Android

[franko]

bit the bullet, bought a Galaxy 3 . . . any recommends for apps [that I'll probably never use]?

[Deleted]

Didn't want an iPhone? Good man.

I find apps like Yellow Pages very useful for looking up restaurants, businesses, gas stations and such (Poynt is good for that, too, and is a bit more user-friendly). Flixster is great for looking up movie times at nearby theatres.

There's also CBC News, if you're interested in that. It's a great app.

For updated weather, I think The Weather Network has an app, but the S3 may already have an integrated weather app.

[franko]

Sept 19, 2012 14:12:09 GMT -5 @mattdhf said:

Didn't want an iPhone? Good man.

didn't want? no -- absolutely refused to buy into the hype.

2 of my kids have one -- son is a "name brand" kinda guy and pushed pushed pushed for one, but I would not do it!

thanks of the advice. the phone doesn't come with many apps and what it comes with is kinda basic. there is a weather app -- accuweather -- that I'll keep -- haven't heard much good about theweathernetwork app and it runs with ads, trying to avoid that. did download chrome.

2 days of battery life, though, my old not-so-smart phone was good for a week -- and I hear 2 days is really good for a full-powered smart phone.

[Deleted]

Sept 19, 2012 14:24:04 GMT -5 franko said:

Sept 19, 2012 14:12:09 GMT -5 @mattdhf said:

Didn't want an iPhone? Good man.

didn't want? no -- absolutely refused to buy into the hype.

2 of my kids have one -- son is a "name brand" kinda guy and pushed pushed pushed for one, but I would not do it!

thanks of the advice. the phone doesn't come with many apps and what it comes with is kinda basic. there is a weather app -- accuweather -- that I'll keep -- haven't heard much good about theweathernetwork app and it runs with ads, trying to avoid that. did download chrome.

2 days of battery life, though, my old not-so-smart phone was good for a week -- and I hear 2 days is really good for a full-powered smart phone.

My LG Quantum runs for about 2 days, but that's because I don't keep it on at night. One thing that sucks battery power is connecting to data; a steady WiFi connection won't hurt your battery as much.

As for the iPhone...they're good devices, but you essentially pay for apps that are available for free on Google Play, and you also pay for iCloud (need storage? Use SkyDrive; they offer at least some space for free). People love their Apple products, though. Supposedly they've generated record-breaking preorders, but I'm curious if it was a ploy to intentionally ship limited products to show the world how "popular" they are. Specs wise, they're well behind even the S3, and that came out in May!

[Disgruntled70sHab]

I own a Nokia 710. Windows operating system. Very easy menus to navigate through.

Keep hearing bad things about Blackberry. There are those who swear by it, though.

Cheers.

[Deleted]

Dis, I got the PlayBook when they first came down in price and it has been a total nightmare. They put a lot of hype around OS 2.0, since they instilled Android support, but since then the tablet takes a long time to boot, and most apps are buggy (though that may speak more to the development of them than the hardware itself).

I'm quite happy with my Windows Phone device. The Lumia 920 and HTC 8X both look slick.

[CentreHice]

Very happy with my iPhone 4S. But I'm not an app guy....yet. Ha!

[Cranky]

Sept 19, 2012 13:47:21 GMT -5 franko said:

bit the bullet, bought a Galaxy 3 . . . any recommends for apps [that I'll probably never use]?

What do you want to do? What do you need? I know a friend who knows a friend.....

Here are some "must haves"


Gas Buddy
Kingston Office
Polaris Office
My Files
Financial Calculator
REAP
XE exchange
Currency converter
3d Spectrum analyzer
ADAM
Adobe air
Adobe Flash11.1
Adobe Reader
Androizic
Android Music
App Cache CLeaner
avast mobile Security
barcode scanner
Cam Scanner
Earth
Easy Unistaller
GPS essentials
History Eraser
hotmail
merriam websters
Palmary weather ......best of two dozen I tried. I get local plus international weather (Greece).
quick bookmark
street view


I have a lot more but they are specialized in either engineering/hydraulics/solar. Also a few dozen games. About 250 total.

*And...go here... www.makeuseof.com/pages/best-android-apps

Be aware that a lot of apps are running and accessing what you already have and can easily access yourself in Ice Cream. They simply give you a bit of convenience but eat up battery power.

*And......wait for a sale in factory direct to get a 32gig micro sd for $18.

*And.....if you bought your phone, I hope you bought the Wind kind which allows you 1700/2100 access.

