New member....maybe new phone..

[jasvncnt1]

Hello everyone! Well like it says I'm a new member. Wasn't sure where to post this so i hope this is the spot. At the moment i have an iphone ( go easy on me). I'm looking to get away from it! I have been looking at the HTC Aria. Looks like a very nice phone and from what i have read here people really enjoy it. I have been reading up on the rooting and ROMS. I understand the rooting since i have had the iphones since release and have always jailbroken them. Think just a little confused about the ROMS. I see some people have ROMS that are like Froyo and such. Are these like, ported over to work on other phones? Or are these things that other people just create? Sorry if i didn't explain it right. My phone plan is up in January and want to stay with AT&T. I really havent had issues with them or the service. So im looking to get an Android phone soooon and dive right into rooting and ROMS!

 

[dan330]

Hi and welcome to AF,

here is my opinions....

if your contract is up... I think you should look at other carriers... they all have some sort of test period... so you can return it for full refund if you dont like it.

ATT is expensive.. there are other options for good service and savings... look at Sprint

ATT is ruled by Apple and they have messed with their android phones to lower their usability, but if you can root and flash a new ROM... that can be fixed.

HTC Aria is a good phone... but I think it is mid to lower class phone. there are much better power phones that can make your change feel better from iphone.

Android is Android... there are not copies of the OS Android... there are different versions 1.5, 1.6, 2.1, 2.2, and the newest is 2.3 (gingerbread). ROMs do not change Android; There are ROMs for each version of Android. Most are the newest version that is available for that phone. What they change: Tweaks to help performance for different needs and wants; They may also change the LOOK (theme) of the OS (but it is still Android); they may add or remove features / apps; and they can be basic basic Android for the purest.

The more popular the phone, the bigger the development community.. the more custom ROMs and mods and themes will be available.

 

[marefin]

If you have to stay on AT&T then I would recommend the Samsung Captivate if you're going to be rooting and flash a new ROM. It's a much better phone than the Aria and it's one of the higher end Androids. I wish I could've switched out of AT&T when my contract expired with them, but I didn't have that option. In my opinion, Verizon has some of the better Android phones (as well better service in general). But the EVO on Sprint is definitely up there with rest of the high end Android phones. Good luck with your decision.

 

[jasvncnt1]

Hi! Thanks for taking the time to reply. I really want to stay with AT&T or maybe go Verizon. I had Verizon forever before switching to AT&T a few years ago. Verizon's customer support (for me anyways) really went down hill so i left. I looked at the Captivate and it does look like a very nice phone. Only thing is it looks very big. Looks even a bit bigger then the iphone. That's one of the things i liked about the Aria, its small. Ill have to go and look at both of them soon. Was thinking about the Aria and then Root and flashing. But i will check out Captive also before i make a decision. Again thanks so much for your input!

 

[marefin]

I switched from an iPhone to the Captivate, and at first I thought man this gonna be a pain to carry around because it's kinda big. But the Captivate is a VERY light phone for it's size, and it's very slim, so it's very easy to carry around in your pocket. I have a very capable yet light weight and functional device in my pants. (Please feel free to insert any sexual jokes at this time)

edit. It's also a very powerful device

 

[dan330]

everyone says it has issues .. and feels cheap....

but the captivate is a nice phone. zing!

 

[jasvncnt1]

@Marefin Do you miss the iphone? Dont think I will miss it. Just hope i can find apps that i use now that will do the same function on Android.

 

[marefin]

@Marefin Do you miss the iphone? Dont think I will miss it. Just hope i can find apps that i use now that will do the same function on Android.

Not even a little! There's pretty much nothing else I can say other than that I do not regret leaving the iPhone ONE SINGLE BIT!. And for some reason, I seem to download and actually USE more apps on Android. Yes iPhone has more apps, but a lot of those apps are a same thing with just a different name. With Android, you have apps that are a little bit more diverse and even if you come across two apps of the same function, they will very different in user functionality and which one you like will come down to a personal preference.

 

[jasvncnt1]

Thanks so much! I know what ya mean about the iphone apps. Gotta say though do love my IrealSMS and LockInfo. Now i just have to decide what phone lol. Guess I will hit a few stores this weekend and take a look.

 

[as439726]

If u are staying with att, then I have a good suggestion. Look into getting a Nexus 1. NO CONTRACT involved, vanilla o.s., the best supported htc phone because its a dev phone, and not huge.

 

[lunatic59]

I agree that the Captivate does feel a little big, but the Aria seems just a tad too small, too. It's a shame there isn't a better mid sized phone subsidized by AT&T but between the iPhone and the new WP7 handsets, I can see why they don't want too many models to manage. I agree with as439726. See if you can pick up a Nexus one somewhere. They are a great phone both performance-wise and build, plus they feel great in your hand and are very pocketable. Also, there's no contract with AT&T and you can grandfather your unlimited data plan to it (assuming you have one with the iPhone.) Be careful, however, that there are two versions of the Nexus One out there. One is an AT&T version that supports 3G on the 1900 MHz band and the other is for T-Mobile which uses the 1700MHz band for 3G. You can use either phone on either network, but if the 3g bands don't match, you'll only get data at 2G (EDGE) speeds.

 

[roadkizzle]

Why don't you look at the Motorola Bravo, from what I've been able to see, it looks to be a good phone, and I will be eligible for an upgrade myself in January from my iPhone 3G. I have been doing a lot of research between AT&T and the other carriers, and the phone options between them and all of AT&T's current options.

I am either going to be waiting for the Motorola Olympus depending on when it is going to be released (so I can show off more to my family, and possibly convert them all from iPhones) or I will get the Bravo. The bravo has a slightly larger screen than iPhone (3.7" from 3.5"), but is in a slightly smaller package. Comes with a 1540 mAh battery, which seems to be pretty powerful especially for a mid-high end phone. The phone only has an 800 mHz processor and is only on 2.1 currently, but from most of the reviews where they benchmark the phone, it appears to be on par with most high end 1 gHz phones speed wise. The screen also has the same number of pixels as the larger 4+" phones so it has great pixel density for graphics.

The main drawback I always see is Motoblur, which I can never actually figure out why everyone feels that is such a drawback.

 

[as439726]

Motoblur is terrible.

 

[roadkizzle]

That's what everyone always says... But, I've never been able to get a straight reason why. The only thing I can ever find is that the Cliq and Backflip were bad phones, with lots of lag. The updates and phones such as the Bravo seem to have fixed the lag issues mostly, but I can never find why else the skin is so repulsed.

 

[Familyguy1]

Out of Curiosity, didnt the Nexus 2 come out today for ATT? the one with 2.3...maybe I am thinking of a diff phone and carrier...

 

[dan330]

Out of Curiosity, didnt the Nexus 2 come out today for ATT? the one with 2.3...maybe I am thinking of a diff phone and carrier...

Yeah ....try T-Mobile

 

[jasvncnt1]

Thanks everyone! Ill have to take a look at the other options every one has given me. I'm gonna go "shopping" this weekend and take a look at all the phones. I really appreciate all the time you guys have given here answering my questions!

 

[Familyguy1]

Yeah ....try T-Mobile

Oh yeah...ewww.