Android questions - prefer to avoid apple

[BigRedRage]

So, I have owned 2 droid phones now. I bought my first one when the EVO came out. They also had the instinct which was a slide droid with a keyboard for 100 less. I prefer keyboard so I took the deal.

Little to my knowledge it was a horrid phone, could barely run android, half the apps dont work, games dont work, takes 5 minutes to open a text and just headache after headache. When it finally crapped out they offered a new replacement (still under contract)

I didnt want that crapper again so they offered me an HTC hero. (i think thats what it is)I took the hero as it had to be better than that POS phone. I was wrong. The hero also does nothing and in fact, does even more nothing. TWO phones now I have had I can barely make a call within 5 minutes of opening the phone. What if I am in an alligators mouth and need to call 911? I will be dead by the time it dials out. Screens freeze, apps lock, it sucks.

Essentially I have had two computers from the 90s that had windows 7 installed on them and it simply does not work.

Then, sprint gets the iphone. I woulda bought by now but they wont let me till may. I have never been an apple fan but knowing there is only one phone means every pjhone works instead of situations like my droid issues. Im still not a huge apple fan and reading a lot about how apple does business im even less of a fan.

Also, I want a slide keyboard on my phone. I hate texting on touch screens and would like to be able to text more often and be able to text right away without waiting 5 minutes for the screen to open.

So the question is: what phones do you recommend? Anyone have droids with keyboards that work fantastically? Id like to download lots of awesome apps, actually play angry birds for the first time and more. From facing camera would be cool, my current camera doesnt even have flash and takes nothing but blurry pictures. I dont carry a camera so its nice to have a capable phone.

I want to get all this done without spending more than $100-$200 when my contract is up and I want to get the right phone this time so I can HAPPILY hold onto it for two years.

The iphone seems to offer that except you pay for more apps, it has no keyboard and it is apple.

thoughts?

 

[Linderbee]

Droid3 is what I have, Slide-out keyboard, 8mp camera that also films in 1080p; use it for work, no issues with email, texting, apps...it's all good.

The only problem I have with it at all is when the battery gets low, angry birds lags. Really, other than that, no issues whatsoever. Love the phone. Since it's not the latest Droid, either, you could easily get it in the price range you're looking for.

2nd edit: It does not have 4G, but that doesn't bother me. Here's a review; I like it better than their review:

http://reviews.cnet.com/cell-phones/motorola-droid-3-verizon/4505-6454_7-34845945.html#reviewPage1

 

[BigRedRage]

no 4g isnt huge, 3g is fine. Battery life would be nice too or at least something you can put an upgraded fat battery in to.

is it available on sprint?

 

[Linderbee]

Looking at Sprint's site, it appears not. Sorry, didn't realize it was a Verizon exclusive.

 

[BigRedRage]

thats part of the problem sprint was behind on the awesome droid bandwagon but they should be caught up by now to a point.

 

[Mathew81]

You might be out of luck regarding a slider style phone on Sprint. The only decent ones seem to be the Droid line on Verizon. You might want to try out one without a keyboard and just download a 3rd party keyboard like Swype or, my personal favorite, Swiftkey X. It learns your tendencies the more you use it and it's word prediction gets really good. It really cuts down on the amount of typing you actually do.

 

[BillsCarnage]

Android questions - prefer to avoid apple

Wise choice

Im still not a huge apple fan and reading a lot about how apple does business im even less of a fan.

Even wiser choice
Apple is in business to milk as much out of you as they can. All those pennies, nickels, dimes, etc add up to billions for them.

I've only ever bought 2 apps for my droid and those were during the .10 sale.

So the question is: what phones do you recommend? Anyone have droids with keyboards that work fantastically? Id like to download lots of awesome apps, actually play angry birds for the first time and more. From facing camera would be cool, my current camera doesnt even have flash and takes nothing but blurry pictures. I dont carry a camera so its nice to have a capable phone.

I want to get all this done without spending more than $100-$200 when my contract is up and I want to get the right phone this time so I can HAPPILY hold onto it for two years.

The iphone seems to offer that except you pay for more apps, it has no keyboard and it is apple.

thoughts?

It might not necessarily be the phone vs the network - something to think about. I've had both the HTC Eris and HTC Incredible 2(now) and neither have any problems. Although there is an obvious difference between the two with the INC2 being newer.

Much like a desktop comp, the faster and more cores the processor has, and more ram, the better it'll run.

As for battery life, it's all relative to how much you use the phone. Oh, except iphone is sealed, so no larger battery for you.

Slide out keyboards in general are a dying breed. I think once Blackberry kicks it, that might be the end of slide outs. I know BB's aren't all slide outs but I'm referring to physical keyboards in general.

