• After 15+ years, we've made a big change: Android Forums is now Early Bird Club. Learn more here.

First post - iPhone 4 / Droid X

Travisimo

Android Enthusiast
Jul 7, 2010
455
89
USA
Android newbie here, so please bear with me. Though I have yet to use an Android phone, I follow most of the tech blogs and listen to a ton of podcasts on the iPhone and Android just to keep up with the latest and greatest.

I bought an iPhone 4 on day 1 and really like it. But I am very sick and tired of AT&T and may be willing to part with my iPhone 4 and try a Droid X. In fact, I have a Droid X preordered and will hopefully be able to try them both side by side for a few days before I have to decide whether to return the iPhone 4 or keep it.

While I am waiting, I thought I'd register here and ask some initial questions:

1) Right now, I have preordered with Best Buy. But I really only want to do a 1-year contract, even if it means paying $270-300 instead of $200. Do we have confirmation yet on whether Best Buy will new subscribers sign a 1 year and how much it will be?

2) I read in a couple of places that in order to use the Mobile Hotspot feature of the Droid X, you really need to have a "POW-AH". I have no idea what that is? I was hoping to perhaps get the $20/mo hotspot plan and then cancel my 3G subscription on my iPad. I know I don't go over 2 GB of data per month on the iPad (mostly use Wifi) and then I could use the Mobile Hotspot on other devices too.

3) I understand that Verizon's network is very good, but I'm a little concerned about the upcoming changes. First of all, what kind of download and upload speeds can I expect on Verizon in an area with good 3G reception? I will most likely notice a decrease in speed compared to my iPhone 4 (which uses HSPA), but I will also most likely notice better coverage (which is more important to me). But what about Verizon's upcoming LTE plans that is supposedly rolling out late this year or early next year? This will require new phones, right? That's sort of why I'm thinking of only doing a 1 year contract, so that I can upgrade to a new phone next year. And if they DO get the iPhone 4, then I could always upgrade to that as well.

4) Is there an easy and convenient way to manage and listen to podcasts Android (and specifically the Droid X)? Right now, I use iTunes to subscribe to podcasts and sync them to my iPhone 4. Is there a similar solution for Android where it automatically update podcasts and syncs them to the phone? Does it remember where you left off when you continue listening at a later time? Can you have it only sync the most recent episodes of podcasts?

5) I've read that battery life on the Droid X is pretty good already, but I'm a pretty heavy user, so I'll most likely buy an extra battery. I read somewhere there is a larger capacity battery - will that be available at launch and how much is it supposed to be? Is it pretty easy and painless to switch batteries?

Thanks a bunch! Sorry for all the questions!
 
I don't really know all the answers, but here are some suggestions:

1. I'd call Best Buy to find out, even though you may get sketchy answers from several different people, bu it's worth a try.

3. Verizon speeds are pretty good. I get around 1.0-2.0 mbps regularly depending on where and what time I'm using. I recently traveled from NYC to LA by road, and I had 3G the entire way. Tethering my phone we had a laptop going most of the trip. I was very impressed with the 3G coverage.

4. I've been using Doubletwist. It's a client thats similar to iTunes. It manages podcasts fairly well. I don't know about the more advanced features like you asked, but it has been as good as iTunes so far in terms of syncing with my android phone.

5. I'm pretty sure there will be options at or around launch. Changing batteries should be very easy to do though like all the other android phones. I'm a pretty heavy user of my HTC Incredible and it lasts me throughout the day. I suspect the Droid X will have much better battery life with a larger mah battery to begin with.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Travisimo
Upvote 0
I am waiting, I thought I'd register here and ask some initial questions:

1) Right now, I have preordered with Best Buy. But I really only want to do a 1-year contract, even if it means paying $270-300 instead of $200. Do we have confirmation yet on whether Best Buy will new subscribers sign a 1 year and how much it will be?

Nope, need to go to a corporate store for that. I went to 2 best buys with that exact question.

A 2 year contract may as well be a death sentence. Then again I've had the same piece of junk dumb-phone since 2006...
 
Upvote 0
2) I read in a couple of places that in order to use the Mobile Hotspot feature of the Droid X, you really need to have a "POW-AH". I have no idea what that is? !
POW-AH ..... means you need "POW-ER" aka battery. tethering sucks up the battery quick.


4) Is there an easy and convenient way to manage and listen to podcasts Android (and specifically the Droid X)? Right now, I use iTunes to subscribe to podcasts and sync them to my iPhone 4. !

Doubletwist does some synching but you won't get the same functionality of
iTunes.

Before you get your DROID X, you can use Doubletwist and synch it to a blank USB stick. If the files synch over correctly, then it will be the same on your new phone. If it doesn't synch they way you want it, that is your answer...
 
Upvote 0
POW-AH ..... means you need "POW-ER" aka battery. tethering sucks up the battery quick....

