I am not impressed with Android phones, yet

[doepain]

When I heard Google was coming out with its own phone OS I was very excited. I am like most in I.T. an avid Googler, and hate to conform to Win32 type of socialism.

I know since most everyone out there uses Google exclusively too, but there are a lot of things Google does to set itself out for the corporate norm.

When heard the "droid" was coming the Verizon I was over-joyed, and could not believe that I would have the opportunity to get my hands on a "real" smart-phone other than the iPhone (not a big fan of Apple, and Steve Jobs fascist ways).

Sadly though I bought an A855 (droid w.\froyo), but I am so disappointed with it I can't bare to vocalize about it anywhere but a forum of like minded peers.

The phones battery life makes it useless to me! I have less than 12 hours and I know it will be critical! I have to always make sure wireless, Bluetooth and GPS receiver are powered off when not in use, and at times the account synchronizer as well to preserve battery life. I cannot install half of the apps I would like to because either the battery life worsens, or the device runs out of memory.

I have gotten to the point now where I am regret I ever made the jump to Android, and sadly considering an iPhone (if and when it ever comes to Verizon). My colleagues who own iPhones never complain about the same limitations as I am regarding lack of space, and poor battery life, and I am envious of that!

Am I alone in feeling this way, or are there others out there with same issues? Does anyone have any suggestions on how to help extend the battery life? ...anything because it has been less than a year and I am ready to throw it away!

 

[marefin]

You're basing your opinion of Android of one phone? If you can be that irrational as to base it on just one phone, then you might as well be as irrational and get an iPhone 4. iPhone 4 seems to fit the irrational minded group pretty well.

Didn't watch this fully, but maybe it'll help:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xbu00F-8wlY

 

[Bnice]

So go get you a phone that's to your needs and like.

 

[faber78]

it is ok to get an iphone.

 

[pool_shark]

I'm so sick of people whining about smart phone battery life.
It's a mini computer in your pocket. Your laptop doesn't last all day either, so it isn't realistic to expect a smart phone to last.

 

[Martimus]

Sadly though I bought an A855 (droid w.\froyo), but I am so disappointed with it I can't bare to vocalize about it anywhere but a forum of like minded peers.

The phones battery life makes it useless to me! I have less than 12 hours and I know it will be critical! I have to always make sure wireless, Bluetooth and GPS receiver are powered off when not in use, and at times the account synchronizer as well to preserve battery life. I cannot install half of the apps I would like to because either the battery life worsens, or the device runs out of memory.

The advantage with Android is if you aren't getting adequate battery life you can usually buy a larger battery. I challenge you to find a user replacable battery for the iPhone that you can change without an electronics background or in less than an hour (if you solder slowly like me!). iPhone batteries are soldered to the system board in the phone and to replace one requires that you dismantle the phone, remove the existing battery, solder the new battery into place, and then reassemble the phone.

I have gotten to the point now where I am regret I ever made the jump to Android, and sadly considering an iPhone (if and when it ever comes to Verizon). My colleagues who own iPhones never complain about the same limitations as I am regarding lack of space, and poor battery life, and I am envious of that!

I am really happy to hear that metro Boston doesn't have the same AT&T issues that many of the larger U.S. cities have. My friends who carry iPhones are frequently dropping calls and grumbling about slow data performance. A peer of mine who was solidly in the Apple camp just sold his iPhone and iPad to buy a EVO and is anxiously waiting for Cisco to release the CIUS. When Cisco starts selling the CIUS he'll get one of those too (he works for Cisco so he can actually get it at a reasonable price! ).

The great thing about smartphones is that if you don't like the phone you carry, you can always sell it and get something different. Good luck to you with your future iPhone purchase!

 

[BORIStheBLADE]

ALL smart phones get about the same battery use out of them, Except Blackberry. Most people don't put BB with Apple, Wimo, Palm and Droid though.

I have friends with Iphones and they don't get that much of a significant better battery.

I will say that I do feel that the way technology is all these phones should be getting better battery life.

 

[AndrizzleHD]

Being IT man myself I personally prefer android, however neither apple or google is outperforming RIM in the enterprise area yet. Both android and apple devices have trouble connecting to wireless/vpn enabled services around many companies, but RIM seems to be more constant at this point.

As for personal usage (outside work life) I think you need to try more android phones. I have the new Desire HD and it is fantastic so far. The space, battery is just about what it should be.

 

[silverfang77]

I wouldn't expect a phone with a 1 GHz CPU and dedicated video chip to have good battery life! :-D

 

[mauiblue]

The thing I like about my HTC Incredible is that I can change out the battery in a matter of seconds and have multiple packs charged and ready to go. My phone was easy to root (jailbreak) and now I can have different custom ROM installed. I've never had a problem with the Android Market and I've gotten may useful and entertaining apps for free or at a very small price. I would have gotten an iPhone this past summer if it was offered on the Verizon network but I'm glad that didn't happen as now I am satisfied owner of an android phone.

