Why Android

[maflynn]

Hey guys, I've been doing research on android based phones and I've been asking around but I wanted to join/post here to get further opinions.

I'm using an iPhone which I don't hate, but I'm thinking of getting something that isn't as restricted. The N1 is what is coming to mind since I'm still under contract with ATT

Anyways why should I opt for android as opposed to waiting for the next update of the iPhone (late June supposedly).

I'm not looking to start a flame war or be trollish.

Here's my needs
Work email (exchange) This is a show stopper, if i have no way to retrieve my emails, I can't use the phone
surfing
some apps (games, Bible, various other stuff)
music

Given the price of the unlocked Nexus One and that its a blind item (i'm buying it sight unseen) I'm really trying to see if the N1/android is a good fit for me. I don't consider myself an apple fanboy but it is a good product.

I consider myself a geek, I enjoy using fedora but my main platform is osx.

I've read reports of androids instability (crashing/restarting), its imprecise touchscreen and the display in sunlight.

 

[lekky]

Android isn't really unstable, not sure where reports like that are coming from. The touchscreen is precise, I believe you are talking about those "tests" done by trailiing ones finger across the screen? I'm actually quite angry that those "tests" have gone as far as to make people thing android screens are imprecise, to put it blankly, they are not imprecise at all.

Display in sunlight is to to with the OLED screen, so that would be the newer devices, things like the HTC Hero don't have a OLED screen. I've heard that OLED screens are harder to see outside, but I've just been outside with my Desire (quite sunny) and I could see the screen without a problem. But I can't deny other people say the screens are harder to see, so maybe this difffers from person to person..

As you're thinking about the N1, which is similar to my Desire I can say that the browsing experience is second to none, and that includes the iPhone, the screen is so large and clear with its OLED screen and high resolution. Pages load and scroll extremely fast.

HTC sense includes exchange support, I'm not sure if the N1 does, but there are apps if you want this, hopefully someone with an N1 can confirm this if it is included natively.

There are plenty of apps, the last count was that there was 30,000+ apps, this is increasing at a massive rate too (plenty of games and bible apps).

Finally, being a geek you will appreciate just how much better an android device is over the iPhone.

 

[maflynn]

Yeah, the N1 is on my short list because I'm in contract with ATT. I figure I could sell my iPhone 3Gs which should offset the cost of the unlocked phone.

I'll be calling ATT to see how much the ETF will be and if that's not too much, I may consider that as well, provided the cost of a discounted droid + ETF is less then that of Nexus One.

I truly am on the fence, there's things I like about the iPhone, and worry what the latest thing apple may do in June. I do think that what ever they do will nt go far enough - they prefer having a device that is completely locked down. I suspect the multitasking they'll build into OS4.0 will be less then what android (or webos) is capable of doing.

With that said, is the advantages of android out weight the inertia of not moving and staying with apple. This is why I'm posting here - getting more opinions as to why Android may be a better option.

Edit:
I found an app called touchdown which should give me the exchange/activesync connectivity that I require so that leaves, music, surfing and apps. Of course the overall advantages of android vs. iphone as well

 

[MuerteMan]

Well, I have never owned an iPhone, but after showing my Droid Eris to some that do have them, they all agree that it is a good phone, and that they like android alot. As for music, the media capabilities of android are still behind the iphone, but there are a few good apps that atleast partially make up that difference. I use Tunewiki that is your basic media player, but it can also fetch the lyrics and play them along karaoke style to the song that is playing. Games wise, there is plenty of good stuff, and even more coming. Just the other day, doodle jump, one of the best iphone games was ported to android. There are also plenty of other cool non game apps in the marketplace. Included in these is a countless number of bibles to choose from. As for surfing, where I live there is no comparison. AT&T does not have 3G where I live, so the iPhone is slow. Verizon on the other hand has 3G, and my browser always loads fairly quickly. I say go for it if you can afford it. If not, the iPhone is by no means a bad device.

 

[Elpelco]

There's a really good bible app that I use, it's just called Bible and it's by Lifechurch.tv. It's got search, 41 translations, and 22 laguages. It's the best app I've found. And of course, there's always the biblegateway mobile site. Never needed it though.
I can second Lekky; I don't have an N1, I have a Hero, but HTC make good smartphones. It'll do everything you need. The music player is excellent, and the games on the market are great and most of them are free!

When I was looking for a new phone, I was leaning towards an iphone, but 5 minutes with my friends Hero was enough to convince me. Do you know anyone who has an N1 who wouldn't mind you playing around with it?
The other thing is, you can expand the memory on the N1, if the mood strikes you you can swap out the memory card for a bigger one. Can't do that with an iphone.

For me, Android is better because it's more free, open, and customisable.

Why not look around online? Read some reviews. I've found GSM arena is a good place for reviews.

 

[RetiredFinally]

Never having owned an iPhone I can not compare use however I can change my battery, increase storage size and most of all tweak the OS, themes, and screens. I have a Hero running on 2.1 already, very fast and smooth and if you are a geek you would appreciate the ability to mod it with ease.

