Android vs iPhone

[gstelmack]

I'm asking this seriously, not to try to trigger some huge debate. My wife and I are about to take the plunge, going from a landline + prepaid cell phones to a pair of smartphones only. We are sticking with Verizon because we've had good luck with them, and it has great reception at work (AT&T has very poor cellphone reception there, Sprint seems okay, not sure about T-Mobile).

Verizon has been primarily about Android, although they also support Blackberry and WebOS. Obviously the iPhone is hitting next week as well. My wife is about 90% sure to get an iPhone, mostly for one particular app that is only available on it (there are similar ones available for Android, but not as good). Our current thinking is for me to get an Android phone, that way we can compare for a year or two and then decide which are working best.

But having little personal experience with these, I'm curious about some specific features that have me waffling between Android and iPhone. Be advised upfront that if Verizon had Windows 7 phones out now rather than the mid year I keep hearing about, I would be leaning heavily that way since I've got loads of WMA music and would be swapping it from my Zune to the smartphone, plus I'd love to program for it with XNA. That is not an option, so I'm stuck with:

Google vs iTunes. I have very bad experience with Apple software on Windows, with Quicktime causing problems on EVERY machine I've ever installed it on. Safari has a long history of issues as well. On the other hand, Google sees all and knows all, and I'm not sure I really want all my phone calls and web usage going past their eyes. So politically I'm stuck here, but I'm curious about how iTunes co-habitates with Windows. Am I just outthinking myself here, or do folks have issues with iTunes on Windows?

Music. As mentioned above, I've got my entire CD collection ripped into WMA format, available to Windows Media Player, Media Center, and in Zune and syncs nicely to my current Zune player. I'll want to continue using Media Center to play music on my current PC (2 other PCs also access it, plus my 360 and both Blu-Ray players, so we can listen throughout the house), and I also want to easily synch to the phones. Any experiences here syncing Windows Media files to either Android or iPhone?

Office Apps. Between work and home I use Word and Excel quite a bit. I presume it's easy to get these docs on either phone, but how is support for viewing?

Windows 7 Sticky Notes. Been making heavier use of these for reminders. Does either phone sync these?

Outlook contacts / calendar. Research is showing that this is relatively painless to sync with the iPhone. Android mostly involves either syncing with the Google Cloud first (shudder), or there are third-party apps that can handle it. Experiences with this on iPhone?

Games. iPhone wins hands-down here (I think). Android has gained popularity enough that I expect the app balance to correct itself, but is currently lagging. But is there enough of a game marketplace on Android for me to keep myself busy? I know puzzle and strategy are the primary types that work, I'm not looking for first-person shooters, but if there are variety of puzzle and strategy games on Android this may become a non-factor.

At the moment I'm leaning towards a DroidX, and have been given the caveat that bloatware is starting to strike smartphones so I'll probably want to uninstall some stuff when I get it. Aside from that, am I going to be frustrated at some of the things above, or will it work fine for all those feature requests? Or should I be listening to the whisperings that tell me the Games, Outlook contact/calendar sync, and Office document support are so much better I should just deal with iTunes? Comments on the above features will help me make an informed decision here.

[Scoobz0202]

When are you taking the plunge? Check out the HTC Thunderbolt and the Droid Bionic if you are going Android. The Thunderbolt should be out in a week or two. The Bionic is probably late spring or early summer.

[stevew]

Def wait for the Thunderbolt if you want to go android.

[DanGarion]

At the moment I'm leaning towards a DroidX, and have been given the caveat that bloatware is starting to strike smartphones so I'll probably want to uninstall some stuff when I get it. Aside from that, am I going to be frustrated at some of the things above, or will it work fine for all those feature requests? Or should I be listening to the whisperings that tell me the Games, Outlook contact/calendar sync, and Office document support are so much better I should just deal with iTunes? Comments on the above features will help me make an informed decision here.

You cannot uninstall most of the software that comes preinstalled on a DroidX. Well you can but you would have to root it and make backups and then reinstall them if you want to ever do an official OTA update.

iTunes is crap. I do not regret moving from iPhone to Droid. But that is just my opinion.

[DaddyTorgo]

What's the one app that is going to make your wife get an iPhone over an Android phone?!?!? That just seems...wow. Can't figure what would be that important.

[gstelmack]

What's the one app that is going to make your wife get an iPhone over an Android phone?!?!? That just seems...wow. Can't figure what would be that important.

Loseit.com. She's been using it for a bit on the web and is really enjoying it, helping her pay attention to what she eats. Checking reviews on Android options, they all seem to be missing something that one has, and she doesn't want to lose access or switch. And the advantages Android offers are not going to be that big a deal to her.

[DaddyTorgo]

Interesting. Cool.

I certainly can't rag on her for that - being in the middle of losing a ton of weight myself!

[gstelmack]

Def wait for the Thunderbolt if you want to go android.

If the Thunderbolt is really only a week or two, I'm all for it, since 4G is rolling out. However we don't have 4G here yet, and I was hearing time frames more like a month or longer on it (to give Verizon time to clear out the initial iPhone rush). All the dates have been speculation, but if there's something harder out there, let me know. I can wait 2 weeks if needed.

[MJ4H]

Lose It is really good.

[Scoobz0202]

If the Thunderbolt is really only a week or two, I'm all for it, since 4G is rolling out. However we don't have 4G here yet, and I was hearing time frames more like a month or longer on it (to give Verizon time to clear out the initial iPhone rush). All the dates have been speculation, but if there's something harder out there, let me know. I can wait 2 weeks if needed.

I found this link for Best Buy.
Spotted: Motorola Xoom, HTC Thunderbolt release dates at Best Buy | ZDNet (http://www.zdnet.com/blog/gadgetreviews/spotted-motorola-xoom-htc-thunderbolt-release-dates-at-best-buy/22048)

[CU Tiger]

The Bionic will be out mid March...I have a pre order on it already.
LTE is more about simultaneous talk/data than speed to em but I will admit despite talking somewhere around 2500 minutes per month it is rarely an issue.

[stevew]

Basically the HTC Thunderbolt is the same as the HTC EVO. The Droid Bionic and the forthcoming Motorola Atrix are the same phone right?

[ISiddiqui]

Apparently, according to Engadget, Best Buy is accepting pre-orders for the Thunderbolt:

Best Buy opens up in-store pre-orders for HTC Thunderbolt: $50 to claim yours -- Engadget (http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/06/best-buy-opens-up-in-store-pre-orders-for-htc-thunderbolt-50-t/)

And hearing from numerous stores that the 14th is when it comes out at BB.

[gstelmack]

So far the responses are "wait a few weeks for one of the new phones" (likely will do, slowing me down a bit is probably a good idea here) and one confirmation that iTunes sucks. Any comment on these other points from the Android folks?

Music. As mentioned above, I've got my entire CD collection ripped into WMA format, available to Windows Media Player, Media Center, and in Zune and syncs nicely to my current Zune player. I'll want to continue using Media Center to play music on my current PC (2 other PCs also access it, plus my 360 and both Blu-Ray players, so we can listen throughout the house), and I also want to easily synch to the phones. Any experiences here syncing Windows Media files to either Android or iPhone?

Office Apps. Between work and home I use Word and Excel quite a bit. I presume it's easy to get these docs on either phone, but how is support for viewing?

Windows 7 Sticky Notes. Been making heavier use of these for reminders. Does either phone sync these?

Outlook contacts / calendar. Research is showing that this is relatively painless to sync with the iPhone. Android mostly involves either syncing with the Google Cloud first (shudder), or there are third-party apps that can handle it. Experiences with this on iPhone?

Games. iPhone wins hands-down here (I think). Android has gained popularity enough that I expect the app balance to correct itself, but is currently lagging. But is there enough of a game marketplace on Android for me to keep myself busy? I know puzzle and strategy are the primary types that work, I'm not looking for first-person shooters, but if there are variety of puzzle and strategy games on Android this may become a non-factor.

[Eaglesfan27]

I find office apps easily viewable on my Incredible.

I find Angry Birds, Zenovia, and Robodefense keep me very busy. There are quite a few other games I want to play as well when I have the time.

Can't answer your other points as I don't try to sync with Outlook or Sticky notes (which I've never tried but another friend was raving about them recently so maybe I need to.)

[DaddyTorgo]

1. Never tried synching WMA files.
2. I've never had a need to open documents on my phone, but I just tried on an Excel spreadsheet that's in my inbox with the default app for it (haven't bought any of the apps I'm sure are available for it) and it works absolutely fine. Small sample size, but there you go.
3. I dunno
4. Not sure - I've resisted syncing Outlook contacts with my phone precisely because I don't want all my work contacts in it (all 8,000 of them), and we don't really use Outlook calendar for our main office calendar (yay salesforce).
5. I've found there's enough puzzle and strategy games on Android to keep me busy, and the variety is only improving, and isn't a major issue IMHO. But then again I stick to 4-5 games (Need for Speed, Cribbage, Star Traders, Angry Birds, Chess).

[Swaggs]

I probably don't get as much use out of all of its features as I could (as I was coming from an old school flip phone and it has been a pretty big leap for me), but I have really enjoyed my Android.

I use an IPod for my music and have never had the urge/need to use my phone for both (I'd rather save the battery for phone calls and browsing), but I imagine that would be the biggest benefit to the IPhone.

[gstelmack]

Thanks guys, all good info.

[DaddyTorgo]

I probably don't get as much use out of all of its features as I could (as I was coming from an old school flip phone and it has been a pretty big leap for me), but I have really enjoyed my Android.

I use an IPod for my music and have never had the urge/need to use my phone for both (I'd rather save the battery for phone calls and browsing), but I imagine that would be the biggest benefit to the IPhone.

Ditto this. I'm far from an Android power-user (frankly I haven't had the need to invest the time to become one), but I'm loving mine so far.

I too don't really use it to listen to music - I've got an iPod for that, so why would I use my phone's battery & space rather than that on my tiny lil iPod Nano. I guess I can see the use of using it for music if you could only carry one device, but when you've got no limitations like that I'm not sure why you'd listen to music off your phone.

[jeff061]

You don't need to sync to the cloud for email on Android. You just add a new email account and specify whether it's Exchange, Pop or IMAP. Same as the iPhone. It of course is better with gmail than the iPhone is.

In addition to that there are third party apps that are better than the built in one(Touchdown). Less issues with some work Exchange servers and a better overall interface.

[jeff061]

Should have read more thoroughly first, for non-Exchange email, I actually do think your Calendar and Contacts are pulled from your gmail account. If you are connecting to an Exchange server(work) you can pull calendar and contacts from there as well or instead.

[wade moore]

FWIW, I don't think you should take iTunes is "crap" based solely on one poster here.

I use iTunes constantly and I love it. There's a many page thread here somewhere that talks about a lot of people liking it. I've not used Windows Media Player for any extended period of time, but I really don't get the hatred some small minority has for iTunes.

[FrogMan]

FWIW, I don't think you should take iTunes is "crap" based solely on one poster here.

I use iTunes constantly and I love it. There's a many page thread here somewhere that talks about a lot of people liking it. I've not used Windows Media Player for any extended period of time, but I really don't get the hatred some small minority has for iTunes.

I was gonna say the same thing. Not sure one person saying he thinks iTunes is crap makes it crap. I've only been using iTunes since getting an iPot Touch last November but it's been really neat for me so far, nothing bad to say about it.

FM

[DanGarion]

FWIW, I don't think you should take iTunes is "crap" based solely on one poster here.

I use iTunes constantly and I love it. There's a many page thread here somewhere that talks about a lot of people liking it. I've not used Windows Media Player for any extended period of time, but I really don't get the hatred some small minority has for iTunes.
I'm just speaking from my experience of using it as a media player. I've used a heck of a lot of media players in 15 years and I've never been happy with the way iTunes does things, for a company with billions in revenue I would expect something much better when I compare it to other players that are developed from much less known and less funded companies. iTunes was one of the big reasons I wanted to get away from the iPhone after 2 years.

[wade moore]

I'm just speaking from my experience of using it as a media player. I've used a heck of a lot of media players in 15 years and I've never been happy with the way iTunes does things, for a company with billions in revenue I would expect something much better when I compare it to other players that are developed from much less known and less funded companies. iTunes was one of the big reasons I wanted to get away from the iPhone after 2 years.

Can you be more specific?

In the huge thread here, some of the people that used to not like it it was because they didn't know how to get it to do what they wanted.

To be honest, I have no idea what you could not like about it - but I also haven't used any other media player extensively besides winamp.

[JediKooter]

Haha! I'm not sure what you want a media player to do other than to play audio or video. If you are using iTunes on a Windows system, I would not be surprised that you have had issues.

[wade moore]

Haha! I'm not sure what you want a media player to do other than to play audio or video. If you are using iTunes on a Windows system, I would not be surprised that you have had issues.

How come? I've never had problems in the.. idano.. 5-7 years I've been using iTunes on Windows.

[DanGarion]

Haha! I'm not sure what you want a media player to do other than to play audio or video. If you are using iTunes on a Windows system, I would not be surprised that you have had issues.

