The BillShrink.com thing is interesting because it says you should get a PRE. But I know that I had Sprint, I would only pay $10 less a month than with VZW. They base those numbers on unlimited everything.
I'm bummed that the Droid doesn't have more RAM. I have an iPhone that I want to get rid of because it's constantly running out of memory. It drives me nuts dealing with memory issues on that thing.
The unlimited Data/Message add-on for Verizon is $25 bucks. Where are they getting this 149.99$ price tag??I pay like $100 for 700 anytime mins + unlimited data/messages
I'm bummed that the Droid doesn't have more RAM. I have an iPhone that I want to get rid of because it's constantly running out of memory. It drives me nuts dealing with memory issues on that thing.
I too would wish for more RAM. More RAM means better performance, but also more power drawn and shorter battery life.
UNIX family OS kernels like Mach and Linux only report "out of memory" when they run out of virtual memory (swap file). Android uses the Linux kernel. The iPhone, like Steve Job's NeXT platform, uses the Mach kernel.
I found a posting on android-kernel@googlegroups.com suggesting that the eclair kernel uses less than 100MB, leaving at least 150MB for VM. That would be backed by a pagefile on the 512MB internal flash. I wouldn't expect Motorola/Verizon sets up the Droid to swap to the removable flash card so I theorize it comes limited to about 660MB VM. That's not too shabby, but could be easily outstripped in a multiprocessing environment.
A G1 user documented how to manually configure Android to swap to the SD card:
Quote:
Originally Posted by kickfliprock13@androidcommunity
* sped up my application opening time and when i delete alot of messages it no longer freezes
* use at least double the ram that the phone has for your swap but no more than 2gb
FYI - there's an application on the market that does the exact same thing but it's always nice to know how to do it manually. I've been doing it for a while now
Last edited by tpriddy; October 31st, 2009 at 10:29 AM.
Software written in Java can be compiled to be executed in the Dalvik virtual machine, which is a specialized VM implementation designed for mobile device use, although not technically a standard Java Virtual Machine.
Should that be listed as java = no? I changed the browser java to no and added the Dalvik virtual machine for java apps.
Code:
| browser | safari | android |
| java | no | no |
| java apps | no | Dalvik virtual machine |
Last edited by tpriddy; October 31st, 2009 at 01:45 AM.
I don't know, but I hope someone with Android 2.0 (eclair) can load the Dalvik virtual machine and try running browser based Java games in the Android browser.
From what I've read, I suspect the browser does not run Java, but that you may compile Java programs and run them as apps.
Last edited by tpriddy; October 31st, 2009 at 01:56 AM.
Another thing to note: I have been talking to VZW folks extensively, and they have all said the same thing:
"The Connect and Premium plans are NOT for PDAs, smart phones and Blackberrys. For those devices you have to purchase the separate unlimited data plans (good for email and data) which is current priced at $29.99 for the regular and $44.99 for corporate (if you have no need for synchronizing email to a corporate server / exchange server on a regular basis, then ignore e the corporate plan).
Also, both (PDA/BB/SP) data plans are currently discounted online by 25%....
So, that chart is way off - I currently have a Family Nationwide Basic plan (700 min / month) with an additional line, and adding two high end devices (Storm2 and Droid) is only bumping my play by ~$50 / month, a full $20 less per month than what BillShrink claims, *and* I have 3 lines total.
BillShrink is unfairly representing the prices in the case of the Droid, and so it is possible that it could be across the board for all phones....
Last edited by johnlgalt; October 31st, 2009 at 12:25 PM.
The unlimited Data/Message add-on for Verizon is $25 bucks. Where are they getting this 149.99$ price tag??I pay like $100 for 700 anytime mins + unlimited data/messages
That is for dumbphones.
__________________ So I'm guessin' there's questions that need addressin' like how he fresh in the adolescence and wreckin em' Rules & Guidelines, Zero Tolerance Policy.
