i thought i'd ask openly since i've done a fair amount of homework, but i'm still inexperienced when it comes with rooting these devices etc.
i used to be a symbian guy, then switched to htc only winmo phones, and joined this forum back in 04. we would flash custom roms etc etc (i really enjoyed it)
what phone do you guys recommend that's either out now or coming out soon for a US provider? i'm looking for top of the line, super fast, easily rooted, new roms flashed (no encrypted boot loaders etc)
i've been on the iphone since 07 (2g, 3g, 3gs) but the new iphone4 just doesn't impress me very much and i'm ready to finally make the move to (what i believe to be) a better device.
any opinions out there? i'm currently with at&t, but can jump ship to verizon or t-mobile (i kinda like the htc evo, but i always hear people complain about sprint here) and i read the droid x will most likely have an encrypted boot loader, so i'm not sure about verizon either.
I was in the same situation as you last week. I have no complaints about ATT's service in my area and signing a contract with another carrier didn't look too appealing since I've been out of contract since 08.
The Nexus One meets all of your criteria and then some. I do not have that gadget lust anymore, I don't feel that it is incomplete like I always felt with my other devices. Hell the only thing I really felt that was missing from the stock build is waking with the trackball, I too came from an iPhone and it just feels natural as opposed to using the sleep button.
I don't think you can really go wrong with any of the top tier Android offerings right now. They all have strengths and weaknesses but the simple fact that the Nexus One gets the (official) updates first made it an easy choice for me.
thanks for the reply. i've been looking at the nexus one for the same reasons you described... the ability to get updates quickly, and the fact it comes with a vanilla rom. i wish i could get the att version with a discount... it looks like if i go with it i'll need to get t-mobile.
i was a little hesitant just because im not sure how it holds up against the latest round of android devices (due to it being out for a while now) but it definitely looks fairly solid from what i've ready.
i ditto the nexus one..IF you want to stay with ATT..but a very customizable phone is the motorola droid..plus a physical keyboard is a BIG plus for me..but the droid is a little old and you should wait for the droid 2 next month..the thing is..who knows who long is going to take for dev to start working on droid 2...droid already has a large drawer full of kernels, themes, roms..ect
yeh, i think theres just too many phones out/coming out to make a decision. the nexus multitouch problem i keep reading about seems kind of annoying... i played with an evo on sprint today and apparently sprint has extremely slow data in my area (even tho it was full bars on 3g) and the droid x might have a locked/encrypted boot loader which i read will definitely affect the ability to flash roms (so i've read)
almost as bad as car shopping.
thanks guys for all the advice so far.
I really love my Samsung Captivate phone from ATT. It's one of the better phones i have had from ATT...mind you not the best but one of the better phones. Recently I have become extremly frustrated with the whole froyo update situation. First the official release was going to come out in September then pushed back to November and now from what im hearing not until December through a OTA update from ATT. When I got my phone I was told by the ATT rep that an update from 2.1 to froyo 2.2 would becoming soon. I went on ahead and got the Captivate against my better judgment. That was this past summer and i paid 199.99 to upgrade. Well now it's November and all we get are rumors about an update that may or may not happen. Now that same captivate is selling for 129.99 at Best Buy. Now I feel ripped off, not only from ATT but now from Samsung. For now on whenever I purchase a new phone I will buy the phone based on what it can do at that time not based on what it might be able to do later on down the line, that way i won't be so frustrated. My older brother has an iphone 4 and now im really starting to get upset because now he is streaming netflix movies and doing a host of other things with his phone that my phone may or may not be able to do. I know that developmentally the iphone is limited but...you get what you pay for out the box and your not waiting for the phone to be able to do something else later on down the line. Im seriously thinking of just caughing up the money and picking up an iphone 4 from the Apple store this weekend. If I do that then I will give away my Craptivate to anybody who wants it because i wouldn't feel right charging someone for it being as though it's already outdated with 2.1 firmware on it.
