Finally back with Android!

[juststart]

So I have a rather lengthy history with smartphones but suffice to say I am now back on Android. I used to have a T-Mobile G1 when it first came out and I swore to never use an Android phone again. It seems they have improved them quite a bit now.

I just got an HTC Hero today and really like it so far. One minor thing I noticed on the hardware was the brushed-metal on the face seems to be a little loose. Is it normally like that where it can wiggle a bit or should I have Sprint swap it out?

Also, I'm just curious... what's new and cool on Android these days... I am coming from a Palm Pre but again I have not used Android since the G1 first came out.

Any advice and help is much appreciated!

 

[tbhuang2]

My brushed metal part is also a bit loose. It didn't bother me enough to make me go back to the Sprint store.

New and cool on Android: one that sticks out to me is download the latest version of Google Maps. The built in Navigation is really sweet. The new Places app is nice, too, but nothing groundbreaking. The Navigation software alone is really great though.
There are now a LOT more Android apps in the market than the last time you used it.
There are a few strong contenders for alternative internet browsers. I like both Dolphin HD and Opera Mini. Dolphin HD is really top notch in rendering and multitouch smoothness. However, it's a tad bit hard on our slightly aged hardware and can be a bit laggy at times. Opera Mini on the other hand is 100% smooth and loads pages so much faster thanks to its Opera server-side compression. However its multitouch feature isn't real multitouch, so you only get 2 zoom levels (zoomed in and zoomed out).
There are many more multimedia app replacements as well. A lot of people like Cubed, Mixzing, doublTwist, and more..
3rd party texting: Handcent and ChompSMS are both great

Last but not least: LauncherPro is hands down my favorite home replacement. If you don't care enough for Sense widgets and like the vanilla android look combined with super faster speed, stability, customization, and added features, definitely give it a look.

Also, I found this site www.appbrain.com to be incredibly helpful in finding new apps. I don't have to stare at my small Android screen waiting for the list of apps to load slowly. And if you download the 2 AppBrain apps, you can install from the website directly to your phone!

Besides the general improvements in the OS, that's all I can think of right now!

 

[anon(1458)]

Thanks for that AppBrain link. Very esy to look at lol

 

[juststart]

Thanks for the great suggestions!