Android Got an Android phhone ?? - Need some advice

[CannonFoddr]

OK, firstly I've been a Nokia 'fan' ever since I had my first Mobile - & I was lucky enough to win a Nokia 5800 Comes with music smartphone last year but I'm thinking of changing & I like to idea of the Android OS (mainly 'cos it not an iPhone)

I am on PAYG, due to 'lack of use' of the phone 'cos it's cheaper
(I mainly use it for occasional text, calls, as a mp3, the occasional photo, & internet browsing - if I can find a free WiFi hotspot or using it @ Home)
I don't use it for Twitter/Facebook or any 'social network' stuff (only the occasional internet browsing or weather report etc depending on WiFi access)

Not only is the problem is I can't decide on which Android phone (I'm tempted either a 'Galaxy' or one of the HTC ones) but I also want to find out a little more info about a couple of things that I haven't managed to find out & so I'm hoping someone with an Android phone can clear it up for me

1) Music player -
On the Nokia 5800, it takes up to six 'taps' to finally get to the play controls to actually start playing the music
(Music Player > Playlists (x2) > Select a playlist > Options > Now Playing > then press the 'play' button).
On older (non-smartphone) Nokia it use to go straight to the player controls & if you wanted to change playlist/album you used 'options' within the 'player' to change it

On the Android phones - when you select the music player - How does that work ??
Does it go straight to player controls (or is there an options that will allow it to 'remember last played album/playlist') - or does it do the same as the Nokia, where you have to select what you want to play first (album/playlist etc) then select the 'now playing' just to get to the player controls

When I want to listen to music - I'd just like to select the Music player & it will go straight to the actual player with the last album I was listening to - I don't want to keep selecting the last album/playlist (whatever) every time I start the music player

2) Google Maps/Navigation -
On Nokia, it has OVI Maps (with navigation), & all the maps are stored on the phone (which you can update via PC anytime you feel like it - so I can download & install the whole UK maps whenever I like onto the phone).
IF I want a map - it's on the phone already
If I use the Sat-nav function - It already on the phone, so no need to connect to the Internet

On Android - where are the Maps 'stored' ??
IF I use the Sat-Nav feature, will the Android phone already have the maps stored in the phone ?? - or will it insist on connecting to the Internet & download the required maps ??
... Remember I'm on PAYG so this would cost me each time I wanted to use the Sat-Nav feature, whereas it doesn't cost me with the Nokia as they are already 'in-the-phone'...

How good is the Sat-Nav feature ? - does it use Google maps (ie does it connect to internet & work out the route 'online' then display it on the phone) or does it use inbuilt maps & calculate the route on the phone instead (ie NO internet connection)

Any help/Comments appreciated

 

[ProtoKun7]

For music, my phone (Xperia X10) has Mediascape, which I think is Sony Ericsson's program, so I'm not certain on default players, but you can download alternative free media players that have varying controls.

I don't use Sat Nav much (don't really need to), but on mine, Google Maps can be used (which uses the internet to download the map information). There's another application on mine too (Navigation, which is also Google, I believe), but I've used that even less.
Actually...

*plays with Navigation*

 

[Sonic0509]

Music player - there is factory installed one (in HTCs). It's VERY simple. It goes straight to Play/pause etc. And it uses auto-rotation.

 

[Matthew]

One of the good things with Andriod is the app store, there are many media players and I bet theres another navigation app

 

[creepingcreep]

Google maps and navigation uses the internet everytime to download and there is no way at the moment to store them like ovi maps on the sd or phone memory.

I missed the map storing when I moved from nokia, but its a small price to pay for a far better map and navigation system. However if your pay as you go I dont think it's for you

 

[Chrono_Tata]

Yeah, there are a lot of media players around the market (free and non-free) as well as the Android default and manufacturer's players so really you can take your pick. Hell, some of them even have homescreen widgets so you don't even have to launch the player interface, just press the play button on your home screen and you're good to go. Personally I'm using Winamp Beta for Android to play my music on the Galaxy S.

