Tell me about Droid

[Dizko]

So I've been looking into the Android world but I'm pretty confused.

Tell me about the different types etc.

Also I want a non-contract phone for a couple of hundred, but not much more. Is that possible?

[duhchi]

A non contract ehhhh. All the android phones have wifi so you could get away with not using a contract but I'm a little confused. Do you already have a carrier you are on and you just want to put your sim card in or do you not want to be on a contract period?

[MoarPewPew]

Two words: Droid Does

My dad has a Droid and it works well he says, the screen does not always respond,

I would wait to get the iPhone for version.

[Varking]

What specifically are you asking? You want a phone like a Motorola Droid and just use it via WiFi? You can get those off of Ebay for like $200 or $250.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Motorola-Droid-A855-Verizon-CELL-PHONE-ANDROID-/360317496015?pt=Cell_Phones&hash=item53e498aacf#ht_1098wt_924

You could wait for a new Android Tablet, or wait for the new phones to come out during Q1 of next year and the current phones like the Droid X will be down in price like the Droid is now.

If you have specific questions about it I can help but your question is sort of open ended.

[Dizko]

I want to pay monthly for an internet connection, however I don't want a 2 or 1 year contract thing. Does that make sense?

So I wanna buy the phone separate and then get a month to month contract.

Apologies, should have been more specific. The android world confuses me. :P

[duhchi]

In all honesty I don't think the major phone companies do month to month but I could be wrong. Only companies like boost mobile or those phones from 7-11 for drug dealers do month to month. I have seen data plans that are month to month though.

[shadywack]

It boils down to what cellphone company you want to be with.

Go to this link and follow the flowchart. They are the best phones for each carrier.

http://gizmodo.com/5651182/how-to-pick-an-android-smartphone

btw, you don't do month to month. Prepaid setups do NOT have an Android phone that you would want. These android phones outpace any prepaid handset by such a huge margin it's absurd. Rule out month to month and figure out what postpaid/contract setup you want to go with. My favorite is Verizon. Many many MANY people love Sprint though for its price. Some people like T-Mobile. On any carrier except AT&T you can get a GREAT Android handset.

Personally a Verizon Droid X is the best. I'm a processing power freak though. I benchmark the CPU in my phone and Droid X beats even the Samsung Galaxy S based phones (Verizon Fascinate, T Mobile Vibrant, AT&T Captivate). It has the best processor and the best camera. The Samsung Galaxy S phones have the best screens right now, but they're not that much better. The Droid Incredible HD is also coming soon too. Those are looking to be quite fantastic and will have Verizon's 4G LTE support for later this year/early next year.

For now, follow the flowchart at that link. They are all good phones. Try to find something that's either Galaxy S based or go with a Droid X, unless you're dying to just have a keyboard. Swype is FTW over any keyboard imho. Your mileage will vary.

[edit]
Addendum, I've tried every major carrier and some minor carriers in the US and I can tell you by far that Verizon is the best. I do lots of geocaching with my Droid X and going out into the wilderness. I do lots of wifi tethering when I'm traveling. I travel many places. Verizon has been the best network. I get the best speeds consistently from VZ and I get the best reception wherever I go. After having been on VZ I would be extremely frustrated and pissed off with any other carrier.

I am no fanboy either. I've had iPhone, Nokia, Blackberry, and several permutations of each. I've used every premier brand of smartphone in several variations except the iPhone (I've used the 3G, 3GS, and the 4), and Android serves me the best. I now get my games, all my apps that I use to have for iOS (except PL now...but that's changing, hehe), and all the hardware my 3GS had like the compass. My Droid X has had a few bugs. The platform isn't as mature and it shows.

However, platform maturity isn't everything. The most mature software setup I've used was my Nokia E71 which was crash-proof and error free. It was also highly limited and crippled by comparison to what I have now. iOS wasn't always so mature either and I remember the times when bugs cropped up quite often, and sometimes still do. Hey iPhone guys, like your DST bug? How about an extra serving of FAIL to go with that :)

If you customize it some and make it yours you'll be highly rewarded. People will oooh and ahhh when they see your phone. In fact many of them are iPhone users whom glance over and ask questions.

Netflix and Hulu apps are also forthcoming in the near future. It will be great for people with a huge screen.

[Varking]

Honestly, I would just wait for the newer Android phones to come out. Most Droid phones out right now are not 4g compatible. Motorola is teaming up with NVidia to make a super phone that is a dual core, Tegra 2, running at at least 1 ghz EACH. According to Moto's CEO it will have a front facing camera, and record video in 1080p.

As far as Verizon plans, they are trying to get cheaper. They are in testing a $69.99 a month plan that gives you 450 minutes, unlimited texting and unlimited data. Partner that with most companies offering something like 20% off Verizon plans and it knocked it down to $56.00 a month. Pretty sweet deal actually.