[mattyb]

I asked in the feedback forum where to put this, so here goes. I'm sure that there will be other Mac lovin users who have an Android phone instead of an iPhone.

mattyb's experiences so far :

Bought Samsung Galaxy S (known as Vibrant, Captivate and Fascinate in the US)
Very nice screen, very nice.
Light.
Same form factor as the original iPhone.
Has internal storage and you can add a microSD card (I slapped in 8G).
Camera isn't bad but has no flash.

Bad stuff :
My number hasn't been changed over to the new carrier yet so I haven't using Android Market or any apps that need network access.
I haven't gotten wifi to work, plus Android doesn't support ADHOC wifi yet.
OSX doesn't see the phone when connected via USB. I haven't looked into this more. There is software to synch with iTunes but I wanted to get apk files onto the phone. Had to use my work laptop.

Samsung have their own interface which isn't ugly but its a bit boring. I'll probably root it just to change stuff around a bit. Installing apps when you have the apk files is painless, when hooked up via a USB cable it was just dragging and dropping onto the SD card on the phone via Windows Explorer.

First app installed was the Astro file manager which was so simple to install that I've forgotten how I did it. Once Astro is installed and you have your apk files on the phone, Astro will launch an app installer when you click on your apk file. Advanced Task Manager was the second app.

When you install an app, you get a list of things that the app has access to : phone calls, SD card, SMS etc. This is quite alarming. I may install some sort of firewall to ensure that I'm not sending SMSes with my details to somewhere in Russia. I suppose it good security wise but how the heel am I supposed to know if the Chess game should or should not send SMS?

Early days yet, hopefully someone will come out with a case soon because the phone is light and slippery.

Matt

[JohnD]

Dropped my 3GS and damaged the screen so it had to be repaired. Bought a HTC Desire as a corporate phone to overcome the repair time and to see what the fuzz is all about.

Similar as with the whole Windows/Linux/Mac OS X debate you either love it or hate it and I clearly prefer the iPhone.
The phone itself wasn't all tha bad. Screen was bad in direct sunlight. The Android OS appears to be as cluttered or confusing as Linux. I can understand people liking this type of device because it is more open than an iPhone but that is also it's biggest downside IMO. It becomes cluttered. Not really a clear choice on how the interface should behave. Many different ways to get to the same function but not really clear which does what.
Everything takes getting used to. iPhone is still the number one in ease of use IMO. It suits my needs. Hope Apple will open up some functions like iPad tethering and such. This for the main reason that it is to obvious that it can work but has been blocked for whatever marketing reason. If Apple would be a bit more tolerant with some of these annoying details I think the iPhone should sell even more.

[mattyb]

I'm a 'virgin' in the world of smart-phones and have nothing to compare Android to. I know someone at work who said the same thing as you JohnD (he went from a 3GS to a Sony something and then back to the iPhone 4).

Still haven't got network access yet.

[zacharace]

Originally Posted by mattyb 

I'm a 'virgin' in the world of smart-phones and have nothing to compare Android to. I know someone at work who said the same thing as you JohnD (he went from a 3GS to a Sony something and then back to the iPhone 4).

I've been around the block a bit in terms of smartphones (2 iPhone 3Gs, 2 iPhone 4s, 2 BlackBerry Bold 9700s, and a HTC Dream/T-mobile G1...) and, in essence, it all boils down to user preference. Sure, the iPhone 4 is a spectacular piece of hardware, but what if you can't stand AT&T or "antennagate" or Apple's semi-draconian iOS ecosystem philosophy (for lack of a better term)? Or, what if Android is too scary and complex? What if you need a BlackBerry for corporate email? To label one phone as the "end-all smartphone" is, in my opinion, a bit overzealous; the iPhone comes the closest, but it's not everyone's cup of tea.

That said, good luck with the Galaxy S matty! I'm curious to hear about your experiences.

[mattyb]

Well, still haven't got my number ported yet (7 working days apparently ) but so far so nice.

