I wrote a bunch about the Droid X on the last page of this thread. The significant disadvantages to the Incredible are the lousy battery life and - for me - the screen which tends to be oversaturated. On the other hand, it has a navigation device (the optical trackpad) which I love, and it's smaller if the size is a concern.
I played around with both the Droid X and the Incredible before making my decision, and went with the Droid X. I honestly couldn't be happier with it. And, with the extended battery that I picked up from Verizon with a nice discount code, it lasts me quite a long time between charges. Also, if it tickles your fancy, the iPhone is going to be coming out in March for Verizon, and can be pre-ordered starting Feb 3.
I have an Iphone 3g, and while I absolutely hate AT&T because I cannot get reception in my apartment, I find the smartphone features to be somewhat useful, if not incredibly fucking slow. I shouldn't have to wait 5-7 seconds to open up a text message. I'm going to enjoy smashing it in March when my contract is up. I understand the new iphones are still unreliable pieces of shit in terms of phone calls, but hope that changes with Verizon. Are there apps like CBSradio (I listen to sports talk from back home during my commute) on the droid phones? My experience with Apple has been so miserable, and I despise itunes, that I would love to switch, but I have no experience with the Droid or htc phones, they look kind of clunky. My wife has a droid and it is just way to big.
For what it's worth, I've had an iPhone4 since the day it was released, and have had no problems with it at all. I've had maybe 2 dropped calls ever, and that was on my way out of a fish camp on the edge of reception to begin with. I think the whole "dropped call iPhone4 thing" was an overblown non-issue, so take the FUD you read and hear about with a grain of salt, in my opinion. $0.02 (CDN)
This is the key line in the post. There were two problems with the iPhone 4. One was that the antenna issue was real and might be a problem depending on how you like to hold your phone. I thought it was downright hilarious that they would actually come to market with an antenna with such a glaring flaw, but it was probably not the end of the world. The second problem wasn't anything to do with the iPhone 4. It was that AT&T generally has the worst problem with dropped calls of any US carrier, add to that the fact that the iPhone's radios were distinctly average (compared to, say, Motorola), and the immediate, overwhelming success of the phone that was pillaging AT&T's networks, and you had a recipe for dropped calls. I owned two iPhones over the course of 3 years. I had problems with dropped calls, frequently. Virtually everyone I knew with an iPhone was familiar with dropped calls. manbehindthecurtain, "they look kind of clunky" is kinda like saying, "I'm not a big fan of Toyotas. They're all really big." There are dozens of Android phones in all different sizes, some substantially smaller than the iPhone. The Droid is a clunky phone - but it has a full slideout keyboard, what do you expect? If you'd like to browse the app market, you can visit <a class="postlink" href="http://www.appbrain.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.appbrain.com</a> and browse it right from your computer, see if the apps you want are there or if there are substitutes.
So apparently, we're not switching to Verizon, staying with AT&T. Looks like I'm getting the Samsung Captivate then since I don't want an iPhone and all the other AT&T smartphones seem pretty mediocre after those two. Hopefully my signal strength is a tad better with the smartphone, getting texts an hour after they're sent is a tad annoying to say the least.
With all of the CES announcements of new phones, if it were me, I'd hold off. Phones like the Motorola Astrix are going to destroy the current crop of smartphones.
I'd hold out, but I'm still on my family plan (this is the last renewal where that will be true probably). My mom's phone died over the weekend, one brother had his phone stolen more than a year ago so he's been using an old one and my other brother's phone died a few months ago, so they're all itching to get new ones. I think I'll be happy enough with the Captivate
Binary's spot on. AT&T announced 12 new Android phones being released this year. While I realize when you buy a cell phone, you're always playing catch-up to get the latest and greatest, but AT&T current lineup is quite outdated.
As sweet as the Atrix and the Infuse look, earliest projection is March for their actual release. I'm going from a messaging phone to a smart phone anyway, so will still be a very nice upgrade with the Captivate. Since my parents are paying for it this one last time with me in grad school, I guess beggars can't be choosers.
So, I just bought an HTC Incredible and I'm really enjoying it. I'm sure that there's much more left to learn, but for the most part, I'm comfortable doing anything on it. I do have a question regarding anti-virus/security apps. Now, I know Android is linux-based, so viruses and other things shouldn't mess with it too much, but I'm only knowledgeable enough to say "shouldn't." What are your opinions on these kinds of apps and if they are indeed necessary, which one(s) should I look into? Also, Angry Birds, while fun, is the same game I've been playing at lunch for years. It's called "Crush the Castle" and instead of birds and pigs, you've got stones and people. Go to armorgames.com to check it out. And Binary--thanks for posting a link to your list of apps. It served as a good starting point and got me thinking about other types of apps that I want to look into.
