Foo - Lets Talk Android!

What's your DROID?
What's your favorite apps?
What you love or hate about it?

I'll start:

Got an LG Optimus MS690, the M version (MetroPCS) few weeks ago. The mobile data, as expected with MetroPCS, kinda sucks. It's not even 3G (tho the phone is 3G capable), is CDMA (1X?) which is rather slow with download speeds of around 61-120 Kbps. But if there's nothing else, it does the job.

It has Wifi, when at home or at work it enjoys the full bandwidth of the local network which is rather cool. I find myself using it more like a mini-tablet than a phone. I love browsing news, read/send emails, watch ted talks and movies/videos/pictures.

It has a 3 megapixel camera that's pretty decent. I'm using it more than my 10 megapixel real camera. Specially when the photo being taken is for posting online somewhere, where VGA resolutions are more than enough.

I'm in Android version 2.2.1, no gingerbread yet.

Apps:

* The Facebook app is pretty good, tho I'm not facebook-whoring much these days.

* Several news apps from CNN, BBC, CNET. Love those.

* SpeedTest.net app to tells me my current speed AND keeps a record of them AND tells me when the test was Wifi or Mobile Data... pretty cool.

* Ted Talks app is another of my favorites, streaming the videos right to the phone, easy.

* Photobucket app saves me a lot of time when I'm taking a pic that I want to post online. And gives me easy access to my Photobucket albums (easier/faster than using the web browser.

* Software Data Cable is an FTP server that runs of the phone, making it accessible from all the PCs on the wifi network, REALLY COOL as I have movies/pictures/songs all over the place. Way better than going through different PCs plugging into the USB ports.

Games:

* Robot Tower Defense android version is really addictive. I have some more but that's the ONE that has me hooked right now.

Things I don't like:

* The small capacity of the internal memory (256MB). Even tho I put a 16Gb SD card on it, some apps can't be moved to the card and I'm always low on space on the internal memory. I've been testing some apps that let you mount the SD card as a directory of the internal memory (trying to fool the OS a little) with various degrees of success. But I haven't found a definite solution yet.

* Battery life sucks. My old plain phone could be on stand by for days, not the case here. But I have a lot of apps running so, maybe it's my fault I can only get around 20 hours before it shuts off.

* Sending MMS sometimes gets stuck. I'm not sure if is because of the provider or the phone settings or an issue with the internal free space.

Things I love:

* I definitely LOOOVE having a standard USB cable to charge it. It's about time phone manufacturers standarized their freaking charging cables.

Things I would like to do:

Probably doable, I haven't researched enough yet. But I would like to customize/change my dialer app, and the standard gallery app.

PS: Yes, I rooted the suckah. Took me some time but it's done.

Is this one of those phone things that does more than just phone calls? :D

Droid 2 Global on Verizon here, had it for almost a month now. Finally, a good replacement for my Palm TX and phone all in one shot.

... but I wish I could read BF on it easier. :)

Just another portable video game compelling young people to jerkoff at work.

Just another portable video game compelling young people to jerkoff at work.
Meh, work is for suckers. I'm posting this on my Incredible2 while on a boat to Catalina.

Angry Birds FTW!

You know, I don't have any games on that thing.

I'll bite...got tired of waiting for a high end HTC on AT&Ts network and ended up with a Samsung Captivate (http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_i897_captivate-3408.php) running stock Froyo. (Only HTC Android phone at the time was HTC Aria...a bit small for me.) Wish I had waited a few more months for the HTC Inspire. So it goes.

Apps I use: YouTube, FB, Yahoo! Mail, GMail, the Weather Channel, Angry Birds, Quick Office, AP Mobile, Fandango, Shopper, Shop Savvy, Google Maps, Speed Test and the browser. Might get the eBay app.

I do have a few movies that I ripped to MP4 format using iSkySoft software (like 'em on FB and every few months they have free software giveaways) on a microSD.

Music stays on the Ipod Touch.

Love the Super AMOLED screen. Samsung TouchWiz 3.0 UI is okay. Samsung support less then stellar...Froyo took FOREVER to get out, and it is 2.2; not 2.2.1 which allows for bluetooth dialing; probably won't see another update until I root. GPS has been okay, though a bit slow to lock on; better in the city than the sticks. Pretty decent camera (still and 720p video); no flash, though :(

Overall, very happy with the phone. Had an LG Shine before this.

Next phone will probably be a Nexus phone...but that won't be for a while.

I use Gmail/Docs/Calendar and Corporate Sync mostly. it's nice to have the home calendar and the work one in one place.

... and the GPS/Maps did come in REALLY handy on a ride when I had taken a Cat 3 climb on my 8-sp commuter bike by mistake and I wanted to know how much further the summit was. :)

I also use mySword for Bible reading.

I am unhappy with how many Android apps cannot be moved to the SD card, even with Apps2SD. If the app is not coded to allow this option, it has to stay on the phone sucking up my precious memory.

I have an LG octane with the thumb app. Works pretty well.

Just another portable video game compelling young people to jerkoff at work.

It's mostly the middle aged people at my workplace who show off, discuss, and play video games on their Droids.

