Android Phones

[buntatog]

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Hello everyone, I want to replace my Palm Centro with a new smartphone. Everyone I know has an iphone. Along with the iphone's outrageous price, I don't see why I would need to pay an additional mandatory fee for 3G internet access, and have to extend my contract for another 2 years. In the event that I would change cellphone service in the next few months, I have been looking into unlocked android phones, on websites and mostly forums, but all the info I find is confusing to me. Anyone here that can give me some info on the android platform from a physician's standpoint (ie medical apps available for droid and ease of use and support)? Thanks!

CA-1 in 19 days yuhoooo!

 

[cchoukal]

I'm in the same boat, 2 years into a Palm Treo (and a decade into Palm, in general), now w/ a Macbook, on Verizon. I don't want to switch to ATT for the iPhone, so I'm interested in the androids like the HTC Incredible, but can't find a lot of info about how well it syncs w/ Mac (iCal, Addressbook, etc.).

Anyone?

 

[bostonblaz]

I am a droid user and I like it very much. Check out androidcentral.com. look in tyhe forums and search this topic and I think you will be pleasantly suprised

 

[urge]

The Motorola Droid goes for $20 plus 2 yr contract on Verizon. That's a steal.

The HTC incredible is slightly better but it runs like $200 with contract.

The Sprint HTC EVO is the best IMHO. $200 plus 2 yr contract. Unlimited 4G speed in select cities. Even works as a mobile wifi hot spot for your other gadgets(but have to pay $30/mo for that.... bummer... I guess you don't need to pay for home internet....)

 

[Jet915]

Evo 4G. I am getting it when I get back. Sprint pricing is better than the competition and depending on where you live, you might get 4G. Even w/the mandatory 4G charge, the plan is still cheaper than the rest. Plus, in a couple months, it will get upgraded to Froyo 2.2 w/the possibility of FREE tethering.

 

[Narcotized]

.

 

[jwk]

The Motorola Droid goes for $20 plus 2 yr contract on Verizon. That's a steal.

The HTC incredible is slightly better but it runs like $200 with contract.

The Sprint HTC EVO is the best IMHO. $200 plus 2 yr contract. Unlimited 4G speed in select cities. Even works as a mobile wifi hot spot for your other gadgets(but have to pay $30/mo for that.... bummer... I guess you don't need to pay for home internet....)

$20 on the Droid? It's still the same price as the Incredible in Atlanta. Grrrrrrrrrr!

 

[urge]

$20 on the Droid? It's still the same price as the Incredible in Atlanta. Grrrrrrrrrr!

Here you go brohirim:

http://www.amazon.com/Motorola-A855-Android-Verizon-Wireless/dp/tech-data/B002UUTCKC/ref=de_a_smtd

Works with Atlanta zip code.

Walmart wireless has the same offer. Shop around.

http://walmart.letstalk.com/product/product.htm?prId=35921

Actually Walmart has the HTC Droid Eris for free plus they refund you $50! Droid Incredible for $150

http://walmart.letstalk.com/product/product.htm?prId=35929

http://walmart.letstalk.com/product/browse.htm?pgId=100&serviceCorpId=660

You're welcome!
I gladly accept paypal for my services.

 

[aneftp]

. Along with the iphone's outrageous price, I don't see why I would need to pay an additional mandatory fee for 3G internet access, and have to extend my contract for another 2 years. In the event that I would change cellphone service in the next few months, I have been looking into unlocked android phones, on websites and mostly forums, but all the info I find is confusing to me. Anyone here that can give me some info on the android platform from a physician's standpoint (ie medical apps available for droid and ease of use and support)? Thanks!

1.
a. Don't know why people are complaining about iphone's "outrageous prices." The full subsidized price is $199/299 (16GB/32GB). The partial subsidized prices are $399/499 and the full prices are 599/699. Americans just don't understand how much ATT is subsidizing the iphone. Just go to over to Europe/Asia. Most residents don't have any issues paying $400-600 for unsubsidized phones.
b. Last I heard the HTC Droid Incredible on verizon was $199 on a fully subsidized 2 year contract (and that's without the 16GB built in memory that iphone has in) and the HTC Evo with Sprint is also $199 on a new 2 year contract (it only has 8GB built in memory and a microSD card).

Google has yet to increase the app storage issue with it's Android OS. I believe you are still physically limited to 512MB (yes that's MB of app storage space, despite what GB your microSD card you have). Hopefully they will address that issue in the near future.

Verizon has been charging the "mandatory data" fee on their BB, and other smartphones for the last 2-3 years. This is not new. I don't know why people pick on ATT for forcing iphone data plans (sure it's a greedy move on their part, especially if you didn't buy a subsidized phone from them and brought it on the black market). But Verizon, because of CDMA's activation process, will force a data plan on you.

The HTC Evo 4G with sprint forces a $10 "surcharge for 4G access" even if you don't live in a 4G area. This is in addition to the lowest $69.99 all text/data/450 minutes plan they have so you are talking about $79.99. You do get unlimited minutes to other cellular customers. And no, tethering via wifi hotspot is not free with the HTC EVO, it's $30 extra each month.

