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[Q] Iphone 3gs move to Android

Hi there
I have been an Iphone 3gs user since they debuted and I have really enjoyed its simplicity and practical way that it just works. However, I have no signal etc and recently find myself getting back to my hacking roots.
Anyways what phone would be good as I have used a Dell Streak for the past week and I really enjoyed it but the use of the iphone interface just blows it out of the water. I did update the phone to 2.1 which was very cool.
So are they a collection of apps that would bridge my transition?

If you think the iOS experience is better than the standard Android, try the Galaxy S, it has a familiar iOS like set up, but with added Android goodness. If you want high-end performance, then the aforementioned Galaxy S, HTC Desire/EVO, iPhone 4 are you best contenders, the Galaxy and HTC devices have the advantage of being cheaper, if a little less bespoke. Signal wise, I can't say that my Desire is any better than my old iPhone 3G was, you've either damaged it (physically or caused some software glitch) or your network has been playing up. The good thing about Android is if you don't like it, you can change it to the nth degree. Most phones perform equally well at the most mundane tasks, it's only when you have a niche action that you can tell the differences; the iPhone 4 does have great battery life and a cracking screen quality, but you will find that doing multiple things on an Android device that little bit more intuitive and the 2.2 browser is phenomenally quick. As for Apps, the design of some the Android apps is lacking in the polish that the iPhone equivalents have, but that's because the spectrum of phones it may be used on is far greater. I have personally loved every second of my Desire, it makes far more sense than my iPhone did, I can do things quicker and it is a more functional phone, it just takes a little getting used to, the screen for instance is sometimes too sensitive, but it is far greater a Device than the 3G. I cannot comment on the iPhone 4 however having only spent about half an hour on one. It is simply a case of trying as many devices as you can. All devices have their problems and shortcomings and equally they have their advantages, you have to choose the one which fits you best.

jamdog30 said:
Hi there
I have been an Iphone 3gs user since they debuted and I have really enjoyed its simplicity and practical way that it just works. However, I have no signal etc and recently find myself getting back to my hacking roots.
Anyways what phone would be good as I have used a Dell Streak for the past week and I really enjoyed it but the use of the iphone interface just blows it out of the water. I did update the phone to 2.1 which was very cool.
So are they a collection of apps that would bridge my transition?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As someone who actually went from the iPhone 3GS to the Samsung Captivate recently, let me just say this: Once Froyo comes out, your user experience would probably be better, but it will not result in a better experience than what you had on the iPhone. Just a different experience.
This goes the same for all smartphones, I think. If you're particularly used to one OS, then unless the OS you're moving to is superior in every single way, the transition is going to tough. In this regard, moving from iOS is particularly tough as it has the best app store, and easily one of the best user experience.
Hell, I know I'm not having an easy time transitioning to Android (Captivate is my first Android phone).
But if you just stick with it, I think things will eventually turn out well. As for the apps to make that transition easier, I think the Android Market has a 'replacement' app for most things you got with the iPhone, if not an Android version of the exact same app you used on the iPhone.

jamdog30 said:
Hi there
I have been an Iphone 3gs user since they debuted and I have really enjoyed its simplicity and practical way that it just works. However, I have no signal etc and recently find myself getting back to my hacking roots.
Anyways what phone would be good as I have used a Dell Streak for the past week and I really enjoyed it but the use of the iphone interface just blows it out of the water. I did update the phone to 2.1 which was very cool.
So are they a collection of apps that would bridge my transition?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
App wise, what are you looking for to "bridge the gap"??
Also when 2.2 does release for you, it's alot better then the 2.1 Android IMHO I just went from (2.1-update1--->2.2 FRG01B--->2.2 FRG22D and Google just keeps getting better.
You will never have the same experience on ANY Android device that you had on the iPhone, your talking about a "open source VS closed", two very different operating systems.. etc etc... But look through the Market and you just might find something to close that gap..
Good luck,
Cheers

i was a hardcore iphone user a while back and decided to test out a android phone. once i saw the different ROMs and all the hacking that can be done to android it was a no brainer for me to switch. i loved everything about the iphone except for it being closed source.

G2x, Sensation, or Galaxy S II?

Before I ask, I know there have been many threads about this topic, but my question is a little more specific than the rest. I get to upgrade my phone sometime in the next few weeks and one of these will be my first android phone. As a young artist, I am mostly looking for a phone which will take quality photos for good reference and preferably one which has video auto focus. I'm also a heavy internet user (about 5 hours a day on iPod Touch) but coming from iOS, I long for flash player. I also like to game a lot so the dual core cpu performance has to be somewhat decent with good speeds (better than my 4th gen touch at least lol). Lastly I'm a big media person with music a videos so I'm looking for a quality screen, support for multiple media formats (specifically mkv), decent speakers, and if possible, support for in-line headphones with volume, FF and RR (optional to come in the box, but if there are alternative working ones, please post below as I haven't found a solution with android devices and working in-line headphones). I've played around with my cousins EVO a lot so I've grown a liking to HTC Sense but I would also like to try out stock android sometime. And after a lot of time reading reviews and comments, I've taken a liking to the Galaxy S II's screen but I'm not a fan of TouchWiz. As previously stated, coming from an iOS user, I'm hoping one of these phones can either match or have greater quality with the screen in terms of brightness and contrast (not so much with resolution but mostly with colors, hue, and saturation). I'm hoping this narrows down the margin between these 3 phones.
P.S. I'm also hoping for one of these to have great dev support since I love to customize and test new tweaks.
EDITED - Also as an additional post, can you explain the batter life of the 3 as best as you can (even considering not having much info about the sensation)

I would say the G2X after LG fixes the Bleeding screen, restarts, and battery life issue. Both the GS2 and Sensatoin both have skins over android to which I've never been a fan of. 1st GS2 Engaget did a review and called it the best smart phone on the planet (the week before g2x was lol) but its made of plastic and its really thin so if the unthinkable happens and you drop the phone changes are its going to get jacked up and touchwiz. 2. Sensation Ive never been a fan of sense its a power hungry beast that needs to be removed. Just look at the battery life of the thunderbolt its really bad.
I had the G2X for a week and I loved it, its solid like my Nexus One it feels like a phone. I dropped it twice once on my tile floor and there were no marks and once on my naked foot to which brought me great pain. (lol) The G2X will have CM7 the galaxy s phones don't have CM support so why do you think that GS2 will? I plan on getting anothe G2x I'm just waiting until the 2nd line of them.