Ill buy it if you want to sell it
djfrost40 said:
I really love my Samsung Captivate phone from ATT. It's one of the better phones i have had from ATT...mind you not the best but one of the better phones. Recently I have become extremly frustrated with the whole froyo update situation. First the official release was going to come out in September then pushed back to November and now from what im hearing not until December through a OTA update from ATT. When I got my phone I was told by the ATT rep that an update from 2.1 to froyo 2.2 would becoming soon. I went on ahead and got the Captivate against my better judgment. That was this past summer and i paid 199.99 to upgrade. Well now it's November and all we get are rumors about an update that may or may not happen. Now that same captivate is selling for 129.99 at Best Buy. Now I feel ripped off, not only from ATT but now from Samsung. For now on whenever I purchase a new phone I will buy the phone based on what it can do at that time not based on what it might be able to do later on down the line, that way i won't be so frustrated. My older brother has an iphone 4 and now im really starting to get upset because now he is streaming netflix movies and doing a host of other things with his phone that my phone may or may not be able to do. I know that developmentally the iphone is limited but...you get what you pay for out the box and your not waiting for the phone to be able to do something else later on down the line. Im seriously thinking of just caughing up the money and picking up an iphone 4 from the Apple store this weekend. If I do that then I will give away my Craptivate to anybody who wants it because i wouldn't feel right charging someone for it being as though it's already outdated with 2.1 firmware on it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First, you shouldn't be upset about the price dropping. All electronics have a dramatic price drop after a release. You should expect that.
Second, there is a Froyo update coming out for the phone. No doubt about it. We have already seen it released for the international version. We have two leaked releases for the Captivate. If there wasn't an update coming out, Samsung wouldn't be spending the time in making these builds. Also, you bought a Captivate with 2.1. The box doesn't say, Android 2.1 with a 2.2 update coming soon.
I also wouldn't call Android 2.1 "outdated". Compared to Android 2.2, yes it is outdated. But compared to other mobile operating systems, it's advanced. I cannot think of anything iOS can do that Android 2.1 cannot.
Now, with regard to applications: this last year has been huge for Android. They now have the volume of users and where there's volume, the developers can make money. You speak of Netflix, they will be releasing an Android app in Q1 of next year.
It could be that this phone is too advanced for you. iPhones are great and easy to use. If you don't understand all of the enhancements that Android brings, then maybe an iPhone is best for you. If being able to stream Netflix NOW instead of 2 - 3 months from now is that important to you, then get an iPhone and trade off:
Open source goodness
Awesome community support
Phone customization
Flawless google integration
More hardware options (you're not stuck with just one style phone)
Mass storage capabilities
You're not dependent on iTunes
File structure access
Build your own apps (google app inventor)
Up to 48 GB of storage
Replaceable battery
$5 monthly insurance (at&t doesn't offer insurance for the iPhone)
REAL multitasking
Memory management (If you choose to manually do it. Android is great at managing memory itself.)
The awesome Widgets
Notification bar
Oh, and the list above doesn't even mention any of the infinite possibilities if you chose to root your phone.
My question is why do you need the "official release"? The leaked version is probably just as good (I saw probably since OTA isn't out). I love it and am not really looking forward to the official one. Also most android phones are not in 2.2 so you really shouldn't feel outdated. By the way Amazon gives this phone for free (well 1 cent to be exact).
Edit: Didn't see above post; says it all better than me.
Frustrating, ain't it? Also part of the fun of the gadget.
Heck, searching for news on when the update'll be released is how I get through the workday! (I've also spent too much time flashing different incarnations of Cognitian's ROMs - Which are great, by the way).
The update will come, then we'll all be clammoring for Gingerbread!
@skinien - Great reply!
Not being able to watch Netflix movie on your phone really has nothing to do with Samsung, AT&T or the Captivate. Netflix decided to release their Android version later than the other platforms so there is nothing anyone can do.
So the real question is why do you need 2.2 right now? What capability are you looking for that will only work in 2.2? Personally, the only thing I need 2.2 for is voice dial over bluetooth.
cool story bro
There will always be an OS, hardware, phone coming soon/out right now better than what you have. *****ing about what you have is certainly an option. Not a good one, IMO, but definitely an option.