The screen really is impressive, I bet the iPhone 4 users say the same about theirs. Apps don't seem to take up much space, the 8G microSD that I've got in it has hardly been touched. It needs a case badly. Its really light and in the heat it gets slippery. Hopefully the shops will get them soon so that I can have a decent look - I don't want to order over the net without a bit of a touch first.

I finally got the Wifi to work and played around with Edwin (a voice thingy) and it works as advertised. The default browser is OK but if sites don't have mobile specific pages then its painful on the eyes. Downloading and installing was easy, but those securtiy warnings worry me a bit.

It seems that alot of apps neglect an easily findable EXIT option. I was fooling around yesterday and foudn that I suddenly had about 10 apps opened at the same time. Luckily theres a decent task manager to kill stuff. I do wonder if I should be killing stuff liek FactoryTest or BadgeProvider or IcsService. I mean WTF is that stuff?

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by mattyb 

The default browser is OK but if sites don't have mobile specific pages then its painful on the eyes.

That's surprising to me.

I would have thought that the top of the line Android smartphone would have a browser that's more capable, on the same level as Mobile Safari.

-t

[Mrjinglesusa]

Download Dolphin Browser HD. It's MUCH better than the stock Android browser IMO. Has tabbed browsing, multi-touch, etc.

[mattyb]

Originally Posted by turtle777 

That's surprising to me. I would have thought that the top of the line Android smartphone would have a browser that's more capable, on the same level as Mobile Safari.

Dunno if its the standard Android browser or the one that Samsung slap on with their environment.

[Spheric Harlot]

Welp, this one's a surprise:

Google pulls 'Easy Root' off Market [updated] | Android Central

When I first started getting word from people that Easy Root had been pulled from the Market I was surprised. I am sure that like many others I choose the Android platform for its commitment to openness and freedom.

Of course, the app is now available from his own website and can still be installed by anybody, so…

[Mrjinglesusa]

Here's my thoughts after using my HTC Droid Incredible on Verizon for the past 3 months. Currently running Android 2.1.

User Interface
HTCs "SenseUI" is very nice and well thought out. Some people love it, some don't mind it but would rather "vanilla" Android, and some hate it. Personally, I like it.

I tried using Launcher Pro (UI skin that replaces SenseUI). It does give you a bit more flexibility than SenseUI (e.g., you can have up to 5 icons in a "dock" and you can have up to THREE "docks" you can scroll through which allows launching of up to 15 different apps from any screen you are on) but overall it's not as fluid as SenseUI.

WIDGETS. FTW. This is where Android beats the pants off the iPhone. You can place widgets on your screens. Lots of them. Clock widgets, weather widgets, news widgets, music widgets, etc. Why Apple hasn't done this yet is beyond me.

Set-up
Setting up an Android phone is similar to setting up an iPhone except that instead of signing in to MobileMe for syncing, you sign into Google. Took some time to get everything syncing properly between my Android phone, iMac, and iPad, but I got it working well now.

Email
Built-in Android email program is horrible. I use K-9, which is 10x better. Can see all my .Me IMAP folders, integrated Inbox, etc. Very nice. Oh, and it gets pushed email 2-3 seconds before my iPad sitting right next to it.

Web Browsing
Like I said above, the built-in browser is OK but not great. I've been using Dolphin Browser HD recently and it's much better.

Marketplace
Here's the thing with the Android Marketplace. Does it have as many apps as the iPhone? Not even close. However, it does have most of the QUALITY apps that the iPhone has. There are very few apps that I had on my iPhone that I cannot get an Android version of. Kindle? Check. Shazzam? Check. Dropbox? Check. Documents to Go? Check. Opentable? Check. The list goes on and on. That said, gaming-wise the iPhone/iTouch win hands down. Although I do have a Nintendo emulator on my Android which is pretty sweet.

Rooting
I rooted my Incredible to play around with different ROMs (e.g., leaked Froyo ROMs). Very easy to do. Android is all about flexibility and having the ability to install different ROMs is pretty sweet. However, I decided to go back to stock and wait for the official update for the time being.

Overall, Android has come a long way since the Original Droid. The OS is getting more and more polished and manufacturers are putting out some pretty sweet Android phones.

