Cranking out news for the geeks, music buffs and gossip junkies, my way. -Greg

My unbiased story of another users experience leaving the iPhone to Android. Originally an iPhone user he finally made the break of Apples tight grip of an OS to Android. First choice was the Samsung Captivate, a Galaxy S phone. I think it was the obvious choice for him as it was the best option of the 3 Android phones from AT&T at that time. Not to mention I was very happy with mine. First impressions as an owner was not the greatest as he quickly noticed some problems. No easy 1 button click to a silent mode and syncing email to exchange was problematic from the start. Soon he updated to Froyo 2.2 (found here) and quickly followed with using custom ROMs, via ROM Manager and Cognition. His happiness was only short lived with the Captivate and the new ROMs as he began to have the phone shut-off at random. This seemed to be strictly a hardware issue and was resolved with a trip to AT&T and getting a replacement. Since email was high priority use of his phone and the issues for email continued, He actually contemplated going back to his iPhone. Enter the htc Inspire, the latest Android phone from AT&T. Within 28 days of first purchasing the Samsung Captivate he had, upgraded to 2.2, used custom ROMs, replaced the phone and finally traded it back in for the htc Inspire. He has only had the Inspire for less than 24 hours as I write this, but has implied clearly that it has been a better purchase than the Captivate and may lie on the same playing field as the iPhone.

So to summarize the issues and ratings he has suggested; Captivate had problems with exchange and playing music stored on the phone. He rates the Captivate under the iPhone for these reasons and currently rates his new htc Inspire at the same level as the iPhone. He is as of now still currently happy to be away from Apple and I will update this once he has had the Inspire longer.

I tried to keep my own thoughts and opinions away from everything up to now, you honestly didn’t think I would leave my opinion completely out did you? Some things I would like to point out is obviously the no easy button for silence is user preference, working with anything custom is always prone to bugs, however he did point out that he had the email issue prior to touching the OS. I know of another Captivate user that seemed to be having problems with email as well. His wasn’t exchange, but actually Yahoo. Myself I get to much personal email to mess with my main Yahoo email, so I send only a very small amount to my Gmail account which I get on my phone. Another few that I’d like to point out is that the Captivate and Inspire have the same speed CPU. Captivate has 4 times the internal memory and a Super AMOLED screen. The Inspire has an 8megapixel camera with an LED flash as well as .3 inches more of a screen. Inspire is also a 4G phone, although it’s not wide spread yet. I think the biggest thing to point out is that the Inspire comes with Froyo. This is huge because it works and is made to work and will be less likely to have bugs unlike the Captivate which is sure to have many since Samsung doesn’t care. Having 2.2 can only be accomplished using custom ROMs’ or custom upgrades which although helps getting flash and hotspot ability, it also brings more bugs.  Overall I think the Captivate was a big shot that only has become a failure due to the lack of OS support and updating from Samsung. The biggest example of this is the GPS a feature that only works well if you have used a custom ROM. They have taken a great piece of hardware, shoved it out the door and never looked at it again.

With all the devices coming to the market at increasing speed, everyone’s phone is sure to be outdated by the time they get it home. So, I guess what should become a big part in the decision of you next phone isn’t as much the hardware, but more will the maker support the damn thing after you get it home and update the OS. Samsung obviously won’t. Will I trade in my Captivate for the Inspire or the upcoming Atrix? No, I’m still going to stand behind my Captivate and keep it as it still does what I want it too and works pretty well. -Greg

Most are aware that if you buy 1 of the 3 current Android phones from AT&T, that you won’t be able to sideload apps. That is you won’t be able to install apps that come from sources other than the Android Market. I should say you can’t easily do it, as there are 2 options to do this. First, you can root your device, which you will have complete access to do as you please with your phone. The second is using the Android SDK and load your apps that way, like you are “testing” it on your phone. Now the AWESOME guys over at Android Central have created a third and surely the easiest way to sideload apps on AT&T Android phones. The “Android Central Sideload Wonder Machine” is a Windows app that allows you to install any .apk file (Android App) you want from any source directly to your phone. Link to the get your copy and a video below. Android Central, you’re the best! -Greg

