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New Phone Time (FOUND) What APPS do I need?

blakfeldblakfeld Registered User regular
edited April 2010 in Help / Advice Forum
So after AT&T screwing around with my bill and not doing anything to work with me even the slightest on it, I need a new carrier. My new carrier shall be decided by which awesome phone I want.

iPhone's out since I want to distance myself from AT&T, but I'm looking at the Nexus One, the Droid, and the HTC HD2. So far I'm thinking about the Nexus One, even attempted to order it, but due to a glitch in Google's ordering system was unable to do so, and probably shall be until I can get ahold of some support. But that's given me time to settle down my gadget cravings and come to you all for advice.

Any owners of these phones care to share some suggestions? I like the snapdragon in both the Nexus One adn the HD2, but it seems like buying a Windows 6.5 phone might not be wise with 7 coming out so soon, and I feel like Android might end up with a better app selection, and may be easier to write my own code for. The Droid just seems like a nice all around phone, and reviews seem to have both people pining for the other.

So PA, any thoughts?

blakfeld on

Posts

  • MoSiAcMoSiAc Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    I got this. DROID!
    I love my droid. So far the only complaint is that the app store is a little too new, and while there are tons of apps coming out all the time, I of course want more.

    But seriously 20 dollars for a recently 200 dollar phone is a good deal. Just don't cancel for the two years and you won't have to pay any stupid fees.

    MoSiAc on
    Monster Hunter Tri US: MoSiAc - U46FJF - Katrice | RipTen - Gaming News | Los Comics
  • a5ehrena5ehren AtlantaRegistered User regular
    edited April 2010
    If you think you need a keyboard, Droid. If not, Nexus One.

    It also depends on the relative merits of T-Mobile and Verizon in your area. Ask your friends about their coverage if they're on them.

    a5ehren on
  • xraydogxraydog Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    Nexus One is a great phone my friend has one. And it's coming to Verizon later this spring. As soon as the contract on my old battleaxe runs out I'm picking it up.

    xraydog on
  • blakfeldblakfeld Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    a5ehren wrote: »
    If you think you need a keyboard, Droid. If not, Nexus One.

    It also depends on the relative merits of T-Mobile and Verizon in your area. Ask your friends about their coverage if they're on them.

    Yeah, the keyboard might be nice, but I don't know how necessary it is. In my area, T-mobile and Verizon are about equals in 3G service, since I live in a college town, it's practically bathed in coverage by everyone, except strangely AT&T

    blakfeld on
  • a5ehrena5ehren AtlantaRegistered User regular
    edited April 2010
    blakfeld wrote: »
    a5ehren wrote: »
    If you think you need a keyboard, Droid. If not, Nexus One.

    It also depends on the relative merits of T-Mobile and Verizon in your area. Ask your friends about their coverage if they're on them.

    Yeah, the keyboard might be nice, but I don't know how necessary it is. In my area, T-mobile and Verizon are about equals in 3G service, since I live in a college town, it's practically bathed in coverage by everyone, except strangely AT&T

    Well, I use a full QWERTY soft keyboard on a 2.8" low-res screen (HTC Touch from ~2 years ago) without too many problems, so for me personally, I wouldn't give up the N1's superior hardware just for a keyboard.

    I'm on Sprint, though, so I'm waiting on the HTC EVO 4G to come out this summer, especially since I live in a 4G market.

    a5ehren on
  • adytumadytum The Inevitable Rise And FallRegistered User regular
    edited April 2010
    Keyboard on the Droid is foul. Great phone otherwise.

    edit- 6 hours later I realize I failed at typing.

    adytum on
  • PrioPrio Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    Droid Incredible, which is the Nexus One with some enhancements and HTC's Sense UI is coming to Verizon April 29th. If you are interested in Verizon, I would go with that or the original Droid. The Nexus one is also an option, but unless you hate carrier subsidy or Google changes it from the Tmobile/ATT version the Droid Incredible is a better phone.