I want a smart phone so I can get the bro'stache app from Geico.

http://www.geico.com/about/mobile-apps/brostache/

"I don't think I can do that, Dave..."

I guess I'm the only person on earth with an android/smart phone that doesn't have
any apps and no data plan :D It's a T-mobile/Huwei Comet:

http://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/prepaid-phone/T-Mobile-Comet-Black-Prepaid-Refurbished

I paid $125 for the phone and $100 for one year - 1,000 minutes, no data/3G/internet plan;
although the phone has WIFI. Between texting and email, I feel that 1,000 minutes for a year
is plenty for me. I use this phone primarily to listen to the FM radio or mp3 on my 25 mile round
trip commute and to take photos of interesting stuff I see. Once in awhile, I'll use it to go on
Facebook or Bikeforums :)

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6002/5959484762_ea82eb4bcf_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/44332608@N03/5959484762/)
kayakers by the hudson river (http://www.flickr.com/photos/44332608@N03/5959484762/) by 1nterceptor (http://www.flickr.com/people/44332608@N03/), on Flickr

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6012/5958936767_22dc04b6ef_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/44332608@N03/5958936767/)
dollar sign (http://www.flickr.com/photos/44332608@N03/5958936767/) by 1nterceptor (http://www.flickr.com/people/44332608@N03/), on Flickr

I am about to trash the Blackberry with Sprint contract up 7/27. Been talking to ATT - leaning towards the Inspire, Atrix, or Infuse. Can save about $30/mo with similar coverage. Don't know if wife wants the same or an Iphone - which is the only one available NOT in black. Had heard there was a dark red HTC Inspire, bu as I checked various sites didn't see one. Really like the verbal commands on android (but not Apple) for texting, internet search etc that was demonstrated today which may allay wife's concern over the keyboard..

Droid 2 Global on Verizon here

+1. Found a killer deal on it since Droid 3 came out a couple weeks ago.

Not many apps yet. Still test driving all the ride tracking apps to find which one I like best. I'm leaning towards Endomondo at the moment. Complete list of test subjects: Endomondo, My Tracks, runtastic, Trail Guru, iMapmyride, Strava.

Installed the Square App but still waiting for my Square card reader to come in the mail. I'm hoping that works as slick as it looks like it does.

Service lumped in with my family's unlimited family plan so my share of that is very cheap.

Droid X2. 8.5 megapixel. Stupid zombies favorite app. Way more stuff than I'll ever figure out.

+...
Installed the Square App but still waiting for my Square card reader to come in the mail. I'm hoping that works as slick as it looks like it does.
...

Let us know how it turns out. On the videos it sure looks awesome. Does the app has an option for Bluetooth or wifi printing? I can wifi-print at home to a brother wifi-enable printer.

I did forgot some apps I use on wifi a lot... Pandora and TV Listings. I also have the shop-savvy, pretty cool but it annoys my fiance when I start scanning bar-codes at the store.

I also installed the MapDroyd app which lets me download and store locally (on the SD of course) all the maps I want. Meaning I can still see where I am on a map even when offline from the cellular network. MapDroyd is free, and their navigation app is a couple of bucks. I got the mapquest maps too.

I installed My Tracks to track my bike rides but I haven't tried it yet. I see it can connect via Bluetooth to some bike specific devices and track your wattage, cadence, heart rate etc.

Yesterday I also downloaded an app called Movies and today I used it to find what was showing up on all the nearby theaters. Then it linked to google maps to get me there... super cool (watched Harry Potter latest in IMAX 3D if anybody cares).

Besides Pandora, I also use DIRadio when I feel like hearing dance/trance music.

I think that's all for know. Until somebody else suggest some other killer must-have app. :D

+1. Found a killer deal on it since Droid 3 came out a couple weeks ago.


I couldn't understand how it was free with upgrade/renewal until I found out the Droid 3 was coming out the next week. And then of course, VZW was changing the data plans on 7 July, so I was in before the change. I went in for an LG Ally for me and an Octane for Mrs. A (my enV2 sold me on LG phones), and walked out with a Droid 2 for me instead. We'll see how well it holds up to pocketing and pannier storage.

Work pays for most of our service.

LOL... MetroPCS just sent me a txt message... it's been just a few weeks since I purchased 2 phones me and my fiance. The message says:

Special offer, buy one phone get the 2nd free! :notamused:

Well, I guess I will be returning my Droid 2 Global tomorrow and cancelling my data plan. The office changed the rules for cell phone reimbursements... it's going from $75/mo direct to $25/mo less taxes.

Long live the enV2!

http://www.virginmobileusa.com/cell-phone-plans/beyond-talk-plans.jsp

$35 unlimited internet, 300 minutes/month; used to be $25 I think.
You do have to pay for the phone upfront.

Droid X and Moto XOOM wifi

Lots of apps, but I'm still trying to figure out where/how it should fit into the electronic ecosphere that our lives are becoming.

Best app for sheer coolness/geek factor? Google Sky without a doubt. And even better, iOS doesn't have this one!

