Hey all,
I know there's been a few smartphone threads recently and I'm currently in need of a phone replacement.
My 3GS has just decided to stop registering touch input and after being an iPhone user from day one (yes I was one of those guys who queued for the first gen on release day) I think it might be time for a switch.
I'm still not 100% sure though.
Has anyone switched from an iOS device to Android? Was it a good decision?
I'm looking at the Samsung Galaxy S which seems to have a comparable feature set to the iPhone 4, but will cost me quite a bit less.
I still like iOS as a platform in terms of usablity, but the Android platform is becoming more interesting to me and I'm beginning to agree with all the discussion on Apples 'close-mindedness' regarding locking down their OS. Android also seems to be moving forward with developments whereas iOS has really remained quite similar since 1.0.
How's the marketplace on Android? I notice some of the big name people like Gameloft offer a similar range of games on both platforms which is good, but what about utility style apps, budget trackers, currency convertors etc; are these kind of things on offer too?
Would be good to hear thoughts from Android users in regards to the OS rather than the hardware. The Samsung will be a hardware upgrade from my 3GS anyway, so I'm looking for opinions on the operating system rather than hardware.
Cheers
Replies
I'm sure some people will disagree, and I can't say to have owned an iPhone before, so I suppose I'm biased, but all I can tell you is I'm very happy with my Desire and I've never seen something on I wanted on my mates iPhone that I couldn't get on my own phone.
E: just thought, iPhone 4 has a better camera! HTC's are good but photos are sometimes disappointing.
Yeah it's the 'closing gap' that's kinda spurred my encouragement to drop iOS as a platform. When it first came out it was no contest for me, but with 2.2, Android really seems to be going somewhere. Also full Flash support out the box is a plus.
Been using Android for close to 2yrs though and I love it. The marketplace is great, the phones are excellent and the OS is really snappy.
Been using the new Tmobile G2 since it launched last month - the phone is amazing.
my wordfeud username is Yozora, feel free to send me any challenges at any time I've been casually playing this game everyday for the past month (thanks to ErichWK)
Well, I've made the switch. Just picked up a Galaxy S... here's to an Android future (they always said it would happen )
http://www.gsmdome.com/mobile-software/turn-your-android-phone-into-an-iphone-video_5670
I'm using an Evo flashed to the stock 2.2 interface.
Yozora, its on like donkey kong!
Got my Galaxy S home.... Android 2.1 :S
Firmware Upgrade > '2.1 is the latest available' WTF!!!!
Apparently it exists for the Galaxy S but mine doesn't want to believe it... anyone had similar probs?
You need to download the PC>Phone interface software called 'Samsung Kies' and what I didn't realise is that the package you download is specific to phone model, so I'd obviously got the wrong one before.
I'm not sure if you'll need to do that Purplepaint because it seems Android updates are strangely carrier specific. I'd have thought it would be like Google release the OS, and all handsets get it, but unfortunately not. The carrier pushes the upgrade out, and sometimes a bit too slowly it seems.
Yeah it can be tricky, my HTC Wildfire doesn't want to do 2.2 yet, while my brother has had it for a month. If you're sure it's out there you can manually install it once you get the file, though that requires some freaky console like typing. Can't help you there but should be able to find out how.
edit; oh you got it already, nice.
So, even though Google has released an update, it may take a bit for the carrier and/or the phone manufacturer to make the release correct for your phone. It did kind of suck, waiting for Froyo on my EVO, especially considering how popular the phone is. But, they did release it sooner than I was hearing, which was cool.
Having probs downloading anything from the Marketplace though. I managed to grab a game I had on iPhone (Reckless Racing) but now I get 'Unable to download 'name of app' whenever I try. Tried Facebook, Twitter and Pulse News and none would download.
Seems like it's a common problem but unfortunately clearing the cache as suggested in many a forum post doesn't seem to work.
Anyone else had this?
I have seen it normally too, but can't remember what I did to resolve it.
Cheers Notman.
I didn't have it plugged in, but I got it working.
It's obviously something to do with the way it stores your sync info and uses it across various apps.
I use the same gmail address to sync calendars, mail and contacts as well as for the marketplace account. Somewhere along the line it obviously got confused.
For anyone encountering this prob; disable all account syncing that you can, power off/on and switch sync back on... works.
