Some Questions About the Droid/Milestone

[182crazy]

So my main question is if the Droid/Milestone is still worth buying Becuase in Canada its $150 on a 3 year contract

1. Is it still a good phone to buy?
2. Will it continue to receive updates? (ex.2.2 Froyo and on)
3. Whats the battery life like?
4. Is it a strong phone that could last the whole 3 year contract?
5. is there a better phone on its way to Canada ex. Android OS not iPhone crap

Or can please suggest any other good phone that is available in Canada
(Wow America has some way better phones with way better prices)

Thanks

 

[johnlgalt]

So my main question is if the Droid/Milestone is still worth buying Becuase in Canada its $150 on a 3 year contract

1. Is it still a good phone to buy? It is a great phone to buy, if it is the DROID from Verizon - but I suspect you're getting th Milestone, and I cannot say for *certain* it is a good buy. The reason the DROID is a good buy is that the OS is completely untouched by Verizon...no crippling factor at all.
2. Will it continue to receive updates? (ex.2.2 Froyo and on) Depends upon your carrier. if you root the phone, you can always get them yourself.
3. Whats the battery life like? As with any smart phone, they rarely last more than a day, unless you do absolutely nothing with your phone.
4. Is it a strong phone that could last the whole 3 year contract? It is a very strong, durable phone, and if treated well, it will last well beyond that time period.
5. is there a better phone on its way to Canada ex. Android OS not iPhone crap That, IDK.

Or can please suggest any other good phone that is available in Canada
(Wow America has some way better phones with way better prices)

Thanks

I added my answers in red. However, for the price that you're paying on a 3 year contract, that is a ripoff - I have seen much cheaper in the US now (as low as $20 USD) with contract. Your carrier is effectively raping you (sorry for any sensitive people, but this is the equivalent of that) with both the price *and* the contract length.

I'd look at some other phones, as there are more powerful ones out there, but it also depends upon what you use and plan on using the phone for.

 

[182crazy]

K Thanks i appreciate the answers now i just have to keep looking or wait for price drop
(lol The carrier effectively rapping me)

i was looking at some other places they have the Motorola Droid/ Milestone for the same $150 but with a i think a $75 or $50 dollar gift card when you get the phone at like futureShop or BestBuy with the same Carrier(Telus) do you think its a good deal and we also have the HTC Hero for $29.99 on a 3 year

Also For the Milestone what do you mean that the OS is touched/modified does that mean i can't root or something

sorry for all the questions and thanks

 

[johnlgalt]

No worries about the questions - I had a billion of them when I first went shopping for a phone last October - and I am glad that I did ask all those, b/c I now have the best available phone from that time period, and in many ways, still a damned good phone to own.

If you cannot find it for less than $150, then certainly a Gift Card will make a huge difference - with that you can buy things like the Multimedia Dock (if you want) and the Car Dock (absolutely indispensable for me). I would avoid the Hero as it is simply not as good, and comes running Android 1.6 stock, IIRC.... (My buddy bought a hero, so I know it is stock 1.6 - but newer ones *may* come with an updated OS).

Also, the Sense UI tends to slow a phone down - a lot - unless you root it and overclock it.

As for the DROID OS being untouched by Verizon, what I mean is that Verizone (and other carriers) have the habit of taking the native OS on a Phone and altering it - adding features native to their Services and removing features not supported by them. With the Motorola DROID from Verizon, I got a phone that had a native OS as configured by Motorola for the DROID. I cannot say if this is the case with the MileStone shipped worldwide, but ISTR that it was so also.

The beauty of this is that it is relatively easy to get ROMs for the DROID - b/c all you need are the drivers for the various hardware, you don't have to worry about Adding Verizon's stupid apps when building the ROM - making it that much easier to distribute the ROM about. Oh, and yes - the DROID is easily rootable too, and I suspect the Milestone is as well.

 

[182crazy]

k Thanks i might just go for that gift card deal and i appreciate all the help

 

[johnlgalt]

Any time - welcome to the world of Android phones!