Android Thread: Phones / Apps / Mods

joe1980 · 12th September 2010, 23:51

I thought of writing down my observations on my XPERIA X10 Mini Pro:

(1) The phone is easy to be handled with a single hand
(2) It is very fast in all aspects
(3) I found the typing to be easy than on my Samsung Galaxy i7500
(4) The battery seems to be easily dried up. Need to test it under different load conditions
(5) Sound quality is awesome

I installed a couple of apps including the ones that I had earlier like Tunewiki, aContacts, QuickDic. Apart from this, I
installed the AWD launcher and it looks better than the default home screen offerred by Sony Erricson. By the way, is
ther any possibility to uninstall the apps provided by default? I'm not seeing any delete option for the default
apps. I woiuld seriously like to get rid of some of them.
I tried the Google navigation and it looks like it is in Beta. Is there an other alternative free navigation to Google Navigation?

Ace F355 · 13th September 2010, 01:58

Hello to all Android users @ Tbhp. I picked up my 1st Android handset a few weeks ago, the SE Xperia X10 and here is my take on it after using it for a sufficient time to review.

In the past, I have used around quite a few phones since my college including Nokia 3310 (my 1st handset), SE W550i, Nokia 3120, 3660 and 7610, Moto Razr V3, Samsung Dxxx (Forgot the number, it was a white slider phone), Nokia N95, iPhone 3G and 3GS. I have tried (Exchanged with friends) other Android phones as well including HTC HD2, Moto Droid and Samsung Galaxy S.

Out of all the phones mentioned, everyone was a bit unique in its own. But nothing beats the W550i in my opinion. It was stylish and built like a tank, bold orange color, above average call quality, music capabilities and battery life, decent pictures for a 1.3 MP camera. Inbuilt memory was a bit lower side (only 256 mb). But clearly, I was smitten over SE phones after using that handset.

So during Q4 of 2009, when I heard the news about Xperia X10, I was predisposed to like this handset, even after using iPhone.

When it was launched in Canada during April 2010, I had such a tough time leaving The Rogers Store without buying one! It was drop dead gorgeous and a hell of a beast hardware specs vise. Only thing that stopped my buying it at that time was the OS Donut (Android 1.6). Also, news about iPhone 4 were in the air, so I decided to wait until I can lay my hands on the new iPhone.

Why not iPhone 4: 1st, I will talk about what stopped me upgrading from 3GS to a new iPhone 4. First things first, glass on the both sides of phone! I can't believe how fragile that thing is going to be in real life. You drop your phone a few times (It happens with me very often) and you are done. Ratina display is nice, clear and crisp but only when you compare it to a device such as iPhone 3GS next to it. It did impress me but not so much that I keep on going on the iPhone trail. 5 MP camera, it is not important for me but come on Apple.... my 2007 Nokia N95 had that. Though I'd say pic quality is higher in iPhone 4. A4 Chip, Oh yeah... Honestly, I could not find any speed difference between my 3GS and iPhone 4. So, there you have it, I couldn't convince myself to spend $700 to upgrade my current 3GS to iPhone 4. It just didn't seem worth spending so much.

Now, here comes the real deal, Xperia X10. While I was thinking to keep my 3GS, I came across this 2 weeks old Xperia X10 through one of my friends. The guy bought it from Rogers (Only sellers of X10 in Canada), sim unlocked it to use it on other networks, put in a 16GB microSD and then, all of a sudden bought an iPhone 4!!!

I came to know about the phone and checked it out, gave him an offer to buy his phone and in the evening, I had a 2 weeks old Luster White Xperia X10 in my pocket for a mouth watering price of $230!

Best deal I could get on such a high end phone! I have played with it quite a bit in the mean time. Had rooted it to update R2BA024, could not find too much of a difference, and then flashed in the original firmware R2BA020.

Compared to my old workhorse iPhone 3GS, here is what I think about various aspects of X10.

Looks: Looks are always subjective but to me X10 looks fabulous compared to iPhone 3GS. It feels really solid too although screen at first feels like plastic, even though it is made of mineral glass. Phone ergonomics and button placement is bang on. Only complain I have it the cover of microUSB port on top, seems like I will loose it very soon.