I think was one of the biggest issues I had, Apple has always treated the Windows version as the red headed step child, even though that is what a large majority of people use it on. Also it used to (not sure if it still does) reset it's settings every time a new version came out. I would have my folders set up perfectly and then an iTunes update would null and void my settings and start placing music back in it's "default" folder. Another issue is with its handling of multiple users and multiple devices.

[MJ4H]

the only problems i have with itunes are performance related (it is much slower than something like foobar, etc.). the feature set is fine.

[gstelmack]

Haha! I'm not sure what you want a media player to do other than to play audio or video. If you are using iTunes on a Windows system, I would not be surprised that you have had issues.

That's one of the concerns I have and why I'm looking for contrarian opinions. I love Windows Media Center and Zune as media players, but iTunes is also the app store for the iPhone, and between my personal experiences with QuickTime and experiences I've read about with Safari, I'm leery of putting iTunes on my personal PC. But if there are plenty of folks not having any issues with iTunes on Windows, specifically Windows 7 64-bit, it becomes less of an issue. As long as the iPhone will import my WMA music library.

On the issue of playing music on the phone, having one device is one of the key benefits. Sure, I could also by a Zune HD to upgrade my Zune and carry both, but I'd rather carry just the one device. However, it's not a deal breaker, just a big money saver.

[DanGarion]

Oh and the fact that Apple wants iTunes are your media player and the software to sync with devices but then doesn't go all the way and make it compatible with non Apple devices, going as far to BREAK it so it won't sync with other devices once it is found out that people can make workarounds.

[wade moore]

I think was one of the biggest issues I had, Apple has always treated the Windows version as the red headed step child, even though that is what a large majority of people use it on. Also it used to (not sure if it still does) reset it's settings every time a new version came out. I would have my folders set up perfectly and then an iTunes update would null and void my settings and start placing music back in it's "default" folder. Another issue is with its handling of multiple users and multiple devices.

You're all over the place with generics for the most part again, but..

1. It does not reset now (can't speak to before, i've always let it manage my folders). It gives you the option on each install on whether you want it to manage your folders or not.
2. The handling of multiple users/devices, is again, vague. On devices, I've had 4 devices that I synched regular at the same time before, and had no issues that I can think of. It handles them separately, they all have their own settings for synching, etc. I've never tried multiple users and have no idea how iTunes or WMP handles that.

[wade moore]

Oh and the fact that Apple wants iTunes are your media player and the software to sync with devices but then doesn't go all the way and make it compatible with non Apple devices, going as far to BREAK it so it won't sync with other devices once it is found out that people can make workarounds.

I can see where this is an issue, but it is not relevant to greg's issue and really more about an axe you have to grind.

[wade moore]

That's one of the concerns I have and why I'm looking for contrarian opinions. I love Windows Media Center and Zune as media players, but iTunes is also the app store for the iPhone, and between my personal experiences with QuickTime and experiences I've read about with Safari, I'm leery of putting iTunes on my personal PC. But if there are plenty of folks not having any issues with iTunes on Windows, specifically Windows 7 64-bit, it becomes less of an issue. As long as the iPhone will import my WMA music library.

On the issue of playing music on the phone, having one device is one of the key benefits. Sure, I could also by a Zune HD to upgrade my Zune and carry both, but I'd rather carry just the one device. However, it's not a deal breaker, just a big money saver.

I'm using Windows 7 32-bit and have had no issues, outside of the occasional performance issues mentioned above (although really, when I got a new laptop I really didn't see those issues much).

Really, in my opinion, it's a pretty damned good program. As far as I know, WMP doesn't have an equivalent to "Smart Playlists" which is a REALLY REALLY good feature.

But, part of why I like iTunes is I use the store, I am big on podcasts and it handles those well, etc.

[ISiddiqui]

iTunes is a massive resource hog, IMO. I do use it often, but I wish it wasn't so freaking slow and taxing on my machine at times. The Zune's media player is far nicer to use.

[wade moore]

FWIW - part of why I'm so engaged in this discussion is I have the opposite concern of Greg...

I'm getting a Smart Phone in August, but I really like iTunes and the iPod/iPhone interface. I've had a Touch for a couple of years and really like it. But, I have heard many great things about Android, but one of the big negatives is that it doesn't play nice with iTunes. I'm not sure I want to go away from iTunes.

[Swaggs]

For a novice like myself, I really like iTunes, as well.

I use it to listen to music on my laptop and for my iPods. It gives me enough utility for those two things, which is pretty much all I ask.

[cartman]

Safari is separate from iTunes. They give you the option to install it with iTunes, but it is not a requirement. Plus, if you are that disdainful of QuickTime, there is a way to install iTunes without QuickTime.

[gstelmack]

FWIW - part of why I'm so engaged in this discussion is I have the opposite concern of Greg...

I'm getting a Smart Phone in August, but I really like iTunes and the iPod/iPhone interface. I've had a Touch for a couple of years and really like it. But, I have heard many great things about Android, but one of the big negatives is that it doesn't play nice with iTunes. I'm not sure I want to go away from iTunes.

I posted this because I think Android and iPhone are at about the same power level, it's down to all these other little things. iPhone is a closed ecosystem and it's Apple with all the baggage that comes with Apple on Windows, while Android is the Wild West and it's Google with all the baggage that comes with Big Brother Is Watching You. If you like the iPhone now, I don't see why you'd want to switch. I really want Windows Phone 7, but Microsoft is late to the Verizon party and doing their best to fail in this space AGAIN so not much of a real option. I feel like buying a Smartphone is like voting in a Presidential election: I don't really want either one, but need to pick one that won't annoy me TOO bad over the next two years :D

Of course if this goes the way I expect, with me getting an Android Phone and my wife getting an iPhone, I'll be able to have a much more intelligent discussion about this in a few months comparing the two and how they've worked out for us.

[gstelmack]

Safari is separate from iTunes. They give you the option to install it with iTunes, but it is not a requirement. Plus, if you are that disdainful of QuickTime, there is a way to install iTunes without QuickTime.

That's not quite my issue. My point was more if Safari and QuickTime are borked on Windows, what faith am I supposed to have that iTunes won't also be borked?

[DanGarion]

I'm getting a Smart Phone in August, but I really like iTunes and the iPod/iPhone interface. I've had a Touch for a couple of years and really like it. But, I have heard many great things about Android, but one of the big negatives is that it doesn't play nice with iTunes. I'm not sure I want to go away from iTunes.
But isn't that exactly what I just mentioned up above when you claimed I had an axe to grind? Apple has purposed locked out other devices when they could have simply allowed proper support for media players of all sorts.

As for multiple users, my wife and I both had iPhones we both had our separate logins on our PC but iTunes made what I would consider simple tasks nearly impossible. Podcasts that I would configure to download to my phone would download to both, you couldn't share playlists properly from one user to the next (yes you could listen to them but you couldn't share the actual list as if it was one you had under your user). There were a lot of issues I ran into, but I used it since it was the only real option.

[wade moore]

I posted this because I think Android and iPhone are at about the same power level, it's down to all these other little things. iPhone is a closed ecosystem and it's Apple with all the baggage that comes with Apple on Windows, while Android is the Wild West and it's Google with all the baggage that comes with Big Brother Is Watching You. If you like the iPhone now, I don't see why you'd want to switch. I really want Windows Phone 7, but Microsoft is late to the Verizon party and doing their best to fail in this space AGAIN so not much of a real option. I feel like buying a Smartphone is like voting in a Presidential election: I don't really want either one, but need to pick one that won't annoy me TOO bad over the next two years :D

Of course if this goes the way I expect, with me getting an Android Phone and my wife getting an iPhone, I'll be able to have a much more intelligent discussion about this in a few months comparing the two and how they've worked out for us.


Well, I don't have an iPhone. I have an iPod Touch. I'm with Verizon, so I'm just now getting that choice. I don't have a smartphone at the moment.

I'm concerned about the iPhone not being on LTE is the main thing.

That's not quite my issue. My point was more if Safari and QuickTime are borked on Windows, what faith am I supposed to have that iTunes won't also be borked?

I don't know a lot about Safari (not sure why you'd use it on Windows anyways) or QuickTime being borked (the only times I've used QuickTime it's been fine, but I admittedly use it very rarely). But, again, I don't think there are issues with iTunes being "borked". It is a resource hog at times, but with a good machine I don't think it's much of an issue. But beyond that... I don't know of any major quality issues.

[ISiddiqui]

one of the big negatives is that it doesn't play nice with iTunes.

Third party apps do allow you to play nice with iTunes.

DoubleTwist:

http://lifehacker.com/#!5554277/doubletwist-player-for-android-syncs-media-and-metadata

[wade moore]

Third party apps do allow you to play nice with iTunes.

DoubleTwist:

http://lifehacker.com/#!5554277/doubletwist-player-for-android-syncs-media-and-metadata (http://lifehacker.com/#%215554277/doubletwist-player-for-android-syncs-media-and-metadata)

And see, this is why I mentioned my specific issues.

I still might go with the iPhone, but this certainly evens the playing field a lot more.

[JediKooter]

How come? I've never had problems in the.. idano.. 5-7 years I've been using iTunes on Windows.

Do you mess around with any of the settings or try and get fancy with it though? Usually if you are a 'casual' user, i.e., you just use it to listen to your music or watch podcasts/movies, you'll be alright. I have my dad set up with the Apple TV on his Windows machine and he hasn't had any problems either.

I think was one of the biggest issues I had, Apple has always treated the Windows version as the red headed step child, even though that is what a large majority of people use it on. Also it used to (not sure if it still does) reset it's settings every time a new version came out. I would have my folders set up perfectly and then an iTunes update would null and void my settings and start placing music back in it's "default" folder. Another issue is with its handling of multiple users and multiple devices.

Yes, I can confirm that Apple and iTunes for Windows is less than an after thought compared to the effort it puts into other things. It's a two way street though. Microsoft's support is minimal, so why would Apple waste resources? So really, it's both companies (not just Apple) that are at fault. Microsoft's unwillingness to help and Apple saying, "Alright, well fuck you then". Over simplification, but, that's the jest of it. In development meetings, we would laugh when the mention of getting certain codecs to work with QT for Windows. The joke was, "I'll have my kid do it" or "I'll do it on my coffee break".

That's one of the concerns I have and why I'm looking for contrarian opinions. I love Windows Media Center and Zune as media players, but iTunes is also the app store for the iPhone, and between my personal experiences with QuickTime and experiences I've read about with Safari, I'm leery of putting iTunes on my personal PC. But if there are plenty of folks not having any issues with iTunes on Windows, specifically Windows 7 64-bit, it becomes less of an issue. As long as the iPhone will import my WMA music library.

On the issue of playing music on the phone, having one device is one of the key benefits. Sure, I could also by a Zune HD to upgrade my Zune and carry both, but I'd rather carry just the one device. However, it's not a deal breaker, just a big money saver.

The only piece of advice that I can give is: Get what you think will work best for you and your wife as far as the phone is concerned (probably doesn't help much, sorry). I don't have an iPhone or any other kind of smart phone, so I really can't attest to stability or anything else to compare them to. I can say, that I will be getting the iPhone from Verizon. Why? I trust Apple products, plain and simple. All of my home devices are Apple except for my Xbox. I know there will be no compatibility issues. That's the beauty of a closed system. Some like that, some don't and that's ok. If your WMA files don't work, I do believe there are plenty of free converters out there that will make them compatible with the iPhone. Not sure how feasible that is for you depending on how many files you have.

I hate Safari. I really really do. I use Firefox on my Apple computer at home. Even when I worked at Apple, I installed Firefox on my machines. However, I do like their mail program a lot.

I would just weigh the pros and cons and go from there. The iPhone is a good solid product (from my friends that have them) and now that you're not stuck with at&t, I think it will continue to get better. If in doubt, take advantage of the return policy for whatever company you use. I think Verizon (it might be at&t) changed their return policy from 30 days to 14, so be aware of that. Hope that helps!

[DanGarion]

Third party apps do allow you to play nice with iTunes.

DoubleTwist:

Lifehacker, tips and downloads for getting things done (http://lifehacker.com/#!5554277/doubletwist-player-for-android-syncs-media-and-metadata)

I use DoubleTwist, it's ok... It's a resource hog and clunky. But I really like the WiFi syncing.

And just to add to this, if I was to compare DT to IT I would say IT is better. But I use DT since it actually works with my phone and the wireless syncing is second to none (expect to the 40%+ CPU usage it bogs my phone down too when it's doing it's thing...) :)

[cartman]

That's not quite my issue. My point was more if Safari and QuickTime are borked on Windows, what faith am I supposed to have that iTunes won't also be borked?

Because iTunes is a huge revenue generator, so likely gets more attention than the browser or media player?

[DanGarion]

One major (to me) issue with Android phones and the Android Market is that if you have a Google Apps account there are limits to what you can do and you will need to use a normal Google Account in place of your Google Apps account at times. You can't use you Google Apps account for the Market, Youtube, or Google Reader. There might be some others but those are the ones I know off the top of my head, it's frustrating but you can work around it for the most part.

[Passacaglia]

Third party apps do allow you to play nice with iTunes.

