New to the forum - potential apple convert with questions.. dont bite :)

[Tangolima600]

Hey guys, first post.

This post may of come up in the past and I did try and search for a topic that fits my questions but come up short.

I've been using my Iphone 3gs for a couple years and it has served me well for the most part. What I wanted most out of my phone was the ability to personalize it rather to just pick from x number of apps with a background wallpaper.

When it comes time to pick a new phone I seem to be in a pretty competitive battle of the mobile OSes and networks. I need to diligently do my research or risk not getting the deal or experience I desire.

Off the bat I am VERY dissapointed with AT&T's network. I refuse to go back to a network that has dropped more phone calls in a year than I've ever had dropped call with Sprint and Verizon combined. Therefore the choice I will make will be between Sprint or Verizon.

In regards to choosing an Andriod phone, which is why I came here and kindly ask, is there seems to be an overwhelming saturation of hardware running this platform that it can be really hard to narrow down which device suits my needs. Money is no issue for me and I intend to purchace a top end device so for me I narrowed my choices between the Moto Bionic on Verizon and the Samsung Galaxy S2 on Sprint. Is it too soon to make a choice now or are there more tech on the horizon that I should wait for?

First question:
Barring the physical differences between the devices. I notice the UI is uniquely different. Is this UI customizable or is it dependent on the manufacturer of the device?

Second:
From my past tinkering with previous Driod devices, the Droid X and the Incredible, I notice that the overall movements on the phone and browser was pretty laggy compared to the iPhone. Granted I am aware that there is more going on in the Droid device compared to the ios device but I expect my experience to be as close to smooth as my two year old 3Gs. Are these current gen phones up to task with being able to handle Droid's OS gracefully?

Third:

Pie or Cake?


Thanks for the input, forgive me if I end up getting smacked with the search hammer but I did try to find topics that related to my questions

 

[cds0699]

Welcome to Android forums, we're a friendly bunch around here for the most part , there's nothing wrong with your thread and your welcome to post your own as you wish.

Regarding whether you should buy now or wait, I honestly don't think its gonna make too much of a difference. There is rumor that the Nexus is coming down the pipeline with a new version of Android, but everything is rumor at this point and hard to know for sure.

1st question: The UI that comes on the phone is added to the device from the manufacturer. Motorola has their "Applications platform", and Samsung has their "Touchwiz 4.0". If you're willing to get involved in the rooting/custom ROMs, there should be a way coming to run stock Android on the phone... but it can't be known for sure, all depends on whether developers can get AOSP (Android open source platform/stock Android) ported over to the devices.

If you're not planning to root and run a custom ROM, then you will pretty much be left with whatever UI is on the phone, with the exception of being able to install a new launcher like Launcher pro, Go launcher EX, and ADW launcher.

Question 2: I currently own a Galaxy S2 Epic 4G Touch on Sprint, and I can say its really smooth, probably the best I've seen on an Android device, and I've played with a lot of them. From everything I've seen on the Droid Bionic, it appears to also be very smooth. They're running good dual core processors and they manage the tasks well. I would definitely recommend getting some hands on time with both, and see what you think for yourself.

3rd question: I'm a cake fan personally, although I do love some pie on certain occasions

Edit: If you'd like to do more reading on the 2 devices, you might want to take a look at the forums linked below.

http://androidforums.com/samsung-epic-4g-touch/

http://androidforums.com/motorola-droid-bionic/

 

[Lombardi]

I would look at something fom htc... I have samsungs touch wiz and I still like htc sense better. I think moto blur is full of crap.

 

[Tangolima600]

Thanks for the amazing responses so far. I am veering closer to the Bionic because of the UI preference and the network. Is there anything you can say to an iphone convert going to Android? anything that really stands out above the rest as far as missing features that Android holds over IOS?

 

[jerofld]

Notification bar

Widgets (I'm a widget fanatic).

An app drawer. Instead of how iOS immediately puts whatever new app on the next available home screen space, Android does it differently. Android puts it in the "app drawer". It's like Windows' Start menu, in a sense. Everything is available through the App drawer, and you have to manually make app shortcuts. Most of us like it this way, as it doesn't cause clutter on our home screens with infrequently used apps.

True shortcuts. You can make internet shortcuts, shortcuts to system settings, et cetera. Instead of needing "an app for that".

4 buttons > 1. Truely.

And almost complete customization, even without rooting. Rooting gives you complete customization. There are a number of alternative launchers (basically replacement UIs) that can be installed, without root. Some are free, some cost up to $5 USD. So not too bad. You can get alternative lockscreens, too.