*And...if you bought it already, well, too late. I bought 3 Samsung Galaxy S2x for 650 bucks. If you can bring them back, the "sale" is still on. What I did......

forums.redflagdeals.com/merged-koodo-galaxy-s2x-t989d-300-100gc-1213373/

Others....

forums.redflagdeals.com/telus-team-webstore-galaxy-s-iii-16gb-2-49-iphone-4s-16gb-1-65-3-year-contract-1224509/

forums.redflagdeals.com/rogers-store-samsung-galaxy-s3-16gb-open-box-return-300-month2month-ymmv-1215762/

[Cranky]

Sept 19, 2012 14:12:09 GMT -5 @mattdhf said:

Didn't want an iPhone? Good man.

I'm not cool enough! Nor need to tweet an update on my bowl movements.

For what I do, I need a tool...with a big screen and lots of power...and lots of cheap memory....and CHEAP.

[franko]

Sept 20, 2012 3:43:57 GMT -5 Cranky said:

Here are some "must haves"

lots of "must haves" that make no sense to me, which is why I asked for help from those with a brain [HabsRusers, obviously] . . . thanks. I had looked at some of those you mentioned; I'll look at the others.

*And......wait for a sale in factory direct to get a 32gig micro sd for $18.

this is good . . . I was looking at "upgrading" from the 4 gig I have but not willing to pay $60

[CentreHice]

Sept 20, 2012 4:20:48 GMT -5 Cranky said:

Sept 19, 2012 14:12:09 GMT -5 @mattdhf said:

Didn't want an iPhone? Good man.

I'm not cool enough! Nor need to tweet an update on my bowl movements.

Nice wide brush of judgment.

I neither consider myself cool nor tweet anything at all. I needed a reliable, easy-to-use phone for use on the road to contact my agency and home. Besides, every phone has their share of that cool/tweeting crowd. Certainly not exclusive to iPhone users.

Suited my needs....and I'm sure I'll be happy with whatever minimal apps I end up getting.

You're in a different world because of your business. I'd never have need for the apps/features you've listed, hence looking to cut price corners.

Apples and not apples.

[Doc Holliday]

...I don't know anybody who after trying an IPHone for a while would go back to anything else. It's in a league of its own (and it's price that way too!)

That being said, I use an Asus EEEPad Transformer at home and I am really happy with it. Android is a sturdy straight forward system and expansion capacity from the USB ports on the docking are quite handy.

I do feel though that Androids apps are somewhat clunky and raw compared to their Apple cousins (we have IPads at the office). Apple devellopers take an extra care in the packaging, it's not only designed to perform a certain task, it's programmed to do it smoothly and gracefully. User experience is really important. Android devellopers usually come from the PC side "...hey it works..." mentality.

But I bet it gets better with time.

[Cranky]

Sept 20, 2012 9:27:07 GMT -5 CentreHice said:

I needed a reliable, easy-to-use phone for use on the road to contact my agency and home. Besides, every phone has their share of that cool/tweeting crowd. Certainly not exclusive to iPhone users.

Suited my needs....and I'm sure I'll be happy with whatever minimal apps I end up getting.

You're in a different world because of your business. I'd never have need for the apps/features you've listed, hence looking to cut price corners.

Android can be as simple or as complicated as you want. The issue with Android is that you have to do it....or get help from someone who can. It isn't complicated but it is involved.

On my wifes phone, I gave it a Windows phone overlay. She has a minimum of choices and simply picks'a'box. On mine, you have to navigate through 7 pages and 20 folders plus the apps. To me, that means nothing because it's part of the flexibility and ability I want and need. Plus I need to have access to it 24/7 and phone redundancy without selling the kids.

I wanted a tool that does what I want and is cheap and powerful. If you like your i-phone, great.

[Cranky]

Sept 20, 2012 5:51:48 GMT -5 franko said:

lots of "must haves" that make no sense to me, which is why I asked for help from those with a brain [HabsRusers, obviously] . . . thanks. I had looked at some of those you mentioned; I'll look at the others.

Gas Buddy makes no sense to you? It tells you where the nearest cheap gas. And FREE.

The office apps and Adobe allow you to open spreadsheets and documents. Something you can use for your work and FREE.

The weather apps keep you abreast on the weather. They are not all equal in doing that. Or some take too much data. Also free.

You bought a device that is infinitely flexible and as simple or as complicated as you want.