Team-BHP - Android Thread: Phones / Apps / Mods

Quote:

Originally Posted by vivekiny2k

if you are an average user. yes. but if you want to install many apps, most of the times you have to root, then install busy box etc, sometimes you have to change to another kernel just to support encrypted folders. And even then one can not be sure it will work. Just look at all the queries in this thread itself.

some custom roms do offer many functionalities, but again one has to research what works and what not, before taking a plunge. I think I am drifting towards fragmentation issue now.

And did you mean windows mobile or windows phone? WM is a dead platform which I am still clinging to, until I find a better alternative.

Since we are comparing android to windows as a mobile OS, I will say Android is MUCH better than WM. It got lots of useful functionalities out of the box. It got huge app & Dec support.
I can use a basic firmware for increased battery life, else I can change it to something which is super cool. And its totally different than just changing themes.

I can over clock my CPU to run faster, I can adjust CPU voltage for perfect balance between performance vs stability.

I can use dual boot to experience different firmwares.

I can change graphics libraries so that games runs a little better.

And there are many other things which I can do, keeping the Phone Same. :)
So what if it needs rooting, at least we can do it & the benefits are too good.

I am not sure till how many months I will enjoy a phone as a gagdet if on WP.

Quote:

Originally Posted by offroad_maniac (Post 2721880)

Since we are comparing android to windows as a mobile OS, I will say Android is MUCH better than WM. It got lots of useful functionalities out of the box. It got huge app & Dec support.
I can use a basic firmware for increased battery life, else I can change it to something which is super cool. And its totally different than just changing themes.

I can over clock my CPU to run faster, I can adjust CPU voltage for perfect balance between performance vs stability.

I can use dual boot to experience different firmwares.

I can change graphics libraries so that games runs a little better.

And there are many other things which I can do, keeping the Phone Same. :)

I am not sure till how many months I will enjoy a phone as a gagdet if on WP.

You need all this because "out of the box" Android devices do not offer great performance (read experience!) You need to root the device to enjoy the "real" power of the system. Not even the mighty Galaxy S2 gives the same experience in stock form!

In fact upto Gingerbread stock Android itself was very bland and boring. ICS has spiced up things but unfortunately its going to take forever for it to come to our devices

Quote:

Originally Posted by vivekiny2k (Post 2721807)

I think vivek you are mixing many issues.
a. MOST apps don't need rooting. Busybox is installed by default. Show me 5 BHPians who have had to install it by hand for any particular app.
b. Kernel change is in most cases only for rooting. I remember that was the case for SGS2. Infact, the only time Defy+ users need it is when they initially were trying a Defy ROM (Froyo based vs Gingerbread) - whereas within 15 days they have separate ROMs eliminating the need to flash a kernel. I have never needed to do it. Its only for those who are cutting edge, or those for whom that's the only way to root it.
c. No one needs custom ROMs unless they want to change the look/feel and get more battery. Most people go the custom ROM way to speed it up/get more battery and a limited subset for the look/feel. Infact, if battery is acceptable, most users would not bother. It often has to do with the crapware loaded by default by most manufacturers!

WP gives decent battery out of the box, has lovely people integration but rather limited apps. It is not fragmented for sure.

However, the picture isnt as bad as you make it out to be. Problem is when people flash ROMs that are incompatible or simply don't follow instructions. Sometimes technology does not have a(n easy) Ctrl-Z.

Quote:

Originally Posted by phamilyman (Post 2721908)

However, the picture isnt as bad as you make it out to be. Problem is when people flash ROMs that are incompatible or simply don't follow instructions. Sometimes technology does not have a(n easy) Ctrl-Z.

A +10 to that.

When I had my first android, i took over 6 months with stock firmware to get used to the quirks of the sw. After getting used to Android and the second bigger better phone comes in - one starts explore rooting and custom ROMs and the works.

There are no regrets if one can understand the basics of flashing and follow proper instructions stated. There is another wonderful forum for that, just like this one :thumbs up

Quote:

Originally Posted by vivekiny2k (Post 2721785)

If you have used linux and have been enamored by it, you may like android. like linux it still has it's quirks, needs specific tweaks to perform even simple tasks....

Install Ubuntu. Browse web; use email; use open/libre office.

Simple tasks acomplished, no tweaking; it will even set up its own net connection. Infinite tweaking possible; no tweaking required. I've spent many unhappy hours, over the decades, trying to tweak, cajole or bully Windows into performing simple tasks.

Oh, sorry, did I say "ubuntu?" Well, OK, chose another variant where the guy in charge doesn't have a mania for changing the interface to make it look like a kid's toy --- but the current "Long-term release," 10.04, is still "intuitive" to a Windows use, out of its box.

Pick a more purist, more techiecentric distribution (Arch, maybe? I've only looked at a couple of Linuxes so far) and it may take a day or two to even get the desktop working, let alone browsing the web, but you are wrong to paint all Linux with this brush.

