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Android Hardware Thread - 2009 Edition

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Byakuya769 said:
why wasn't it offered to them is the question then...
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It's Google's developer phone? Make it GSM and pretty much anyone in the world who wants to develop apps for Android can get one and use it. If it were CDMA you could really only use it in the US. Nevermind that the only place Android developer phones have shown up so far is on T-Mobile.

Like I've said before... HTC makes this phone, and if they want to put something similar on Verizon then they can. Just be patient.

Totakeke said:
Except most of the times it's the extra bulk or smaller screen size associated with the keyboard that people would rather not have a keyboard, and Droid doesn't have those issues. Anyone here really doesn't want Droid just because it has a keyboard?
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I didn't want the Droid precisely because it has a keyboard. I prefer software keyboards as it makes for a much better form-factor.
 
gimmmick said:
So... are we going to be going to another thread since this is the last day of 2009?
Click to expand...

This'll have to be it for a little while. 2010 Edition will come eventually, but until then this thread can still truck along.
 
Customer reviews of the Acer Liquid S100 seem be really good.
It seems as they have managed to combine good performance with a decent price.

I'm starting to consider that one... I think it will be about €200 cheaper than the X10.
 
I've had my Motorola Cliq for about a month now and I love the thing but I just noticed a few specs of dust underneath the screen. Now I know people would freak out and maybe I will. Right now, the way I look at it, its unavoidable. I'm constantly taking in and out of my pocket and it just seems dust is going to find its way in there. Is this the case or are they designed to be dust proof and I just have a defective phone? You only notice it when the screen is off. I don't want to go thru the hassle of getting a new phone when the next one will do the same thing.
 
Didn't Moto abandon WinMo for Android? So this might be a new Android device from them:

moto-shadow-12321009.jpg

Picture of Motorola 'Shadow' leaked, inverted on Taiwanese forum
While everyone's gearing up to celebrate New Year's Eve, it seems that Motorola's busy squeezing out the last bit of rumor juice of 2009. We're looking at what's purported to be Motorola's "Shadow" (not "Mirage" as Google Translate unhelpfully suggests) -- a phone with 9mm thickness, 4.3-inch 850x484 screen (larger than the devices on the leaked roadmap), HDMI port and 8-megapixel camera capable of 1080p video recording. Not much else came out of the "tight-lipped" tipster who might've inverted the picture's colors -- see above for our fix -- but an educated guess should point to that friendly green robot (though that battery icon certainly isn't part of Android's game). Any brave souls dare to guess otherwise?
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There are many amazing handsets coming out in 2010, so don't fret. :D
This one looks pretty sleek.
 
What's up with people complaining about the $530 price tag? That's fucking amazing! I thought it would be at least $800 at first.

I've been doing some thinking and it'll come down to the N1 and the HD2... IDK which I'll get, I think the price on the HD2 is dropping bit by bit and hopefully a chunk of it will come off when the N1 hits the rounds.
 
Andrex said:
This'll have to be it for a little while. 2010 Edition will come eventually, but until then this thread can still truck along.
Click to expand...


Given the open source nature of Android, there's a small but growing non-phone usage of the OS.

Mind if we expand the next thread to start including some of that stuff? In particular, Notion Ink's Adam looks in-fucking-sane, assuming it does what it claims.
 
Just bought the T-Mobile Pulse a couple of days ago, seems like a pretty good phone for the price. Camera sucks, but the battery life seems to be decent and 3.5" is the perfect screen size. Got it on PAYG as I don't really make many calls and with T-mobile at the moment if you top-up £10 in a month you get unlimited texts and internet the next month, which is a pretty good deal. Aldiko is a great app, good font rendering and a vibrant, crisp screen means that reading ebooks on this is actually decent.
 
If this Nexus was to be sold through Google directly, any ideas of how discounts on service would be handled? The plan is actually good for me, but as a UCF student and AAA, member I should be eligible for discounts in at least the 14% range. And with AAA, activation fees are waived too.
 
