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^ you have yet to link to one unbiased reviewer who isn't bent on highlighting android's supposed weaknesses. Apple fanboys will obviously put down anything they deem as a threat even when it's superior. I got news for you though, the droid and the nexus 1 are only the first wave. And google isn't sitting still. Also that supposed app limit all the apple fanboys love to harp on is already being dealth with.

You came in to do a drive-by, but it looks like your gun jammed.
 
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^ you have yet to link to one unbiased reviewer who isn't bent on highlighting android's supposed weaknesses. Apple fanboys will obviously put down anything they deem as a threat even when it's superior. I got news for you though, the droid and the nexus 1 are only the first wave. And google isn't sitting still. Also that supposed app limit all the apple fanboys love to harp on is already being dealth with.

You came in to do a drive-by, but it looks like your gun jammed.

Somebody has to wake up and smell the coffee. I came to this forum to learn about Android in the hopes it would be better. The company that makes the best smartphone will get my business. So far it ain't happening with the current Android devices, good as they are, they ain't the best. Too many work arounds, too many excuses.
 
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With a true multi-touch, the cursor is located with a finger

I didn't see anyone respond with the fact that you can simply touch anywhere in a text field to put the cursor where you want it (at least on my MyTouch and the G1 I had prior). Has nothing to do with multitouch. Granted you can't drag your finger from point to point to select text, and I'll agree that's annoying. But the trackball isn't required for cursor placement in a text field.
 
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I've never owned a phone w/ a trackball, but I'm not opposed to them. I played w/ the Eris in the store and found it somewhat awkward, as is every phone you're not used to. But I don't need one w/ the Droid. I can touch any field I need, or just use the directional pad on the keyboard.

There's plenty of comparable or exactly the same apps for Android. What I truly love, is most of the best apps are free. And there's plenty of them. When I got the Droid, the App Market was boasting 10,000 apps. It's since doubled.

As everyone stated, there is multi-touch, it's just not an active feature. Why, I have no idea. But you've been told about Dolphin Browser which has it, and there's also a multi-touch gallery for your photos. I'm sure there's more coming.

Google Maps is too cool. There's also Google SkyMap. Google Earth will be coming soon.

And I don't know how that article can say the N1 or any phone for that matter has a better screen than the Droid. Add the fact that you can change your wallpaper and you've got a beautiful thing
 
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wow this guys got it in for us poor android users. yeah our androids cant compare to the iphone. the iphone is sooooo superior. truth is i dont give a rats a$$ about apple or att. i use my droid eris for work, and in my field of work, staying in constant communication with my bosses weighs heavely with me. and att doesent cut it. google maps is what i use the most, and its great. cant wait for google navi to come to the eris.
keep your iphone and all the apps you paid for. i'll keep my eris and the FREE apps that comes with it.
 
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Ok I'll Give the OP one credit. There IS NOT a decent nautical Chartplotter for Android and, contrary to opinions above, Googlemaps IS NOT a replacement for a chartplotter. Chartplotters provide MUCH more information than Google maps does including water depths, navigational markers (bouys, lights, shoal markers etc), and harbor information like VHF frequencies. I send a message to the developer for iNavX and he said there are currently NO plans to port to Android. So I guess we're stuck using dedicated devices until a better solution comes about. That being said I did put in a request for a Nautical Navigation mode at google code. (Issue 5870 - android - Nautical Navigation mode - Project Hosting on Google Code)

However, as for some of the other OP points:

Yankeexpress said:
Using Verizon MiFi and a 64gig iPod Touch via Wifi.

I also have a 32gig 3GS which of course is ATT.
Best of both worlds, but expensive.

My Droid IS my MiFi and my iPod and it has the network with the best coverage (at least in my area).

Yankeexpress said:
How are ya gonna git all them thar Apps when the N1 only allots 190mb total for all Apps. They ain't gonna fit. Not happening.
The Droid has 512MB for application storage. In addition to the G1, the Droid has also been rooted so expect the ability to install apps to the SD Card to show up on IT as it already has on the G1.

I was hell bent on getting an iPhone too but the crappy network is what kept me on my Palm Treo. When the Droid came out and I saw what it could do, I jumped on it.

I'm glad I did.
 
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That's good new info about iNavX not gonna be developed for Android.

An alternative may be Navionics. Good part about Navionics is it is much cheaper than iNavX. Bad part is that the charts are vector charts, where as iNavX charts are Raster scans of real NOAA charts including all information contained on a NOAA chart.

BTW both sets of charts are updated periodically free in iTunes.

I prefer the raster charts of iNavx despite the added cost. I used it to sail into Woods Hole on the Cape when the boat's chartplotter PC crashed. Worked great.

I believe the ship pilots of Charleston SC are the first US pilots to carry iNavX on iPhones instead of much more expensive laptops like the Sandy Hook pilots and others lug up the pilot ladder of
every ship they board.