It honestly sounds like the Galaxy S II is just right for you. I know you say you dont like touchwiz (believe me I hate it) but the TW 4.0 or whatever its called looks really nice. From what I have seen it looks better than sense ui. Anyways, there have been battles between the G2X and the Galaxy S II and hardware wise the GSII always has the upper hand with camera, performance, screen, colors, etc.. However there are many things to consider. Do we even know what US carrier (if any) will receive the GSII? Also coming from the vibrant I swore up and down I wouild never buy a samsung phone again. Their lack of software support was just unacceptable. Im not even talking upgrades, just basic bug fixes. Development for this phone NEVER gave us a fully functioning stock android or AOSP ROM. Sure CM7 made a lot of headway and may still come to the galaxy s with all the fixes but right now it still has bugs and some things just dont work.
To make a long story short, I got the G2X because I wanted a stock android experience with a lot of developer backing (specifically cyanogenmod) and the specs of the phone are pretty amazing. Now it sounds to me like media and camera are more important to you so you may feel more welcome by the Galaxy S II if you dont care about aftermarket roms and such.

get 2x
coming from a vibrant, i can say that screen on the g2x is actually better and it being a stock android updates come faster and custom roms will also. I can't wait for the cyanogen mod either. I had battery issues but after resetting my phone the battery works just fine. they all have similar processors but the g2x being stock will get you better performance. I am a photographer also and am creating a photo journal with the g2x and it does the job well. good luck

i say go for SGS2, it works quite good out of the box and it has a great screen and you will absolutely appreciate the larger screen. Though im not really a fan of touchwiz.
I have g2x and going to return it today for SGS2.

There is no doubt in my mind that the dev support will be there for the sgs2 but it will be greater on the g2x just b/c of all the vanillaness.
The weight of the galaxy line is extremely light but believe me when I say that it is extremely durable. My old cliq felt like a brick but the second time I dropped that it stopped working completely so weight and feel have nothing to do with durability.
My vibrant has pretty much been through the equivalent of back to back fights with Manny Pacquiao and Anderson Silva only to come out as the new peoples champ. If you can wait, I would say try to see what all 3 of them are like and whether or not they come to your carrier. Its what I'm gonna do b/c I would hate to be stuck in another 2 year contract and not have the phone that I'm gonna own for atleast half of that time.

I have the same question, but new phones will probably come out because my next upgrade is in September. I really hate big phones and it seems phones are getting bigger and bigger. I really like the nexus s design (A lot!) And I like stock android, so I think I might wait until the nexus s2 comes out. Hopefully it stays a bit close to the design of the nexus s.

Sense isn't that power hungry the reason why the thunderbolt sucks on battery life is because of the lte network. A custom sense rom usually has no data drops. Like the aosp roms do.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA Premium App

Killbynature said:
Sense isn't that power hungry the reason why the thunderbolt sucks on battery life is because of the lte network. A custom sense rom usually has no data drops. Like the aosp roms do.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Each one of my friends who had a sense phone who switched to a custom rom w/o sense batter life increased alot.

jrharvey said:
It honestly sounds like the Galaxy S II is just right for you. I know you say you dont like touchwiz (believe me I hate it) but the TW 4.0 or whatever its called looks really nice. From what I have seen it looks better than sense ui. Anyways, there have been battles between the G2X and the Galaxy S II and hardware wise the GSII always has the upper hand with camera, performance, screen, colors, etc.. However there are many things to consider. Do we even know what US carrier (if any) will receive the GSII? Also coming from the vibrant I swore up and down I wouild never buy a samsung phone again. Their lack of software support was just unacceptable. Im not even talking upgrades, just basic bug fixes. Development for this phone NEVER gave us a fully functioning stock android or AOSP ROM. Sure CM7 made a lot of headway and may still come to the galaxy s with all the fixes but right now it still has bugs and some things just dont work.
To make a long story short, I got the G2X because I wanted a stock android experience with a lot of developer backing (specifically cyanogenmod) and the specs of the phone are pretty amazing. Now it sounds to me like media and camera are more important to you so you may feel more welcome by the Galaxy S II if you dont care about aftermarket roms and such.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your input. Also as a CFW PSP user and a Jailbroken iOS user, I like to have a combination of both dev support and media features, so I wouldn't want to leave that out. I'm surprised that only one person gave consideration to the sensation when I stated how it was the only UI I've ever used so far on android, and I read how it had an HRD camera with auto focus video so I thought most would assume that as the better choice, but my only problem with it is how its rumored to not have an unlocked bootloader. I think atm I will go with the g2x but I hope to hear about some alternatives to getting inline music controls to work.

g2xnerd said:
coming from a vibrant, i can say that screen on the g2x is actually better and it being a stock android updates come faster and custom roms will also. I can't wait for the cyanogen mod either. I had battery issues but after resetting my phone the battery works just fine. they all have similar processors but the g2x being stock will get you better performance. I am a photographer also and am creating a photo journal with the g2x and it does the job well. good luck
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you very much! when I saw still photos on the G2X compared to the S II, I thought it looked inferior, but being able to make a photo journal out of it seems to counter that argument. BTW is it possible for the camera to get an update for auto focus video recording like the Galaxy S Vibrant did? For camera usage, that is the only thing pushing me back from the G2X as well as the support for multiple video formats (which I hear the Galaxy S II will have based on the Exynos processor). Hope to receive some additional feedback.