 

[Light Speed1]

You shouldnt have to root your phone to get optimal battery life. I have the same issue with my htc wildfire, horrid battery life... im probably going to return it. I cant have a phone that doesnt last 12 hours with moderate use. its a joke.

The entire android platform seems plagued from unoptimized processes and applications, as well as a buggy overall system.

If you dont like the iphone, I would personally go with Windows Phone 7 which launches on monday...

 

[bmckenzie90]

Windows Phone is a joke. And if you want something that performs, I certainly wouldn't jump on it's band-wagon the day of it's premier. It's bound to have endless bugs, almost no apps. It's a phone that comes out of the bos with NO copy/paste for crap's sake. If you want battery life, go to a blackberry (though personally I've never had one last longer than 12 hours either). Is it really that much of a pain to plug it in when you're near your computer?

My phone has a 1ghz processor, 2gb of internal memory (plenty for apps until 2.2 lets me move them to SD card, aka, practically TOO much space) 512ROM/384RAM.

The battery lasts all day, even when I play emulators, music and video.

The thing about Android that i admit, I didn't even realize, is that it's not like Apple, where the hardware and software are the same for every phone. You have to pay attention to the actual specs of the phone, just like when buying a computer... after all, android IS practically a computer.

You can't expect an "open" operating system to run the same on every device. I made this mistake, my Samsung Acclaim was hideous. Hated it, but my Mesmerize is absolutely amazing. I hated android when I got it on that crap Acclaim, but now that I have hardware capable of pushing it to it's true potential, I will most likely never switch. I am a di-hard Apple fan, but the unlimited possibilities of Android, and it's customization are a dead-ringer for what I think mobile phones SHOULD be.

 

[Light Speed1]

almost no apps? it has over 1500 apps right now, and hundreds being accepted daily.
"If you want battery life, go to a blackberry" thats the dumbest thing ive ever heard. Ive thoroughly tested a windows phone 7 review unit and it had GREAT battery life, lasted more than a day with heavy use. your evo would last maybe 5 hours max with heavy use.

have fun with your task managers and viruses.

 

[IndivisibleP]

I essentially agree with the two points that were made in the first post. The battery life on my nexus one is a definite drawback, and the lack of built in storage is also certainly a pain to deal with.

For the battery I bought a 12$ knock off replacement battery which takes me less than 30 sec to change out and can be done practically unconsciously. Although I am still conscious and annoyed by the fact that my nexus doesnt last longer on a full battery charge, it is more or less just an annoyance on principle now than it is a practical problem. And all things considered I would rather have the option of a replaceable battery/ies , which I need to change once in a day (and that will easily last into a second day) than a built-in irreplaceable battery that may last a whole day. The freedom and versatility is actually greater.

And as far as the native storage, yeah it sucks. My Nexus comes with 198MB and quite frankly I am surprised. Even though this phone came out early this year, that is still relatively small considering the state of technology these days and even then. Not sure what they were thinking... Even with the apps2sd ability of Froyo 2.2, some apps dont function unless they are on the phones storage and/or there is no option to move them. So nonetheless I am still up against the wall. I have seen though that the newer phones mostly come with 2gb of storage etc. So even though I am at my limit now with 198MB, I must admit I pretty much already have more apps than I actually use or take advantage of, and 2GB would be more than I actually need for as long as I can imagine. Anyway, I dont know the solution for this on my nexus...

In conclusion I will probably buy another Android phone before the new year. If a nexus 2 doesnt come or something else in GSM that appeals I will go for the Desire HD. As far as iphone I think I closed that chapter permanently (except I do keep one on hand as a novelty item for Enigmo and Labrynth 2!!!). For the time being I am willing to juggle an android with its necessary workarounds as the technological constraints (i.e batteries, etc) run their natural course of progress. The freedom is indispensable...

 

[Light Speed1]

windows phone 7 has a minimum of 8 GB storage. so yea, 190 mb is laughable

 

[Bitterman]

I'm on the Sprint network and want a new smartphone desperately but don't want to leave Sprint, I get excellent service. The lack of battery life being complained about by the vast majority of users (from what I've read) is what has kept me from pulling the trigger. I wish they made an Epic w/o the sliding KB and used all that space for a better battery instead. Features are great, but they don't amount to anything if your battery dies and all you have is an attractive paper weight. Atleast now, with the option of rooting the phones and killing off non essential services to lessen comsumption and improve battery life, I'm willing to give it a chance, though I'm still wary. I'm not familiar with your phone but I would suggest searching to look into that. Apparently there are big gains to be had on other phones. so I would imagine you could benefit also. Hope that helps.

 

[PinkMirrorKirby]

Hey Light Speed1, if you hated Android that much, why bother and stay here? Go to a Windows Phone 7 Forums instead.

Anyways most of the time Android's Battery life is bad because you didn't turn off Mobile Network or switch to 2G when you are not using your phone, it saves tons of battery.