Cost of a laptop with chart software is over $3000,
where as an iPhone + iNavX + Mophie battery is under $500.
 
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Somebody has to wake up and smell the coffee. I came to this forum to learn about Android in the hopes it would be better. The company that makes the best smartphone will get my business. So far it ain't happening with the current Android devices, good as they are, they ain't the best. Too many work arounds, too many excuses.


Agreed, I notice you say PHONE in smartphone, its been common knowledge that the Iphone isnt a very good phone becuase of the network its on. Not everybody has the problems, but many do. As a communications device PHONE is my top priority, and the Iphone simply does not cut it on AT&T. I do agree with many of the reviews, the Andriod os and apps are a bit rouhg around the edges, (I never owned an Iphone when it came out, only later) was it perfect when it came out? yes thats an actual question, not a jab. How long till it became as polished as it is (I do agree Iphones are pretty polished). but Since the DROID im useing makes calls pretty much 100% of the time, hasnt dropped any, and does EVERYTHING my Iphone did (that I want) while maybe takeing an extra button push... I must admit i find it amazing we compalin that we have to tap a screen 2X instead of once.

Thre are copyrights, there wont be copies of Iphone apps untill the original programes make them, hence many of apps we see are copies of orginals with changes so they wont get in trouble.

here is a real question, with time will the Android OS be as slick as the Iphones? From my reading an Open source OS is almost always the fastest place to get "new" products. More interesting devolpmnet is almost always done on open source projects (which almost alwasy gets ported to otehr OS later). I really cant see a downside to the current harware that Android is on. better screen (specs) and all the abilities the Iphone has, on a network that is better. Time is going to either make the android OS great, or just another footnote. I think its going to be the best, but only in time will I be proven right or wrong.
 
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Trolly troll is being fed, let him die.

troll-web.jpg
 
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Yet another iPhone loser who doesn't have a clue what he is talking about.
My responses are in bold



In closing I find it funny when apple fanboys get shut down, and their love of a more expensive, yet inferior product both baffle me and make me laugh at the same time.



Trackballs are fine. Your running out of excuses. Really. Non-swappable batteries, non-swappable memory, and closed-source is ancient tech. It's going to be funny watching apple die again, because of their archaic business model. They lost the PC war to Microsoft for a reason. Apple still hasn't put out an iPod that can match the ZuneHD's awesomeness.

AMEN on EVERYTHING you said. So why DO people who hate Android even come here? Nothing wrong with Windows 7 or WinMo but there is always someone who has something to say about them. Apple's OS is fine just obscenely overpriced. Kind of like buying a Harley vs a Honda. Honda is probably superior in all regards but most Harley owners will tell you that it's all about the lifestyle and NOT that the Harley is a more superior bike. Same thing with Apple. It's more about the "rep" than anything else. It's ok to buy both but at least admit that a good deal of their sales are due to that "image" thing.
 
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It's pretty obvious that Yankee just has a different set of needs than the vast majority of users. Be honest, you committed to the iPhone platform because it had an app that filled a specific need and did it well, and now you have an interest in seeing that platform continue its majority. And sure, I could continue the fun of everyone-getting-further-entrenched by pointing out the somewhat amusing juxtaposition of proclaiming 'too many workaround, too many excuses' and announcing you have an iPhone and a Touch hooked up to a second network's 3G with a third piece of hardware. And yeah, pointing that out was fun. But that's because I'm invested too.

Anyways, for anyone who's stumbled onto this thread and is actually looking for help with a chartplotter or some sort of SD card based nautical navigation, I found another workaround.

OruxMaps

Orux is an app that lets you get maps either through the realtime 3G, or maps you yourself set up on your PC before hand, and downloaded to the SD card. It seems to do what you'd need it to do once you have the maps made and sideloaded to your phone.

But it's the making the maps that seems to be a little bit of a hassle, but thankfully it's somewhat standardized by also using the same format as

Official OziExplorer Web Site - GPS Mapping Software for Tracking and Navigation. Supports Garmin, Magellan, Lowrance and GPS

which to my admitted ignorance seems.. legitimate? Widespread?

The maps will need to be calibrated, but I suspect that brings more peace of mind than hassle if you're relying on them out on open waters. Ozi Explorer seems to be a fairly expensive piece of software, so it looks like Orux has assembled a suite of alternatives: OruxMaps

Anyways, this seems to be a rather small niche of users, but it is a case study highlighting one of the as-of-today drawbacks of Android; the market is smaller, so more niche-gaps exist. The Android Market is probably going to grow faster than App Store in terms of proportion, but at the end of the year, the App Store will still be more than twice as big, and gaps will remain.
 
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You do know that Apple is doing the cockblocking regarding native multitouch right? While Android phones generally support multitouch, their native apps are not coded to utilize multitouch. Look at the Milestone for example, since the rest of the world is not in favor of ridiculous patents that slow development down, which is evident in the US. Look at all those lawsuits... Apple's patents on multitouch is the enemy. Although is unclear if its possible to have a patent on multitouch, it is evident there are some "cellphone politics" involved.

