Verizon & Android news

[Bucknut24]

I'm going to be looking to upgrade my Verizon phone soon (Currently using the original Droid). I am primarily looking at the Thunderbolt and the iPhone4. I'm familiar with Android and like it, and I for whatever reason have always been reluctant to go gaga over everything Apple. Anyone here have the T-Bolt and able to offer some input? Customer reviews thus far show glowing remarks with the exception of the battery life. Though, some say buying an extended battery is well worth it and solved their problems.

if you have 4G in your area i'd get the tbolt, I had planned on getting it when it first launched, but the constant delays and me realizing it wasn't worth it since I don't have 4G made me go to the Droid X.

I've heard very good things from the tbolt, I wish I had 4G in my area so I could have gotten it

 

[wadc45]

Okay, here we go again. Time is of the essence and I need advice:

Have had a Blackberry Storm 2 which I have actually liked to some degree. Two days ago I dropped it and the screen broke. I have the insurance on it ($50 deductible) but I am also up for renewal. I have looked at the iPhone, Droid 2 and Droid X (and to a lesser degree the Fascinate) and have heard favorable reviews of each. The one thing I like about my Storm 2 that seems to be an issue with the others is the ability to accept or decline Outlook appointments right on my phone. We do not use a Microsoft Exchange Server in my office so syncing with the Droid or the iPhone could be an issue, although I've been told I can sync Outlook with iTunes and then iTunes with the iPhone.

My main uses for my phone are email, Outlook calendar, Outlook contacts, text, Facebook, Twitter, mobile web browsing and occasionally Google Maps and the camera/video. I would like to start using the media player more too since I don't currently have an iPod. The three other people in my office who use smartphones all have Blackberrys as well. I am not against a Microsoft Exchange Serve and starting to sync everyone that way...although frankly I don't even really know what that entails and how hard/expensive it would be to set one up.

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[wadc45]

Bought an iPhone. May God have mercy on my soul.

 

[jwinslow]

Well I'm glad we could help

 

[wadc45]

Well I'm glad we could help

Trying to sync Outlook while I type this. Problem is my Outlook seems to go into an unusable state while my iPhone is connected to my PC. And the syncing process seems to take forever.

 

[Bucknut24]

was just about to post how much i love the Droid X and say you should go with that...o well

 

[MaxBuck]

Anyone who puts a high priority on Outlook syncing should not consider any Android phone. At all.

 

[Bucknut24]

Anyone who puts a high priority on Outlook syncing should not consider any Android phone. At all.

can it not be done, or is it just a pain in the ass?

 

[wadc45]

A...N...D...still syncing my contacts...I mean we're going on 15 minutes and I only have about 400 contacts...is this normal?

 

[MaxBuck]

Anyone who puts a high priority on Outlook syncing should not consider any Android phone. At all.

can it not be done, or is it just a pain in the ass?

It's easy for Outlook (Windows version) to sync calendar entries using Google Calendar Sync (free), though everything flows through gmail to do so (theoretically, everyone in the cloud could see your schedule to meet your mistress, for example). Contact syncing is a real nuisance, requiring individual vcf files to be read into the gmail contacts list. Task syncing doesn't work at all if you don't use Exchange Server email service.

There are a couple of apps (actually, they're Windows programs that interface with Outlook) that purport to sync all these things, but they both have gotten at best mixed reviews, with many comments about forced closure. And they cost $20-$30. And forget it if you want to sync with Outlook for Mac.

 

[jlb1705]

Sure, but not even apple thinks the ipod classic is relevant any more, which I think is a mistake.

I would agree with that. I still use an 80GB iPod Video (before they were called "Classic") as my main device. If they ever shut down the iPod Classic, I'm immediately going out and buying the highest capacity model they make.

The ipod touch product is quite redundant and useless to anyone with a smartphone imo.

For adults? Yes. For kids? It's a training device. Today's 8 y.o. kid with an iPod Touch is probably much more likely to get an iPhone when they get a phone down the road. It's an outlet to get young people acclimated to iOS and invested in the ecosystem.

I'm pretty sure everyone can drive without draining any battery life :p

Yeah, but try getting a data connection while driving through Appalachia.

It's a hassle to have to download data every time you buy a song (not that I'm much of a buyer), particularly in an era with devices that can sync automatically over the air.

I guess this is where I differ from the majority of the music-buying public. I'm very hands-on managing my files and metadata. I still buy CDs, rip to FLAC for a lossless digital backup, convert to VBR mp3 then sync.

Again though, I realize I'm a snob and I reside in a very small minority within the music market.

 

[CentralMOBuck]

I would agree with that. I still use an 80GB iPod Video (before they were called "Classic") as my main device. If they ever shut down the iPod Classic, I'm immediately going out and buying the highest capacity model they make.

Same here. I've got an Android phone and hardly have any music on it, listening to music is also a major battery killer. My ipod basically stays in my car and gets synced once or twice a month with itunes. I've also used mine as a HDD quite a few times as well.

 

[buxfan4life]

My main uses for my phone are email, Outlook calendar, Outlook contacts, text, Facebook, Twitter, mobile web browsing and occasionally Google Maps and the camera/video.

This struck me as funny that actual phone calls are not on the list of main uses for your phone.

I must be getting old, I use my phone (blackberry) to make actual phone calls more than anything.

 

[RCollett]

Current over a Droid X, due for an upgrade. Went to go check out the new additions to the android family at VZW the other day. Not that you guys care, but my opinion is listed from bad to surprisingly good.

The Droid Charge is GARBAGE! The five minutes I got to mess with it did not go all that well. The phone was laggy, buggy, and had just seemed very unrefined. The UI is nothing special, even worse than blur. The screen was nice, but if you think the DINC is over saturated you will not care for this at all. If the LTE issues continue with VZW this phone will not have very impressive sales.

Droid X2 is improved, but nothing spectacular. So new Tegra 2 Dual Core is pretty cool, couldn't really get to crazy with it in time I was there. qHD display is a nice improvement, not a huge change, but it is better than the old screen. Would be a nice upgrade for most people.

Incredible 2 / Thunderbolt are both quality HTC phones. They have nice displays, the UI is smooth and looks good, standard HTC stuff. Also standard with HTC is the horrible battery life. The INC 2 is a nice phone, doesn't feel quite as sturdy as the original DINC, but the bigger screen and feel in your hand is nice.

Sony Xperia Play was the surprise of the day. I am not a playstation fan, not a slider phone fan, and not a Sony phone fan. It was kind of refreshing to see stock Android on a phone at VZW. I played the Bruce Lee game for a couple mins. and it was actually a pretty good time. Maybe I liked it just because I wasn't expecting much.

 

[jwinslow]

$50 new, $99 renewal

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