Thinking about trying Android again

[haegercp]

A little background first. I am on Sprint. I have been a "crackberry" user for several years & I love my "crackberry" (I am not looking for a debate on the merits of crackberry vs Android). I tried Android early last year, the device was a Samsung Moment running v1.6(cupcake, I believe it was) and i was very disappointed. I am of the opinion that the device was more to blame than the OS. That being said, I do feel the OS was not up to my needs when it comes to the way I use my phone. I own two very different companies, one is a construction business and the other is IT services. I have been following the development of Android since it's inception and finally think that it may be capable of what I need.

I have the following questions regarding the capabilities of SPECIFICALLY the Evo 4G (once again, I am not looking for a debate about crackberry vs Android, diatribes on how awesome Android is, rants about everything other than Androids sucks, etc., etc.):

1) Can it view PDF's, MS Office documents, and Open Office documents?

2) Does it run Flash content?

3)Is there a way to connect the USB port on the Evo to a management console port on networking equipment (ie-a Cisco switch or router)?

4)Browser compatibility with websites designed for Internet Explorer (several of the web portals I use for work are designed for IE)?

5) Any additional information from those who use a Evo 4G for work would be greatly appreciated.

Also of interest to me:

6) Battery life. I have been researching this and I have seen the Seidio 3500mha battery mentioned frequently with mostly good reviews, but I have seen several reviews saying the battery dies within a couple of months. any info regarding this would be helpful. (I am a power user: email, text, GPS, web, voice (sometimes w/ tech support or conference calls for several hours), downloads, etc. all day) who works long days and I need a battery that can keep up.

7) Rugged cases. I have been an Otterbox fan for many years now. Unfortunately the don't have a case for a larger battery. I have seen the Seidio rugged case that goes with the 3500mha battery (mentioned in #6). I would love to here from someone who uses this case in a construction type job that really demands a tough/hardcore case and what their opinion of it's durability and protection level is (I am hard on phones, 6-9 months is a long life with a phone for me even in an Otterbox case).

8) will Android 2.3 & 2.4 work with the Evo?

In advance i wish to thank any and all persons who reply to this post. I just want to stress that compatibility with a mobile work oriented lifestyle is of paramount importance to me. I don't want to be turned off to a promising OS because of fanboy's needing to talk it up.

 

[ekz13]

I can give my opinion on 1,2,4,6

I did the same thing, tried a hero a while back and gave it about 2 days before I swtiched back, didn't give it a fair shake. Tried again in jan and got a shift, used the hell out of it for my 30 days (25) before making my decision. It is very different than what bb users are used too, but if you give it time and set it up (learn how to set it up) the way that it works for you, it is a wonderful OS (not that the bb os wasn't great) just different from each other. After giving this shift a fair shake and setting it up the way I wanted it (and I'm fairly tech savy) I could make this thing sing and dance to MY tune. but that's me..

I know you asked about the evo, but I wanted to offer the shift in there for you as well, it really is a great device, I originally wanted the Evo, but when I saw the shift, smaller, keyboard, 2nd gen 800mhz proc, etc, I decided to give that a shot. Smaller than the Evo, but not by much, for me (I'm 6'3") i think it's a good size, screens big enough to use, but not too big to be a problem. and it does have the keyboard if you need it ( I honestly don't use mine at all though, just touch)

1 - same as bb, docs to go, (or quick office) but you'll need the full to pdf's, but it does come with Adobe reader if you're able to do that (and others on the market too)

2 - I know the shift does, and I believe that the Evo can too (but I'll let the owners confirm)

4 - the browser does the auto detect thing much like OS6 did so you should be ok on the portals (my wife checks her school portals for class)

6 - Battery on the shift is stellar, honestly almost as good as the bb on the light days, and no so much on the heavy, but either way I still unplug at 0415 and it's back on the charger at 2200, the only difference is the amount I have left, anywhere from 10% to 50% has been the average. that's just a bit of tweaking (rooted with setcpu) bloatware removed, etc, but even before I did that I was still able to make it through the day stock.