DoubleTwist:

Lifehacker, tips and downloads for getting things done (http://lifehacker.com/#!5554277/doubletwist-player-for-android-syncs-media-and-metadata)

Doubletwist has a lot of limitations. I don't remember what, but when I tried installing it, I couldn't get it to do everything I wanted it to.

[Fidatelo]

My biggest beef with iTunes comes whenever I've wanted to move my music from one location to another (like off a computer and onto an external drive of some sort). What a disaster. Hours of reading the web and editing XML files and often still resulting in lost settings and playlists.

As for gstelmack, he seems like a prime candidate for a WP7 device. Why is waiting until mid-year not an option? Or moving from Verizon to another carrier for that matter?

[gstelmack]

Because iTunes is a huge revenue generator, so likely gets more attention than the browser or media player?

Good point, but also why I was looking for specific experience to rather than trying to rely on my past experience with other tools, that's all.

[gstelmack]

As for gstelmack, he seems like a prime candidate for a WP7 device. Why is waiting until mid-year not an option? Or moving from Verizon to another carrier for that matter?

A couple of reasons here:

1) My wife and I have had great experiences with Verizon on two separate occasions now (with an interlude down to VirginMobile for a prepaid plan before Verizon's became sane). And Verizon gets good reception at work, where AT&T doesn't (Sprint is okay, T-Mobile I'm unsure of). From my work window I can see a Verizon tower not too far away on one of their development buildings :D And work cellphone access is critical right now. Also Verizon has recently given me good cell reception at home, something that did not work too long ago and certainly wasn't working with Virgin Mobile and has not worked for anyone with a different carrier, so Verizon leaves open the possibility of dumping the landline without adding one of the network hotspots that translates the cell to VOIP at home.

2) Work-related reasons are forcing me into a smartphone in the relatively short-term (I absolutely cannot go into specifics). Waiting a couple of weeks may be okay, waiting until June or later is likely to be problematic.

3) While I like the IDEA of Windows Mobile 7, I have also been through owning a Dell Axim x51 (and my wife having an older Dell Axim x3), dealing with Microsoft obsoleting the old Mobile OSes as they upped operating systems versions (my wife had to upgrade because hers would not synch with Vista), and I've generally watched Microsoft botch the mobile OS space. I love my Zune, and I'd love to code with XNA for WP7, but I don't know that I trust Microsoft here, much as it pains me to say it.

But if WP7 was available on Verizon in the next few weeks, yes I'd be taking a very hard look, and honestly it would probably win out. I only started looking at the iPhone and Android because reports were Microsoft would not have a CDMA WP7 for Verizon for many months at least.

[Fidatelo]

A couple of reasons here:

1) My wife and I have had great experiences with Verizon on two separate occasions now (with an interlude down to VirginMobile for a prepaid plan before Verizon's became sane). And Verizon gets good reception at work, where AT&T doesn't (Sprint is okay, T-Mobile I'm unsure of). From my work window I can see a Verizon tower not too far away on one of their development buildings :D And work cellphone access is critical right now. Also Verizon has recently given me good cell reception at home, something that did not work too long ago and certainly wasn't working with Virgin Mobile and has not worked for anyone with a different carrier, so Verizon leaves open the possibility of dumping the landline without adding one of the network hotspots that translates the cell to VOIP at home.

2) Work-related reasons are forcing me into a smartphone in the relatively short-term (I absolutely cannot go into specifics). Waiting a couple of weeks may be okay, waiting until June or later is likely to be problematic.

3) While I like the IDEA of Windows Mobile 7, I have also been through owning a Dell Axim x51 (and my wife having an older Dell Axim x3), dealing with Microsoft obsoleting the old Mobile OSes as they upped operating systems versions (my wife had to upgrade because hers would not synch with Vista), and I've generally watched Microsoft botch the mobile OS space. I love my Zune, and I'd love to code with XNA for WP7, but I don't know that I trust Microsoft here, much as it pains me to say it.

But if WP7 was available on Verizon in the next few weeks, yes I'd be taking a very hard look, and honestly it would probably win out. I only started looking at the iPhone and Android because reports were Microsoft would not have a CDMA WP7 for Verizon for many months at least.

That sucks about the timing because for things like syncing with Zune and Office I'm not sure how you could beat wp7. You are correct to be wary of MS in the mobile space, though, that is a very fair criticism.

[gstelmack]

That sucks about the timing because for things like syncing with Zune and Office I'm not sure how you could beat wp7. You are correct to be wary of MS in the mobile space, though, that is a very fair criticism.

Agreed, that's why I was hoping to get some first-hand accounts of synching this type of data.

[wade moore]

Doubletwist has a lot of limitations. I don't remember what, but when I tried installing it, I couldn't get it to do everything I wanted it to.

Without knowing specific apps, this was basically my general impression.

[Passacaglia]

Without knowing specific apps, this was basically my general impression.

Me neither. I tried it out, and was able to move a playlist (I forget if it was a smart playlist) to my phone. I could change ratings, but I'm not sure if I would have been able to make those ratings get back on to my itunes (which is all I wanted).

[Barkeep49]

On Verizion and I got an LG Ally as a 1 year place holder until I could get an iPhone. I now think I will stick with Android. A big part of this is that my work uses Google Aps for its Email, so that comparability is useful. But I also like the fact that my phone has a physical keyboard. I own an iPod Touch and cannot type anywhere near as quickly on it as I can on my Ally.

[gstelmack]

FWIW, looks like the final decision here is iPhone for the wife, HTC Thunderbolt for me when it finally hits, if it's before the end of February, otherwise I'll probably snag a Droid X. We'll check them both out over the next year or so and see if either of us needs to switch.

[ISiddiqui]

Apparently the Thunderbolt got pushed back to the 24th... interestingly just right after the 14 day return window for the iPhone expires.

[gstelmack]

Apparently the Thunderbolt got pushed back to the 24th... interestingly just right after the 14 day return window for the iPhone expires.

I had heard this speculation a lot over the last week.

[gstelmack]

Wait, I need an actual honest-to-goodness MAC if I want to develop for iPhone? I was starting to reconsider with all the Thunderbolt delays, but that knocks the iPhone right out. Guess it really is either a Thunderbolt, or maybe that will take long enough to get out I'll just wait for a Windows Phone 7 phone on Verizon. I've already talked myself out of just going ahead and buying a Droid X or Incredible.

[Scoobz0202]

Hopefully these new rumors of the 3rd or the 4th are correct on the Thunderbolt. The delays are ridiculous. I've read everything from the 4G not being ready to what I believe to be more of the truth in that there was a battery issue. Supposedly demo phones were only getting 3 hours from full to zero. Apparently thats fixed with a firmwire update because it had something to do with the phone constantly looking for the network. I'm not too sure. All speculation.

Hopefully you get it within the next week, gstelmack.

[cougarfreak]

I just got the HTC inspire through ATT for $99, and it was a hell of a buy IMO.

[gstelmack]

Just bought my DroidX a couple of hours ago. It wasn't so much the delay on the Thunderbolt as the fact that the price seems to have crept up to $300 based on all the Best Buy flyers, including the one I picked up at a Best Buy Mobile store yesterday. I just don't think the Thunderbolt has $150 worth of improvements over what I'm reading about the Droid X. Might be a mistake, but I'd rather save the money.

[stevew]

All my friends with the DroidX absolutely love it. My friend has this nifty window mount for it, which enables it to work as a MP3 player, a navigation system and handsfree calling.

http://lh4.googleusercontent.com/public/NmQrXzsZl5M3iqUpbpXiG0JN99UaVhSBak2U7VHTmIbmMmjJx5BxAXiLDg0vLc2uv8gz8nj0cXBlm1g8oqthRIAEjqkOklGC_I18uUi23Al9Wlzhm6JqOINZTPLV0UAWkhzeXX6cz7QfsZQrj-o__3wqNzYhMb3h_RY

[gstelmack]

That mount looks cool. Wonder if I can flip it over and attach it to my GPS beanbag mount. I hate actually attaching to the window since that's like a big sign saying "break into my car please!". But having it customize the UI for those items would be awesome.

[Logan]

I ordered a Droid X a couple days ago too, and that was only after the Thunderbolt delay to the 4th (or 10th...) when it seems like it could even be April at this point. I'm still on an old BB Curve and it is literally dying a slow death and just couldn't wait anymore.

[gstelmack]

Music. As mentioned above, I've got my entire CD collection ripped into WMA format, available to Windows Media Player, Media Center, and in Zune and syncs nicely to my current Zune player. I'll want to continue using Media Center to play music on my current PC (2 other PCs also access it, plus my 360 and both Blu-Ray players, so we can listen throughout the house), and I also want to easily synch to the phones. Any experiences here syncing Windows Media files to either Android or iPhone?

Heh, with the Droid X there are apparently several music synch options (Droid has one, Verizon has one, and who knows how many free ones), or I can just copy the whole blasted music directory (or subsets if I really want to) to the card and be done with it. Me likey that last option...

And to give equal time in case anyone else uses this thread for the same reason I did, my wife really likes the way iTunes handles her Outlook synching for her iPhone, better than the various PDAs she's tried in the past. After synching her home contacts, she realised they were out of date, so told iTunes to stop synching contacts from her home PC. iTunes asked if she wanted them cleared off the phone as well, she said yes, and poof they were gone. So she gave the iPhone a big thumbs up for that.

[RainMaker]

I'm up for a new phone and not sure who to go with. Hoping to get some help here. I was leaning toward the iPhone simply because I know how to use it and have an iPad that I can sync stuff with. But some of the Android phones look really sweet and more powerful for the same price.

I sort of use iTunes for a lot of stuff simply because it's what I'm used to and convenient to manage songs/podcasts I've purchased. Not sure how that syncs with an Android though.

Does anyone have any recommendations or thoughts on choosing an Android over an iPhone? And what phones should I be looking at?

[JediKooter]

I guess it boils down to what you want it to do and what you need it to do. My iPhone does exactly what I need it to do...make and receive phone calls. All the other stuff is just fluff in my opinion. So if you like pretty bells and whistles, find which phone has the prettiest bells and whistles that you like. :)

[DaddyTorgo]

The guy in the Apple store told me that he actually had an Android phone when I went in to get my IPad...fwiw.

He expressed the view that Android was a better phone OS than iOS.

[stevew]

I might get a Galaxy Note this fall when I can upgrade. It's fucking huge(5.3 inches) and has a high res display. Like 1200 by 800 I think.

[Scoobz0202]

If you decide to go the Android route I'd recommend that you don't really consider anything but the Galaxy Nexus. It has the latest software and will more then likely receive support much longer. One thing with the hardware fragmentation of Android is it is kind of a crapshoot with how long your phone will receive updates.

This is assuming you're on Verizon.

[RainMaker]

Thanks guys. The Nexus is the one I was looking at but open to others. Brother got the Rezound and really likes it. I guess I'm totally new to Android phones and don't know what is considered good.

As for what I'm looking for, a phone where I can check e-mail and do some basic web surfing. But I'd also like to be able to put my music on there and have it somewhat organized. Was worried about this. I don't necessarily love iTunes for organizing, but the cloud and store are so easy to use. Worried about how difficult it would be to use an Android when I purchase a lot of music on iTunes and grab podcasts too.

How do you guys manage music? Are there any kind of things that will sync automatically or will I have to plug in to my computer each time (I want to store music on both)?

[Groundhog]

I love my Galaxy Nexus.

The lack of MicroSD support kinda sucks, but everything else about it is wonderful.

[CU Tiger]

Tried out the Nexus, went back to the bionic.
Droid 4.0 (ICS) is sweet but Bioninc gets it 2/15.


Here is the best way I can describe it.
The minute you touch and iPhone you will instantly know how to do everything it can do, and it will work as expected every time. The droid platforms, can do many times the number of stuff, but it may take you much longer to figure out how. Oh and every now and then it will do something unexpected and may require a reboot. FOr this reason alone Id never consider the Razr as you cant do a hard reset (battery pull)

For me it would be a nexus or bionic.

IPhone 5 is supposedly 4G/LTE which, if available in your area, is a game changer. I could not go back to 3G. That alone woudl preclude an iPhone purchase from me.

[Scoobz0202]

Thanks guys. The Nexus is the one I was looking at but open to others. Brother got the Rezound and really likes it. I guess I'm totally new to Android phones and don't know what is considered good.

As for what I'm looking for, a phone where I can check e-mail and do some basic web surfing. But I'd also like to be able to put my music on there and have it somewhat organized. Was worried about this. I don't necessarily love iTunes for organizing, but the cloud and store are so easy to use. Worried about how difficult it would be to use an Android when I purchase a lot of music on iTunes and grab podcasts too.

How do you guys manage music? Are there any kind of things that will sync automatically or will I have to plug in to my computer each time (I want to store music on both)?

I'm willing to bet that the iPhone will win hands down if you want to compare the phones as music devices.

But, I use PowerAmp on my Bionic. I purchased it for five dollars, but there are numerous other players, and ICS stock may be great, I don't know. PowerAmp is just what I've used. I purchase off Amazon, download to PC, move to phone (yea, have to plug in) and PowerAmp automatically finds it and adds it to its library. I could probably purchase off Amazon MP3 from my phone and that may be instant, and with it being 4G it would download fast so that shouldn't be a concern. Never tried it.

