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Android Hardware Thread - 2009 Edition

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Sense ui takes android to the next level. Amazing!!! Dont care about missing the keyboard any more. I am sold on this phone. I have played with quite a few devices but htc really created the killer user interface modification. That alone makes it worth the price of admission. Best phone on sprint and far surpassed what i have seen from the palm pre.
 
Glad you've been impressed. :D Sense is definitely the top overlay compared to Blur and TouchWiz, well, what we've seen of them. I just like the eye candy.

I hope Moto announces the Sholes soon. It's hard to anticipate a release day you don't know. :(
 
I don't know, Sense looks flashy but it seems excessive. Seven pages with no way to quick jump to the middle page(let there be a way I don't know about please)? That's a lot of annoying swiping. I think I'd rather launch a Twitter app then swipe six pages to get to the Twitter widget and then swipe the other way to get back home to other widgets I want to use like the speed dial...and the pinch to zoom in the browser doesn't look to smooth in the videos I've been checking out...it doesn't seem better, just different. But then again I haven't used it yet, I've only watched some videos. I'm sure it's awesome, and don't want to rain on anyone's parade, just tough weighing pros and cons of Hero vs Moment.
 
Andrex said:
Glad you've been impressed. :D Sense is definitely the top overlay compared to Blur and TouchWiz, well, what we've seen of them. I just like the eye candy.

I hope Moto announces the Sholes soon. It's hard to anticipate a release day you don't know. :(
Click to expand...

Still not used to calling it Tao? :p

I'm hot for this since my co-worker got some new HTC WinMo phone that's pretty nice. The combination of touch screen and keyboard is unbeatable. Although WinMo is kind of shitty in terms of obvious and dive right-in UI.
 
jonnybryce said:
I don't know, Sense looks flashy but it seems excessive. Seven pages with no way to quick jump to the middle page(let there be a way I don't know about please)? That's a lot of annoying swiping. I think I'd rather launch a Twitter app then swipe six pages to get to the Twitter widget and then swipe the other way to get back home to other widgets I want to use like the speed dial...and the pinch to zoom in the browser doesn't look to smooth in the videos I've been checking out...it doesn't seem better, just different. But then again I haven't used it yet, I've only watched some videos. I'm sure it's awesome, and don't want to rain on anyone's parade, just tough weighing pros and cons of Hero vs Moment.
Click to expand...
hitting the home button takes you to the middle page. also i rarely swipe to move. I love the little trackball. :-D

I have used quite a few android devices and this is definitely the best.My one gripe was no keyboard because my last two phones were a mogul and a touch pro but the on screen keyboard and tactile feedback is very nice on this guy. After seeing the pictures and vids of the samsung it just looks like a touch pro with android. I will try it out on the 1st and see if i want to switch before my 30 days is up.
 
MThanded said:
hitting the home button takes you to the middle page. also i rarely swipe to move. I love the little trackball. :-D

I have used quite a few android devices and this is definitely the best.My one gripe was no keyboard because my last two phones were a mogul and a touch pro but the on screen keyboard and tactile feedback is very nice on this guy. After seeing the pictures and vids of the samsung it just looks like a touch pro with android. I will try it out on the 1st and see if i want to switch before my 30 days is up.
Click to expand...

Oh cool. I watched a Droiddog vid on youtube and he said he only uses a few pages because navigating them swiping 7 times is really annoying. Seems like this is another thing he got wrong.
 
Andrex said:
Well, I might still call it the Tao if that name wasn't superseded recently by "Droid." And the official PR images of the battery cover, and the name in the Verizon databases, and also in the Sam's Club flier, are all "Sholes." So I'm sticking with that until I get the official word.
Click to expand...

Balls.

I don't mind it, but I'm sick of these jokes:

41WYJ5X7TBL._SS500_.jpg


D:
 
I've been thinking lately about getting a cell with android, and I'd like to know what would you recommend.
My friend has HTC Hero and I love the phone, is it the best one to get right now? Or is there any better choice?
Or the best thing to do is wait for HTC Dragon, or any other upcoming cell?
 