Btw you should see how easy Android is to set up with a Microsoft Exchange account. Literally 1 minute and I got it working, never expected that.
yes, I like all my apps but if I had to narrow them down to 4 essential ones it would be swype, tasker, zeam launcher and wordfeud
- I use the App killer to help my battery life.
- I also love the wifi file explorer. When you turn it on, it allows you to access your phone's files from any computer on the network (you have to be connected to your house wifi).
- ShopSavvy is good for checking prices when at the store (to see if an item is cheaper elsewhere)
- Google Goggles is cool, if it didn't come preinstalled.
- Astro File Manager is a must have, if you download apks that the market doesn't carry.
- Pocket-Blu is cool if you have a blu-ray player. Unfortunately, not too many blu-rays are supporting it yet.
- Vlingo is cool if you plan to use the phone in your car (mounted). It does voice commands and reads income text messages.
- Chrome to Phone is cool. It requires a plugin in Chrome or Firefox, but it allows you to transfer a site from your computer, to your phone's browser (good for sites that have apks, or videos you want on your phone).
- Dolphin Browser is pretty cool too. Unfortunately, it doesn't support flash yet though (only the default browser does).
That should keep you busy for now... with an entertainment overload
It's pretty awesome.:)
Damnit i just bought a alarm recently, due to my old backup phone (the one i use currently) being complete garbage. But oh well smart alarm sounds better :P
and oh i will be having tons of fun
It has no ads and a cleaner UI.
Also I forgot to mention AppBrain as a "essential app" for keeping apps up to date and makes searching for apps easier + syncs with the website so you can find apps on your pc and install later on phone without searching.
You can also share your app lists, like this; http://www.appbrain.com/user/Yozora/apps-on-the-htc-desire
Obviously I'd recommend every app on that list, otherwise they wouldn't be on the list
I have the HTC Legend mostly because its actually a decently sized phone (ie pocketable)
But the best thing about android so far are the CyanogenMods, basically brings better features to android!
My htc legend can now do continous auto-focus whilst recording a video! Granted you have to void your warranty by jail-breaking/rooting the phone in order to get CyanogenMod working i think its a small price for having the bestest features.
I'll have to check that out. Astro worked for me, so I really didn't look much further. A file manager is definitely handy though, no matter which you choose
the app store sucks but android pit together with the reader is great
also an app installer is good, if you do stuff like working with unity, so you can install your packages
Coming from 3 years with iPhone I was slightly concerned I'd miss the solid OS I was used to but I'm already enjoying Android 2.2 and the Galaxy S more than any iPhone I've had.
My recommended apps are (aside from the ones already recommended):
RockPlayer - Plays pretty much any video format (including WMV) either downloaded from the browser on your phone, or transferred from your computer.
Reckless Racing - Awesome graphics, and incredibly fun top down Micro Machines style racer with crazy car physics.
SNES / PSX / GBA Emulators - Because playing Mario 1/2/3, Gran Turismo, FFVII, and Pokemon Ruby on the same device which I carry with me all the time is just awesome.
Neox' Model Viewer - Coming Soon ;p
if i download those emulators onto my phone i will never get any 3d done... i miss ffVII way to much
Although just flying threw the web as fast as i could on my laptop is pretty cool
EDIT: Just dled "Psx4Droid" the lite version (free, just to try it out), its asking if i want to find ROMS with Rom buddy (which is a 5.00$ app.. is there another way to get roms onto my phone, im assuming connecting it to my pc then putting it on threw there, however if i do that does anyone know a good website to dl from
Thanks
Imo android does everything you'd want in a phone. its brilliant. i had countless problems with iphone os. android seems to work how you'd expect an ideal os to work. just my two cents.
I've never used rom buddy so couldn't say for sure, but I'm guessing it's just a glorified Google search in app form pointed at known ROM sites.
http://www.emuparadise.org/roms/psx/
This site has a great selection. Remember it's illegal to DL games you don't own the original of. Also youll need the .bin bios file which you can find on Google.
After that, just transfer them to your phone from your computer.
I didn't think that could actually work, but it does :poly121: Pretty sweet little app, works fine on HTC Desire 2.2 - but you need to enable few development options, like "screen doesn't sleep when connected to charger" as instructed by the developer.