If you go bluetooth you can get inline music control. I personally have and like the plantronics backbeats and the sweatproof motorola S-10 HDs. The backbeats are more flexible and easier to wear, while the S-10s are must haves for working out and sports.
Sent from my LG-P999 using XDA App

Infos3c said:
If you go bluetooth you can get inline music control. I personally have and like the plantronics backbeats and the sweatproof motorola S-10 HDs. The backbeats are more flexible and easier to wear, while the S-10s are must haves for working out and sports.
Sent from my LG-P999 using XDA App
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Click to collapse
i hear a lot of mixed things about bluetooth headphones. even though the sound quality is great and the music controls work, I cannot always depend on headphones which need charging. Having to charge one device already is enough so i am more suited for wired inline in ear headphones.

jree said:
There is no doubt in my mind that the dev support will be there for the sgs2 but it will be greater on the g2x just b/c of all the vanillaness.
The weight of the galaxy line is extremely light but believe me when I say that it is extremely durable. My old cliq felt like a brick but the second time I dropped that it stopped working completely so weight and feel have nothing to do with durability.
My vibrant has pretty much been through the equivalent of back to back fights with Manny Pacquiao and Anderson Silva only to come out as the new peoples champ. If you can wait, I would say try to see what all 3 of them are like and whether or not they come to your carrier. Its what I'm gonna do b/c I would hate to be stuck in another 2 year contract and not have the phone that I'm gonna own for atleast half of that time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well not voting for the SGS2 here but I don't think Vanilla has any bearings on Dev Support, directly. Granted, I prefer vanilla and thus may contribute to its popularity, which, indirectly, popularity = dev support.
The only thing that matters is that the bootloader is unlocked and it is easily rootable and flashable. I mean once you get a CM rom on there, they all work the same.
I think Vanilla roms are more open to other variants like MIUI and the likes because they typically share the same partition structure. I know the G2x has a different structure and I think it is safe to say the SGS2 does too. Good thing that we are able to format and change the partitions to work across multiple roms.
The SGS2 was recently rooted and I think they found the bootloader to be unlocked. So it should be able to be flashed pretty easily.
One big factor that more people don't think about is the screen size. I have small hands (vs huge sausages) and the 4" screen of the G2x pushes my comfort zone. I think 4.3" would be too much and I would be fumbling it while trying to do one handed operations.
Having bought a G2x from a N1... I can say I'm extremely happy. I've been reading the SGS2 forums trying to stir up some internal buyers remorse... but I can honestly say that I would still pick my G2x over the SGS2 again. To me Tegra>Orion justifies AMOLED>LCD. I think NVidia will really push some developers to create some great games and I don't want to be stuck on the sidelines wishing I could get in on the action. Unable to play some of the newer "HD" (Only for Tegra) games are really making some of the SGS2 owners unhappy.
Nothing like buying a new toy and finding that it doesn't work with the latest HD games.
DMan1993 said:
that is the only thing pushing me back from the G2X as well as the support for multiple video formats (which I hear the Galaxy S II will have based on the Exynos processor). Hope to receive some additional feedback.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As far as multiple video formats, I don't think this has much to do with physical hardware as it does software. While I am most certainly not an expert, I have played a range of videos on my phones. Wouldn't all you need is a Video app that has the correct codecs and support for such file types?
I mean, really, not picking one device over another based on media format is just insane to me and defies all logic. I mean how easy is it to convert between formats, come on. I'd say that if you using a less common format or one that isn't widely available, you are only asking for trouble anyway. Most of the video I find online are either MP4 or avi and have no problem playing them on my device. If you are ripping it yourself, just save it in a format you can use.

This is a very good player, plays many formats
http://market.android.com/details?id=net.thefluxstudio.implayer

Player911:
Having bought a G2x from a N1... I can say I'm extremely happy. I've been reading the SGS2 forums trying to stir up some internal buyers remorse... but I can honestly say that I would still pick my G2x over the SGS2 again. To me Tegra>Orion justifies AMOLED>LCD. I think NVidia will really push some developers to create some great games and I don't want to be stuck on the sidelines wishing I could get in on the action. Unable to play some of the newer "HD" (Only for Tegra) games are really making some of the SGS2 owners unhappy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm quite surprised that the SGS2 folks have a buyers remorse, especially after reading your post. I was having remorse with the G2x since it just has 512MB ram and the GS2 kicks the G2x to the curb on every bullet point except Value for money/cost (I'm buying off contract). I'm also very surprised when you implicitly state that Orion cannot run Tegra games even though it's way faster than tegra.

ski_power said:
I'm quite surprised that the SGS2 folks have a buyers remorse, especially after reading your post. I was having remorse with the G2x since it just has 512MB ram and the GS2 kicks the G2x to the curb on every bullet point except Value for money/cost (I'm buying off contract). I'm also very surprised when you implicitly state that Orion cannot run Tegra games even though it's way faster than tegra.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dont just look at numbers (1ghz dual core vs 1.2 dual core) RAM numbers, etc.
It has been said the 1ghz Tegra 2 is a better processor overall, and you really dont need more than 512mb of RAM since Android closes apps on its own when memory gets low. You wont see much if any performance increase from merely more RAM.
Lets not forget Samsung's recent past with its Galaxy S line having broken GPS, wonky file systems that slowed down phones, and bootloaders locked.
I wouldnt just yet say the SGS2 is a better device because how it looks on paper.