 

[HJAcevedo]

Widgets

 

[Colchicine]

I feel that VZW is going to have several top-tiered devices to choose from before the end of this year. Right now there is the Bionic, hopefully within the next month will be the HTC Vigor, and the Nexus Prime is rumored to come out as well. Please don't ever complain about having too many choices!

I have a strong preference for HTC because of their Sense UI and (mostly) unlocked bootloaders. Motorola has better accessories, like the lapdock for the Bionic. Personally, I stay away from anything Samsung and LG.

 

[chanchan05]

Hey guys, first post.
In regards to choosing an Andriod phone, which is why I came here and kindly ask, is there seems to be an overwhelming saturation of hardware running this platform that it can be really hard to narrow down which device suits my needs. Money is no issue for me and I intend to purchace a top end device so for me I narrowed my choices between the Moto Bionic on Verizon and the Samsung Galaxy S2 on Sprint. Is it too soon to make a choice now or are there more tech on the horizon that I should wait for?

Hardware is different due to competitive pricing. People want to get the best performing yet best priced phones. Apple has no such concept. As of now yes, the two phones you mentioned are two of the best Android phones existing. Personally, I would get the best NOW than wait for whats coming. You'll find thats a never ending stream of great new stuff coming up for Androids.

First question:
Barring the physical differences between the devices. I notice the UI is uniquely different. Is this UI customizable or is it dependent on the manufacturer of the device?

Each UI can be different for each person. I would say that after customizing my phone, the only times you'd see default Samsung TouchWiz UI is in the settings menu, notification bar and task switcher. The rest, all customized to my liking.

To see how much UI customization can be done, take a look at these threads:
http://androidforums.com/android-themes/4425-post-your-android-desktop.html
http://androidforums.com/android-th...-lockscreen-screenshots-widgetlocker-etc.html

Second:
From my past tinkering with previous Driod devices, the Droid X and the Incredible, I notice that the overall movements on the phone and browser was pretty laggy compared to the iPhone. Granted I am aware that there is more going on in the Droid device compared to the ios device but I expect my experience to be as close to smooth as my two year old 3Gs. Are these current gen phones up to task with being able to handle Droid's OS gracefully?

It all depends on the customization level you put your phone up to, and how much apps are running in the background. Apple is able to maintain the smooth experience by simply stopping most apps from running in the background, hence no true multitasking. Android has true multitasking. So to keep things smooth, simply dont leave too much stuff running in the background. The latest android phones dont really experience much lag due to the better hardware.

Third:

Pie or Cake?

Cake, but wouldnt mind pie.

 

[dan330]

Bionic or GS2... I think you owe it to yourself to checkout the HTC UI interface too.

 

[AndroidSPCS]

Welcome to Android Forums!

The Samsung Galaxy SII on Sprint is pretty amazing, and has received lots of positive reviews so far!

 

[Chi-TownTx]

GS2 is the better phone imo. However Verizon has the faster 4G LTE network at this time.

That being said if i were in your shoes and you use the internet functions a lot i would say go with Sprint and the GS2.

Mainly because unless your grandfathered in with Verizon you can no longer get unlimited data packages (all tiered like AT&T now). Last time i checked Sprint still offers unlimited data for new customers.

 

[Tangolima600]

After looking at the Bionic at VZW, I was quite impressed with its response and overall feel of the UI. I am going to purchase it tonight, be sure to post pics

 

[Tangolima600]

Posting from my shiny new Bionic loving it so far!

 

[B2L]

Posting from my shiny new Bionic loving it so far!

Congrats! How are you liking the switch? Is it tough to get used to? I have known a few people that switch, and automatically hate Android because it's "complicated."

 

[chanchan05]

Congrats! How are you liking the switch? Is it tough to get used to? I have known a few people that switch, and automatically hate Android because it's "complicated."

My first response to people who say that android is complicated is give them an incredulous stare. How complicated could it be? No never mind customizing. If you dont customize and keep everything stock, how complicated could it be? I think thats why people call them iSHEEP.

EDIT: not generalizing ALL iPhone users there. I meant just those who find using stock Android from OEMs even complicated.

 

[Androidcurious]

As someone who just this weekend switched from an iPhone 4 to an Epic Touch 4G, I think I can add some insight. I want to qualify by saying I"m an Apple lover who has always admired Android. No "home team vs away team" here.

