The Android Thread

[Shantz]

Froyo Am using the Cyanogen mod for the Spica. Love the small touches esp integration of Calendar with Exchange. How do I access GAL?

I'm not sure if there is a separate app on non-motorola phones to access the gal. On froyo, it just looks up the email ids automatically when you start typing an address in mail/calendar etc but can't view any other details I think..

[Bulovski]

^^ yeah it does have to wait a second and the contacts are shown.

[achilles]

Battery life sucks on the Galaxy S. No questions there. Luckily JAC's OC/UV kernel remedies a little for that, but I had to resort to buying a battery pack + external charger to have LONG battery life. That's one place the G2 HUGELY improves upon.. my iPhone 4 managed to last for the full day from morning till nearly midnight, the Vibrant would nearly die by the evening/late evening. (Note : I'm using 3G everywhere, not EDGE.)

 

App Store has a lot of choices, no doubt. But I feel that Android Market also has quite a lot of choices now.. obviously YMMV, depending on what kind of apps you want etc. I don't game that much on the phone, Fruit Ninja, Jewellust and Zenonia are all the games I play. General apps like news apps, productivity and utility apps are there on both markets.

 

Build quality also the Galaxy S sucks. Another win point for the G2/Desire Z. But one thing I don't like about the iPhone 4 while I used it, is it's boxy edges ; made it very irritating to hold the phone when talking or typing without a case. Plus, like I said, I have thick fingers which made it very tough to type on the 3.5" screen. And after using the Vibrant, the 3.5" feels cramped up, but its just me I suppose.

 

Plus, widgets and notification LED, another two small things that I missed a lot.

 

In the end, I decided to give up the iPhone 4 and keep the Vibrant simply due to its widgets + superior maps and places + navigation, and swype. I just could not get used to typing properly on the iPhone 4 screen.. although I still enjoy the iOS games and goodness on my iPad. Just need to get my lazy arse to install 4.2 on it.

 

WP7 releases on Oct 11th here, will go to the stores then and check out the phones at both ATT and T-Mobile stores. Might pickup one if I feel like it towards December, and sell it in India when I'm here for vacations without any loss.

 

you're right. the notifications on the iPhone are primitive. They need to be improved. And android's widgets are pretty cool too. Again, it just boils down to what you or I would prefer more. To me, a 4" screen is just too big.

 

I found the steel edges kinda irritating for the first day too. but now i'm used to the feel and anything else just feels too plasticky.

 

And 4.2 isn't out till November, yo!

[Death Stryke]

In what way aren't you happy? I have an iPad, had an iPhone 4 for quite some time along with my Vibrant, and I don't see where the iPhone 4 wins, unless you game a LOT. General apps are there on both devices, good games are there on Android but not close to iOS level..

 

The SGS btw has top notch audio quality, almost as good as my iPad, which is slightly better than the iPhone 4.

 

Obviously everyone's usage of phones differ, so that's why I want to know your reasons for not being satisfied with the SGS.

 

Well, for starters, the borked software Samsung has loaded on the device. U know about the innumerable fixes you need to make it work. Saying that it works fine with a lagfix isn't a pluspoint, its a negative point and is not the right solution.

 

Secondly, Appstore. Like u said, YMMV applies here. I do like casual games on the go, so thats where iOS store shines.

 

And the audio quality. I dont know, but I am not alone here seeing the number of threads stating the audio issue in the SGS. Main problem is low volume. My sandisk sansa produces a much louder sound at the highest volume than my SGS. Since i sometimes connect my phone to my car speakers, this is a problem.

 

Otherwise I am ok. I like the notifications/widgets system which I missed in iOS. But I am not someone who enjoys installing a few firmware every 3 days!. I want a stable OS which will run smoothly without the need for lagfixes. I'm not expecting anything more out of the OS. In that way like achilles said, iOS is much better. Its wayy more polished and the OS looks way better. IMO, android is plain ugly. I get the whole Open source thing, but maybe closed source has its own benefits sometimes. If open source is such a huge pluspoint as they say, why is it that most of the softwares and OS'es people use are all closed source so far?

 

I am sure Android OS works much better on HTC devices. Samsung just fked up here.