No billshrink has it right for the plans they listed, but the user I quoted was that VZW has a 24.99 add-on for unlimited data+messaging which is what I was referring to.
I do know that the Billshrink plan costs are wrong for verizon. It's $130 for unlimited everything and $100 for the 900 minutes. This can be easily checked by going to VZW's website.
NO you are wrong, people, please understand that for the Droid you need the $30 data feature, not the Premium or Connect plans with "unlimited data". For 900 minutes you need the 59.99 plan then add on 30 for data, if you want unlimited texting its the 79.99 Select plan with 900 mins, then the 29.99 email and web for smartphone which all comes to 109.
Last edited by CRPercodani; October 31st, 2009 at 06:55 PM.
No billshrink has it right for the plans they listed, but the user I quoted was that VZW has a 24.99 add-on for unlimited data+messaging which is what I was referring to.
You can get that plan that BillShrink has listed, but you still have to pay an additional $30 (minimum) for the unlimited Data plan for smartphones PDAs and BBs. I have talked to 6 different VZW reps now and they say the eact same thing - the plan listed in the BillShrink refers to an unlimited Data plan - which is useless to the Droid, all BBs, and the other Smartphones / PDAs offered by VZW. So, yeah, if I picked the most expensive plan I can get it *will* cost that- but to say that hte Average Droid user will be paying the plan with 5 GB data limit is bogus.
Quote:
Originally Posted by rawness
I do know that the Billshrink plan costs are wrong for verizon. It's $130 for unlimited everything and $100 for the 900 minutes. This can be easily checked by going to VZW's website.
But those plans still don't do squat for Web access / data access on the Droid.
Quote:
Originally Posted by CRPercodani
NO you are wrong, people, please understand that for the Droid you need the $30 data feature, not the Premium or Connect plans with "unlimited data". For 900 minutes you need the 59.99 plan then add on 30 for data, if you want unlimited texting its the 79.99 Select plan with 900 mins, then the 29.99 email and web for smartphone which all comes to 109.
Reading over the confusion over plan pricing I realized that I shouldn't ding AT&T for charging $5 for SMS. I forgot that my Verizon SMS isn't free, I simply chose a plan with unlimited SMS.
You can get that plan that BillShrink has listed, but you still have to pay an additional $30 (minimum) for the unlimited Data plan for smartphones PDAs and BBs. I have talked to 6 different VZW reps now and they say the eact same thing - the plan listed in the BillShrink refers to an unlimited Data plan - which is useless to the Droid, all BBs, and the other Smartphones / PDAs offered by VZW. So, yeah, if I picked the most expensive plan I can get it *will* cost that- but to say that hte Average Droid user will be paying the plan with 5 GB data limit is bogus.
No, look at the VZW site. Billshrink has it all correct. For unlimited minutes and messaging you choose the Select Unlimited plan which costs 119.99 then add on the 29.99 email and web for smartphone. You get 149.99. Then for 900 minutes and unlimited messaging you choose the Select 900 plan which costs 79.99 then add on the 29.99 email and web for smartphone and you get 109.99. The Unlimited everything plan you are getting confused with is under Premium Plans and that one only costs 139.99 but won't work for data on the Droid.
If you need visual proof I can do screen shots from the VZW site.
Yes HTC is updating Sense to Android 2.0. Don't get to excited about Car Home because I have heard from a few sources that it is a Droid exclusive app. Hopefully someone will dump it and pass it out to everyone else.
will that update come to all current Hero users, or will it be in another model? What I mean, is should I wait to get a hero with 2.o, or will it be an update that I will get on a current Hero now - only later?
I sure hope you could follow that, because even now I am confused.
2) the 29.99 data plan is NOT limited to 5 GB of data, from everyone I have talked to and from the VZW pages itself (unless they are hiding that aspect, which may be entirely possible....