My phone history was the Original Droid, followed up by the iPhone 4 with Verizon. I sold that on eBay after 3 months or so and bought the Bionic. I mean, I don't know. Yes, the iPhone hardware is nice. The phone feels great, looks great. The software works perfect. Never had hiccups. But, I just didn't like the software even if it did run great. And while the hardware feels nice after having a 4+ inch screen I can't go back to the 3.5 inch iPhone size. It just feels so god damn small. And this is something that bothered me when I had the iPhone. When I'm out and about and have some free time I tend to browse the web on my phone quite a bit and it just feels much better on the larger screen.

Android has it's hiccups, software wise. Hopefully ICS is the ticket, but I'm sure it will not still be iPhone hiccup free. I just like the freedom with it, and I don't even tinker with my phone much anymore. I am probably in the minority when I say I hated the look of the iOS. I love widgets. I love having the weather on one of my screens with a radar, a calender on one, a Evernote there..

I will mention one thing with my Bionic that is absolutely insane and pisses me off. It drops data. A lot. It's a known problem, and while I haven't tried to contact Verizon about it I have read that they won't do anything. I will probably call anyways, though. With 4G being newer it still will cycle in my area occasionally from 4G to 3G. I also use Wifi depending on where I am. I do not know if that going back and forth fucks with it, or what, but it is almost daily that my phone will just lose connection to the internet and the only real way to get it back is a reset. That shit gets old.

Even if that wasn't the case, I would still say go with the Galaxy Nexus. I just think it makes the most sense as a new purchaser to go with the newer software and probably what will be the most supported phone of the current generation. Try it, if you don't like it within the first couple weeks, get the iPhone. I think it would be best to start with Android, and if theres shit that you just can't stand then go with the iPhone. You know the iPhone will be reliable.


tl,dr: I tend to ramble so my thoughts may be kind of disjointed. Basically, it's hard to say. If you're already invested in the iOS ecosystem then hey, get the iPhone. Especially if you will strictly just be an email/basic web guy. It will always work. But, Android does offer something different and I do think it may be worth a look.


CU Tiger, I hope you're right about the Bionic getting ICS soon, but I'd be shocked. Seems like Samsung and Motorola are always dropping the ball with support of phones and timely updates (although they blame Verizon).

[RainMaker]

So Droid and Bionic are 4G/LTE and much faster than the iPhone? That was a big issue I had as my brother who got the Rezound kept telling me how huge a difference the 4G makes. In Chicago so it's available here.

It's not going to be used much for music, just something I wanted on there when I'm going for walks or whatever. I don't mind plugging it in, just wasn't sure if they had any kind of sync available.

I like everything about the Nexus, but I don't need an actual keyboard. So I feel like it would be a bit bulky for what I need. And isn't the Bionic almost 6 months old now? What about the Razr or Spectrum? I guess the Razr hard reset is a problem (not sure what that would mean) but I sort of liked the HDMI/Mirror mode.

I'm coming from a Blackberry Bold 9650 which is a colassal turd so I feel like anything will feel like heaven. Sort of excited to go with an Android phone though. Thanks for all your help, I'm just totally new to these phones and know absolutely nothing about them.

[rjolley]

I bought AirSync from DoubleTwist during the 10 cent sale in December. It will sync music, videos, and photos wirelessly from a PC or a MAC to an android device and vice versa, I believe. Haven't used it much, but it has worked well the times I've played with it.

[Scoobz0202]

So Droid and Bionic are 4G/LTE and much faster than the iPhone? That was a big issue I had as my brother who got the Rezound kept telling me how huge a difference the 4G makes. In Chicago so it's available here.

It's one of those things. Once you have it, you won't go back. 3G is what.. 1-2 mb/s? I'm not totally sure, just ballparking. I just ran a speedtest on my Bionic with 4G and I got 20 mb/s down and 6mb/s up. Yea, you're not downloading massive files but the speed is very noticeable when browsing the web, downloading apps, opening apps that require data... If my phone drops to 3G and I don't realize it, I instantly realize it when I go to use anything that requires data.

It's not going to be used much for music, just something I wanted on there when I'm going for walks or whatever. I don't mind plugging it in, just wasn't sure if they had any kind of sync available.

There is an app called Doubletwist that I believe offers it. I have no idea how good it is, although I do know it is popular. I could comfortably say it's probably no iCloud, though.

I like everything about the Nexus, but I don't need an actual keyboard. So I feel like it would be a bit bulky for what I need. And isn't the Bionic almost 6 months old now? What about the Razr or Spectrum? I guess the Razr hard reset is a problem (not sure what that would mean) but I sort of liked the HDMI/Mirror mode.

The Galaxy Nexus does not have a keyboard. It's a pretty thin phone. It's no razr, but it's far from bulky. I believe you are thinking of another phone. It doesn't have the heft or solid feel of an iPhone, but you won't get that with Android.
http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk203/homan9118/Galaxy-Nexus.png


I'm coming from a Blackberry Bold 9650 which is a colassal turd so I feel like anything will feel like heaven. Sort of excited to go with an Android phone though. Thanks for all your help, I'm just totally new to these phones and know absolutely nothing about them.

.

[RainMaker]

Thanks, I must have gotten the Nexus mixed up with another phone. That seems like the best option for me. Is there anything that the Razr can do that I should be looking at? They seem pretty similar.

[lighthousekeeper]

All my friends with the DroidX absolutely love it. My friend has this nifty window mount for it, which enables it to work as a MP3 player, a navigation system and handsfree calling.

http://lh4.googleusercontent.com/public/NmQrXzsZl5M3iqUpbpXiG0JN99UaVhSBak2U7VHTmIbmMmjJx5BxAXiLDg0vLc2uv8gz8nj0cXBlm1g8oqthRIAEjqkOklGC_I18uUi23Al9Wlzhm6JqOINZTPLV0UAWkhzeXX6cz7QfsZQrj-o__3wqNzYhMb3h_RY

i have something similar, called 'my lap'

[gstelmack]

i have something similar, called 'my lap'

The point is that the interface changes when you plug it into various mounts. Plugging it into that car mount brings up 6 buttons for music, GPS, etc. Plugging it into a desktop mount brings up a different interface with music, alarm clock, etc. It's a pretty cool feature of the Droid X.

[lungs]

I have a Droid X right now, can't wait for my contract to be up in March to get an IPhone. The X was nice at first but is so damn clunky especially when you consider I sometimes have to carry two phones on me (dumb phone for work is always on me).

I've also signed up for ITunes Match so it only makes sense that I go with IPhone.

[stevew]

Lungs-have you considered porting your dumb phone number over to google voice? You can get calls in that number and they'll ring on your current phone. The app is free, but I think it costs $20 to port a number over.

[DaddyTorgo]

Google Music is fine for organizing and playing music, and cloud-syncing is great with it. I don't even really bother with my ipad touch much anymore because of how easy it is.

[lungs]

Lungs-have you considered porting your dumb phone number over to google voice? You can get calls in that number and they'll ring on your current phone. The app is free, but I think it costs $20 to port a number over.

I actually prefer to carry a durable flip phone around the farm. Touch screens and some of the things my hands get covered in (think the picture thread) probably aren't compatible. I'd be replacing screen protectors every other day.

[RainMaker]

With the 4G LTE phones, have you guys had battery issues? Seems that's the only negative I've come across in reviews. Seems like I might need to invest in a backup battery and make sure I have a charger in the car.

[CU Tiger]

With the 4G LTE phones, have you guys had battery issues? Seems that's the only negative I've come across in reviews. Seems like I might need to invest in a backup battery and make sure I have a charger in the car.

Depends on my usage, but on heavy days I can eat a battery in a half day. If I was still running my business, the Bionic wold not have lasted. The battery would have caused it to fly...but that was a 5000min per month user. FOr my ow usage its great. I ought the spare battery and charger, it charges the phone and an extra battery simultaneously and the bat is super thin. I just throw itin my pocket and if I kill the batt I swap it, takes 2 seconds.

[Scoobz0202]

That's probably a topic I should have hit, as well.

Android has a history of battery issues. Well, compared to the iPhone. I know with my iPhone I could go well into the next day (I do not know about the 4S, though).

If you do decide on the Nexus, I'd just get it first. I would get a car charger with it, especially if you are in the car a bit. You could see how it goes with just that before worrying about a battery. I'd make sure to reserve judgement until you've had the phone for five or so days as 1) You will be using the hell out of it at first just because and 2) it will probably take a few recharges to fully calibrate. I don't know if this is the case anymore, but one thing I do with my new phone is use it till it dies the first time. Then charge it all the way back up.

If you decide that doesn't work you can 1) buy an extra battery or 2) buy an extended battery. They each have their negatives. The extra means swapping out which can be a pain, and would mean potentially having an extra thing in your pocket. The extended adds size that can bother people. My brother has an extended on his Bionic and it is noticeably big but he is one that could give two shits less about the aesthetics of the phone.

For me, I commute a half hour to school. I leave at 7 am and have it plugged into my car charger the whole way there. When I get out of my truck I am at 100%. When I leave at 5pm, I have usually around 20% or maybe even a little less. I plug it in for the half hour ride home and usually sit around 50-60% which is plenty to get me to bed. This can pose a problem if I forget to plug it in but its become such a habit, and I hate talking on my phone while driving anyways so it just sits on my seat and charges so now by habit I never really forget. I don't know what your job entails, but if you are the office type maybe just bring an extra AC/USB charger to work.

Really, you'll only know by giving it a go for 5-7 days. Maybe with your usage pattern you'll be completely fine. Maybe you will have issues but with your daily routine you are always able to have certain times to give it a half hour boost on the charger. Maybe you don't and you will have to consider an extra/extended battery. Maybe it's just such a pain in the ass for you that you decide to return it. For some people, the possibility of having to plug your phone in at some point, or carry an extra battery, or have an extended battery is a major negative. You'll only know by using it. It is really a hit or miss thing.

I haven't looked at a blackberry in years, but I do recall the battery being pretty nice. Obviously the power draw and screen plays a large role in that, so do prepare for it to not be your blackberry.

[Scoobz0202]

dola -

If the Galaxy Nexus doesn't fulfill your needs due to battery I'd say look at the Rezound or the Razr MAXX. The Maxx is obviously thicker then the Razr, but it's battery life is pretty god damned good. The Rezound is probably in the middle somewhere. I really can't speak to the Nexus's battery life, though.

Or get an iPhone. Like I said, it just flat out works.

[RainMaker]

Thanks. The battery isn't really a huge issue I guess. My Blackberry actually doesn't do that well and I never use it for web or apps. I have to recharge that thing every night. I'm at a desk most of the day so I don't foresee many situations where I'll be away from a charger for long. I'll just be dillegent with making sure it's plugged in when I'm at my desk and it should be fine. Might pick up a backup battery just in case.

I just wanted to make sure that playing some music or a game on the train wouldn't kill the thing in 30 minutes.

[pbot]

I had an original droid for the last two years. Was planning to switch to an iphone when my contract was up because the droid was slower than molasses near the end. I never upgraded beyond the Verizon/Moto official updates, so maybe that was it. My wife thinks I had too many applications, but what's the point of having a smart phone without them? Her droid was never as slow as mine, but she didn't load it up with as much stuff. When my upgrade was due, I switched to the Nexus Galaxy at the end of December. I figured I'd try it for a couple of weeks and switch to the iphone if I didn't like it.

If you want an android phone I wouldn't recommend anything else. The Nexus is lightning fast. I've added even more apps since switching and have had no issues. The battery lasts longer for me than the droid ever did. Usually I let it charge overnight. Battery generally will hold up until about 3-4 pm each day, usually has about 20% left at that point, with some moderate use here and there in the office. Often, I'll plug in the headphones and listen to music for a couple hours during that time. I'll charge it again on the drive home and it's good enough to last until I go to sleep and start the cycle over.

[stevew]

Thanks. The battery isn't really a huge issue I guess. My Blackberry actually doesn't do that well and I never use it for web or apps. I have to recharge that thing every night. I'm at a desk most of the day so I don't foresee many situations where I'll be away from a charger for long. I'll just be dillegent with making sure it's plugged in when I'm at my desk and it should be fine. Might pick up a backup battery just in case.

I just wanted to make sure that playing some music or a game on the train wouldn't kill the thing in 30 minutes.

Supposedly the Droid Razr Maxx has an awesome battery life, and is eligible for a b1g1 free promotion and double data. Seems like it would be a really good option for a Verizon Android smart phone. It's really hard to go over 4Gigs of data unless you stream a ton of podcasts.

[Scoobz0202]

Hey, CU Tiger, did you get the recent update to your Bionic? It's only been a day or so but on the first charge post-update I think my battery life may almost be double what it was. A full-day today was no issue, at all.

[stevew]

Watch SNL Make Fun of Verizon 4G LTE Commercials (http://gizmodo.com/5884397/watch-snl-make-fun-of-verizon-4g-lte-commercials)

[RainMaker]

Supposedly the Droid Razr Maxx has an awesome battery life, and is eligible for a b1g1 free promotion and double data. Seems like it would be a really good option for a Verizon Android smart phone. It's really hard to go over 4Gigs of data unless you stream a ton of podcasts.