ATT and Verizon have almost identical pricing plans.

Now from a physician's standpoint. If you want apps for medical, stick with the iPhone OS (or iOS as they call it as of Monday June 7th). Much more development for the iOS compared to Android.

Android is improving, but it's still rough around the edge as they stand. Google has already hinted that 2.2 will likely be the last major update for 2010.

Now getting back to the HTC EVO from Sprint. Having tested it out for 3 days (sprint gives you a money back guarantee). The phone is a beat. Great Screen, speedy (for an android phone). Fast internet speeds. However there's one problem with it: Battery life. The phone was consistently dead on me by 5PM. Battery life is horrible on the HTC EVO.

You realize how many times a heavy cell phone users (touches his/her phone each day just to look at the screen and it's notifications). That's how the EVO drains it's battery life very quickly.

I usually am down to 30% of battery life by 5PM on my iPhone 3GS with the very similar heavy cell phone use.

But the most important thing is do you get a cell phone reception in your area. Determine that first. Than determine pricing. Than go for the phone you want.

Personally have had the original Android phone, used the Motorola Droid with Verizon (the physical keyboard sucks), Droid incredible (the onscreen keyboard sucks and you have to download a third party keyboard to make it work better and the HTC EVO (battery life horrible), I still feel like Android is not as polished as an OS as the iPhone. Sure 2.2 is supposed to be the most polished to date, but it's up against the Iphone 4 new OS.

 

[huynhc]

you need to root your android phone and tweak it yourself. if you do that, nothing really compares to it. you can flash roms, install root level programs which allow for FREE 3g/4g wifi tether, etc.

IMO, iphone is way too closed of a system and doesnt give you much room to fiddle with if you like to customize your phone. Jailbreaking is pretty hard to do on the 3gs and i'm sure the 4th generation iphone will be even harder.

if you dont know or are lazy to customize your phone, the iphone is prolly a better choice (if you believe convenience > freedom)
if you like to customize things to any way you want, android is definitely the choice (if you believe freedom > convenience)

FYI, yea the evo battery kinda sucks but im sure as devs get their handson it more and produce higher quality roms, we'll see a jump in the battery life without a doubt. but again this is only if you root and want to fiddle with your phone.

 

[aneftp]

you need to root your android phone and tweak it yourself. if you do that, nothing really compares to it. you can flash roms, install root level programs which allow for FREE 3g/4g wifi tether, etc.

IMO, iphone is way too closed of a system and doesnt give you much room to fiddle with if you like to customize your phone. Jailbreaking is pretty hard to do on the 3gs and i'm sure the 4th generation iphone will be even harder.

if you dont know or are lazy to customize your phone, the iphone is prolly a better choice (if you believe convenience > freedom)
if you like to customize things to any way you want, android is definitely the choice (if you believe freedom > convenience)

FYI, yea the evo battery kinda sucks but im sure as devs get their handson it more and produce higher quality roms, we'll see a jump in the battery life without a doubt. but again this is only if you root and want to fiddle with your
phone.

I agree about Apple being a "closed" system. They have alwas been. Nothing has changed with the iPhone/app store

As for rooting a android phone, that's very easy. But so is jailbreaking an iPhone. It literally takes 30 seconds to jailbreak the iPhone these days to enable features like wifi tethering (although I never recommend wifi tethering for extended times cause wifi tethering kills any cell phone battery life regardless of OS).

But again the most important thing is to look for good cell phone reception where you live and work.

As for medical apps, nothing beats the iPhone app store for programs available. There's not a lot of medical apps in the android app store.

If you are dead set on an Android phone, get the HTC Incredible if you are going with Verizon. Get the HTC EVO if you are going with Sprint.

AT&T has a very lame Motorola "backflip" Android phone. It's horrible and I don't recommend it to anyone.

People need to realize that not all android phones are created the same. Unless you are so short on money and don't want to fork over the $200 for a subsidize phone, I would stay from the underpowered HTC Eris, or tmobile mytouch 3g. Even Verizon's Motorola Droid is getting a little stale. A newer Motorola Droid "X" has already been leaked. That "x" Droid won't be released to late Q3/early Q4 with Verizon.

If the OP is coming from a Palm Centro, any Android, Palm webOS, iPhone OS will be considered a big jump for them.

You usually have 14-30 days to try a phone (sprint doesn't charge u a restocking fee to return and even returns any fees you already paid for). Sprint mainly does that because they are still bleeding customers.

 

[guitarguy09]

👍 👍 to the above posts by 'aneftp'. Also, I worry that the camera lens on the HTC Evo, etc will get scratched... notice that when you set the phone down on its back it rests directly on the camera lens (which is flat and not recessed at all).

