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advice for first time smart phone buyer

Discussion in 'Lounge' started by eric, Apr 26, 2010.

  1. pennphinfan

    pennphinfan Stelin Canez Arcade Scorz

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    I got my HTC incredible about 1.5 weeks ago, and so far I love it. I've never had a smart phone before either, and the leap from my old nokia flip phone to this is large.
    So far how I feel about the phone:
    -The synching with google, gmail, etc is great. If gmail is your primary account this phone does it very well.
    -The processor is very fast, I haven't had many issues downloading new apps or loading internet pages yet
    -While it is made out to be less user-friendly than the ipod, I haven't had any issues navigating menus or programs, and the 7 home page screens are great. I have a game page, a 'most used app' page, a page with facebook and some other widgets, my true home screen with time and shortcuts to gmail, etc, and still have a few empty screens that i dont know what to do with
    -the touch screen is very good, appears to be just as responsive as the iphone. and you can still do the pinch/unpinch stuff for zooming, etc
    -battery life is so-so, then again i haven't really put it down since I got it
    -standard ringtones/sounds/etc kinda stink, but you can always download new ones
    -phone fits in your hand very comfortably. the terraced look on the back is actually nice bc you get a better grip on the phone (if its not in a case that is)
    -phone calls are fine, haven't had any dropped calls or anything like that. one pet peeve of mine is during a call the screen turns off automatically and is annoying to have to turn right back on to, for instance, enter your code for voicemail
    - sound quality is decent. i haven't tried it through headphones yet, but the speaker on the phone is certainly more than adequate
    - camera is v. nice, 8 megapixels i believe. here is an example of a photo i took:
    [​IMG]

    all in all I would recommend this phone, but I have never owned an iPhone so I can't really proclaim this is the best smart phone or anything. just my thoughts on this particular phone. good luck!
     
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  2. TJamesW_Phinfan

    TJamesW_Phinfan New Member

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    I agree eric that the games are annoying pain in the tookus. Like Desides mentions the carriers wont sell them if they aren't locked. It is a business with competing companies fighting for limited dollars in a fast changing market.

    It would be nice if the competition was in the plans and service quality and didn't require exclusivity on the phone makes and models.
     
    eric likes this.
  3. SoFLO

    SoFLO New Member

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    I pre-ordered the HTC EVO 4G. For me it's everything I want...huge screen, fast processor, HD video recording, HDMI output, 8 mp camera, front camera, 4G, etc.
     
  4. eric

    eric New Member

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    since it means more to be a new customer with tmobile, then it does to be an long time one, im open to any provider. i have no loyalty for their bad business ethics. their service sucks recently too. weak signals and dropped calls. far more noticeable the past few months then the past 7 years.
     
  5. SoFLO

    SoFLO New Member

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    I for one will never use T-Mobile again. Their service around here is horrendous. I lose signal constantly in my home, having to outside if I think my phone call is going to be over a few minutes. Also in school I had no signal to speak of whatsoever. Same goes for if I go to areas like the keys or everglades...nothing.
     
  6. eric

    eric New Member

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    that sprint htc evo 4g sounds tempting. says it comes out june 4th. looks like an hd2, same 4.3" screen, built by htc and uses android 2.1 instead of windows mobile. has the 1 ghz processor. all of these phones are more powerful then the aged laptop im posting this from.

    anyone have any complaints about sprint around here?
     
  7. SoFLO

    SoFLO New Member

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    This would be my first time with Sprint but it can't be worse than T-Mobile. My brother has Sprint and he got signal in places I didn't. Where do you live?

    Also the EVO 4G is required an extra $10 a month for the premium data services (still cheaper in the end than AT&T and Verizon prices).
     
  8. Desides

    Desides Well-Known Member

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    Sprint is merely the first to roll out 4G/LTE. Their 4G/LTE coverage is still infantile. Don't buy a 4G/LTE phone and expect it to actually work. If anything, it'll fall back to plain old 3G CDMA for months if not years.

    And another thing about Android in general: because each manufacturer and carrier can modify Android from phone to phone, that means both the manufacturer and carrier have to get on the same page when it's time to release an update. Even then, the update is sent over the air automatically, not downloaded and installed manually. Basically, you'll wait months to see an update, if it ever comes. (Remember, since manufacturers and carriers are in the business of selling new phones, they're more likely to hold off on a software upgrade to get you to buy a new phone with the new OS version on it.)
     