CassSept said:
I've been thinking lately about getting a cell with android, and I'd like to know what would you recommend.
My friend has HTC Hero and I love the phone, is it the best one to get right now? Or is there any better choice?
Or the best thing to do is wait for HTC Dragon, or any other upcoming cell?
Click to expand...

There is a lot of movement in the android market atm, so I'm not sure anyone can really answer this question.

Hardware wise, there are better things on the horizon, but the sense UI is sexy as hell.

I'm probably gonna be grabbing the samsung moment and just modding the UI, cause i want a keyboard.

The dragon and sholes are both awesome from the sounds of it, but who really knows?

Now that the snowball is rolling downhill, I imagine announcements will continue to come rapidly.

So just buy whatever you like and feel comfortable knowing that better stuff is on the way but what you got is good enough.
 
iamblades said:
There is a lot of movement in the android market atm, so I'm not sure anyone can really answer this question.

Hardware wise, there are better things on the horizon, but the sense UI is sexy as hell.

I'm probably gonna be grabbing the samsung moment and just modding the UI, cause i want a keyboard.

The dragon and sholes are both awesome from the sounds of it, but who really knows?

Now that the snowball is rolling downhill, I imagine announcements will continue to come rapidly.

So just buy whatever you like and feel comfortable knowing that better stuff is on the way but what you got is good enough.
Click to expand...

This is good advice. And unless you want to be on AT&T, I think the choice largely depends on carrier since each one has an upcoming, clearly definable "best" Android phone; Motorola Cliq for T-Mobile and Motorola Sholes for Verizon. Unless you're on Sprint, then the choice becomes, "How much do I like a hardware keyboard and AMOLED compared to a sexy UI and multitouch+Flash?"

Unless you're not in the US, in which case disregard this post after the first 1.5 sentences.
 
Andrex said:
This is good advice. And unless you want to be on AT&T, I think the choice largely depends on carrier since each one has an upcoming, clearly definable "best" Android phone; Motorola Cliq for T-Mobile and Motorola Sholes for Verizon. Unless you're on Sprint, then the choice becomes, "How much do I like a hardware keyboard and AMOLED compared to a sexy UI and multitouch+Flash?"

Unless you're not in the US, in which case disregard this post after the first 1.5 sentences.
Click to expand...

I was leaning towards the Moment over the hero because the hardware keyboard is a huge plus, especially since (IIRC) it's only about 2mm thicker than the hero even with the slide out keyboard. AMOLED is also something I want, and my understanding is that the UI and multitouch could conceivably be added in software.

Also, don't forget the huge advantage in processor speed. (800mhz vs. about 500). I still want to see some reviews before the decision's final, tho.
 
Since i can test drive the hero for 30 days i will see how well i can do without a keyboard. So far i love the onscreen keyboard on this bad boy. The moment does not have a multitouch screen. correct?

Id love to see a quallcomm 1 ghz snapdragon device running android.

No matter what, going from the touch pro to the hero is amazing.

What's the most comprehensive samsung moment video or text preview/review out there.
 
I dunno about other places, but Rogers has made Android the cheap alternative (30 bucks on a three year, totally worth the price). Android is totally gonna be huge soon.
 
Skittleguy said:
I dunno about other places, but Rogers has made Android the cheap alternative (30 bucks on a three year, totally worth the price). Android is totally gonna be huge soon.
Click to expand...
I think the spread of android devices may force apple to not renew with at&t(us market). If they want to gain even more market share they need to make cdma and gsm flavors of their device and offer a low end alternative.

there is so much competition in the smartphone market these days!!!
 
MThanded said:
I think the spread of android devices may force apple to not renew with at&t(us market). If they want to gain even more market share they need to make cdma and gsm flavors of their device and offer a low end alternative.

there is so much competition in the smartphone market these days!!!
Click to expand...

I agree with this.

however, it's probably worth noting that the iphone is literally the only reason to go with AT&T right now. their (3G) network coverage and pricing are beyond terrible compared to the competition.