Get it here –> ”Android Central Sideload Wonder Machine”

AT&T has officially announced that it will be bringing Android smart phones to it’s network. They have a splash page at www.att.com/androidthat tells a little bit about what they have planned. The officially announced the Dell Mini3 and the Motorola (Backflip) which we had heard rumors about for quite a while. They have also announced 3 Android smart phones coming from HTC, which is 1 of the leaders in Android devices. In the press release they also said they are releasing a new AT&T SDK to help developers more easily and quickly develope apps for these devices. They also go on to say that they are “Taking the AT&T Developer Program to the Next Level”, by adding some new developer resources. I’d have to say AT&T has stepped up and it looks like they are going to knock this out of the park. They already have the “Fastest 3G Network” and this was even proved real world by Gizmodo. Now, with the addition of Android they will continue to be the leader in wireless mobile technology. I’m happy to say that I’m still with AT&T and will now not likely be leaving them anytime soon. Good show AT&T, good show! -Greg
 

So Google officially announced the Nexus One, their new “Superphone”, at CES in Las Vegas yesterday. If you have the Internet and you read anything, then I’m sure you have already heard about it. Why you may ask is everyone buzzing about it so much, well in my opinion, its simply hype. They tried to keep it secret and the world kept pecking at it and finding out bits and pieces until it became and epidemic to know about it. Well now that its out in the open, I once again say there just really isn’t anything that takes this phone to some new level. Nexus One compared to the Motorola Droid, its basically just it’s sister. The 1GHZ Snapdragon is the same, the Android 2.1 is the same, its doesn’t even support multi-touch. The pricing is all screwed up too, and the fact they stuck it on T-Mobile, crap have you seen their 3G map, haha it has like 3 dots on the entire US map. Well, lets have a look at some info from the Android Guys, they asked 10 questions, here are the answers. -Greg

What is the Nexus One?
As Google puts it, the Nexus One is the first “superphone”. That is to say it’s the next evolution in what (Android) handsets are capable of.

Who makes the Nexus One?
The handset is made by HTC with input from Google.

What is so special about the phone?
For starters, the Nexus One features a blazing fast 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor.  Throw in a 3.7-inch (480×800 AMOLED screen), a 5 megapixel camera with an LED flash, wireless support for 802.11 a/b/g/n, a trackball with multicolor LED, and you see where we’re going.  There’s also a compass, GPS, accelerometer, stereo Bluetooth, a 3.5mm headphone jack, light and proximity sensors, and two microphones for “active noise suppression”.  All of this is powered by a 1400mAH battery.  Oh yeah, it’s crazy thin.  Like, less than a pencil, thin.

What else?
The Nexus One comes loaded with Android 2.1, which features the same great software found in the Motorola DROID, plus more.  This latest version also offers great voice integration.  Every text field found within Android 2.1 is voice enabled, meaning you’ll not have to physically type out emails, texts messages and tweets.  There are also ‘live wallpapers’ with interactivity, a new weather/news widget, Google Earth, and an updated gallery.

Where can I buy a Nexus One?
You can immediately order an unlocked GSM Nexus One at $529.00 at google.com/phone.

Will it work with my AT&T service?
Technically, yes.  Don’t expect 3G speeds though as the Nexus One only offers support  for T-Mobile’s 3G bands in the United States – UMTS Band 1/4/8 (2100/AWS/900) and GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz).

What if I don’t want to spend that kind of money?
A subsidize Nexus One can be yours for $179.00 as long as you commit to a 2-year contract with T-Mobile.  The catch here is that you must use it on individual, post paid, rate plans.  Family plans, and FlexPay customers are not eligible at this time.

What rate plan will I have if I get a Nexus One?
As of today, there is only one plan to choose from – 500 voice minutes, nights and weekends, messaging (SMS and MMS) and data.

I don’t want to sign up with T-Mobile.  Are there other options?
A CDMA version of the Nexus One will be available in the spring of 2010 for Verizon customers.

Will there be an unlocked CDMA Nexus One?
Don’t count on it.  The answer that was repeated a couple of times during today’s conference was that there will only be a Verizon-based CDMA Nexus One.