I am still using stock 2.1, rooted, with sideloaded Wireless Tether and Flash 10.1, and launcherpro hides the bloat.
With the exception of being able to moves apps to the sd, what is missing?
Who needs FroYo, anyway?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
djfrost40 said:
I really love my Samsung Captivate phone from ATT. It's one of the better phones i have had from ATT...mind you not the best but one of the better phones. Recently I have become extremly frustrated with the whole froyo update situation. First the official release was going to come out in September then pushed back to November and now from what im hearing not until December through a OTA update from ATT. When I got my phone I was told by the ATT rep that an update from 2.1 to froyo 2.2 would becoming soon. I went on ahead and got the Captivate against my better judgment. That was this past summer and i paid 199.99 to upgrade. Well now it's November and all we get are rumors about an update that may or may not happen. Now that same captivate is selling for 129.99 at Best Buy. Now I feel ripped off, not only from ATT but now from Samsung. For now on whenever I purchase a new phone I will buy the phone based on what it can do at that time not based on what it might be able to do later on down the line, that way i won't be so frustrated. My older brother has an iphone 4 and now im really starting to get upset because now he is streaming netflix movies and doing a host of other things with his phone that my phone may or may not be able to do. I know that developmentally the iphone is limited but...you get what you pay for out the box and your not waiting for the phone to be able to do something else later on down the line. Im seriously thinking of just caughing up the money and picking up an iphone 4 from the Apple store this weekend. If I do that then I will give away my Craptivate to anybody who wants it because i wouldn't feel right charging someone for it being as though it's already outdated with 2.1 firmware on it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well..if you will feel bad selling it.I'll gladly pay you for the shipping of it to my home. Feel free to get the I-phone if this is what you are wanting to do. They work great for what they are.I bought both of my sons theirs last August when I got 2 Captivates for my wife and myself.So I can always use a spare one
Your not alone in your feelings of anger over not getting what was promised,I too am a bit pissed off about it as well. I do know that in time it will be available in a official capacity..but in the mean time I'll wait it out like everyone else is doing that wants it. Sooner or later there will be a completely stable custom rom for it that isn't a PIA to load and has everything working properly on it.This is what I am looking forward too,but again it is a waiting game for me and many others..
Feel free to PM me your mailing address for the shipping cost if you elect to give it away..
Thanks
Mac
Screw the official release, get froyo now!. nothing like free tethering. Im sorry but next flex streaming? who cares i got flash! i get hulu streaming lets see an iphone do that.. my droid takes a poopoo on the iphone.
There are plenty of awesome, free ROMs here. Try one on for size before you go spending hundreds of dollars to be told what you can or can't do with the phone you just bought.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
You have word reference on android, not even a close one on iphone. I dont really use my ipod touch to watch netflix. It gets stuck a lot and the screen is way to small. The only netflix app I used is netflix on windows media center. Why are you frustrated about netflix on a small screen now. And by the way, we have swype keyboard, it if not even on evo 4g. And my rooted phone has many paid apps and games on it, but I got them for free. You never need to jailbreak it to install some free games.
Iphone doesn't have the xda app, hahaha, just a joke.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Others have said it but if your "smart" enough to make your way to the XDA developers forums you should have no problem flashing one of the 10+ 2.2 roms in the android dev subforum.
Who's going to really use the official att 2.2 with all its bloat ware anyway?
Iphone is for kids that want to show off their fart apps at school and for grandmas and grandmas who cant use a phone. On the other had captivate is for people who like to flash, unbrick their phones and explore the open world of android with will be the furture of mobile devices. Iphone has been the same for the past 3 years and people get horny when a new iphone comes out and it caj do copy paste wow!
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
skinien said:
First, you shouldn't be upset about the price dropping. All electronics have a dramatic price drop after a release. You should expect that.