Speed: Even though X10 is equipped with a faster processor, both phones are fast, no matter what I do... play games, reading ebooks, surfing internet etc. Haven't found the X10 lagging in any case so far, so I am a happy man.

OS: iPhone has the winning edge here because of iOS 4. But if I am honest, Android 1.6 runs quite smoothly on X10. Lacks multi touch but I don't care about it too much. Timescape and Mediascape are good features too. Only problem with X10 is its default media player in mediascape. Sound quality is very crisp on my Bose haedphones, but it doesn't have equalizers, something that is not expected from a brand like SE! Other things is, apps can only be stored on phone memory, not on microSD card. :(

Screen: Feels much vibrant on X10, even though there are only 65K colors. Trust me guys, X10 is a clear winner here for me.

Camera: X10's 8MP camera is a delight. I agree, It can never be a replacement for dedicated digicams but it is quite good compared to iPhone 3GS or iPhone 4. I can upload a few clicks if you want me to. Touch focus, Multi focus, Image stabilizer, 8MP for 4:3 and 6MP for 16:9 ratio, Smile detection are a few included features.

GPS: GPS on X10 is extremely accurate, much better compared to iPhone.

Battery: X10 gives me around 36 hours of backup with moderate use of phone calls, camera, 3G, wifi and music. It is more or less similar to my iPhone 3GS, though I can't comment on battery backup from iPhone 4.

Overall, I am very happy with my X10. It is a worthy replacement for my iPhone 3GS. And one more good thing, I can transfer files through Bluetooth on my X10, while using iPhone I almost forgot about this features... haha. And as I am typing here, my trusty iPhone is being shipped to my GF in India. I am waiting for 2.1 update eagerly but I assume I may need to root my phone again to update it. Because SE Canada + Rogers will not be releasing the update in 2010 Sept. It will be later in Q4 if I understand it correctly. Rogers suck!

Tell me what do you guys think and let me know if you have any questions in particular! and BTW, Android rules...

.

Ace F355 · 13th September 2010, 02:44

Need to add 3 more points:

Camera Flash: I have to turn it on manually!

It should be auto flash, SE. X10 deserves that at least, my W550i had auto flash back in 2005!

Built-in Speaker: Although X10 speaker has very clear sound, I personally think it'd have been louder. OR they could have put 2 speakers, why only one! 3GS wins in this department, hands down.

Call quality: Not even a slightest problem there, no matter what other reviews say. I think it is superb on X10 and better than my 3GS.

ghpk · 13th September 2010, 12:02

Anybody seen or used this New Samsung I5800
Name: 04_GTI5800_large.jpg
Views: 688
Size: 60.5 KB

It looks more enriched in few features than i5503
Details Here
Priced around 13k.

funda2max · 13th September 2010, 16:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by ghpk

Anybody seen or used this New Samsung I5800
Attachment 423043

It looks more enriched in few features than i5503
Details Here
Priced around 13k.

I am planning to buy this mobile in the next two days, will update you about my experience. I got quote for 12 K, planning to negotiate further. Looks like a good low end Andriod phone, but it doent have video calling.

yzfrj · 13th September 2010, 17:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rehaan

I dont think waiting just to buy preloaded with 2.2 makes much sense. Price drop, perhaps - but not major by chirstmas? Thats just a guess.

Quote:

Originally Posted by shuvc

And then there could be a new version around the corner by Christmas so even if the price drops somewhat, you may not want to buy it anymore

I hear ya.
Upgrading the OS / rooting and all that will void warranty correct ?

What kind data usage will be there on an average (Gb/month) ?

ampere · 13th September 2010, 17:16

More fundamental questions. What are the Samsung phones (Android) in the range of 10-15K?

There are so many models, but I cannot see which is which and when they have been released.

Please help.

joe1980 · 13th September 2010, 21:27

Guys, is anyone aware of a free app that does the automatic profile switching? I'm in need of such an app in which I can predefine new profiles and add rules to those profiles and the phone automatically switches between the profiles based on the time. I can certainly write one for myself but time is a big factor with me.

funda2max · 13th September 2010, 23:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by ampere

More fundamental questions. What are the Samsung phones (Android) in the range of 10-15K?

