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  1. #41
    alteran is offline All-American, Honorable Mention
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Durham-- 2 miles from Cameron, baby!
    Quote Originally Posted by HaveFunExpectToWin View Post
    Definitely a solid feel.

    The patents didn't stop HTC or Palm. Both the Pre and the Droid Eris (Htc Hero) have it functional. I suppose google is playing it safe.
    Apple rattled some sabres at Palm regarding multitouch when the Palm Pre came out, and Palm kinda went "go ahead, make my day." The bottom line was that Palm's early entry into handhelds gave them more than enough intellectual property (IP) in the handheld/PDA realm to countersue Apple with-- they might even come out ahead.

    HTC's been in handhelds a long time as well, and probably has enough handheld IP to make Apple think twice.

    Google, on the other hand, probably doesn't have much handheld IP at all, which is probably why off-the-shelf Android doesn't do multitouch.

    Full disclosure: IANAL, this is just what I read in the trade press. If any lawyers want to clear up anything here or correct it, please feel free.

  2. #42
    alteran is offline All-American, Honorable Mention
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Durham-- 2 miles from Cameron, baby!

    Tip for iPhone / AT&T users

    This is mildly off-topic, but I just thought I'd give a heads up to some of the iPhone users in this thread-- you are almost assuredly eligible for a 15% discount on your monthly fees.

    Go to the link below and try to find if one of your emails is eligible for the discount:

    https://www.wireless.att.com/business/authenticate/

    Basically, if you have an email address ending in .gov, .edu, work at a reasonably large company, etc., you can probably qualify. Many smaller businesses may also qualify. It's totally done by email, so even an alumni email ending in "duke.edu" will work.

    My brother got the original iPhone shortly after it came out and is currently out of the plan window, but they still lowered his rate.

    Good luck.

  3. #43
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    ← Bay / Valley ↓

    Talking

    Ooooh just installed a "jailbroken" Google Maps Navigation on my G1 and it's pretty sweet. It's not enough to convince someone to buy a new phone, and it's probably not that much better than a normal GPS you can get from CostCo for $200. But in my mind, it is exponentially better than any map software on cellphones, and especially on a reliable network like Verizon, I would imagine street view + compass + map = awesome. I haven't tried using it in a car yet, but here are some screenshots I took at home:


    Regular map mode


    Overhead satellite view


    Compass + Street View = where it gets fun. If there was a camera + Augmented reality mode, that would be pretty sweet, but that probably wouldn't help drivers.


    Vertical view, just for the hell of it

  4. #44
    GPS devices work off from satellites, which provide coverage anywhere.

    Cell phones work off towers, which leaves vast swaths of the US unable to use this "revolutionary" new feature. And if the navigation app requires 3G coverage, that further limits where it can be used.

    What good is a navigation feature based off cell phone towers, if you (heaven forbid!) find yourself outside of a city.

  5. #45
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    ← Bay / Valley ↓
    Quote Originally Posted by YourLandlord View Post
    Cell phones work off towers
    Nope. My phone (and most new phones nowadays for that matter) has GPS built in.

    Quote Originally Posted by YourLandlord View Post
    if the navigation app requires 3G coverage
    It doesn't. Street view probably needs 3G, but if you're on Verizon that shouldn't be a problem.

  6. #46
    Quote Originally Posted by hc5duke View Post
    Nope. My phone (and most new phones nowadays for that matter) has GPS built in.
    .
    So you're saying if you are in an area with zero coverage for phone calls -- literally no signal -- you can still use the GPS?

  7. #47
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    ← Bay / Valley ↓
    Quote Originally Posted by YourLandlord View Post
    So you're saying if you are in an area with zero coverage for phone calls -- literally no signal -- you can still use the GPS?
    wow you really just don't get it or you don't read what i write at all.

  8. #48
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Seattle, WA
    My phone, AT&T branded HTC Raphael, has a GPS receiver in it, and I use the Bing Mobile app for navigation. It also does turn-by-turn directioning, aerial & birds-eye views, etc.

