Best Android phone right now....

[MarkCO]

I'd certainly like to know which settings I have wrong becasue no one else can seem to figure it out. Enlighten me.

Are you on an exchange server? If not, which system do you use to sync your phone? I went through two different thrid party programs before I gave up.

I am on Exchange server. No third party. Open your Exchange e-mail app and open the menu then check the account settings. Mine is set to "Automatic (Push)" for "Check Email Frequency", it came set at 15 minutes.

[flack jacket]

Alfie, you have something wrong with your settings, or your phone. I LIVE by my phone and use it constantly in my work and personal. Makes a BB seem like stopping at a phone booth.

I have a DROID and I am fully sync'd (almost instantaneous) with MS outlook (e-mail, calendar, contacts, etc.) works like a charm.

The vast majority of people who have Android phones who have problems are not "techies" meaning that they don't want to get in there and mess with the phne and set it up. If you want to buy a phone, and keep all the loaded apps and don't like to tinker, or fiddle or accessorise...then the Android system may not be for you. My wife uses and Omnia, she tells me what she wants, I set it up for her and off she goes for 3 or 4 years with narry a worry.

Merlin, if you get an Android phone, drop me a line and I'll send you a link to a Google doc with more information in it than you can shake a stick at. How to tether, root, improve sound quality, and what apps work best, and links to get them, etc. But unless you are willing to take the time to learn your phone, you'll never get the benefit of how amazing the Android platform really is.

Oh yeah, I am on Verizon, and I travel a LOT, would not use any other network at this point in time. Droid X is what I would recomend today.

MarkCO

That's great to hear! I have the X on Verizon also and I'm certain i'm not exercising it's capabilities.

Can I bother you for that data?

I too came from the BB Storm, yes, email is awesome due to the Blackberry Enterprise Server which pushes the emails.

I switched due to the available "toys" Android can do. Plus the HD Camcorder on the X is great while recording our weekend matches!

Edited December 17, 2010 by flack jacket

[MarkCO]

Flack and Merlin, the Google Doc is in your Messenger.

[Chris Keen]

The short battery life gets better with time. I know that sounds hard to believe, but when I first got my HTC Droid Eris the battery would drain within 4 hours, but now after 12 months of using it daily I can go 8 hours with my Internet on, GPS on, Bluetooth on, and the screen set to full brightness. The old story about batteries developing a memory must be true.

I use my phone all the time, and I have no problems with it only checking my pop3 email every 5 minutes. I actually have work to do in between checking emails! But my work email is set to an Exchange Server, and it synchs my email, calendar, and contacts very nicely. Emails come through immediately.

The web search ability of Android phones is amazing, and well worth it's weight in gold. (which by the way you will pay if you don't get a 2 year contract .... I think the phones sell for about $500 without one)

Today I was driving and saw some fallen/dropped metal bars in the road .... about 6 or 8 of them and maybe 6 feet long. Obviously no one was stopped to recover them, so traffic was snarled with people trying to go around them, some people actually driving over top of them, and all this occurred right in front of a busy mall entrance ... on a Friday, during peak holiday shopping time. So I simply hit the "voice search" button and said Call Kettering Police Department. In a matter of seconds I had a list of the non-emergency phone numbers for the local police department, and I tapped on the first one, and was instantly connected with the local dispatcher, who said she would send a unit right out.

I did not call 411, or 911, and I did not have their number in my contact list. Makes being a good citizen even easier when important information is only a click away.

[Torogi]

I've been using BB bold for a year now with Tmobile and couple years with BB curve prior to that. I love Blackberry in terms of push technology. I get my messages (emails) like text messages. I think BB is message friendly and that is it. Touch screen phones have better apps, surfing experience etc, but on the messaging side BB remains superior (i think).

This is our last month on our 2-yr plan. I am on the same boat as OP. I tried HD2 and hated it. Iphone is okay, my eyes are set actually to BB torch but for some reason i hate ATT. Maybe ill try Android for a change.

to clarify, android has push technology too? emails, weather etc?

[MarkCO]

to clarify, android has push technology too? emails, weather etc?

YES! My e-mails are almost instantaneous (10 to 12 seconds), I get instant weather updates for my home location and where my pohone is located. The GPS is awesome, especialy coupled with local search. There is nothing the BB can do that the Android system can not do (and in most cases, better and faster).