There are so many models, but I cannot see which is which and when they have been released.

Please help.

These are the models available in India by leading mobile manufacturers.

Samsung

Galaxy 5 - Around 8.5 K with Android 2.1
Galaxy 3 - Around 12K with Android 2.1
Galaxy Spica - Around 11.5K with Android 1.6

HTC

Wildfire - Around 15k with Android 2.1
Tatoo - Around 12K with Android 1.6

LG

LG Optimus - Around 14.5K with Android 1.6

Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini Pro, Mini - 15K with Android 1.6

Sergei · 14th September 2010, 14:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by joe1980

Guys, is anyone aware of a free app that does the automatic profile switching? I'm in need of such an app in which I can predefine new profiles and add rules to those profiles and the phone automatically switches between the profiles based on the time. I can certainly write one for myself but time is a big factor with me.

Quick Profiles. Available in the market. Works like a charm.

ampere · 14th September 2010, 14:52

Hey Thanks! Thats the summary I was looking for!
Whats the fundamental difference between Galaxy5 and 3?
Also when I say this to mobile shops, they only talk in terms of 5503/5801 etc.

Also did you guys face any difficulty translating address book from Nokia to Android?

Rehaan · 14th September 2010, 15:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by yzfrj

Upgrading the OS / rooting and all that will void warranty correct ?

Upgrading the OS - definitely not. Rooting, I dont think so. (This was atleast confirmed by samsung USA)

Quote:

Originally Posted by yzfrj

What kind data usage will be there on an average (Gb/month) ?

:Confused: depends on what you do with your phone.

Quote:

Originally Posted by joe1980

Guys, is anyone aware of a free app that does the automatic profile switching?

I just saw one a few days back! Looked good - and even had the option to use motion detection as an input for profile switching. Cant remember the name though!

Quote:

Originally Posted by ampere

Also did you guys face any difficulty translating address book from Nokia to Android?

Was not too bad for me.

Nokia > vcf output > DOS command to merge all vcfs into one > upload single file to gmail > sync to Android phone.

Note : Your "defaults" will not be remembered, also the custom labels (eg. Ampere's USA Mobile" will default back to "Mobile" (a limitation of the vcf format)

cya
R

funda2max · 14th September 2010, 15:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by ampere

Hey Thanks! Thats the summary I was looking for!
Whats the fundamental difference between Galaxy5 and 3?
Also when I say this to mobile shops, they only talk in terms of 5503/5801 etc.

Also did you guys face any difficulty translating address book from Nokia to Android?

From PCWorld India,

The Galaxy 3 has a 3.2 touchscreen, while Galaxy 5 has a 2.8-inch touchscreen. Both the phones run on Android 2.1 and use Samsung's own TouchWiz 3.0 interface. Galaxy 3 has a better (3 megapixel) camera as compared to Galaxy 5 (2 megapixel). But when it comes to internet speed, the Galaxy 5 can surf net using 802.11n and HSDPA, at 7.2M bps, while the Galaxy 3 can surf net using 802.11n and HSDPA at 3.6M bps. Both phones have an FM-radio and can navigate using A-GPS (Assisted GPS) as well.

Also this link provides comprehensive coverage of all Android phone's available in India.

joe1980 · 14th September 2010, 15:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sergei

Quick Profiles. Available in the market. Works like a charm.

Thanks Sergei. But are you sure that Quick Profiles does automatic switching between profiles? I doubt it. Anyways I would try it tonight.

Raccoon · 14th September 2010, 15:48

Anybody who has seen the screen of Galaxy 5 has any comments about it? Is it the same as Galaxy 3 (low res)?