The minute the iphone ends up on another carrier is the minute you see AT&T start bleeding subscribers like crazy, so it's fair to say AT&T probably has a powerful incentive to try to keep Apple exclusive.
 
Manmademan said:
I agree with this.

however, it's probably worth noting that the iphone is literally the only reason to go with AT&T right now. their (3G) network coverage and pricing are beyond terrible compared to the competition.

The minute the iphone ends up on another carrier is the minute you see AT&T start bleeding subscribers like crazy, so it's fair to say AT&T probably has a powerful incentive to try to keep Apple exclusive.
Click to expand...
You do make a really good point. Never thought about it like that.
 
MThanded said:
I think the spread of android devices may force apple to not renew with at&t(us market). If they want to gain even more market share they need to make cdma and gsm flavors of their device and offer a low end alternative.

there is so much competition in the smartphone market these days!!!
Click to expand...
As of next month, both Bell and Telus are offering the iPhone, while Telus is offering the Hero (I think).

Canada is getting competitive!
 
As long as AT&T can convince Apple to stay with them they'll do whatever it take$. Apple may be smart to stay with them because the exclusivity hasn't been an issue, iPhones still sell, and having iPhones widely available will make it's time die out sooner like the Razr. It's already bad but when everyone can literally have it, then people want to move on.

Back onto Android, I just got back from testing out the Hero at the Sprint store for about 15 minutes. It's very nice looking in person, it has a good size and feel. The Sense UI was even sleeker looking one on one and I really liked it. It was weird, I tried Vimeo and Youtube but neither loaded the flash content. Anyway, here's my thoughts.

Like:
-One of those phones that looks nicer in person
-Size and feel
-Haptic feedback
-Keyboard is well thought out
-Sense UI looks awesome
-Visual bookmarks in the browser, bookmark widget on homescreen
-Feel of the buttons
-Music player

Didn't like
-Thickness
-Pinch to zoom in the browser was laggy
-Screen size is a little small to type portrait. Obviously better in landscape
-Didn't like the 7 panels in person compared to 3 stock, it felt excessive
-Still hate the huge trackball
-Buttons are low. The back button is really far from the screen, it should be swapped with the search button, placement didn't make sense.
-Don't love the design

So I've decided to wait for the Moment. Typing on the Hero made me realize I'm over having to try to type, and I really just want a real keyboard back. As nice as Sense is, I like stock Android's look and the Moment's speed and design better. The Hero is a better phone than I expected or wanted it to be, but I'm holding out for the Moment.
 
Just an update on the whole CyanogenMod thing, he's back at it as of October 5. It doesn't include Google's apps, but it does include T-Mobile's IM app, Amazon MP3, and Work Email (Exchange.) It also supports Apps2SD automatically and out-of-the-box. And, as expected, in order to get those lovely Google apps on the new mod, the install process automatically reinstalls them on the previously-"empty" ROM. So, that's good news, and it seems like Cyan's mod is getting better all the time with tons of optimizations.

Expanding on the subject, I have "officially" started work on the Android software thread, and the OP will cover the topics of the OS, manufacturer overlays, rooting, recommended apps and games, and more. This will be my final Android thread until it becomes apparent I need to make the 2010 hardware thread.
 
I am as fast with the onscreen keyboard on my hero as i was with the touch pro!!!!!!! Soooo goood!!!! :-D

Also, i think i will start doing some dev for the phone. within the next month. Really love this device.
 
MThanded said:
I am as fast with the onscreen keyboard on my hero as i was with the touch pro!!!!!!! Soooo goood!!!! :-D

Also, i think i will start doing some dev for the phone. within the next month. Really love this device.
Click to expand...

The autocorrection and prediction as well as the learning on the Hero are amazing. Since English is my second language and Maltese isn't available anywhere the learning feature is extremely useful and it already can predict 80% of what I'll be writing in my message. Furthermore, if you calibrate the keyboard by typing "The quick brown fox...." it becomes perfect. The only thing i would possibly complain about is that sometimes (very rarely) it's like a button gets stuck and causes the number/symbol equivalent to be written. But still not much of a nuisance.