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  9. Muck

    Muck Throwback Uniform Crusader Retired Administrator

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    Sprint has been excellent for me and my business. $99/month for unlimited everything.

    Coverage has been solid for me. But you can use these maps to see exactly how your area shakes out. Make sure you click the Voice and Data categories on the right to get the different maps.

    http://coverage.sprintpcs.com/IMPACT.jsp?INTNAV=ATG:HE:Cov

    Here is the 4G.
    http://shop.sprint.com/en/stores/popups/4G_coverage_popup.shtml

    Android OS is already quite good and will only get better. Especially if the phone is made by HTC, in which case you get the excellent Sense UI on top of it.

    Like Apple, Google is another that's licensed Activesync from Microsoft. So if your company uses Exchange for mail, it'll sync right up like Outlook.

    OT: Android 2.2 will have full support for Flash. So it's coming.
     
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  10. SoFLO

    SoFLO New Member

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    Sprint plans on covering 120 million people by the end of the year with their WiMAX/4G service. By the time LTE rolls out, WiMAX will have or be close to it's IEEE 802.16m update. WiMAX is also a backhaul so it's not going anywhere but get bigger. Google, Intel, Comcast, and other companies have given their financial backing behind the technology. This technology in my opinion is ready now (it was used during the Katrina disaster when every other source of communication was taken out). If anyone is unsure I advise you wait a month after release and see if it really does work or not.

    The reason why it takes months to update some phones is because of fragmentation. Froyo 2.2 will solve that issue.
     
  11. Desides

    Desides Well-Known Member

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    WiMAX is not 4G. WiMAX is large-area WiFi. It's best used to provide internet access in remote rural areas that can't be practically covered by wired access. Alternatively, it's a better way of providing municipal WiFi and thus sell data service to notebooks. It's not going to handle phone calls AFAIK.

    If Sprint is saying they'll cover 120 million people with both WiMAX and LTE by the end of this year, then it's a combined figure and inherently untrustworthy as far as determining when LTE will be available in eric's area. I'd also bet that coverage will be duplicated: meaning, LTE and WiMAX will be rolled out simultaneously in the same areas, thus allowing Sprint to double-count its coverage. If they roll out LTE and WiMAX in Manhattan simultaneously, they can say they have 1.5 million people with access to WiMAX and 1.5 million people with access to LTE, thus claiming they're serving 3 million people with "4G," even though it's the same 1.5 million people in Manhattan.

    Fragmentation is only a part of it. The fact is that Android distributions are tailored by the carrier and manufacturer to that specific phone, meaning both entities must take the code Google gives them and adapt it to the specific phone, then push it out. They're less inclined to issue updates than they are new phones, because there's more money in the new phone than the free OS update.

    Because Google allows such free modification of Android, right now updates are almost overwhelmingly being distributed through new phone sales, rather than OTA updates of older phones. For Android 2.2 to solve that issue, it must first be distributed, which means it's subject to the same problems as prior Android updates: getting the carrier and manufacturer to combine efforts to create the update, then issue the update.
     
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  12. eric

    eric New Member

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    im now seriously considering the htc droid incredible with verizon.

    seems like the best of everything. since you cant get a desire here, cant get a nexus one in store and the hd2 and hero are little big and execessive.

    anyone here have any complaints about verizon or android or htc?
     
  13. Desides

    Desides Well-Known Member

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    I despise Verizon as a corporate entity but their network is great, especially if you live in a dense city like San Francisco (my condolences) or New York (ditto.)

    Android... like I said, you need to make sure you'll actually get updates for the OS in a timely manner, but it's a pretty good OS that only gets better.

    No problems with HTC. They make good hardware.

    I would really hold out until the iPhone 4G/HD's unveiling at WWDC just to be sure. Apple is the 800lb gorilla in the smartphone world until someone knocks them off, and it doesn't look like that'll happen soon.
     
  14. TJamesW_Phinfan

    TJamesW_Phinfan New Member

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    Is there an actual difference in reception between phone brand and models or is that strictly a component of the carrier service?
     