If Verizon comes out with an iPhone in January, I'm honestly not sure what I will do. Stick with Android or go back to the iPhone? It will be a VERY tough decision to make at this point. I've really grown to like the Android OS and my Incredible does everything I need it to do and more. However, being a Mac guy, I do in many ways miss the ease of integration with MobileMe and iTunes that the iPhone offers.

[The Godfather]

I've heard of the not-up-to-snuff flash in Android. Can you play yeti sports with it?

[ort888]

I don't give a crap about flash games and interfaces... but I would love to be able to play flash video with the iOS. At the pace that smartphones are evolving I do wonder if Apple is going to have to back down from their no flash stance at some point.

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally Posted by ort888 

I would love to be able to play flash video with the iOS. At the pace that smartphones are evolving I do wonder if Apple is going to have to back down from their no flash stance at some point.

Video sites are evolving towards non-Flash alternatives faster than smartphones are evolving to be able to play Flash.

[imitchellg5]

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot 

Video sites are evolving towards non-Flash alternatives faster than smartphones are evolving to be able to play Flash.

I don't understand why a phone with a 1GHz processor and 512 Mb of RAM couldn't handle Flash...

[Spheric Harlot]

I don't either, but I'm sure Adobe can come up with a reason why their crap don't work.

Maybe they can explain why it won't run properly on a TWO Ghz DUAL-CORE processor either.

[turtle777]

^ For real.

-t

[Mrjinglesusa]

RE: Flash, when I was rooted and thus had access to full Flash 10.1 on my Android phone, it worked pretty well on flash-based websites. I didn't play around much with it, but it was certainly better than the alternative (i.e., no Flash at all).

[turtle777]

Given the response of plenty of websites that are going to non-flash, I would say that no Flash at all is a blessing, and certainly better than some half-assed iPhone implementation thats sucks battery like crazy.

-t

[Spheric Harlot]

^ or just works "better than nothing."

If it still sucks or is inconsistently usable, it's gone. Like video recording on the iPhone 3G.

[patrix]

Don't bother killing tasks that are in the background, unless you absolutely have to (bad application draining your battery, which are rare, or application stuck doing something, etc). Android takes care of it for you.

Plus plenty of apps start up at various times to do various things.. ie the Gallery scanning your SD card for new photos after you disconnect from your computer... Music app scanning for new music.. email app checking for mail. Those take up a few seconds of CPU time, and then don't do much afterwards. Some just wait for an event to trigger them. Nothing to worry about either. And it's not even the full app.. just like iOS multitasking, Android multitasking involves different threads and services doing minimal stuff, not like full-fledged OS multitasking where the whole app runs and uses CPU and RAM and eats into the battery.

So don't worry so much about them, enjoy the OS instead and the apps.

[imitchellg5]

Originally Posted by patrix 

Don't bother killing tasks that are in the background, unless you absolutely have to (bad application draining your battery, which are rare, or application stuck doing something, etc). Android takes care of it for you.

Plus plenty of apps start up at various times to do various things.. ie the Gallery scanning your SD card for new photos after you disconnect from your computer... Music app scanning for new music.. email app checking for mail. Those take up a few seconds of CPU time, and then don't do much afterwards. Some just wait for an event to trigger them. Nothing to worry about either. And it's not even the full app.. just like iOS multitasking, Android multitasking involves different threads and services doing minimal stuff, not like full-fledged OS multitasking where the whole app runs and uses CPU and RAM and eats into the battery.

So don't worry so much about them, enjoy the OS instead and the apps.

Android multitasking is still pretty different from iOS multitasking (which isn't really multitasking, just a bunch of different APIs running together.) But your post is still perfectly valid. If you have a Snapdragon-powered phone or better I always feel as if the processor is plenty powerful enough. Whenever I use a Droid or Droid Eris though I tend to use a task killer more often.

[-Q-]

Wow, this sounds like a really horrible situation:

Motorola's Android 2.2 Rollout: What a Mess - PCWorld

Can anyone shed light into why it's such a PITA to roll out updates? Is it the use of custom skins?