GoldenEye 007 said:
Ok, I'm thinking about taking the Android/Google plunge. I made an ill-advised thread and I'm reposting the OP here.

I'm on AT&T with the iPhone 3G currently. I really don't have coverage issues since I'm in Orlando most of the time. That's not the problem. It's mainly shitty customer service on AT&T's part and the expense. I love the phone, however, and I'm so used to it now. So it sucks I'm now considering dumping it due to the carrier.

The other issue is price. On AT&T with 450min, data, and unlimited text, I'm paying roughly $105 per month after taxes. A student discount gets me 8% off only the voice portion of the plan. Which takes about $3.50 off the final bill... whoohoo. I would also be faced with a $100 contract termination fee(and more like $90 by the time I cancel for real), which is pretty easy to eat now. And I'm sure I can sell the iPhone for $200-250ish to recoup some costs/break even on setting up new service.

With Sprint, for 450min(which includes unlimited mobile to mobile to any carrier), unlimited data, and unlimited text for $70 per month. Then a 10% student discount is added bringing the bill to $63 before taxes and probably like $70-75ish after all taxes.

Verizon seems like it would be good too with the Droid, but unfortunately the overall price is identical to AT&T with comparable features. No student discounts available either.

T-Mobile really didn't seem worth it after doing some research. Pretty irrelevant due to price similarities and device options, IMO.

With that, I think I am going to have to settle with the Sprint Network. I can at least keep my contacts and number, which is good.

I'm looking at the HTC Hero and am happy with some of the reviews but a bit apprehensive with the issues regarding performance. How significant are they compared to an iPhone 3G? Is Android 2.0 supported now? How is the software and/or hardware keyboard? How is handling music considering my library is managed by iTunes and .mp4a/p formats? How are software/firmware updates in general? How are you guys liking it after it's been around for awhile? Am I going to go crazy ditching the iPhone for this device? I know there is a Hero thread on here, but my question was more on Android phones in general plus I just wanted some updated impressions.

I've read briefly on the Samsung Moment, which wasn't too impressive sounding and also the Touch Pro2, which I think is a pass due to price and lack of Android. Should I wait until deeper into Q1 2010 or the summer? I don't know if I can since I'm faced with saving $35 monthly lol.
Click to expand...
Don't waste your time with that student discount. Go online after you open your account, and talk to a customer service rep via chat. Tell them you want to use your employee discount. Tell them you work for Chase or search for any other company that gets a 25+% discount through Sprint. Much better discount, and by doing online chat, you can just disconnect from any rep that wants to give you a hard time. You don't need any employee info afaik. Just a suggestion. PEACE.
 
Pimpwerx said:
Don't waste your time with that student discount. Go online after you open your account, and talk to a customer service rep via chat. Tell them you want to use your employee discount. Tell them you work for Chase or search for any other company that gets a 25+% discount through Sprint. Much better discount, and by doing online chat, you can just disconnect from any rep that wants to give you a hard time. You don't need any employee info afaik. Just a suggestion. PEACE.
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That feels soo wrong lol. Well I've now pretty much settled on T-Mobile after looking over everything again. They'll get the better phone in the Nexus and the service is $10 more before any discount. So, I'll have to see.

And I think I'll lean towards using my AAA discount since it's a guaranteed 14% and activation fees are waived.
 
GoldenEye 007 said:
That feels soo wrong lol. Well I've now pretty much settled on T-Mobile after looking over everything again. They'll get the better phone in the Nexus and the service is $10 more before any discount. So, I'll have to see.

And I think I'll lean towards using my AAA discount since it's a guaranteed 14% and activation fees are waived.
Click to expand...
You should really rethink that. Sprint has a much better 3G network than T-Mobile. And god knows what kind of Android device Sprint might get next year.

That $70 plan is the best value in the industry hands down.
 
Kapsama said:
You should really rethink that. Sprint has a much better 3G network than T-Mobile. And god knows what kind of Android device Sprint might get next year.