Second, there is a Froyo update coming out for the phone. No doubt about it. We have already seen it released for the international version. We have two leaked releases for the Captivate. If there wasn't an update coming out, Samsung wouldn't be spending the time in making these builds. Also, you bought a Captivate with 2.1. The box doesn't say, Android 2.1 with a 2.2 update coming soon.
I also wouldn't call Android 2.1 "outdated". Compared to Android 2.2, yes it is outdated. But compared to other mobile operating systems, it's advanced. I cannot think of anything iOS can do that Android 2.1 cannot.
Now, with regard to applications: this last year has been huge for Android. They now have the volume of users and where there's volume, the developers can make money. You speak of Netflix, they will be releasing an Android app in Q1 of next year.
It could be that this phone is too advanced for you. iPhones are great and easy to use. If you don't understand all of the enhancements that Android brings, then maybe an iPhone is best for you. If being able to stream Netflix NOW instead of 2 - 3 months from now is that important to you, then get an iPhone and trade off:
Open source goodness
Awesome community support
Phone customization
Flawless google integration
More hardware options (you're not stuck with just one style phone)
Mass storage capabilities
You're not dependent on iTunes
File structure access
Build your own apps (google app inventor)
Up to 48 GB of storage
Replaceable battery
$5 monthly insurance (at&t doesn't offer insurance for the iPhone)
REAL multitasking
Memory management (If you choose to manually do it. Android is great at managing memory itself.)
The awesome Widgets
Notification bar
Oh, and the list above doesn't even mention any of the infinite possibilities if you chose to root your phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh okay! you see thats why i like this website for folks like you! so there is a sample of froyo available to download from this site? Thats nice!! i will look for it and give it a try. I think i can hold off on getting rid of it not too mention 400.00 for an iphone is pretty steap....lol!!! So i guess for now im still a android phone owner. I just need to be a little more patient i guess. But tonight when i get off work ill be trying to do the root thing on my phone so that i can tryout the preliminary froyo on my captivate. Thanks for the information I appreciate it.
pobinghun said:
You have word reference on android, not even a close one on iphone. I dont really use my ipod touch to watch netflix. It gets stuck a lot and the screen is way to small. The only netflix app I used is netflix on windows media center. Why are you frustrated about netflix on a small screen now. And by the way, we have swype keyboard, it if not even on evo 4g. And my rooted phone has many paid apps and games on it, but I got them for free. You never need to jailbreak it to install some free games.
Iphone doesn't have the xda app, hahaha, just a joke.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah your right, ive been reading a lot of responses to my post and from what i gather i have the better phone in the Captivate vs the iphone 4. I think i will keep it. Plus i just heard that you can root the phone and add a sample of froyo that should hold me over until the official froyo arrives. So Thanks a lot for your advise. I will be keeping my Captivate...not too mention 400.00 for an iphone is crazy.
mac208x said:
Iphone is for kids that want to show off their fart apps at school and for grandmas and grandmas who cant use a phone. On the other had captivate is for people who like to flash, unbrick their phones and explore the open world of android with will be the furture of mobile devices. Iphone has been the same for the past 3 years and people get horny when a new iphone comes out and it caj do copy paste wow!
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL!!!! okay okay guys I get it! I have the better phone vs the iphone 4, I will be keeping my Captivate, i just have to be a little more patient with it thats all. Im excited about trying out that froyo sample available from this site though. I'll be giving it a try tonight! thanks for all the information!
sportedwood said:
Others have said it but if your "smart" enough to make your way to the XDA developers forums you should have no problem flashing one of the 10+ 2.2 roms in the android dev subforum.
Who's going to really use the official att 2.2 with all its bloat ware anyway?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your right, i have the official 2.1 ATT rom now loaded with stuff i don't even use...lol!!! I think i will be keeping my Captivate and trying out a couple of those new roms on it. Thanks guys!!! thats why i love this site!!!
Hi everyone. I just found out some information about my job and our cell phone providers. We were getting discounts when we have AT&T, but thats about to change. We will no longer get a discount on AT&T coverage, but will on T-Mobile, so Im switching. I currently have a Captivate and want to get another Android phone. Im so lost as to which one to get.