  15. HardKoreXXX

    HardKoreXXX Insensitive to the Touch

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    I love my HTC Hero with Android. I've heard great things about the Incredible. I've never had Verizon, but I can tell you that living in SoFla I haven't had any problems with Sprint.
     
  16. mor911

    mor911 pooping

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    Sprint is the bomb down here. If it weren't for me wanting the iPhone, I would have never left my lovely Sprint. Never had issues with service or internet. The Sprint wireless internet speeds were leaps and bound over this crap I get from AT&T now.
     
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  17. Desides

    Desides Well-Known Member

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    Slight variations between phones, but mainly a function of carrier service.

    It's getting better. Slowly.
     
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  18. eric

    eric New Member

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    why do you despise verizon? is it from dealing with them as a customer or something unrelated that wouldnt affect my phone choice?

    with the android updates, would the phone not work properly once an update is out, if i dont have it yet? i read something about any android updates needing to go through htc so the sense UI works properly with it. i read the nexus one is best for getting updates asap through google. i can live if i have to wait an extra month for an update, as long as the phone still works as well as before. i dont need to have the hot new stuff on day one.

    all of the best phones ive looked into have been HTC phones. i cant imagine what will supposedly be so great about the new iphone, that is so much better then the many HTC phones already available and on many different networks.

    i definately dont see myself being disapointed with a few of these htc phones. i have two cell phones now, one through work. but dont do anything more then calls with either of them. maybe i should do one of those free 30 day trials and cancle it. then try a different phone and provider, if possible and make a decision then....but then there will probably be a new batch of phones to look into.
     
  19. mor911

    mor911 pooping

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    I'm not saying you won't be happy with one of the many Droid phones from HTC and other hardware manufacturers. I'm saying that I'm pretty certain you'll be happier with an iPhone ;)
     
  20. Desides

    Desides Well-Known Member

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    Their nickel-and-dime billing practices. Verizon has a habit of charging extra for basic phone features, forcing you to use their services (like that ridiculous V-Cast), and just generally raiding wallets in brazen ways. I think Boik's day job involves selling phones for Verizon, so he's a better authority on this than I am, but I know there's a lot of resentment over the way Verizon treats its customers.

    Great network, bad company. Just my impression.

    No, it's not like your current phone will stop working, it's just that you're going to miss out on any improvements available in the new version if you buy a phone that can't easily upgrade.

    Remember, "updates" includes security improvements as well as new features. Security updates are not something you want to wait a while to apply.

    Significant hardware and software revisions over the current 3GS/OS 3.0 paradigm.

    I'm not trying to convince you not to buy an HTC, I'm trying to convince you to wait until after Steve Jobs' keynote on June 7 just so you don't suffer buyer's remorse like this guy.
     
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  21. Ohio Fanatic

    Ohio Fanatic Twuaddle or bust Club Member

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    Verizon sucks. Cheap *** phones that break often and terrible customer service and mediocre reception
    AT&T is way better
     
  22. Dolphin1184

    Dolphin1184 Member

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    My Samsung Epix has been giving me problems, so I made an insurance claim. They are sending me (I believe) an HTC Pure. Reading from you guys HTC is a solid brand. Hopefully the phone will be good.
     
  23. Desides

    Desides Well-Known Member

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    HTC hardware is perfectly fine. Good build quality, and the Snapdragon is a very good mobile CPU.

    The problem is whatever OS it runs. Remember, when you use a phone or any sort of computer-related device, you're interacting with software to get something done. So while people get caught up in hardware specs, the real issue is whether or not the OS is worth a damn. It's like that with computers, and it's becoming like that with phones.
     
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  24. Dolphin1184

    Dolphin1184 Member

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    HTC Pure uses Windows Mobile 6.5. I have been used to Win Mobile 6.1 for a while so I should have a problem with the OS. The only thing I have to get used to is an on-screen keyboard instead of the physical keyboard my epix (Equivalent to a Blackjack 3) had. My epix also had a thumb mouse that I loved, but a full touch screen is more than fine for me. :)
     
  25. Desides

    Desides Well-Known Member

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    Set it on fire before it burns you.
     
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  26. Dolphin1184

    Dolphin1184 Member

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    Got the phone today. So far I like it. WM6.5 is a major improvement over 6.1 interface-wise. Touch keyboard isn't as bad as I thought it was going to be.
     