The same goes with navigation really, there are third-party apps you can get. Unfortunately, Google Maps doesn't do caching for you, but even on a limited data plan, the data transfer for map is really tiny (especially if you don't turn on satellite view) so it shouldn't be a problem. I have heard that the navigation app that will come with the HTC Desire HD will have map data caching though so you might want to wait for that. There may be some third-party apps that do caching too, although I haven't personally looked into it.

One thing to warn you about though, is that the Samsung Galaxy S has really, really bad GPS. People think it's a hardware problem since Samsung seems to be doing nothing to fix it. If you are looking for a phone to do navigation, don't get the Galaxy S. On the other hand, the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 has a really good GPS hardware and can lock the signal with very high accuracy very fast, so you might want to look into that if navigation is priority. It has many shortcomings though, such as an outdated Android version, no multitouch support and very low colour count compared to other top-end Androids.

Just a suggestion though; Android does a lot of things online like syncing contacts, emails, app market, etc., so I seriously recommend you to get a contract with a data plan to really enjoy using it.

 

[Haloman800]

Android is buggy, like to the extreme in some cases.

The bills are outrageous, I just got one for $120.00 for a month, just for general usage.

The apps are sub-par compared to iPhone.


---

But I still love it.

Get a Droid X by Motorola or an Evo by HTC (preferably Droid X)


Just last night, I was playing a GBA emulator on it, I hooked it up with my Wii remote, and then hooked that up to my TV with an HDMI cord, so I was playing GBA games on my TV through my phone with a wii remote.


Edit: If you get one, BE SURE to root it. Rooting is the equivalent of jailbreaking an iPhone, or soft-modding a Wii, it allows you to make your phone run faster, customize it more, and other things. It's so easy, with one application you just have to press a button and it does it.



Feel free to ask me any questions whatsoever. Just message me. An awesome community by the way, is Androidforums.com , they'll also (probably) answer any questions you might have.

 

[CannonFoddr]

Many thanks to all the replies - it's given me a lot to think about

>> Navigation is not really important as such, just handy if I go anywhere I've never been before - although the storing of maps on the phone itself would be a nice plus point

>> The info about Galaxy GPS is a great thing to know about as well - although since reading up on it the Galaxy is most probably not a phone I'll consider now (since I've found out it doesn't even have a flash for the camera - I would be using THAT more often than the Sat-Nav) - HTC phones seems higher up my list so far

>> As for 'getting a contract', as mentioned I don't really use the mobile much - I think I've used up ~£80 in just over a year TOTAL!!!, so paying £25-30/mth for 'non-use' seems excessive..
... saying that a friend has suggested a SIM-only contract, which most companies seem to do - the best (cheapest) I've found so far with a 'data allowance' is a £5/mth using talkmobile (CarphoneWarehouse) - the only problem is... will I get a signal in the factory I work at (which is flaky with most networks the best of time - except Vodafone (+ASDA) which is just perfect every time)

(Unfortunately Vodafone best/cheapest 'SIM-only with Data allowance' (non-iPhone/Blackberry) deal is £25/mth... it'll be cheaper to go for a Pay Monthly deal with phone (best is £15/mth) but they don't have much choice of Android mobiles)​

>> The 'syncing' business isn't really a problem - as I guess I could set up the phone to only 'manually sync' which I can do when I'm @ home or near a free WiFi hotspot - a bit like how I do it now with my Nokia

>> The info about the various media players available (both free & paid for) is nice to know - there's only a limited few available for the Nokia (all cost money) that I can choose from (the only one I've found so far that's not 'buggy' & it does nearly all that I want is one called 'LCG jukebox')

& as for this 'rooting' business - I'm usually wary of 'hacking' stuff (especially 'new' stuff still in warranty etc), as I've had a few bad experiences in the past with stuff like that (maybe if/when I go 'Android' I may just wait a while before attempting that)

The AndroidForums.com is definitely somewhere I'll be popping to for more info as well

Once again many thanks for all the feedback

 

[ProtoKun7]

Edit: If you get one, BE SURE to root it. Rooting is the equivalent of jailbreaking an iPhone, or soft-modding a Wii, it allows you to make your phone run faster, customize it more, and other things. It's so easy, with one application you just have to press a button and it does it.