>It has been said the 1ghz Tegra 2 is a better processor overall, and you really dont need more than 512mb of RAM since Android closes apps on its own when memory gets low. You wont see much if any performance increase from merely more RAM.
I'm not sure about that. Both use dual Cortex A9s. The difference in hardware between the two is the GPU. We all know Tegra 2 uses GeForce ULP but I'm not sure what the Exynos uses(SGX or Adreno).
I concede my point to your statement about the RAM, since I only recently learnt about memory management in Android (this is my first Android). I'm pretty sure Sammy must have fixed the GPS issues, since if they don't I'd lose all respect for them.
Oh OP, one thing you might want to consider is that the Galaxy S2 does not have an HDMI out port. They say it's got some USB-HDMI cable though.
Also, it depends on your hands. The G2x itself is a pretty big device in my opinion, and seeing that the SGS2 has a 4.3" screen it's going to be much bigger.

Definitely sgs2
Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk

player911 said:
Well not voting for the SGS2 here but I don't think Vanilla has any bearings on Dev Support, directly. Granted, I prefer vanilla and thus may contribute to its popularity, which, indirectly, popularity = dev support.
The only thing that matters is that the bootloader is unlocked and it is easily rootable and flashable. I mean once you get a CM rom on there, they all work the same.
I think Vanilla roms are more open to other variants like MIUI and the likes because they typically share the same partition structure. I know the G2x has a different structure and I think it is safe to say the SGS2 does too. Good thing that we are able to format and change the partitions to work across multiple roms.
The SGS2 was recently rooted and I think they found the bootloader to be unlocked. So it should be able to be flashed pretty easily.
One big factor that more people don't think about is the screen size. I have small hands (vs huge sausages) and the 4" screen of the G2x pushes my comfort zone. I think 4.3" would be too much and I would be fumbling it while trying to do one handed operations.
Having bought a G2x from a N1... I can say I'm extremely happy. I've been reading the SGS2 forums trying to stir up some internal buyers remorse... but I can honestly say that I would still pick my G2x over the SGS2 again. To me Tegra>Orion justifies AMOLED>LCD. I think NVidia will really push some developers to create some great games and I don't want to be stuck on the sidelines wishing I could get in on the action. Unable to play some of the newer "HD" (Only for Tegra) games are really making some of the SGS2 owners unhappy.
Nothing like buying a new toy and finding that it doesn't work with the latest HD games.
As far as multiple video formats, I don't think this has much to do with physical hardware as it does software. While I am most certainly not an expert, I have played a range of videos on my phones. Wouldn't all you need is a Video app that has the correct codecs and support for such file types?
I mean, really, not picking one device over another based on media format is just insane to me and defies all logic. I mean how easy is it to convert between formats, come on. I'd say that if you using a less common format or one that isn't widely available, you are only asking for trouble anyway. Most of the video I find online are either MP4 or avi and have no problem playing them on my device. If you are ripping it yourself, just save it in a format you can use.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Coming from iOS, I am tired of having to convert all of my videos to mp4 format and having little knowledge of android from not having owned one just increases my curiosity on the matter since the SGSII specs list stated that the Exynos processor has more support for video formats than tegra 2. Being able to directly download and play any format is one thing I am looking for in one of these phones so that is why I asked the question. Some of the videos I download are dual audio and subbed mkv's and having to download multiple programs to get the subtitles and audio working on a mobile device is very time consuming so having support for multiple codecs would make things a whole lot easier.

Lets talk about Android

I have been having numerous arguments with people regarding Android vs the rest.
We all know that Android is an operating system, that is used by many phone manufacturers - therefore it CANNOT be compared to iPhone directly and vise versa!
Same thing is about Windows OS.
What I am trying to say is that Android equipment manufacturers have to step up the game. I believe that making a new phone every other month is a BIG NO NO. Especially when the phone is not well tested.
As an example, I own myTouch 4G. First one had a washed out screen and not working Genius button. Second one had a spic of dust under the screen, but lucky for me - it had both good screen and eMMC. So I decided to keep it. Other folks have their phones die on them because of the bad eMMC chip.
Similar issue goes to the G2 (I read about bad eMMC chips). I also heard that Sensation has some issues too!
I witnessed people exchanging up to 7 phones, and yet to get a good one.
On the other hand, Samsung devices are seem to be very plastic on the touch. I did held them in hand. Yes, the screen looks gorgeous, but the phone itself feels bad in the hand.
LG is another story.
I haven't tried or read about SE phones.
You would ask, why the hell did I write this all?
I simply want to voice my opinion. I just sick to see all these phones popping out and then read that one has bad power button, another has 2 types of screen, and then get one of them. I really want to see Android rise up in class!
Heck for not having problems I could have gone with iPhone, but I am an Android fan and chose it because it can do what I need!
I believe with the resources that Samsung, HTC, LG and other have - they can do so much better!
Lets discuss what bad sides Android phones have and what can be improved. I think it is more productive topic than fighting over blindly.

The reason for Samsung's "plastic" feel is durability, you drop a metal phone then the weight is going to make it more likely to break, the plastics Samsung uses often just has the back pop off, maybe a scratch.
As for HTC, they're just not a quality company. They build devices that are pretty from afar but once you use them they often have horrid flaws. Very little quality control.

