What Android Phone To Get?

[Guest Deleted_Account]

My current contract is coming to an end and its time to find a new phone. I want an Andriod phone but not sure which is the best one to get as there are so many. I have narrowed down the list to these 4:

Motorola backflip http://www.telusmobility.com/en/BC/motorol...lip/index.shtml (ONLY android v1.5 )

Motorola Charm http://www.telusmobility.com/en/BC/motorol...arm/index.shtml

HTC Desire http://www.telusmobility.com/en/BC/htc_desire/index.shtml

Motorola Milestone http://www.telusmobility.com/en/BC/motorol...one/index.shtml

Now as i noted the first one and second one are 1.5 only and not upgradeable in canada :( but besides that any one have an opinion on which to get? I am stuck in decided because they are so close in comparison and with out real opinions (as every I know has a blackberry or feature phone) lol.

Thanks,

x942

[Trip]

htc if you want updates quickly.

and make sure you check the evo out ... i dont think it's been released yet but its my favourite htc phone

ps.

my friend has a desire and is very happy with it

Edited October 6, 2010 by Trip

[okiwan]

HTC makes nice phones. i have a HTC droid eris an i love it.

[Netshroud]

I hate HTC sense, I would recommend the only non-HTC Android phone i've played around with - the Galaxy S.

[okiwan]

ya sense is eh, but if you flash a new rom you dont have to have sense. i dont have sense any more on this rom. an lets face it, if your going to run android to might as well root it an flash a custom rom.

edit: actually sense is nice but most apps and features out there are not compatible with it, so thats why i dont use it. plus it uses allot of memory.

Edited October 7, 2010 by okiwan

[dr0p]

I have a Galaxy S and it's pretty great. Super fast and super easy to root too. I'm waiting for CM 6.1 so that I can throw it on my Vibrant.

[Guest Deleted_Account]

never dealt with "sense" but motoblur is kinda nice to have from my messing around. then again i use twitter allot so thats probably why i like those types of tools. Now if i keep it on idk :/ as for HTC their phones look the most promising and if it comes down to updates HTC hands down winner. FW is a big deal to me and as Motorola has failed to update many phones in canada for whatever reason (even with updates in the US for the aame phones) I probably wont go for them.

[okiwan]

HTC > motorola

HTC overall design of there phone is so much nicer physically. the material they use on my eris is like that soft plastic like on the new EeePC. kinda feels like a fabric.

[Guest Deleted_Account]

HTC > motorola

HTC overall design of there phone is so much nicer physically. the material they use on my eris is like that soft plastic like on the new EeePC. kinda feels like a fabric.

I agree on the HTC > Moto (from demoing as i have never owned phones from either) HTC Does look more appealing to the eye and (from my quick searches) appears to have bigger "rooting" communities then Moto does which is a HUGE plus for me. as for monthly bills how are they were you are? ( not sure if its relevant even but good to know; im in Canada). From what i see most are $30-$50/month but not sure if i need all that stuff. I mean I have WiFi almost everywhere i go so its kinda hard to say if i need 1 GB or 512 MB but considering the price difference (10-15$) i may as well go with 1 GB. In your experience is it less or more than what it sounds like? I am hopping for light web browsing email and IM and MAYBE maps everything else can wait for WiFi.

[okiwan]

its around $30 a month for me. that is for unlimited every thing. phone/text/internet etc... but theres also 3 phones on the same plan so its close to $100 a month for every one. i have owned many motorola's, an this is my first HTC. never had an issue with a moto. but compared to the new android phones i like HTC phones better.

they just feel better built. i was messing with a moto droid in the store an it felt like i could break it. though it was a store model an a million people messed with it, so that could be why.

[VaKo]

Desire HD > Desire Z > Desire

The charm, milestone and backflip are outdated, but the Milestone 2 is worth a look.

Rooting honestly doesn't give you a great deal, and custom ROM's can be hit or miss.

[foo]

still can't believe how difficult it is to get a screenshot of your phones screen. yes, there are several methods(root or using desktop software or 1 app that you have to pay for), but you'd think with it being a Google made OS that it was be a pretty fucking simple task. that aside, love android ;)

[VaKo]

True, the screenshot issue astounds me to this day. Android has many, many faults, but I still love my Nexus One.

[Trip]

maybe this is a project we could attempt ?

wonder if this would work on android ?

GraphicsEnvironment ge = GraphicsEnvironment.getLocalGraphicsEnvironment();

GraphicsDevice[] gs = ge.getScreenDevices();

BufferedImage[] screenshots = new BufferedImage[gs.length];

DisplayMode mode;

Rectangle bounds;

for(int i=0; i<gs.length; i++)

{

mode = gs.getDisplayMode();

bounds = new Rectangle(0, 0, mode.getWidth(), mode.getHeight());

screenshots = new Robot(gs).createScreenCapture(bounds);

}

Edited October 7, 2010 by Trip

[Guest Deleted_Account]

No screen shots? wow. I am no hard core programmer (just dabble here and there) but wouldn't it be possible to write one with googles app builder?