So Ive come to all of you for help. Its really between the Nexus S, G2 or MyTouch 4g. Can anyone please tell me which of these is the best? And just some extra info, the G2's physical keyboard is really a non deciding factor for me. Its nice, but not necessary.
Thanks in advance.
i would say nexus s because its the newest thing and it has a ffc (like the mt4g) and it also has a better camera the mt4g and g2 cameras dont live up to the hype that comes with the phone
The only thing that jumping to T-Mobile and the nexus s was a fear of having the same GPS issues as my captivate. I used a fix to improve GPS that was posted here, but I would rather not have to deal with something like that.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
I think Nexus S is a smart choice at the moment, if you really want a latest android right now.
I think Nexus S is a smart choice at the moment, if you really want a latest Android right now.
Android: G2 or MyTouch.
Nexus S is pretty meh and has some start limitations (i.e. no SD Card, No HD Video Recording, etc.).
MyTouch has both these and a FFC. I would expect it to get at least a Gingerbread update.
Same for the G2. It's *almost* a stock phone and it should be trivial for HTC to support this phone going forward. Ginger is almost guaranteed for this phone, and I wouldn't even rule out the next Android version, since it will be trivial for them to get the update up and running for this device.
If you want a WP7 device there is only one choice.
Then there is the HD2. I personally don't think it's that great a device but the people who like them are quite vicious about it. Perhaps you'd really get into it. It's a good dev phone.
Nexus S has no HD video? Wow, I didnt know that. Seems like it was a given since the other Galaxy S phones do.
Thanks for the info N8ter, that should make my decision a little easier.
Hi I am looking at getting a new phone currently I have a htc desire and it made me fall in love with android because with my desire I rooted and flashed custom roms.
Which phone would you suggest I go for that is either out at the min or is soon to be released.
It must be android in order to compete with my desire
Thanks for your opinions
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA Premium App
I too am currently looking for an android phone.
I was pretty much sure I was going to get the Thunderbolt or Evo depending on if Verizon would match Sprint's current bonus minutes offer. But now I've been reading about other phones (LG G2x, EVO 3D coming soon...) and new developments such as dual core processors, etc... and I'm thinking maybe I should wait.
Depends what your budget is. Galaxy S II seems a favorite.
I think it'd be a good idea to think of what you want and then we could make some suggestions... I'm hoping for the Droid Pro II (eventually) but that's because I like keys and don't mind the smaller screen.
sephriam said:
I think it'd be a good idea to think of what you want and then we could make some suggestions... I'm hoping for the Droid Pro II (eventually) but that's because I like keys and don't mind the smaller screen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Since the OP hasn't been back I won't feel bad hijacking this thread.
Looks like now I'm deciding between the Galaxy S II and the Evo 3D.
Since the GS2 is going to be open source, does that mean we will probably be able to put HTC Sense 3.0 on the GS2? I really wanted an HTC and I like their UI but I think I'd rather have the better camera than 3D.
Is there another HTC phone that will compare with the GS2? Also, I read Samsung is bad about updating, but if I'm rooting and flashing a new ROM that is moot, right? The devs will update ROMS here and I can grab those, right?
It's really more phone than I think I need but I've had mine for almost a year past my contract expiring so I'm not someone who needs to replace my phone asap, I will probably live with new phone for 3-4 years. And I don't mind waiting a few more months for price drop and devs to do their thing. So I'd like to future proof it a little bit even if it costs a bit more right now, I think.
Or I get the Thunderbolt right now but it seems like I should go to dual processors and 1gb ram for future OS updates but that is kind of guessing on my part based on what I've been reading the past few days.
I'm going to use it mostly for phone, texts, email, music and internet browsing. Then once I learn more about the android apps I'd like to integrate it with my home AV system as much as possible. I'm coming from a dumbphone that I dropped my data plan for so it's just calls and texts and casual pic taking right now. Kind of excited to get a smartphone.