3) The Plan that they continually refer to is a modified version of the BB email and web plan, which is 149.99. Check out these stats:
DATA PLANS AND FEATURES
Data Plans and Features (such as NationalAccess, BroadbandAccess, GlobalAccess, Push to Talk, and certain VZEmail services) may ONLY be used with wireless devices for the following purposes: (i) Internet browsing; (ii) email; and (iii) intranet access (including access to corporate intranets, email, and individual productivity applications like customer relationship management, sales force, and field service automation). The Data Plans and Features MAY NOT be used for any other purpose. Examples of prohibited uses include, without limitation, the following: (i) continuous uploading, downloading or streaming of audio or video programming or games; (ii) server devices or host computer applications, including, but not limited to, Web camera posts or broadcasts, automatic data feeds, automated machine-to-machine connections or peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing; or (iii) as a substitute or backup for private lines or dedicated data connections. This means, by way of example only, that checking email, surfing the Internet, downloading legally acquired songs, and/or visiting corporate intranets is permitted, but downloading movies using P2P file sharing services and/or redirecting television signals for viewing on laptops is prohibited. A person engaged in prohibited uses, continuously for one hour, could typically use 100 to 200 MBs, or, if engaged in prohibited uses for 10 hours a day, 7 days a week, could use more than 5 GBs in a month.
For individual use only and not for resale. We reserve the right to protect our network from harm, which may impact legitimate data flows. We reserve the right to limit throughput or amount of data transferred, and to deny or terminate service, without notice, to anyone we believe is using an Data Plan or Feature in any manner prohibited above or whose usage adversely impacts our network or service levels. Anyone using more than 5 GB per line in a given month is presumed to be using the service in a manner prohibited above, and we reserve the right to immediately terminate the service of any such person without notice. We also reserve the right to terminate service upon expiration of Customer Agreement term.
Data sessions automatically terminate after 24 hours of activity. Data session is inactive when no data is being transferred. Data session may seem inactive while data is actively being transferred to device, or may seem active when it is actually cached and not transferring data. You MUST press or click END or DISCONNECT button to ensure that session disconnects and charges cease. Thirdparty applications may automatically reinitiate data sessions without you pressing or clicking SEND or CONNECT button. For the Palm® Treo™ 650, the only way to disconnect your data session is to press the home key until you see “All” or “System,” then select the “Prefs” icon, then select “Network” from the drop-down list, and then “Disconnect.” You may be able to send or receive voice calls when your data session is inactive. When this occurs, charges apply simultaneously for voice calls in accordance with your Calling Plan. You are responsible for maintaining virus protection when accessing service.
PDA/smartphone and BlackBerry® Plans: These VZEmail plans cannot be used: (1) for access to the Internet, intranets, or other data networks except as the device’s native applications and capabilities permit, unless you subscribe to BroadbandAccess Connect; or (2) for any applications that tether your device to laptops or personal computers other than for use of the Wireless Sync or the BlackBerry solution, unless you subscribe to BroadbandAccess Connect.
PDA/smartphone and BlackBerry Megabyte Features: Megabyte allowance and charges for kilobytes over the monthly allowance apply to 1xRTT and EV-DO data sessions, which are rounded to next full kilobyte at end of each billing cycle. Only total of kilobytes transmitted above allowance each billing cycle may appear on bill. You are responsible for all charges, including all data sent and received and “overhead” whether or not you or your recipients actually receive the data. Overhead is all data that is in addition to user-transmitted data, such as control, operational and routing instructions, error-checking characters as well as retransmissions of user-data messages that are received in error. Any unused portion of the megabyte allowance is lost.
However, if you pick a Select plan, as you said, and add the $29.99 email and data plan, there is a whole different set of terms and conditions:
(this is a JavaScript Popup window and as such will result in a Page not Found if you try to load it directly in your browser....)
Quote:
Close Window
Email and Web for BlackBerry®
Use your BlackBerry for personal email and Web surfing.
Your email will be “pushed” automatically to your device.
Access up to ten POP3 and IMAP email accounts, including Yahoo!® Mail, AOL® Mail, Windows Live® Hotmail®, and Verizon.net.
