Hello everyone!
I'm going to state the obvious by saying that I'm new to this site and to Android. I don't yet own an Android device, but am planning to when the device comes out on June 4, 2010 with the launch of the HTC Evo.
I have never owned an Android Device and I have a lot of questions.
1. I am so excited. Is there a Welcoming Committee for making the Android switch? Do I get a first comer or "Welcome to Android" Packet? A fruit basket?
2. Is it wise to install apps that are not in the Android Market Place? How do I know if they are safe?
3. Are there other good forums and communities (preferably one that gives away the fruit baskets) that I should know about?
4. What important things should I know about Android Devices and getting the most out of it, such as any "MUST HAVE" apps that should be PRIORITY 1 to get as soon as my Evo is in my hand?
Thanks in advance.....
Here is a little (Ok, its a lot) about my past Smartphone experience.
In late 2003, I made my first leap into the smartphone arena when I purchased the Hitachi G1000 from Sprint. Back then, we called them PDA Phones and it ran Pocket PC 2002 Phone Edition from Microsoft. This thing was a beast, coming in at a solid .9 inches thick, 5.8 inches tall and 3.3 inches wide. It had a nice rotational camera and a full thumb-pad QWERTY keyboard. I loved that phone, but had to part with it. I switched back to feature phones (dumb phones) because after using it for 6 months, I decided that so called Smart phones were not yet ready for prime time.
I came back for a second outing in early 2007 with the Treo 700wx from Sprint, running Windows Mobile 5.0. This was another beastly beast that was .9 inches thick. This phone is actually shorter and not as wide as the EVO. This phone was more optimized and designed for phone usage, unlike Pocket PC Phone Edition which seems as if the OS was crammed into a phone, so I stuck with this one for 1.5 years.
In late 2008, sTicking with my tradition of owning a Windows Mobile device, I upgraded to a HTC Diamond, running Windows Mobile 6.1 with HTC Touch Flo from Sprint. I was also joining the anti - iPhone crowd by getting this device. It performed well, but was laggy at times. This was the first keyboard-less smartphone I had ever owned and I liked it. It brought features that the iPhone lacked (at the time) to the table, but was nowhere near as intuitive.
I finally decided to leave the Windows Mobile crowd (with a tear in my eye) and got a Palm Pre in June of 2009, after my Diamond was stolen. This is the Smartphone I currently own and its a good phone overall. As far as performance goes, however, IT SUCKS. Not only that, but I have had to replace this phone 4 times through Equipment Replacement, (3 of these times were not my fault). 1. The screen mysteriously cracked. Seriously, I have no idea how it happened. Just picked it up and noticed the crack and the touch no longer functioned. (Minus $100 for EQ that time). 2. Accidentally washed it, forgetting it was in my pants when I threw them in the washer! OUCH. (minus $100 again. My FAULT). 3. the speaker (not the loud speaker on the back) stopped working. I continued to use this phone by using speaker phone and head phones, then one day, mysterious screen crack came for another visit. (Bam, minus $100 again). 4. 1 week after receiving this phone from EQ replacement, the screen stopped working! No cracks or nothing. Just did not function. It worked a little bit when the charger was plugged in, but died again soon afterwards. (free, no charger for the other replacement). So, this is my 5th Palm Pre and I am grossly dissatisfied with the build quality of the device.
Don't get me wrong. I love WebOS! I may get another WebOS device again in the future, but using the OS on the Palm Pre was a pain. Its slow and is the most lagging device I've ever used. So, I have learned my lesson. I'm going back to HTC and saying "hello" to the EVo!!!
I'm going to state the obvious by saying that I'm new to this site and to Android. I don't yet own an Android device, but am planning to when the device comes out on June 4, 2010 with the launch of the HTC Evo.
I have never owned an Android Device and I have a lot of questions.
1. I am so excited. Is there a Welcoming Committee for making the Android switch? Do I get a first comer or "Welcome to Android" Packet? A fruit basket?
2. Is it wise to install apps that are not in the Android Market Place? How do I know if they are safe?
3. Are there other good forums and communities (preferably one that gives away the fruit baskets) that I should know about?
4. What important things should I know about Android Devices and getting the most out of it, such as any "MUST HAVE" apps that should be PRIORITY 1 to get as soon as my Evo is in my hand?
Thanks in advance.....
Here is a little (Ok, its a lot) about my past Smartphone experience.
In late 2003, I made my first leap into the smartphone arena when I purchased the Hitachi G1000 from Sprint. Back then, we called them PDA Phones and it ran Pocket PC 2002 Phone Edition from Microsoft. This thing was a beast, coming in at a solid .9 inches thick, 5.8 inches tall and 3.3 inches wide. It had a nice rotational camera and a full thumb-pad QWERTY keyboard. I loved that phone, but had to part with it. I switched back to feature phones (dumb phones) because after using it for 6 months, I decided that so called Smart phones were not yet ready for prime time.
I came back for a second outing in early 2007 with the Treo 700wx from Sprint, running Windows Mobile 5.0. This was another beastly beast that was .9 inches thick. This phone is actually shorter and not as wide as the EVO. This phone was more optimized and designed for phone usage, unlike Pocket PC Phone Edition which seems as if the OS was crammed into a phone, so I stuck with this one for 1.5 years.
In late 2008, sTicking with my tradition of owning a Windows Mobile device, I upgraded to a HTC Diamond, running Windows Mobile 6.1 with HTC Touch Flo from Sprint. I was also joining the anti - iPhone crowd by getting this device. It performed well, but was laggy at times. This was the first keyboard-less smartphone I had ever owned and I liked it. It brought features that the iPhone lacked (at the time) to the table, but was nowhere near as intuitive.
I finally decided to leave the Windows Mobile crowd (with a tear in my eye) and got a Palm Pre in June of 2009, after my Diamond was stolen. This is the Smartphone I currently own and its a good phone overall. As far as performance goes, however, IT SUCKS. Not only that, but I have had to replace this phone 4 times through Equipment Replacement, (3 of these times were not my fault). 1. The screen mysteriously cracked. Seriously, I have no idea how it happened. Just picked it up and noticed the crack and the touch no longer functioned. (Minus $100 for EQ that time). 2. Accidentally washed it, forgetting it was in my pants when I threw them in the washer! OUCH. (minus $100 again. My FAULT). 3. the speaker (not the loud speaker on the back) stopped working. I continued to use this phone by using speaker phone and head phones, then one day, mysterious screen crack came for another visit. (Bam, minus $100 again). 4. 1 week after receiving this phone from EQ replacement, the screen stopped working! No cracks or nothing. Just did not function. It worked a little bit when the charger was plugged in, but died again soon afterwards. (free, no charger for the other replacement). So, this is my 5th Palm Pre and I am grossly dissatisfied with the build quality of the device.
Don't get me wrong. I love WebOS! I may get another WebOS device again in the future, but using the OS on the Palm Pre was a pain. Its slow and is the most lagging device I've ever used. So, I have learned my lesson. I'm going back to HTC and saying "hello" to the EVo!!!