    Prio on
  • blakfeldblakfeld Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    Prio wrote: »
    Droid Incredible, which is the Nexus One with some enhancements and HTC's Sense UI is coming to Verizon April 29th. If you are interested in Verizon, I would go with that or the original Droid. The Nexus one is also an option, but unless you hate carrier subsidy or Google changes it from the Tmobile/ATT version the Droid Incredible is a better phone.

    I can't really find a lot of information on the Incredible (granted I'm at work, so I can't look to hard) and it looks mostly the same. What exactly is the Sense UI? And the carrier isn't too big a deal in general, like I said, both have equal coverage in the areas I spend all my time, and will for at least the next two years

    blakfeld on
  • a5ehrena5ehren AtlantaRegistered User regular
    edited April 2010
    blakfeld wrote: »
    Prio wrote: »
    Droid Incredible, which is the Nexus One with some enhancements and HTC's Sense UI is coming to Verizon April 29th. If you are interested in Verizon, I would go with that or the original Droid. The Nexus one is also an option, but unless you hate carrier subsidy or Google changes it from the Tmobile/ATT version the Droid Incredible is a better phone.

    I can't really find a lot of information on the Incredible (granted I'm at work, so I can't look to hard) and it looks mostly the same. What exactly is the Sense UI? And the carrier isn't too big a deal in general, like I said, both have equal coverage in the areas I spend all my time, and will for at least the next two years

    Sense UI is HTC's skin of Android. It also adds a few widgets for the home screen. The big downside of Sense UI devices is that it takes a lot longer to update them to new releases of Android - ask anyone with a Hero about that :P.

    Since the N1 runs what can be called "canonical" Android, it will presumably be one of the first devices to get updates until it's obsolete. That said, the only update that is coming in the somewhat near future (maybe?) is 2.5 (aka "FroYo"), which is going to begin the process of separating out some of the major apps (like the browser) from the OS so that fragmentation is less of an issue going forward.

    a5ehren on
  • blakfeldblakfeld Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    Okay, Google made the N1 a hassle for me to obtain, and after 2 T-mobile sales reps trying to be as unpleasant as humanly possible to me, I've ended up with a Driod.

    Now... RECOMMEND ME SOME APPS!

    blakfeld on
  • MoSiAcMoSiAc Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    Where (works with Yelp) to help find and review stuff in your area, theatres, eateries, etc.

    Weebo for IM. It's not great, but it lets me connect to everything I use for IM.
    The Last.fm app if you have last.fm radio
    A Online Radio for shoutcast. it gives lyrics for songs I'm told though i've never used it.
    SportsTap if you're into a specific team or a specific sport you get pretty up to date coverage
    WikiMobile is what I use for wiki access
    Dolphin browser used to get recommended but because of the 2.1 the standard might be fine
    Astro a file browser for your phone / SD card
    Google Goggles is fun.
    Lookout is a antivirus, backup, and phone tracking software. you have to register an account with their site but it seems pretty nice, backs everything up to your account on a time you set. If you lose your phone you can goto the website and if the phone is on, it will play a loud tone to track it, and show it's google map location.
    I got skype mobile but it only works on 3g and won't use wifi.
    I assume you're going Verizon so get the My Verizon app to check your usage and pay your bill if you want.

    Games:
    Robo Defense - Try the light but if you like tower defense this game is good
    Cestos - Kind of like PvP marble madness. I play this all the time.
    Netrunner - if you like MUD's this is a "hacker" themed one.
    ProjectINF - Overhead MMOFPS. Kinda fun but sorta slow pace.
    Sketch Online - Draw pictures, people guess. I like it
    Chess Online - It's well chess, online!

    I also grabbed Auto Process Killer. This app basically needs to be setup to tell what programs to not kill, and anything else to be shut off if it lingers for a set time limit. More handy than I thought it would be.

    That's about all I use right now.

