CrackBerry.com on Android - Round Robin

[matanderin]

Howdy Android Users!


Going back to last year's Round Robin, I was pretty happy about aspects of the T-Mobile G1 and especially the Android platform. I liked the Google homescreen user experience and overall found the device to be pretty stable, which was impressive for an operating system in early stages.

For devices, I'm using the Droid and the Hero. So I want to know from you all:

1. how do you find the hardware (comfort of use, ease of use)?
2. how do you find the battery life (everyday light/normal use, heavy use)?
3. if you we're a BB user and switched up to give Android a test, what do you like and not like about it?
4. what are the must have apps? how does the device do with running them all?
5. how do you go about loading up the device with media (music, movies, etc.)
6. with all that, i want to know your background - are you in business (using it for professional use), a consumer, a student, young, old, male, female, etc.

and let me know anything else you think I need to know!

Mucho thanks!!

Kevin,

Welcome, if only temporarily, to the world of Android. As a former Crackberry addict, I feel sort of like a traitor sharing state secrets here, but here's my take:

1. I really thought I'd hate the weight of the Droid, but I actually kind of like it. It's not too heavy, but it sits well in my hand. The keyboard is awkward, but the touchscreen is fantastic. In fact, I usually use the on-screen keyboard.

2. Battery life is pretty good, unless you are using the GPS. But that would be true on any device. I have been stuck in lines, playing with the Droid practically all day, and haven't worn out the battery.

3. There was a lot more info out there to help a beginning Blackberry user than an Android user. So there was definitely a steeper learning curve. That being said, now that I've learned it and added the apps I want, I don't miss the Blackberry at all (sorry!)

4. Google Maps is already on there, but man is it a good app. The best, and so much better than the BB version. Check out Navigation. It's awesome. Remember the Milk. They have a full app and widget that is fantastic. Much better than Milksync and the native task app on BB. Weather Channel Widget. That is pretty obvious, right? Sportstap. Scores on your homescreen, updates sent to your phone for teams you are watching, and a clean interface. It's solid. Evernote. It's got a much better interface than the BB version. Google Voice. Google Listen. And I have to agree about Advanced Task Killer.

5. Motorola has a decent app called Motorola Media Link. I download my Itunes media using it. It's not quite as good as BB Media Sync, but it's serviceable.

6. I'm a teacher, 35, male. Always been a techie, but usually not an early adopoter. I guess that says how much this phone wowed me when I saw it.

Enjoy your brief vacation from your BB!

 

[ballroomdru]

Could we please have more Sprint HTC Hero users chiming in. I am VERY curious from that perspective.

 

[djitch]

After reading all this info from other people...i would have to say that android is really starting to sound pretty good right now!!!! I dont see myself switching anytime soon but hey ya never know!

 

[carrots]

I am a mobile developer (by profession) and have a Strom 2, Droid and iPhone. I develop on all three platforms.

Here are my observations about these two phones:


Droid:

Good Points
- Best navigation i've ever seen
- Fast..Really Fast
- Great Browser
- Lots of apps
- Integration with Google
- Hi Res Screen
- Good IM and Facebook Integration
- Nice charging dock (turns into a clock)

Bad Points
- Camera is NOT fixed. It's 5 megapixels put takes crappy photos. CRAPPY!
- Video (same as above)
- Lack of Bluetooth hardware controls
- Problems with stereo Bluetooth re-connecting and staying connected with audio streams. (yes, I have the update...still has problems)
- memory management issues. Phone even crashes if many background processs are running. (yes, I have 3rd party memory manager...it helps some)
- Integration with Google. I don't like them knowing everything I do. On this phone they do.
- Does not support my business email becuase of an advanced setting not being there for IMAP.
- No iTunes and sync integration without 3rd party
- Useless keyboard
------------------------------------------------------

Storm 2

Good Points
- Great email
- Dependable (stable) phone
- Dependable (stable) email
- Nice integration with iTunes, iCal etc..
- Supports every email I've tried
- Good IM and Facebook Integration
- I actually like the pressable screen!
- Google integration is still there if wanted. Google Voice, Google Sync, Google Maps, etc....
- Good looking photos and video
- Good bluetooth control and connectivity
- Nice charging dock (turns into a clock)...yes...it has one too!


