Android users unite! Form the DroidTron!

DonDaddyD

So t'was upgrade season on my mobile phone. Disgusted with Apple's pricing strategy*

My phone? Samsung Galaxy Nexus. I played with it in a 3store and fell inlove with the operating system. I didn't really want an overlay UI like HTC sense so I'm happy with my pure Android. Amd I have to say that Droid 4.0 or Ice Cream Sandwich really is intuitive, I've got it connected to Google+ the push feature and notification of emails/tweets/facebook works well. Contact folder integrated with all my other folders and the face recognition to unlock the phone a really cool feature.

I'm sorry but Siri wasn't enough.

Anyway, questions. Android, what apps, what add on features do you have?

Do you used an iTunes-esque programme to manage your music files, photos, apps, contacts folder. Can this be done using Google+?

DonDaddyD

*Pricing Strategy (to not detract from my first post).

Offline the Samsung Galaxy S2, Galaxy Nexus, HTC Senstaion, Motorola RAZR et al are all priced around the same price as the iPhone 4s and comparable (and in places better than) in terms specifications. YET Apple insist on setting premium (more expensive for less inclusive mins/texts etc) mobile tariffs than their competitors AND a premium price for their phone. i.e.

£35 contract you have to pay £100 for the iPhone 4s. £30 contract with more inlucsive mins, text and data usage and you can get a HTC, Samsumg, Sony, Motorola etc for free.

Now I know why Apple do this, they set their products at premium price as a marketing strategy to position their product as the best within the Market - a Market leader - when in reality the Samsung Galaxy S2 is arguably an all round better phone - compared to the iPhone 4 absolutely/compared to the iPhone 4s maybe.

Apple can justify this because demand for their product is high and not because it is actually technically better than the rest. It's pure consumerism that drives the iPhone, subsequent versions have never been a significant technocal leap on the predecessor.

Now don't get me wrong having a 3Gs was cool, I was in with the kids that all owned Super Nintendo's and Nike Air Max (I was never that kid when I was younger). Do I want another iPhone, meh. Had one had them all. Like owning a Ford. Would an Escort owner really be blown away by a Focus?

Still all that aside what really irks me is the stipulations Apple impose on the Mobile companies. Apple set the price and tarrif and it's the same for all the UK mobile phone providers (that's 02, T-mobile, Vodaphone, Orange - the only ones worth going with). Even as an exisiting customer - I've had the same number and contact for about a decade - T-mobile was unwilling to negotiate an iPhone cntract or even budge on the price. They said they couldn't "Apple won't let them". HTC or the Samsung Galaxy Nexus that I got and they gave me my full £350 phone discount, loyalty discount and extra mins/text/internet etc. Simply because I said I would leave and go to 3.

Bottom line: The mobile phone market needs to be competitive, as an existing customer you should always be able to go to one provider and negotiate a better contract than their competitor. New customers should always be enticed by competitive contracts. Apple's strategy negates this and makes the tariff market uncompetitive for the consumer. A principle I disagree with.

il_principe

DonDaddyD wrote:

*Pricing Strategy (to not detract from my first post).

Offline the Samsung Galaxy S2, Galaxy Nexus, HTC Senstaion, Motorola RAZR et al are all priced around the same price as the iPhone 4s and comparable (and in places better than) in terms specifications. YET Apple insist on setting premium (more expensive for less inclusive mins/texts etc) mobile tariffs than their competitors AND a premium price for their phone. i.e.

£35 contract you have to pay £100 for the iPhone 4s. £30 contract with more inlucsive mins, text and data usage and you can get a HTC, Samsumg, Sony, Motorola etc for free.

Now I know why Apple do this, they set their products at premium price as a marketing strategy to position their product as the best within the Market - a Market leader - when in reality the Samsung Galaxy S2 is arguably an all round better phone - compared to the iPhone 4 absolutely/compared to the iPhone 4s maybe.

Apple can justify this because demand for their product is high and not because it is actually technically better than the rest. It's pure consumerism that drives the iPhone, subsequent versions have never been a significant technocal leap on the predecessor.

Now don't get me wrong having a 3Gs was cool, I was in with the kids that all owned Super Nintendo's and Nike Air Max (I was never that kid when I was younger). Do I want another iPhone, meh. Had one had them all. Like owning a Ford. Would an Escort owner really be blown away by a Focus?