Bonus - and might I also offer that regardless of which device you go with, you have the option of free wifi tether (need root though) as opposed to having to purchase the software with bb, so that's a nice added feature if you want/need it.

Anyway just my thoughts, I enjoy both phones (bb and shift) but could only have one, so I made the switch, based off of my routine, my phone, my area that I operate in, signal, etc are all factors (but you know that) again I know you asked about the Evo, but the shift might be a nice secondary consideration if you’re not firm on your first choice...

 

[hopefulfarm]

I have the following questions regarding the capabilities of SPECIFICALLY the Evo 4G (once again, I am not looking for a debate about crackberry vs Android, diatribes on how awesome Android is, rants about everything other than Androids sucks, etc., etc.):

1) Can it view PDF's, MS Office documents, and Open Office documents?

YES. I've had no problem opening docs. haven't tried editing

2) Does it run Flash content?

Yes

3)Is there a way to connect the USB port on the Evo to a management console port on networking equipment (ie-a Cisco switch or router)?

No idea. sorry...

4)Browser compatibility with websites designed for Internet Explorer (several of the web portals I use for work are designed for IE)?

I came from the 85xx Curve and the browser on the Evo is FAR better than the stock Berry browser or, for that matter, even the other browsers I tried with my Berry.

5) Any additional information from those who use a Evo 4G for work would be greatly appreciated.

Love it, so much faster than my Curve was. I didn't notice what Berry you're running but this phone is 10x better than my 8530 was.

Also of interest to me:

6) Battery life. I have been researching this and I have seen the Seidio 3500mha battery mentioned frequently with mostly good reviews, but I have seen several reviews saying the battery dies within a couple of months. any info regarding this would be helpful. (I am a power user: email, text, GPS, web, voice (sometimes w/ tech support or conference calls for several hours), downloads, etc. all day) who works long days and I need a battery that can keep up.

Stock battery life blows. There are many ways to make it more efficient, a simple search will bring up lots of threads. I haven't tried an extended battery, I bought off Amazon a set of 2 extra batteries with an external charger. Works for me.

8) will Android 2.3 & 2.4 work with the Evo?

If you root. Rooting will also improve your battery life.

 

[haegercp]

Thank you ekz13, your reply was very helpful. I had looked at the shift, but the lack of a rugged case was a problem (when I said I am hard on phones I wasn't kidding).

 

[haegercp]

Thank you for your reply hopefulfarm. I am currently using the 8530, and I agree that is slow.

 

[ekz13]

Thank you ekz13, your reply was very helpful. I had looked at the shift, but the lack of a rugged case was a problem (when I said I am hard on phones I wasn't kidding).

I don't think otterbox has anything yet, but I do believe seidio has one. I'm rocking the HTC blue case on mine, no issues at all, however, some have reported the little clips/clasps snapping off, so it's a hit/miss kind of thing.

 

[cloak.n.dagger]

1) Can it view PDF's, MS Office documents, and Open Office documents?

Yes

2) Does it run Flash content?

Yes

3)Is there a way to connect the USB port on the Evo to a management console port on networking equipment (ie-a Cisco switch or router)?

Not sure on this one. It would require that the USB bort on the EVO to be bi-directional and I'm not sure if it is. I know there are terminal app that can be used to access a virtual console when you are rooted, but not sure if it could be used to manage/config a switch. I'll search around and try to get back to you on this one.

4)Browser compatibility with websites designed for Internet Explorer (several of the web portals I use for work are designed for IE)?

The browser is fully functional as far as I have seen. Maybe you can post some URLs of the pages you are interested in knowing about and we can see how they load up?

5) Any additional information from those who use a Evo 4G for work would be greatly appreciated.

I, too, have used just about every smartphone out there (WinMo, BB, WebOS) and have never seen as flexible an OS as Android. I'm sure your bad experience was related to HW, plus there have been quite a few OS updates since you last used Android. So, I'm sure you will see that the OS is a lot more functional and configurable than what you saw in the past.

6) Battery life. I have been researching this and I have seen the Seidio 3500mha battery mentioned frequently with mostly good reviews, but I have seen several reviews saying the battery dies within a couple of months. any info regarding this would be helpful. (I am a power user: email, text, GPS, web, voice (sometimes w/ tech support or conference calls for several hours), downloads, etc. all day) who works long days and I need a battery that can keep up.