<blinking>HERO ADVICE:</blinking>

I highly recommend anyone who has a Hero to install the latest roms and radios from Modaco. They are excellent and it really improved on the homescreen speed I had when I first got the Hero.
 
So rumor is T-Mobile's "Project Black/Dark" is going to be $50 unlimited everything plan...which is good news for Android fans as the Cliq is T-Mobile bound.

Not sure if I'd prefer a Cliq over the Moment, it boils down to Blur vs faster specs as I think they're both attractive...I don't think the $10 gap + Blur + unlimited minutes vs 500 minutes is big enough to make me regret getting a Moment on the Sprint Everything Plus 500 plan, but anyone looking to jump for an Android phone may want to wait a little while to see if this comes to be, as we all know T-Mobile loves Android.
 
jonnybryce said:
So rumor is T-Mobile's "Project Black/Dark" is going to be $50 unlimited everything plan...which is good news for Android fans as the Cliq is T-Mobile bound.

Not sure if I'd prefer a Cliq over the Moment, it boils down to Blur vs faster specs as I think they're both attractive...I don't think the $10 gap + Blur + unlimited minutes vs 500 minutes is big enough to make me regret getting a Moment on the Sprint Everything Plus 500 plan, but anyone looking to jump for an Android phone may want to wait a little while to see if this comes to be, as we all know T-Mobile loves Android.
Click to expand...

Unlimited Everything, would that include Data? It would almost have to right?
 
Andrex said:
Unlimited Everything, would that include Data? It would almost have to right?
Click to expand...

At this point, all the speculation about the plan is wholly unsubstantiated, so feel free to imagine whatever you want.
 
Well it's a rumor. Like the iPhone, or Googles making a phone, or Sprint's going to introduce a new plan, or Project Pink. There are no hard facts, no proof, maybe not 100% accurate but these rumors often come true.

And yes, it's said to include data.
 
jonnybryce said:
So rumor is T-Mobile's "Project Black/Dark" is going to be $50 unlimited everything plan...which is good news for Android fans as the Cliq is T-Mobile bound.

Not sure if I'd prefer a Cliq over the Moment, it boils down to Blur vs faster specs as I think they're both attractive...I don't think the $10 gap + Blur + unlimited minutes vs 500 minutes is big enough to make me regret getting a Moment on the Sprint Everything Plus 500 plan, but anyone looking to jump for an Android phone may want to wait a little while to see if this comes to be, as we all know T-Mobile loves Android.
Click to expand...
i like sprint's plans .

Everything data 450 is great. Unlimited everything besides calls to landlines which you have 450 minutes. 69.99 and if you get a good rep they will cut 15 percent off of your bill every month.
 
Is it likely as the Telus version of the Hero will be GSM, that Canada will be getting the original Hero that Europe has? I actually prefer the look of that one slightly. Would be cool.
 
$50 for everything for single plans... and hopefully $99 for 2 phones unlimited. If they really want to best Sprint and AT&T, that's what they're going to have to do.
 
MThanded said:
i like sprint's plans .

Everything data 450 is great. Unlimited everything besides calls to landlines which you have 450 minutes. 69.99 and if you get a good rep they will cut 15 percent off of your bill every month.
Click to expand...

This is the one I got. I guess i also can get a corporate discount. Dont know how much though.

EDIT: Looks like 10% for my plan. Beats nothing at all.
 
Been anxiously waiting for an android phone on Sprint.
Sadly, I just spent 30 minutes during my lunch at the Sprint store using this phone and found that I still prefer the Pre to it.

Of course... I'm still using my blackberry and will probably replace my Curve with the Tour next month. lol
 
MThanded said:
i like sprint's plans .

Everything data 450 is great. Unlimited everything besides calls to landlines which you have 450 minutes. 69.99 and if you get a good rep they will cut 15 percent off of your bill every month.
Click to expand...

I prefer the Everything Plus 500 for $59, even better.
 