As far as lag goes, I know what you mean. It was something that put me off to Android previously. However, the new dual core phones pretty much eliminate lag. The Epic Touch 4G is the fastest phone I've ever seen in my life. It just blazes through everything. Browser is actually better than Apple's because it can handle flash without blinking, for example. Also, Android itself is quite a different beast now. It is far more polished and "cool." Customization was always the cool benefit over iOS but now that it just zips and you can create stuff on the fly, it's so much fun.

As far as devices go, throw a rock at any of the top tier Android devices and you can't go wrong. Coming from an iPhone you may feel most comfortable with a Samsung. Their UI really does "feel" more like an Apple product than the others - except with all the benefits of an Android phone.

As far as the pros over switching from iPhone, I'll just give you my reasoning: I realized if the iPHone 5 were released with every feature I'd want, it would look like...a Galaxy S2 (Epic Touch). So why in the world settle for something other than that?

 

[Colchicine]

I realized if the iPHone 5 were released with every feature I'd want, it would look like...a Galaxy S2 (Epic Touch). So why in the world settle for something other than that?

 

[IOWA]

I disagree. There are quite a few things we can accomplish with an Android handset versus iOS. Some of them may be trivial, or maybe not, it all depends on user preference.

First thing off the top of my head is flash.. it really does come in handy. Especially on my Asus transformer. Using my Evo 4G, I can mirror the screens output with HDMI and this includes playing netflix straight to my TV from my handset.. a portable Netflix player if you will, which has come in handy a FEW times at friends houses.

Another thing that may seem trivial but I love is the 100% customization and widgets. I have all my handsets themed and Rom'd with one thing or another. The theme engine built into CyanogenMod is VERY powerful, and changes the entire look of your handset with a few keypresses.

Another huge benefit for Android is we have access to the complete file system.. just like a computer. This allows apps like Cheetah sync, which automatically keeps my media, files, and NAND backups sync'd with my home network over wifi while I sleep.

If you live in the Google-verse Android has TONS of benefits. True push gmail sync (even with Google apps accounts!), Google voice sync, Calender, everything Google offers can be sync'd to your device.

My Google Chrome bookmarks are sync'd with my tablets browser, so if I'm out and about browsing the web on my tablet, I can book mark it and fire it up in Google Chrome with just a click of the bookmark link.

The biggest benefit of Android is choice. I can choose any browser. I can sideload apps without jailbreaking. I can choose which media player fits me best. I can choose what kind of launcher to use, even many that are inspired by iOS.

To be better put, there is nothing iOS can do that Android can't do (outside of direct ties with Apple products, of course), but there is plenty Android has to offer than iOS can't touch.

Regards, and hopefully welcome aboard.

-IOWA

Edit: Another benefit

Since all contacts are sync'd to the cloud automatically (which you can disable if you like) to your Google account, you can edit your contacts in Gmail (or Thunderbird if you have it set up properly) and it will instantly sync to all of your devices. This includes adding and removing contacts, adding contact photo's, birthdays, phone numbers, addresses, everything in the contact card.

From this thread i just answered

http://androidforums.com/android-lounge/419995-worth-changing-over-android-ios.html

 

[amsid]

Each UI can be different for each person. I would say that after customizing my phone, the only times you'd see default Samsung TouchWiz UI is in the settings menu, notification bar and task switcher. The rest, all customized to my liking.

To see how much UI customization can be done, take a look at these threads:
http://androidforums.com/android-themes/4425-post-your-android-desktop.html
http://androidforums.com/android-th...-lockscreen-screenshots-widgetlocker-etc.html


It all depends on the customization level you put your phone up to, and how much apps are running in the background. Apple is able to maintain the smooth experience by simply stopping most apps from running in the background, hence no true multitasking. Android has true multitasking. So to keep things smooth, simply dont leave too much stuff running in the background. The latest android phones dont really experience much lag due to the better hardware.

Great post, thanks! I'm pretty much about to switch as well and those custom lockscreen/homescreen threads pretty much converted me for good.

 

[cds0699]

Posting from my shiny new Bionic loving it so far!

Congrats, the Bionic does look like an awesome phone

 

[Tangolima600]

Well I promised pics and pics you shall receive

It's pretty late but all I can say is this phone well exceeded my expectations. I am slowly building and organizing my home screen and so far it is looking great!

Thanks again for your insightful advice, I probably wouldn't of gone to android if there wasn't a strong and helpful fan base. Let me know how to take screen shots of my home screen and I'll be sure to upload some!

 

[chanchan05]

The thread on posting homescreens has instructions on how to take screen shots. See my previous post.

 

[ashykat]

Looks like an awesome phone to me. I like Motorola's industrial design on their higher end phones. Did they sort out that issue with the buzzing sound when headphones are plugged in yet?