Do you have to stay w/ Sprint? They don't have the best selection of phones outside of BB and iFone.

There are a number of good review sites out there. On of my favs is www.phonescoop.com

With any smart phone make sure it's not running Carrier IQ.. I believe Sprint is a huge guilty player in this fiasco.

 

[BigRedRage]

You might be out of luck regarding a slider style phone on Sprint. The only decent ones seem to be the Droid line on Verizon. You might want to try out one without a keyboard and just download a 3rd party keyboard like Swype or, my personal favorite, Swiftkey X. It learns your tendencies the more you use it and it's word prediction gets really good. It really cuts down on the amount of typing you actually do.

I just hate on screen keyboards, they take longer to type and I have to do alot of erasing and retyping where if I have a keyboard, I can type without even looking at the phone. an app could help I suppose but I like to feel the buttons and type very accuratley the first time. I dont have time in most situations to sit here and play the keybopard guessing game on what it thought I meant to type.

Wise choice

Even wiser choice
Apple is in business to milk as much out of you as they can. All those pennies, nickels, dimes, etc add up to billions for them.

I've only ever bought 2 apps for my droid and those were during the .10 sale.



It might not necessarily be the phone vs the network - something to think about. I've had both the HTC Eris and HTC Incredible 2(now) and neither have any problems. Although there is an obvious difference between the two with the INC2 being newer.

Much like a desktop comp, the faster and more cores the processor has, and more ram, the better it'll run.

As for battery life, it's all relative to how much you use the phone. Oh, except iphone is sealed, so no larger battery for you.

Slide out keyboards in general are a dying breed. I think once Blackberry kicks it, that might be the end of slide outs. I know BB's aren't all slide outs but I'm referring to physical keyboards in general.

Do you have to stay w/ Sprint? They don't have the best selection of phones outside of BB and iFone.

There are a number of good review sites out there. On of my favs is www.phonescoop.com

With any smart phone make sure it's not running Carrier IQ.. I believe Sprint is a huge guilty player in this fiasco.

I have 27% off sprint and my unlimited everything is 65 a month. Once I add my fiance and daughter im looking at all 3 lines, unlimited everything, only 150 a month. Prefer to stay with that, its a great deal. It is technically not unlimited talk as i have 450 mins but those mins are for lan lines only. I can call ANY wireless for free, not just verizon like verizons plans are.

Also, I know some HTC are dope, have seen it, mine just happens to be a garbage one.

I dont need super human phones that power 14 computers and wipe my ass for me but I do want one that works properly, runs apps, moves smoothly and has a keyboard if possible.

I know other carriers have better phones but my sprint plan is friggin awesome.

thx for replies.

 

[CatBoxBackFan]

Droid is a Motorola marketing name for their Android phones,I have had my Evo since the opening sell and have had no problems.Love the unlimited data but with LTE coming in to replace Wimax I'll be replacing the Evo in a year.

 

[WickedKoolFan]

I'm on Verizon so I have the Droid RAZR and I love it. But if I were on Sprint I'd get the Samsung Galaxy II epic. That phone is awesome. You'll get no log and no problems using your phone. You can get it on Sprint right now for $199. Only thing though is there's no physical keyboard. Upside is, after a week or 2 of use you'll be typing faster on a touchscreen than you ever did with a physical keyboard.

And you're probably right to stay away from apple since you want a battery you can replace. I was looking into getting an Iphone for my wife but she was not impressed.

 

[puckhead]

I like my HTC Evo Shift. It's not the top-of-the-line, but it gets the job done and has a keyboard. On Sprint as well.

My 2cents, keep the change.

 

[BigRedRage]

I'm on Verizon so I have the Droid RAZR and I love it. But if I were on Sprint I'd get the Samsung Galaxy II epic. That phone is awesome. You'll get no log and no problems using your phone. You can get it on Sprint right now for $199. Only thing though is there's no physical keyboard. Upside is, after a week or 2 of use you'll be typing faster on a touchscreen than you ever did with a physical keyboard.

And you're probably right to stay away from apple since you want a battery you can replace. I was looking into getting an Iphone for my wife but she was not impressed.

ive had on screen keyboard for 2 years now and had the instinct for 2 years before, im still not fast really.

I like my HTC Evo Shift. It's not the top-of-the-line, but it gets the job done and has a keyboard. On Sprint as well.

My 2cents, keep the change.

Will check it out thx. runs apps well? lag issues? what are the major pickels with it?