Bad Points
- SLOW browser. Worst on the smartphone market IMHO
- Not as many apps
- Apps are MUCH more expensive in app world.
- Clickable screen is very usable but could still use some improvement


Conclusion:

Each phone is nice. They both do some things better than the other. It's really up to what features listed above are more important to you as an individual.

For me. I have been finding myself using the Storm 2 more. Here is why...

I really like the Droid. I think it is an extreamly cool phone and I really, really, really want to love this phone. But....I can't. I like it a lot. I also like the Storm 2 a lot and the Storm 2 is more dependable. The dependable audio bluetooth is a big deal to me because i have a bluetooth stereo in my car. A dependable cell phone is important to me. Dependable mail is important to me.

If EITHER of these phones were to do some tweaking with a major firmware upgrade they could have a much better phone. Until that happens I will continue to use both.

I couldn't agree with you more on the camera issue.
Its probably what I miss most coming from my bb tour

 

[carrots]

I just watched the ROund Robin video, and like many others agree that it's finer points weren't really talked about much.

1. Speed of opening aps
2. Google maps were discussed, but the GPS really shines, as good, or better than off the shelf GPS units. Say where you wanna go... Bam, directions...
3. Browser speed. I would put the Motodroid up against any phone in speed. it's nearly as fast as my computer
4. Themes... You cannot really change themes, per say... But you can change icons, and update new home screens etc...
5. Stability... This was never discussed in the vid... I've had mine since launch, never ever had to restart it! EVER!... When i got my Storm 2, I had to do a battery pull day 2.

I also noticed this about the video... I personally haven't seen any themes for stock android...as in the moto droid...but wallpapers can be changed.

I kind of like the idea of getting a bare bones operating system...then i can install what I want.

If you compare the moto droid with other platform devices from vz...they come loaded down with trash..the average used will never use.
So I much prefer the idea of loading whatever app I want...and kind of creating the layout

 

[murduck88]

I've been a BB user for a few years now (started with the Pearl, moved on to the Curve 8130) and am getting tired of all things RIM.

I thought I would never have anything to do with Android, or any other OS for that matter, but this smart phone round robin has really been exciting to read about/watch. I love that there is competition out there and hope it pushes companies/developers to constantly put better hardware and software out.

I'll be waiting to upgrade (June 2010) and hope that there will be a whole slew of new phones out by then - and maybe one that will have everything I want (decent physical keyboard, touch screen, android, HTC sexiness...)

Thanks for all the info everyone!

 

[stick2e]

I'm a BB user right now... Currently have 9530, 8330 and 8130 but I'm thinking on giving a Droid a try VERY hard. I had done a lot of reading about this Android OS and it really have me VERY interest, I'm a google fan so that's actually pushing me to the Droid hard.

 

[Dr. Tyrell]

No thanks!

Howdy Android Users!

So the Smartphone Round Robin has officially kicked off, and Round 1 has me putting Android through it's paces.

...and let me know anything else you think I need to know!

I'm going to pass on the round robin this year. It was chaotic, confusing and repetitive last year when there were fewer phones in the mix. By the time you finish this year's fan-fest... I mean contest, new phones and system updates will have changed the comparisons.

Win a prize? Ha! YOU NEVER AWARDED PRIZES FOR THE SEPTEMBER CONTEST! Not falling for that again.

Besides, there is not much difference between the obvious top choices: iPhone 3GS and Droid. Take your pick from the rest of the pack depending on the carrier, pricing, and specific strengths you like.

Note that Consumer Reports just added the Droid to their ratings and found it to be a close match for the iPhone:

"...the two phones were only a point apart in overall score. Both had displays we judged to be excellent, though for different reasons. iPhone's display proved to one of the brightest and easiest to see under most lighting conditions, while the Droid's was the clearly one of the sharpest we've seen on any phone--and the biggest in our Ratings. The Droid's voice quality was good, better than the iPhone's, which is only fair. But the iPhone slightly outlasted the Droid on talk time."

Of their top 10 smart phones, Android is well represented with 4 models. Even the venerable G1 is in the top 20 and outscores the Palm Pre and ties the BB Bold 9700. Sprint is the only carrier without a top 10 smart phone.