Heh, I used that application.

Assuming you have a compatible phone, I used Universal Androot, which also has an unroot option (which I haven't used) but as far as I know rooting is quite safe. With that, anyway.

 

[redact]

while we're on the subject of android phones...
i recently got a motorola quench xt5 which runs a somewhat motoblur-raped version of eclair and i tried to install flash 10.1 on it and even though it claims it's installed i can't actually view any flash content. would anybody know why this is?

 

[Chrono_Tata]

In reply to the previous post, I think Flash Player 10.1 requires Froyo to work properly, so even if you manage to install it on Eclair I don't think it's going to work.

Anyway in reply to the OP, I think Vodafone's cheapest deal for SIM-only with a data plan is actually £20 since that's the one I'm using.

But yeah, I understand you're probably a bit reluctant to change especially if you don't usually use a lot of data. I personally had a Pay as you Talk before I got my Android as well, but after getting an Android I have changed my phone habit quite a bit (I think you'll see why) so I decided that it was more worth it to switch to contract. Anyway, you could stay with PAYT for now and see how it goes.

Just speaking a bit in defence of the Galaxy S though, even without the flash it does take night pictures using night mode quite well, so as long as there is some light I've found that the picture quality turn out to be pretty good. But yeah the GPS is definitely a crippling flaw. I don't use navigation much myself so the phone is perfect for me but it might not be right for you.

I would recommend you wait a bit for the Desire HD (if it's not out already, I think the release date is some time in October). From the look of it, the native navigation software looks fantastic and with a 8MP camera with two LED flashes I think you'd be pretty satisfied, if you don't mind the price tag. Check the hand-on vid yourself.

http://www.intomobile.com/2010/09/15/hands...id-superphones/

 

[CannonFoddr]

That HTC Desire HD looks so good I'd better start saving my pennies up for that (just in case I do change) - nearly £500 Sim-free..... Whew !!!

Although I did notice @ 2:21 it said 'Purchase Navigation' - I thought Navigation on Android was free (like with Nokia), or do you think this is because it's HTC own Navigation app & you need to buy 'navigation'

Seems like no release date in UK for it just yet (apparently it should be Oct 25th but Amazon is showing Nov15th), & I still need to see how the Music player 'works', but the 'Maps on Phone' & 'Camera with flash' are plus points for this phone

Definitely one to keep an eye on

 

[joybeba6679]

This is very simple, I have a Samsung captivate (galaxy S), and I'm very impressed, if you are like me, that don't like the iPhone, then either this one or the Samsung vibrant (galaxy S too) are your options. Screen is multi touch, AMOLED screen, marketplace has great free apps, music is simple with the app they bring, it remembers playlists and favorite songs, it also changes the interface depending on how toy hold the phone.

And to top it all, either the captivate or the vibrant and the best androids out there, in terms of performance and specs. So from a captivate user, I recommend either of the Samsungs, depends on which network u are.

 

[Chrono_Tata]

He lives in the UK. None of the Galaxy S variants are available here except, obviously, the Galaxy S. But yeah, the Samsung native music player is mostly nice, but my big issue with it is that it cannot display high-res album art properly (they all get resized to low quality ones) and sometimes won't read embedded album art at all. It's rather annoying. The good thing about it is having the control integrated into the default lock screen and the notification tab.