 

[BigRedRage]

only bad review I read on the shift is battery life but im ok with that if I can upgrade. Compared vs EVO and it actually has more RAM so I assume it runs everything smoothly

 

[puckhead]

My Shift’s battery will last about a day and a half with normal usage. I charge every night so that’s perfect for me. I think there is an extension battery available, but I’m not positive about that.

All of my apps run smoothly. I play games like Angry Birds and others and have very few issues. Occasionally, if things get a little “laggy”, I will reboot the phone and all will be fine. I have noticed that if I limit the amount of apps and shortcuts on the five “desktop” screens, my phone seems a bit snappier than when I had all five screens loaded. I just keep the most used stuff on the front and burrow into the apps folder when I need something I use infrequently.

The phone and texting work great which isn’t always the case with “smart” phones. I’ve been really happy with the phone and Sprint service. *touches wood*

Hope that helps.

 

[BigRedRage]

My Shift’s battery will last about a day and a half with normal usage. I charge every night so that’s perfect for me. I think there is an extension battery available, but I’m not positive about that.

All of my apps run smoothly. I play games like Angry Birds and others and have very few issues. Occasionally, if things get a little “laggy”, I will reboot the phone and all will be fine. I have noticed that if I limit the amount of apps and shortcuts on the five “desktop” screens, my phone seems a bit snappier than when I had all five screens loaded. I just keep the most used stuff on the front and burrow into the apps folder when I need something I use infrequently.

The phone and texting work great which isn’t always the case with “smart” phones. I’ve been really happy with the phone and Sprint service. *touches wood*

Hope that helps.

Touches wood? lol.....

Anyway, sounds good. My droid phones ive had often lag to text, if someone calls and i barely miss it it usually takes 3 minutes to process that im trying to call them back. no apps work and when i dl apps everything gets crazy slow.
beyond that, i have nothing but azcentral and twitter on my phone and my battery doesnt even last 24 hours on a full charge.

You may have sold me. Appreciate the input on shortcuts on screen. no use filling those screens up anyway, app folder is easy to fly through.

irritating having a "smart phone" and barely being able to text and call ppl.

thx for reviews. I think a guy outside has the same one I will talk to him next smoke break. my phone is always laggy.

 

[LoyaltyisaCurse]

I HAVE AN HTC EVO 3D AND HAVE BEEN VERY PLEASED. IF YOU WANT A GOOD ANDROIS SLIDER, GET THE SHIFT... 27% off sprint? You work for JPMChase?

 

[BigRedRage]

I HAVE AN HTC EVO 3D AND HAVE BEEN VERY PLEASED. IF YOU WANT A GOOD ANDROIS SLIDER, GET THE SHIFT... 27% off sprint? You work for JPMChase?

said I did a year ago

 

[Linderbee]

btw, I meant to say this before...the reason I have the phone I have now is because I insisted on a physical keyboard.

Then I found Swype. LOVE Swype. You may want to give it a try. The only downside I could see to it would be for someone that doesn't spell very well. I don't ever even use the keyboard anymore.

 

[BigRedRage]

my spelling is killer but this phone probably cannot work swype so id have to find out on a brand new stuck w it 2 yrs phone.

 

[BigRedRage]

i dont even see a swype in droid market

 

[BigRedRage]

guy at work has samsung epic, is a droid slide out too. Found this review vs swift, looks like I may go epic

http://www.wirefly.com/learn/resources/cell-phone-comparison/htc-evo-shift-vs-samsung-epic-4g/

 

[BigRedRage]

[URL="http://smartphones.findthebest.com/saved_search/Top-10-Smartphones"]http://smartphones.findthebest.com/saved_search/Top-10-Smartphones[/URL]

this is my phone vs what im looking at
http://smartphones.findthebest.com/compare/14-16/Samsung-Epic-4G-vs-HTC-Hero

The Samsung Galaxy S / Epic 4G (m current one) is their 2010 model. Last year they updated it to the Galaxy S2 / Epic 4G Touch, and this Summer it’s rumored they’re going to launch the S3 just head of Apple announcing its new iPhone version. The S3 is supposed to be a pretty awesome phone, unfortunately it doesn’t have the physical keyboard from what I’ve seen (It’s only 7mm thick). Still, it’s supposed to launch with Android 4.0, a Dual-Core 1.8Ghz CPU (Or possibly a 1Ghz Quad-Core), 2GB of RAM, 16GB internal Storage, a “high quality” 12MP camera and a 720 x 1280 pixels, 4.6 inches Super AMOLED Plus display.

 

[LoyaltyisaCurse]

said I did a year ago

Lol

 

[Mathew81]

i dont even see a swype in droid market

It's not in the market. You have to sign up for their beta program on their website. http://beta.swype.com/

 

[BigRedRage]

hasnt swype been around for a year or so?

website down hmmm