I'm torn between these two phones. Not sure what to go with.

[Scoobz0202]

Galaxy Nexus review | The Verge (http://www.theverge.com/2011/11/17/2568348/galaxy-nexus-review)

Motorola Droid RAZR Maxx review | The Verge (http://www.theverge.com/2012/2/9/2783617/motorola-droid-razr-maxx-review)

[RainMaker]

Thanks everyone, I went with the Nexus. Should have it tomorrow and will start playing around with the thing. Really looking forward to it since I'm coming from a crappy Blackberry.

[CU Tiger]

Hey, CU Tiger, did you get the recent update to your Bionic? It's only been a day or so but on the first charge post-update I think my battery life may almost be double what it was. A full-day today was no issue, at all.

I did get the update...got about 4 new bloatware apps I cant delete.
SO far havent noticed any change in battery, but have started having data drop issues again that were corrected last update.

Kinda pissed.
Moto fan boy. But not buying a phone I cant pull a battery and full power down....yes I am that paranoid. If I want to go off grid I want to control that. So razr and razr max not an option.

Nexus I hated.

and iPhone....well maybe eventually if its lte

[Galaxy]

What will be the prices on the Bionic and HTC?

[RainMaker]

Does anyone have trouble with MMS on the Android? I get it where it says "Sending" but never sends the image. But if I delete the person's thread and start fresh, it'll send almost every time. Not sure why it does this.

[Marc Vaughan]

I've now used both Android and iPhone and I thought I'd give some sort of summary of my findings:

iPhone
Pro's:
Just works and is fairly simply to use once you're used to it, very consistent UI and usage.
"Theres an app for that" - there is, probably 10 of them and they're generally good as well.
Battery life - my iPhone4 will easily run for a day with heavy usage no worries.
iTunes - i hate it, but its better than not having a system which unifies all the various purchase options on a device.

Cons:
Certain restrictions - ie. no flash
Apple have a tendancy of releasing OS updates which slow down older models as they add things to newer ones.

Android
Pro's:
Newer phones are very fast
Newer phones have huge screens if you're into that sort of thing
"Theres an app for that" - there is, but often its not as solid as the iOS equivalent
No restrictions really, you can get down and dirty and do some pretty funky stuff if you're into tech.

Cons:
"Theres an app for that" - the variety of hardware/OS combinations mean that apps are generally more buggy/fallible if you don't get a mainstream handset. You'll also find that with a few exceptions apps aren't as common on Android as on iOS (ie. some popular games aren't present etc.).
Battery life is generally bloody awful compared to an iPhone (7 hours in use on my Galaxy S2 and worse on my Galaxy Note).
Lack of iTunes/unified system for buying/downloading apps/games/movies/music - which can be annoying at times.

Summary
I did my best to immerse myself in Android goodness when I started work on the FMH Android version, but have now moved back to my iPhone4s after six months - mainly because I missed the simplicity of having a single port of call for purchasing/distributing items onto the phone (ie. iTunes) and the lack of certain games/apps on Android .... and thats despite having access to the very latest Android devices in comparison to my rather old (now) iPhone4.

That being said I'd love to get my mits on a Lumia 900 to see what thats like .... I've heard very good things about it, shame that Windows Phone doesn't support C++ ....

[tyketime]

Marc,
I tend to agree with many of your observations. I am very disapointed at the pace & quality of the android apps. While I really like my Android phone, there is definitely something about just having things work & all the choices.

[RainMaker]

One thing that bothered me about the iPhone is not being able to swap out a battery. Sure the battery life is good, but I sometimes have days where I'm on it a lot and doing some other heavy use. Now I can carry around a spare battery in my wallet to swap out when mine drains. I also can keep one charging in a port at home instead of havign to plug it in. I know it doesn't matter for a lot of people, but for me that's a huge plus.

[stevew]

I'm probably going to choose my next phone heavily weighting battery life. Seems like every time I look up my IPhone is down to 66%.

[JediKooter]

I'm probably going to choose my next phone heavily weighting battery life. Seems like every time I look up my IPhone is down to 66%.

Change the brightness setting and kill any apps that are running in the back ground. That usually helps with battery life for the iPhone.

[RainMaker]

Will be interesting to see how the iPhone does things with their next phone. Seems 4G eats a lot of battery and they'd need some signifigant improvements to not require you to charge mid-day.

[Ksyrup]

.
Lack of iTunes/unified system for buying/downloading apps/games/movies/music - which can be annoying at times.

To me, this is one of the biggest pros of my Galaxy S2. I llike to shop around. I often purchase music through Amazon because it's at least $1 cheaper for every album, if not more. I love that I can use my phone as a memory stick if I want, so I can freely move music from computer to phone to another computer or device with no restrictions. I don't play many games, so that doesn't bother me at all. I like the sports/news apps on Android far better than on my iPod. My phone's like a constant billboard of updating scores, news items, and weather. It's awesome. I'm seriously bummed that I may have to switch to an iPhone for my new job.

[JediKooter]

Will be interesting to see how the iPhone does things with their next phone. Seems 4G eats a lot of battery and they'd need some signifigant improvements to not require you to charge mid-day.

Are you usually somewhere during the day where you can't charge your phone? I text message quite a bit during the day and by the time I get home, I have about 50-60% battery left on my iPhone. If it gets real low, I have a charger here at work I just plug it into.

[RainMaker]

Are you usually somewhere during the day where you can't charge your phone? I text message quite a bit during the day and by the time I get home, I have about 50-60% battery left on my iPhone. If it gets real low, I have a charger here at work I just plug it into.

I'm on an Android now. 4G is a huge battery killer so mine will usually be gone if I'm out and using it a lot without access to a charger. I never had the problem with the iPhone, but it's also not 4G. I'm imagining the next iPhone will be though.

[RainMaker]

Lack of iTunes/unified system for buying/downloading apps/games/movies/music - which can be annoying at times.

I really miss this too. Just so easy to purchase stuff on Apple products. If anyone has any advice for handling media for someone with both Android and Apple products, I'd love to hear it. I have an iPad, Nexus, and listen a lot on my PC.

[Marc Vaughan]

One thing that bothered me about the iPhone is not being able to swap out a battery. Sure the battery life is good, but I sometimes have days where I'm on it a lot and doing some other heavy use. Now I can carry around a spare battery in my wallet to swap out when mine drains. I also can keep one charging in a port at home instead of havign to plug it in. I know it doesn't matter for a lot of people, but for me that's a huge plus.

When I'm travelling internationally I've sometimes taken one of those portable battery chargers with me that attach to the iPhone and recharge it on the go - never needed to use it yet though because the battery life on my devices are pretty good.

[Marc Vaughan]

I really miss this too. Just so easy to purchase stuff on Apple products. If anyone has any advice for handling media for someone with both Android and Apple products, I'd love to hear it. I have an iPad, Nexus, and listen a lot on my PC.

DoubleTwist was the best Android media manager I found - it'd pick things up from an iTunes library, unfortunately though Apple video's aren't compatible with an Android device.

[GrantDawg]

I'm on an Android now. 4G is a huge battery killer so mine will usually be gone if I'm out and using it a lot without access to a charger. I never had the problem with the iPhone, but it's also not 4G. I'm imagining the next iPhone will be though.


My android is 4g, and I never have had battery life problems (unless I forget to charge it for a couple of days). And I keep Wifi and Bluetooth up all the time.

[JediKooter]

I'm on an Android now. 4G is a huge battery killer so mine will usually be gone if I'm out and using it a lot without access to a charger. I never had the problem with the iPhone, but it's also not 4G. I'm imagining the next iPhone will be though.

Ah ok gotcha. Yes it will be interesting to see how they handle 4G, but, I'm always skeptical of any companies claims on battery life for their products. :)

[AnalBumCover]

Has anyone got their hands on the Samsung Galaxy S3? I'll be upgrading to this next week when TMo does the full release.

[GrantDawg]

I just got a Galaxy Note. Big screen and a stylus for my old butt. The thing is amazing. They are calling it a "phablet" because it is more a tablet than just a phone, and that is a fitting name.

[stevew]

I'm hoping the unlocked price on the Galaxy Note or S3 come down to reasonable levels soon. I think I'm done with contract phones cause there are many good prepaid plans out there. The Nexus is $399, I might go with that. I think the S3 can also get 3G service on Tmo/AT&T whereas the Note is Edge only I think.

Every time I pay $219 to Verizon I get mad.

[GrantDawg]

I'm hoping the unlocked price on the Galaxy Note or S3 come down to reasonable levels soon. I think I'm done with contract phones cause there are many good prepaid plans out there. The Nexus is $399, I might go with that. I think the S3 can also get 3G service on Tmo/AT&T whereas the Note is Edge only I think.

Every time I pay $219 to Verizon I get mad.


You on like Go? Because I have 4g LTE on mine. And I even got it to connect to that in my house (where I hardly ever could get it 3g on my old phone).

[stevew]

There's some tmobile 30$ 4G plan and there's a straight talk(on AT&T) plan via WalMart that's $45/month. Thinking of switching to either.

[Marc Vaughan]

I just got a Galaxy Note. Big screen and a stylus for my old butt. The thing is amazing. They are calling it a "phablet" because it is more a tablet than just a phone, and that is a fitting name.

I got a note for development (its a fairly popular handset so I really needed to verify things were fine on it) - but found it far too unwieldy in size and low in battery life for my personal use ...

(nice to play FMH on though ;) )

[ISiddiqui]

Has anyone got their hands on the Samsung Galaxy S3? I'll be upgrading to this next week when TMo does the full release.

Reviews seem to be very good. Between the S3 and HTC's One X, you can't go wrong.

[stevew]

Supposedly there is an HTC Phablet for Verizon this year. I'm assuming it will be the HTC One XL

[Icy]

I got a note for development (its a fairly popular handset so I really needed to verify things were fine on it) - but found it far too unwieldy in size and low in battery life for my personal use ...

(nice to play FMH on though ;) )

After two months with a Note as main phone i must agree, specially since the new ICS Android update that has introduced heating and battery issues (some apps get frozen in the background and start to use all the processor power and to drain your batter in like 4 hours until you reboot the phone, happens randomly).

When i bought it, i thought i would get used to the huge size, as i use the phone basically for web/mail/skype and in resume, to be always online for my business and not much for phone calls, but... even when i love the huge screen for web surfing, the whole thing is way to big to fit in your summer clothes, can't wear it comfortably at the gym or when running, that is a bum, as i love using runkeeper when working out.

I'm thinking about selling it to buy an iphone+Ipad, but on the other hand, i think i'll miss a lot the big screen for web surfing and to carry and ipad with me would be even worse, so i might wait until after the summer for a possible iphone with a bigger screen.

[GrantDawg]

After two months with a Note as main phone i must agree, specially since the new ICS Android update that has introduced heating and battery issues (some apps get frozen in the background and start to use all the processor power and to drain your batter in like 4 hours until you reboot the phone, happens randomly).

When i bought it, i thought i would get used to the huge size, as i use the phone basically for web/mail/skype and in resume, to be always online for my business and not much for phone calls, but... even when i love the huge screen for web surfing, the whole thing is way to big to fit in your summer clothes, can't wear it comfortably at the gym or when running, that is a bum, as i love using runkeeper when working out.

I'm thinking about selling it to buy an iphone+Ipad, but on the other hand, i think i'll miss a lot the big screen for web surfing and to carry and ipad with me would be even worse, so i might wait until after the summer for a possible iphone with a bigger screen.


I'm loving my phone so far. I wear baggy shorts/jeans, so I have had no trouble with my phone in my pocket, even with the big trident case on it. They just released ICS on ATT today, so thank you (and all of Europe) for being our beta-testers. So far, no problems. :)

Battery use is a little rough if I'm using a lot of apps (but phone/texting use is not a big drain), but I have a cord for all my vehicles and the computer. I haven't been in "oh no! I have no battery!" trouble yet. And ICS actually is supposed to improve battery usage now (though your troubles gives me pause. I think the long delay for release in the US was to fix just those issues. And the ATT innards are little more up-to-date than the Euro released ones).

[AnalBumCover]

Meanwhile, in London:

Apple must run "Samsung did not copy iPad" ads: report - Yahoo! News (http://news.yahoo.com/apple-must-run-samsung-did-not-copy-ipad-090012556.html)

[Galaxy]

Meanwhile, in London:

Apple must run "Samsung did not copy iPad" ads: report - Yahoo! News (http://news.yahoo.com/apple-must-run-samsung-did-not-copy-ipad-090012556.html)

Doesn't Samsung supply parts of the iPhone/iPad?

[stevew]

Picked up a Galaxy S3. The new iPhone is only a 4" screen. Not willing to settle for another tiny phone.

[Edward64]

I don't know copyright legalese but think this will really hurt Samsung. I'm good with it though, I do think companies piggy backed off Apples ingenuity.

http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2012/08/08/how-samsung-copied-apples-iphone-in-126-detailed-steps/?iid=HP_River
FORTUNE -- Susan Kare, the designer who created much of the look and feel of the original Macintosh, took the stand Tuesday as a paid Apple (AAPL) witness in the company's multibillion patent infringement suit against Samsung.

