HTC Hero wih Android

[Shellie]

So you all know my recent drama with my phone being stolen. Well, it was going to cost a $100 deductible to have it replaced with the same phone...which is what I paid for it to begin with!

So I called Sprint to see if I could apply that to another phone or something, because I liked my Instinct, but there were a lot of things about it I hated. She said that couldn't, BUT I was eligible for an upgrade the next day! Fancy that. So I was looking around the Sprint site at the phones and noticed they had 2 Android phones! I had been passively interested in Android, but I already had a smartphone and figured they wouldn't be on my network anyway..nothing fancy ever comes to Sprint. They had the HTC Hero and the Samsung Moment, which was like the Instinct but with Android and a pull out keyboard option.

I ended up going with the HTC Hero, and besides a couple of general touch keyboard complaints I am in LOVE! Android is completely amazing! It truly feels like I have a mini PC in my pocket that I can customize to my liking and download just about any kind of program I want (most are free might I add).

The default dialer on the Hero was a little wonky and an important button was near a number, so it could easily be hit on accident. So, you can download a new dialer app and replace it as the default dialer! I'm wondering now if there is a replacement keyboard as well.

I am having so much fun with this thing!


Oh and no snide comments on how I need to "take better care of this one" are needed

[Lox]

I love Android. I got the Droid and it is so nice. It's basically like the iPhone but with a better architecture.

The app store for Android is very full and you can usually get anything in there that has appeared in the iPhone app store now.

Do you have a data plan?

[Shellie]

Yeah, we have an unlimited data plan.

I've already downloaded some apps, but now Im looking at skinning apps.

Any apps that you feel are must have?

[Lox]

I love the Apps Organizer. For the Droid, you only have so much real estate for icons. Apps Organizer lets you group apps using labels and then you can add a shortcut to that label instead. It's just a way to make containers for your icons, but it's really helpful.

[SineSwiper]

I truly believe that not only is Android an iPhone killer, but possibly even something to make Microsoft nervous. Google is pushing Android netbooks soon, and with that comes even more apps to compete on the PC market.

Android is what Linux could have been if they bothered to bury X in a dumpster somewhere and create something else. Instead, they are still arguing Gnome vs KDE. Ubuntu is great and all, but it's still shackled by X.

[Lox]

I know it was an iPhone killer for me. I could have bought the iPhone at any point, but I never did. The Droid convinced me to switch carriers to get it. I even got my friend to switch from AT&T to Verizon to get the Droid. haha

[Shellie]

So I'm still loving my phone.

I've since "rooted" it and installed a custom ROM. Basically the stock OS with improvements. It's much more responsive now.

I have no complaints about my phone at all. There is absolutely nothing about it I don't like. I had some troubles with the keyboard, but I figured out how to calibrate it, and it made a world of difference.

GET ONE.

[Anarky]

I have a HTC Hero

Here are some Aps that I like:
Advanced Task Killer
Handcent SMS
The Weather Channel
ShopSavvy
Torrent-fu
Listen (podcast)
Bloo (facebook ap that was a bit better than the original... but seems they fixed the built in one)
Photoshop mobile
Power Manager
Astro (file manager)
Astrid (organizer)
AP Mobile
Shazam

[Anarky]

I can't wait for Android 2.1 on it...

[RentCavalier]

Can Android play music a-la itunes?

[SineSwiper]

Android is like ZOMBO.com.

[Lox]

Have you guys found a really good photo viewing app? The one that's built in isn't very good. I have a ton of funny videos I download off Youtube or convert and a lot of photos, too. The default one takes forever to load and it doesn't have a lot of features.

I'd love one that has thumbnail views, zooming, and flick-to-change pictures functionality.

I'm almost about to write my own.

[Anarky]

So I'm still loving my phone.

I've since "rooted" it and installed a custom ROM. Basically the stock OS with improvements. It's much more responsive now.

I have no complaints about my phone at all. There is absolutely nothing about it I don't like. I had some troubles with the keyboard, but I figured out how to calibrate it, and it made a world of difference.

GET ONE.

What rom did you put on? I think I may root my phone finally

[Flip]

The form factor is a little ugg...

[Tessian]

Funny, just today one of my friends was talking about how their bf tried out an Android phone and within a week he sold his iphone and kept it. If my job didn't provide me a phone I'd definitely look into getting an Android phone.

How much do the plans normally run, forgetting about the original cost of the phone? I thought I looked into the Droid initially and found it pretty expensive.

[Shellie]

What rom did you put on? I think I may root my phone finally

Im using Fresh.

Can Android play music a-la itunes?

Uhh... yes? I'm not sure what you mean though. How does itunes let you play music? I have a lot of my mp3s on my phone, plus I have Pandora and last.fm installed.

