OT: Verizon Smartphones

[frankiej]

So, my upgrade has some around and I'm probably going to get a smartphone.

 

The one thing I really need is a physical keyboard and a functional phone. Probably not getting a blackberry, I gotta have the cred.

 

It's really between 2 phones: The LG Ally and the Droid 2. I've played with both as my friends have them. They both seem nice. The Droid cost quite a bit more then the Ally but I really like the look of the Droid 2 (and it has a fast processor and better camera, etc.). This wil be my first smartphone and I plan on using it as such (reminders, work/school related planning, etc..)

 

I've also debated on waiting until around christmas to get one since they might have some big sales to get rid of them, but who knows.

 

If you guys have one of these phones, how do you like them and are there any major problems you've experianced? Thanks:thu:

[mdrake34]

So, my upgrade has some around and I'm probably going to get a smartphone. The one thing I really need is a physical keyboard and a functional phone. Probably not getting a blackberry, I gotta have the cred. It's really between 2 phones: The LG Ally and the Droid 2. I've played with both as my friends have them. They both seem nice. The Droid cost quite a bit more then the Ally but I really like the look of the Droid 2 (and it has a fast processor and better camera, etc.). This wil be my first smartphone and I plan on using it as such (reminders, work/school related planning, etc..) I've also debated on waiting until around christmas to get one since they might have some big sales to get rid of them, but who knows. If you guys have one of these phones, how do you like them and are there any major problems you've experianced? Thanks:thu:

 

 

I'm in the exact same boat, I'm due for an upgrade December 8th and getting my first smart phone with Verizon as well. I was torn between the Blackberry and Droid. I love the layout of the BB - I like having the full keyboard at the bottom. I hate the touchscreen keyboard of the Droid X and slide-out keyboard of the Droid 2/LG Ally. But I wanted the full internet, ala Droid. Thankfully, I just stumbled upon the Droid Pro. It's like the BB and Droid got it on and had a baby. Looks like a BB with the full keyboard, but also has a touchscreen and it's a Droid. Perfect for me.

 

http://www.motorola.com/Consumers/US-EN/Consumer-Product-and-Services/Mobile-Phones/Motorola-DROID-PRO-US-EN

[MadMax808]

I have the original Moto Droid, and it's great. I came from AT&T and an iPhone 3G, and thought I needed a physical keyboard. The on-screen KB of the droids are very accurate and easy to use, but with the Droid [and Droid 2] you do have the option of using the physical KB. It's good to have if you need it, but it doesn't really make the phone much bulkier than it's keyboard-less counterparts.

 

Fair warning, if you like a small phone that doesn't take up much room in your pocket, the Droid X is *HUGE*.

 

Do it.

[Jaron]

I have a droid X and i dig it. keep in mind the battery life of these phones are very short you have to plug them in at least once a day. also they require you to buy the internet plan.

 

i used to be all about the physical keyboard, but play around with swipe texting before you decide on droid 2 over x

[frankiej]

I have a droid X and i dig it. keep in mind the battery life of these phones are very short you have to plug them in at least once a day. also they require you to buy the internet plan. i used to be all about the physical keyboard, but play around with swipe texting before you decide on droid 2 over x

 

 

Ya, I've played aroundwith swype a bit and still figure I need a physical one.

My current phone eats up the battery like a mofo (samsung alias) so I'm used to that.

[Jaron]

Ya, I've played aroundwith swype a bit and still figure I need a physical one. My current phone eats up the battery like a mofo (samsung alias) so I'm used to that.

 

 

i kinda feel like in the not so distant future all of the really good phones arent going to have physical keyboards, which is why i decided to switch

 

as far as droid being more than ally, i think its worth extra money, you are stuck with it for 2 years

[reverberlayed]

Anyone like the HTC Incredible? I am upgrading soon too and liked that in the store.

[Jaron]

Anyone like the HTC Incredible? I am upgrading soon too and liked that in the store.

 

 

it was between the droid x and incredible for me. all the reviews i read said to go for the x. i would only get the incredible over the x if theres a price difference or if you think the x is too big

[reverberlayed]

it was between the droid x and incredible for me. all the reviews i read said to go for the x. i would only get the incredible over the x if theres a price difference or if you think the x is too big

 

 

I did think the X was a little big. I believe the Incredible was $50 less so you think they are comparable?

[pepperduck]

I have a Droid X and I love it. The battery life is pretty much the only issue that I have with it.

 

Sure its bulky but I don't wear pants that are too tight to fit a cell phone.

[reverberlayed]

What are some useful apps for droids? I mainly want a smartphone to connect to the net, check email, get news, etc. But what are some useful apps?

[pepperduck]

You say that until you play Angry Birds.

 

Advanced Task Killer will help with the battery life.

 

Tesla LED Flashlight is pretty killer. I'm in dark places more than I care to be.

 

Poynt is great for phonebook type stuff as well as driving directions.

 

Other than that the Droid comes with a lot of apps pre-installed.

 

EDIT: gStrings guitar tuner.

[Harry_Manback1]

I've got the Incredible; wife has the X.

The X is an amazing phone; the screen is beautiful. But it I just couldn't see it being a "pocket phone." I'm not about to "holster" a phone to my belt...leave that to the IT geeks.

The Incredible is an awesome phone as well. My one gripe was with the music player options, but I just got 'PowerAMP' and it's got a excellent full EQ. Not quite as slick as the iTunes interace, but EQ is much more flexible.

[attic]

Windows Phone 7.

[juri]

I have a touch keyboard and I really dig those since they make the phones that much slimmer.

[MadMax808]

Windows Phone 7.