Still all that aside what really irks me is the stipulations Apple impose on the Mobile companies. Apple set the price and tarrif and it's the same for all the UK mobile phone providers (that's 02, T-mobile, Vodaphone, Orange - the only ones worth going with). Even as an exisiting customer - I've had the same number and contact for about a decade - T-mobile was unwilling to negotiate an iPhone cntract or even budge on the price. They said they couldn't "Apple won't let them". HTC or the Samsung Galaxy Nexus that I got and they gave me my full £350 phone discount, loyalty discount and extra mins/text/internet etc. Simply because I said I would leave and go to 3.

Bottom line: The mobile phone market needs to be competitive, as an existing customer you should always be able to go to one provider and negotiate a better contract than their competitor. New customers should always be enticed by competitive contracts. Apple's strategy negates this and makes the tariff market uncompetitive for the consumer. A principle I disagree with.

Nope, all I got was "whaaaaaaaa whaaaaaaaa waaaaaaaaaa."

I though you were supposed to understand marketing?

medoramas

What apps? Visit Android Market every day for the next 7 days - Google is giving you the top apps for just £0. 10 each. Mind that some of them are normally over five squid... :-)

BTW, I can't wait for Google to release the ICS for my Nexus S... I bet you are enjoying your new Friend! I feel sorry for you at the same time, 'coz your sexual life has just been ruined... ;-)

DonDaddyD

medoramas wrote:

What apps? Visit Android Market every day for the next 7 days - Google is giving you the top apps for just £0. 10 each. Mind that some of them are normally over five squid... :-)

BTW, I can't wait for Google to release the ICS for my Nexus S... I bet you are enjoying your new Friend! I feel sorry for you at the same time, 'coz your sexual life has just been ruined... ;-)

Sex, what's that? That dies 7 or so months ago.

It is awesome though and the very nature of the Nexus phones is that you can tinker with it to the point that you don't need a new phone.

Will be visiting the Droid store, thanks!

neiltb

if you think it's bad in the UK, try Canada plans, they are shocking. I got rid of the mobile as I could not justify the cost.

you really don't need one anyway.

symo

Can afford MacBook Pro's and also have a Mac Pro with a Foxtrot Oscar Cinema display, and I want an Android phone because?????????

bails87

Apps:
Dolphin Browser HD
Plume, for twitterm, if you use it.
Endomondo (pro is only 10p at the mo)
'Chrome to Phone' can be handy
Google sky map is cool, but not especially useful.
Swiftkey X seems to be very good, I've only just switched to it as it was also in the 10p sale.
Tasker is good if you like tinkering and automating stuff.

medoramas

And there is that app... Eeeerm... Strava!

NGale

I'm just coming up to the end of my iPhone contract. In a couple months it will be gone because I have become so frustrated with the cost and how restrictive it feels.

Android here I come!

UndercoverElephant

Hopefully I'll be going the other way soon, can't wait to get back to the iPhone after a year with Android.

redvee

Juice Defender is a great App for extending battery life
3G watchdog gives you a breakdown of data usage
App 2 SD is agreat help when moving apps from phone to SD card.
Dropbox
Garmin Fit/Edomondo
Shush is a quick way of putting phone into silent and has the option for keeping the phone quiet for a certain length of time.
Silent Sleep, similar to above but mutes the phone overnight.
Tasker, as previously mentioned
Teamviewer, allows remote access to PC.
Googlemail/maps should be installed as standard.

Dog Breath

I have avague memory of less than a year ago when DDD was asking 'which smartphone?' when he had really made his mind up that it was going to be an iPhone and that nothing else came close to it. Another fashion victim succumbed to the lure of shiny iThings. Oh so blinkered then but has now seen the light. Halleluja

DonDaddyD

On the contary it was 23 months ago and it was the 3Gs

Anyway, going from a normal or cheaper phone, I had the Samsung Tocca, to an iPhone is always going to be impressed. Also the competitors were playing catch up with the technology. The HTC Desire S wasn't out nor the Galaxy S2, both class leaders and Gingerbread - the previous operating system wasn't polished enough IMO.

With the latest OS i think its an OK time to go Droid

jimmypippa

gvSIG has a large selection of offline (and online) maps from different sources. It does seem to use batteries, but is free and the maps are pretty good. It can only store OS maps in cache though, due to licence issues.