advice to an android newbie

[gallopiton]

hello dear android people... i have been lurking in the HTC 10 because i want to learn about the device and android in general... as a background, i am a bb guy, using bb devices for years, love their build and the design, plus how easy is to communicate with them... also, a physical kb is important to me so, obviously, bb win in that few areas... sadly for us die hard bb people, even when i think the OS (bb10) is a very nice attempt, it was just too late for it in the market and the app situation is killing the hardware division... so, they decided to try with an android device... i got a priv just about 2 or 3 weeks ago and i have been learning the android way to do stuff... so far, i like the device but i don't love it... but in my goal to learn about android i started to visit android central and then i saw the HTC 10... awesome phone, it looks like a very-close-to-perfect device... i went to a verizon store to have a little time with it and i confirmed my initial impression that i would like that device a lot in an every day use because among other stuff, i enjoy listening to music with good cans... speaking of this, i have a Bose QC25 since i travel a lot and those are too good when what you want is noise canceling... and i just bought (to be delivered on Monday) a pair of V-Moda Crossfade Wireless as a surprise to my wife... i know those headphones will sound amazingly good with a HTC 10 and its dedicated DAC... however, there are three reasons that are holding me back from getting a HTC 10:
1.- i am fairly new to android, being the priv my first ever android device, and i feel i should learn more about the OS before going all in
2.- the lack of physical kb, which i prefer when typing long emails, plus extra conveniences as the kb shortcuts or to use it as a pad to navigate
3.- the rumor of HTC making the next Nexus

now, it is clear that reason 2 won't give me any other option but bb so let's forget about it for a sec... what do you recommend me considering the other two reasons? thanks for the insights

 

[Laura Knotek]

Welcome to Android Central.

I don't have an HTC 10, but I have a FiiO DAC. I use the HibyMusic app to listen to my FLAC music files (either ripped from my personal CD collection or purchased from HDtracks). https://forums.androidcentral.com/e...apps/details?id=com.hiby.music&token=pkEcP0GC

I use a USB OTG adapter to connect my DAC to my Android devices while using the HibyMusic app.

 

[B0WIE]

I greatly prefer Android, though I think pure Android isn't as good as what HTC offers so I didn't bother waiting for the Nexus and happily got the 10.
Audio is my living and the 10 is THE phone to get if you use good cans. I use a $2,500 DAC/ADC in my studio but I'm still impressed at the 10's audio. It drives my 60ohm cans with ease and even drove my 600ohm Beyerdynamic 880s to adequate volume.

I think the capacitive home button is better than a clicky button as it let's you hold the phone at more angles (doesn't require pressure).

Overall, don't let Android intimidate you. There's a reason it's overtaken apple and it's very flexible and intuitive, IMO.

 

[sunbath1]

Hi, I'm a HTC m8 user.

I believe the best way to learn the OS is to give it a try. HTC 10 comes with a closed to stock android experience for you, you won't be disappointed with it. HTC software didn't let me down in terms of quality and providing Android version upgrade, my m8, which is two years old, just received the Android marshmallow update as well.

For keyboard, you probably can install lots of different favor of keyboards. It's just a matter of time to find your best one.

For Nexus phone, there will be always something missed, e.g. sd card slot, good audio output, camera. So it's not my favor unless you wants to get the new android version faster than other people.

 

[gallopiton]

thanks a lot for the comments... i am also searching and checking reviews for portable DAC so later i will ask advice in that area as well... now, part of me thinks that it would be logical to learn android better, no intimidation but of course, it's a whole different OS and you need time to get "in the zone"... bb priv is, according to people with experience, a very close to stock android so i am getting now that feeling... security updates are important to me, at the same time that the OS is popular and open source, the potential of security breaches is bigger for these two reasons... bb have, as of today, an unrooted device plus at least so far they have been on time delivering monthly security updates, and that plays in bb favor... but the hardware is not in par with HTC 10 for instance, especially in the audio corner... i think that it would be a good plan to stay with the priv whilst i am learning the OS, wait for the rumored HTC Nexus to leak and see what they offer (Nexus first-in-line updates plus HTC hardware could be a killer combination) and if this is not of my taste, then get the HTC 10... and there is something else that maybe deeper in me that drags me towards HTC (i guess because i am a bb user), i do prefer to support the underdog in the race and not the duopoly that the market has become... those are my thoughts... what do you think?