There's nowhere near the level of QC there used to be in the 'real' smartphones - Treos, Communicators, iPAQs etc.
I think they do a pretty good job, there's a fit and finish for just about every taste out there today. The target audience has changed a lot, the userbase has expanded exponentially, plus there are many more manufacturers today, all vying for a slice of the pie - price competitiveness has a lot to do with this, too.
It sucks, but these things are built to be thrown away. Why pump billions of dollars into the fit and finish of something outdated two weeks after it hits the streets? Sucks for us, but 'near enough is good enough' for the manufacturers, and fair enough in my opinion

z33dev33l said:
The reason for Samsung's "plastic" feel is durability, you drop a metal phone then the weight is going to make it more likely to break, the plastics Samsung uses often just has the back pop off, maybe a scratch.
As for HTC, they're just not a quality company. They build devices that are pretty from afar but once you use them they often have horrid flaws. Very little quality control.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed about Samsung durability, I've dropped my phone on probably every surface and it is still good.
As for android there many problems with the OS. No hardware acceleration is probably big on my list. My nexus runs pretty good but I do notice lag from time to time. Stock browser is a joke to use, hella amounts of lag when viewing pics and forget about even viewing flash, so opera for me.
I hope ICS will live up to the hype, because I'm really digging the Nokia and windows mobile deal. Only time will tell...
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using XDA App

I was rooting for androids latest iteration to blow at least iOS out of the water but if that leaked nexus build is a final it doesn't even look smooth on a nexus device...

Who know?Probably NOT a final build as it as no acceleration. Word is that ICS will have hardware acceleration for both the interface and browser.
We will see.It does look impressive though....
On quality:My HTC Desire is horrendous, all buttons are almost dead, that has to do with quality. On the other hand my Huawei IDEOS X5 is surprisingly good for what i paid for (hint: zero but costs about 199euros).
If you want quality go for a truly expensive and good phone like the gs2, if not buy smething cheaper.
P.S. the buttons on the iphone 4 HAVE problems.3 of my friends went to the applestore to change them.That is not good build quality imho.

Eh, I like dells build quality though they fail as a software company. Honestly though I do hope ics is more impressive than it looked in that video because that was just slow and choppy, then again I guess the default UI of android isn't what's supposed to sell android. It's the customization options available.

I have a HTC Desire HD, and in my oppinion Android+Sense is the best mobile combo. all the good things from android + an awesome HTC skin.
Company's like Samsung don't make skins for their phones. I think that they should start making them. Ans if they do that, i might buy a Samsung phone or something like that after my HTC. But if they dont start making skins, i don´t want them...

i like my desire with htc sense, also like iphone with long time battery.

z33dev33l said:
The reason for Samsung's "plastic" feel is durability, you drop a metal phone then the weight is going to make it more likely to break, the plastics Samsung uses often just has the back pop off, maybe a scratch.
As for HTC, they're just not a quality company. They build devices that are pretty from afar but once you use them they often have horrid flaws. Very little quality control.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
i own HTC devices with metal... and all of them are broken, chipped so badly i have to pull out my sandy paper or file to smooth the metal back out, because the phone shell has been ripped apart after many close encounter with the floor
since i switched to Samsung the plastic design has proven that it can handle the drops much better than the metal

I got an issue with samsung and their software updates.
I've been lucky so far with HTC. Good build quality and frequently updated software.
If I need to trade off iphone quality for the freedom of Android, I will.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

There got to be some military grade glass, that will hold all kinds of abuse. My back cover of Glacier is already swinging from side to side. I really hope that this upcoming Nexus will fix all of the issues I, and many other, have with Android phones build quality.
I still do not get, where did samsung got info that 4.65" screen is good for everyone?

hmm. interesting thread, and views.
my experience hasn't been so great with samsung phones. i had a samsung moment and that thing was terrible. and apparently the gs2 is having some problems as well. users have reported problems with the screen/display having some kind of stain like color on it, and the wifi antenna has also been reported by many to be skittish.
not surprising to me. that's what happens when you push a device out based on deadlines rather than completion of thorough testing. regardless of what company is putting the phone out - HTC, samsung, LG... any of them will have problems if they don't ensure a good testing phase pre-release.
i went from the moment to the evo 3D, and the difference is night and day. and i have handled a gs2 and all i can say is i am not impressed. it feels weak and flimsy and in the end, it's still a samsung to me, with the samsung company behind it. i will never own one. but that's just me.
meanwhile, my evo 3D seems to be just a powerhouse in the performance area. i consistently hit quadrant scores over 4300 and linpack scores of 100+ and RL benchmark is completed in about 18 seconds.
there are merely a couple phones out there putting numbers like that down consistently. i know it is that fast in reality, as well, because performing tasks such as viewing, zipping, and opening pdfs from my work email are done extremely fast, and significantly faster than when the phone wasn't rooted with a custom rom/kernel.
just my opinion, but if you can't see the advantage in power and functionality in the android OS, you are not using your phone for anything other than playing games and texting.

I played this bubble game, it's fun. After a few rounds I found myself always stopped in the middle by the app ad and when I restarted the game, the previous records were all gone. Annoying!

