Android SmartPhone Advice

I need some help, guys. I need to bring myself into 2011 phone-wise. I've put it off as long as I possibly can, but the phone I've been using for the past two years (pictured after the jump) just isn't cutting it anymore.

I know a lot of you are well-versed with this technology and I'm looking for recommendations on a good Android smartphone that will last me the next two or three years. Please don't suggest an iPhone - I will not buy an Apple product. I see a lot of Samsung advertised here in Paris, so I'm guessing that's pretty popular here, but I'm interested to see what you guys are using.

A couple things I'd like to know:

  • Data plans: How much bandwidth do you normally consume in a month? Here the monthly plan cost goes up dramatically between 500mb and 2gb. (500mb plan ~ €35 a month; 2gb plan ~ €90 a month) I don't mind spending the extra money if I have to, but I have no way of knowing what typical usage is going into it.
  • What's the best phone for email and light web browsing? I don't anticipate doing much outside of email on the phone, except for maybe looking up restaurants and stuff like that.
  • Carriers to avoid in France: Here's one for the French monkeys. Is there a carrier I should avoid here in Paris? I've heard horror stories about AT&T back in the States, so if there's a carrier that sucks as bad here, I'd like to know about it.

Here's the beast I've been rocking the past couple years:

So you can see it's definitely time for an upgrade. But I bought that POS phone for €10 and my service runs me €15 a month. Yes, I know I'm a cheap bastard, but a cell phone has been fairly non-essential to me since moving here in 2008. Now I've reached the point where I need something a little more robust.

How much should a good Android phone cost? What I've discovered so far is that a €400 Android phone off-the-shelf (meaning, with no contract) drops to about €89 with a 2-year contract. I definitely want touch screen, and some of them go as low as €19 with a 2-year deal. But I'm also looking for something that will last at least 2 years.

Help me out, guys!

 

Currently owning a Nexus S - and very happy about it, although there are a couple of minior issues (which I was well aware of when I bought it)

Given your needs, I would say that you should look for: 1) Good battery life. This depends on the battery (duh) and the screen - super amoleds and super lcds are the most efficient, the former being slightly better 2) Big big screen - browsing on a small screen is a pain in the unmentionable. Back when I bought mine, Samsung Galaxy S, Nexus S and HTC Desire HD were the best.

I decided to invest into a high level android device a few months back - hoping that it will last me for 3 years at least. Same reasons as you - I needed access to internet everywhere, and all the nice apps that come with a smartphone. Also, I wanted a portable camera.

There are many producers, of course, but I looked at Samsung and HTC (as well as the Nexus line from Google - which is produced by 3rd manufacturers, but Google-designed and is "clean" android installation - so you don't have to wait for the producer to make any new Android OS release compatible with the phone)

Generally speaking, it's hard to go wrong with HTC and Samsung - they produce very good stuff. HTC has a nicer layout - while samsung seems to be better at hardware. Hard to generalize, though.

As for data - why is France so freaking expensive? I get 1gb/month for 12e, and I never go higher. Generally speaking, if you just need to check emails and brouse around, you should be fine with 500megs.

But avoid video and music like the devil. Also, for any serious download, use the wireless internet at home

Hope this helps! Cheers

 

Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc

Got mine a few months back and I'm very pleased.

"It's a little like wrestling a gorilla. You don't quit when you're tired you quit when the gorilla is tired" -Robert Strauss
 

What ever you get, make sure it has an actual keyboard versus a touch screen. Since you aren't used to the whole smart phone thing, this will definitely make the transition easier.

If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses - Henry Ford
 

@Happy That's an interesting thought. Hadn't considered the keyboard vs. touchscreen before.

Also, I just looked up the Samsung i9100 Galaxy S II Unlocked GSM Smartphone with 8 MP Camera, Android OS, 16 GB Internal Memory, Touchscreen, Wi-Fi, GPS - No Warranty - Noble Black on Amazon. There's no way in hell I'm paying more for a phone than I did for the computer I use to make a living.

I'm sure it's the balls, but $700 for a phone is ridiculous.

Also, thanks to Fred Wilson of AVC, I also may have found a pre-paid solution for unlimited Internet here in Paris:

http://paygsimwithdata.wikia.com/wiki/France

If anyone wants to read through that and see if there are any holes in the plan, I'd appreciate it. n.b. I use Gmail for all my mail, so I don't need POP support and can get by with browser based email.