That $70 plan is the best value in the industry hands down.
Click to expand...
True about the network. However, given where I am located 90% of the time, T-Mobile should give me great 3G coverage. I just don't think I can hang around on AT&T much longer waiting for Sprint when I'm hemmoraging $105/month. Sprint is a great deal, of course. Plus CDMA... eh, now that I'm thinking about it more and more.
 
Totakeke said:
Except most of the times it's the extra bulk or smaller screen size associated with the keyboard that people would rather not have a keyboard, and Droid doesn't have those issues. Anyone here really doesn't want Droid just because it has a keyboard?
Click to expand...
Me, and I'm sure I'm not the only one.

My wife has the Droid, and it's great. But she's also got a purse to lug it around in. I don't, and I don't need a hardware keyboard, so that extra thickness is an deal-breaker for me. Moderate downside, near non-existent upside.

And yes, the screen is still too small! :D (Okay, not reeaally, but I am intrigued by the idea of a 4-inch-plus screen. Perhaps such a phone would be un-pocketable as well, but I need to play with one to find out.)
 
Any word on the Nexus One coming to Sprint? I want a badass phone for Sprint, but their selection sucks. The Hero is still underpowered compared to these newer phones with snap dragon processors.
 
GoldenEye 007 said:
Ok, I'm thinking about taking the Android/Google plunge. I made an ill-advised thread and I'm reposting the OP here.

I'm on AT&T with the iPhone 3G currently. I really don't have coverage issues since I'm in Orlando most of the time. That's not the problem. It's mainly shitty customer service on AT&T's part and the expense. I love the phone, however, and I'm so used to it now. So it sucks I'm now considering dumping it due to the carrier.

The other issue is price. On AT&T with 450min, data, and unlimited text, I'm paying roughly $105 per month after taxes. A student discount gets me 8% off only the voice portion of the plan. Which takes about $3.50 off the final bill... whoohoo. I would also be faced with a $100 contract termination fee(and more like $90 by the time I cancel for real), which is pretty easy to eat now. And I'm sure I can sell the iPhone for $200-250ish to recoup some costs/break even on setting up new service.

With Sprint, for 450min(which includes unlimited mobile to mobile to any carrier), unlimited data, and unlimited text for $70 per month. Then a 10% student discount is added bringing the bill to $63 before taxes and probably like $70-75ish after all taxes.

Verizon seems like it would be good too with the Droid, but unfortunately the overall price is identical to AT&T with comparable features. No student discounts available either.

T-Mobile really didn't seem worth it after doing some research. Pretty irrelevant due to price similarities and device options, IMO.

With that, I think I am going to have to settle with the Sprint Network. I can at least keep my contacts and number, which is good.

I'm looking at the HTC Hero and am happy with some of the reviews but a bit apprehensive with the issues regarding performance. How significant are they compared to an iPhone 3G? Is Android 2.0 supported now? How is the software and/or hardware keyboard? How is handling music considering my library is managed by iTunes and .mp4a/p formats? How are software/firmware updates in general? How are you guys liking it after it's been around for awhile? Am I going to go crazy ditching the iPhone for this device? I know there is a Hero thread on here, but my question was more on Android phones in general plus I just wanted some updated impressions.

I've read briefly on the Samsung Moment, which wasn't too impressive sounding and also the Touch Pro2, which I think is a pass due to price and lack of Android. Should I wait until deeper into Q1 2010 or the summer? I don't know if I can since I'm faced with saving $35 monthly lol.
Click to expand...

If you're a new customer, google sprint's "everything 500" plan. it's $10 less than the 69.99 plan, with the same features.
 
Manmademan said:
If you're a new customer, google sprint's "everything 500" plan. it's $10 less than the 69.99 plan, with the same features.
Click to expand...
That's actually the plan I was going to switch to. My bill is about $60 after taxes now, and I can get it down to $50 with this one, plus 50 minutes. But I haven't gotten around to calling customer service yet. I'll probably do it through webchat too. T-Mobile looked great until Sprint came with the Everything plans. PEACE.
 