In other words, Apple is at fault here.
 
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As I understand it, Apple hasn't really done anything, but Google and Moto just respect their litigiousness. Either way, its not like people respecting Apple's claim to a dubious patent is a mark against Apple itself, and certainly not a reason to appreciate the fact that the iPhone sports it everywhere, and Android doesn't.
 
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Somebody has to wake up and smell the coffee. I came to this forum to learn about Android in the hopes it would be better. The company that makes the best smartphone will get my business. So far it ain't happening with the current Android devices, good as they are, they ain't the best. Too many work arounds, too many excuses.

Is this why so many iPhone users are clamoring for Geohot/DEV TEAM to release jailbreaks for new iPhones right away. There are too many things that APPLE won't let you do with the iPhone that people want.

JB Apps that many use:
Backgrounder (Run apps in the background)
3G Unrestrictor (Run voip and other wifi only apps in 3G)
Bite SMS (Emoticons, Quick Reply to text, etc)
Google Voice (Apple Banned all GV apps from app store)
Intellescreen (People put widgets on their screen)

These are things that iPhone can't do without being hacked. Android does most of them out of the box... or within a couple of visits to the Android Market.
 
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As I understand it, Apple hasn't really done anything, but Google and Moto just respect their litigiousness. Either way, its not like people respecting Apple's claim to a dubious patent is a mark against Apple itself, and certainly not a reason to appreciate the fact that the iPhone sports it everywhere, and Android doesn't.

United States Patent: 7629969

Dude... Moto released Milestone, the Droid equivalent, but with multi-touch, to the rest of the world. As for Google, they merely respect the law and probably the patent systems in the US.

No offence, but the patent system in the US is messed up. Look at how much it hinders development and all the BS lawsuits. Just look at Microsoft and Office 2010, as far as I can remember, they're getting a hefty lawsuit on software patent, thats why it isn't out yet.

It creates this invisible "political" system between these giants. You want to infringe the patent? Well I'll have to infringe yours then. Look at Palm and Apple. The only reason why both companies aren't suing each other's asses off is that they both have infringements and that it would be too much of a hassle to retract their devices from the market since they already sold so many of them.

The rest of the world does not have ridiculous patents, hence the Milestone. I may not be right, this is just how I perceive the situation to be, so please forgive me if I get any facts wrong. There are debates regarding this touchy subject, feel free to Google them. ;)
 
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Despite the better resolution screen, turn-by-turn navigation and voice typing, the item that will keep me from buying an N1 is the lack of a multi-touch screen. The iPhone pinch & flick action is too slick to give up. And the ability to correct typos with the magically appearing magnifying glass is not there in Android. How does one correct mistakes without fiddling with a balky trackball? Track balls are notoriously faulty. Trackballs suck. Just ask any crackberry veteran.

And where is the Redlaser app to compare prices by scanning barcodes with the phone's camera?

And Instapaper app to download newspaper articles to read offline while in flight?

And iNavx with every nautical chart in the US on the phone with waypoint GPS navigation even while offshore out of cell range?

Looks like the Android OS has some serious catching up to do.

Yes, of course I am tied to a contract. When it ends I will see where the mobile landscape is greener and decide whether Android has turned into a version of a Microsoft type mess or has caught up to Apple. May the consumer be the better for this upcoming competition. It's gonna be fun to witness the battle.

the way i see it, this is the gist of your post: american android phones lack multitouch; you need multitouch; hence, at this point, android devices are not suitable for you.

well, i concur with you 100%. if i were someone who considered multitouch a supreme phone attribute, then i would surely stay away from any android device. but why are you telling this to android fans on this forum? are you by any chance under the hope that your opinion might sway android users against android?

the truth is: u.s android phones lack multitouch (and before any reactionary fandroid attacks me with the non-sensical non-consequential statement that goes like this: oh, our android phones are MT-capable it's just that google disabled the feature in stock android...look at our little stupid dolphin system replacement app; it's got MT, before any attack, the OP is justified in claiming that there's no MT on american androids, BECAUSE THERE ISN'T. when you take out your N1 from the box, THERE IS NO MT, PERIOD! and NO!!! system replacement APPS are NOT A VALID OPTION because they undermine the MOST IMPORTANT attribute of a smartphone, PERFORMANCE, stop the dolphin non-sense...dolphin shmolphin....out of the box, a u.s android phone has NO MT, period. end of story!!!); back to you OP: people prefer android for many reasons; these reasons are not related to MT, and that's why you cannot sway people against their android phones. for instance, android fans prefer it because they consider customizability, freedom, and lower premiums to be superior to MT.

so basically, iphone and android devices are different products with different superior attributes, appealing to different crowds.
 
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