 

[macprv]

I own a nexus one (but never an iphone) and i can tell u this...
-exchage.. theres an app fore that
-surfing... well lets say that i use my computer 80% less now that i have the nexus one... whenever i wanna check out something online, first im im like.. oh im gonna go to the room and check this on the pc.. but then im like.. oh hell no! i have to turn it up wait for it to star up, wait for the programs to load, open the IE and all that.. ill just use my phone.. the screen is just right (a 4" screen would be cool though) and the speed of the device is awesome! now all we need is flash
-apps... i think android has most of the app ull need.. my wife used to read the bible on her G1 all the time, she even stopped bringing her bible (the book) to church lol... theres lots of good games, asphalt, raging thunder, exzeus, and many more...
-music.. well the phone can play music?... lol... i mean what else do u need?... the phone comes with amazon mp3.. u log in and just tap on "buy" if u want a song and ur good to go or u can stream musig with pandora or all other apps outthere.. if u dont like the stock player u can always download an alternative from the market.

best thing about android i would say is customization and multitasking... i also love the widgets... u can have the weather forcast, with ur facebook and twitter and ur music widget playing, all in the home screen, working at the same time, no need to load apps.. thats awesome.

 

[maflynn]

Thanks guys, I ordered one yesterday and should be here tomorrow (if someone can sign for it) or wednesday.

Of course now that my N1 is in the pipeline, apple goes and announces OS4 :/

All things being equal, I'd probably say that the only thing that may interest me in OS 4 is the rumored multitasking.

I have 14 days to see if the N1 does truly fit my needs and I'll be putting it through its paces. I'm excited at the prospect of getting the phone and putting it through its paces.

 

[Bramsy]

give it a full 14 day trial! i came from a BB storm and it took a while to get used to (Moto Droid) but once i got used to it, i will NEVER own another OS. it only looks like things are getting started (i hope)

 

[lekky]

Thanks guys, I ordered one yesterday and should be here tomorrow (if someone can sign for it) or wednesday.

Of course now that my N1 is in the pipeline, apple goes and announces OS4 :/

All things being equal, I'd probably say that the only thing that may interest me in OS 4 is the rumored multitasking.

I have 14 days to see if the N1 does truly fit my needs and I'll be putting it through its paces. I'm excited at the prospect of getting the phone and putting it through its paces.

But don't expect anything new coming out until next summer anyway, by then you'll realise just how much you love android

 

[puppet_master]

If you can do without pinch to zoom and if you don't mind waiting for the 2.1 update, the Xperia 10 is a good choice because, unlike other Android phones, the media implementation is way ahead of the iPhone and you don't have to worry about screen visibility in daylight. Also, the camera is actually worth having, unlike all other smart-phone cams. This is what attracts me to it

-pup-

 

[nateshuntsvegas]

If you can do without pinch to zoom and if you don't mind waiting for the 2.1 update, the Xperia 10 is a good choice because, unlike other Android phones, the media implementation is way ahead of the iPhone and you don't have to worry about screen visibility in daylight. Also, the camera is actually worth having, unlike all other smart-phone cams. This is what attracts me to it

-pup-

There are many ways to get around the pinch zoom issue especially for a geek.
N1 has same processor but sony does have better cam and screen, no track ball though
Sony does make a great phone love the xperia line wish a gsm network would pick one up

 

[maflynn]

give it a full 14 day trial! i came from a BB storm and it took a while to get used to (Moto Droid) but once i got used to it, i will NEVER own another OS. it only looks like things are getting started (i hope)

Agreed - I played with a droid over at a verizon store earlier and while I wasn't blown away, I realized that 2 minutes isn't enough to judge the OS. I was just starting to get a feel of how things flowed when the salesmen were hovering.

But don't expect anything new coming out until next summer anyway, by then you'll realise just how much you love android

You're right. rumors are pointing to a june 22nd date of release and a possibility of a July delivery date. What apple NEEDS to do in the light of the increased competition is show off the new iPhone thursday. I don't expect much change to the iPhone, they seem pretty happy with the design, layout and features. What I do expect is a higher resolution (960

 

[MarcMaiden]

let me answer your question with another question:





why not android?

 

[IOWA]

Agreed - I played with a droid over at a verizon store earlier and while I wasn't blown away, I realized that 2 minutes isn't enough to judge the OS. I was just starting to get a feel of how things flowed when the salesmen were hovering.


You're right. rumors are pointing to a june 22nd date of release and a possibility of a July delivery date. What apple NEEDS to do in the light of the increased competition is show off the new iPhone thursday. I don't expect much change to the iPhone, they seem pretty happy with the design, layout and features. What I do expect is a higher resolution (960

 

[RyanB]

@Maflynn: if you haven't paid for a Bible application yet, give CadreBible a good hard look. The reader is free, and you buy the version you want to read. The word for word translations can come with Strong's concordance integrated into the program, along with the ability to take notes within it, add commentaries/ dictionaries/ devotionals, and it works offline. I can't recommend it enough!

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