Where an operating system is "based" really doesn't have any bearing on its security. MacOS and the various flavors of Linux are primarily more secure because their market share is small and they don't get targeted for viruses or security problems much. It's not because they are inherently so much better that all the world's troublemakers can't figure out how to exploit them. The reality is any operating system is massively complex and is inevitably going to have security flaws, and viruses can be written for anything. Android is now (I believe) the #1 mobile OS in the world. It's no longer a niche OS that will be secure just because nobody uses it. That said, I don't use antivirus on the phone. The processor has enough to do without burdening it with realtime virus scanning. I practice good browsing/download behavior - avoid questionable sites, download apps that have been recommended or well reviewed, stuff like that. I've heard that Lookout is good if you want security software.
I had this installed on my Droid X for exactly one day. It absolutely killed my battery, and I even have the extended battery for the X. I installed it one night, left my phone charging overnight, and went to work. Halfway through the day I had 15% battery left and knew exactly what happened. Just follow what Binary said about good browsing/downloading habits, only download apps that are from trusted sources such as the App Market, and you'll be fine.
I figured that would be the case, just wanted to be sure that there wasn't anything extra I should look into. Thanks.
My wife and I have been with Verizon for a long time now. We have Storm 1's and have always hated them. We are both out of contract and looking to upgrade with Verizon or another carrier. How is T-Mobile? I have heard horror stories about ATT and have a bad taste from Sprint some years ago. Won't go back to them. So it's either stay with Verizon or go to T-Mobile. We have always loved Verizon's service so I'd be ok to stay. I'm a huge mac guy but surprisingly don't have too much interest in iPhone. I've waited so long for it to be at Verizon and now I don't feel like I even need it. I like the open nature and ability to root and mod android phones. Small chance we'll wait until June to see if Verizon upgrades the iPhone to a 4g. Most likely we'll both be getting android phones. I have a Nook Color that is rooted and modded and I love it. I really like Android. I've been told that Motorola phones can be rooted but custom kernels are a no-go. I've heard good things about pretty much every HTC phone out there. I'm also open to Samsung. Both carriers will cost us the same for phone/data, so that's not worth comparing. It's down to the carrier we like better and the phones. Do we go with HTC MyTouch4G at T-Mobile or wait for HTC Thunderbolt from Verizon? What about the Samsung phones for both, including the coming 4G ones from Verizon? This is so subjective and very hard to choose. Even the articles out there supposedly helping choose, don't really help. I'd just like to get opinions from people who are using android phones and what their thoughts are between T-Mobile and Verizon as service providers. Thanks.
Which Cydia sources have the Scrobbl app? Multiple websites say Bigboss has it, but he's not on the sources list in Cydia. Scrobbling to last.fm is the the main reason I jailbroke my iPhone 4, and now I can't find the damn app...
I've used and supported phones on a variety of networks. There are a lot of great reasons to buy a phone on AT&T or T-Mobile. Specifically, if you don't travel much outside areas that you know are good coverage for both carriers. Alternately, if you travel abroad a lot and need quad-band GSM. However, Verizon has, by far, the best "everywhere" coverage. I travel a bit for business and always hated my iPhone because I'd get stuck in Edge areas, or sometimes with no data service at all. VZW flat out gives me service everywhere. There are dead spots for VZW, so if you live in one, maybe it's not the phone for you. But if you're happy with your VZW coverage, stick with it, IMO. Here's something I wrote elsewhere: I run custom ROMs on my Droid X. The locked bootloader sucks. I'd love to run a real custom kernel. However, the phone is flat out - in my opinion, of course - the best on the market. The Galaxy S series has a lousy GPS, which killed it for me. Plus call quality isn't that great. HTC phones are okay, some are even very good, but it was the overall package of the X that won out. I suspect I may end up with a Motorola Bionic eventually, or a similar phone. I just don't see the other handset manufacturers really stepping up to the plate in the way Moto is. Again, it's all personal preference. If it's super important to you to run custom kernels - and that's certainly a valid concern - stay away from Moto.
Never mind. I'm an idiot, and hadn't downloaded a Cydia app in so long that I forgot how to find them. I found Bigboss' list, and Scrobbl was right there.
Has anyone used Virgin Mobile? We're looking to ditch T-mobile, and Virgin Mobile seems to have a pretty good deal for $40 a month for unlimited text, data, e-mail and 1200 minutes per line. T-mobile fucks us: My wife and I have phones on the same account, and if I text her or she texts me, they charge us to send it and to receive it. Fuck them.