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61

The Circus (lounge) / The Best Android Phones

« on: June 20, 2010, 12:43:54 pm »

Gary Krakow
Sunday, June 20,

What is the best Android phone? There may only be one or two iPhones available at a time -- but there are more than a dozen different Google (NASDAQ: GOOG - News) Android designs that are competing for the title "Best Android Smartphone On The Planet" -- or "Best Android Smartphone So Far."

We rate the best Androids available today and our top picks should be a quick and easy shopping guide for those looking for a great device.

1. Sprint EVO 4G

At the moment, the HTC-built Sprint (NYSE: S - News) EVO 4G is the Android phone to beat. A gazillion top-line features including a beautiful 4.3-inch screen, an 8-megapixel camera, 720p HD video output and, of course, access to Sprint's super-fast 4G network (when it comes to your neighborhood). A physically large phone like its Windows Mobile twin (T-Mobile's HD2), the EVO 4G is an absolutely amazing piece of handheld technology.

2. HTC Droid Incredible
This is HTC's super smartphone made for Verizon's EV-DO 3G network. The Incredible sports a great 3.7-inch screen and shares a lot with its big brother, the EVO 4G -- like a 1GHz Qualcomm (NASDAQ: QCOM - News) Snapdragon processor, an 8-megapixel camera and HTC's Sense home screen look and feel. A downside is the phone's limited battery life, but there are higher-capacity battery packs available from third-party companies

3. Google Nexus One

This is the phone that Google decided to lend its corporate name to. The Nexus One was the first phone to be updated to the latest version of the Android OS 2.2 (of course). It boasts a 3.7-inch AMOLED screen and has a 5-megapixel camera. Also manufactured by HTC, the Google Nexus One is only sold on Google's Web site for use on T-Mobile's 3G network. A Sprint version is rumored to be coming soon. Google has suggested that Verizon (NYSE: VZ - News) subscribers should check-out the similar Droid Incredible.

4. Verizon Droid

Made by Motorola (NYSE: MOT - News) for Verizon this phone is a winner. A slide-out QWERTY keyboard, a terrific 3.7-inch screen, 16GB of built-in memory, turn-by-turn GPS travel instructions, loads of video extras and a fast processor make this a desirable option. (Verizon's cellular network doesn't hurt either.) Even though its design is a few months old, the phone comes across as a cutting-edge, thoroughly modern Android device.


5. Garminfone

Garmin (NASDAQ: GRMN - News) has been promising a cutting-edge direction-finder/smartphone for awhile now. This joint effort with the computer gurus at Asus finally hits all the right notes. The Garminfone is a super GPS navigation device built into a state-of-the-art Android smartphone. In our tests we found the Garminfone to be the best smartphone navigation system today -- with the added plus of being able to have someone you know lend his/her voice to the travel commands. Very cool.

62

Nexus One / Re: Nexus One Shipping Question

« on: June 20, 2010, 12:34:25 pm »

I cannot wait to get this phone, hopefully I get it tomorrow

63

Nexus One / Re: Nexus One Shipping Question

« on: June 18, 2010, 09:57:30 pm »

I finally jumped on the Nexus One wagon, I had ordered the phone at 5:44 EST today with the overnight shipping my question is will I get the phone tomorrow or monday. I checked my email and  still the phone hasn't been shipped yet.

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T-mobile Deals / Re: June 19th, The Mother Of All Fathers Day Sales?

« on: June 09, 2010, 07:13:07 pm »

twippppp

65

myTouch Slide / Re: myTouch Slide Coming To T-Mobile

« on: May 31, 2010, 02:58:32 pm »

CNET giving it 4 out of 5 stars.
 ]   http://reviews.cnet.com/smartphones/t-mobile-mytouch-3g/4505-6452_7-34083290.html?tag=smallCarouselArea.0/url]  

All the reviews seem to be positive. I've even had 2 friends ditch their Nexus One for the Slide. I think T-Mobile might have a winner here.

66

The Wishlist Forum / Re: blackberry pearl 3g???

« on: May 27, 2010, 07:42:02 pm »

Behold22 where have you been?