The form factor is a little ugg...

Of which phone? There are several phones running Android, and more coming. I think the HTC Hero is kinda sexy. The soft back feels really good in the hand, and I like the option of either a touch screen or a trackball.

How much do the plans normally run, forgetting about the original cost of the phone? I thought I looked into the Droid initially and found it pretty expensive.

I think Sprint's cheapest "Anything" plan is 69 and thats unlimited data, and unlimited text. You also get free mobile to ANY mobile. So if you call another mobile phone, it doesnt count towards minutes. I believe that plan comes with 450 minutes.

Have you guys found a really good photo viewing app? The one that's built in isn't very good. I have a ton of funny videos I download off Youtube or convert and a lot of photos, too. The default one takes forever to load and it doesn't have a lot of features.

I'd love one that has thumbnail views, zooming, and flick-to-change pictures functionality.

I'm almost about to write my own.

I havent gotten around to finding a good photo app. I do have one that I can flip though pictures on the "desktop" with though.

Heres some pics of my setup. I have 7 total screens I can flip through but I dont currently use them all.

[SineSwiper]

Sera, you're breaking that 2 reply rule. If you want to reply to multiple people, just combine the messages.

[Flip]

The form factor is a little ugg...

Of which phone? There are several phones running Android, and more coming. I think the HTC Hero is kinda sexy. The soft back feels really good in the hand, and I like the option of either a touch screen or a trackball.

Oh i meant the Motorola droid. Yeah the HTC one is nice looking. I wish Google went the apple route and made one really good phone as opposed to whoring out their OS to multiple handset makers. Although i guess the Nexus 1 shows how that would have turned out.

[SineSwiper]

Oh i meant the Motorola droid. Yeah the HTC one is nice looking. I wish Google went the apple route and made one really good phone as opposed to whoring out their OS to multiple handset makers. Although i guess the Nexus 1 shows how that would have turned out.

That would be entirely missing the point. Android is an open-source OS. The iPhone will fall because it's been exclusive all this time, and it's a closed OS on closed hardware.

The PC is successful because it's upgradable and anybody can make parts. Linux is successful because it's open source. Granted, Windows has a dominating part of the market, but frankly, Linux is the OS of choice for servers, and Windows is really losing a foothold of that market.

[Kupek]

Google is actually going the Microsoft route: control the software, let someone else deal with the hardware.

[Flip]

Google is actually going the Microsoft route: control the software, let someone else deal with the hardware.

Yeah i get it and do support open source... but man does a lot of junk get cranked out in a system like that. If there is one thing i like about Apple it is how relatively tight their product line is, but yes, that is because they are a hardware and software developer and can control that.

[Kupek]

Also, Sine, I don't see how you can conclude the iPhone will fail because it's a closed OS on closed hardware. That's really a statement of ideology, and I don't see how you can support it with history. Historically, closed consumer products have done well. (See: Windows, Mac.)

Note that this is different from development for the device. The iPhone's app store is a closed distribution model. It's worked well for Apple so far - in that people can get decent applications and some developers can make a living - but I'm not sure it will last. Apple has pissed off many developers with their (seemly) capricious approval process.

I see the open question as open-versus-closed app distribution, which has nothing to do with the OS software and phone hardware. Android could also be closed source, closed hardware but still have open application distribution and it would be a contrast to the iPhone.

[Anarky]

I see the Android vs iPhone working like the PC vs MAC.

90% of smart devices will be using Android and Mac will have their small market by the balls because "it just works"

[SineSwiper]

Google is actually going the Microsoft route: control the software, let someone else deal with the hardware.

And I guess Nexus One is what?

Note that this is different from development for the device. The iPhone's app store is a closed distribution model. It's worked well for Apple so far - in that people can get decent applications and some developers can make a living - but I'm not sure it will last. Apple has pissed off many developers with their (seemly) capricious approval process.

I see the open question as open-versus-closed app distribution, which has nothing to do with the OS software and phone hardware. Android could also be closed source, closed hardware but still have open application distribution and it would be a contrast to the iPhone.

One, it's a question of dominance. The iPhone has been plagued with the AT&T network for far too long, and here Google immediately opens up with several phones right off the bat. (Android was around for a while on their first version, but this second wave is really what promoted it.) Apple has responded by trying to de-exclusive their phone, but not a lot of companies want to play ball with their restrictive contracts. (Part of the problem when they asked Verizon the first time.)

Two, the apps are already starting to take over Apple's corporate model. If it's one thing the open source community does well, it's promote free and open applications for the platform they are supporting. Blackberry is filled with shareware and expensive business apps. Apple has less of that problem, but a fair chunk of developers jump on the Apple app bandwagon to make money. Android has the least susceptibility to that problem. Sure, there are many Apple supporters that write free apps to support the iPhone, but Google has their own developer army to reckon with.