 

[T Don Fiasco]

1. I switched over from a Curve and I love it...I use mine for personal and business and I find that the phone accomodates both sides of my phone usage well, from company e-mail to pic and video uploads to my use of facebook and twitter. Plus it just feels more slick to me than my Blackberry did. BB always felt kind of "stuffy".
2. I really haven't noticed a major difference between the two, and I'm on my phone quite a bit, using various functions but I also manage my usage of GPS, Bluetooth and Wifi very well too.
3. I made the switch initially to the G1 and have moved on and up with other Android devices to the Droid and honestly haven't looked back. I would never go back to BB now.
4. Alot of other people have the same answers like Barcode Scanner, Handcent, Taskiller and the like, and I love, love, LOVE the Google Maps Navigation - but some of my personal faves are Goggles, Qik, Google Voice, Flyscreen and FX Camera.
5. I simply just mount my device and move my media in and out as desired. I purchased a program to convert my DVD's to Android compatible format so I can watch movies on flights (I fly once a week at least between December and May), and my music plays seamlessly on the phone.
6. My demo: 36, Male, used for a mix of everything...Business, personal, entertainment. I literally cannot leave home without it, much like any smartphone user these days I suppose as my whole life is pretty much packaged into this slick bundle of technology.

 

[ckillam3#CB]

1. How do you find the hardware? Overall the thickness is the most concerning to me; I would like to be less thick so that it is easier to hold while using the on-screen keyboard.
2. How do you find the battery life (everyday light/normal use, heavy use)? I plug in my unit every night and I am a moderate user. I do not find battery life an issue.
3. If you we're a BB user and switched up to give Android a test, what do you like and not like about it? I am only considering switching, but my test at a local Verizon store was just okay. It wasn't spectacular.
4. What are the must have apps? how does the device do with running them all? I am sorry, but I can't answer this due to lack of experience.
5. How do you go about loading up the device with media (music, movies, etc.) I link directly to my PC.
6. With all that, I want to know your background. I am a Quality Engineer who is very fascinated by all types of electronic gadgets.

 

[ripcity00]

Agreed entirely. Rim has succeeded in keeping their OS current and lustworthy where Windows Mobile has failed, but the limitations are beginning to show and Rim may soon be faced with the same market conditions palm dealt with and Microsoft's Mobile division is attempting to , --The market changes so quickly now that being on the top is nearly meaningless when it comes to future prospects.

But seriously, in the short-term, Rim needs to update their browser. It could significantly change perception.

Initially I was blown away by the browsing experience on the DROID compared to BB. While it is similar to iphone and Pre, the combination of big screen and speed make it just that much more useful as a tool. BB stlll has a lot going for it with integration and ease of use with a different paradigm. I agree, a major revamp of the browser would buy them time to work on something bigger while still leveraging their strengths. It's surprising they haven't already done something since this has been an issue for BB users for a long time. (seems a lot like the situation Palm had with its browser on the TREO line.)

 

[hionhifi]

New to the Android Platform

While I've never owned a Storm, a few my friends do and seem to like them very much. My experience w/them however has been lackluster. Compared to the Android platform the BB interface is clunky and unintuitive.

I recently purchased a Google G1 and can say that coming from Metropcs using an HTC Touch Pro w/Windows Mobile 6.1 the differnce is night and day.

But we're talking about the Droid and the Storm here. I have with both and still the BB platform as a bit outdated in many areas. Android itself is advanced in many areas and has work to do in others but overall Android has the most potential and so my vote.

I'm a 34 yr old male and I use my phone as my primary phone, heavy GPS usage, internet and games. I would call myself a heavy user. I'm on T Mobiles network now w/my G1 and loving every minute of it.

 

[bahbah]

I have the Droid. Been using it since it was first released.

1. how do you find the hardware (comfort of use, ease of use)?
The hardware is good. It feels comfortable in my hand and is relatively easy to use. I do think that there is a little bit of a learning curve (this was my first touch device.) I had to learn to be careful to not accidently hit the touch buttons when casually holding the phone.

2. how do you find the battery life (everyday light/normal use, heavy use)?
I've not had a problem with battery life at all. I can get through an entire day without having to charge which to me is what I need. I generally have to charge every night.