Ha! And here i thought they we referring to some strange acronym! I assume you can put a quick toggle switch for the 3G hotspot on one of the widgets, right?

Also, what happens to data when you have the 3G hotspot service turned on? I mean, the phone itself has unlimited data, but you are limited to 2 GB of tethered data. Does it keep track of data usage separately? Specifically, if i have Mobile hotspot turned on but continue to use the phone itself, does that also count towards the 2GB limit or does it know the difference and track them separately? And is there a way to monitor your tethered data usage?

Thanks again!
 
Upvote 0
1) Right now, I have preordered with Best Buy. But I really only want to do a 1-year contract, even if it means paying $270-300 instead of $200. Do we have confirmation yet on whether Best Buy will new subscribers sign a 1 year and how much it will be?

If you plan to stay with Verizon, you can get upgrade pricing every 12 months on a 2-year contract. Works for a single line, or the main line on a family plan.


4) Is there an easy and convenient way to manage and listen to podcasts Android (and specifically the Droid X)? Right now, I use iTunes to subscribe to podcasts and sync them to my iPhone 4. Is there a similar solution for Android where it automatically update podcasts and syncs them to the phone? Does it remember where you left off when you continue listening at a later time? Can you have it only sync the most recent episodes of podcasts?

I'm not sure how well this player syncs/downloads podcasts, but it does save your playback position and it can play faster than 1x. Astro Player Google also has an app for subscribing to podcasts... http://listen.googlelabs.com/


As an aside, I'm soooo glad AT&T's network sucks - it convinced me to get an Android device and I'm really psyched for the Droid X and going back to Verizon.
 
Upvote 0
1) I would imagine that BestBuy has the ability to do this. I'd confirm with a mobile manager @ BB.

2) Answered aboe

3) That would make sense (new phones for LTE). You could also do another 2 yr upgrade in a year if you sign a 2 year agreement today. Although, I would probably do the 1 yr agreement as well. The only thing is, I know that I will be staying with Verizon for the long term, so I don't worry too much about this. At the same time, I hate being tied down for long contracts like that.

4) I'm sure there's an app for this :p

5) Verizon should offer the extended battery at launch. Accessories are a big money maker for VZW and they will be pushed hard on release date. I don't see why they wouldn't have them.
 
Upvote 0
3) That would make sense (new phones for LTE). You could also do another 2 yr upgrade in a year if you sign a 2 year agreement today. Although, I would probably do the 1 yr agreement as well. The only thing is, I know that I will be staying with Verizon for the long term, so I don't worry too much about this. At the same time, I hate being tied down for long contracts like that.

Is that 1-year upgrade pricing a regular thing, or just when they decide to move upgrade dates earlier? On AT&T, for example, I can normally only upgrade at the upgrade price every 18 months, though this year they allowed iPhone owners to upgrade early. Of course, AT&T also has an intermediate upgrade price that is normally $400, which is cheaper than full retail but not as good as the full upgrade price. Is that the same with Verizon, or do they *always* allow you to upgrade at 12 months at the full upgrade price?

If I could count on getting the upgrade price in 12 months, then I wouldn't care about signing the 2-year contract. Once I switch to Verizon, I'm certain I'll be sticking with them. I just don't want to pay full retail a year from now if there's a new phone I want.
 
Upvote 0
Is that 1-year upgrade pricing a regular thing, or just when they decide to move upgrade dates earlier? On AT&T, for example, I can normally only upgrade at the upgrade price every 18 months, though this year they allowed iPhone owners to upgrade early. Of course, AT&T also has an intermediate upgrade price that is normally $400, which is cheaper than full retail but not as good as the full upgrade price. Is that the same with Verizon, or do they *always* allow you to upgrade at 12 months at the full upgrade price?

If I could count on getting the upgrade price in 12 months, then I wouldn't care about signing the 2-year contract. Once I switch to Verizon, I'm certain I'll be sticking with them. I just don't want to pay full retail a year from now if there's a new phone I want.

The 1yr is only if your monthly is over some amount. Currently, for single plan, I think the amount is $49.99. I think that's voice-only (the $30 data plan does not count). My impression is you have to have this pricing for 6 month up to the upgrade.

Currently, VZ is doing a promotion similar to the AT&T iPhone one, where they're letting folks upgrade early (if otherwise upgrade was this year).

If you do wait for the normal 2-year update, which is actually 20 month, you get an additional discount. This is the New-Every-Two discount. But they've been lowering this additional bonus over the years, so for the cheapest plans, it's now only $30.
 
Upvote 0

BEST TECH IN 2023

We've been tracking upcoming products and ranking the best tech since 2007. Thanks for trusting our opinion: we get rewarded through affiliate links that earn us a commission and we invite you to learn more about us.

Smartphones