All Things Android - Apps, Phones, Tablets - Discussion

OH. MY. GOD.

I just found out that the HTC Sensation SIM UNLOCKED is 499.99£, which is 573.83€, only 23€ more expensive than the Arc unlocked!!!

I'm going with the HTC Sensation then , if I find a cheaper ( locked ) mode, since the Arc locked only costs 450€

Because the HTC Sensation is a beast! Dual core 1.2GHz, 768MB RAM and a pretty nice design!

And I have heard LOTS of positive things about the HTC Sense UI. Why's that, by the way? Is it that good?

 

The government hasn't auctioned the licences yet.
They're reserving the spectrum for broadcasting usage during the 2012 Olympics, so it's going to be at least a year before we get it.

I don't mean to be rude but the Sensation is a mistake, you should get the Galaxy S2 instead.
No matter what you want to, the Galaxy is going to match or better the Sensation.

@Phistachio: the browser's fine, Android's got one of the best browsers around.


edit:

The Galaxy S2 is £500 unlocked over here too.

 

WHAT?! I really need to find a store in Portugal that sells the GS2 for 573€...

Why is the Sensation a mistake, btw?

 

it's the best! they've made 2 new versions of the htc sense ui since htc desire (which i'm using atm). it simply rocks, nothing even comes close to it.

 

not really. my friend bought the galaxy s about the same time as i bought my htc desire. we've both dropped our phones countless times, except there's no scratch on my phone so far, and she's sent it back FOUR times.

not to mention their shabby software support (have they even gotten froyo yet? i got it a year ago).

 

there's wifi everywhere, so it doesn't matter much.

 

The Sensation in and of itself is a decent enough phone but to pick it over the Galaxy S2 when they're both the same price is ridiculous.

The Galaxy S2 has a better CPU, more RAM, more internal storage, a better display, a larger battery, it's thinner, lighter and the Sensation has an encrypted bootloader whereas the Galaxy S2 doesn't.

The Galaxy S has had Froyo for ages and it looks as though it'll get Gingerbread before the Desire, Desire HD, Desire Z and Incredible S.

Not where I stay.
Thankfully I have a 3GB/month data allowance on my contract.

 

Over @ Loja de Smartphone, Pocket PC & Ultra-Mobile PC - EXPANSYS Portugal, the Galaxy S2 is 620€

 

apart from better screen (but it still has a lower resolution) and a larger battery, i don't think the samsung galaxy s ii has anything worth mentioning over the htc sensation. i mean, yeah, one benchmark might show that it has 5005 points to the htc sensation's 5004.99, but at the end of the day the users won't see much of a difference.

 

eXpansys are £520 over here which is unusually competitive for them.
You can walk into any Carphone Warehouse and pick one up for £500.

 

Nice nice definetly better than the Arc.

As for Sense, meh. it depends. I dont like any manufacturer UI overlays really. it depends on the person.

wow nice

Well... i wouldnt say that. look how long it did take Samsung to get Froyo. theyre not known to be great for fast updates

I dont know about the Sensation and the Galaxy S II specifically... but that is incorrect in general. All CPU's are not created equal just by their speed and specs. For example there are many different 1Ghz CPUs for phones... all made and modified by different companies, have different architectures, chip sizes, graphics chips, etc. They are not at all the same even though they can sound it.

 

Well... The only store in Portugal with the GS2 is expansys...

Damn!

 

The official Gingerbread update is imminent, closer than HTC's anyway.

They actually started rolling it out a while back, before pulling it.
Ok, not exactly wonderful but still ahead of HTC.

You don't have PhoneHouse in Portugal?
That's the name for Carphone Warehouse's European arms.

 

Yes, we have The Phone House in Portugal ( www.thephonehouse.pt ), but they don't have the Galaxy S 2 yet, only the Galaxy S for 430€ locked.

 

Yeah i know Well I'm hoping theres an official Gingerbread update here in the US soon, waiting for it! none of the Custom ROM's are fully functional yet.

 

erm, where did i say that they're the same?! i said that the practical difference between them is minimal and that the users (bar the uber-super-duper-nerds) won't even notice it.

 

lol no on both counts.

ah, sunny scotland!

 

may 5, 2011 - HTC Desire HD Gingerbread update rolls out to Vodafone customers - Recombu

 

On one count maybe but the Galaxy S has had Froyo for more than 6 months.

That's weird.
It's not available for unlocked/unbranded handsets, which normally comes weeks if not months before network-locked variants.


Either way Samsung like SE have improved a great deal when it comes to OS updates.
With the original Galaxy S, they released it using an out-of-date OS version whereas with the Galaxy S2, they've released it with Gingerbread.

 

I don't know whether it's HTC or the carrier's problem. But I am pretty sure the 2.3 Sense builds have been ready for a while. We've had fully functional 2.3.3 leaked builds (from Incredible S) for a month at least. Also, the Gingerbread Sense Source code for the Desire HD was released by HTC the other day. So for whatever reason, the software itself is more than ready to be released, just that it hasn't been released.