She was shown the slide at right, a comparison between a screenful of iPhone icons and a similar screen from the Samsung Galaxy S1, along with directions for how Samsung's designers could use Apple's work to improve theirs. (Examples: "use highly intuitive icons" and "change long names to simple ones.")

If that slide weren't enough to persuade the jury that Samsung was deliberately copying Apple's "trade dress" -- a legal term of art for the patentable appearance of a product -- Apple had plenty more where that came from. One hundred and twenty six slides in all that show Samsung doing the same thing for just about every aspect of iPhone's user interface, from the grid on the home screen to the way a map can be peeled back to show more menu options in the Maps app.

They were part of a "Relative Evaluation Report" Samsung created in March 2010 after the launch of the Galaxy S and before the launch of the Galaxy SII and SIII. Samsung fought hard to keep the report out of the jury's hands. On Tuesday, Apple managed to enter into evidence an English translation (along with the original Korean) marked Plaintiff's Exhibit No. 44..

[Ksyrup]

I've had my Galaxy S II for 8 months and the battery's shot. In fact, at least once every couple of days, the phone heats up and the battery loses strength while charging. I have to pop the battery out to fix it. The guy at AT&T tells me since it's under a year old, they'll give me a new battery. I hope he's right. I didn't think the battery was covered for an entire year, but cool if it is. I have to charge my phone 3-4 times a day right now (basically just leave it plugged in all day because it takes hours to get to 100% charged).

[Scoobz0202]

It's not under warranty?

EDIT: Complete reading comprehension fail. You are getting a new battery.

[stevew]

New batteries are like $20 or less on Amazon. At least it's replaceable.

[stevew]

Dola-
I love how the marketing campaign for the Razr Maxx was basically "finally a with a battery that doesn't suck dick"

[Edward64]

Android is winning based on sales but Apple will also have that niche.

http://money.cnn.com/2012/08/08/technology/smartphone-market-share/index.html?iid=HP_Highlight
The mobile space has quickly become a two-horse race between Google (GOOG, Fortune 500) and Apple -- and one of those giants significantly widened its lead last quarter.

Google's Android surged to a whopping 68% share of the global smartphone market last quarter. That's four times more than the 17% market share held by Apple (AAPL, Fortune 500), according to a Wednesday report from research firm IDC.

IDC, which tracks smartphone market share by operating system, said that nearly 105 million Android phones were shipped in the second quarter -- more than double the number shipped at the same time last year.

Apple also showed strong growth, with an almost 28% gain over the previous year to 26 million phones shipped.

"Android continues to fire on all cylinders," IDC senior research analyst Ramon Llamas said in the report, citing good prices and new phone models from Android's hardware partners as growth catalysts.

[Marc Vaughan]

I don't know copyright legalese but think this will really hurt Samsung. I'm good with it though, I do think companies piggy backed off Apples ingenuity.

All companies piggy back previous innovations to some extent - its natural and imho where its done by using an evolution of a prior art form on another platform it shouldn't be something which is legally actionable.

By this I mean 'Icons', 'Touch Screens' and suchlike have all been around for donkeys years on PC and the original Palm and Windows CE mobile devices ... as such none of them are particularly revolutionary.

http://media-1.web.britannica.com/eb-media/54/122254-003-209F4642.gif

Thats a REALLY old WindowsCE device - showing icons at the bottom to undertake common functions such as email, web etc. ..... sound kinda familiar to people ;)

[DaddyTorgo]

100% agree with you here Marc. Particularly as it relates to "icons to launch applications" and "shortened application names" - it's absolute bullshit that common-sense stuff like that can be patented.

[Ksyrup]

It's not under warranty?

EDIT: Complete reading comprehension fail. You are getting a new battery.

So the short answer is they are sending me a new battery. The longer answer is they went through a diagnostic test to determine what might be running my battery down and causing overheating issues. Turns out that in addition to the Active Applications on the S II, which I'm actually pretty good about using to shut down apps I'm not using, there's another area in the Settings that lists a ton of apps that are running that don't show up in the Active Applications. So I had like 35 apps running, some of which I haven't used in weeks. They had me shut down as many as I could. 5 minutes later, most of them were back running again, even though I didn't open them.

I assume this has something to do with many of the apps constantly updating information, location services, etc. I don't know. But I think it's pretty ridiculous for them to expect someone to go into the settings several times a day to shut down apps that the Active Applications section doesn't even show are running. That's what they want me to do. Most of them start immediately running again anyway.

[Scoobz0202]

Yea, i don't see the correlation. Maybe I am wrong, though.

A user shouldn't be expected to do that, though. I've used Android for 3-4 years now and have never used any type of application to manage running apps/processes. I'm pretty sure it is unnecessary. I haven't rebooted my phone in awhile and I have 15-17 running and none of them seem out of place.

[Ksyrup]

Got my new battery, charged it up last night, and... it just died on me about 20 minutes ago. I haven't done anything other than check a weather app and read through twitter once. Looking at the running apps, I've got around 3 dozen. I guess most of it is push services location services, etc. When I close them, they start right back up. I guess I'd need to manually go into each application and shut the service off (or delete the stuff I don't use that is still running something in the background).

The thing is, I haven't added much to my phone in the last 6 months. I'm starting to think this problem dates back to upgrading to Ice Cream Sandwich, which happened in early July. We went on a 2-week vacation and so I didn't think much about how often I had to charge the phone, but a month after coming back from vacation, I'm starting to put 2+2 together. What's the point of all this cool stuff if I have to treat the phone like a desktop in order to run it all?

[Scoobz0202]

Sounds like your phone is messed up. That is certainly not normal.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Got my new battery, charged it up last night, and... it just died on me about 20 minutes ago. I haven't done anything other than check a weather app and read through twitter once. Looking at the running apps, I've got around 3 dozen. I guess most of it is push services location services, etc. When I close them, they start right back up. I guess I'd need to manually go into each application and shut the service off (or delete the stuff I don't use that is still running something in the background).


While some Googling indicates that there's been new battery drain issues with certain phones since the OS updated, I noticed something else that might be useful for you (or not, who knows).

It seems that certain apps are prime offenders in the data use category (like Google Maps) because of all the info they push/pull. Thinking along those lines, maybe the problem isn't so much one of too many apps so much as it is a few major hogs?

Here's a couple of articles that talk about the recent Purdue study that highlighted some major areas of battery drain (the first link has some possibly useful user discussion re: apps with services that might point you toward a prime offender or two)

The Surprising Reason Your Phone's Battery Life Drains (http://mashable.com/2012/06/15/why-phone-battery-drains/)
One in four Android apps has battery draining bugs, study shows (http://www.phonearena.com/news/One-in-four-Android-apps-has-battery-draining-bugs-study-shows_id31361)

Just a thought, I'm no phone expert in the slightest but it's something that we all seem to fight occasionally so I figured I'd throw in what I could

[Ksyrup]

Thanks. Google was going to be my next shot, before I call them again. I already know what they're going to tell me, but I have no confidence that it will be anything practical/useful to correct the problem.

But hey, if I can correct it on my own, I've just doubled the number of batteries I have!

[stevew]

Can you do a factory reset and reinstall OS updates? My guess is you have a few rogue programs.

[gstelmack]

On my Droid X (Android 2.3?), I can go into Settings -> Battery & Data Manager -> Battery Usage and see who is draining it. That's not just what is running like was done above, but who is actually draining the battery. For example, mine right now is:

Display: 47% (I keep my brightness high)
Phone idle: 20%
Cell standby: 17%
Solitaire Megapack: 8% (I actually play this quite a bit)
Archipelago: 7% (again, played quite a bit)
Android OS: 2%

[Ksyrup]

Here's mine:

Phone: 29%
Screen: 16%
Android System: 13%
Android OS: 9%
Cell standby: 8%
Voice calls: 5%
Phone idle: 5%
Email: 4%
Exchange services: 4%
Android Core Apps: 2%

[gstelmack]

The Android OS and System are taking fare more than I'd expect, and e-mail/exchange as well? Something seems borked, maybe it's synching e-mail constantly instead of periodically? And are you really making phone calls in that 20 minutes before it dies to have voice calls at 5%?

[Ksyrup]

I have taken/made 1 call all day, although it was not long ago.

[ISiddiqui]

Whoa... Phone above Screen? I don't think I've actually seen that before unless you've constantly been on the phone. Android System and OS are pretty high as well. I do think someone has gone wrong.

[Scoobz0202]

I could be mistaken but i believe ICS reports things differently. Anybody with ICS thay can compare

[stevew]

Screen 26%
Cell Standby 26%
Chrome 14%
Android System 8%
Android OS 7%
Epic MealTime 4%
Espn FFL 3%
Media Server 3%
Maps 3%
Polaris Viewer 4.0 3%

[stevew]

I don't usually call anyone

[Ksyrup]

So this morning I powered on my fully-charged phone at 7am. Just short of 5 hours in, I'm at 46% battery having done nothing but take 2 calls for about 3 minutes and 10 minutes and checked emails every so often.

Here's what I'm showing:

Android OS: 44% (!!!)
Voice calls: 17%
Exchange Services: 12%
Screen: 7%
Email: 5%
Cell standby: 4%
Phone 4%
Phone idle: 3%
Android System: 2%


This is with one "active application" (email) - which is different, of course, from the buried-in-the-settings running applications of which there are, again, about 3 dozen.

WTF?

[ISiddiqui]

Yeah, your phone is fucked.

[Ksyrup]

And for the second straight day, at about 5 hours in, it shut competely down. When I pulled the battery and restarted it, the battery is now down to 22%. Looks like I'll be calling again here shortly. Can'wait for them to blame this one on all the apps I have running.

[Ksyrup]

Based on more of my own information than anything they could tell me, it definitely sounds like an ICS issue. The only thing left to try before they would send me a new phone is a complete factory reset, so I'm going to do that. It will wipe out ICS, which is good. I hate having to lose everything, though. I only have a handful of pictures, whih I downloaded, and we saved my contacts to Gmail (they should sync wih mywork email anyway), but I'm talking about all the apps and stuff. Hate starting over.

[Scoobz0202]

Id be awfully assertive on your next phone call about getting a new phone.

[Scoobz0202]

The apps are fairly straight forward I think. All the paid ones will be on your account and just have to press install. Id maybe write down the free apps to easier search and download quickly

The pain that i hate is having to do the first run through on all the apps but honestly it shouldnt take more than 30 minutes.

[Daimyo]

Android is winning based on sales but Apple will also have that niche.

http://money.cnn.com/2012/08/08/technology/smartphone-market-share/index.html?iid=HP_Highlight

Apple has 17% of the revenue, but 70+% of the profits! I think they'll take that "niche".

http://www.macrumors.com/2012/05/03/apple-and-samsung-claim-99-of-profits-among-top-mobile-phone-vendors/

[ISiddiqui]

I haven't heard of it being an ICS issue. Basically, lots of devices these days have ICS and usually it tends to help battery life, not fuck it up.

[Ksyrup]

I've seen a bunch of references in articles and forums about battery draining isues with ICS. But nothing specific as to what's causing it. I guess I'll find out for sure after I reset, but I'm pretty sure this all started happening after I upgraded the OS. There weren't THAT many noticeable upgrades with ICS anyway, so I don't think it's that big a deal.

[Ksyrup]

Here, check this out from December 2011:

Google Groups (http://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/mobile/ND63kpk7MPM%5B1-25%5D)

Different phone, but on ICS 4.0.3. One of the posters showed these stats:

Android OS - 46%
- CPU total 58min
- Keep Awake 1hr 44min
Screen - 25%
- Time on 29min
Phone idle - 10%
Cell Standby - 8%
(Several other all less than 5%)


Look familiar? Right now my phone is at 5 hours 2 minutes on battery, and Android OS is at 40% with a stay awake time of 2 hours 59 minutes.

[rjolley]

Ksyrup, are you on 4.0.3? Looks like there were some fixes in 4.0.4 for an Android OS bug. Not sure if it was a memory issue or not, didn't see many details on the page I was on.

[Ksyrup]

Yes. AT&T just approved 4.0.3 in July and I just tried to update, but it says that's the latest version. Is it a recent version?

[ISiddiqui]

Here, check this out from December 2011:

Google Groups (http://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/mobile/ND63kpk7MPM%5B1-25%5D)

Different phone, but on ICS 4.0.3. One of the posters showed these stats:

Android OS - 46%
- CPU total 58min
- Keep Awake 1hr 44min
Screen - 25%
- Time on 29min
Phone idle - 10%
Cell Standby - 8%
(Several other all less than 5%)


Look familiar? Right now my phone is at 5 hours 2 minutes on battery, and Android OS is at 40% with a stay awake time of 2 hours 59 minutes.

I'm not entirely sure that proves ICS is the culprit. Before I had to replace my Thunderbolt, it was showing stats like Android OS and Phone higher than screen level & it was on Gingerbread. Basically when the numbers go that way it means your phone is messed up. AFAIK, its not an OS specific thing.