 

I don't understand the Apple hate. ^ This guy is an idiot if he can't figure out how to make a simple spreadsheet on a Mac. Spreadsheets have universal formulas and formats.

As for the phone, a friend of mine has the Sprint Evo which is nice. But a consistent problem I've seen with several android phones is that they're not as fluid as Apple phones. When you switch between screens by sliding your finger, there's a small delay with the androids I've used as opposed to Apple just working. I'm not a fanboy but just stating what I've experienced. A friend of mine w/ an Android loves it but also admitted the same problem with the sluggish display.

 

I second happy about getting a keyboard instead of a touchscreen. They can crack very easily and you don't want them turning into a smudgy POS in about ten minutes.

By the way Eddie, I was half expecting you to rock one of those 80's brick phones just for giggles...

Metal. Music. Life. www.headofmetal.com
 
In The Flesh:
By the way Eddie, I was half expecting you to rock one of those 80's brick phones just for giggles...

LOL. At my first firm, there were two guys who were roommates and they split one of those brick phones that had a battery pack with a shoulder strap (true story - the thing looked like a PRC-90 combat radio). It was also like $5 a minute back then, but they were the shizz because they had one.

They also dealt a fair amount of grass on the side.

 
Edmundo Braverman:
In The Flesh:
By the way Eddie, I was half expecting you to rock one of those 80's brick phones just for giggles...

They also dealt a fair amount of grass on the side.

Obviously...

Metal. Music. Life. www.headofmetal.com
 

I got an HTC Evo and its looking like it'll last me another 4 years to be honest. Hardware is amazing and was top of the line when it came out, and it still rivals all these new Android smartphones that keep coming out on the market. Definitely go for an Android build though, as you can customize basically everything there is to the smartphone. If you don't like Sense, which is the common Android user interface, you can flash over a custom ROM, flash over custom themes and fonts, basically make the phone whatever you want, however complex or simple you want. Pretty much all recent Android phones are sick, so you can't go wrong with a Nexus-S for example either.

 

Dude, why Android? Nothing beats iPhone. All this talk about Android having an open platform is completely irrelevant for most people. If you can wait it out a couple months, I would go with the next gen iPhone.

-MBP
 
manbearpig:
Dude, why Android? Nothing beats iPhone. All this talk about Android having an open platform is completely irrelevant for most people. If you can wait it out a couple months, I would go with the next gen iPhone.

Android has better hardware, iPhone better software. Android's software is getting better each update but are still lagging behind apple. I do not like how Apple forces you into buying their own accessories, different chargers, different docs etc etc. I also do not like how you cannot expand memory on an iPhone or replace its battery. I also feel the iPhone should have a bigger screen, to much dead space when compared to some Androids.

 
Bobb:
manbearpig:
Dude, why Android? Nothing beats iPhone. All this talk about Android having an open platform is completely irrelevant for most people. If you can wait it out a couple months, I would go with the next gen iPhone.

Android has better hardware, iPhone better software. Android's software is getting better each update but are still lagging behind apple. I do not like how Apple forces you into buying their own accessories, different chargers, different docs etc etc. I also do not like how you cannot expand memory on an iPhone or replace its battery. I also feel the iPhone should have a bigger screen, to much dead space when compared to some Androids.

To be fair though, how many times have you had to do either expand the memory or replace its battery? I have 2 iphone 3g and 1 iphone 3gs in my household, the first 3g is almost 3 years old - battery life is still like new! Fiddling around with memory cards is a pain, you never know what you stored on which and in the end you end up using only 1 card anyway, which will prob be around 16gig anyway. If you are concerned about space, get the 32, but in my opinion even the 16 iphone is more than enough space. If you could get the iphone or android for the same price, go for the iphone and you won't regret...

I like pickles...
 
Best Response

I used to use the iPhone 4 for work but ultimately gave it up and didn't replace it because I couldn't stand the on-screen keyboard. When you're typing out emails or even web browsing trying to enter a URL the touchscreen keyboard is simply annoying. Yes, you get used to it, but it will NEVER be as good as a solid keyboard.

Due to this, I recently purchased the Droid Global 2 from Motorola. Phone has touchscreen capability and a slide-out qwerty keyboard which works fantastic. It's truly the best of both worlds.