Manmademan said:
If you're a new customer, google sprint's "everything 500" plan. it's $10 less than the 69.99 plan, with the same features.
Click to expand...
I'm slighly confused. Is that something not offered on the Sprint site? I searched it and google didn't tell me anything too definitive of what you're talking about. That would be cool, though.

Ugh, so many decisions. I think either way I'm making the cutoff date Feb 11th due to a couple of billing things with AT&T. If nothing definitive has come out hardware wise by then with Sprint, I'm going to have to pull the trigger on T-Mobile and the Nexus. And I'll see how well I can bargain and get my new service rate reduced once I mention Sprint rates, etc.
 
GoldenEye 007 said:
I'm slighly confused. Is that something not offered on the Sprint site? I searched it and google didn't tell me anything too definitive of what you're talking about. That would be cool, though.

Ugh, so many decisions. I think either way I'm making the cutoff date Feb 11th due to a couple of billing things with AT&T. If nothing definitive has come out hardware wise by then with Sprint, I'm going to have to pull the trigger on T-Mobile and the Nexus. And I'll see how well I can bargain and get my new service rate reduced once I mention Sprint rates, etc.
Click to expand...

no, the everything plus 500 plan is technically a referral only plan, and doesn't show up on the website. In theory, you need to know a sprint employee and go through a specific website.

HOWEVER, in practice for promotional purposes, one of the company's VP's made his sprint ID available to anyone in the public that wants to take advantage of the offer. I'm at work and can't search as well as I'd like to here (constant interruptions) but I've posted it before, and can repost the info again if you're interested. It's 50 more minutes than the everything 450 for $10 less per month, so there's no reason not to take advantage of it.

edit: here's the info.

If you didn't get on SERO deal, but would like to get on the Everything Plus Plan, Sprint's VP of Strategy Russ McGuire had posted his email and last 3 digits of the employee ID so people can get on the deal.

http://delivery.sprint.com/m/p/nxt/epc/epclanding.asp

Email: russ.s.mcguire@sprint.com
Last 3 digits of employee ID: 383
 
Pimpwerx said:
What's battery life been like with the N1? I'm curious to know how the 1GHz cores treat a battery. PEACE.
Click to expand...
Not sure, but I'm not entirely certain that the phone will use all 1GHz, and instead they'll underclock a bit to save battery. Besides, it's not always clockspeed that determines battery life. Snapdragon does run almost twice as fast as most smartphone processors, but it is more energy efficient in terms of design so you can't really compare on clock speed. Also, the OLED screen definitely uses less power than a typical LCD so that will save on battery too. I expect the N1 to have some great battery life :D
 
Manmademan said:
no, the everything plus 500 plan is technically a referral only plan, and doesn't show up on the website. In theory, you need to know a sprint employee and go through a specific website.

HOWEVER, in practice for promotional purposes, one of the company's VP's made his sprint ID available to anyone in the public that wants to take advantage of the offer. I'm at work and can't search as well as I'd like to here (constant interruptions) but I've posted it before, and can repost the info again if you're interested. It's 50 more minutes than the everything 450 for $10 less per month, so there's no reason not to take advantage of it.

edit: here's the info.

If you didn't get on SERO deal, but would like to get on the Everything Plus Plan, Sprint's VP of Strategy Russ McGuire had posted his email and last 3 digits of the employee ID so people can get on the deal.

http://delivery.sprint.com/m/p/nxt/epc/epclanding.asp

Email: russ.s.mcguire@sprint.com
Last 3 digits of employee ID: 383
Click to expand...
Haha, wow that's cool. Thanks for letting us know. Well here's to hoping Sprint gets some updated hardware in the next month or so or at least a better idea of when more Android devices will be hitting. It's going to be that that makes or break where I go I guess.
 
Onix said:
Given the open source nature of Android, there's a small but growing non-phone usage of the OS.

Mind if we expand the next thread to start including some of that stuff? In particular, Notion Ink's Adam looks in-fucking-sane, assuming it does what it claims.
Click to expand...

Yup, it's definitely on the agenda.
 