[Marc Vaughan]

I'm not entirely sure that proves ICS is the culprit. Before I had to replace my Thunderbolt, it was showing stats like Android OS and Phone higher than screen level & it was on Gingerbread. Basically when the numbers go that way it means your phone is messed up. AFAIK, its not an OS specific thing.

Its possible that you installed something which was triggering OS level activities and causing the percentage to rise.

For instance if I write a new application which continually requests the OS tell me something its entirely possible that the 'request' duration might be allocated to OS rather than my application (this is speculation tbh as its not something I've looked into myself, but in general with supporting android I've found a LOT of problems are user inflicted - its a powerful OS but its like Linux its damned easy to shoot yourself in the foot using it ;) ).

[Ksyrup]

Well, we'll find out in the next 24-48 hours, I guess. I have to wait until after 5 to reset because my only connection to one of my work email addresses is on the phone, since I'm working from home today. So they'll have to reconfigure the phone to get my email tomorrow.

[ISiddiqui]

That's true... I didn't think of a potential rogue application causing the issues.

[Ksyrup]

So I guess I'll need to install new apps a couple at a time and keep track of what I'm installing each day in case it starts happening again.

[DanGarion]

I didn't read everything regarding your issue, but have you completely wiped your phone and reset it to defaults?

Settings - Backup and Reset - Factory Data Reset?

[rjolley]

Yes. AT&T just approved 4.0.3 in July and I just tried to update, but it says that's the latest version. Is it a recent version?

4.0.3 may be the newest version that AT&T provides, but there is an 4.0.4 release as well.

[Ksyrup]

Yeah, I found info about it. Considering AT&T just rolled out 4.0.3 about 45 days ago, I doubt 4.0.4 is coming any time soon.

[Ksyrup]

I didn't read everything regarding your issue, but have you completely wiped your phone and reset it to defaults?

Settings - Backup and Reset - Factory Data Reset?

I'll be doing that later today. It will eliminate ICS, of course, so if that is the issue, it should go away. But I guess I won't know for sure until I've added back all of the apps I use, because it might be caused by one of them (although I can't think of many apps I've added in the past couple of months - most of them I grabbed pretty early on).

[rjolley]

Looking at XDA, it's a problem with 4.0.3 and some phones. They do mention an issue with the Dolphin browser as well. Are you using it?

Some say a factory reset helps.

http://www.google.com/cse?q=4.0.3+battery+drain&sa=Search&cx=partner-pub-2900107662879704%3Afs7umqefhnf&ie=ISO-8859-1#gsc.tab=0&gsc.q=4.0.3%20battery%20drain&gsc.page=1

[Ksyrup]

I don't know what that is, so I'm going to say no.

[rjolley]

The Dolphin browser is a web browser on Android. Does the job pretty well.

[Ksyrup]

Ha! That was interesting. I went to do a factory reset and it told me that I had to delete my Samsung account first. Um...what Samsung account? Try it a few more times and it keeps telling me the same thing. I call AT&T back to have them walk me through the reset, and literally 3 seconds after I describe it the lady tells me she'll have to get Samsung on the phone because she's never heard of that before. No attempt to figure it out, no putting me on hold to ask someone...she just dials Samsung.

OK, we get the Samsung chick on the line, I describe the problem, and SHE tells me she's never heard of that before and needs to put us on hold. At this point, AT&T lady starts laughing. Three minutes later, Samsung chick comes back on and explains that it's some sort of failsafe to make sure no one accidentally wipes their phone. But she's never heard of it before. So I ask her if it's basically the stupid button. That gets AT&T lady downright giggling.

So Samsung chick tells me we have to wipe my "Samsung account" info. She takes me into my apps, I find the account, and it doesn't have the options that Samsung chick expected. I can either force stop it or uninstall. No wipe. She's perplexed. AT&T lady is gasping for air at this point. So we power the phone down, pull the battery, put it back in, and do a hard reset with the phone powered off. That does the trick.

Phone's back up, and I'll monitor the battery, but... the damn phone auto-installed every single app I had on there without me even knowing it. So either the issue is with ICS, or it's an app problem and when the battery drain happens again, I'll probably get a new phone out of it.

[Marc Vaughan]

auto-installed every single app I had on there without me even knowing it. So either the issue is with ICS, or it's an app problem and when the battery drain happens again, I'll probably get a new phone out of it.

So you know for the future - All you need to do is uncheck google sync right before flashing your new rom. Apps will not come back automaticaly but will still show up on googleplay as purchased so you can download and install them when you want to.

[Ksyrup]

Well, so far things are much improved. Still don't know the cause, but my guess is it's definitely whatever caused the Android OS to stay awake. This morning, the phone's been on for just over 2 hours and the "stay awake" time is less than 20 minutes. The battery is at 88% and that was starting with it at about 95% when I turned it on this morning.

But, I don't know if that was just the OS doing it or an app. I haven't added widgets or anything like that as I used before. I'll give it until tonight before I start customizing it.

[Marc Vaughan]

But, I don't know if that was just the OS doing it or an app. I haven't added widgets or anything like that as I used before. I'll give it until tonight before I start customizing it.

Widgets (esp. custom ones) are just the sort of 'app' which tend to muck up battery usage .... something as simple as a 'weather' widget can seriously screw up battery usage if it polls online semi-frequently for updates for instance.

[Ksyrup]

Good news so far - yesterday the battery lasted all day, and I recharged it to 100% last night so I could observe it again today. As of now, it's been on for 5 hours 35 minutes, it's been in "stay awake" mode for only 38 minutes, and the battery's at 87%. And this is with several widgets installed and working. I'm definitely thinking it was ICS that was causing the battery drain/overheat.

[DanGarion]

Good news so far - yesterday the battery lasted all day, and I recharged it to 100% last night so I could observe it again today. As of now, it's been on for 5 hours 35 minutes, it's been in "stay awake" mode for only 38 minutes, and the battery's at 87%. And this is with several widgets installed and working. I'm definitely thinking it was ICS that was causing the battery drain/overheat.

Wait, when you reset to factory defaults you no longer have ICS? That's weird...

[Marc Vaughan]

Wait, when you reset to factory defaults you no longer have ICS? That's weird...

Yeah I'd have thought 'factory defaults' would comprise of ICS default installation if you have it installed already.

Definitely the case for a lot of devices eg. from my Acer Tablet support site:
Note that the reset does not change the current operating system that has been flashed onto your ROM. For example, if you are running ICS (4.0.3), the tablet will stay on ICS, regardless of whether or not an earlier version of Android came pre-installed on the device. The OS software itself is not removed or changed by the procedure, but only temporary OS data, cache and user data are cleared. This causes the tablet to boot up to the initial setup screen, where you will have to again set up your wifi, log into google, etc.

[Ksyrup]

That was the whole point of doing the factory reset. The factory reset put the phone back to where it was when I bought it - Gingerbread. ICS wasn't available until early July on AT&T.

[Ryan S]

Yeah I'd have thought 'factory defaults' would comprise of ICS default installation if you have it installed already.



My Samsung Galaxy S2 (GT 9100 International version) kept ICS after a factory reset.

[Ksyrup]

Hmm...mine is definitely not the same as it was before. Even the swipe screen is different - the text is in a different place. Another problem (mostly cosmetic, so I never really cared) I had with ICS was swiping screen-to-screen would move the blue screen under the apps. That's not happening anymore, either. Honestly, I didn't notice many changes between GB and ICS, so I'm not sure what else got reset to factory (or didn't get reset).

[Galaxy]

Do you think the premium will be worth it for the iPhone 5, or should I go with a iPhone 4S when it gets a price cut when the iPhone comes out?

[samifan24]

Do you think the premium will be worth it for the iPhone 5, or should I go with a iPhone 4S when it gets a price cut when the iPhone comes out?

The iPhone 5 will have 4G LTE on Verizon's network so if you have Verizon I'd say wait for the new iPhone. The iPhone 5 will have a larger screen, a faster processor and a better camera. Functionally it should be very similar to the iPhone 4S though.

[stevew]

The trade in value for the 5 will be much higher than that of the 4S(in 2 years). Plus with all the new accessories(cables, etc) possibly changing for the 5, I would just buy that one. IOS will probably run significantly better on the new one as well.

[Edward64]

I don't know copyright legalese but think this will really hurt Samsung. I'm good with it though, I do think companies piggy backed off Apples ingenuity.

http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2012/08/08/how-samsung-copied-apples-iphone-in-126-detailed-steps/?iid=HP_River

Congrats Steve, you were right.

Jury Awards $1 Billion to Apple in Samsung Patent Case - NYTimes.com (http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/25/technology/jury-reaches-decision-in-apple-samsung-patent-trial.html?_r=1&hp)
A jury awarded Apple more than $1 billion in damages after finding that Samsung infringed a series of Apple patents on smartphones and tablet computers, in a closely watched court case that could have broad implications for the mobile business.

[Buccaneer]

"It will lead to fewer choices, less innovation, and potentially higher prices," the company [Samsung] said in a written statement.

Then fucking come up with your own innovation that doesn't "willfully" infringe upon patents.

[DanGarion]

Then fucking come up with your own innovation that doesn't "willfully" infringe upon patents.

Because we all know that Apple truly made everything these patents support...

[RainMaker]

Then fucking come up with your own innovation that doesn't "willfully" infringe upon patents.

Some of these things are incredibly broad. And it's not like Apple came up with rounded corners on a phone.

[Buccaneer]

Some of these things are incredibly broad. And it's not like Apple came up with rounded corners on a phone.

I imagine the actual patent filed is more in depth than that.

[stevew]

Someone coold find links, I remember seeing a bunch of silly patents. How to unlock a screen type nonsense. How to click on a phone number and have it dial, etc.

[Galaxy]

Then fucking come up with your own innovation that doesn't "willfully" infringe upon patents.

Patent laws in this country are rather stupid.

[Marc Vaughan]

Congrats Steve, you were right.

Jury Awards $1 Billion to Apple in Samsung Patent Case - NYTimes.com (http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/25/technology/jury-reaches-decision-in-apple-samsung-patent-trial.html?_r=1&hp)

Not over by a long shot - thats just a home court win which was a given frankly, in a similar manner 'Samsung' won their case against Apple in Korea ..... expect appeals across the board and the real winners to be the lawyers, the real losers to be customers who are seeing innovations and improvements stifled.

(personally I hate bloody tech patents - especially the trivial shite which is often used in the 'mobile wars' ... frankly a lot of the items raised have prior art against them and should just be written off instantly imho)

[Marc Vaughan]

I imagine the actual patent filed is more in depth than that.

Unfortunately in many cases they aren't particularly - the 'bounce off the last page when you swipe' one for instance ... not only is it trivial to implement but its got prior art against it by various prior devices, its just Apple were the first to 'patent it'.

There are some really weird patents waiting to bite people - as an example heres one which SEGA own to do with arrows pointing the way in driving games ..

Patent Arcade: Case Analysis: Sega v. Fox (http://www.patentarcade.com/2010/07/case-analysis-sega-v-fox.html)

I'm still waiting with baited breath for an obsolete computer corporation to remember they patented clicking on icons ;)

[RainMaker]

I imagine the actual patent filed is more in depth than that.

It is, but a lot of the things are quite broad and sort of things that are tough to leave out of any phone. While I don't think companies should blatantly rip off others, I also think the patent wars going on is just going to stifle technology.

Take for instance the pinch and zoom which was found to infringe. Sure it was innovative for Apple to put on a device, but is it really something that no other company would have come up with? How many ways are there to zoom in and out on a touchscreen without pinching? Just feels like we're setting ourselves up for an era where companies file a gazillion patents and are scared to infringe on others leading to subpar technology and products.

The irony of this whole thing though is that Apple build their name by stealing from Xerox.

[Galaxy]

Kind of silly that Apple couldn't beat Microsoft in basically a similar lawsuit (for computers), but they got this.

Business | Apple-Microsoft Lawsuit Fizzles To A Close -- `Nothing Left' To Fight About | Seattle Times Newspaper (http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19930602&slug=1704430)

[Neon_Chaos]

$1 Billion to a company that made $148 Billion in revenues last year was a slap in the wrist. Samsung won the battle.

[Marc Vaughan]

Take for instance the pinch and zoom which was found to infringe. Sure it was innovative for Apple to put on a device, but is it really something that no other company would have come up with? How many ways are there to zoom in and out on a touchscreen without pinching? Just feels like we're setting ourselves up for an era where companies file a gazillion patents and are scared to infringe on others leading to subpar technology and products.

It wasn't innovative at all - it'd been used and demonstrated on various devices previously to the iPhone; mainly real-life propotype 'touch desks' ... but I've also seen the same thing in various sci-fi movies as well (as such I fail to see how copying someone elses concept is innovative).

Apple have put together some great hardware and a good ecosystem but instead of concentrating on improving that they appear to be taking the political party approach and just attempting to stifle the opposition continually.

[Chubby]

won't the appear be somewhere besides, basically, the apple boardroom?

[sterlingice]

$1 Billion to a company that made $148 Billion in revenues last year was a slap in the wrist. Samsung won the battle.