 

[JevyJav]

Hey Light Speed1, if you hated Android that much, why bother and stay here? Go to a Windows Phone 7 Forums instead.

 

[AndroidSPCS]

I'm not impressed with this universe, yet. I can't get my human body to last more than 1,000 years. Being a vampire sucks.

 

[WitchMX]

The guy that created the thread seems to be bashing on the phone more than on the OS.

The battery is a problem that is not attached to the OS. I had a Palm Pre and had terrible batt life. I have a X10 now and the battery lasts easily at least 1 day, heavy use because I spend have of the day downloading stuff since Im new to android too.

I you want the perfect OS, you won't find it. Look for the one that fulfill your needs the most and go for it.... And for try and read a lil about the OS before running to the closest store to buy a phone just because it says Google/Apple/RIM on the back.

Cheers

 

[chicano]

@bmckenzie90
I switched to Android because of the HTC Evo, I needed a bigger screen. I have been using the Evo since August. I would have STAYED with windows mobile if it had the Evo. Every app that I have accumulated with Android, I had on my Windows Mobile HTC Touch Pro 2. Sure Windows Mobile didn't have ONE location to get your apps... but there are plenty of developers still developing apps for Windows Mobile. If you are into tweaking your phone with pushing the possibilities- you can with Windows Mobile. I have over 15 gbs of apps on dvds- so I don't understand people when they say- it has no apps.

Windows Mobile: you can actual do a WHOLE system backup, including your memory card, does not make your apps disappear, has the same apps you can get find on the Android- at the moment- I am trying to find those apps or something similar I had on Winmo for my Android- like a real backup app. I also miss how you can do a registry tweak for almost ANYTHING on your phone- tons of registry tweaks available- can't say much about Android. And last but not least, SD card- I had ALL my apps running off my SD card. I know, Android finally got something similar. Windows Mobile- no tweak needed- just install it directly on your SD card- simple. Saves you alot memory on your phone. Now I can't say much about Windows 7, supposedly the OS is revamped- I won't be switching anytime soon unless it is confirmed that you can used apps I had on my Windows Mobile 6.1- and gets an Evo type of phone- I am gone.

I used my Touch Pro 2 keyboard on my UMPC, which had not keyboard. Windows Mobile has some of the best baked Roms on the market as well. And you can actually get RID of Sprint's bloatware- which saved memory.

And you had developers like No2Chem, who comes out with some wicked hacks for your windows mobile phone... check his site here http://www.nuerom.com/BlogEngine/
all FREE. He has this app, nueTVOut, which I connected my tp2 to my LCD tv and play nintendo emulators games like punch out. Yep, windows mobile can be connected to your tv to watch movies, surf the net, and play games.

I am starting to see Android is getting there though.

NO JOKE AT ALL...



update: I just noticed that you are a die hard apple fan... no wonder.

 

[uzetaab]

These 2 issues that keep coming up over & over again (batt life & storage capacity) really bug me. Not because I disagree, because I don't. I totally agree that they are a problem.

What bugs me is I hardly ever hear anything about who is to blame. It's the fault of the damn manufacturers. Until we start telling them to get their act together & fix this, nothing will change.

Battery life, If they have to make my phone 5% bigger in order to have a battery that lasts for at least half a week, I'm fine with that.

If I have to pay an extra $50-100 dollars to get 16gb of memory on my phone, I'm fine with that too (as long as there are still phones out there without the extra capacity so that people have choices)

You hear me Motorola, HTC, Samsung, Sony, etc? I'm fine with that!

/rant

 

[BORIStheBLADE]

almost no apps? it has over 1500 apps right now, and hundreds being accepted daily.
"If you want battery life, go to a blackberry" thats the dumbest thing ive ever heard.

Really.. Explain...

 

[AndroidSPCS]

@bmckenzie90
I switched to Android because of the HTC Evo, I needed a bigger screen. I have been using the Evo since August. I would have STAYED with windows mobile if it had the Evo. Every app that I have accumulated with Android, I had on my Windows Mobile HTC Touch Pro 2. Sure Windows Mobile didn't have ONE location to get your apps... but there are plenty of developers still developing apps for Windows Mobile. If you are into tweaking your phone with pushing the possibilities- you can with Windows Mobile. I have over 15 gbs of apps on dvds- so I don't understand people when they say- it has no apps.

Windows Mobile: you can actual do a WHOLE system backup, including your memory card, does not make your apps disappear, has the same apps you can get find on the Android- at the moment- I am trying to find those apps or something similar I had on Winmo for my Android- like a real backup app. ...

You can do an entire system back easily, using nand backup. What else are you looking for?

There are also many other back up options, like Titanium backup, astro file manager back up, sms back up, etc etc.

I've got the Touch Pro 2. It's a decent non-Android phone, but not impressed with it like I am with Android. No comparison whatsoever.

 

[Light Speed1]

Really.. Explain...

explain what? why blackberrys are horrible? go use one. its an archaic OS