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New to android and very confused

Vtec

Member
Jul 14, 2010
96
4
Greetings all, I am very excited for this phone but I just started finding out about AT&T and how they "cripple" android phones which is now starting to make me question buying it. What I would like to know is if I just root the phone will that give me back the option in the apps settings to install unknown apps? Also what about the tethering and mobile hotspot will just the rooting put those in or is more work needed?
Thanks in advance and I apoligize if these are foolish questions.
 
Pretty sure the answer to your question is no. I believe that you'd have to root, then put a stock ROM on it.

Thank you, you answered my question. It wasnt what I wanted to hear but answered nonetheless. Hmmm so I need to root and get a rom to make the phone what it should be.....seems like more effort than I wanted to put into this venture. I will now have to reconsider the iphone as this upsets me. I just really hate apple.:mad:
 
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Thank you, you answered my question. It wasnt what I wanted to hear but answered nonetheless. Hmmm so I need to root and get a rom to make the phone what it should be.....seems like more effort than I wanted to put into this venture. I will now have to reconsider the iphone as this upsets me. I just really hate apple.:mad:
Why go with iphone just because you can't install 3rd party apps on the captivate out of the box. The captivate has better apps that are market approved then the app store. (pda net, snesoid, layar, etc.) Plus, if you wanted to get some of the same apps the market has on your iphone that apple won't allow, you have to jailbreak. In any cause you are going to have to change one of your phones. Why not the android device that is better all around? my 2 cents..
 
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Why go with iphone just because you can't install 3rd party apps on the captivate out of the box. The captivate has better apps that are market approved then the app store. (pda net, snesoid, layar, etc.) Plus, if you wanted to get some of the same apps the market has on your iphone that apple won't allow, you have to jailbreak. In any cause you are going to have to change one of your phones. Why not the android device that is better all around? my 2 cents..

I just talked to my buddy at AT&T and he told me to try it and if I brick the phone I can just return it so I guess I'll give it a shot, Im just a bit of a noob and I never tried this before. I have an Iphone now but its the older one, and its not jailbroke. My reason for wanting to go to android was the ability to sideload apps, I saw a friend do it on his by just browsing the web and clicking on what he wanted and it installed straight from the site. I thought that was the coolest thing. And he is a complete idiot, he doesnt know anything about rooting or adb but his stuff works. But if I dont want to alter my phone in anyway and I am going to be restricted then I would stay with the iphone. I just wanted to taste some freedom.
 
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True dat thindery. The Galaxy S phones are being released on all 4 carriers so this phone is going to be a very well hacked phone by the end of the year.
My wife has an Iphone4- it is an awesome phone but it is still controlled by Itunes. I'm getting Android because I dont like Itunes telling me what I can and can't put on my phone. If you buy that Iphone, you are letting Itunes run what you can do with it- even if they jailbreak it. Try putting an .avi or .mkv video on a jailbroken Iphone. Not possible- not that it would matter cause it can only play .mp4s anywayz.

Captivate- Bigger Screen, better graphics performance, more customization and freedom.
 
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Vtec,

I share your concerns and like you I very much dislike Apple and do not want to get an iPhone, despite all the glitz and hype. It's a slick piece of hardware but Apple's behavior pisses me off and they don't let the phone do all it could.

I'm also not going to be leaving AT&T, for reasons better suited for other threads.

Basically, my reading has boiled things down to two issues with the Captivate (and other AT&T Android phones):

1) The disallowing of sideloading apps (apps that aren't in the Android Marketplace)
2) The stock AT&T bloatware that can't be removed.

However, there seem to be workable solutions for both issues. For #1, there is a way via the PC desktop to do this... cumbersome but do-able for the occasional non-market app I might want. For #2, I can just organize those icons out of sight, even if I can't completely remove them. These seem to be better solutions than settling for the iPhone (which is just worse overall with more restrictions) or jumping carriers.
 
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