Getting a Droid: Anything I need to know?

WarriorBlake

WarriorBlake

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For my birthday in August, I'm saving up to buy a Droid phone. I'm on the Verizon network and looking into the Motorola Devour that has been advertised. I'll be adding it to my dad's Family Plan and adding a data line to it. I have thought about buying the phone w/o a contract but I'm probably going for the 1 yr plan. As the title says, is there anything I should be aware of when buying or will need to consider? Any advice is appreciated.
 
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Love the Android operating system, hate the Moto Droid phone. I "downgraded" from the Moto to the HTC Droid Eris and don't regret it in the slightest. Get the Incredible or Nexus One when it becomes available.
 
Love the droid and the physical keyboard, I get some lockups sometimes depending on what apps I'm using, but besides that, smooth sailing. I would probably wait to get the Incredible myself at this point, but I think the Droid is only 100 bucks now, so it depends what your finances look like.
 
[quote name='mikey728']Htc incredible came out. If i were you i'd get that. It makes the devour look like liquid shit.[/QUOTE]
Actually it does not come out till the 29th. By the time August comes, there will be several more Android handsets on the verizon so Devour might be discontinued. If you decide to go for a 2 year contract, go to Best Buy, they do not do rebates, it is all instant savings.
 
[quote name='mrsilkunderwear']Actually it does not come out till the 29th. By the time August comes, there will be several more Android handsets on the verizon so Devour might be discontinued. If you decide to go for a 2 year contract, go to Best Buy, they do not do rebates, it is all instant savings.[/QUOTE]

Best Buy also doesn't do discounts if you're a student, work for the government, whoever else gives discounts with phone services.
 
[quote name='Mako1215']I'm waiting for the Verizon iPhone. Shouldn't be too much longer.

Get a case for sure for it![/QUOTE]

That what they said for years. With the leaked iphone using micro SIM it wont be on Verizon anytime soon.
 
[quote name='battlechicken']on any android phone, download "handcent sms" as your messaging app.

It is by far the best messaging app for android.[/quote]

+1
 
As far as specific questions, I guess the main thing I would like to know is about the apps. I know there are many that are free but should I save up a little extra for any specific app that would be good?

As far as which phone to get, ill be saving up $400 for it so i would like to get the most bang for my buck.
 
[quote name='Dragonsbane']Im interested if anyone is lusting after the HTC evo like I am?[/QUOTE]

I would be, but I had Sprint previously, and their service was so bad that I actually paid to get out of my contract early. So I'm definitely wary about going back. That said, the EVO looks pretty sweet.

[quote name='WarriorBlake']As far as which phone to get, ill be saving up $400 for it so i would like to get the most bang for my buck.[/QUOTE]

Honestly, don't even decide yet. See what's out when you're ready to buy, because at the rate that new Android models are being announced and released, there could be something better than anything we know about at the moment by then. That being said, yeah, for Verizon, the HTC Incredible is definitely going to be the way to go right now.
 
I just returned my Moto Droid and pre-ordered a Droid Incredible online. Its tough going back to my launch RAZR but its only 9 days away. I just hope it gets rooted quickly, want my Swype + more on there ASAP!
 
I've got a Nexus One. One thing to remember is to turn off active wallpapers (if your phone supports them) and turn off the GPS when you're not using it. Those two use up a lot of battery power.
 
[quote name='mkelehan']I've got a Nexus One. One thing to remember is to turn off active wallpapers (if your phone supports them) and turn off the GPS when you're not using it. Those two use up a lot of battery power.[/QUOTE]

How'd you get a Nexus? Are you on Verizon?
 
@OP:

If I were you I'd just get a Droid Incredible by HTC instead (Assuming a better phone doesn't come out by then). You can preorder them now through Verizon or Best Buy, comes out on the 29th. It's the best Android OS phone, better than the Droid or N1. "Snapdragon, SenseUI, 3.7-inch AMOLED, 8-megapixel camera, etc." $200 with a $100 mail in rebate. Look into it! :D

As far as apps go, I wouldn't really save extra money for them. Most are free or have a Lite version. The only one I've actually bought is a home replacement called DxTop. It was only a few bucks though.
 
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If you are ordering the Eris, be prepared to have to buy an extended battery - the battery life is not good at all. The Droid is amazing, however.
 
[quote name='thisboywillbreak']@OP:

If I were you I'd just get a Droid Incredible by HTC instead (Assuming a better phone doesn't come out by then). You can preorder them now through Verizon or Best Buy, comes out on the 29th. It's the best Android OS phone, better than the Droid or N1. "Snapdragon, SenseUI, 3.7-inch AMOLED, 8-megapixel camera, etc." $200 with a $100 mail in rebate. Look into it! :D

As far as apps go, I wouldn't really save extra money for them. Most are free or have a Lite version. The only one I've actually bought is a home replacement called DxTop. It was only a few bucks though.[/QUOTE]

Its 300 with a 100 dollar mail in rebate. 200 no rebate at best buy. Im turning off the SenseUI the second i get the phone here, i dont like fluff like that eating battery.
 
Lots of Droid hate in here even though its a great device. Rooted with low voltage overclocking, wireless tether and all kinds of nonsense that Android supports is awesome.