Easy email account setup.
Voice Usage: Per your voice calling plan.
Required Equipment
CDMA BlackBerry device with Verizon Wireless software required.
CDMA Data Roaming
In the Canadian Broadband and Canadian Enhanced Services Rate and Coverage Areas, usage will be charged at a rate of $0.002 per KB or $2.05 per MB.
In the Mexican Enhanced Services Rate and Coverage Area, usage will be charged at a rate of $0.005 per KB or $5.12 per MB.
For more information on roaming in Canada and Mexico, visit verizonwireless.com/naroaming
The Email and Web for BlackBerry and Email and Web for Smartphone Features are designed for personal, consumer use and are not compatible with some Internet email service offerings or with email applications utilizing BlackBerry Enterprise Server, BlackBerry Desktop Software, Wireless Sync or Wireless Sync Enterprise Server or Good™ Mobile Messaging. These features cannot be used to tether your device to laptops, personal computers or other devices for any purpose other than syncing of data; any other use is not permitted using these features. Service is only available in the National Enhanced Services and Extended National Enhanced Services Rate and Coverage Areas.
Ok but they didn't say they are talking about one single plan, and there is no 149.99 unlimited plan anyway. Only the 139.99 one, so obviously they are talking about the 119.99 unlim minutes and messaging with the 29.99 email and web for smartphone. Who cares if they messed up on the 5GB limit? The point is they got the prices right and that is all there is to it. If you are seriously mad at them for getting a DATA CAP wrong then you need to relax.
Also the "Enter your location" link is no good. I have selected a Blackberry and it gave me the same choice for a 29.99 email and web feature, which combined with unlim messaging and minutes comes to 149.98 (oh I am soo sorry I was off by 1 penny before). The only thing you are right about is Billshrink saying they have a 5GB limit on the data, and that is a easy mistake. The prices they have listed are all correct and couldn't have been produced using any "modified BB plan". With any smartphone/BB it costs the same 29.99 and then 119.99 for the minutes/messaging.
I imagine you can go on and on with little nitpicking and I have no interest in that, you are right about the 5 GB cap and that is all, if you feel the need to continue then go ahead but I have proven twice now that the price Billshrink provided is correct and that is all that really matters.
Last edited by CRPercodani; November 1st, 2009 at 09:22 AM.
here is a better link that works since it is not a JavaScript pop-up - Enter your location
Clicking on the different tabs (email vs email & messaging) shows different prices. Under email & messaging, there is the unlimited plan for $149.99 - and it has the restrictions as I listed above.
And I am seriously mad at them for getting the prices wrong. As I explained before, I am paying less with a BB Storm2 and a Droid, both with data packages. Their analysis is wrong.
I can scan in my final bill if you'd like to show just how much I ma paying and for what phones and which lines, but 2 BBs (one which will become a Droid) and a third line for $9.99 and 250 SMS ($5) all adds up to less than $149.99.
Ergo, their analysis is errant.
Last edited by johnlgalt; November 1st, 2009 at 10:30 AM.
The plans they listed are the 900 mins with unlimited messaging and the email and web for smartphone, that comes to 109 like they said. The unlimited minutes/messaging plan with email and web for smartphone comes to 149, also like they said. The 5GB cap is the only thing that might be wrong.
Ok your link shows a 149 plan, but billshrink didn't say anything about it being a bb plan. You are assuming that is what they meant, but I doubt they would choose a blackberry plan for a non blackberry phone. Unlim minutes/messaging is 119 then 29.99 for email and web....I don't need to explain this again, it is all correct and the only thing to dispute is the 5GB cap.
If your paying less that is great, but for what they listed it is correct, goto the site and choose a smartphone, then find the 900 minute and unlim messaging plan, then add on the 29.99 email and web, you get 109 like they said, and if you choose the unlim minutes/messaging and add on email and web you get 149. I don't see what your missing. They aren't talking about FAMILY plans which you prolly have since you have more then 1 line.