As for data plans, you really need to go with the 2 GB if you're using a smartphone. They have a ton of programs running behind the scenes which will eat up your data usage FAST. I recently traveled abroad to Europe and over the course of 4 days used 90 MB by sending basic emails (no attachments) and web browsing in my downtime. My carrier hit me with a $1,500+ international data roaming bill but I was able to negotiate it away due to a multitude of issues (I won't get into it). The phone has the capability of tracking your data usage which is pretty useful if you don't have an unlimited plan.

CompBanker’s Career Guidance Services: https://www.rossettiadvisors.com/
 

I made the transition from Blackberry to the Nexus S and not looking back...Work provides IPhones, but I found that it wasn't as smooth as my Android, so I routed my work # to my personal phone and just dock the IPhone next to my desk. The Nexus runs Gingerbread, Android's newest OS and it's super smooth. It gets its updates directly from Google. I expect the next gen IPhone to catch up, but for now I prefer Android.

Also, the lack of physical keyboard only took about a day to get used to. I downloaded a more user friendly third party keyboard from the app store that makes typing a breeze. Another thing I like about Android is that EVERYTHING is fully customizable. You can find anything you can think of in the app store. Mobile hotspot is also extremely convenient.

 
adapt or die:
Def must have a hard keyboard... you can't grind at all on the touchscreen keyboard

Apple would never make an iPhone with a hard keyboard because it wouldn't be pretty enough

Now Job's army of fanboys can kill me

lol, its true, although I have never really found this to be a problem when typing mails. User experience def beats blackberry (only real hard keyboard offering here), which I also have in my household (Bold)
I like pickles...
 

Actually, I think Android software is better than iOS. But most people don't want to spend the time towards maximizing the value/utility of their phone. Jailbreaking your phone (whether iOS or Android) will allow you to do more with your phone. It can also reduce battery drain and allow you to customize. Android's customization/jailbreaking community seems a bit more user friendly, since that's part of the main draw.

My friend has an older Droid Incredible from the first gen. Once it upgraded to Droid 2.2, he had the ability to run flash (something Apple can't do - he can watch porn now), but he also got this weird typing function, where you drag your fingers from letter to letter on a touch keypad and the computer tries to figure out your words... It actually works well, but it feels weird.

Just a quick question: does Android allow pinyin/handwriting Chinese?

"All I've ever wanted was an honest week's pay for an honest day's work."
 
Linfone:
Just a quick question: does Android allow pinyin/handwriting Chinese?

Yes, it has a pinyin input. Enable the language, then you just hold down on the text input box, and there should be an option to switch from English to Chinese Simplified. Then you just do normal pinyin input as usual--pretty much the same 1,2,3 options (ex: "Wo" 1=我, 2=握, 3=窝) as MS Word.

 

I originally had Android because it had the keyboard and iPhone didn't. Plus it has flash. But I have to say that a lot of the Android series is very glitchy...not to mention the Verizon-wide glitches like double-texts. Now that Android is moving off keyboard phones, I'm probably getting an iPhone--it beats having a Droid X2 or whatever they have now.

 

Yea, that's good. I don't have an Android phone but would like to make the transition. I currently use an iPhone 3g (OLD!), but it has language capability... Just making sure Android does too.

"All I've ever wanted was an honest week's pay for an honest day's work."
 

[quote=Runner332]Swype> Iphone and traditional keyboard

Check this:

]

If you jailbreak an iphone they have an app you can get to use the swipe feature.

"It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed." Theodore Roosevelt
 

I have a HTC, I love it. the only problem is the battery is mediocre. I bought a battery charger w/ 2 extra batteries on ebay for under $3 and if I'm going somewhere where I know I won't be able to charge it I just carry a extra battery with me... no big.

The touch screen isn't bad, especially since you can flip it sideways. I put a screen protector on mine so if it gets grimey, I replace it (also eBay, for under a dollar... from Singapore?) if you want to diesel out a email though def get a keyboard

 
noname1001:
i-phones blow, touch screens are annoying and crappy. I prefer a blackberry with a hard keyboard.

I agree with this. If you can wait until the new Blackberry Bold 9900s come out I think you will be pleasantly surprised with it for what you will be using it for. If you want to get into watching Netflix on it eventually and streaming music, etc. then I'd go ahead and get an Android phone. For basic stuff and minimal data usage, a Blackberry might be something to look into, but I'm sure many here would disagree.