 

I'm pretty certain Gingerbread builds for the Galaxy S have leaked too but HAL would be better placed to comment on that.

 

the htc desire had it 20 days after it was released, 10 months ago.

 

Gingerbread for unlocked UK Desire HD and Incredible S coming May 16, says HTC | Android Central

htc craps all over samsung when it comes to updates. one network (i think it was 3) published a letter in which they said that samsung begged them to delay froyo updates because they want their new phones with froyo pre-installed in them were coming out soon.

can't find the letter, but http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=913045

i'd stay as far away from samsung's phones as possible, not matter what's in them (lol @ touchwiz ui).

 

There is no objective way to say which custom UI is the best-- it all comes down to personal preference. Touchwiz is personally my favorite of the UI overlays-- that being said whatever phone I buy will be rooted and have stock android installed anyway so it does not matter. I personally cannot stand sense UI-- though that does not make it bad. It is just not my personal preference.

As HAL mentioned earlier, I buy the phone with the best hardware. The samsung gs2 as of right now has the best hardware on the market, and that is fact. In addition the HTC sensation has a signed bootloader, which is a nuisance.

As for staying as far away from samsung phones as possible, I find that laughable. The gs2 has been praised by almost every source that has reviewed it as not only the benchmark for android phones, but for smartphones in general.

I am not loyal to brands, I go with whoever has the best product. Limiting yourself to one company, and bashing others will only cause you to miss out on awesome tech.

 

Froyo release date - May 20th
Nexus One gets Froyo - June 28th ( this was the full release, Google rolled it out to select handsets as early as the 22nd of May)
Desire starts to get Froyo - 1st August

20 days after what exactly?

We get that you like HTC but this is just sad.

 

oops, i thought it was released on june 20th, 2010! sorry. still, 9 months > 6 months.

 

Fair enough.

It's true that Samsung have been poor with software updates in the past but it's also true that they're getting better.
The Gingerbread update for the Galaxy S is close and while they may not end up getting out before HTC do for the Desire etc, they've much closer than than they have been in the past.

As I said before, the Galaxy S2 is every inch at least the Sensation's equal.

 

I just found out a Portuguese site that sells the Galaxy S 2 for 509£, which are 637€ Play.com - Buy Samsung Galaxy S II i9100 16GB / Android / Sim Free / Unlocked Mobile Phone online at Play.com and read reviews. Free delivery to UK and Europe!

How much do you think it would be, if it was locked? Around 500-550€?

 

The Galaxy S hit the market, here, in June. Froyo was out in August-September. But the only Galaxy S version that had it was the GT-i9000. None of the other variants got it until much later. That says that Samsung gets a LOT of bad wrap it doesn't deserve. AT ALL. Samsung is fully capable of pushing out updates just as fast as HTC, but it's the carriers who have to slather on their bloatware and delay release for months on top of months... So let me say this again:

It's not Samsung's fault that it's handsets in the US didn't see Froyo until Feb-Mar 2011. It's solely the fault of the carriers.

As for Gingerbread, the Galaxy S will get it around the same time as every other high-end handset. It was actually supposed to be pushed en-masse to all the GS owners, but Google stopped distribution... for reasons unknown. XWJVB was quite alright for mass consumption, as is XWJVH. Both are 2.3.3 builds and not 2.3.4.

I LOVE how people vilify other handset makers that aren't their own. Samsung is a great Android OEM, as is HTC, and LG, and all the others. Moto, IMO, has a different direction for their devices as all of them are locked down tighter than Ft. Knox, with HTC following in their footsteps with their new phones (like the Sensation). Samsung is the only major OEM left with factory un-signed bootloaders, and for that I applaud them. LG is too much of an unknown quantity ATM, for high-end devices.

 

Sorry to break this to you...

Taken from this page.

 

QFT and +rep... my point exactly

 

They have leaked for the i9000, not the rest of the Galaxy S's, we're relying on ports. Which are mostly functional, except for GPS and having to toggle between the headphone jack and speaker.

If you really want Gingerbread though, you can install the i9000 bootloader on another Galaxy S and get it.

Wow i didnt know that i no longer have a small dislike for Samsung lol

 

You didn't break it to me, I wouldn't buy from them anyways, too expensive

I guess, I am left with the arc, being the cheapest, "hybrid" between performance and money.



On a side note, why is my GPU having spikes of 100% usage while surfing NBR, and having a sudden change of ASUS theme and "Windows 7 basic"?

 

Really?! You have to toggle headphone/speaker on the Vibrant? It's not automatic? Headphone jack logic is in the kernel and is really easy to fix.. O_O

 

no sir! i can't find it now, but a top ranking executive on one of the carriers wrote a huge rant on samsung about how they begged them (the network) to delay the update for weeks so that their (samsung's) new phones with froyo get more attention and sales but the carriers get all the blame (and that's why she (iirc) wrote the rant). plus, samsung charged the carriers for the update (see the link i posted previously) hence a bit more delay (because of samsung).

 

And HTC make their phones by killing babies.
If you're prepared to believe the crap that person posted on XDA-devs with zero evidence, then you have to believe the crap I post with no evidence as well.