Edited October 4, 2010 by Death Stryke

[Mozart]

placed the order for samsung galaxy s on ebay today......

 

 

will recieve it in a week....

 

how do i update to froyo.......?

[MarketTantrik]

^^ Wait till the end of October. The official Froyo update will be released by Samsung.

[Solitaire]

Source: http://www.mobilecrunch.com/2010/10/04/is03-sharps-new-android-phone-boasts-impressive-specs-video/

 

IS03: Sharp’s New Android Phone Boasts Impressive Specs (Video)

 

Share

by Serkan Toto on October 4, 2010

 

 

It took Japan’s handset makers and carriers a while, but interest in Android is picking up steam over here. Sharp, for example, announced two Android tablets for release later this year just last week. Earlier this year, the same company presented the IS01 (full details), an Android-based smartbook distributed by Japan’s No. 2 mobile carrier, KDDI au.

 

And today both companies announced [JP] the IS03, an Android-powered cell phone for next month. And the device boasts some pretty impressive (and quite unique) specs. It’s basically the first smartphone that meets the specific demands of Japan’s spoiled cell phone users.

 

 

 

Here are the main specs:

 

3.5-inch screen with 960×640 resolution capacitive touchscreen (same as the iPhone 4)

world’s first “combination LCD” that combines a main display and a memory LCD (which shows the time and battery life even when the main display is off)

1GHz Snapdragon processor

9.6MP camera with CCD sensor and auto focus

Android 2.1 with Flash Lite 4.0 support

Wi-Fi IEEE802.11b/g

Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR

ports: microUSB, microSD/microSDHC (32GB max.)

apps for YouTube and Twitter pre-installed

battery life: 200 hours standby, 230 minutes talk time

 

What’s interesting is that the IS03 marries smartphone features with those that have just been made available to Japan-only feature phones so far. These specific features are the main reason why a lot of Japanese iPhone users, for example, still keep using their old feature phones.

 

The IS03, however, also comes with these features:

 

e-wallet function (for offline payments, for example at McDonald’s or in convenience stores)

digital TV tuner (supporting Japan’s mobile TV standard)

decoration mail function (critical especially for teenage users)

KDDI-specific mobile email address (KDDI users can switch to the IS03 without changing their address)

business card reader

direct access to KDDI services like online music service LISMO or the KDDI au one market (limited to feature phones so far)

Sharp seems to have designed a real winner for the Japanese market, but the company hasn’t said yet if the IS03 will ever hit international markets, too (it’s a CDMA device, at least).

 

This video (shot by DigInfoNews today in Tokyo) provides more insight (in English):

 

 

 

Hope it goes international.

[MarketTantrik]

^^ Its not gonna go international in its present form.

['AL']

what is the price of the desire Z... if it has been launched that is... if not when will it be launched??.... and is the nexus one really that bad against the competition??

[Solitaire]

^^ Its not gonna go international in its present form.

 

Yup, it'll probably end up like that Samsung Yepp Android based PMP

[Jigsaw]

Btw @jiggy

 

Are you satisfied with the SGS"s audio quality? I recently bought a Soundmagic PL30 and I find the sound to be too low. Even at the highest volume, its very low. It can barely manage to drive my car speakers, whereas my sandisk sansa clip does a fantastic job. Some amplification issue?

 

I use an iPod Classic for everything music

 

But yeah,i am pretty happy with the sound output of the SGS while watchin movies.... The default vid player has a 5.1 channel surround option when you plug in earphones.. that sounds awesome... then again i'm not an audiophile!

[Solitaire]

A Real Android!

 

 

 

 

[Madhav]

what is the price of the desire Z... if it has been launched that is... if not when will it be launched??.... and is the nexus one really that bad against the competition??

Yes it is coming to India... And im sure it'll come before Dec... price should be on the upper side of 25k...

[Shantz]

^^ Its not gonna go international in its present form.

yup it's only for japan..

[Superfrag]

you're right. the notifications on the iPhone are primitive. They need to be improved. And android's widgets are pretty cool too. Again, it just boils down to what you or I would prefer more. To me, a 4" screen is just too big.

 

I found the steel edges kinda irritating for the first day too. but now i'm used to the feel and anything else just feels too plasticky.

 

And 4.2 isn't out till November, yo!