  27. Desides

    Desides Well-Known Member

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    Walt Mossberg reviews the HTC EVO 4G. Pull quote:

     
  28. Desides

    Desides Well-Known Member

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    Another piece of information to add to the pool: AT&T is increasing its iPhone contract early termination fee from $175 to $325.

    Why? Well, there's one reason I can think of. In Canada, Rogers used to be the exclusive iPhone vendor. Out of the blue, they doubled their ETF rate. A couple of months later, Apple announced that Bell and Telus had signed deals to offer the iPhone.

    This could be the precursor to a Verizon iPhone.
     
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  29. Stringer Bell

    Stringer Bell Post Hard, Post Often Club Member

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    iPhone > everything.

    Seriously, my existence is leaps and bounds superior to my pre-iPhone existence.
     
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  30. Stitches

    Stitches ThePhin's Biggest Killjoy Luxury Box

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    So I just found out my work is upgrading me from a Samsung Rugby to a Blackberry Curve 8520 (both AT&T).

    Anyone have experience with blackberries or the curves? I have not had any experience with blackberries and will probably have a lot of questions when I get it.
     
  31. eric

    eric New Member

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    i guess im going to have to wait till june to make a decision.
     
  32. Desides

    Desides Well-Known Member

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    My impression of Blackberries is that they're great for email and contact management, and average at best for everything else.

    Good man. And about Android updates, Android 2.2 is being pushed out sporadically to Nexus One phones. No hint of 2.2 appearing on phones not directly sold by Google.
     
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  33. Muck

    Muck Throwback Uniform Crusader Retired Administrator

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    Hero just got Android 2.1. Officially 2.1-update1.

    I upgraded mine last night and it's like I got a new lease on life. Sense got even better. Loving the new Widgets. And the phone is snappier.

    http://shop.sprint.com/en/software_downloads/pda_smartphone/htc_hero.shtml

    It will wipe out all of your applications and text messages, so make sure you've saved any pictures/videos in there, and make a list of your apps.

    But now my Task Killer app can constant in the background and keeps things closed. That was a welcome addition.

    Don't worry, the system remembers that you bought Tapatalk. :) So you can just pull the Pro version back down.

    Personally, I avoid them whenever possible.

    Their FIOS product is fantastic. The FIOS TV is very good and continues to get better (according to friends who've had it).

    But from a professional standpoint -- I deal with them regularly for many clients -- it's simply a case of a company too big IMO. One hand doesn't know what the other hand is doing. I dread dealing with companies with customer service like this.

    Perhaps that's one reason we've done well in five years with Sprint. While they are one of the handful of Tier 1 network ISP's in the world (along with Verizon), they aren't selling me internet, TV, mobile phones, land lines, etc. Only mobile phones and service.

    We go $99 for unlimited everything on our phones. Simple as that.

    Also, I believe you can cancel your Sprint contract without paying a termination fee. Just as long as you give 30 days notice. I might be wrong, but I know they'd been doing things in this area recently. Prorating the fee, etc. Might want to check into that.
     
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  34. Stitches

    Stitches ThePhin's Biggest Killjoy Luxury Box

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    I'm cool with that. I don't need to be able to do anything and everything with my phone.
     
  35. Boik14

    Boik14 Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    Ya, I do work for VZW. I would say their billing practices are in many ways better then other carriers though. Other carriers have been forcing you to get data plans and paying restocking fees for decades in some cases where as VZW only added those things recently because of the cost of doing business. Just going on the experiences I have heard from other customers and the existing issues I have dealt with from VZW, VZW isnt bad at all. They were the first to do prorated ETF's. Some people will say I'm towing the company line but I think most people who know me know I have never towed the company line a day in my life.

    I cant speak for other carriers but I know with VZW, updates get pushed to your phone automatically. With Droid you can back up contacts to existing Gmail accounts and with blackberry you back it up to your computer using BB desktop manager.

    I would say your assessment of blackberries is spot on. The web browser is ok but theyre supposedly revamping their web browser to fall in line with Droid and I Phone. That wont happen til later this year from what I have heard and read.
     
