Android Mobile Phone

[Sofa]

I got a T-Mobile G1 on Friday. I have not been so excited by a gadget since I got a Sinclair ZX Spectrum when I was nine.

Android is cooler than cool - it is ice cold, or possibly, even, at 0 degrees Kelvin.

Android is so the future. Anyone who does not believe me now, mark my words: the days of proprietry mobile software are numbered. (hooray!). Soon, you, too will be released from the shackles of rubbish mobile operating systems. It has almost made the endless hours of waiting for my old Nokia N73 to do anything, ever, worthwhile.

My better half will be getting a G1 soon, and she is the least techie person I know, but she will love Android just as much as me, I am certain of it.

Goodness me, how rare it is for something really, really good to come along.

Have any other Forumites had experiences with Android they would like to share?

 

[Florence]

Blimey! I want one! Have no idea why, but I do...

 

[My Name is URL]

Sounds great... but the G1 us just too big and ugly for my liking....

 

[Gramaisc]

Sounds great... but the G1 us just too big and ugly for my liking....

... wouldn't stop Florence - her current phone is borderline for hand luggage, if she wasn't too frightened to get on a plane.

 

[tek-monkey]

Sofa, you almost sound like an apple advert

 

[Florence]

I do like a chunky phone that I can find in an overstuffed handbag.

 

[db]

the days of proprietry mobile software are numbered.

the apple iphone would like a word with you lol..

Sounds great... but the G1 us just too big and ugly for my liking....

yeah, i like the idea of android, and i'm sure it will evolve into an excellent platform in the very near future, but it's nowhere near good enough for me to ignore the fact that the G1 is absolutely hideous lol..

 

[Wookie]

Have they fixed the rebooting bug yet?
How does one lay one's grubby mitts on this miraculous piece of technology? I may look at it for When I Finally Get Around To Upgrading...

 

[My Name is URL]

Have they fixed the rebooting bug yet?
How does one lay one's grubby mitts on this miraculous piece of technology? I may look at it for When I Finally Get Around To Upgrading...

@ Wookie...

Why did you capitalise the first letter of every word in "When I Finally Get Around To Upgrading" when you didn't in the rest of the post?

Is that secret code.... seriously I just wasted 15 minutes of my life trying to figure out if it was a joke or if your keyboard just flipped out....

WIFGATU?

 

[shoes]

Maybe its poor english from a french waiter... would moiseur like ice cream wif [his] gatteaux?

 

[Wookie]

Have they fixed the rebooting bug yet?
How does one lay one's grubby mitts on this miraculous piece of technology? I may look at it for When I Finally Get Around To Upgrading...

@ Wookie...

Why did you capitalise the first letter of every word in "When I Finally Get Around To Upgrading" when you didn't in the rest of the post?

Is that secret code.... seriously I just wasted 15 minutes of my life trying to figure out if it was a joke or if your keyboard just flipped out....

WIFGATU?

No, it's for emphasis, without anyone complaining about me bellowing at them.

 

[db]

the missus has an htc hero, which currently runs on android 1.5.. it's well nice, but her main gripe is one that i would definitely agree with: the text messaging insists on grouping texts together a la gmail "conversations", and there's no way to turn it off! so your texts don't appear as individual messages in chronological order - you just get a list of everyone who has ever text you, and it groups all messages based on sender..

super weak

 

[shoes]

Lol this is one of the only things I really really like about my HTC touch HD - the conversations grouping. It displays in a slightly different way in as much as you get one entry per person (and conversation) however they arrange the people in chronological order.

I cannot turn off the grouping either, but i quite like it. Is there a way of perhaps changing the order in which each conversation is displayed?

 

[Furbal]

The text message grouping is the same on the iPhone and as far as I know you can't turn it off either...not that I'd want to either.

Isn't the G1 fairly old now? Am sure I looked at one before getting my iPhone - which is waaaay superior ofc

 

[My Name is URL]

Who mentioned the G1?!? Oh I see, that was what the topic started about....

Yes I think it is quite old now... the HTC Hero and Magic, the Samsung Galaxy aren't though... and SE X3, HTC Tattoo, T-Mobile Pulse and lots more will all be out soon running Android. </licks lips>

Perhaps Sofa could come back and report on his love affair with Android since he started the thread (and promptly buggered off )

 

[Sofa]

Perhaps Sofa could come back and report...

My adoration of the G1 has not wavered. Anyone who knows me also knows that my G1 has become an indispensable tool. Sitting in the pub or a meeting, or even sitting in a meeting in the pub, sending and checking mails, looking up stuff on the web, using my calendar, taking notes - I don't know how I managed!

I know there are loads of other phones or OSs which do the same thing and I am sure that lots of them are great. The advantage of push email with the Googlephone will not always be enjoyed for free by others, I expect, unless you have a Blackberry (using a MS mail server - MS - boo!).

Here is a list of the apps I have on my phone:

ToggleAir - kills radio
BBC Listings
beebPlayer - an iPlayer client
CarDar Lite - set a GPS point and find your way back
Documents To Go - .doc reader
Flashlight
FxCamera - for fun snaps
GDocs - Google Docs client
IcViewer - pdf viewer
MediaByPath
Meebo IM - for all IM needs
Meridian - audio player
Meridian Video Player
MyTracks - record your gps tracks and send them to My Maps on your Google account.
Newtons Cradle - an essential for all executives
Podcasts
PRO Paint Camera - for serious photography - no other camera software handles large formats as well, oddly.
Rehearsal Assistant - dictaphone
SMS Backup - sends all text messages to yourself as an email
StarContact - can be a quicker way to look up contacts
TuneWiki - clever app - enough random tunes to last a lifetime
TV-Guide
Useful Switchers - although this may now be a pay app
Google Voice Search - quite astounding

and for fun -

Sword!
The Schwartz Unleashed
Cestos - ace online game
Robotic Guitarist - best app ever!

I have recently uninstalled the FTP server, web server and other really great things which I just don't ever use. If I ever need them again I can have them downloaded and installed in seconds.

I look forward to seeing the new Android phones, especially ones with a soft-keyboard.

Is that report ok for you, gk141054?!

 

[shoes]

Sounds pretty good!

 

[db]

Lol this is one of the only things I really really like about my HTC touch HD - the conversations grouping. It displays in a slightly different way in as much as you get one entry per person (and conversation) however they arrange the people in chronological order.

yeah, that's what i mean.. is the touch an android device? if so, it will be identical to the missus' hero, functionally..

The text message grouping is the same on the iPhone and as far as I know you can't turn it off either...not that I'd want to either.

really?? noooooooooooooooooo! i hate the gmail style grouping, i can't believe i'll have to deal with it once i get an iphone

edit: actually, it's not that heinous.. there's a slim chance i may have ever so slightly over-reacted to that news lol..

 

[Furbal]

DB why wouldn't you want text messages grouped together so that you can see a whole conversation? I can't think of a single advantage to the old way compared to having conversations grouped together...

If you really hate it you could probably change it using jailbreak and/or a 3rd party app.

 

[db]

DB why wouldn't you want text messages grouped together so that you can see a whole conversation? I can't think of a single advantage to the old way compared to having conversations grouped together...

true, i guess it would make sense once you are used to it.. i just hate change lol..

it's awkward for the missus, cos she's the sentimental type who likes to keep text messages, so that messes up her inbox.. be good if she could archive them somehow and take them out of the "live" inbox.. in fact, maybe she can, i've never even looked!

If you really hate it you could probably change it using jailbreak and/or a 3rd party app.

dunno about the iphone, but i've searched and searched for an android app that handles SMS/MMS in the traditional way and can't find anything!