Photon Support Group For Palm webOS Users

[Puzzlegal]

Ok. I've had this phone for just over two weeks. It is truly an amazing phone. As much as i miss the cards and my touchstones, I'm adjusting. I just can't seem to get over the keyboard. I have tried several in the marketplace and go keyboard seems to work the best for me but i picked up my Pre last night and messed with it a bit. I was soooo much faster and more accurate with the physical keyboard. I have about two weeks left before my 30 days is up and i will not be able to return it. How long did it take for you guys to adjust?

Im seriously considering returning the MoPho and waiting for the rumored Pax.

I'm in an odd position. I think I can type as fast on the Photon as on the Pre, or nearly so, but it is much more tiring and just feels really tedious. I have to look at each word to make sure it's not something weird. I've added a "sig" to my mail warning readers that I'm using swype, and "who knows what I meant to type?" If you type "acept" for "accept", people understand it's a typo. If you type "out" for "it", people try to parse the real words they see in front of them, and it's just confusing.

(Swipe gives me fewer weird words than Swiftkey did, and is easier to correct. I found the stock keyboard to be nearly unusable, as it didn't even have a "comma" key. Perhaps I should try other keyboards.)

When I was shopping the only android device with a decent keyboard seemed to be the XPRT, and everyone I spoke with said I would regret getting such an old phone with an old operating system. Also, I have found it works better to get a phone that is popular, and that you can find informal support for, in place like this forum. The Photon is so much faster and smoother than the Pre, and has enough additional functionality that it feels like a nice upgrade, even though I miss the cards, the keyboard, and the compact size. So I'm happy with my purchase, and have invested in "moving in". But you have the coming Pax as a potentially viable option.

Since you have a while left on your trial, I'd use it. Keep playing with keyboards. Most of them adapt to you, so they get better and easier to use with "practice". Your own practice probably helps, too, although their "practice" is probably more important. You may decide you like the Photon enough to keep it, or you may decide to give the Pax a go.

Best of luck, and if you get the Pax, let me know how you like it.

 

[Puzzlegal]

Which app are u guyz using for yahoo messenger etc.??

I've never used Yahoo messenger on any platform. You might get more responses to your question if you ask in a more general thread, and not one that is mostly limited to people who had Pres and now have or are considering the Photon. I'd try "Android Help & How to" or "Android Apps"

 

[anon(409656)]

Ok. I've had this phone for just over two weeks. It is truly an amazing phone. As much as i miss the cards and my touchstones, I'm adjusting. I just can't seem to get over the keyboard. I have tried several in the marketplace and go keyboard seems to work the best for me but i picked up my Pre last night and messed with it a bit. I was soooo much faster and more accurate with the physical keyboard. I have about two weeks left before my 30 days is up and i will not be able to return it. How long did it take for you guys to adjust?

Im seriously considering returning the MoPho and waiting for the rumored Pax.

I would have to agree with Puzzlegal. Keep working on the keyboard issue right up to the last minute and make sure you don't adapt. The Keyboard you choose will usually adapt to you and your mistakes/typing style. I have had good luck with SwiftKey. Oddly enough, I have found that I do better when turning the phone to landscape. I didn't think that would be the case, especially coming from the smaller Pre, but I am adjusting. My wife gets sick of my short outbursts on things that should work quicker/better than Android will allow, but honestly the speed at which everything occurs (kinda) makes up for the endless tap tap tap back tap tap etc that is required by the Android UI. Would I go back to webOS? In a flash, if it had this kind of hardware. Would I go back to a slider for a physical keyboard? I probably would not, and that answer surprises me even now. "multitasking" in Android, however, I would certainly trade for a card and a swipe.

 

[preryan]

@Puzzlegal and dalebert54

Thanks for sharing your experiences. I want this phone to work for me very much. While I do like to play with it, I simply have to use it for business and write a lot of emails to customers. Right now I am just sending out too many typos or having to take too long to compose them. I am going to give it another week or so and see if I get better. I admit that I am typing better than on day one but I still need more improvement.

 

[Featherman]

Well, by way of update from my first post, I am 3+ weeks into my Photon and I just got back from the Sprint store and returned it. Actually, is was an awesome piece of equipment but every single time I used it my comment was... "I hate this phone." I'm back on my old pre minus and for the last couple of hours, as I used it I commented "I love this phone."

Now I am looking for a less abused pre minus on ebay and if push comes to shove, I will get an iphone and if that doesn't work for me, possibly the rumored Moto Pax soon enough.

I would like to thank everyone here for all the information, I have enjoyed reading the sight and even implemented many of the suggested app's and tweaks to the now-returned Photon.

Enjoy your phones and I may be back.

Jon

 

[sparkkticus]

Hey fellow x-Pre users, and hello Photon (DROID?) users. I visited precentral frequently but wasn't a "talkitive" participant. I followed guides and installed patches until I had to figure out what wasn't playing nice with what. I honestly have to give a standing ovation to the contributors of the WebOS movement. Alas I had to move on(COUGH... announcements... and my Pre on its last legs). After reading around here and playing with the MoPho, first I want to say HI, and I hope some of the talent from precentral considers getting a MoPho. Secondly I STILL think WebOS is a superior OS, BUT with a little tweaking the DROID? OS on the MoPho isn't really that far off. And just personally, Third, the hardware was the knife in the back of the Pre, where as on the MoPho its the game winner for me. Gorilla Glass, 10 HR battery( if I root? ), autofocus 8MP camera, signal strength, external storage, etc etc etc. I miss my beautiful little monster but I gotta tame this new one. Anyway, is there going to be anything like webosquickInstall for this phone? I notice installing and trying out all the apps in the marketplace is leaving behind a lot of junk files and folders. And also, how different are the OSs I poked around with WebOS and found it straight forward, I haven't had the change to look at the MoPho.