 

[B0WIE]

thanks a lot for the comments... i am also searching and checking reviews for portable DAC so later i will ask advice in that area as well... now, part of me thinks that it would be logical to learn android better, no intimidation but of course, it's a whole different OS and you need time to get "in the zone"... bb priv is, according to people with experience, a very close to stock android so i am getting now that feeling... security updates are important to me, at the same time that the OS is popular and open source, the potential of security breaches is bigger for these two reasons... bb have, as of today, an unrooted device plus at least so far they have been on time delivering monthly security updates, and that plays in bb favor... but the hardware is not in par with HTC 10 for instance, especially in the audio corner... i think that it would be a good plan to stay with the priv whilst i am learning the OS, wait for the rumored HTC Nexus to leak and see what they offer (Nexus first-in-line updates plus HTC hardware could be a killer combination) and if this is not of my taste, then get the HTC 10... and there is something else that maybe deeper in me that drags me towards HTC (i guess because i am a bb user), i do prefer to support the underdog in the race and not the duopoly that the market has become... those are my thoughts... what do you think?

That's really something of a personal consideration. As much as I love good sound, I couldn't imagine lugging around a separate DAC.. If one carries a purse or bag I'm sure it's less of an ordeal but a 5.2" screen is already pushing the limits of how full I want my pockets to be.

I agree w/ what Sunbath1 said about the Nexus possibly not having the same audio, or cam, etc so it might not be worth the wait. Plus, google apps are not as good as HTC apps (which is why HTC is bringing the Gallery back to the 10) so I would personally consider Sense and a blend of HTC and google apps to be a positive for the 10. Regarding security, an unlocked HTC 10 will get updates very quickly since they're coming from HTC, not a service provider. I had my first update just a few days after release day.

Though, as a boxing fan, I love a good underdog, I don't buy HTC because they are the underdog. I really do find that, when they're "on", they make smarter devices than the competition. The user experience is just really pleasant.
You're right though, even though HTC isn't big enough to have the marketing power to compete with Samsung and Apple in sales, they are making comparable (often better) devices and that in itself is keeping the other companies honest, which helps EVERYONE.

 

[gallopiton]

as a newbie can you explain to me a bit more about the google vs htc apps? i thought all were the same hahaha... i mean, obviously if you have a app called htc photos that's different from google photos, i get that... is that what you meant?

regarding the DAC i was meaning a portable one for travel, in a plane... nothing like getting away from the world, and the crying kids in it, during a flight...

i have always liked the HTC hardware, i don't remember the model name/number but years ago my wife was in the market for a new phone and one htc model was an option that she liked (i think was the M8)... but of course, she finally went for what "she" wanted (meaning the market) and got the samsung s4... i didn't push her to get a bb or htc or any brand since the phone was for her but that was a very nice phone... and i remember she hated the damn thing so much, lags and poor battery life were the common complains i heard until she got a LG G4... anyway, i am sad to hear that HTC as a brand is struggling and i hope this htc 10 helps them because they are a very nice alternative... i hope they stay because if i switch from bb i am 100% sure will be for this brand, and i couldn't take if i choose them and then they go under hahaha...

That's really something of a personal consideration. As much as I love good sound, I couldn't imagine lugging around a separate DAC.. If one carries a purse or bag I'm sure it's less of an ordeal but a 5.2" screen is already pushing the limits of how full I want my pockets to be.

I agree w/ what Sunbath1 said about the Nexus possibly not having the same audio, or cam, etc so it might not be worth the wait. Plus, google apps are not as good as HTC apps (which is why HTC is bringing the Gallery back to the 10) so I would personally consider Sense and a blend of HTC and google apps to be a positive for the 10. Regarding security, an unlocked HTC 10 will get updates very quickly since they're coming from HTC, not a service provider. I had my first update just a few days after release day.

Though, as a boxing fan, I love a good underdog, I don't buy HTC because they are the underdog. I really do find that, when they're "on", they make smarter devices than the competition. The user experience is just really pleasant.
You're right though, even though HTC isn't big enough to have the marketing power to compete with Samsung and Apple in sales, they are making comparable (often better) devices and that in itself is keeping the other companies honest, which helps EVERYONE.

 

[B0WIE]

as a newbie can you explain to me a bit more about the google vs htc apps? i thought all were the same hahaha... i mean, obviously if you have a app called htc photos that's different from google photos, i get that... is that what you meant?
.

Google is all about trying to get you to use all their services which they loosely tie together. They really sicken me in that regard. You can't even leave a rating in the app store without signing up for Google+. Their apps tend to be spammy toward their other services. HTC apps are purely about the user experience and they tend to be really good at it. They even do updates to make things work better (not just broken things). I have a lot of respect for them in that regard.

As far as them sticking around, being that they've been commissioned to do the next Nexus is a good sign.