[MarkCO]

Until you use an Android phone (and for some people who are using one) and see what it can do, you are kind of stuck in a rut. If you don't like how your base phone app works, try a different one. Of the base apps that came on my phone, I have replaced about 75% of them with an app I like better. I tried 3 or 4 messaging apps, 3 phone apps, 5 weather apps. Also, you can run similar apps at the same time and get real time information to compare features and interface. While I consider this a real benefit, for some it is overwhelming. I have a friend that bought one and got so frustrated in the first week she was ready to take it back. I spent about 3 hours asking her what she wanted and setting her phone up to maximize her productivity and get her the apps she wanted. Now she loves it. If you like to buy parts and build your own PC, then the Android system is for you. If you like to buy a pre-loaded, pre-built computer and then never monkey with it, the Android might be more than you need. The point is, every Android phone SHOULD be different, optimized for the individual user to meet his/her desires for what they want in a phone.

[Alfie]

Alfie, you have something wrong with your settings, or your phone. I LIVE by my phone and use it constantly in my work and personal. Makes a BB seem like stopping at a phone booth.

I have a DROID and I am fully sync'd (almost instantaneous) with MS outlook (e-mail, calendar, contacts, etc.) works like a charm.

I'd certainly like to know which settings I have wrong becasue no one else can seem to figure it out. Enlighten me.

Are you on an exchange server? If not, which system do you use to sync your phone? I went through two different thrid party programs before I gave up.

What system do you use to sync your phone that works with MS Outlook? Are you using USB or wifi?

[MarkCO]

What system do you use to sync your phone that works with MS Outlook? Are you using USB or wifi?

Wifi, has to be in order for push to work.

[Alfie]

What system do you use to sync your phone that works with MS Outlook? Are you using USB or wifi?

Wifi, has to be in order for push to work.

Sorry, I'm not being clear. What software or what procedures are you using to sync the device with MS Outloook? If you have a process that works great with contacts and calendars I'd certainly like to give it a try. Can you share more or all of the info about how you're sync'ing?

[MarkCO]

Sorry, I'm not being clear. What software or what procedures are you using to sync the device with MS Outloook? If you have a process that works great with contacts and calendars I'd certainly like to give it a try. Can you share more or all of the info about how you're sync'ing?

No software. On the Motorola's, you have the option for 2 independant e-mail accounts, one Gmail, the other comes as "Company Email", "MS Email" or some other such app. Open that app, from your phone and go to settings. There are at least four settings you need to edit...

Domain\Username: The Domain you will need to get from your IT dept. if you don't know it. This will look something like: abcompany.local\Alfie

Password: Same one you use to log into your computer with your MS Exchange settings.

Server: server.abcompany.com

Use secure connection (SSL): make sure this is unchecked.

Then you can go thru the rest of the settings and figure out how many days/weeks of email should be synced, how often you want your phone to sync (Automatic(push)) and what other things should sync, such as contacts and calendars.

It's really just like remote access on another PC or a laptop if that helps.

Edited December 19, 2010 by MarkCO

[Alfie]

Sorry, I'm not being clear. What software or what procedures are you using to sync the device with MS Outloook? If you have a process that works great with contacts and calendars I'd certainly like to give it a try. Can you share more or all of the info about how you're sync'ing?

No software. On the Motorola's, you have the option for 2 independant e-mail accounts, one Gmail, the other comes as "Company Email", "MS Email" or some other such app. Open that app, from your phone and go to settings. There are at least four settings you need to edit...

Domain\Username: The Domain you will need to get from your IT dept. if you don't know it. This will look something like: abcompany.local\Alfie

Password: Same one you use to log into your computer with your MS Exchange settings.

Server: server.abcompany.com

Use secure connection (SSL): make sure this is unchecked.

Then you can go thru the rest of the settings and figure out how many days/weeks of email should be synced, how often you want your phone to sync (Automatic(push)) and what other things should sync, such as contacts and calendars.

It's really just like remote access on another PC or a laptop if that helps.

Ahha!!!! You are using an Exchange Server. That's the difference! The sync with an exchange server is nearly seamless where as those of us using a local connection have to use a third party software and some type of proximity connection (USB, Bluetooth or wifi).

I had to laugh......I am the IT guy.