Three, Android isn't about another phone OS. It's about changing the landscape. Their first hardware phone is an unlocked phone. They want to promote standardization of the phone hardware and OS, so that you can use any app on any phone, and any phone on any network. This should have happened 10 years ago, but it required a powerhouse like Google to pull it off.

Four, OSS takeovers don't work quickly. Linux took a while to get its server market. Firefox is still taking the market advantage, one percentage point at a time. However, the OSS model survives. It survives takeovers and corporate mergers and companies that ditch a product, as well as hostile benefactors that do not agree with the direction the product should take.

[Kupek]

You're saying a bunch of things that will happen - predictions. It's not settled. It's an open question.

One thing that open-source software has been notoriously bad at is consumer software. But, again, I don't think open-versus-closed source has anything to do with this. It's all about third-party app development and distribution. Microsoft could have competed with the iPhone if they had fostered a better ecosystem around Windows CE.

[bovine]

News: Google makes a phone

http://www.google.com/phone/?locale=en_US&s7e=

where have you guys been?

[Shellie]

They mentioned it.

I've heard it has a lot of problems, though I haven't really looked into what the deal is.

[Tessian]

They mentioned it.

I've heard it has a lot of problems, though I haven't really looked into what the deal is.

I believe Nexus One is actually the Android phone one of my friend's got and promptly sold their iPhone because of...

[Shellie]

I believe Nexus One is actually the Android phone one of my friend's got and promptly sold their iPhone because of...

Actually, now the only thing Ive found thats a big problem is it has problems keeping a 3G connection and they're working on it.

[SineSwiper]

You're saying a bunch of things that will happen - predictions. It's not settled. It's an open question.

One thing that open-source software has been notoriously bad at is consumer software. But, again, I don't think open-versus-closed source has anything to do with this. It's all about third-party app development and distribution. Microsoft could have competed with the iPhone if they had fostered a better ecosystem around Windows CE.

Well, yeah. We've been talking about the future all the time. I didn't say "Apple is failing" or "had failed", but it "will fail". And, yes, it will take some time to knock over this empire. But the impact it's had already is astounding. I didn't expect this much damage from Apple.

OSS vs closed source is at the very heart of the manner. Why is Apple having problems now? Because it's competing with 10-20 phones and they are all Android. Every carrier (except AT&T) has a Android phone. If this was a Droid vs. iPhone battle, it would be much less of a problem. But, Apple now has to compete on all fronts and all networks, and they haven't even de-exclusived themselves from AT&T.

Pretty soon, AT&T will have to play ball and get their own Android phone just to keep up with market share. (This will probably happen after Apple is on other networks.) Eventually, Android will becomes the standard platform for all phones, because people want the larger app market. And if Google doesn't play fair, so what? Fork the code. Hell, I'm sure other companies will do that anyway, just for their own flavor of Android.

Deep down Android is basically Linux Mobile, so it was already forked to begin with. This is already a big win for Linux, and the development here will finally get Linux in the consumer market. The only reason why OSS "has been notoriously bad at consumer software" is because they've never had a decent consumer platform to develop on. (X is a horrible platform.) Now they do.

[Kupek]

I have two problems with what you're saying. One, you say "Apple will fail" as if it's a logical consequence of the premises. As I have said before, it's an open question. Pretending you know what will happen is silly. Two, I don't know what kind of "damage" has already happened. Have iPhone sales dropped off? What are you calling "damage"? Are you just referring to hype?

Third (guess I lied), open-versus-closed source has nothing to do with your argument that there are 10-20 Android phones. Again, that just as easily could have been the case with a closed-source option, like Windows CE.

I don't disagree with you that Android is an interesting and good development for smart phones, or that Apple has serious competition. I just find your arguments that Apple will fail unsound.

edit: Looks like Android is drifting away significantly from the mainline Linux kernel: http://www.kroah.com/log/linux/android- ... blems.html It's possible that in the future, it will be more accurate to say that Android is based on Linux, rather than it is Linux.

[SineSwiper]

I have two problems with what you're saying. One, you say "Apple will fail" as if it's a logical consequence of the premises. As I have said before, it's an open question. Pretending you know what will happen is silly.

What? I can't speculate?

Two, I don't know what kind of "damage" has already happened. Have iPhone sales dropped off? What are you calling "damage"? Are you just referring to hype?

Apple has already claimed that it's lost some sales this quarter because of Android. And yes, the hype is real, too. All of that hype is going to really hurt because people are buying Android phones instead of iPhones.

Third (guess I lied), open-versus-closed source has nothing to do with your argument that there are 10-20 Android phones. Again, that just as easily could have been the case with a closed-source option, like Windows CE.