    While I can get a GPS track wherever, regardless of cell signal availability, the mobile app uses the data connection to download the maps of where the GPS says you're located. The phone, obviously, doesn't have enough memory to store a country's worth of detailed data.

    So, assuming the Google nav works the same way, you can be located by GPS, but need a cell signal to view it. YMMV.

  9. #49
    alteran is offline All-American, Honorable Mention
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Durham-- 2 miles from Cameron, baby!
    Quote Originally Posted by DevilAlumna View Post
    My phone, AT&T branded HTC Raphael, has a GPS receiver in it, and I use the Bing Mobile app for navigation. It also does turn-by-turn directioning, aerial & birds-eye views, etc.

    While I can get a GPS track wherever, regardless of cell signal availability, the mobile app uses the data connection to download the maps of where the GPS says you're located. The phone, obviously, doesn't have enough memory to store a country's worth of detailed data.

    So, assuming the Google nav works the same way, you can be located by GPS, but need a cell signal to view it. YMMV.
    FYI: there's an app for Android that will do turn-by-turn WITHOUT data. It has a compressed map of the entire US which takes almost exactly 1 gig of my micro SD card. It's called CoPilot.

    It's nowhere near as good as a dedicated GPS device, but frequently I don't have my GPS device handy, and I want GPS. And it's nice not to depend on the data signal.

  10. #50
    alteran is offline All-American, Honorable Mention
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Durham-- 2 miles from Cameron, baby!
    Quote Originally Posted by YourLandlord View Post
    So you're saying if you are in an area with zero coverage for phone calls -- literally no signal -- you can still use the GPS?
    You can if you have an Android phone with a gig of memory. I think it works with iPhone, too, maybe some other OS's.

  11. #51
    Quote Originally Posted by hc5duke View Post
    wow you really just don't get it or you don't read what i write at all.
    well, tough guy, you're contradicted below, so don't think you're the cat's meow. sorry I don't spend 18 hours a day reading dorky tech blogs so that I should just "get it."

  12. #52
    So I was hanging out with an iPhone-enthusiast this past weekend and he was particularly impressed with the notifications on my Droid (although that's an Android feature, not something specific to the Droid).

    If someone sends me an IM via Google talk, that IM automatically appears in the notification bar at the top of the screen. It's always on, I don't need to have the app open or even to have started it. Apparently, this isn't the case with his iPhone.

  13. #53
    Quote Originally Posted by HaveFunExpectToWin View Post
    So I was hanging out with an iPhone-enthusiast this past weekend and he was particularly impressed with the notifications on my Droid (although that's an Android feature, not something specific to the Droid).

    If someone sends me an IM via Google talk, that IM automatically appears in the notification bar at the top of the screen. It's always on, I don't need to have the app open or even to have started it. Apparently, this isn't the case with his iPhone.
    Correct, kinda. You can have the iPhone push notifications to you regarding mail, etc., but it eats battery life. How do you find your battery life when you have all your features running?

  14. #54
    Quote Originally Posted by YourLandlord View Post
    Correct, kinda. You can have the iPhone push notifications to you regarding mail, etc., but it eats battery life. How do you find your battery life when you have all your features running?
    Yes, but I believe you need a 3rd party app (GPush $.99) in order to have Gmail pushed. Also, this doesn't work for GChat IM. I signed my online-life away to Google long ago, so the integration with these services has been pretty excellent.

    Battery life has been good with background apps running. It's about what I expected.

  15. #55
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Raleigh, NC
    So has anyone picked one of these up and given it a try?

  16. #56
    Yes, I got it the day it launched. The Android OS is much better than I expected. Let me know if you have any questions.

    Some nice apps that I've been using:
    Weather Widget (looks just like the SenseUI clock on the HTC phones)
    Foursquare
    Barcode Scanner
    Last.fm
    Google Listen
    Bump
    CardioTrainer
    chompSMS
    Gmote
    Ringdroid
    Seesmic
    Where's My Droid?

