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GeekNights 20100412 - The Smart Phone Situation

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  • All cell phone unlocking (that doesn't infringe copyright) made legal by American gov't!
    How long until someone gets Android running on the iPhone, now that that is legal?
    Why would you want Android on an iPhone? I know, I know, "because we can," but I just want to point out that, as the guy in that video mentioned, in order for Android to work properly, you need 4 navigation buttons, not one. iOS on Android would make more sense (then I would have a decent music app), though that's still illegal.
  • Well if you want something that runs well on a 3G with the features of iOS4, Android seems a good choice, once they get it worked out, I could see it becoming quite popular.
  • I would say get the Incredible because I heard the Droid X has some crazy phone-bricking hardware DRM in it.
    Wow, I hadn't heard of any of that. Are these isolated incidents, or something I'd be likely to encounter should I buy one? Because I tried it out today, and the Swype keyboard alone was pretty much all I needed to choose the Droid X over the Incredible; going back to typing feels so slow and sluggish on a phone now. I've looked and I can't find a definitive answer about the public release of Swype, so if that will soon be out for all Android phones, then I suppose this line of reasoning is moot. At the same time, the huge screen on the X makes Swype easier to use... but I digress. Is there anything else I should know of before buying? Because I'm pretty sure I'm going out tonight to get the Droid X, unless these issues Scott mentioned are prevalent in EVERY device, or I've missed something fantastic about the Incredible (still a great phone, I've just really taken a liking to the X).
  • Earlier Droid models are pretty much wide open. Once you root it you can load whatever custom ROM you want, including updating them to the latest version of Android. I want to reiterate this: Droid X has been rooted. You just can't load a custom ROM on it yet due to the bootloader's restrictions. Unless you're needing to put some custom version of Android on there, you should be fine.
  • Well I think that video proved my point that hackers don't care if something is legal; almost the opposite seems to be true.
  • Earlier Droid models are pretty much wide open. Once you root it you can load whatever custom ROM you want, including updating them to the latest version of Android. I want to reiterate this:Droid X has been rooted.You just can't load a custom ROM on it yet due to the bootloader's restrictions. Unless you're needing to put some custom version of Android on there, you should be fine.
    My only concern there is that I haven't tried anything like that, and so I'm worried about being denied a replacement should I brick it (or otherwise damage the phone otherwise within the warranty). If this is a stupidly obvious question, forgive me, I'm just new to this.
  • My only concern there is that I haven't tried anything like that, and so I'm worried about being denied a replacement should I brick it (or otherwise damage the phone otherwise within the warranty). If this is a stupidly obvious question, forgive me, I'm just new to this.
    If you are not confident in your abilities to restore the phone, or if you can not afford to break the phone, I recommend not trying to hack it in any way shape or form.
  • If you are not confident in your abilities to restore the phone, or if you can not afford to break the phone, I recommend not trying to hack it in any way shape or form.
    Then with that in mind, would you consider the Droid X a worthy alternative to the Incredible? Or is the default software etc truly that bad?
  • Then with that in mind, would you consider the Droid X a worthy alternative to the Incredible? Or is the default software etc truly that bad?
    If you're asking my personal opinion, they all suck ass. That's why I got the iPhone despite the fact that it is evil and I hate it.
  • If you're asking my personal opinion, they all suck ass. That's why I got the iPhone despite the fact that it is evil and I hate it.
    In that case, I'm probably going to go with the X, though I'll give the Incredible one more shot at the store when I go to buy. I do appreciate the advice though, thanks.
  • If you're asking my personal opinion, they all suck ass. That's why I got the iPhone despite the fact that it is evil and I hate it.
    In that case, I'm probably going to go with the X, though I'll give the Incredible one more shot at the storewhen I go to buy. I do appreciate the advice though, thanks.
    If Google would just pour some fucking money into fixing that stupid UI, it wouldn't be so bad. I played with my friend's Incredible and it does have an incomprehensible UI, but I spent the majority of the time fiddling with Google Goggles, but that's an aside.
  • edited August 2010
    Jailbreak your iPhone with a URL. Also works on iPad.

    Remember to change the root password after freeing your phone from Cupertino's shackles, kids.
    Post edited by WindUpBird on
  • edited August 2010
    Remember to change the root password after freeing your phone from Cupertino's shackles, kids.
    Wait, why? I haven't been keeping up on the whole jailbreaking thing.

    [Edit] Nvm, Googled it. This jailbreaker didn't work for my phone, anyway. I suggest people wait. Having to restore your phone is annoying.
    Post edited by Sail on
  • edited December 2010
    I remember Rym talking about how great the webOS interface is and how much better off Android would have been with it. I didn't see anything in this thread mentioning the fact that Matias Duarte, the lead designer for webOS, left Palm and joined Google near the end of May.

    I read somewhere that he was hired to make some major design changes but that they wouldn't be implemented in the next version of Android.

    Anyone have any insight on this?
    Post edited by Lanlost on
  • edited December 2010
    ...
    Post edited by Lanlost on
  • Hmmm, that would explain why things seem to rapidly be becoming less shit.
  • Why do I have to dig around in the settings of my android phone to turn on and off the GPS antenna when there's a perfectly good space on the notifications screen next to the Bluetooth antenna setting that's currently being occupied by the "silence" button?
  • Why do I have to dig around in the settings of my android phone to turn on and off the GPS antenna when there's a perfectly good space on the notifications screen next to the Bluetooth antenna setting that's currently being occupied by the "silence" button?
    You must have a Samsung phone. Some of us aren't even lucky enough to have that. I just use the Power Control widget to turn GPS, Wifi, Bluetooth, Sync, and brightness on and off.
  • You must have a Samsung phone.
    I actually do. Is that an addition made by Samsung?
  • Yeah. Stock Android doesn't do that. It definitely should, but it doesn't.
  • In that case, I direct my ire at Samsung, rather than Google.

    (Samsung actually seems to make very few "edits" to android. Other than that, my andorid phone looks and feels like a "stock" phone. Which is nice.)
  • I'm running a custom ROM, my phone does that. ^_^
  • edited December 2010
    Is fucking up your battery life part and parcle of all android Im clients, or does the meebo one just suck?
    Post edited by Neito on
  • I just found out about this: Verizon Unlimited Data Plans

    Apparently after the summer, if you're on an unlimited data plan and upgrade your phone paying the subsidized price, you will be forced off your unlimited plan and have to go on the tiered plans.

    So, if I were to upgrade to the iPhone 5, whenever that comes out, I would have to shell out the full price to stay on my unlimited plan.

    I currently range from 2gb - 6gb/month, so I may have to switch if the time comes or just shell out a lot of money.
  • I think the 4gb hotspot plan on Verizon isn't too bad. $50 for 4gb of data + the wifi hotspot stuff for all your other Cool And Internet Capable Devices.
  • I'm torn here. I want to keep my unlimited plan just to stick it to verizon, but at the same time I never use more than 1GB of data. I doubt that would change much even if I had 4G.
  • I'm averaging about 6 gigs per month.
  • I'm averaging about 6 gigs per month.
    Yeah, people like you are the reason this is happening. :P
  • I'm averaging about 6 gigs per month.
    Yeah, people like you are the reason this is happening. :P
    They shouldn't have offer unlimited in the first place then. :P
  • I'm averaging about 6 gigs per month.
    Yeah, people like you are the reason this is happening. :P
    Nah, I'm pretty sure it's people using, like, 20 gigs a month.

    But sure I'll move to a tiered plan.

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