Battery life is pretty dismal on just a bout any high end smarphone these days. There are lots of options like bigger batteries or multiple batteries, but the best way to get max batter life is to root your phone, install a custom Kernel and use an app that lets you set custom performance profiles. Some people are reporting 15-20hrs of normal use before needing to recharge!

7) Rugged cases. I have been an Otterbox fan for many years now. Unfortunately the don't have a case for a larger battery. I have seen the Seidio rugged case that goes with the 3500mha battery (mentioned in #6). I would love to here from someone who uses this case in a construction type job that really demands a tough/hardcore case and what their opinion of it's durability and protection level is (I am hard on phones, 6-9 months is a long life with a phone for me even in an Otterbox case).

No case for me. I love the thin form factor of my EVO and refuse to give up 1mm of thickness. That being said, I got my EVO in July of 2010 and there isn't 1 scratch on the screen. The Gorilla Glass is pretty amazing stuff!

8) will Android 2.3 & 2.4 work with the Evo?

I am rooted and running a custom 2.3 ROM now, CM7 with 4G! It works perfectly but currently no HDMI. However, ROM developers are all over getting HDMI to work in 2.3, so it won't be long before it's fully functional. I read a thread last night that one developer has HDMI mirroring partially working! There isn't anything available (ROM wise) for 2.4, unless you are referring to Honeycomb, which is only meant to be run on Tablets. My understanding of 2.4 is that it will still be called Ginerbread but will fully support the new dual core CPUs that are starting to hit the market. Since the EVO is a single core Snapdragon CPU, 2.3 should be all you need... for now.

Welcome to AC (Android Central). You will find this to be a great community of people, full of very useful information.

 

[zhelf]

seidio has their rugged case which is a slide on case then a silicone layer and rugged spine also have one that comes with a holster.

seidioonline.com

this is otterbox collections
HTC Evo Cases // OtterBox.com

those are direct links to the cases your looking for

 

[Tical]

I'm not going to go bullet by bullet as it seems that hopefulfarm & ekz13 did a great job. But I will give an overall opinion....

The EVO is leaps and bounds above a Moment... Everything from screen to responsiveness is just plain better. It's just an overall wonderful device. That said, your primary use for this seems to be work/business related. Unless you get a extended battery (as you mentioned), the Evo has a hard time under heavy load for a full work day. You can extend it's capabilities by rooting and a few tweaks, all of which can be performed under an hour. There are also some reasonably priced replacement batteries out there, which will let you use an otterbox, and just switch out the batteries as needed.

With construction being one of your businesses, I would have to assume an otterbox would be almost mandatory, and that means battery swapping. So the real question is if you are willing to exchange the batteries during the course of the day? If so, the evo (or shift) will provide a great experience for you, especially on the web browsing. But if availability/battery during a heavy use is paramount, I'd say stick with the BB until an extended case otterbox comes out.

 

[giograves]

On the topic of flash, can someone answer this for me?

In an app like radiotime, can you play flash based streams or is the flash just for embedded video in web pages?

-- Sent from my Palm Pre using Forums

 

[Active_Matrix]

I am currently a user of the seidio 3500 and the rugged case. For the most part I work 15 hour days, and the battery does its job! unplug about 0530 and put back on charge around 2230 or so with about 13% left. The rugged case is as heavy duty you can find so far for the 3500 battery. As I work in a warehouse I need the protection! I came from a BB 8350i and I will tell you one thing, now on the EVO, I couldnt be happier!

 

[RUSH]

For answers to your questions — tap on the "tips & tricks link in my signature.

There are more than enough information for you to know more about android and its capabilities.

 

[Unibrow]

I can only comment about the battery, I have the Sprint 2600mAh battery which is actually made of Sony cells. I'm a pretty heavy user and this battery lasts me the whole day and then some. It's got a 1 year warranty so if it dies they will replace it. I also was able to get sprint to credit me for the battery which was obviously a huge bonus.