Quote:

Originally Posted by vivekiny2k (Post 2721807)

The queries in this thread are from people who want to fiddle with their phones. An average user doesn't want to install many apps, and, if they do, they will be average-user-sort-of apps. Average user still wants to make phone calls, send texts, and, I suppose, because we're talking "smart" phones, get/send mail, browse, and all that stuff. If this didn't work, out of the box, without any tweaks, rooting, kernels and stuff, I doubt that Android would have made a noticeable impression on the market at all, let alone be a feature of models that people who can afford to choose actually buy in preference to iPhones?

I don't know: If Nokia hadn't sold out, I'd probably have happily bought my next Nokia. You might say that I didn't buy Android because it is android, I bought it because it is not Windows or Apple. There is some truth in that --- but I shifted to Linux in the house, so it was also a natural path.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom (Post 2721945)

Relax, it was just an anology :). I did say he will like android if he likes linux. I have ubuntu myself, but gave up on using it when I could not find a good messenger+driver for my webcam to chat with my parents.

Quote:

you are agreeing to me. for an average user, it doesn't matter.

Quote:

Originally Posted by joslicx (Post 2721889)

You need all this because "out of the box" Android devices do not offer great performance (read experience!) You need to root the device to enjoy the "real" power of the system. Not even the mighty Galaxy S2 gives the same experience in stock form!

In fact upto Gingerbread stock Android itself was very bland and boring. ICS has spiced up things but unfortunately its going to take forever for it to come to our devices

Well, that depends on what do we exactly expect from a phone right out of the box?
Good Network reception, clear call / sound quality, better display, Easy interface/ UI, Seamless social site sync, easy Email setup & browsing, easily available apps/ games, good GPS & Navigation?
Android OS has all the above, out of the Box. Not sure where it lacks to WinMo?
Though first three are totally dependent on Hardware parts, but still it is no where lesser than on current available Windows phones.
If you think Galaxy SII is also not good in stock form:Shockked:, then please specify what you expect from a phone which is rated one of the best Android phone by most of the reviewers & users (In stock form itself)?

I can agree that till Froyo 2.2, there were some memory management bugs in Android OS, but as far as interface & experience is concerned, just compare Samsung's TouchWiz with HTC Sense. Though both are Android, former is kinda plain & boring, while as Sense is really class apart.

I can bet that Windows phone users will get bored pretty quickly of the current Tiles interface & they too will develop custom themes & other interface / UI, similar to Android Launchers.

Quote:

Originally Posted by vivekiny2k (Post 2721892)

@offroad_maniac You just proved that you are not an average phone user :D
Quick question. on average, how many hours you have spent on tweaking your current phone so far?.

Well Vivek:D, Thanks, but I think I am an average phone user only.

I can assure you that I was way below average user when I first bought an Android (Defy), that being my first touch screen, smart-phone (Earlier was a nokia symbian & later linux-JAVA based ZN5).
For first few months I was only using what was provided in stock form & installed few apps & games for killing time. That was completely sufficient for my use even though gradually I started using other application like corp email sync, GPS/ maps etc.

I rooted my phone just because I know it is possible even for an Average user like me. I stated earlier points just to convey that, in Stock form, Android gives way similar, if not better, experience like windows phones IMO. (Correct me if I am missing something here). But Android, being Open Source OS has LOTS of potential w.r.t additional tweaks & customization as per our/ users choice. This may not necessarily always require rooting etc.

Dear All,
Please take no offense. I just cant understand, why suddenly the most talked about, open source mobile OS becomes so bland & boring?

(Here we are discussing MOBILE OS only, I too personally prefer Windows OS over any linux based platform as my desktop OS)

Quote:

Originally Posted by offroad_maniac (Post 2722141)

What about battery performance? If you are a heavy user, even S2 doesnt last the day! What good is a phone that cant last the day? but the same phone can give you double or even more life if you root. So it means that the stock phone does have some "problems" that prevent it from realizing its full potential. Same can be verified by any benchmark tool. Post rooting and flashing available ROMs, people get significant jump in scores. Stock phone's browsers also jitter and UI also lags at times. That is true for all android phones. All of them lag, this is a common known problem. Also you cannot uninstall all the crap apps that come with the phone out of the box. A lot of them unneccesarily hog system resources like battery/memory. Also you cannot underclock or overclock stock phones. These are valid problems dont you think?

And yes even S2 is not good enough in stock form in my opinion. Touchwiz doesnt help, it only hinders its marvellous hardware. I wish manufacturers gave an option to use stock Android. This way at least we would be free of lot of crapware there and also get updates as soon as Google provided them.

I have an HTC Sensation that used to crash every now and then. Last month finally got rid of the nonSense interface and switched to Go Launcher. Now it is noticably better (only crashed once in more than a month).