AS for the Desire HD > Desire Z > Desire not sure if they are available here in Canada will check though does the Milestone 2 have Froyo or is it still 1.5? and $30/month is reasonable telus/bell/rogers dont allow unlimited internet/data sadly but like i said wifi pretty much everywhere I go so I am thinking 1 GB will be good unless there is some ammazing irrisitable deal :P

As far as feel goes is there a noticeable difference between the HD, Z and Desire?

[okiwan]

i use shootme for screen shots. it needs root because it opens up a temporary server to take the shot, cause it totally hides the app, not even showing in the status bar. you then shake the phone using the accelerometer to take a shot, an it automatically saves to your gallery, mine being on the SD card, cause i have apps2SD which also requires root. at least on my phone, i know some newer ones thats a standard feature.

[5ive]

i use shootme for screen shots. it needs root because it opens up a temporary server to take the shot, cause it totally hides the app, not even showing in the status bar. you then shake the phone using the accelerometer to take a shot, an it automatically saves to your gallery, mine being on the SD card, cause i have apps2SD which also requires root. at least on my phone, i know some newer ones thats a standard feature.

I also use Shootme, works great.

[Netshroud]

still can't believe how difficult it is to get a screenshot of your phones screen. yes, there are several methods(root or using desktop software or 1 app that you have to pay for), but you'd think with it being a Google made OS that it was be a pretty fucking simple task. that aside, love android ;)

The one time I needed to take a screenshot of an Android device, I just took a photo of it with my iPod. ^_^

[okiwan]

The one time I needed to take a screenshot of an Android device, I just took a photo of it with my iPod. ^_^

i seriously LOL'd

[Trip]

as soon as i have eclipse set up again im going to make a free app to do this :)

[foo]

as soon as i have eclipse set up again im going to make a free app to do this :)

right. not that i wouldn't, but if you're android phone isn't rooted, it's not an easy thing to accomplish. i wonder why it's like that? obviously, there's some functionality thats being "blocked" so to speak w/o full rights to the os *shrug*

Edited October 8, 2010 by foo

[Guest Deleted_Account]

The one time I needed to take a screenshot of an Android device, I just took a photo of it with my iPod. ^_^

lmao Thats awesome! Honestly though before they came out with screenshots for the ipod touch I couldn't have cared less but now I have it it is too good to lose lol.

as soon as i have eclipse set up again im going to make a free app to do this :)

Good job! Kudos to you! :) I will download it as soon as I get an adroid phone :P Probably a HTC Desire now!

[h3%5kr3w]

Android is set up in a way that makes it near impossible to make screenshots from the phone itself (without root) specifically for security.

You folks need Android Commander.

Get it here:

http://androidcommander.com/

-Take screen shots

-Windows Explorer like view of folders on phone

-App manager

-Automated flashing of files

-Apk signing

Edited October 12, 2010 by h3%5kr3w

[Guest Deleted_Account]

Android is set up in a way that makes it near impossible to make screenshots from the phone itself (without root) specifically for security.

You folks need Android Commander.

Get it here:

http://androidcommander.com/

-Take screen shots

-Windows Explorer like view of folders on phone

-App manager

-Automated flashing of files

-Apk signing

Good find! I will be sure to grab this when i get my desire :) On a side note are there any risks to rooting security wise? I mean it seems every article about andriod is talking of malware. How bad is it really? It's not going to change my mind but it's good to know :P

[h3%5kr3w]

Good find! I will be sure to grab this when i get my desire :) On a side note are there any risks to rooting security wise? I mean it seems every article about andriod is talking of malware. How bad is it really? It's not going to change my mind but it's good to know :P

Well... You pretty much look at what your downloading and you'll be ok. There are also antispyware/malware software for free you can use, but anytime any software does anything that would usually not be able to happen because of permissions (like when you use a program like shootme) the root app will ask you if you want to run the program, and give it permissions. Think of it as Android's version of Windows UAC.

The only real risk you run from rooting is losing your warranty, but if there is an RUU for your specific phone/carrier then just run that and it will take out everything including root so you can take the phone back for warranty. If it doesn't come on.. They are not going to check.

HOWEVER! You will notice people about enabling S-on/off. This is something you can't come back from, and what it is, is an embedded way of enabling root to your device so no matter what, an RUU cant take it away, HOWEVER if you flash it and it's bad the phone is bricked. Also make sure if you flash a radio that you verify the hash first because that can also brick the phone. Everything else is pretty well smooth, and even if there is no RUU for the phone to unroot it, there has been great strides in scripting that can do this without even wiping the phone.

I will say this though. With 2.2 came some serious freedom that 2.1 doesn't have. Native Apps2sd-like functionality (not the same thing but pretty close) A2SD has support for enabling swap and automatically copies downloaded apps to the sdcard ext partition, whereas native 2.2 has an option you can enable and you can manually move the apps to the sdcard. Also all phones with 2.2 have support for live wallpapers, and even wireless tethering (though paid service) and wired tethering, therefore most of the reasons to root are null if you get a phone with 2.2 unless you want to run AOSP or custom roms which unless your on a more popular carrier for your phone, may be a hit or miss.. Or maybe you end up like me. On a very popular phone on a small time carrier and you end up becoming a rom dev/chef :)

One last big reason to root is android's terminal with bash, busybox, and scripting. How cool is that?!

Edited October 12, 2010 by h3%5kr3w