Europa. said:
I played this bubble game, it's fun. After a few rounds I found myself always stopped in the middle by the app ad and when I restarted the game, the previous records were all gone. Annoying!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I love the relevance! Made my day so far

I agree with most of your arguments, but there's nothing we can do about it.
Manufacturers are still going to release one smartphone per month because people are used to buy tons of different phones to show to their friends.
More smartphones = more profit.
Doesn't matter if for the market it would be a lot better to play with only one "model" like iPhone does.
Let's hope that Google's Nexus can step up its game and be the iPhone rival.

which phone more future proof? Galaxy S2 or iPhone

Hi there, im just wondering which phone is more future proof, i MIGHT be getting rid of 1 of them so i need 2 know which 1 i should keep. Which one of the phones is more future proof in terms of gaming?
By future proof i mean i dont want 2 upgrade in 2 years when my contract ends, i want the phone for about 3 yrs atleast.
I know Galaxy S2 has 4G and a bigger screen but on the other side of the coin the iphone 4S has a better graphics chip(dont know how much by) and i know games are always continually developed for iphones....hard decision, someone please help me make one lol
I want facts not just fanboy opinions for either device. 10 points best answer.
P.S: I already know that Andoid has less apps/games but most the ones i play are on Android.. so that particular issue aint really an issue for me.
I also want a phone that will continue running super smooth over the time also...the reason why i have both is because something about the largeness of the galaxy s2 screen keeps me coming back 2 it, but the games seem 2 run smoother on iPhone so its a hard decision

1. If i not mistaken Galaxy S2 has been awarded "The Phone of the Year",
2. S2 is more durable when come to drop test, you can easily find relevant video on youtube.
3. S2 has 1GB RAM, I4 has only 512MB, my guess is program run smoother on S2
4. Android Platform can multitask, I4 can't
5. Camera on S2 is 8MP while I4 is only 5MP.
6. S2 support 1080p while I4 support 720p
That all i can think of for the moment...

Definitely the s2. There's just more you can squeeze out of it in terms of gaming performance.
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App

I have to go with the Galaxy S2. Its just so nice looking.

lol are u guys just android fanboys?
gaming performance apparently the iphone 4s beats the galaxy s2 in gaming benchmarks..so how could u squeeze more out of it??

You didn't mention what iPhone you have. Anyway assuming it's at least an iPhone4 then you can bet your ass on it: iPhone all the way. It's not a matter of hardware, it's a matter of optimization: Modern Combat 2 runs much better on a 3gs rather than on an overclocked SGS2, just go on youtube and see it yourself. Every iOS game has better textures and better smoothness compared to its Android counterpart, regardless the hardware you're running it on; just have a look at some youtube game reviews and compare: it's really easy to see. Even Shadowgun, designed to take advantage of dualcore cpus still runs better on the iPhone4 rather that on my SGS2 which is tweaked like hell. There is no comparison: also, if i had to pick an Android right now mainly for gaming purposes (which is imho a bad idea anyway) i'd go for a Tegra device: sure they have their flaws and are overall slower compared to the Exynos chipset, but if you only care about games Nvidia makes good drivers and i'm pretty sure there is much headroom for improving the performance of this soc in terms of gaming.
On the other hand, talking about real life usage and overall performance and functionality the SGS2 is a much better device compared to the iPhone4, even slightly ahead of the 4s. Think about it, is it really worth it to pick up a device just because of the "gaming factor"? Not really imho. At the end of the day iPhones have more or less the same price of a decent desktop gaming rig: does it really have sense to throw so much money on a phone, if you really love games? Wouldn't you spend that money otherwise?
Edit: woops i missed the "s" in your post.

vnvman said:
You didn't mention what iPhone you have. Anyway assuming it's at least an iPhone4 then you can bet your ass on it: iPhone all the way. It's not a matter of hardware, it's a matter of optimization: Modern Combat 2 runs much better on a 3gs rather than on an overclocked SGS2, just go on youtube and see it yourself. Every iOS game has better textures and better smoothness compared to its Android counterpart, regardless the hardware you're running it on; just have a look at some youtube game reviews and compare: it's really easy to see. Even Shadowgun, designed to take advantage of dualcore cpus still runs better on the iPhone4 rather that on my SGS2 which is tweaked like hell. There is no comparison: also, if i had to pick an Android right now mainly for gaming purposes (which is imho a bad idea anyway) i'd go for a Tegra device: sure they have their flaws and are overall slower compared to the Exynos chipset, but if you only care about games Nvidia makes good drivers and i'm pretty sure there is much headroom for improving the performance of this soc in terms of gaming.
On the other hand, talking about real life usage and overall performance and functionality the SGS2 is a much better device compared to the iPhone4, even slightly ahead of the 4s. Think about it, is it really worth it to pick up a device just because of the "gaming factor"? Not really imho. At the end of the day iPhones have more or less the same price of a decent desktop gaming rig: does it really have sense to throw so much money on a phone, if you really love games? Wouldn't you spend that money otherwise?
Edit: woops i missed the "s" in your post.
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Click to collapse
i actually did state what device i had... the 4S

vnvman said:
You didn't mention what iPhone you have. Anyway assuming it's at least an iPhone4 then you can bet your ass on it: iPhone all the way. It's not a matter of hardware, it's a matter of optimization: Modern Combat 2 runs much better on a 3gs rather than on an overclocked SGS2, just go on youtube and see it yourself. Every iOS game has better textures and better smoothness compared to its Android counterpart, regardless the hardware you're running it on; just have a look at some youtube game reviews and compare: it's really easy to see. Even Shadowgun, designed to take advantage of dualcore cpus still runs better on the iPhone4 rather that on my SGS2 which is tweaked like hell. There is no comparison: also, if i had to pick an Android right now mainly for gaming purposes (which is imho a bad idea anyway) i'd go for a Tegra device: sure they have their flaws and are overall slower compared to the Exynos chipset, but if you only care about games Nvidia makes good drivers and i'm pretty sure there is much headroom for improving the performance of this soc in terms of gaming.
On the other hand, talking about real life usage and overall performance and functionality the SGS2 is a much better device compared to the iPhone4, even slightly ahead of the 4s. Think about it, is it really worth it to pick up a device just because of the "gaming factor"? Not really imho. At the end of the day iPhones have more or less the same price of a decent desktop gaming rig: does it really have sense to throw so much money on a phone, if you really love games? Wouldn't you spend that money otherwise?
Edit: woops i missed the "s" in your post.
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Click to collapse
I dont buy a phone just for gaming, i want an all round, best featured phone with gaming as a major part of it but i also want a phone that will atleast last me 2-3 years without NEEDING an upgrade. iphones are closed soure and i dont use itunes i purchase my music from other sources so android seems 2 be the go, but then why is iphone so popular and why do games/updates come out on them first usually?

