Coming from a iPhone 3g

[Eightiesdude]

Its my first post so hello everyone.

I have an iphone 3g thinking about going to an android phone. The prices on atrix seem really fair for a dual core phone ($49 refurbished) However, what will I miss and gain from moving from ios to android and from iphone hardware to motorola hardware. I would really like to hear especially from previous iphone owners or those that have both to compare and contrast before I pull the trigger on an android phone.

 

[sgarrand]

I have had all the iPhones from the 2G to 3GS and my last phone before my Atrix was my iPhone. You will not miss much as far as apps go. You will gain more customizability. You will gain a huge performance boost from the 3G to Atrix. I'd be happy to answer any questions you may have. I was an iPhone user since 2007. I am now just an Android user.

Scott

 

[Eightiesdude]

Thanks Scott

How stable is android compared to ios?

Do you miss Scott anything about the iPhone?

What made you finally switch Scott coming from so many iPhones?

The apps availability seem about the same. I do like there are old school emulators on android.

Btw i was disappointed with apple latest peek of io5. It seemed like more of the same with android features put into it. What a letdown so after that news i was like apple is moving slow software and hardware wise. Time to take a serous look at the android devices. When i bought my 3g phone it was already 1 year old so now its a 3 year old device.

 

[sgarrand]

How stable is android compared to ios?

I won't lie. Although I prefer Android, it is less stable than iOS. It's like running a Mac vs. PC. Microsoft OSes run on an enormous variety of hardware and Mac computers are built a certain way by Apple themselves for their own software. With different hardware and more open software policies on Android, comes more instability. It is not a dealbreaker though. It's more like a possibility of instability than a guarantee.

Do you miss Scott anything about the iPhone?

The iPhone's Facebook app is a little better but I'm sure the Android version will get updates and improve over time. The main thing I miss is Visual Voicemail. I have to call in like the old days now. There are options with Google Voice but it involves forwarding your number, which I'm not doing.

What made you finally switch Scott coming from so many iPhones?

Truthfully, I got bored. I've had a taste of Android with my Nook Color being hacked but it lacked a camera, GPS and true portability. I saw the Atrix coming and when I was eligible for an upgrade I pulled the trigger. iOS works well (slow on iPhone 3G though) but it's not as much fun to play with as Android, for me.

Scott

 

[Eightiesdude]

Oh yea i got the latest ios for the 3g and it works but slow especially sometimes redrawing things on websites and loading programs. When i have messed with an iphone 4 it was faster than my 3g of course but it felt boring like more the same just faster.

How has your atrix held up hardware wise?

How is battery life like compared to the iphones?

I read that atrix will get 2.3 soon. Do you thing anymore updates after that one to 2.4 maybe?

Did you compare to iphone 4 before getting the Atrix?

Is motoblur really that bad?

Btw i really appreciate your time answering these questions for me. Apple has good marketing and makes you feel everything else you will have a bad experience.

 

[sgarrand]

How has your atrix held up hardware wise?

It has held up really well. I have an Otterbox Defender case on it because I've always had them on all my iPhones. It protects the phone well. I haven't had any issues with the Atrix, except the fingerprint reader. You have to be exact when waking the phone with a fingerprint. If you do it sideways, it fails. If you do it too short, it fails. It can be a pain but it vibrates twice to say bad swipe, once to say good so you can do it without even looking. It still beats swiping the finger and entering a code. You don't even have to have a code or fingerprint, I do it to stop my kids from messing with my phone.

How is battery life like compared to the iphones?

It is about equal. If you get it, you'll notice less battery life at first. The reason is that people always use a new phone more at first. You'll be downloading apps, playing with Android. The battery lasts plenty but it will die if used a lot, like any phone. It has the biggest capacity battery of any other Android phone I'm aware of, over 1900 mAh (I may've put that incorrectly).

I read that atrix will get 2.3 soon. Do you thing anymore updates after that one to 2.4 maybe?

I do think it'll get 2.3 in July and 2.4 sometime in the future. Even though it came out in February, the specs are still better than some phones coming out now. The 1 GB of RAM seems to be pretty unique, only the highest end phones get it. I see new phones with 512 and I'm glad I got the Atrix. The RAM, graphics and dual core pretty much "future proof" us well.

Did you compare to iphone 4 before getting the Atrix?

I never really seriously considered the iPhone 4 but I looked for a phone with a front facing camera based on the fact that the iPhone 4 has that. I personally decided there wasn't enough of a reason to get an iPhone 4 over a 3GS so I never did.

Is motoblur really that bad?

No. I don't even use it. At the moment I'm using Launcher Pro. I have used ADW EX and Zeam as well. You are not tied to any one brand of home launcher. You don't really even notice the included apps running. People like to pick a flaw and harp on it so they go with MotoBlur and the locked bootloader. I have no desire to run a full custom ROM so a locked bootloader doesn't affect me. I use another launcher so MotoBlur doesn't affect me either.


Scott

 

[Eightiesdude]

Otterbox defender is what i got on the 3g and you feel really safe. I would definitely but another otterbox defender for any phone.

Can you get rid of all or most of the at and t bloatware apps?

Are you staying with android from now on or will still consider again an apple device in the future?

Call quality and sound how is it on the atrix?

Do you get alot of dropped calls on the Atrix?
I do on my iphone 3g btw. Which maybe just at and t.

Internet speeds down and up what are averaging on the Atrix?