[Spheric Harlot]

Too lax hardware requirements (starting at screen sizes), and the primary advantage of Google's openness:

Manufacturers being able to cripple and lock down each and every device in various different ways to give the carriers back the power that Apple tried to steal from them.

Remember when Apple was the first manufacturer to just build a great phone and reduce the carrier to a "dumb pipe", and they had to buy that with an exclusive AT&T deal?

Android allows every carrier to turn a great idea into a crappy phone again.

[CharlesS]

The iPhone has plenty of restrictions due to stuff AT&T doesn't like. If you really want to reduce the carrier to a "dumb pipe", the only way to do that is to buy unlocked phones.

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally Posted by CharlesS 

The iPhone has plenty of restrictions due to stuff AT&T doesn't like.

Like what (apart from tethering)?

[Mrjinglesusa]

Originally Posted by -Q- 

Wow, this sounds like a really horrible situation:

Motorola's Android 2.2 Rollout: What a Mess - PCWorld

Can anyone shed light into why it's such a PITA to roll out updates? Is it the use of custom skins?

It's mainly due to custom skins (manufacturers) and the bloatware/locks that carriers want added.

I'm intimately familiar with what a PITA it is to get an update. I have an HTC Droid Incredible. Being made by HTC, it has a custom skin (SenseUI). Being carried by Verizon, it had a bunch of Verizon crapware (e.g., CityID, Quickoffice, etc.). Supposedly, it will be updated to Android 2.2. But there have been leaks of the ROM and rumors of release for months now with no OTA update from Verizon.

Verizon is not being very vocal about what the hold up is. I finally decided to root and install a custom Froyo ROM. Works great. There are tons of people on Incredible forums that have decided to stop waiting on Verizon and to just root and install custom Froyo ROMs on their Incredibles.

Despite the recent release of the Droid X, the Incredible is still one of the most powerful Android phones Verizon has and has been backordered for months. You would think they would make updating it to 2.2 a priority but alas that is not the case.

[CharlesS]

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot 

Like what (apart from tethering)?

Well, tethering is one. AT&T also pretty heavily restricts what sort of network activity the iPhone is able to do over its 3G network — for example, FaceTime — and they also certainly have a say in what Apple allows through the App Store. Just look at how long it took for Skype over 3G and Google Voice to come to the iPhone. Also, look at how you have to jailbreak just to unlock an iPhone, unlike pretty much any other GSM phone. Also, look at how Bluetooth isn't allowed for much other than headsets, which is another common carrier-induced restriction in the US.

Yes, some of these things the carrier could restrict anyway by blocking certain types of traffic through the network, but they still are going to have far more control when they're able to tell a phone manufacturer what features they can't let in. The only way to truly have a "dumb pipe" would be to have a phone that was not sold through any carrier, but only unlocked, and then for some sort of network neutrality regulation to be imposed on the carriers. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like either of these will be happening anytime soon.

Good news about Android, though, is that apparently 3.0 is going to crack down on all these custom modifications that have been screwing up their upgrade cycles, so that's something I guess.

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally Posted by CharlesS 

Well, tethering is one.

Yes.

Originally Posted by CharlesS 

AT&T also pretty heavily restricts what sort of network activity the iPhone is able to do over its 3G network — for example, FaceTime

FaceTime over 3G isn't blocked due to AT&T restrictions. It's blocked because it runs like crap over 3G, and Apple doesn't implement features that run like crap.

Originally Posted by CharlesS 

— and they also certainly have a say in what Apple allows through the App Store. Just look at how long it took for Skype over 3G and Google Voice to come to the iPhone.

I'm not sure that counts as crippling the phone. Most carriers here routinely block VoiP ports unless you pay for a better data plan.

Originally Posted by CharlesS 

Also, look at how you have to jailbreak just to unlock an iPhone, unlike pretty much any other GSM phone.

I don't. I just have to wait until my contract expires, same as with pretty much any other SIM-locked GSM phone.

True, though - SIM-locking is a carrier-imposed feature; that is how carrier exclusivity is maintained (as part of the deal I mentioned above).

Originally Posted by CharlesS 

Also, look at how Bluetooth isn't allowed for much other than headsets, which is another common carrier-induced restriction in the US.