peterdan1506 said:
I dont buy a phone just for gaming, i want an all round, best featured phone with gaming as a major part of it but i also want a phone that will atleast last me 2-3 years without NEEDING an upgrade. iphones are closed soure and i dont use itunes i purchase my music from other sources so android seems 2 be the go, but then why is iphone so popular and why do games/updates come out on them first usually?
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All in all it's a matter of personal preference: if you keep the GS2 now you probably won't *need* (unless you don't wanna use a case for it) an upgrade: the phone will still be overall fully functional and usable but i'm pretty sure that many console quality games coming out next year or so will lag on it, and probably software wise don't expect to go further than ICS...also, the lack of optimization within the Android platform makes you need better hardware in order to run the games that will be baked for the A5 chipset, wich is greatly superior to Exynos (about twice as powerful). Long story short this is what i mean: the phone itself won't be outdated soon, but the gaming part will take a severe hit quite soon (imho), because most of the games coming out will be first of all designed for the 4s, so they will obviously look worse on every other phone available at the moment. You will see that already when MC3 will hit the Android market: people will start complaining for the lag and the crappier textures compared to the iPad2/iPhone4s version.
Why do games come out on iOS first? This is pretty self explanatory: when developing a console quality game you have to take full advantage of the hardware of each device the said game will be released for. Doing this for nearly each Android device will be way too expensive for the software houses, and their income wouldn't improve much either: iPhone is still the most sold phone on Earth after all, and all together i'm pretty sure that Apple outsells Android talking about higher end devices, and games are meant mainly for those, so go figure... You also have to take into account that also the software differs quite a lot through androids, and i honestly don't know how well ICS will address this issue, we'll see. Another show stopper for devs is the fact that Android is easily hackable, so it's almost pointless to sell expensive high grade games on it. This said you're still right when you say that iOS is really locked down, but this is actually the price you have to pay for an unmatched software optimization. Oh, and about the iTunes thing, you don't need to buy music from itunes if you have an iPhone, just add the one you have to the library. Also, if you're an audiophile please note that the GS2 is very average (basically it sounds like a mid range phone) as a media player, while the 4s delivers much better sound quality.

the thing about the iphone's tho is that its a really small screen. so when playing mc3 i have 2 squint 2 see. whats the point on having console quality if its only on a small screen?
also, the gs2 has more RAM, double what iphone 4s has, that is another thing that gets me... but u are helping me a make decision.
To be honest, i dont think MC3 on the GS2 will be too much different graphically then it is on iPhone... thats why its not released yet, cos they need 2 optimize it for each and every android device hat is capable of playing it. All the faster GPU does is account for faster rendering, not better textures
i know you dont have 2 purchase music through itunes... but then u NEED a pc or laptop 2 be able 2 add the songs 2 the official music player library and playlists...do you not?

peterdan1506 said:
the thing about the iphone's tho is that its a really small screen. so when playing mc3 i have 2 squint 2 see. whats the point on having console quality if its only on a small screen?
also, the gs2 has more RAM, double what iphone 4s has, that is another thing that gets me... but u are helping me a make decision.
To be honest, i dont think MC3 on the GS2 will be too much different graphically then it is on iPhone... thats why its not released yet, cos they need 2 optimize it for each and every android device hat is capable of playing it. All the faster GPU does is account for faster rendering, not better textures
i know you dont have 2 purchase music through itunes... but then u NEED a pc or laptop 2 be able 2 add the songs 2 the official music player library and playlists...do you not?
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Yeah i know, infact i got the GS2 because i wanted a big, badass amoled screen and didn't care too much about games. Audio quality was a big let down to me tho, i was expecting it to sound at least as good as the SGS, which was really boss. Actually i tried to play MC2 on a friend's iPhone a while ago and the screen felt like a joke, but i got big hands, so that might have been just me. I really hope MC3 will be good, but i'm not very optimistic because MC2 was delayed too and was still quite rushed when it came out, and right now the Android version still has poorer textures. But who knows after all: Tintin came out in two different versions, for both high and low end devices, so there might be hope.
Talking about music afaik there isn't a way to load it on an iPhone without a pc, but i'm not really into iOS (as many here) so i'm not sure, maybe you can if you're jailbroken.

None of the above
Quad cores phones (HTC Edge) already made it on the stage, so that means everything dual core and single core will be obsolete or abandoned soon after, probably in a year or two
and there's no such thing as futureproof
when i7 CPU extreme black edition was the top of the line 3~4 years ago, now has been far surpassed by its younger brothers with 12 cores 2 years later (from 8 cores...)
so, just buy what you can afford today, and what you like best today.
if you are not in a hurry to get a new phone, then wait for as long as you can wait before getting a new phone, because 3 months down the row, a new and better phone is waiting for you
peterdan1506 said:
Hi there, im just wondering which phone is more future proof, i MIGHT be getting rid of 1 of them so i need 2 know which 1 i should keep. Which one of the phones is more future proof in terms of gaming?
By future proof i mean i dont want 2 upgrade in 2 years when my contract ends, i want the phone for about 3 yrs atleast.
I know Galaxy S2 has 4G and a bigger screen but on the other side of the coin the iphone 4S has a better graphics chip(dont know how much by) and i know games are always continually developed for iphones....hard decision, someone please help me make one lol
I want facts not just fanboy opinions for either device. 10 points best answer.
P.S: I already know that Andoid has less apps/games but most the ones i play are on Android.. so that particular issue aint really an issue for me.
I also want a phone that will continue running super smooth over the time also...the reason why i have both is because something about the largeness of the galaxy s2 screen keeps me coming back 2 it, but the games seem 2 run smoother on iPhone so its a hard decision
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My example
i switched phone provider, i needed a new phone, there was nothing decent at the time, i was forced to pick up the Nexus S with all its downside
so now that the SGS2 finally made its way, i switched to it right away, because that's the phone that can actually accomplish what i needed to do
but say for example if the Nexus S was able to meet all my needs, i wouldn't have bothered to upgrade to the SGS2, i'd probably have waited for Nexus 4 or SGS3 before getting a new phone
so it all comes down to your needs, and what you want to do with it, and if the phone is able to do what you want