On the subject of the Desire HD's navigation, this video should answer your question about the paid parts of the software. In short, I think you can use either the free and rather primitive navigation, or upgrade to a more sophisticated version with voice directions and all that.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iU7E3wETnro

 

[CannonFoddr]

On the subject of the Desire HD's navigation, this video should answer your question about the paid parts of the software. In short, I think you can use either the free and rather primitive navigation, or upgrade to a more sophisticated version with voice directions and all that.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iU7E3wETnro

Thanks for that video - Looking @ it - it does seems that the 'free' version is almost identical to the 'paid' but without the voice directions (& maybe even POI/3D models etc etc) - A bit like 'Nokia Maps' was like (before the 'Voice Navigation' became free) which is something I think I could live with.... & hope that someday it might become 'free' like Nokia did with it's maps

I guess I'll need to know more like what the 'Upgrade' adds to the basic app - like 'voice guidance' (for the UK that is) & how much it'll cost - would it be a one off payment, or a Daily/MonthlyYearly subscription like Nokia had ??
Still there's plenty of time to do more research before I could even think of buying one

EDIT: Well I've been looking at the manual for the HTC Desire HD & it has 'most boxes ticked' for the 'stuff' I'd like in an Android phone (Onboard maps,Camera with Flash,Music player that goes STRAIGHT to now playing etc)

It looks as thought the free Maps/Navigation is similar to the paid for version except for 'Turn-By-turn voice', 'Safety cameras' and 'Map views' (whatever THAT is - satellite photos perhaps ??)

Now all I need to know is HOW MUCH are the licenses are going to be & are they 'limited time usage' (buy a one for 1week/month/year usage of turn-by-turn perhaps??) - just like how Nokia use to have

EDIT #2: I did find an article about HTC & TomTom having an 'agreement', so I'm guessing the 'paid for licences' will be something along the line of services that TomTom supplies - which are 'Speed cameras' and 'Real time Traffic reports' - along with with the additional 'Turn-By-Turn voices' that is.

 

[CannonFoddr]

Just a small update - still not 100% sure whether to go Android or not - but I have had a reply for more info about the HTC Desire HD 'licences' (as in Costs and 'life' of them) so I thought I'll add it here in case anyone else is thing about buying this phone

Here's the replies I got (spelling mistakes corrected)

The phone comes with 30day trial navigation so you can try it out.

Regarding prices,
For UK the prices are:
UK/Ireland is £23,88
Europe is £40,85
Saftey Safety Cameras Europe 1 Year is £8,17
Traffic Europe 1 year is £8,17
The prices are shown in dollars so this these are the estimated prices at the moment in pounds.
There are maps for purchase for the whole world if you would like.When asking to confirm the 'life' of the 'UK/Ireland'/ 'Europe' - I got this
QUOTEAll the prices i sent where were for 1 year.

As i sad said,
The phone comes with 30day trial navigation so you can try it out.
That gives you voice step by step,
Without it you wont get the voice stop step by step.

All I can say is - I think they need to check their spell checker

Still you never know they MIGHT go the same way as Nokia did - & offer Navigation for free for life (of the phone) - here's finger crossed

 

[ProtoKun7]

I tried the other Navigation app the other day and it worked quite well.

 

[CannonFoddr]

I tried the other Navigation app the other day and it worked quite well.

Which one is that ?? - The Google Navigation, the 'free' (No voice turn-by-turn) HTC navigation or the paid for HTC 'navigation' ???

I'm just curious

 

[ProtoKun7]

The Google one I mentioned previously, which I think might have been included. I found that the speech synthesis sounded unusual compared to most standard Sat Nav voices, though that might vary by phone.

 

[Chrono_Tata]

Wow, the TomTom/HTC one seems a bit pricey but I guess if you have a car dock and drive a lot it's about the same as owning a TomTom. Also maybe there will be a smaller price for downloading local area maps rather than the entire UK? Anyway I'd wait for the Desire HD to come out first and find out how well the GPS hardware works before investing in the premium navigation service.

If you mostly just walk, or don't drive to unfamiliar streets that much, maybe just stick with the standard Google Navigation. If you are on Vodafone PAYT, then the rate for internet is a flat rate of 50p for 25MB a day, and then they charge extra if you go over that. (If you only use internet for syncing/Google Maps, there's no way you'd go over 25 MB a day) Since the UK map for the TomTom service is £23.88, you'd need to use Navigation for over 47 days to make it worth it over just using Google Maps for navigation. Just think about if it will be worth it or not.

Also since the service is provided by TomTom I doubt they will be changing the price to a lifetime subscription any time soon. Even their own customers have to pay annual fees for that.