    MoSiAc on
    Monster Hunter Tri US: MoSiAc - U46FJF - Katrice | RipTen - Gaming News | Los Comics
  • blakfeldblakfeld Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    Excellent, I went and got most of those apps (although I couldn't find netrunner :() any other games? Or something that would make handling podcasts easy?

    blakfeld on
  • MoSiAcMoSiAc Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    Yeah that's odd maybe it got taken down or I found it somewhere else than the app store. I don't do podcasts so I can't help you there.

    There isn't much on the game market I want yet really. I play Fishin' 2 Go (lite) at work some just for fun. It's pretty easy as far as fishing games go.

    MoSiAc on
    Monster Hunter Tri US: MoSiAc - U46FJF - Katrice | RipTen - Gaming News | Los Comics
  • SpacemilkSpacemilk Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    Security/Backup apps:
    -Lookout: antivirus, sounds like you got it, I love it!
    -WaveSecure: Cannot recommend this one more. You MAY have to pay for it; I got it during the free beta period. Basically it's all around phone-loss security. It backs up all your texts, contacts, calls, history, etc. to a secure server (you have to backup manually though). You can log on to their site to use GPS tracking to find your phone, or lock your phone remotely if you're worried it's been stolen. It's amazing.
    -SMS backup: Backs up your SMS and such on a daily basis automatically. Great since I sometimes forget to backup with WaveSecure for a while.

    Utility:
    -Astrid: Good "to do" list app. Can set priority of items, make alarms and reminders to get stuff done, etc.
    -ColorNote: Sticky note app that I love. Great for making grocery/shopping lists and whatnot.
    -BatteryTime: Puts your battery level in a % fashion in the toolbar up top. Also has a widget that you can put on your homescreen that displays the same info.
    -Advanced Task Killer: The most ubiquitous task-killing app. Just make sure it doesn't kill any apps which use widgets or you'll mess up the widgets.
    -Bump: Haven't used this one a whole lot, but it's been very useful when I need it. Basically makes it extremely quick and easy to exchange contact info with someone who also has Bump on their phone (works with the iPhone too!).
    -WeatherBug: Good weather app that displays the temperature in the top toolbar. The app itself has satellite info, good forecasting info a week out, weather alerts and warnings, etc.
    -Weather Widget - great clock and weather widget. I think it looks awful pretty on my homescreen. (yes I have two weather apps, call me silly if you like) I paid $1 for the upgraded version but the free one works just fine.

    Fun:
    -Google Sky Map: Great if you have any interest in astronomy, and it's one of my favorite apps to use to show off my Droid.
    -Pandora: Perfect music streaming.
    -Shazam: Listens to any song and identifies the name and artist.
    -Urbanspoon: Lots of great restaurants to find here! Can filter according to area in your city, type of food, or price point.


    The only paid app I have listed is WaveSecure. Everything else should be free.

    edit: I've heard a good podcast app is Listen - it's from the google labs.

    Spacemilk on
  • Brucelee41042Brucelee41042 Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    I wonder if the $20 droid only works as an online deal.

    Brucelee41042 on
  • MoSiAcMoSiAc Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    I wonder if the $20 droid only works as an online deal.

    From what I've gathered yeah it's only good from Amazon. At least my local Verizon store wouldn't match it. You could see if Best Buy might though.

    MoSiAc on
    Monster Hunter Tri US: MoSiAc - U46FJF - Katrice | RipTen - Gaming News | Los Comics
  • SpacemilkSpacemilk Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    Best Buy refuses to match online deals sadly :( but it might be worth a try.

    Spacemilk on
  • SniperGuySniperGuy SniperGuyGaming Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    An...antivirus? On your phone? What?

    SniperGuy on
  • blakfeldblakfeld Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    SniperGuy wrote: »
    An...antivirus? On your phone? What?

    Kind of what I thought, But these days why not. plus it's free.

    blakfeld on
  • DeShadowCDeShadowC Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    There's a widget called more icons. I use the free version. Basically you can make 4 icons take up the space of 1 on your home screen.

    DeShadowC on
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