67

HD2 / Re: Whoever has the HD2, do you still like it or regret getting it?

« on: May 24, 2010, 08:15:56 pm »

My comment is not really to you guys you guys come here all the times so you guys know what you guys are getting into. If you go to the t-mobile.com and forums you hear that like every other post it get really bad.

Understood Jose

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HD2 / Re: Whoever has the HD2, do you still like it or regret getting it?

« on: May 24, 2010, 04:42:27 am »

well excuse me jose..I idid my research i just wanted see how the phone works myself. I have previously owned winmo in the past and this phone is the most stable winmo to date. I'm still in my 14 days  for me to returned it. this will be my last winmo phone... android all the way from now on

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HD2 / Re: Whoever has the HD2, do you still like it or regret getting it?

« on: May 23, 2010, 11:41:51 am »

I will be returningmy HD2 tomorrow..although I had no issues with the phone whatsoever I just miss android. I really enjoyed the phone but certain things I didn't like with winmo such as overpriced apps and other things. I will be going back to mytouch until t-mobile comes out with a nexus like phone

70

The Circus (lounge) / Giving the iPhone a Run for Its Money

« on: May 18, 2010, 07:22:40 pm »

By Marisa Taylor
Monday, May 17, 2010
provided by
WSJ

There's a two-foot-by-two-foot area near the foot of my bed that I call "the Bermuda triangle." It's the only spot in my entire Manhattan apartment where I get service on my iPhone 3G. And even there, the line is crackly and the call usually drops within five minutes.

It's frustrating that I pay $100 a month for my requisite AT&T (NYSE: T - News) wireless plan when my iPhone has essentially become a pricey iPod that I use to send text messages. And I'm not alone: Cities like New York and San Francisco are swarming with iPhone users who can't get a signal.

So I was intrigued by HTC's Droid Incredible, the newest smart phone on the block to utilize Google's (NASDAQ: GOOG - News) increasingly popular Android operating system and Verizon's (NYSE: VZ - News) more reliable wireless network.

The Incredible costs $200 with a two-year Verizon contract and mail-in rebate, and the service plans runs between $90 and $120 a month. It is light and rectangular-shaped, with a 3.7-inch touchscreen and vivid, colorful graphics. The device has four simple buttons: the menu key, search key, return key and "Leap" key, which displays thumbnails of seven different customizable screens. The spacious touchscreen keyboard was easy to use to type email, but BlackBerry owners who love their keyboards may disapprove (but don't they always?).

I found plenty of Android apps to play with, including Flixter and Shazam, two of my iPhone favorites. However, I was disappointed that the Android store didn't have as many of my favorite news apps as there are in the Apple store, such as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and CNN apps. Still, reading the news and browsing the Internet with Google's operating system was amazingly fast. Google's own programs, such as Voice Search and Maps, were seamless.

Indeed, it was the Incredible's zippy efficiency that won my heart. The Incredible served up new emails instantly, whether I was in my apartment or walking among the skyscrapers of midtown Manhattan, places where my iPhone typically would stall for several minutes. Websites loaded at lightning speed, and browsing online felt more like using a computer than a mobile phone.

Verizon's wireless coverage was excellent. I enjoyed a 30-minute conversation with an old friend while relaxing on my couch, which is impossible to do on my iPhone without the interruption of a dropped call.

I also loved the 8-megapixel camera, complete with zoom, flash, and video. It made my iPhone's 2-megapixel, zoomless, flashless camera look weak. In fact, the Incredible's photos were comparable to a digital camera, but my iPhone's pictures only turn out well if they're close-ups and in the daylight.

However, the Incredible's Sense interface, which gives users the seven different customizable screens based on themes like work and travel, felt too busy and not nearly as intuitive as my iPhone. The graphics were bright and beautiful, but I often found myself overwhelmed by the options for widgets and folders, and didn't necessarily think that so much customization was helpful.

I did like the "FriendStream," which merged my Gmail, and Facebook and Twitter friends into a single list, allowing me to see everyone's status updates in one place. The phone also created a special list of my "friends" that was pretty much right on target about who are my nearest and dearest (turned out it was culled from my most frequently Gmail contacts). It saved me the time and effort of creating a list of my "favorites" among my contacts.