3. if you we're a BB user and switched up to give Android a test, what do you like and not like about it?
I never used a BB.

4. what are the must have apps? how does the device do with running them all?
I love Google Listen, pandora and the navigation app. The device runs all 3 very well.

5. how do you go about loading up the device with media (music, movies, etc.)
I manually drag and drop all media onto the device. It would be great if they provided a sync app with the Droid. I don't want to load all of my media on the handset. Instead I'd like to have a sync Folder(s).

6. with all that, i want to know your background - are you in business (using it for professional use), a consumer, a student, young, old, male, female, etc.
Middle aged male working as a mechanical engineer.

I'd like to add that I purchased the car and desk docks for the Droid. Both work really well and add to the usability of the phone. I'd highly recommend them to anyone.

 

[jamesmoore80]

Been waiting for a faster phone that runs Android

I've been excited to try android now for a long time. I was eligible for an upgrade nearly a year ago for Sprint, but I've been waiting for a great Android phone. I was going to get the Hero, but then I heard that phones were going to have the snapdragon in them and that's what I'm waiting for now. My girlfriend says I'll see something else coming down the line and I'll end up waiting another year or more. I have a Blackberry Curve and it's feeling very old to me now. What I've heard about the speech recognition makes me less worried about how the lack of a physical keyboard might affect my use. I'm a 29 year old male using my phone primarily as a consumer.

 

[dvillerider]

My daughter has the Hero and she likes it! I bought the Pre before the Hero came out and I'm torn by each. I think the Hero has great capabilities that may outshine the Pre. Both are great phones. Now the Droid has me upset, if I knew this phone was coming I would of waited!!! So many great choices!

 

[ScootD]

I'm still on the Storm 1 but waiting patiently for the right time to get an android device and try it out for a year. The Storm was my first ever smart phone and I still like it but I'm interested in a new fresh OS.

That said my wife just got an Eris to replace a BB Curve that I mess around with, much to her dismay, whenever I get a chance.


1. how do you find the hardware (comfort of use, ease of use)?
Eris hardware is pretty decent. It comes with Wifi on board but the wife never turn on the Wifi. I never use the trackball on the Eris. I've played with the Moto Droid in VZW stores and liked it better but can do without the physical keyboard as the placement of the "D" pad on the slide out keyboard makes it more difficult for me to type accurately on it. I guess never having a BB with a physical keyboard I'm just used to an all virtual keyboard.

2. how do you find the battery life (everyday light/normal use, heavy use)?
Battery life on the Eris is well below that on her old Curve. The wife is a light to moderate user (30min websurfing, 10-20 txt a day, 5-10 emails). She just got the maintenance update on Monday so I'll see if the battery is doing better after that.

3. if you we're a BB user and switched up to give Android a test, what do you like and not like about it?
I miss BBM and the reliability of email on BB. She had serious issues setting up the email (both gmail and hotmail) on her Eris, partly because the salesman at the VZW store was an absolute moron and set up her hotmail completely wrong. I love the web browsing and being able to switch "Scenes" on the Sense UI.

4. what are the must have apps? how does the device do with running them all?
GolfCard, task killer, unistaller

5. how do you go about loading up the device with media (music, movies, etc.)
Plug it in via USB cable, select mount from notification bar on phone, drag and drop. The wife really doesn't use the phone for music and videos so I have limited experience with this.

6. with all that, i want to know your background - are you in business (using it for professional use), a consumer, a student, young, old, male, female, etc.
Wife is 32 professional but uses the phone mainly for personal use.
I'm 35 yr old working in research and manufacturing and use my BB for both work and personal use.

 

[ScootD]

5. how do you go about loading up the device with media (music, movies, etc.)
I manually drag and drop all media onto the device. It would be great if they provided a sync app with the Droid. I don't want to load all of my media on the handset. Instead I'd like to have a sync Folder(s).

I think Motorola provides free software called "Media Link" to sync music to your Droid.

Motorola Media Link - Motorola USA

 

[neastham]

Hey Kevin, I am on my third BB, a Storm II. It is great but i gotta tell ya I really like the looks of the Droids. I will keep an eye on this

 

[onlineaddy]

day 3 of entries...

 

[Roy Aguilera]

Was just over at CB saying hi to all the old friends. Miss the gang.