 

[deleted77919]

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[Laryngophed]

Just an update to this thread, tomorrow Verizon, Motorola and Google are holding a press conference, presumably to release the Droid X Details are sketchy to this point and there are a lot of rumors, but it'll be in the same class of super-smartphones with the Evo and iPhone4. Just thought I'd drop that on you all. I have no idea as to pricing, but I'd suspect it'll follow the Evo pricing or split the difference of Evo and iPhone pricing. More updates to come.

Google around and you'll find some cool info out there. There is a twitter account (@droidlanding) that is apparently part of the marketing campaign and there are allusions to the possibility of Verizon giving away a few of these puppies prior to launch.

 

[Jet915]

Just an update to this thread, tomorrow Verizon, Motorola and Google are holding a press conference, presumably to release the Droid X Details are sketchy to this point and there are a lot of rumors, but it'll be in the same class of super-smartphones with the Evo and iPhone4. Just thought I'd drop that on you all. I have no idea as to pricing, but I'd suspect it'll follow the Evo pricing or split the difference of Evo and iPhone pricing. More updates to come.

Google around and you'll find some cool info out there. There is a twitter account (@droidlanding) that is apparently part of the marketing campaign and there are allusions to the possibility of Verizon giving away a few of these puppies prior to launch.

Sounds like a clone of the EVO w/o the 4G. Preference would now be between services of Verizon vs. Sprint. Sprint's pricing is cheaper and if you live in a 4G area, there is a definite advantage for the EVO. There is also a rumor about Verizon going to "tiered" pricing like ATT.

 

[Laryngophed]

Sounds like a clone of the EVO w/o the 4G. Preference would now be between services of Verizon vs. Sprint. Sprint's pricing is cheaper and if you live in a 4G area, there is a definite advantage for the EVO. There is also a rumor about Verizon going to "tiered" pricing like ATT.

I would agree. I personally prefer Verizon to Sprint, given some bad experience with Sprint customer service a few years ago (though I know much changes in a matter of years at companies like this) and I seemed to always lose signal and drop signal with Sprint. The pricing is tough to beat, but I think Sprint (and T-Mobile) are losing customers to the big 2 and are fighting to keep 'em and get some fresh blood.

I've heard of the rumors of tiered data from Verizon, but I can confirm that as of late last week, they still have the $30/month unlimited package.

 

[pianoman511]

In terms of Evo battery life, I am consistently getting nearly 20 hours with moderate-heavy usage after a few tweaks that don't really affect anything. This is with the stock battery. There are several aftermarket batteries coming out that are the same size as stock with larger capacities which should further increase battery life (also, the Droid 2 and Droid X are coming out for Verizon and the Droid X seems to be the same thing as the Evo if you want to go that route).

In terms of tethering - the WiFi is not free yet - you can tether with the USB cord for free and the upcoming Froyo release includes wifi tethering. We'll see how sprint handles that.

 

[Gaseous Clay]

aneftp stated that the med apps for iPhone is far better than what you can get on the android system. I am in the market for a new phone, my new job will pay for any smartphone and give me a cell phone stipend. With that said, what are apps that a lot of you use for the iPhone and the android system? Is there really that much of a difference? Also, if I don't know something, these days computers are everywhere to look up drugs, etc...

 

[pianoman511]

Right now there are more apps available for the iPhone than android. It has been around longer, and many developers have not ported the apps to android yet. That being said, many of the more popular apps are available for both platforms (the notable exception being medscape.....wish they would get on that).

 

[Gardner]

Getting ready to ditch my BB. I'd like to stay with Verizon. As an anesthesia resident (actually an intern next Thursday), what other med apps do I need other than Epocrates? That's all I used as a med student. I'd like the functionality and feel of the iPhone with the Verizon network.

Thanks for the info on this thread.

 

[pianoman511]

For drug reference epocrates is the only free app, but you can try out tarascon (not sure if lexi-comp has a free trial or not). Other good apps include skyscape (but be careful since a lot of the content is accessed via an internet connection) and diagnosaurus.

A lot of people recommend PEPID, but after downloading the trial I found the software pretty lacking in terms of touch optimization and ease of use. It has a ton of info, but sometimes getting to it is a little tough.

There are also electronic versions of reference texts. One option is skyscape (but again the content is accessed via a data connection) or using a pdf, pdb, or chm version (all e-book formats). The chm and pdb files are searchable a little easier than pdfs.

 

[durlvlbeacoo]

aneftp stated that the med apps for iPhone is far better than what you can get on the android system. I am in the market for a new phone, my new job will pay for any smartphone and give me a cell phone stipend. With that said, what are apps that a lot of you use for the iPhone and the android system? Is there really that much of a difference? Also, if I don't know something, these days computers are everywhere to look up drugs, etc...

If you use an iPhone, you won't be able to make phone calls if you're holding the phone with your hand. Or use the data connection. Listening to iPod tunes should still be ok!

 

[Gaseous Clay]

Sorry, I didn't want to open up a whole new thread, but does anyone have experience with tethering? I am going to go with the iPhone in a few weeks and can't seem to find too many reviews or opinions on tethering. I am wondering if it would be more than sufficient for basic web surfing and email.