Last edited by CRPercodani; November 1st, 2009 at 11:01 AM.
Should that be listed as java = no? I changed the browser java to no and added the Dalvik virtual machine for java apps.
Android runs Java but what I think of as the browser running Java is the ability to run Java applets in the browser, which normally requires a JRE and quite a lot of the JSE, which if I understand things correctly, Android does not support.
I could be wrong. I don't have any particular knowledge of the Android browser, so I don't really know the answer, which is why I asked the question.
OP might want to specify the GPU of the iPhone as having the PowerVR SGX 535 compared to the Droid's PowerVR SGX 530 which is supposedly the phone-equivalent in the difference between a 9800M GT (high-end) compared to a 9600M GT (mid-range) respectively.
Also does anyone know if microSDs have the ability to "ReadyBoost" like high-speed flash drives on Windows Vista/7? It would be just great if we could utilize some of it for that purpose.
I had a typo in there under the droid column. Can you double-check your info and give me a link to your iPhone/S5PC100 spec and the comparitive info with the SGX 530?
Quote:
Originally Posted by QrafTee
microSD... ReadyBoost
Further up in this thread I quoted an article about using the SD for swap under Android with good performance results. What mechanism does ReadyBoost use for performance improvement?
I had a typo in there under the droid column. Can you double-check your info and give me a link to your iPhone/S5PC100 spec and the comparitive info with the SGX 530?Further up in this thread I quoted an article about using the SD for swap under Android with good performance results. What mechanism does ReadyBoost use for performance improvement?
Series5 (SGX)
PowerVR SGX (pixel, vertex, and geometry shader hardware)
next generation fully programmable universal scalable shader architecture
exceeding requirements of OpenGL 2.0 and up to DirectX 10.1 Shader Model 4.1
It's on Wikipedia and the PowerVR developer's page which... doesn't work right now.
As for ReadyBoost, it's a feature found on Windows Vista/7 which allows one to allocate some space on a high-speed USB Flash Drive to act as extra memory for performance boosts. I'm fairly sure it's just for Windows, but I don't know if there is an equivalent on other platforms or whether microSD cards are fast enough to allow that to even be possible on a handheld device.
Last edited by QrafTee; November 5th, 2009 at 01:18 PM.
PowerVR spec / performance boost by swapping on microSD
Quote:
Originally Posted by QrafTee
Series5 (SGX)
* SGX510 (discontinued)
* SGX520 (7 MPolys/s, 250Mpx/s) for the handheld mobile market
* SGX530/1 (14 MPolys/s) for the handheld mobile market
* SGX535 and SGX540 (28 MPolys/s) for handheld high end mobile, portable, MID, UMPC, consumer, and automotive devices
* SGX540 (1000M pix/s, 20-35M Polys/s), SGX545, SGX555
Good info. I've found though, that the 3Gs has the Samsung S5PC100 and that the S5PC100 has the PowerVR MBX-Lite. It is a lower power consumption variant of the SGX.
update: I see in Wikipedia that the 3GS has an SGX. I'll update the chart and do some more searching. I'm looking for the specific SOC in the 3GS and its GPU model.
Quote:
Originally Posted by QrafTee
As for ReadyBoost, it's a feature found on Windows Vista/7 which allows one to allocate some space on a high-speed USB Flash Drive to act as extra memory for performance boosts. I'm fairly sure it's just for Windows, but I don't know if there is an equivalent on other platforms or whether microSD cards are fast enough to allow that to even be possible on a handheld device.
I expect it's used as fast swap space. So yes, you may put swap space on the microSD and it will improve performance (according to above quoted posting.) We'll only know for sure once we test it on the Droid though.
Last edited by tpriddy; November 5th, 2009 at 06:22 PM.
The Motorola Droid - the first ever Verizon Android Phone - exploded onto the mobile market with an incredibly successful ad campaign that brough Android to the masses. With a huge and vibrant touchscreen, solid metal body, full QWERTY keyboard, 5M... Read More
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