GoldenEye 007 said:
Haha, wow that's cool. Thanks for letting us know. Well here's to hoping Sprint gets some updated hardware in the next month or so or at least a better idea of when more Android devices will be hitting. It's going to be that that makes or break where I go I guess.
Click to expand...


I'm on Sprint too and I'm looking so hard for a new Android phone. But it needs to have a physical keyboard though.
 
Pimpwerx said:
That's actually the plan I was going to switch to. My bill is about $60 after taxes now, and I can get it down to $50 with this one, plus 50 minutes. But I haven't gotten around to calling customer service yet. I'll probably do it through webchat too. T-Mobile looked great until Sprint came with the Everything plans. PEACE.
Click to expand...

I've read you can't apply any discounts to the $60, 500-min Sprint Everything Plus plan because it's "already discounted." Just get the normal 450-min $70 plan and get a rep to apply one of the 25%~ employee discounts. Much cheaper.

You can also get all sorts of credits and adjustments on a normal plan if you complain to retentions about cancelling and being dissatisfied, that you would be refused for on the plus plan. One floating around now is $20 off for 24 months. Folks are paying $30/month on what is supposed to be a $70 plan.
 
Manmademan said:
no, the everything plus 500 plan is technically a referral only plan, and doesn't show up on the website. In theory, you need to know a sprint employee and go through a specific website.

HOWEVER, in practice for promotional purposes, one of the company's VP's made his sprint ID available to anyone in the public that wants to take advantage of the offer. I'm at work and can't search as well as I'd like to here (constant interruptions) but I've posted it before, and can repost the info again if you're interested. It's 50 more minutes than the everything 450 for $10 less per month, so there's no reason not to take advantage of it.

edit: here's the info.

If you didn't get on SERO deal, but would like to get on the Everything Plus Plan, Sprint's VP of Strategy Russ McGuire had posted his email and last 3 digits of the employee ID so people can get on the deal.

http://delivery.sprint.com/m/p/nxt/epc/epclanding.asp

Email: russ.s.mcguire@sprint.com
Last 3 digits of employee ID: 383
Click to expand...

I recommend against the EPRP.

1) You can put a 20-25% discount on the $70/month Everything Data plan, and it becomes cheaper than EPRP. You can't put discounts on EPRP.

2) When Sprint launched the Palm Pre, they delayed making it available on the EPRP plans in order to allow customers on other plans to get it first. I don't remember exactly how long it took to get the phone on the EPRP plan, but it was at least several weeks if not months after other Sprint customers.

So basically you pay more and get treated like a 2nd-class citizen. You do get 50 more minutes per month, but since Sprint added unlimited mobile-to-mobile, that isn't really an issue anymore.
 
Ok so I want to root my phone and install a custom rom but am super confused. Do I need to root to install a ROM? Do I need to partition my sd card? Does Cyangen automatically use apps2sd? I just tried to partition my sd card and got the BSOD, so i got really scared and am wondering if its really worth it.

HELP PLEASE!?
 
alternade said:
Ok so I want to root my phone and install a custom rom but am super confused. Do I need to root to install a ROM? Do I need to partition my sd card? Does Cyangen automatically use apps2sd? I just tried to partition my sd card and got the BSOD, so i got really scared and am wondering if its really worth it.

HELP PLEASE!?
Click to expand...
Your best bet is to go check out Androidforums.com for specific info to your phone and whatever rom you're trying to load on your Android device.
 
Hey guys,

Quick q about the Xperia X10. Basically I fucking want the phone badly. There are a few things though:

1) I was one of the first people in Europe to have the X1 back a couple of years ago and found out after using my mums iPhone for a while that it was SHIT. WinMo made a complete pigs arse of the phone. I was watching for it for months before, was on the X1 forums I was excited, but felt totally let down. So is this phone possibly going to be a let down, or are there positive vibes for it already?

The following two are 2 main issues that make me think I won't get the phone

2)How does it work with MS Exchange (2003). I NEED NEED NEED NEED NEED good support for my work emails otherwise I'm screwed and will need a secondary device
3) How well does it work with OS X. As you can probably tell I'm an Apple zealot, but I lost my fucking iPhone and wanted a replacement one soon.
 