 

Developer account buddy.. can install 4.2 beta 2.. the latest version..

 

Well, for starters, the borked software Samsung has loaded on the device. U know about the innumerable fixes you need to make it work. Saying that it works fine with a lagfix isn't a pluspoint, its a negative point and is not the right solution.

 

Secondly, Appstore. Like u said, YMMV applies here. I do like casual games on the go, so thats where iOS store shines.

 

And the audio quality. I dont know, but I am not alone here seeing the number of threads stating the audio issue in the SGS. Main problem is low volume. My sandisk sansa produces a much louder sound at the highest volume than my SGS. Since i sometimes connect my phone to my car speakers, this is a problem.

 

Otherwise I am ok. I like the notifications/widgets system which I missed in iOS. But I am not someone who enjoys installing a few firmware every 3 days!. I want a stable OS which will run smoothly without the need for lagfixes. I'm not expecting anything more out of the OS. In that way like achilles said, iOS is much better. Its wayy more polished and the OS looks way better. IMO, android is plain ugly. I get the whole Open source thing, but maybe closed source has its own benefits sometimes. If open source is such a huge pluspoint as they say, why is it that most of the softwares and OS'es people use are all closed source so far?

 

I am sure Android OS works much better on HTC devices. Samsung just fked up here.

 

I know its a negative point. Even WITH the lagfixes, its not as smooth as it should be. That's the main reason I'm getting the G2. OS looking better, again its YMMV. I don't like the too simplistic look of iOS on my iPad, I love the widgets and customization of the Home screen.

I haven't had any audio problems at all, maybe those audio problems are not present in the Vibrant.

 

You're missing the definition of Open Source. The very OS is open, CyanogenMod and other big time mods are written from AOSP, no relation at all to manufacturer's code. Apps and softwares are obviously closed source because they belong to the developers. Google softwares such as Google Nav, Market and GMail are not open, they require licensing from Google to use on the device. But because the core OS is open, and there are no restrictions on the apps that are developed, you can find all sorts of apps (such as tasker). And you can find tons of mods as well, hell you can do your own modifications thanks to MetaMorph, and if you've used an Android with CM on it, its just awesome. I went with Vibrant expecting CM6, but it got delayed to 6.1 due to various issues I had. The fact that its still in development was the final hammer, and since Steve is getting the G2, CM 6.2 should have G2 support.

 

About your flashing kernels point, its totally valid. Another reason why the SGS is not that great, and the Desire Z and Desire HD should be MUCH better.

 

Also, incase you didn't know, many games are not sold on the Market. Gameloft has a decent collection of Android games that they sell separately through their own portal. (Although they have 5x the amount of games for iOS).

 

And remember this guys, Android just turned 2 years old this week. iOS on the other hand is 4 and half years old... so it did have the time advantage which helped it to get the number of apps it has.

[Chaztin]

^^ Wait till the end of October. The official Froyo update will be released by Samsung.

 

It was supposed to be September, keep your hopes low, get it flashed with JPK firmware using odin, google it.

[Jigsaw]

Using the SGS for more than 2 days *without* any task-killer witchcraft... and the phone seems to be doing just fine... Battery life is just as great as it was earlier... And i have stopped looking in settings>about>battery like a rabid dog...

 

 

All the people who say Android does not need a task-killer are DARN RIGHT

[Superfrag]

Yup, I have never bothered to install a Task Killer/ Manager. On Stock I did to kill some pesky apps, but on Eugene's or Bionix ROM's I've never felt the need to.

 

JAC"s OC/UV kernel has done wonders for my battery life, keeping the setcpu at 200-1000mhz conservative, I manage to get 13-15 hours of usage compared to 9-11 earlier. And this is on 3G/WiFi.

[Shantz]

GUYS, RESTART YOUR PHONES... I am able to see paid apps on the marketplace now and the prices are in rupees

The glitch however is that i can see paid apps on the main list and in just in tab.. but there is no "top paid" tab yet..

Edit: Searching or going directly to any paid app work fine though

 

Edit 2: The prices shown are approximations only. Final payment is in original currency of the app dev only, done through credit card via google check out..

Edited October 5, 2010 by Shantz

[Jigsaw]

Shantibai you r awesome