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  36. Boik14

    Boik14 Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    Ive had my incredible for about 2 weeks now and I would say its about the coolest phone I have seen in the US. Ive never owned an I phone but I have used it fairly extensively and IMO this blows everything about the I Phone out of the water. I had been holding out for an I Phone and came from a blackberry. Neither phone has anything on the Incredible from what i have experienced. I am never the type to be the first to get something but when the rep for HTC came in about 2 weeks before the phone dropped I was really surprised by the features and capabilities and speed. I am never easily impressed but I went on the VZW website within 5 minutes of using the phone and pre-ordered it.

    Some people will say no but then why does consumer reports have ratings for specific phones? I have seen similar phones get completely different reviews even on the same service.
     
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  37. Desides

    Desides Well-Known Member

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    And there you are, eric. :up:

    Well, someone, somewhere is keeping Android back, because 1.5 and 1.6 have double the share of 2.1. 2.2 is only going out to Nexus One phones.

    There's also the problem of writing apps for Android. There were big changes in the iteration from 1.5 to 1.6 and a lot of apps were broken. I believe right now it's an either-or scenario for developers: support the 1.5 framework or the 1.6+ framework. You might look at those numbers and think 1.6 and 2.2 combine for roughly 2/3rds of the Android landscape and write for 1.6+, but you're still leaving out a big potential audience there.

    There's a lot to like about Android, don't get me wrong. But there are some rather glaring drawbacks. This version issue will get ironed out as the platform matures over time, for example. But by the same token, iPhone OS 4.0 looks pretty damn good, so it looks like someone in one camp will have very little reason to leave for the other camp.

    BB OS 6 basically clones iPhone OS, you're right. RIM is scrapping its in-house web browser and creating a new one based on Webkit, the same engine that powers Safari and Chrome on computers, and Mobile Safari and the Android web browser on phones.

    My big problem with BB OS 6 is, why should I wait until Q3 to buy a phone running a clone of an OS I can get right now, or even already own? RIM is playing catch-up in the worst way. Though to be fair, at least they're still in the market: whence Windows Mobile, the one-time king of smartphones? I still say that because Android is duplicating Windows Mobile's tactic of getting the OS on as many phones as possible, Google is really going after Microsoft, not Apple. (Yes, I know Google launched about a zillion anti-Apple zingers at their developer conference just now, but I would imagine Android's market share is coming from Windows Mobile's chunk, not Apple's.)
     
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  38. Boik14

    Boik14 Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    The Moto Droid and the Incredible both came with 2.1. The Eris recently had the update pushed to it. Im not sure if the Devour got it.

    The app problem I dont know where youre getting it from but I get customers in the store a few times a week telling me its easier then they expected and stuff along those lines. Its not my cup of tea but its good to know it can be done.

    I finally figured out which feature I like the best...its the speech to text feature. Its absolutely sick.

    Totally agree with you on Blackberry. They will always have a specialty market for the business customer but if they dont get stuff comparable to droid and I Phone they will lose their share of that market in my opinion. I read a few weeks ago on a website that their 36% smartphone market share was shrinking largely due to the Droid (28%) and Apple (21%). Droid is the one primarily pulling market share though...my guess is since VZW is the biggest whichever phones are their most popular will always pull marketshare...thats what happened with Blackberry and why they exploded so much.
     
  39. Desides

    Desides Well-Known Member

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    But at the same time, there are still phones being sold with older versions of Android. The entire updating process is problematic, IMO.

    I'm talking about developers choosing which version of Android to write for. Because they have to choose, that limits app availability. If you have 1.5 because your carrier won't push out an update, you can't get apps written for 1.6 and above.

    Android's popularity didn't really take off until Verizon started selling the Droid line, so you're right about the market share figures.

    As for Blackberry, yeah, as long as no one can exceed their (patented!) email/contact push features, they're always going to have a place in the enterprise. Apple is gunning for them, though. They really want to make inroads in the enterprise.
     
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  40. Boik14

    Boik14 Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    I guess that depends which carrier you go to. In my case, Verizon never had 1.5 on any of their android phones and the 1.6 that the eris came with had 2.1 pushed to it automatically. Its not a process at all. All you do is click install when the alert comes up and let it sit for 4 hours (aka overnight).

    I guess the 1.5 stuff is kinda dated but thats no different than the earlier I phone stuff is it? Also, if someone is silly enough not to get something with at least 1.6 then they obviously arent aware of the limitations of 1.5 in which case their salesperson did a bad job. :up:
     

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