Yay, got myself a HTC Magic today. Im pretty excited, but now I want to get the Sense UI on it.

Did that official one ever get released? or will I have to root it or whatever and load the hacked rom?
 
Seems I have answered my own questions with some googling, but damn does this XDA site make no damn sence to someone with no hacking skills, they need some easy step by step instructions for this. haha

help help!
 
Yeah, I gotta say, the old futuristic look on the Calgary was a lot better, that and the keyboard layout.

It's interesting to see Engadget keep the hype on the N1 low...really though, when you put specs aside, I think what may push the phone over the top is its status as the official "Google Phone". I could easily see Google playing favorites with this thing as far as OS updates.
 
Also, BGR is reporting that there will be an AT&T version of the N1 too. http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2010/01/02/google-nexus-one-to-rock-out-on-att/

This isn’t completely confirmed, but we’ve heard from a source that there will be an AT&T 3G-compatible version of the Google Nexus One. Our connect described it as being a “second” unlocked model, with the T-Mobile-subsidized unit being locked to T-Mobile. Our tipster was so impressed by a Nexus One in person, they said they would 100% give up their T-Mobile BlackBerry 9700 for one when it’s available. We’ll see what happens on the 5th…
Click to expand...
 
Until Jan 4 you can get a smartphone from Rogers for only $1 if you commit to a 3 year data plan. You also get a free bluetooth headset.

I think the only Android phone is the LG Eve.

It has a keyboard which is what I really want but I think I'll hold out until the Bravo hits Canada. That could be another 6 months at least.
 
mckmas8808 said:
I'm on Sprint too and I'm looking so hard for a new Android phone. But it needs to have a physical keyboard though.
Click to expand...
I've come to be completely accustomed with an on-screen keyboard with the iPhone so a physical keyboard is not a requirement for me at all. I've never actually used a cell phone type physical keyboard before anyway, so no loss there.

I think I've settled on T-Mobile due to the hardware advantage over Sprint in the near term; I can't keep bleeding with AT&T waiting on Sprint into the summer, or even this spring for that matter. I'll just try to use the Sprint rates as a bargaining chip when I setup T-Mobile. I've done all the calculations with taxes and discounts and worse-case I would be stuck paying about $7-$10 more than Sprint per month. Hopefully I can get them to a least match Sprint rates.

This Tuesday will be really interesting with any Nexus One info.

Edit: Any comments on the quailty of T-Mobile service/coverage in the Orlando/East Orlando(UCF) area? Coverage maps indicate great coverage with 3G and maybe EDGE in most areas. But any real world comments?
 
Pctx said:
Anyone else in here with me on Tuesday morning ordering this phone? :D I know I can't be the only one.
Click to expand...

If it actually goes on sale this Tuesday, I will most likely bite. I'm hoping the single-plan subsidization thing isn't true. I don't want to change my now-grandfathered plan (Family MyFaves plan).

Side-note: It appears the Nexus One has already been rooted.
 
Pctx said:
Anyone else in here with me on Tuesday morning ordering this phone? :D I know I can't be the only one.
Click to expand...
Count me in. Been using a chewed up old phone (thanks dogs) until this bad boy comes out. My first smart phone, and what a beast it will be.
 
Something interesting I just learned...

Archos pushed out Android 1.6 to their Archos 5 devices before Christmas, but then took the update offline because the browser had some major issue. They said it should be back up in a few days.

Archos has actually been impressing me these past few months. I check in every now and then on the ArchosFans forum, and despite their reputation on the blogosphere, they have actually been producing consistent firmware patches to improve stability. Android 1.6 coming out signaled to me that they finally might "get it."

I eagerly anticipate whatever they announce at CES. My hope is that in addition to their WVGA phone, they'll reveal an Android tablet like what they already have, but with a capacitive screen, Android 2.0, Google apps, and a 3G antennae. Really, what I want beyond what they've already done is a capacitive screen and the Android Market, officially. (While there is a hack to get the Market onto their devices, it's the 1.5 version.)
 
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