Music-wise, I wasn't impressed with the Incredible. I liked the built-in radio, but the Incredible's software isn't Mac-compatible, and I couldn't load songs purchased from Apple's iTunes. Instead, I had to transfer tracks from Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN - News) using a miniSD card. The company said that an advantage to supporting mp3s purchased from Amazon.com is that because they aren't copyright protected, they can be loaded onto multiple devices. Even so, for me, it won't replace my iPod.

The biggest downside to the Incredible was its short battery life. The company says that battery life will vary on individual usage and that typically a user can make it through a full day on a single charge. But when I was running multiple apps at once, I burned through the battery in about four hours. Granted, that's pretty much the same as my iPhone, but I expected better performance.

So, is HTC's Droid Incredible worth it? For me, and doubtless others who have a love-hate relationship with the iPhone and AT&T, the Droid Incredible offers a competitive alternative. Though lacking in the music and battery department, it offers loads of apps, Google's strong computing power, and Verizon's superior wireless coverage. At about the same price, the Droid Incredible gives the iPhone a run for its money.

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myTouch Slide / Re: myTouch Slide Coming To T-Mobile

« on: May 18, 2010, 07:09:42 pm »

I just wanted you to be aware of your writing  and now back to the topic....

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myTouch Slide / Re: myTouch Slide Coming To T-Mobile

« on: May 18, 2010, 07:02:53 pm »

I will say that I am higly looking faward to this phone, especely with the idea this is going to be tmo's new flagship phone and with an upgrade in oct. if this phones out I think this is were im going

Dude please work on your punctuation and grammer. It  pains me to read your comments. I'm just hoping we come out with the desire or something better

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HD2 / Re: Whoever has the HD2, do you still like it or regret getting it?

« on: May 16, 2010, 09:04:08 pm »

@ duck its the same as yours

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HD2 / Re: Whoever has the HD2, do you still like it or regret getting it?

« on: May 15, 2010, 07:06:52 pm »

I have no idea.

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HD2 / Re: Whoever has the HD2, do you still like it or regret getting it?

« on: May 15, 2010, 06:33:39 pm »

Today is my second day having the phone so far no lag or freeze issues. although I had horrible experience with windows mobile I decided to give it another shot. I still have 14 days for me to returned it. So far so good.

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HD2 / Re: Initial impressions, POST HERE.

« on: May 15, 2010, 06:26:28 pm »

I finally made my decision to get the HD2 yesterday and boy I am impress with the phone so far, the youtube quality is wayyyy better than mytouch. The screen is just beautiful love everything about the phone so far.

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Garminfone / Re: The Garminfone is now official!

« on: April 20, 2010, 11:58:09 pm »

I wonder if you can use the GPS without being on 3G

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HD2 / Re: HD2 Q&A Thread.

« on: April 14, 2010, 10:36:19 pm »

How is the youtube videos are they clear? and the facebook app is that any good?

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HD2 / Re: Traded my nexus one for a hd2...

« on: April 14, 2010, 10:33:15 pm »

Now I'm havin second thoughts about getting this phone

don't let anybody talk you out of it. I really like mine, it's like other stuff, there are some issues on all things when they come out. these things will be fixed either OEM or by developers, and personally my issues have been very minor on the HD2. I suffered data connection problem on 3/26 and it did lock up 2 times, first one I did soft reset and it was fine. 2nd is a bit of a mystery, it turned the screen black and dropped a call, that one required hard reset. I got a BB 8100 Pearl when they first came out, I went thru 4 of them in 3 weeks with hardware and screen issues. sad to say but it happens when phones are released. Choose whatever you want and make sure you don't regret what you choose. stay 

Windows left a very bad taste in my mouth from their previous models of phones they offered over the years and it seems they still haven't gotten it right,but I guess all phones have some sort of problems. still deciding to give windows another chance

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HD2 / Re: Traded my nexus one for a hd2...

« on: April 14, 2010, 01:00:28 am »

The HD2