There is really no point in looking at Android phones now because two or three better ones come out each month. The one I'm really looking at in the future is the Dell 5" screen one, unfortunately I think its hitting AT&T and after dealing with them and an iphone for two years I'll never leave Verizon.
 
[quote name='CaptainSwag']How'd you get a Nexus? Are you on Verizon?[/QUOTE]

I bought it directly from Google. I used to be on AT&T, but I switched to T-Mobile when I got it (and don't regret it in the least). If you're shackled to Verizon, the Nexus One is on the way there, too.
 
No droid hate, its a FANTASTIC phone. I had mine rooted, custom 2.1 rom and its one incredible piece of hardware, no doubt. I returned it because Droid Incredible got announced, and i was within the 30 days return period. Ontop of that, i hated the keyboard on it (after installing Swype, the keyboard became irrelevant, never used it again), the touch screen was pretty damn shitty (if you've seen the comparison tests, you'll know Droid has one of the worst touch screens in the industry), and the stock Incredible is faster then i had my Moto Droid overclocked to. Plus double the ram, nicer screen, 8 gigs built in, etc etc.

For me it was a win/win situation and i went for it. Pre-ordered my Incredible online and will have it on launch or day after.

pic in question:

mototouchscreentest-lg.jpg


The touch screen on the incredible is said to be Iphone like in quality. All new material.
 
[quote name='blitz6speed']No droid hate, its a FANTASTIC phone. I had mine rooted, custom 2.1 rom and its one incredible piece of hardware, no doubt. I returned it because Droid Incredible got announced, and i was within the 30 days return period. Ontop of that, i hated the keyboard on it (after installing Swype, the keyboard became irrelevant, never used it again), the touch screen was pretty damn shitty (if you've seen the comparison tests, you'll know Droid has one of the worst touch screens in the industry), and the stock Incredible is faster then i had my Moto Droid overclocked to. Plus double the ram, nicer screen, 8 gigs built in, etc etc.

For me it was a win/win situation and i went for it. Pre-ordered my Incredible online and will have it on launch or day after.

pic in question:

mototouchscreentest-lg.jpg


The touch screen on the incredible is said to be Iphone like in quality. All new material.[/QUOTE]
Hmmm, that's a nice chart. I guess I never really noticed how bad the screen is on my Droid, but I don't really do anything that would make me notice I guess. Yeah, I have to agree though, the Incredible is the way to go if you don't want a keyboard and the fastest Android phone.
 
This thread seems kinda relevant to me , since I'm in the market to get a smartphone (well first one really) and I'm not completely sure what to go with or whether to wait. On one hand with several potential new better models on the horizon it might be better to wait , but then again tech is always improving so that's a losing battle. Not to mention that since I have no phone right now it might not benefit me that much to keep waiting.

I'd been thinking about getting a droid (or even something else) , but everyone I talk to online says to just get an iPhone , and even most of my friends and co-workers that have smartphones have iPhones and wholeheartedly recommend them (not trying to turn this into a Droid vs iPhone thread).

My local newspaper had an article over the weekend talking about smartphones and basically summed up the top phones and reasons as:
AT&T : iPhone - Apps and good phone
Verizon : Droid - good for multitasking and web features
Sprint : HTC Hero - good for multitasking , online flash support and customization
T-Mobile : Blackberry Bold 9700 - tethering support , good for businessmen
(runners-up included Palm Pre Plus , Blackberry Curve 8530 and Cliq)

The main thing I'm interested in is web support. Being able to access the internet pretty much anywhere. Apps would be nice and of course having a phone around has it's perks (and it's faults) , but being able to get online from work or on the road is what I'm really looking for. Anyone able to offer any advice?
 
Well, i got home from work with SSF4 PS3 in my hand, when there was a fedex box at home. They dropped off my Droid Incredible 2 days early. I can tell you immediately, this thing is fricken FAST. It blows away my old overclocked droid by quite a bit speed wise. Its just insanely snappy! And ive read that there will be root access on it this week, so thats very exciting as well.

It feels a lot different then the moto droid, its lighter and more iphone-ish, i love the looks as well, much nicer looking then the moto droid.

If you are getting your first smart phone, i can only suggest the iphone or a android like the Droid Incredible. All my cousins have iphones and im the sole Android user. The thing is, anything they can do, i can do better on my phone, ontop of things they cannot do. The main advantage is the sheer number of apps available for the iphone. There are TONS of apps for android, but there are just more commercial products avail for the iphone.

Things are changing quick, and a lot of retail games are hitting the android platform, along with a lot of really great apps. I was waiting for the iphone to hit Verizon for a long time, and i just realized that its silly to wait for something thats not guarenteed. After i got my Droid, i loved it so much and it blew me away with its capabilities (my first smartphone). Now with my Droid Incredible, i see a iphone as a downgrade for me. Less possibilities and more closed source crap with proprietary everything.

I'd also like to say that if you want a more refined experience, go Iphone. Its made so anyone can use it. But if you like to know what your phone is doing in the background and adjust anything you like, i would go with a Android. Its not as refined, but you can make it anything you want it to be, which is absolutely not true of a iphone.
 
Just received my Incredible last night. Holy dog bones! It's been a while since something other than a good book kept me from watching Fringe or Dragon Age...
 
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