Thanx All!

 

[Derek_B]

Hey all,

One more Sprint Pre- refugee here. Just activated my Photon last night.

I'm really looking forward to learning Android and having awesome hardware with tons of apps (for a change ).

Thanks to all the regulars on this post for coming up with amazing suggestions for apps and tricks to try. I'm really enjoying my new home here at Android Central.

 

[anon(409656)]

Anyway, is there going to be anything like webosquickInstall for this phone? I notice installing and trying out all the apps in the marketplace is leaving behind a lot of junk files and folders. !

I do not know of anything that does the same thing as webOSquickinstall. Although I love this phone, it is indeed more cumbersome, less strait-forward. Possibly, there is a comparable application for rooted phones, but I have no plans at this time to delve that deeply. WebOS internals made it brilliantly easy for those of us (me) who know just enough to be dangerous, but not enough to get themselves out of trouble when it comes to tinkering with the inner workings of OS code. Not to mention the ease at which things were accomplished due to the way webOS was written. If you do want to root, and are like me, read: http://www.androidcentral.com/rooting-it-me-some-qa , but if you are more confident, go for it and let us know what you come up with!

EDIT: MAYBE this is what you are looking for, but still, it is not webOS... http://forums.androidcentral.com/an...-central-sideload-wonder-machine-v-1-2-a.html

 

[preryan]

So my 30 days was almost up and I'm sad to say that as great as the Photon was, I have taken it back and reactivated my Pre. I'm too mad at HP to keep it but I have learned that I simply MUST have a keyboard. I am holding out till next month to see if it brings the Admiral or Pax to Sprint.

I am loving my cards and touchstones again along with the keyboard but even overclocked the Pre seems so slow now that I have been using the MoPho.

And watch this.... I ..... you .... I'm... Nicely done Pre automatically capitalizing i , changing u to you and remembering my apostrophes for me. I was even able to open the browser and leave the androidcentral window open so that I could make sure I spelled apostrophe right.

Even with that said I will be back soon with a keyboarded android phone. I complain but webos is virtually dead and despite my petty complaints android has much going for it.

 

[pbdc13]

Most of my typing is voice to text now with my Motorola Photon. I'm amazed how accurate it can be.

 

[preryan]

Most of my typing is voice to text now with my Motorola Photon. I'm amazed how accurate it can be.

I loved it for short texts. I will miss that for now. It was great when it worked. As long as I spoke clearly, slowly and in short bursts it worked well most of the time.

 

[milominderbinde]

Most of my typing is voice to text now with my Motorola Photon. I'm amazed how accurate it can be.

When I am in the car, I dictate email and message responses all of the time. Google Voice will get better and better as you use it if you have checked:

Home > Menu > Settings > Voice recognition settings > Personalized recognition ON

 

[Puzzlegal]

. . . I was even able to open the browser and leave the androidcentral window open so that I could make sure I spelled apostrophe right. . .

That's what I miss the most. (that and a real keyboard) When I say I miss "cards", that's what I mean. I have a lousy memory, and used to do stuff like that all the time. Open a card to look up a phone number, or details of a party, or whatever. Type the first half into an email. flip back to check that I remembered the second half, and type that into the same email. It's too much work to do that on the Photon. Andoid multitasking is pretty marginal.

But the Photon is so much faster for anything that doesn't involve switching between tasks. It could take my calendar over a minute to open on the Pre. That was a huge drag. On the Photon, touches register instantly. Google navigation rocks. K9 email is configurable, and more reliable, and when it mysteriously fails to update, I can tell by watching at the status bar so I know to restart it.

Yeah, I will be here for a while.

 

[sjamie]

What I Miss Most...

The things I miss most from WebOS are:

1. Cards (multitasking, swipe to close/delete, etc.) - Perfect Task Switcher on Android is WHACK! Definitely not the same.
2. Three Letter Contact Searching - Finding a contact by quickly typing their first initial plus the first two letters of their last name can't be beaten. However, Google voice search is pretty cool!

The good news is the positives of Android definitely outweigh the negatives.

 

[dorelse]

I migrated over to the Photon after some time with a Pre, Pixi and then going back to my Treo Pro (running SPB Mobile Shell).

The thing I miss most...is being able to delete emails by swiping them away to the right. Such a simple thing, but I miss it.

But...its nice to be able to find apps & support from the manufacturer.

 

[kmcochran]

My mom and I were just lamenting an hour ago about not being able to swipe our emails away!

And I wish that I could easily forward at text message! I guess I'll have to try out another sms app to have that capability.

 

[sjamie]

To forward a text message, just long press the message and tap forward message. Not that bad.

 

[kmcochran]

Ahh, thanks for that tip. I thought there must be a way to forward the texts, but I was pressing the 4 squares key, looking for a way to forward.

 

[sjamie]

Ahh, thanks for that tip. I thought there must be a way to forward the texts, but I was pressing the 4 squares key, looking for a way to forward.

You're welcome!

 

[Puzzlegal]

So, anyone else looking forward to getting a lot of WebOS back with ICS?