 

 

These are also relevant to my interests. I don't know anyone that has one yet, but I feel like they have a chance in the smartphone world.

 

Also, for battery life, the key is having a task killer app and controlling your WiFi/GPS/Screen brightness. Most, if not all, Android phones come with a handy power control widget that I keep on my front page.

 

Also also, I feel the need to mention Audiogalaxy. If you don't know about the app/site, I suggest you look into it if you take your music with you a lot of places. My Droid has completely replaced my iPod with Audiogalaxy. It lets me stream all my library [non-drm music] to any computer, iPhone, or Android phone. Oh, and it's free. I use the site for when I'm at home or work, and use the Android app for when I'm out for a run or driving to/from work. It scrobbles to Last.fm now, too.

[dkerwood]

I have the original Droid, and I love it. Here are the apps that I wholeheartedly endorse:

 

Advanced Task Killer: A must because the Droid OS doesn't like to close apps on its own.

Bubble: A great level. Not totally accurate, but if you're doing general work around the house or on stage, it will get you pretty close.

DroidLight: Activates the LED flash as a flashlight. I use this all the time.

ezParking: Kind of nice when you have to park farther away than you prefer in an unfamiliar city. Not the most accurate thing, but will get you within 100 feet reliably.

gStrings: Tuner app. Awesome.

Pandora: It's got its bugs, but a great FREE way to have custom radio stations. I use it in the car all the time.

RTA Analyzer: Real time audio analyzer. Again, not the most accurate, but will get you in the ballpark.

Screebl Lite: Cool app that will keep your screen on when held at a certain angle. Saves a lot of battery because I can then turn my screen timeout to the lowest setting. Thus, if I set my phone down on the car seat, dashboard, or a table, it times out after 15 seconds instead of 60 or 90. It will not, however, time out while you are holding it to use the phone. Lot of folks don't understand it, but for me it's invaluable.

ShapeWriter: I should probably not be using this, but it allows you to drag from letter to letter on the virtual keyboard, thus allowing you to write faster than the standard onscreen keyboard... or even the physical keyboard. It does use up a ton of system resources, however.

StopWatch & Timer: A stopwatch... and timer.

Wifi Analyzer: Cool way to set up wireless networks... but more importantly, allows you to see if there are open networks without pulling out your laptop.

 

All of the above are free and uber useful.

[Strat87]

I've had a droid 2 for a few months now and love it. I would however avoid the task killer apps. The newer version of he droid os makes it unnecessary and I found it actually killed my battery faster after trying it for two weeks. Plus allegedly they can {censored} up your phone.

[Meriphew]

Verizon is supposedly getting the iPhone in Jan or Feb. I'd wait for that (that's what I'm doing).

[frankiej]

Verizon is supposedly getting the iPhone in Jan or Feb. I'd wait for that (that's what I'm doing).

 

 

Naw, not interested in the iPhone.

 

Any of you guys have your driods rooted? I probably wont go down that root but its always nice to know.

[Meriphew]

Naw, not interested in the iPhone. Any of you guys have your driods rooted? I probably wont go down that root but its always nice to know.

 

Well, if I wasn't getting a Verizonized iPhone, I'd definitely get a top of the line Droid.

[Killing Nevada]

when i was last on VZW i had a droid, out of the 5 or 6 droid phones i have owned it was the only one i liked. mytouch sucked, evo sucked, g1 sucked...etc etc with that said i'm on the iphone 4 now and love it to death.

 

personally if you dont like the iphone i'd go for http://www.phonearena.com/phones/HTC-Merge_id4909

[Let It Burn...]

My favorite apps:

Cyanogenmod 6: Best ROM out there. Makes your phone insanely fast. Note that this will void your warranty.

LauncherPro: By far the best launcher for Android. Way faster than HTC Sense or the standard droid interface. The Pro+ version comes with a cool twitter widget too btw

Juicedefender: Control when to activate wifi or data access by using a schedule. Makes my HTC Wildfire last 3 days instead of 1,5. Also, I have it set that it does not check for mail from 0:00 till 8:00.

Beautiful Widgets: Coolest clock and weather widget out there

Better Keyboard: Amazing keyboard. Comparable to the iPhone keyboard but way more accurate. Takes up a lot of screen estate though.

Chomp SMS: The best texting app on Android IMO. The layout is very comparable to the way texting works in the iPhone. Get the paid version because the ads in the free version make it feel really crappy.

Gameboid: Play Gameboy Advanced games on your phone. You also have SNESoid which is awesome too but quite resource-intensive

gStrings: Cool tuner app. Pretty accurate

Newsroom: Cool looking RSS reader app. Still a bit buggy atm but I don't use feeds that often

PlayerPro: By far the best music player app on the droid system. I like it even better than the one on my iPod touch. Just looks beautiful

Remote for iTunes: I had this on my iPod touch and can't live without it now. Control your iTunes from your couch or wherever in your house over wifi.

Syncmypix: Way to sync Facebook pics to the people in your contact list. The Facebook app does it automatically but it doesn't work if you have your mother listed as mom in your list and her real name is on Facebook.

Vignette: it's basically Hipstamatic for Android. Take pics with some hipster-filters

[frankiej]

personally if you dont like the iphone i'd go for http://www.phonearena.com/phones/HTC-Merge_id4909

 

 

I saw the Merge but then I saw it had Bing and it made me sad....

[lolque?]

The ally is a piece of {censored}ing {censored}. Get the droid. I have an incredible, my friend has an ally. It's given him nothing but problems. The incredible is better than the iphone 3g in my opinion. Haven't used a iphone 4 or evo to do that comparison.