_RT_ said:
Been anxiously waiting for an android phone on Sprint.
Sadly, I just spent 30 minutes during my lunch at the Sprint store using this phone and found that I still prefer the Pre to it.

Of course... I'm still using my blackberry and will probably replace my Curve with the Tour next month. lol
Click to expand...

Well, the Samsung Moment is coming up if your main complaint was the software keyboard.
 
Ok, dumb question time.

Can I get a shell prompt on these devices?
Does an ssh client exist, or built in?
Can you pair a bluetooth keyboard to any of these?
 
I've never owned a smartphone...i'm on a crappy, cameraless, barebones prepaid phone from Samsung, on T-Mobile's prepaid plan. I'd really like to upgrade my phone, and Sprint's Unlimited plan for $69.99 really seems ideal for me...which brings me to selecting a phone.

I guess i'm trying to decide between the HTC Hero, or the upcoming Samsung Moment. I have an iPod Touch (16GB 2nd Gen), so i'm kind of use to that in terms of touchscreen. I don't think i'd be too pressed to need a hardware keyboard, so I wouldn't mind the Hero...it also has a better camera...but the Moment seems to have a better CPU, which would make for better app performance and web browsing...so I don't know where to lean. Any other advantages/disadvantages between them? Either one would obviously still be a massive upgrade from my current phone.
 
The moment does not have capacitive touch right?

OmniGamer said:
I've never owned a smartphone...i'm on a crappy, cameraless, barebones prepaid phone from Samsung, on T-Mobile's prepaid plan. I'd really like to upgrade my phone, and Sprint's Unlimited plan for $69.99 really seems ideal for me...which brings me to selecting a phone.

I guess i'm trying to decide between the HTC Hero, or the upcoming Samsung Moment. I have an iPod Touch (16GB 2nd Gen), so i'm kind of use to that in terms of touchscreen. I don't think i'd be too pressed to need a hardware keyboard, so I wouldn't mind the Hero...it also has a better camera...but the Moment seems to have a better CPU, which would make for better app performance and web browsing...so I don't know where to lean. Any other advantages/disadvantages between them? Either one would obviously still be a massive upgrade from my current phone.
Click to expand...

I got a hero on saturday. I would recommend but i have not touched a samsung moment. Screen is great having a trackball makes browsing sites and going between things really good. I thought that I would hate not having a keyboard, but this phone has such a responsive screen that the onscreen keyboard is great.You could not go wrong with this phone and the reviews are dead on. This guy sits in god tier with the iphone.
 
MThanded said:
The moment does not have capacitive touch right?



I got a hero on saturday. I would recommend but i have not touched a samsung moment. Screen is great having a trackball makes browsing sites and going between things really good. I thought that I would hate not having a keyboard, but this phone has such a responsive screen that the onscreen keyboard is great.You could not go wrong with this phone and the reviews are dead on. This guy sits in god tier with the iphone.
Click to expand...

Sounds good...i'm really spoiled by my ipod touch's screen.

I'm not in a huge rush, but certainly before the end of the year I hope to have an new phone...do there tend to be any Black Friday discounts for phones(online or otherwise)?
 
OmniGamer said:
Sounds good...i'm really spoiled by my ipod touch's screen.

I'm not in a huge rush, but certainly before the end of the year I hope to have an new phone...do there tend to be any Black Friday discounts for phones(online or otherwise)?
Click to expand...

Yeah the screen on the hero is just like the ipod touch's screen.
 
The Moment definitely does have capacitive screen, just not multitouch. If you're looking for Apple-like eyecandy and multitouch, then the Hero is the way to go if you don't mind the software keyboard, (and as he's always keen to point out, the Hero keyboard is pretty nice for MTHanded.) Of course, YMMV.
 
Andrex said:
The Moment definitely does have capacitive screen, just not multitouch. If you're looking for Apple-like eyecandy and multitouch, then the Hero is the way to go if you don't mind the software keyboard, (and as he's always keen to point out, the Hero keyboard is pretty nice for MTHanded.) Of course, YMMV.
Click to expand...

Oh ok cool.
 
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