That's a common carrier-induced restriction in the U.S., not so much abroad, and I severely doubt that Apple's reduced feature-set is due to carrier pressure.

Originally Posted by CharlesS 

Yes, some of these things the carrier could restrict anyway by blocking certain types of traffic through the network, but they still are going to have far more control when they're able to tell a phone manufacturer what features they can't let in. The only way to truly have a "dumb pipe" would be to have a phone that was not sold through any carrier, but only unlocked, and then for some sort of network neutrality regulation to be imposed on the carriers. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like either of these will be happening anytime soon.

Good news about Android, though, is that apparently 3.0 is going to crack down on all these custom modifications that have been screwing up their upgrade cycles, so that's something I guess.

[CharlesS]

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot 

FaceTime over 3G isn't blocked due to AT&T restrictions. It's blocked because it runs like crap over 3G, and Apple doesn't implement features that run like crap.

Looks good enough to me. A little bit choppier than normal, but nothing terrible. I've seen worse over iChat AV and direct cable modem connections. This was definitely AT&T's restriction, not Apple's.

I'm not sure that counts as crippling the phone. Most carriers here routinely block VoiP ports unless you pay for a better data plan.

I'm not sure what could possibly fit the description of crippling a phone more precisely than carriers dictating to Apple what apps and features they simply will not allow.

I don't. I just have to wait until my contract expires, same as with pretty much any other SIM-locked GSM phone.

Most GSM/WCDMA phones here can be unlocked after 3 months into a contract, for the purpose of overseas travelling. The only exception is the iPhone, which you can't ever unlock without jailbreaking, even after the contract is over (at least with the US version).

True, though - SIM-locking is a carrier-imposed feature; that is how carrier exclusivity is maintained (as part of the deal I mentioned above).

It's a crippling of the phone, however you want to look at it.

That's a common carrier-induced restriction in the U.S., not so much abroad, and I severely doubt that Apple's reduced feature-set is due to carrier pressure.

The iPhone has been out for several years now, and it still doesn't have full Bluetooth support. Nearly all phones with crippled Bluetooth in the US have been at the request of the carriers. Apple is a company based in the US. It's not too hard to connect the dots.

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally Posted by CharlesS 

Looks good enough to me. A little bit choppier than normal, but nothing terrible. I've seen worse over iChat AV and direct cable modem connections. This was definitely AT&T's restriction, not Apple's.

Are you serious?

Your definition of "good enough" is good enough for Android.

That looks even worse than video recording on an iPhone 3G, which I'm *pretty* sure was dropped for sucking rather than carrier restrictions.

Matter of opinion, of course, but not allowing *that* (and even worse quality as you move around, possibly switching back down to EDGE in the process) is certainly in keeping with Apple's offerings.

Originally Posted by CharlesS 

I'm not sure what could possibly fit the description of crippling a phone more precisely than carriers dictating to Apple what apps and features they simply will not allow.

I guess I'm distinguishing between crippling the NETWORK and crippling the phone.

MMS, for example, worked fine on the iPhone for AGES before AT&T ever implemented the network functionality.

SIM-lock, definitely, is crippling the phone, but that's how the exclusive contract works. What I don't get is how AT&T can refuse to unlock a phone after the contract has expired and it's yours. How is that not illegal in the U.S.?

Originally Posted by CharlesS 

The iPhone has been out for several years now, and it still doesn't have full Bluetooth support. Nearly all phones with crippled Bluetooth in the US have been at the request of the carriers. Apple is a company based in the US. It's not too hard to connect the dots.

I see. Is this why the radio receiver in the iPod touch isn't implemented, either?

Apple has a long history of not supporting/implementing features they deem unfit/unfinished for their product strategy.

Or is Bluetooth file transfer maybe a problem if you explicitly don't include file management capabilities? Receive a file, and let the OS figure out the type and whether it can open it, and if it can't - what happens? Storage? Where? How? Some sort of inbox limbo that fills up with dozens of files over time?