Yeah, about Windows Mobile... Keep in mind that this is a product that has been around for years with some heavily active development. Also, this statement is telling: "The New York Times reported that Windows Mobile "is foundering", as cellphone makers desert it in favor of Google's Android phone platform. It cited the difficulties in Microsoft's business model, which involves charging handset manufacturers up to $25 for each copy of Windows Mobile, while rival Google gives away Android for free."

Yes, the cost is a major problem for phone mnfrs. If they can stop giving millions of dollars away to Microsoft, they will. And yes, that is most definitely a OSS argument.

edit: Looks like Android is drifting away significantly from the mainline Linux kernel: http://www.kroah.com/log/linux/android- ... blems.html It's possible that in the future, it will be more accurate to say that Android is based on Linux, rather than it is Linux.

That's disappointing. I hope Google does its part to give back to the OSS community. They owe them for spitting in the face of Firefox developers.

[Kupek]

You phrase your speculation as fact.

I hadn't realized iPhone sales were down, which is interesting. We'll see what happens in the future.

And once again, it's not about open source. Microsoft didn't need to sell licenses to Windows CE. And Google could have had a similar closed third-party app store. (It would be easier to circumvent, but most people don't do that.) It's not about open source because it's not about the operating system. It's about the platform they build on top of that. Android is in opposition to the iPhone in two important ways: phone manufacturers have a free license to use it in their phones, and the third-party app distribution is open. Both of these are possible in a closed-source, proprietary OS. Software can be free as in beer, but not free as in speech. Microsoft could have done this by simply not charging.

[SineSwiper]

And once again, it's not about open source. Microsoft didn't need to sell licenses to Windows CE. And Google could have had a similar closed third-party app store. (It would be easier to circumvent, but most people don't do that.) It's not about open source because it's not about the operating system. It's about the platform they build on top of that. Android is in opposition to the iPhone in two important ways: phone manufacturers have a free license to use it in their phones, and the third-party app distribution is open. Both of these are possible in a closed-source, proprietary OS. Software can be free as in beer, but not free as in speech. Microsoft could have done this by simply not charging.

Well, marketing it "free as in beer" is a good business model for OSS platforms, but not exactly for closed-source platforms. (Never understood why the phrase is called "free as in beer". Beer is never free...) After all, why spend all of this money on developers when you don't have a profit model?

Sure, IE is free, but it's part of Windows. Ultimately, Microsoft has to tie the free software to some sort of profit margin. (Firefox proves that you can have a free browser without a business pumping money into developers, which is the difference between OSS and CSS.) With Windows Mobile, they had no choice; they HAD to try to make money off of it. There was no other profit margin that could pay for the developers that directly tied to the phone.

Google, on the other hand, could go bankrupt, and the phone OS lives on. Google has to be on hand in the beginning to support the companies, do most of the development, and act as cheerleader. However, that situation doesn't have to stay like that forever. Give it enough popularity to attract outside developers, and make sure that it's standard enough to keep the phone vendors from being skiddish, and Google can take a more passive role in the whole OS. Phone vendors will even front money for developers to support their own phone OS.

[Flip]

Top 10 selling smart phones in America Q4 2009:

1. RIM - BlackBerry Curve
2. Apple - iPhone 3G S
3. Motorola - DROID
4. Apple - iPhone 3G
5. RIM - BlackBerry Pearl
6. RIM - BlackBerry Bold
7. RIM - BlackBerry Storm
8. Palm - Pre
9. RIM - BlackBerry Tour
10. T-Mobile - myTouch 3G

According to IDC Mobile Devices and Technology Trends

Lots of BB's and a couple android devices pop up.

[SineSwiper]

Top 10 selling smart phones in America Q4 2009:

1. RIM - BlackBerry Curve
2. Apple - iPhone 3G S
3. Motorola - DROID
4. Apple - iPhone 3G
5. RIM - BlackBerry Pearl
6. RIM - BlackBerry Bold
7. RIM - BlackBerry Storm
8. Palm - Pre
9. RIM - BlackBerry Tour
10. T-Mobile - myTouch 3G

According to IDC Mobile Devices and Technology Trends

Lots of BB's and a couple android devices pop up.

I'm actually quite surprised at how well Blackberry is doing. Despite appearances, they are kicking Apple's ass. However, I'd like to see what 2010 Q1 will be like. Android really didn't take off until the beginning of the year.

Also, seeing the numbers behind the phones would give a good idea of scale.

[Shellie]

Awesome home replacement coming soon:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOGmnnGpoqg
TATHome

[Sephy]

While I like my iphone, and am generally happy with it, I will probably jailbreak it soon because it is so handcuffed otherwise. AT&T service is terrible though. Will probably switch carries next summer when my plan is up.