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Ask HN: Which Android Phone to Buy?

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41–50 of 116 posts

Re: Ask HN: Which Android Phone to Buy?

#41

I wouldn't bother with getting a slide out keyboard. If you install Swype, your typing speeds can be faster than it is with a phone keyboard.

Typing speed isn't the only advantage to a keyboard. Having the full screen available while you're entering text is a significant advantage in certain situations.

Re: Ask HN: Which Android Phone to Buy?

#42
I really like my T-Mobile myTouch 3G Slide. It is the right form factor for me and has a usable keyboard. Only 600Mhz but plenty fast and will be much faster when Froyo is available later this year. Plus I tether it via usb cable when I travel. The network speed is quite good in my area 1.5Mbps up and down.

I looked at the EVO, but it was too big and power hungry for my liking. And I didn't want to root the phone to "fix" it. Great screen though.

Re: Ask HN: Which Android Phone to Buy?

#43
post #8

I wouldn't bother with getting a slide out keyboard. If you install Swype, your typing speeds can be faster than it is with a phone keyboard.

Definitely. Swype is amazing. I'm using the beta right now, but when they decide to start asking for money I'll pay.

I think their plan is to charge royalties to cellphone makers to include the technology in their phones.

Re: Ask HN: Which Android Phone to Buy?

#44
post #37
post #36

I'm onto my 3rd Android, an HTC EVO. The screen is amazing - yes it is big and makes the phone big but I don't really find that a problem in my pocket. My Sprint plan is $60/month for unlimited data, texts, calls to mobiles, calls at weekends... the only metered calling is landlines during the working day, which I have 500 mins/month on. That for me is = unlimited all the way through. The 4G is amazing, although not…

From what I understand, Sprint's service is not really 4G, it's WiMax that has been rebranded. http://community.sprint.com/baw/message/141144

I just tested "4G" in Chicago on an Evo and it is blazing fast. The Evo's hotspot ability and screen clarity are amazing! Also, the fact that I pay $50 less per month vs Verizon for great coverage and fast data makes the whole experience even better.

Re: Ask HN: Which Android Phone to Buy?

#45
post #38

I have a Droid on Verizon. Do not let the keyboard influence you too much, because it sucks. I almost always use the onscreen keyboard instead of bothering to open it. The only situation where I ever use the keyboard is for games that benefit from having physical buttons, Tetris clones in particular. Everyone seems to think that a keyboard is a make-or-break issue for them, and I felt exactly the same way until I act…

The Droid's keyboard is awful. The keys are flat and require quite a bit of pressure. I recently spent some time using an LG Ally, and found that it's almost always worth opening to use the physical keyboard.

Droid 2 is much better

Re: Ask HN: Which Android Phone to Buy?

#46

I have an Incredible. Sense (HTC's UI tweaks) is very nice, and I thought it was a must have, but I played with someone's Nexus One, and I think it's fine. In some ways I prefer the stock UI, and getting all of the updates instantly would be really nice. (I'm still waiting impatiently on Froyo, which will come "in the 2nd half of the year" or when someone figured out how to root the Incredible :) ) I'm not sure how p…

Ever since people started talking about the battery problems on android devices, this is what I have been most concerned about. Apple, with the new iPhone addresses this issue with the iPhone 4, but android phone makers just seem to be making devices with bigger screens, with nobody trying to bring out a device with a better battery.

Re: Ask HN: Which Android Phone to Buy?

#47
post #9
post #2

It depends on what you want/need to do with your phone. If you travel internationally, The Nexus One is a great choice because it's GSM. You'll have to put up with T-Mobile/AT&T in the states, but when you're abroad, just pop in a foreign SIM card and you're good to go. If you want the fastest internet with no caps, look at the EVO from Sprint. With 4G speeds from 3-6Mbps in about 2 dozen cities and a hotspot support…

Also, the Droid X will launch in August or so, so if you go that route you may want to wait a few months (it also doesn't have the droid's fiddly d-pad.

There is always a new android phone coming out, which is bigger and better than the last. Some people like this, some people don't.

Re: Ask HN: Which Android Phone to Buy?

#48
post #37
post #36

I'm onto my 3rd Android, an HTC EVO. The screen is amazing - yes it is big and makes the phone big but I don't really find that a problem in my pocket. My Sprint plan is $60/month for unlimited data, texts, calls to mobiles, calls at weekends... the only metered calling is landlines during the working day, which I have 500 mins/month on. That for me is = unlimited all the way through. The 4G is amazing, although not…

From what I understand, Sprint's service is not really 4G, it's WiMax that has been rebranded. http://community.sprint.com/baw/message/141144

Oh, it's not 4G by international telephone standards.

But then I say this as a European living in the US that America's telephone and connectivity network is still back in the dark ages.

Re: Ask HN: Which Android Phone to Buy?

#49

I have an Incredible. Sense (HTC's UI tweaks) is very nice, and I thought it was a must have, but I played with someone's Nexus One, and I think it's fine. In some ways I prefer the stock UI, and getting all of the updates instantly would be really nice. (I'm still waiting impatiently on Froyo, which will come "in the 2nd half of the year" or when someone figured out how to root the Incredible :) ) I'm not sure how p…

Ever since people started talking about the battery problems on android devices, this is what I have been most concerned about. Apple, with the new iPhone addresses this issue with the iPhone 4, but android phone makers just seem to be making devices with bigger screens, with nobody trying to bring out a device with a better battery.

My Incredible's battery is at least as good as my old 2G iPhone.

One advantage of the Android phones is that you can actually open them up and swap in a new battery (just like with every phone in the world besides the iPhone). So if you really find that it's a problem, you could buy a 2nd battery and take that with you sometimes. It's not optimal, but it would work.

Re: Ask HN: Which Android Phone to Buy?

#50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ever since people started talking about the battery problems on android devices, this is what I have been most concerned about. Apple, with the new iPhone addresses this issue with the iPhone 4, but android phone makers just seem to be making devices with bigger screens, with nobody trying to bring out a device with a better battery.

My Incredible's battery is at least as good as my old 2G iPhone. One advantage of the Android phones is that you can actually open them up and swap in a new battery (just like with every phone in the world besides the iPhone). So if you really find that it's a problem, you could buy a 2nd battery and take that with you sometimes. It's not optimal, but it would work.

Also, the Android phones are trying to hit a price point, and usually skimp on the battery. Buying an aftermarket battery can greatly improve battery life.

(The Evo 4G ships with something like a 1400mAh battery, but you can get 1900mAh batteries that will fit in the same space.)

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