12th September 2010, 23:51	#331
joe1980 BHPian Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Andromeda Posts: 335 Thanked: 150 Times	I thought of writing down my observations on my XPERIA X10 Mini Pro: (1) The phone is easy to be handled with a single hand (2) It is very fast in all aspects (3) I found the typing to be easy than on my Samsung Galaxy i7500 (4) The battery seems to be easily dried up. Need to test it under different load conditions (5) Sound quality is awesome I installed a couple of apps including the ones that I had earlier like Tunewiki, aContacts, QuickDic. Apart from this, I installed the AWD launcher and it looks better than the default home screen offerred by Sony Erricson. By the way, is ther any possibility to uninstall the apps provided by default? I'm not seeing any delete option for the default apps. I woiuld seriously like to get rid of some of them. I tried the Google navigation and it looks like it is in Beta. Is there an other alternative free navigation to Google Navigation?
	() Thanks

13th September 2010, 01:58	#332
Ace F355 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Delhi NCR Posts: 1,279 Thanked: 2,972 Times View My Garage	SE Xperia X10 and iPhone 3GS Hello to all Android users @ Tbhp. I picked up my 1st Android handset a few weeks ago, the SE Xperia X10 and here is my take on it after using it for a sufficient time to review. In the past, I have used around quite a few phones since my college including Nokia 3310 (my 1st handset), SE W550i, Nokia 3120, 3660 and 7610, Moto Razr V3, Samsung Dxxx (Forgot the number, it was a white slider phone), Nokia N95, iPhone 3G and 3GS. I have tried (Exchanged with friends) other Android phones as well including HTC HD2, Moto Droid and Samsung Galaxy S. Out of all the phones mentioned, everyone was a bit unique in its own. But nothing beats the W550i in my opinion. It was stylish and built like a tank, bold orange color, above average call quality, music capabilities and battery life, decent pictures for a 1.3 MP camera. Inbuilt memory was a bit lower side (only 256 mb). But clearly, I was smitten over SE phones after using that handset. So during Q4 of 2009, when I heard the news about Xperia X10, I was predisposed to like this handset, even after using iPhone. When it was launched in Canada during April 2010, I had such a tough time leaving The Rogers Store without buying one! It was drop dead gorgeous and a hell of a beast hardware specs vise. Only thing that stopped my buying it at that time was the OS Donut (Android 1.6). Also, news about iPhone 4 were in the air, so I decided to wait until I can lay my hands on the new iPhone. Why not iPhone 4: 1st, I will talk about what stopped me upgrading from 3GS to a new iPhone 4. First things first, glass on the both sides of phone! I can't believe how fragile that thing is going to be in real life. You drop your phone a few times (It happens with me very often) and you are done. Ratina display is nice, clear and crisp but only when you compare it to a device such as iPhone 3GS next to it. It did impress me but not so much that I keep on going on the iPhone trail. 5 MP camera, it is not important for me but come on Apple.... my 2007 Nokia N95 had that. Though I'd say pic quality is higher in iPhone 4. A4 Chip, Oh yeah... Honestly, I could not find any speed difference between my 3GS and iPhone 4. So, there you have it, I couldn't convince myself to spend $700 to upgrade my current 3GS to iPhone 4. It just didn't seem worth spending so much. Now, here comes the real deal, Xperia X10. While I was thinking to keep my 3GS, I came across this 2 weeks old Xperia X10 through one of my friends. The guy bought it from Rogers (Only sellers of X10 in Canada), sim unlocked it to use it on other networks, put in a 16GB microSD and then, all of a sudden bought an iPhone 4!!! I came to know about the phone and checked it out, gave him an offer to buy his phone and in the evening, I had a 2 weeks old Luster White Xperia X10 in my pocket for a mouth watering price of $230! Best deal I could get on such a high end phone! I have played with it quite a bit in the mean time. Had rooted it to update R2BA024, could not find too much of a difference, and then flashed in the original firmware R2BA020. Compared to my old workhorse iPhone 3GS, here is what I think about various aspects of X10. Looks: Looks are always subjective but to me X10 looks fabulous compared to iPhone 3GS. It feels really solid too although screen at first feels like plastic, even though it is made of mineral glass. Phone ergonomics and button placement is bang on. Only complain I have it the cover of microUSB port on top, seems like I will loose it very soon. Speed: Even though X10 is equipped with a faster processor, both phones are fast, no matter what I do... play games, reading ebooks, surfing internet etc. Haven't found the X10 lagging in any case so far, so I am a happy man. OS: iPhone has the winning edge here because of iOS 4. But if I am honest, Android 1.6 runs quite smoothly on X10. Lacks multi touch but I don't care about it too much. Timescape and Mediascape are good features too. Only problem with X10 is its default media player in mediascape. Sound quality is very crisp on my Bose haedphones, but it doesn't have equalizers, something that is not expected from a brand like SE! Other things is, apps can only be stored on phone memory, not on microSD card. :( Screen: Feels much vibrant on X10, even though there are only 65K colors. Trust me guys, X10 is a clear winner here for me. Camera: X10's 8MP camera is a delight. I agree, It can never be a replacement for dedicated digicams but it is quite good compared to iPhone 3GS or iPhone 4. I can upload a few clicks if you want me to. Touch focus, Multi focus, Image stabilizer, 8MP for 4:3 and 6MP for 16:9 ratio, Smile detection are a few included features. GPS: GPS on X10 is extremely accurate, much better compared to iPhone. Battery: X10 gives me around 36 hours of backup with moderate use of phone calls, camera, 3G, wifi and music. It is more or less similar to my iPhone 3GS, though I can't comment on battery backup from iPhone 4. Overall, I am very happy with my X10. It is a worthy replacement for my iPhone 3GS. And one more good thing, I can transfer files through Bluetooth on my X10, while using iPhone I almost forgot about this features... haha. And as I am typing here, my trusty iPhone is being shipped to my GF in India. I am waiting for 2.1 update eagerly but I assume I may need to root my phone again to update it. Because SE Canada + Rogers will not be releasing the update in 2010 Sept. It will be later in Q4 if I understand it correctly. Rogers suck! Tell me what do you guys think and let me know if you have any questions in particular! and BTW, Android rules... . Attached Thumbnails
	() Thanks