That was my thought. Unless they can't sell the Galaxy S2, S3, and Tablets, $1B is nothing to them but a stock market blip

SI

[RainMaker]

Just got Jelly Bean pushed to my phone. Really nice update. Gets rid of that jerkyness from before. Runs much smoother.

[stevew]

I'm kind of pissed that Jelly Bean isn't out for my Verizon S3 yet. The crapware is bad enough.

[EagleFan]

Waiting for jellybean but liking ice cream sandwich.

[AnalBumCover]

Just got Jelly Bean pushed to my phone. Really nice update. Gets rid of that jerkyness from before. Runs much smoother.
For which phone?

[RainMaker]

Galaxy Nexus through Verizon

[AnalBumCover]

T-Mobile Galaxy S3 owners can download The Avengers movie for free via their Media Hub app.

T-Mobile Gives Samsung Galaxy S3 Owners “The Avengers” For Free! | G Style Magazine (http://gstylemag.com/2012/09/20/t-mobile-gives-samsung-galaxy-s3-owners-the-avengers-for-free/)

[ISiddiqui]

Just got Jelly Bean pushed to my phone. Really nice update. Gets rid of that jerkyness from before. Runs much smoother.

Same here (though damned Verizon for making us wait so much longer than GSM folks). REALLY smooth. Project Butter is well named. Also really like the new Notifications.

[Ksyrup]

So I assume we'll get this on AT&T in February, and it will be version 1 with all the inevitable bugs/battery drains still baked in?

[RainMaker]

Same here (though damned Verizon for making us wait so much longer than GSM folks). REALLY smooth. Project Butter is well named. Also really like the new Notifications.

Yeah, the smoothness makes it feel like a new phone. I'm pretty amazed at how nice it feels. Haven't played around too much with other features but "Project Butter" feels like a big success and eliminates my biggest gripe with Android.

It is disappointing how long it takes for phones to get these upgrades.

[ISiddiqui]

Well it's mostly Verizon. The Google phones sold directly from them (GSM versions) got it within a few weeks of its announcement. We've been waiting for Verizon to "bug test" it and ok it.

[RainMaker]

Yeah, I meant other phones too outside of the Nexus. I know people with other Android phones who don't even have a timeframe for it. And aren't there people who just recently got Ice Cream Sandwich?

[ISiddiqui]

I believe so. I know my Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 got ICS a few months ago. It's one of those things that comes with Android - Google comes out with a new OS, and then the manufacturers tinker with it to put their own skin on top of it (HTC's Sense, Samsung's Touchwiz), and then the carriers tinker with it to do what they do.

[gstelmack]

My Droid X isn't getting anything at all anymore.

[ISiddiqui]

That's what rooting is for ;).

[AnalBumCover]

That's what rooting is for ;).
Though it's not a perfect science. My old Samsung Vibrant was an awesome phone for rooting and loading custom roms, I got it with Eclair, I rooted and added a custom Froyo rom which was taken from the stock Vibrant froyo rom. I changed roms at least once a month. Those custom roms were smooth like butter.

But when Samsung announced it was no longer supporting the Vibrant and that they would not release Gingerbread, things went downhill. Developers had to port roms from other Galaxy S phones and attempt at reverse engineering to work on the Vibrant. But they couldn't get a fully functional GB rom to work.

It was sluggish, GPS was spotty, auto brightness was buggy, in-call audio sucked, to name a few.

I stuck with a less than perfect phone for a long time in hopes that ICS ports would turn out better. Nope. But I kept ICS on the phone just because I couldn't get myself to revert back to a fully functional Froyo rom... not after tasting ICS.

I now have the (T-mobile) Galaxy S3 with stock ICS. I have yet to root it, though. I think I'm still scarred from messing with the Vibrant and getting poor results.

I still have the Vibrant though. I removed all my apps and added childrens' apps for my 18 month old to play. It's her favorite toy.

[Passacaglia]

Just ordered my Galaxy Exhibit. I'm excited to be going back to Android!

[CU Tiger]

Yeah the bionic was built on/for ICS and still doesnt have an official OTA ICS update.

I have not rooted a phone since my OG droid....but I swear I think Im about to.

[Scoobz0202]

Yeah the bionic was built on/for ICS and still doesnt have an official OTA ICS update.

I have not rooted a phone since my OG droid....but I swear I think Im about to.

I wish I liked iOS because this Bionic shit is pissing me off.

[CU Tiger]

I love my bionic...just wish we could get ICS, OTA

looks like it will be completely released to all VZW subs by 10/20....its done

[DaddyTorgo]

Replaced my old EVO with a shiny new Galaxy SIII yesterday. Woo!!

[RainMaker]

Question for you guys, my brother is looking to upgrade his old Droid X and was wondering if there is going to be a slate of new phones released soon or not. The SIII looks like the latest and greatest but if a bunch of others will be released around Christmas he'll probable wait.

[stevew]

I think there's the Droid Razr HD, Galaxy Nexus 2(probable) the Galaxy Note 2(5.5inches) and some windows phones coming out this fall. But not much else that I'm aware of.

[stevew]

My galaxy S3 now crashes every time I try to cut and paste something. Is anyone else having this issue on Verizon? I notice it seems to be a fairly popular problem...trying to fix this without rooting the phone.

[AnalBumCover]

I have an unrooted GS3 for Tmobile but have not run into this issue. I'll report here if it starts to happen.

[rjolley]

Anyone have a GNote II? I'm thinking about getting one as my next phone.

[Scoobz0202]

I have an upgrade coming up in the middle of December. I am on Verizon.

I was looking at the Note II and the S3. I will probably end up with the S3, though. The Note II looks like a great piece of hardware but I could easily see myself getting annoyed with the practicality, or lack of, of it as a phone due to its size after the newness wears off.

The new Razr's look like quality, especially the MAXX HD or whatever they call it as it has the best battery life I've ever seen from a phone. But I am tired of Motorola after the delay in ICS for my Bionic. Figure I will try Samsung (I am sure they will piss me off eventually, too).

The new Nexus 4 looks great except 1) No Verizon and 2) Not LTE. After being in a 4G market for more than a year there is no way I could go back.

[rjolley]

Well, Samsung isn't known for the speed of their OS upgrades, so you might have the same problem.

Yeah, it's the novelty of the size that has me wondering. I know it'll be fine initially, but will I like the size of the EVO 4G LTE or SG3 better in the long run. That's the $300 question.

Plus, with phones coming out every week, something better will be announced soon.

[Peregrine]

I found this interesting op piece on Techcrunch - really interesting to see Apple and Microsoft back on the same side - also the concept of royalty stacking has some really game-changing implications.

http://techcrunch.com/2012/11/11/with-htc-patent-deal-apple-is-going-for-androids-jugular/

[Marc Vaughan]

I found this interesting op piece on Techcrunch - really interesting to see Apple and Microsoft back on the same side - also the concept of royalty stacking has some really game-changing implications.

With HTC Patent Deal, Apple Is Going For Android’s Jugular | TechCrunch (http://techcrunch.com/2012/11/11/with-htc-patent-deal-apple-is-going-for-androids-jugular/)

Its interesting but nothing new, that sort of thing goes on a lot in software/hardware - HOWEVER the entire article is misleading b*llsh*t imho, far from being on the backfoot Google and Android have won a lot of court battles in the last few months and Apple appears to be losing its legal impetus generally - which frankly isn't surprising because its attacked a LOT of companies each of which has its own array of patents to push back with.

In the case of HTC mentioned in the article - yes they do only have a small array of patents, but its worth considering that several of them are fundamental to the operation of the 4g networks ..... I expect this rather than royalty payments is why Apple settled quietly with them (and if HTC are paying any royalties for their Google devices, which isn't known and is pure speculation I expect it'll be a low amount).

[gstelmack]

If Verizon ever gets a Windows 8 phone, I think that's the way I'm going to go next. If that turns into a miserable failure (like my old Axim device, where the upgrade to Vista on my desktop meant I could no longer synch), then I'll be forced into the Apple ecosystem. But I want to give Windows 8 a try first.

[Desnudo]

I'd like to try the windows 8 phone as well. I really like the Nokia Lumina design. However, my company has become an iPhone shop after discarding Blackberries. Can't complain about the new iPhone 5 coming my way, but it is sort of ironic.

Probably for the best as MSFT has never shown an ability to maintain a consistent experience over time.

[Desnudo]

If you're into the give and take of the tech industry, interesting story on how MSFT killed a really innovative Courier table a few months before manufacturing right around when the iPad launched. Developed by the guy who led their original Xbox team skunkworks style. Good bathroom reading on your iPad or Nexus!

The inside story of how Microsoft killed its Courier tablet | Microsoft - CNET News (http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-20128013-75/the-inside-story-of-how-microsoft-killed-its-courier-tablet/)

[stevew]

That new Droid DNA for Verizon looks like the tits. 5" 1080p screen.

[RainMaker]

Saw that. Wonder how the battery life is on it.

[Eaglesfan27]

Droid DNA only has a 2020 mAh battery and it is non-removable. That combined with no SD card has turned me off. Otherwise, I would be buying it in 3 weeks when I'm eligible for an upgrade. On the plus side, the phone is wireless charger ready.

As a result, I'm leaning towards the Note 2 which has a 3100 mAh battery and it is removable if you want a larger 3rd party battery. It also has a SD card slot for expansion of storage capabilities.

That being said, the DNA's screen does look very impressive.

[Scoobz0202]

That new Droid DNA for Verizon looks like the tits. 5" 1080p screen.

Saw that. Wonder how the battery life is on it.

I'm interested, but HTC really pisses me off with battery life. This device looks fantastic, but they are putting a 2020mah battery in a device with a 5" 1080 screen and with LTE. Unless the new chipsets with the integrated LTE and the screen is a lot better at conserving battery than it will be the Thunderbolt all over again.

As a Verizon customer, I assume I will be looking at the Note II, GSIII, and the Bionic Maxx HD when my contract is up in mid-December. I want the Note II because it seems like an incredible device, but it is just so damn big. I want the GSIII for the camera (and I actually like its aesthetic) but I want the Maxx HD battery life (but I don't like the Motorola look). If I look into Touchwiz and I think it isn't too terrible I will probably go with the GSIII.

[stevew]

I wonder if WVU is around to give some impressions.

I have an S3, but I can upgrade a different line and was leaning towards a Note2 or DNA. The 300$ price on the note is way out of line though.

[Scoobz0202]

What has been your impressions on the S3, Steve?

Have you looked at the Maxx HD? Everything I've seen says it's battery life is just insane. I've had Motorola phones for my last two androids, though, and I'm starting to get tired of the Motorola design. It's just boring as shit imo.

Although, I do think the Maxx HD version is $300 so that is definitely a big negative.

[ISiddiqui]

I am keeping a close eye on the DNA - and seeing what the battery numbers look like. I have heard that there is some great power management for it, but I don't know how it manifests itself in real world terms. I mean, if they made it a slight bit thicker and put like a ~2500mah battery, it'd be the perfect phone.

[Scoobz0202]

I would have liked to have seen the Nexus 4 come to Verizon, but I am pretty hooked on LTE, though. Not sure if I could go back to a non-LTE phone. Is that crazy?

[ISiddiqui]

Nexus 4, though, runs on HSPA+, which can get 42mbps - LTE like.

[Scoobz0202]

Nexus 4, though, runs on HSPA+, which can get 42mbps - LTE like.

Yea, I've read that. I've been on Verizon for 10 years, though, so that's foreign to me.

[gstelmack]

It's looking like an HTC 8X Windows Phone for me soon...

[DaddyTorgo]

Coming from HTC UI I have to say I haven't found TouchWiz on my SIII to be annoying at all really. It's fine IMO.

[stevew]

What has been your impressions on the S3, Steve?

Have you looked at the Maxx HD? Everything I've seen says it's battery life is just insane. I've had Motorola phones for my last two androids, though, and I'm starting to get tired of the Motorola design. It's just boring as shit imo.

Although, I do think the Maxx HD version is $300 so that is definitely a big negative.

I love the screen and it's really fast. I had some issues where it was crashing every time I tried to cut and paste, but those have seemed to subside. It feels so plastic-y though.

I'm also really pissed that it still doesn't have the freaking jelly bean update yet...it should have been out 2-3 months ago. Verizon is retarded.

[DaddyTorgo]

I love the screen and it's really fast. I had some issues where it was crashing every time I tried to cut and paste, but those have seemed to subside. It feels so plastic-y though.

I'm also really pissed that it still doesn't have the freaking jelly bean update yet...it should have been out 2-3 months ago. Verizon is retarded.

It does feel a bit plasticy to me too, but I threw a soft-shell on it that kinda took care of that. Now it feels gel-ish, which is more familiar.

As steve said - very fast. Great screen. Battery life is impressive (to me -although I don't let it run down all that low all that often).

There are some things I REALLY like about TouchWiz - having the notification bar with all the settings icons and quick-toggles is a massive improvement over HTC - even moreso since you can access it from the lock screen. Quick launch icons (and they're customizeable) are REALLY nice too.

I've got an app or two that have issues with crashing - but I blame that on the apps (one is the Verizon FIOS Mobile app, so Verizon...yeah I blame them), and the other has only locked-up once and I can't even remember what it was.