  17. #57
    Quote Originally Posted by HaveFunExpectToWin View Post
    Yes, I got it the day it launched. The Android OS is much better than I expected. Let me know if you have any questions.

    Some nice apps that I've been using:
    Weather Widget (looks just like the SenseUI clock on the HTC phones)
    Foursquare
    Barcode Scanner
    Last.fm
    Google Listen
    Bump
    CardioTrainer
    chompSMS
    Gmote
    Ringdroid
    Seesmic
    Where's My Droid?
    Really? You've been USING "Where's My Droid?" You've been losing it SO much the past month that you've been using the app?

    I think you just listed some "cool" apps that are available.

  18. #58
    Quote Originally Posted by YourLandlord View Post
    Really? You've been USING "Where's My Droid?" You've been losing it SO much the past month that you've been using the app?

    I think you just listed some "cool" apps that are available.
    What's your problem? You've been hostile since this thread started. Did Motorala kick your dog or something?

  19. #59
    I got a Moto Droid four weeks ago, after my trusty but museum-ready Treo 650 finally had to be shot and buried by the side of the road. I had been trying to delay the inevitable in hopes that Verizon might come out with a device comparable to the iPhone, which my son finally capitulated and bought a few months ago. Fortunately, the Droid was released the very week my Treo reached the end of its road.

    I'm absolutely delighted with the Droid. And having had the opportunity to compare the features of the iPhone, I wouldn't trade my Droid for one even if the iPhone suddenly became available on Verizon. The so-called "camera problem" was a temporary auto-focus glitch that is being rectified by an update being sent later this week. The video camera and music player are fabulous--my son agrees the Droid's sound and video quality clearly surpasses the iPhone--and it's quick and easy to transfer files from my laptop, especially using the software that can be quickly downloaded from the Motorola website. The GPS system is awesome--we used it extensively traveling to and around Atlanta this past weekend, since it's more current and easier to use than the nav system in my wife's car. The voice Google search function is very convenient, and there are tons of cool apps, including the Dolphin Browser that enables the same "pinch-to-zoom" multitouch capability that the iPhone offers, and the newly released Google Goggles. The wi-fi seems to work great, too, although I've yet to be anyplace where there isn't a good 3G signal with Verizon's network. Most importantly for me, however, is that it is the clearest and most reliable cell phone I've ever used.

    In fairness, the physical slide-out keyboard is not as easy for typing as my Blackberry Curve (which my business provides for work use), so that takes a little acclimation--I prefer the onscreen touch keyboard for short messages. But otherwise, the only problem I've had so far is that it crashed a couple of times during the month I've had it following periods of extended use, which required rebooting by removing and reinstalling the battery (which takes only a few seconds); and the speaker audio went out briefly, but came back when I turned the device off and back on. Aside from that, it's incredibly smooth...

  20. #60
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    ← Bay / Valley ↓
    Quote Originally Posted by HaveFunExpectToWin View Post
    Yes, I got it the day it launched. The Android OS is much better than I expected. Let me know if you have any questions.

    Some nice apps that I've been using:
    Weather Widget (looks just like the SenseUI clock on the HTC phones)
    Foursquare
    Barcode Scanner
    Last.fm
    Google Listen
    Bump
    CardioTrainer
    chompSMS
    Gmote
    Ringdroid
    Seesmic
    Where's My Droid?
    Ooh I didn't know Foursquare was out for android. Installed and ready to complain about how useless it is WMD (heh) would have been useful when I lost my first G1 phone... oh well.

    Is there an app that tells you of friends' apps? there is a few like that for the iPhone, and that might be a good way to figure out what is a good app, since the rating system is totally useless. here's my faves so far:

    * Aldiko (e-reader)
    * Astrid (tasks)
    * Radiant (Galaga clone, best game for android hands down)
    * Twidroid (Twitter)
    * Weatherbug
    * WeightPad

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