Disappointed with Android phones....need advice!

[gino_76ph]

hiya. a month ago i started looking for Android mobile phones to use whenever i'm out and about and not doing anything when at work.

i have ordered the amazing HTC Hero but for some reason it didn't arrived in the post. i had the HTC Tattoo but becuase of the appalling battery life (and unavailability of extended-life ones) i had to return it.

i currently now have the Nokia 5800 Xpress music phone and so far i'm "satisfied" but i kept longing for mister Android because of IMHO better apps and touchscreen heaven phones.

any advice for me please... wait for more phones? what phones should i watch out for? ditch the 5800 after the new year? (which i plan to).

 

[KlaymenDK]

Best advice is to guide you to answer your own question.

What are you looking for? Fun and games, web and facebook? Camera and media? Bling and fashion statement, or geek appeal? Or road-warrior pda features (solid address book, calendar, etc)? Think about why your current Nokia is "satisfying": what achieves that rating, and what holds it back from a better one? What kind of apps do you wish you had, which Nokia-based apps do you view as essential?

I'm afraid that in the "classic pda" department, Android+Google falls quite a bit short of what you'd expect if you've ever had a proper pda (Palm, Psion, perhaps also BlackBerry). Also, battery life and general ruggedness seems to be better in the older generations of devices, the new ones are altogether too power-hungry to last very long.

In the "modern features" and "connectivity" departments, Android appears to be fully on par with the iPhone. Minus a few points for style and several more for UI polish; plus a couple of points for multitasking, openness, and other features.

 

[gino_76ph]

when it comes to multitouch and apps i kind of liked the iPhone. second to that is Google Android which i also liked because of the massive ways to customise your phone, the number of inovative apps as well and the OS being "open" and the massive future i'm seeing.

i'm not a geek person and i don't like the PDA-esque of a device. the apps i mostly would like to have are of the mainstream...an integrated chat service (for facebook, Google talk, Myspace, Yahoo, etc.), news and weather of some of my chosen cities, converters (for currency, weight, etc.), a wiki app, a dictionary, online radio (the one that streams to your device just like the 2nd-gen iPod Touc that i had) and something that i can just check my emails with ease (in setting up, checking, etc.), geotag and send my photos with ease to Facebook and other sites, play music, videos and most specially make calls.

the iPhone 3GS IMO ticks everything (almost) on my list and so is an Android phone and because they are slightly cheaper so i had to get one.

the Nokia 5800 is an "Ok" phone albeit the resistive touchscreen, slow and sluggish OS and an irritating way in accessing apps vis it's Ovi store. with Android, searching for apps was a breeze and as easy as the iPhone's.

i'm not into games that much but a tic-tac-toe or space shooter or sudoku or a table football game might come in handy sometimes. i think an Android phone is very much capable of that but could do with a faster processor or a dedicated video/audio card. for games i think the iPhone/iPhone Touch wins hands down. but again...them phones are still much expensive.

if i can't get thru this persisting problem/hiccup with the N5800 (like this on & off "error" in seracging for apps on the Ovi store) then i will have to sell it and buy an Android phone again. but the question is...which one? and buy now or wait till 2010?

 

[Rochard]

Everyone has different requirements for cell phones. For me it's mostly a phone and communication device. I work online and I like being connected to email and being able to surf when I'm away from home. Droid does this for me so I'm happy. Throw in a few other things and I'm sold.

 

[gino_76ph]

i agree fully. i think it depends on what you need on a device. i think as the Android OS becomes better and well-known we will be seing companies jumping on the bandwagon (if you like) so we will have more choices, etc. thus lowering prices and thus having a "proper" competition...against the empire of Apple.

 

[vincentp]

You just have to weigh your personal needs. If you like the OS but don't like the phones available, then it's definitely not for you. Don't force yourself into getting something that you won't be happy with. What carrier do you have? Are you in the US?

 

[gino_76ph]

i'm in the UK and currently with O2.

 

[Blackbrawler]

Wrong thread sorry

 

[vincentp]

i'm in the UK and currently with O2.

What other Android phones are available for your carrier that you have not tried yet?

 

[gino_76ph]

i had the Tattoo but the battery life was appaling. the HTC magic is "exclusive" to Vodafone and i didn't liked the Voda sign in front. so i had to settle woth the HTC Hero which is a joy to use and suits my needs except it could do with (a) better battery life, (b) and camera with LED/Xenon flash and an (c) "unlocked" bluetooth capability for seamless and open transfer (i.e. send and receive) files from other bluetooth-enabled devices.

 

[rizzla]

i had the Tattoo but the battery life was appaling. the HTC magic is "exclusive" to Vodafone and i didn't liked the Voda sign in front. so i had to settle woth the HTC Hero which is a joy to use and suits my needs except it could do with (a) better battery life, (b) and camera with LED/Xenon flash and an (c) "unlocked" bluetooth capability for seamless and open transfer (i.e. send and receive) files from other bluetooth-enabled devices.

Erm have people never heard of high capacity batteries?

Got one for my hero,

 

[gino_76ph]

hi Rizzla. may i know where did you got your Hero's hi-capacity battery? (the ones i know is a bit fatter and needed a bigger back cover).