13th September 2010, 02:44	#333
Ace F355 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Delhi NCR Posts: 1,279 Thanked: 2,972 Times View My Garage	Need to add 3 more points: Camera Flash: I have to turn it on manually! It should be auto flash, SE. X10 deserves that at least, my W550i had auto flash back in 2005! Built-in Speaker: Although X10 speaker has very clear sound, I personally think it'd have been louder. OR they could have put 2 speakers, why only one! 3GS wins in this department, hands down. Call quality: Not even a slightest problem there, no matter what other reviews say. I think it is superb on X10 and better than my 3GS.
	() Thanks

13th September 2010, 12:02	#334
ghpk BHPian Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Ghaziabad Posts: 870 Thanked: 208 Times	Anybody seen or used this New Samsung I5800 It looks more enriched in few features than i5503 Details Here Priced around 13k.
	() Thanks

13th September 2010, 17:16	#337
ampere Team-BHP Support Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 17,563 Thanked: 12,237 Times View My Garage	More fundamental questions. What are the Samsung phones (Android) in the range of 10-15K? There are so many models, but I cannot see which is which and when they have been released. Please help.
	() Thanks

13th September 2010, 21:27	#338
joe1980 BHPian Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Andromeda Posts: 335 Thanked: 150 Times	Guys, is anyone aware of a free app that does the automatic profile switching? I'm in need of such an app in which I can predefine new profiles and add rules to those profiles and the phone automatically switches between the profiles based on the time. I can certainly write one for myself but time is a big factor with me.
	() Thanks

14th September 2010, 14:52	#341
ampere Team-BHP Support Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 17,563 Thanked: 12,237 Times View My Garage	Hey Thanks! Thats the summary I was looking for! Whats the fundamental difference between Galaxy5 and 3? Also when I say this to mobile shops, they only talk in terms of 5503/5801 etc. Also did you guys face any difficulty translating address book from Nokia to Android?
	() Thanks

14th September 2010, 15:48	#345
Raccoon Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Poona Posts: 1,850 Thanked: 112 Times	Anybody who has seen the screen of Galaxy 5 has any comments about it? Is it the same as Galaxy 3 (low res)?
	() Thanks

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