The "Listen To <Whatevah>" Trick:

This is one of my favorites android tricks. Assuming you have the google widget somewhere and the Pandora app installed...

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn53/RubenX_Longwood/Other/Android%20Tricks/ffd8f1f3.png
Step 1 - Click on the microphone button.

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn53/RubenX_Longwood/Other/Android%20Tricks/699b7f18.png
Step 2 - Say "Listen To <Whatevah>" where <Whatevah> is your desired artist. In this example I chose "Whitesake".

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn53/RubenX_Longwood/Other/Android%20Tricks/9ea6559e.png
Step 3 - After google decodes the voice command, click on "Go".

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn53/RubenX_Longwood/Other/Android%20Tricks/5f4a66fe.png
Step 4 - Pandora will show up. Verify your artist by clicking on it.

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn53/RubenX_Longwood/Other/Android%20Tricks/6a5f7f6a.png
Step 5 - Enjoy the music.

* Please note that it even works for Ruben's heavy Puertorican accent so it should work for everyone....lol :)

HTC Thunderbolt which is a Verizon 4G LTE phone. I was so happy to dump the corp Blackberry for this phone and its even better since the corp office migrated to Google Apps. Lately my favorite app has been Waze (http://www.waze.com).

The Thunderbolt is a metal frame phone so it has some heft to it and feels and looks quality made. There has been some reported issues with random reboots and poor battery life. However, if you root the phone and add a custom ROM such as Das Bamf Remix all your issues vanish and this phone rocks. There is excellent developer support for this phone in the Android community. With Verizons 4G network I have seen download speeds of 15M. Overall Im quite pleased with this phone.

Droid X running gingerbread. Just installed the Netflix app last week. My productive life is over.

I have a motorola Atrix....it's not a bad phone now that it updated to 2.2.2 before that it was somewhat glitchy like lots of androids I've played with. I used to use task killers and fast reboot but don't have to anymore.

I haven't rooted it yet so it's basically stock....I think I do that now. LOL There's a bunch of bloatware I'd like to ditch, including that dreadful Vlingo crapgram.

Using the GPS eats it's lunch....even plugged in to the 12v jack it'll drain the battery on a 4-6 hour drive.

My favorite app is using it as my bike computer.

Firefox makes a great browser app BTW, looks/feels like a full version browser. It even imported all my FF bookmarks from my laptop.

I also use google sky to "point" our telescope for the kids.


I did buy my daughter a really low end Coby android tablet. I ended up doing a bunch of things to it, but it still handicapped with only 256m of app space. clockwork mod, z4 root, google market, ect...it's turned out to be a nice little tablet for a 9yo girl. Kinda makes me want the new Toshiba thrive or whatever it's called.

Droid X2. I hate it.

I used to have an IPhone 3GS 32gb. The big difference is everything on the IPhone works, works well and works smoothly.

The Droid X2 is choppy, apps seem to be made for IPhone then ported to Droid, the music player (whichever one you download) pops and chirps and is useless. I can attach to the exact same MP3 through a cable and play it perfectly on my PC, so I know it's the Droid. That's my MAIN BEEF, the pitiful MP3 performance. I was going to sell the IPhone, but now am thinking of keeping it as an MP3 player, a big fat IPad Touch.

I do like the Navigation app on the Droid X2 which you have to pay $10 per month for on the IPhone (at least at ATT) It works well.

As a phone, I've no quarrels on the Droid either. Nice and loud with a great speakerphone function.

But the screen smoothness is herky-jerky and I feel that I am most definitely using a second tier product. It's not rooted and It's running 2.2 with a gingerbread like shell.

The screen sensitivity suffers as well. The Iphone touch screen is almost part of you, the Droid X2 screen means pressing harder and dropping icons etc.

Droid X2 Battery life is OK, especially since I installed the 1800 ma battery.

My guess is that the folks who write the Android OS does not have the advantage of having Steve Jobs standing behind them, screaming and threatening their employment if it's not perfect.

Anyway I am stuck with this X2 for the next 22 months. OTH, I am not uninstalling ITunes in anticipation of the IPhone 7 or 8 or whatever is will be in 2013.

The Droid X2 is choppy, apps seem to be made for IPhone then ported to Droid, the music player (whichever one you download) pops and chirps and is useless. I can attach to the exact same MP3 through a cable and play it perfectly on my PC, so I know it's the Droid. That's my MAIN BEEF, the pitiful MP3 performance. I was going to sell the IPhone, but now am thinking of keeping it as an MP3 player, a big fat IPad Touch.



I would suggest DoubleTwist. It's quite an upgrade from the onboard music player included with Droid X/X2.

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn53/RubenX_Longwood/Other/Android%20Tricks/6a5f7f6a.png
Step 5 - Enjoy the music.




how bout that hair? lol

I have the original Droid. I use Facebook, email, tapatalk, Google maps, map my fitness, G-talk, gas buddy and grocery IQ.

I need to send my brother a phone, he's in a nursing/rehabilitation hospital - can anyone recommend an inexpensive phone that I don't have to worry about if it's stolen? It would be nice if it would have email/web, so he can stay in touch with family & friends, but not absolutely necessary.
Thanks!