 

Definitely try out Swype if you can. I went from a Blackberry Tour to an EVO and my biggest concern before doing so was losing the physical keyboard. I wouldn't mind getting an Android touch screen phone with a physical keyboard but they're all sliders of some sort and I always feel that they are super flimsy. The battery life is fucking terrible on this thing though. That's one of the things I miss about my Blackberry. Widgets are the absolute shit though and I can't see myself using a phone without them.

 

I just got the Samsung Infuse 4G. 4.3inch screen. It's very thin as well. Light to the point where if you whip it out of your pocket too fast, you might accidentally drop it on the ground (A case would be an excellent idea). Screen resolution is top notch and better than resolution on iphone IMO. However, I feel that navigating through the phone isn't as smooth as iphone, even though it has a faster processor. And it freezes up sometimes when I try to load the map. Don't know if all phones are like this. But overall, I'm fairly satisfied. I'm not as annoyed about the freeze since it occurs infrequently.

 

Sony Xperia X10 mini pro. This is good if you want a phone that can talk and text very well, but don't care about web outside of turn by turn directions and some widgety things.

Had mine for a year on a GSM carrier with not so many minutes but unlimited data.

Android 2.1 works nicely, though 1.6 ironically had a better mapping system.

I also have an iphone and am considering cancelling my plan because I can't justify the additional cost.

 

I'm a long time Blackberry user and recently got my first Android phone, the HTC Sensation. This is one of the best phone on the market right now.

HTC Sensation 4G Android Phone

The screen keyboard needs some get use to but if with Swype, you can get it fast. This is the thing that someone mentioned earlier about drawing words with your fingers.

Overall, I'm glad to move away from BB and not regret a bit.

 

Whatever you get, get the Invisishield screen protector (zagg.com). It's worth the ~USD25. Fingerprints wipe right off of it, and your can barely scratch it with a dremel tool. If you do happen to damage it, you can get a free replacement for life from their website.

I have the htc Inspire 4G which is the US version of the Desire HD. Battery life is a bit lacking, but I can easily go 24 hours on a charge with normal use which for me is about 2-3 hours of phone use, 30 minute or so of the newest free mindless game, and 1-2 hours of internet, messaging, and e-mail combined. I installed JuiceDefender which stops all the crap in the background and turns off the radios that aren't being used at the time and basicly doubled my battery-life to well over 24 hours. It will also cut off the wireless data to prevent you from going over your limit. I have 200mb per month and rarely break 100. Typical is around 50mb. Also, if you're on wi-fi, you'll use very little data. I have wi-fi at home, work, and school, so it's really only between locations that I use my data plan. 3Gwatchdog Pro will give you a great idea how much data you've used on your plan and will really help you control usage.

I disagree with the physical keyboard bunch. It's easier to get used to, but the touchkey is great once you do get used to it. The physical keyboard adds girth to the phone, it's not your dick, the phone's are big enough already, and size still matters.

 

I've heard so much about the blackberry, but what is it that makes the android better? I'm sporting an old phone as well and will soon be dropped from coverage. Until then, I'm sticking to my guns.....

Get busy living
 

Android OS allows you to customize your phone much more than Blackberry and has way more app offerings. My favorite thing about Android phones are widgets. They're basically extensions of apps that you can add to your home screen that display information; ex. scrolling RSS feeds, stock prices, etc. Much more efficient than launching an app everytime you want to look up something.

 

The new Samsung Galaxy SII and the htc Sensation are pretty much what you should be going for right now. Imo, the Galaxy has better processing power and physical specs but Samsung's Android cover sort of sucks compared to htc Sense (htc's Android cover).

Both are good phones so either one will be good :) 8mp camera 1.2ghz snapdragon cores...

Planwise, I'm in Canada so everything is so fucking expensive but I make do with 1gb data + 300 minutes+ the extra perks for about 55 CAD/month. It's enough for email+light web surfing+apps but if you plan on video you definitely need more.

 

The (relatively) old HTC Desire Z has a slide-out keyboard, and you could probably get it on the cheap. Might want to check that out.

Personally, I'm looking at new phones here in Canada and I'm choosing between the Samsung Galaxy S2 and the HTC Sensation 4G. From reading many reviews, it becomes evident that the S2 is the most well-reviewed phone out there right now.

 

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