New to Android

[Sparro]

Hello all;
I am seriously considering a new Android phone and would like some advice from you guys that have been using the platform for a while.
I originally came from BlackBerry Storm2. I really liked them. I liked how you could customize and personalize them. Menus upon menus.. to make it the you want.
But, I got tired of the boring old interface and lack of apps. The phone was slow and had to do batter pulls constantly.
Then I jumped on the iPhone 4 bandwagon. The phone looks and works well. Nice user experience, fast, beautiful screen... but its for ladies.
I hate the way you have to use it the way Steve Jobs thinks you should use it. It has a useless lock screen, i can't customize anything without jailbreaking. I can't even set a custom text message tone.
I've been doing some reading on Android, and I think it will offer the best of both worlds. Great user interface, lots of apps, menu systems... almost like a BlackBerry on steroids.
What can you guys recommend for a phone. I really missed the notification LED that the BlackBerry had and the iPhone can't offer.
I was thinking of either the Motorola Atrix or Samsung Galaxy S2.
I'm on Telus, so it would have to be an AT&T/Rogers/Bell/Telus compatable phone.
What are the pros and cons to a pure Android experience over Android with some sort of sense UI put in by the manufacturers?
Any input would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.

 

[ls377]

I don't know if either of those phones have the notification LED (I know the Galaxy S didn't have it), so if this is a must have, you might want to look elsewhere. I know Telus is getting the Desire HD, which should have one. Otherwise, both those phones are good choices.

 

[Sparro]

The Atrix has an LED for sure, I saw it blinking in a video demo, but the GS2, i'm not sure about.
I know lots about BlackBerries and the iPhone, but is there any specifics I should know about Android? I've never used one before, I don't even know anyone that owns one?
Is there a program that you use to log into Android?
Like BlackBerry has BlackBerry Desktop Software and Apple has iTunes. Does Android have anything like that to download?

 

[ls377]

Android uses your Gmail account, and ties apps and contacts to that. It's not nearly as in depth as the other two (you could sign into Gmail and never touch it again). I'm not sure what to tell you about Android, other than it's extremely customizable, and if you don't like iOS then you'll probably love Android.

 

[Sparro]

Thanks for the info Is377.
If I used my gmail account as a master, are you able to share apps if you have more than one android phone?
Like iOS, once you buy an app, you can put it onto 5 different devices that are tied to your account.

 

[ls377]

Yes, you can share paid apps with any Android device (phone or tablet) that's tied to your gmail.

 

[Sparro]

I assume "Rooting" an Android phone is similar to "Jail Breaking" an iPhone.
So, when you "root" your droid is it permanent or will it go back to "stock form" after you do a software update like what happens to the iPhone?

 

[ls377]

You would probably lose root. Its not a good idea to accept updates if you're rooted, and the devs still probably come out with a rooted version before you even get the update.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using Tapatalk

 

[takeshi]

Then I jumped on the iPhone 4 bandwagon. The phone looks and works well. Nice user experience, fast, beautiful screen... but its for ladies.

That's a ridiculous statement. Good luck with this thread.

 

[Sparro]

That's a ridiculous statement. Good luck with this thread.

Huh? Did you even bother to read what I wrote before you typed out a bunch of crap?