. Standard usage of the device over time will also re-calibrate the meter, but in a safer way; it just takes some more time. (Perhaps this is what you meant by conditioning, but I just wanted to throw out the scientific research since I do know a lot of people who still treat Li-ion batteries like NiCad or NiMH batteries.)

[JodyH]

The manufacturer of the batteries has a recommended charge/discharge schedule for the first 4 cycles.
Whether that's "conditioning" or not I don't know, but that's what they say to do for maximum battery charge and life.

Sent from my SGH-I747M using Tapatalk 2

[Seven_Sicks_Two]

Well it looks like my iPhone 3G is finally on it's last legs. After 4 years of use, the battery won't stay charged for any meaningful amount of time. If I'm lucky, I get maybe 20 minutes of talk or data time per charge. So, it is time to upgrade.

At this point, it is basically a toss-up for me between the Galaxy SIII and the iPhone 5. Unfortunately, I don't know anyone that has either phone and I've only been able to check out the non-operational demo phones at the AT&T store. Frankly, you guys are more savvy about this stuff (well most things really) than the folks I've talked to. I'm far from a power user, and wouldn't be replacing my 3G if it weren't such a pain in the ass to swap in a new battery.

I'm not crazy about the fact that the SIII is gigantic, but I'd be willing to deal with it if it was really that much better than the iPhone 5. In digging through the thread, it seems like lots of you guys are pretty happy with Android, but I haven't seen much about the new Apple iOS.

So... whats the consensus on PF?

[Jason F]

I'm one week in to my iPhone 5. Overall, I'd give it a thumbs up.

I upgraded from an iPhone 4, so I was two models back. Significant speed upgrade, I still notice that daily. LOVE that actually.

I get slightly faster downloads on my home wifi which is nice. But the LTE coverage in ATL is good, so I'm now enjoying that in most places and again, another nice speed bost.

Maps, well it hasn't steered me wrong yet, but it has a few friends. I have a backup app loaded just in case, and I can always hit the mobile site version of GoogleMaps if I had to. I will say though, I've used it a few times for driving directions and the turn-by-turn was nice to finally have and handled things really well. My only complaint about it was the voice was set to high as the default, and it was really freaking loud. Toning that down a notch or two made it useable without scaring the piss out of me everytime she said, "Your turn is approaching in 500ft".

I'm a happy iPhone 5 upgrader, and I'd recommend it. Especially if you're already in the iPhone universe, have Apple apps, etc.


The only large drawback right now is the availability of extra charging cables. I probably have half a dozen strategically placed around my home and vehicles, and none of them work now. And the new fangled ones are on backorder, and they're $30 a piece. Annoying, for now. Soon there will be cheaper cables, and the supply will catch up with the demand. It's just annoying to have to think about packing my cable in my laptop bag for the day as I leave if I expect to be on the phone a lot.

[Shellback]

Just upgraded from the iPhone 3GS to the 5 and it's a huge difference in terms of performance. Picked it up at Sam's Club and only paid tax on $200 versus paying sales tax on the full retail price at AT&T.

The panoramic camera ability is pretty cool and Grandma loves FaceTime with the grandkids so that's a definite plus. So far I'm impressed and like the phone.

[JodyH]

If you're not a tech tinkerer and already used to the iPhone way of doing things get a iPhone5 or even a 4S with iOS6.
To really get the most out of an Android device it's best to root it and yank out all the bloatware installed by the manufacturer and cell provider.
A root isn't mandatory but it speeds up your device and extends battery life significantly.
My wife's 4S with iOS6 has been a great phone.

[LOKNLOD]

I upgraded from 4 to 5 as well and am pretty happy with mine.

The only thing I can honestly say I dislike about it is a frequent use of Location Services when I don't think it should be. I haven't looked into it deeply, so it might be an easy fix (other than turning location off all together, which I don't want to do). I know my phone is tracking me but it could at least have the decency to keep it secret :p

[Seven_Sicks_Two]

Thanks for the replies guys. I just read an article about rooting Android phones and my head just about exploded. I think that it sounds like a lot more tinkering with the operating system than I would be comfortable with. For someone my age, I know a lot less about this stuff than I probably should.

It sounds like some incarnation of the iPhone would probably be the best bet for me. It will play nice with my Macbook and I already know my way around the operating system. Since I tend to hang onto these things for awhile, I'll probably snag the 5. I just hope I can stay on task at the Apple store... that place gets expensive quickly!

[LittleLebowski]

Rooting isn't that hard. There are GUIs for it and video how-tos. I don't think it adds that much until the phone is older and if you're using a Galaxy Nexus, you're already using stock android without bloat.

[ToddG]

I just got a Motorola Droid4. It is full of "bloatware" and has a UI that the rooters hate.

I've got no complaints, though. It's fast and does everything I want. They keyboard -- as someone who struggled with the iPhone touch screen -- is a gift from heaven. There may not be a lot of tinkering I can do with this phone, but there's an incredible amount of WORK I can get done.

[LittleLebowski]

I'll probably be corrected by Byron but I agree with Todd. Rooting made me feel good and like I was in charge but honestly, aside from nice to have UI stuff, I see no difference. I'd love to see some real statistical data on improved battery life, speed, etc from rooted versus stock.

[JodyH]

The Motorola Atrix HD I have has a great UI.
Motorola tends to have less bloat than the others and rooting has less return on investment.
I root for battery life mainly and the Motorola Smartactions allowed me to tweak enough that it's not necessary.
I broke my first Atrix HD and replaced it with a SGS3, but the replacement Atrix HD sits in my desk drawer waiting patiently to be called up for duty should I break or brick my Galaxy.
My Galaxy S3 really took off after rooting and flashing a custom ROM.
Battery life almost doubled (from 18-24 hours to almost 36) and the stripped down ICS runs faster and smoother.
Now that I have a extended life battery I'm getting 72+ hours of moderate use (it's been on 24 hours and is at 86% right now) and that's with WiFi, GPS location services and two push email accounts running.

The iPhone5 looks like a solid phone if you're already invested in Apple apps and comfortable with iOS.
If you're a Mac person the iPhone makes even more sense, my Samsung has been very difficult to mount on my Macs where my wife's 4S synced up with just a few clicks.

Fanbois aside, all the latest generation phones are amazing and it just really comes down to preference.

[JodyH]

I'll probably be corrected by Byron but I agree with Todd. Rooting made me feel good and like I was in charge but honestly, aside from nice to have UI stuff, I see no difference. I'd love to see some real statistical data on improved battery life, speed, etc from rooted versus stock.
Rooting just gives you "administrator access".
The real difference comes from flashing a custom ROM and/or using "power apps" to micro-manage the system.
Finding the right ROM for what you want out of your phone is very important, just flashing any old ROM could actually be detrimental to your intended use.