 

[sgarrand]

Otterbox defender is what i got on the 3g and you feel really safe. I would definitely but another otterbox defender for any phone.

The case is less than $30 on Amazon. $25 when I bought it.

Can you get rid of all or most of the at and t bloatware apps?

You can hack it to remove them but it prevents updates. You can install a program called Titanium Backup to "freeze" them so they're not active but I don't do either. I don't see MotoBlur at all when using Launcher Pro.

Are you staying with android from now on or will still consider again an apple device in the future?

I plan to stay with Android. I do like Apple's products (typing this on an iMac) but not for my phone anymore. I can't imagine Apple doing anything too revolutionary in the future. Next phone will have dual core and the iOS 5 features we already know about. Not a big deal to me.

Call quality and sound how is it on the atrix?

The earpiece rattles if the volume is up too high. I looked it up and have seen many reports of this. It happens on mine so I turn the volume down some. It's still very loud, just not distorted. Other than that, I have not had any complaints from others about my quality and they sound fine. The two times I tried to use the speaker phone while driving, my wife couldn't understand me. Just bought a Plantronics bluetooth so we'll see how that goes.

Do you get alot of dropped calls on the Atrix?
I do on my iphone 3g btw. Which maybe just at and t.

I get the same dead spots I got with my iPhone so I think it's a matter of AT&T in your area.

Internet speeds down and up what are averaging on the Atrix?

I have gotten as high as 4.3 Mbps down and 1.3 Mbps up. It averages closer to 3.5/1.2 in my area though. Different areas and towers will get different results. I am always in H+ mode.

 

[Eightiesdude]

I have the same exact brand from costco bluetooth as you. Is it working good?

Image quality good on atrix compared to iphone?

Camera how is it?

 

[sgarrand]

I have the same exact brand from costco bluetooth as you. Is it working good?

Haven't used it yet. Got it from Amazon and it's on the charge. I'll try it next time I'm on the road.

Image quality good on atrix compared to iphone?

The quality of the screen? It's very high resolution. Images look great on it. I like that it's a 4 inch screen and icons aren't huge like some of the other phones. I prefer to be able to fit more. I don't think it's as high of a resolution as the iPhone 4's retina display but very close.

Camera how is it?

The camera, for me, has been very good. I'm happy to have a flash, my iPhone 3GS didn't. The iPhone 4 does, of course. It's the same in megapixels as the iPhone 4 (5 MP) but not as good as some other new phones with 8. Not sure if the average person could tell a difference between 5 and 8 though.


Scott

 

[Eightiesdude]

I am running out of questions but here goes....

Can you put similar apps in folders in Android?

Anything else I should know about this Android or this phone?

 

[dalvik]

you can create folders on home screens and put shortcuts there

 

[Eightiesdude]

you can create folders on home screens and put shortcuts there

Nice!

How about getting the unlock code from at & t or can you permanantly unlock it yourself using software?

Btw a t & t will not give you the unlock for the iphone Apparently they do in europe and apple does this through itunes. What bs you cannot do this here even after contract.

 

[dalvik]

i dont know about unlocking the phone, you can google it. but i believe if you take it to any third party cell phone shop they should be able to unlock it for you for a fee. but as far as i know unlocking voids the warranty.
on a side note android OS gives you a lot more options than iOS. but I just got myself an ipod touch 4g to play games while on the train (mainly Gameloft ones) and maybe book reading too. ( see no point in getting an ipad just for gaming although was thinking about it too.) retina display is one of the best out there and there are tons of really good games for iOS.... I will though get a Kal-El tablet in the nearest future I hope...

 

[Eightiesdude]

Have you tried by chance the old school emulators for say Atari 2600 or NES on these phones? I am curious how they run

 

[dalvik]

no i havent tried them. but there are lots of forums about that. so you can experiment I think controls maybe a bit akward to use.. i maybe wrong though...

 

[Eightiesdude]

Did you come from an iphone as well before going to Android based device?

 

[dalvik]

no i was a blackberry user for about 3 years... used a few of them, ended up getting Atrix as soon as it came out and sold my bold 9700 on ebay.... very happy that i switched. although im eyeing a samsung galaxy s II which should come out soon with ATT under the name "Attain" or maybe I'll just get a european version which works perfectly with ATT.. idk yet.... I have to see and feel it in hand... I do like some things about iphone/ipad though... Honestly if iOS had adobe flash I'd get an Ipad without a second thought... ( i absolutely need to have flash because of some websites that i visit daily) Android is a lot more customizable but iOS has a clean aesthetic look and of course a bigger variety of apps..

 

[Eightiesdude]

Isn't there a HTC Holiday with dual core and a like 4.3 inch coming out on At and t too? I wonder if I should wait for that or pick up the Atrix? Any issues btw with Atrix for you at all?

 

[dalvik]

I dont like HTC phones, I,ve read a lpt of complaints about poor battery life on most of their phones. I think your best choice would be to wait for Attain. since it shouldhave all the specs of SGSII and 4.3 screen as well.... I dont have any serious problems with my Atrix. whith few exeptions. two times my phone rebooted by itself but that was because of the software i was experimenting with. and another thing is bio.etric fingerprint scanner stops responding sometimes. it happens rarely maybe once a week or so and usualy a reboot fixes that. I hope that GB update should fix this problem. otber than that the phone is really awesome. loving it.. oh forgot to mention one thing, the phone gets really hot af the bottom when used for a long time. but i think this issue again, is due to improper handling of dual core on froyo. hoping that GB will fix that as well...