Not to mention, Samsung officially denied that rumour a day or so after it surfaced.

 

I'm O.K. with that.

 

yep D: the one thing stopping me from using it.

As for GPS, thats just impossible lol, theres only one ROM ive found where its fully working and doesnt take a minute or more to lock.

 

Really?

That wasn't a top ranking executive. It was a member at XDA with a low post count and almost no reputation. It was an entertaining read, but that's where it stopped. Nothing in it was truth. But the blog sites spread it around every corner of the internet.

As for the carriers, I work for a MAJOR one. And I can tell you now, that isn't how we conduct business. Everything, including updates, is contracted WELL ahead of time.

 

Oh well, some people don't get it

Also, HAL, can you please give me your twitter?

 

Carriers definitely play a huge role in update releases. Take the Samsung Intercept, for example: the same phone is available on both Sprint, and Virgin Mobile USA, which is a pay-as-you-go subsidiary of Sprint and uses their network. The phone itself is physically identical on both carriers, apart from the carrier sticker on the front face.

Intercept owners on Sprint have had FroYo since November or December of 2010. Virgin Mobile owners of the exact same phone did not start getting the exact same FroYo update until the middle of April 2011, not even a month ago. And the way they push the update out randomly in waves, some users still haven't gotten it.

 

really.

i don't know what you're talking about, certainly not the rant i'm talking about. i tried finding it last night, but i couldn't. cba wasting time doing that today.

it's funny you should say this, and then this -

i worked at IBM for two years, they're as major as they come, and no matter what they tell us (and customers) and no matter how many times they tell that, it doesn't always mean that its true. i'm not naive enough to believe that the major companies do everything by the book.

 

^Well, I can see where that is going, so I'll just say I'm not going on with it anymore...

Next...

 

Chill mate, look at her 99.9% posts

Anyways, I have replied to your PM

 

I've had an iPhone 3G for a little over two years now. It's been through a lot to say the least, including going for a swim during a flood, but it's still kicking. I never was really amazed by it. I remember when my dad got it for me, I was kind of underwhelmed. Then I discovered apps and I was like "ah gotcha."

But the application thing got old, man. I don't know. Kind of tired of having to open a bloody app every time I want to do something, especially because it's damn slow. Been keeping an eye on Android and to be honest, it hadn't impressed me at all. But it seems to be maturing very well and I saw a few reviews of the Galaxy II, and it got me. It's really sweet. I like how there are "pages" on Android as opposed to "apps" on iOS.

I don't know what's going on with iOS, thing has been pretty much the same for a while now. Something tells me iOS 5 is going to incorporate a lot of features from Android such as the pages and widgets and whatever, and in doing so blow it out of the water (sorry fellas) but I can't be certain. Furthermore, the talk about it just being a refreshed iPhone 4 is also kind of disappointing. At heart I love me some specs. And the Galaxy II is sick. I just wish it had a higher resolution. I read they're moving to laser AMOLED production that will allow higher resolutions, so hopefully that will come soon. I want my phone to last a good two years without me suffering through it being damn slow a year into it, as with my iPhone 3G.

I've got a few questions about Android and specifically, Touchwiz/Samsung:

Android is open source and whatever, so what's the point of rooting it? Isn't it already...open? I don't get it. With my iPhone, I've got to jailbreak it because it's locked down. But with Android, it's open and everything anyway (isn't it?), so why root it?

In regards to Touchwiz, since that's really what impressed me, can I get a modded firmware with the latest android version or would I have to wait a year or so for Samsung to release it to me?

Is there an apptrackr.org sort of thing for Android?

Is there an iTunes sort of program for Android to handle music? Personally, drag-and-drop was cool with my Creative muvo or whatever with 32MB, but not really what I want to do with 15+ GB of music. I also have my podcasts updated automatically and you know, iTunes kind of just streamlines everything. Don't get why all the hate for it, but that's neither here nor there. So ya, is there a similar iTunes program I can use to deal with my music for Android?

Oh, and you guys think there would be an updated Galaxy II with higher-res by the time the next iPhone comes around in Sep/Oct?

Thanks.

 

You'll see the Galaxy S3 when iPhone 5 comes out. Also, rooting isn't really unlocking anything really. It's akin to Windows running in administrator mode.

 

hmm. And what do you gain by doing that?

 

The ability to use apps that wouldn't work otherwise, to uninstall pre-loaded/protected apps that you couldn't otherwise.
Basically, full control of your phone - just like you get with your PC when you log in as an administrator

 

Oh ok. Thanks for the eyes emoticon thingy. That really helped get the point across.

My only point of confusion was that I was under the impression that it was open-source and completely open and free and da da da da... so rooting it or whatever seemed redundant. But apparently there are restrictions on Android after all.

 

Well think of linux for a computer, it's open-source but you still need to log in as an administrator to get full control.

The reason why manufcaturers restrict users from having full superuser access to their handsets is to try and prevent them from screwing things up.
Once you're rooted, you could uninstall your dialler, your contacts app, your sms app or various other things that would, for the average user, just end up causing problems.