@AllGamer: i agree, but we must not forget that it's not just a matter of hardware: most games still run better on an old as **** 3gs rather on the latest Android superphone. If the software (games or whatever) isn't optimized all the cores in the world won't make our gaming experience better, and this is especially true on a mobile platform.

lol its funny how ppl think old android devices will become obsolete. as th guy under all gamer.stated they still optimize games for older phones. my brother has a htc legend and most of the games are playable on that still through optimization and besides if needed u can overclock android devices cpu and gpu.
With that being said. Do ppl think games will still be made and optimized for dual devices like the
gs2?? As it would still be a very capable phone? Im new to android so what are peoples experience with past android game compatibility with phones??

i would go with the sg2... i will give advantage to the android system in general... even now it show its supremacy over iOS... and with no doubt it will become better

Well simply the iphone im a android fan at heart. But even I know the apple has the best reselling value for devices period. By the time the new iphone 5 comes out most people would of sold their iphone 4 or 4s by then to get it. You can get unreasonable amount of money for devices which are last gen on various selling sites.

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games that works in one phone will not work on another
mainly due Tegra, Exynos/Hummingbird, Qualcomm
then it comes the RAM sizes
so it's up to the game developer to provide support or not for their games
good example
Gameloft said they will no longer update Dungeon Hunter 1, which i paid for, but is not compatible with newer phone
other typical example Tegra games will not run on non tegras phones
some games are only available in certain models, some other are available in all, so it really depends on which games you plan to play, or might play in the future

depends
I think hardware wise, you're better with the android phone....
is you want to keep up with software, the iphone.
as an owner, for a year now, of a SGS1, and having it abandoned, if you're ok with the software that comes on it possibly being the only os update you get, and nearly no luck of them quickly releasing patches for bugs, then the SGS would be ok...
I'm not a big iFan, so am a little biased, but am jealous of the control apple has over their software updates...with the Iphone, you'll likely get fairly quick bug fixes pushed to your phone, and good chance your phone will get the next 1 or 2 os updates apple releases.
I think with the SGS, you'll be better with the larger screen...as I think phones are trending that way...and the more memory..and of course you get the future speed bumps as the carrier's 4g (3g+) tech gets updated and expanded....
personally...ny next phone is the nexus prime. updates straight from google, in a timely manner, and many of the specs similar to the sgs2.
just my 2 cents

Long time iPhone user. Is it time for Android?

First off, I dont want to start an iPhone vs Android war here!
But heres the thing. I have always had iPhones and I think its time for a change. Been waiting for a jailbreak for iOS 9.2 and I cant see it happening anytime soon. As the iPhone is very limited without a jailbreak, I need more functionality in my life, so I am looking towards an Android solution!
Im tech savvy and have no issues with flashing ROM's etc etc. Used to be into Symbian phones back in the day!
So I am looking for a phone that is better than the iPhone 6 in relation to hardware specs. I am also looking for a pure Android experience, the less bloatware the better! But I suppose the choice of phone will be narrowed by the availability of a nice, and well rounded custom ROM.
I would like something with a decent screen size, I dont want a tablet in my pocket, but the screen needs to be no smaller than the iPhone 6.
Not so worried about the cost and build quality is important.
I also note that there are some impending releases coming, so might wait a month or two to see what new phones will be gracing us!
So what do you recommend?
Thanks

TR1PL3D said:
First off, I dont want to start an iPhone vs Android war here!
But heres the thing. I have always had iPhones and I think its time for a change. Been waiting for a jailbreak for iOS 9.2 and I cant see it happening anytime soon. As the iPhone is very limited without a jailbreak, I need more functionality in my life, so I am looking towards an Android solution!
Im tech savvy and have no issues with flashing ROM's etc etc. Used to be into Symbian phones back in the day!
So I am looking for a phone that is better than the iPhone 6 in relation to hardware specs. I am also looking for a pure Android experience, the less bloatware the better! But I suppose the choice of phone will be narrowed by the availability of a nice, and well rounded custom ROM.
I would like something with a decent screen size, I dont want a tablet in my pocket, but the screen needs to be no smaller than the iPhone 6.
Not so worried about the cost and build quality is important.
I also note that there are some impending releases coming, so might wait a month or two to see what new phones will be gracing us!
So what do you recommend?
Thanks
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Click to collapse
Oh boy, I wouldn't worry about an iPhone Android war but you're going to start another kind of war (the oem one) if you want a new Android phone check here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1846277
But given the sheer amount of replies I don't think you'll be able to get any help from it. So imo the best phone that has all what you want is the huawei Nexus 6P ( great design and build quality and top notch hardware but most important pure android and fast updates) but im may be a bit too big maybe? (5.7")
Other suggestions maybe motorola since they make great phones with aosp android http://www.google.dz/url?q=http://m...ggLMAA&usg=AFQjCNE0_PMlhvpD9ipMsLFmuauokfuM4A
Press thanks button if I helped ?.