Bluetooth is used for hands-free integration (incl. Address Book access), audio streaming (AD2P), ad-hoc networking for games and other apps, keyboard connection, and tethering.

What are they missing apart from file transfer?

[CharlesS]

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot 

Are you serious?

Your definition of "good enough" is good enough for Android.

It looks just fine to anyone who doesn't have a completely anal-retentive streak. Like I said, I've seen iChat on a cable modem get worse than that during peak traffic hours. Not a big deal. What choppiness there is could be easily reduced simply by dialing down the photo quality a bit when using it over 3G. It's not a difficult problem to solve for Apple's engineers, and I guarantee that's not the reason it's blocked. And even as is, it's perfectly usable.

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot 

I guess I'm distinguishing between crippling the NETWORK and crippling the phone.

And if an app isn't available on the App Store, and thus not runnable on an un-jailbroken phone, because AT&T demanded that Apple not allow it, well, that's crippling the phone, not the network. Crippling the network would be blocking the traffic at the packet level or something.

MMS, for example, worked fine on the iPhone for AGES before AT&T ever implemented the network functionality.

The network functionality for MMS worked fine on AT&T. I used MMS on my RAZR years before the iPhone even came out. Therefore, the lack of MMS on the original iPhone had to be either due to Apple not implementing the feature, or AT&T crippling it. If, as you say, MMS worked fine in Europe during that time, then AT&T was blocking it in the US, plain and simple, because MMS worked on every other GSM phone on AT&T at the time.

SIM-lock, definitely, is crippling the phone, but that's how the exclusive contract works. What I don't get is how AT&T can refuse to unlock a phone after the contract has expired and it's yours. How is that not illegal in the U.S.?

I may be wrong about this, but I don't think it's illegal to prohibit unlocking in the States. Remember, most US cell-phone users are using CDMA phones that don't even have any concept of unlocking. What I do know is that there is no way, no how that you are going to unlock a US iPhone without jailbreaking it.

Or is Bluetooth file transfer maybe a problem if you explicitly don't include file management capabilities? Receive a file, and let the OS figure out the type and whether it can open it, and if it can't - what happens? Storage? Where? How? Some sort of inbox limbo that fills up with dozens of files over time?

The same way every other GSM phone does it — detect the type of file and put it wherever pictures, music, ringtones, or whatever goes.

Bluetooth is used for hands-free integration (incl. Address Book access), audio streaming (AD2P), ad-hoc networking for games and other apps, keyboard connection, and tethering.

What are they missing apart from file transfer?

The ability to sync contacts and calendar information wirelessly, and to send pictures taken with the phone to another phone in the same room, regardless of whether the other phone supports e-mail or not. Again, this is stuff I used to do four years ago with my RAZR, so it's not cutting-edge stuff by any means. But for some reason, these are features that US cell carriers hate. Don't know why, but you can find plenty of examples of phones that support these features but have firmware blocks (except when you're dealing with a company like LG that works very closely with a cell provider like Verizon, in which case the phone rarely will have these features in the first place).

[mattyb]

Well its been a while since I've been using my Galaxy S, so here's a little report.

I don't have music files or loads of photos stored on the phone so I've only used 7G of the internal 8G. Loads of apps installed, games, news stuff, organisational stuff, XBox stuff, forum reader stuff etc. I'm still using 2.1

Battery life is poor, I need to charge it every night. I understand that lots of smartphones are like this though. I have a USB cable at work and the charger at home, but I'm going to get one for the car as well just in case. (Crazy the number of chargers that we have now).

I love the screen, I love the apps that I have, but I'd like to be able to use the mythical voice stuff that should be in 2.2 (take notes by speaking, populate a to-do list by speaking etc). When will I have 2.2 ???

One thing that I wanted to be able to do was maybe read a bit, like when on the tube or in a bus. 4" screen just isn't big enough. Other than that, for the price that I paid and the monthly charge, I'm a happy Android user.

[Spheric Harlot]

^ That's cool.

2.2? Who knows?

Android Is As Open As The Clenched Fist I’d Like To Punch The Carriers With

[Spheric Harlot]

Hey there,

I'd be genuinely interested in a follow-up on this…