If I get a Droid device, what am I looking for? [Archive]

View Full Version : If I get a Droid device, what am I looking for?

Ellyidol

08-07-2011, 01:18 AM

I've been thinking of getting one, a tablet most probably since a second phone would be useless.

I'm in Sydney, so first option would be to get one I can buy here. If I find a really good one abroad, I might consider ordering and shipping, but,

What exactly makes a device a good droid?

A few questions :

1. What exactly am I looking for? I love my iPad 2 in the sense that I don't have to worry about specs (hardware), what about for a droid? My impression for a droid device is that of a PC. You need to know the specs; processor, graphics chip, etc.

2. Any good brands? I'm not familiar with anything that really stands out. The top two that come to mind are Samsung and HTC, am I correct?

3. What's it like maintaining one? Take iOS, I just update it once in awhile via iTunes and that's it. How about for android?

4. I'll face it, the reason why I want a droid is for gaming and the open market, will I have to worry about performance on droids?

5. I've also heard/read of droids being able to be corrupted by viruses and all, is it really that big a deal? I feel so safe on my iDevices since, afaik, they're virus free.

Complete noob here, would greatly appreciate if someone can point me the right direction :)

SUPAPRODIGY

08-07-2011, 01:21 AM

Yeah im thinking of buying a droid considering because im tired of apple making me wait so long

DPANDA

08-07-2011, 03:13 AM

Not too sure about Samsung but HTC Firmwares are updated over the air. Don't need to connect to a computer. I hear iOS 5 will finally have OTA updates.

RedRyder

08-07-2011, 03:44 AM

IMO, even though I'm not over knowledgable with Droids, once iOS 5 hits no other device will hold any competition to iOS. Sure android had an open market with no waiting for games like SL, but at least there's no fear of getting your pricey property corrupted [$400+ isn't cheap ya know ;)] (unless you DL the wrong stuff through jailbreak, but that'd be due to your own stupidity)

Ellyidol

08-07-2011, 03:46 AM

IMO, even though I'm not over knowledgable with Droids, once iOS 5 hits no other device will hold any competition to iOS. Sure android had an open market with no waiting for games like SL, but at least there's no fear of getting your pricey property getting corrupted (unless you DL the wrong stuff through jailbreak, but that'd be due to your own stupidity)

That, along with the hardware security, is also what is keeping me from getting a droid.

So other than the open market, what else does droid have over Apple?

RedRyder

08-07-2011, 03:47 AM

If you're looking for gaming wise and not non-wifi connectivity, I see no competition. Stick with your iPad ;)

Ellyidol

08-07-2011, 03:50 AM

If you're looking for gaming wise and not non-wifi connectivity, I see no competition. Stick with your iPad ;)

Haha. iPad 1, Droid 0. The scoring begins!

RedRyder

08-07-2011, 03:55 AM

Its 5am now, so once the east coast people wake up and see this, we'll see how the score tallies up :p physiologic should have a much better input than mine ( he's from the same state as me :p so when he's awake)

Breadkeeper

08-07-2011, 03:59 AM

Ellyidol

08-07-2011, 04:05 AM

Im in Melbourne, and i am running down the same path you are, and i was looking at the Motorola Xoom (Telstra) or a galaxy tab, I still need to do more research but from the VERY LITTLE i have done i think the Xoom is what is on top right now, running 3.0 hardware as apposed to most droids 2.2

Haha, welcome my partner!

IMO, I want to do my research here. I mean, who better to ask for droid questions than the source of my reason for getting a droid? :p

Btw, what do hardware versions do to the droid? If I get one now, does the device have a maximum hardware version it can go up to? Or can I just keep updating my hardware version as they become available?

Breadkeeper

08-07-2011, 04:07 AM

RedRyder

08-07-2011, 04:08 AM

I think it has to do with what's built into the device not what you can update OTA

Martin Tander

08-07-2011, 04:23 AM

Droid can play star legends beta ios can't:))) droid 100000000 ios 0 :)

Corpser

08-07-2011, 04:39 AM

i got the htc wildfire i find droids are sooo much nicer then apple

reasons for keeping an apple device
security
nearly always good
dont need to pay with credit card

reasons for droid device
live wallpapers
open market
can download games from internet
can watch movies on the internet
wider variety of phones/tablets
more apps.

only way to get virus on a droid is to download games from the internet e.g say a cracked versions of games.

you can pick up a htc wildfire for $199 from telstra.
but it cant play 3d games at least not very well white squares and such

Ellyidol

08-07-2011, 05:02 AM

My problem is im trying to find a reason besides playing games for getting a droid, so i can justify running one through the business, haha. I really dont have much info at this point, and im going to bed since ive been at work since 2am. So i will either contribute to this more tomorow, or read up on it some other time. Gnight world.

Hahaha. I'll let you know here too if I find more info :) Thanks and rest well bud!

I think it has to do with what's built into the device not what you can update OTA

So droid devices get obsolete very quickly you mean?

Droid can play star legends beta ios can't:))) droid 100000000 ios 0 :)

This is true, but I can't make SL the sole reason I spend hundreds of $ :p Although it's primarily for gaming, I can already do that on my iPad. So...

i got the htc wildfire i find droids are sooo much nicer then apple

reasons for keeping an apple device
security
nearly always good
dont need to pay with credit card

reasons for droid device
live wallpapers
open market
can download games from internet
can watch movies on the internet
wider variety of phones/tablets
more apps.

only way to get virus on a droid is to download games from the internet e.g say a cracked versions of games.

you can pick up a htc wildfire for $199 from telstra.
but it cant play 3d games at least not very well white squares and such

Oh right, iTunes. I can't be bothered getting/using a credit card too.

How about surfing random sites on a droid? Does that get you infected?

Also, $199 is a mobile right? Was wondering if a tablet was that cheap.

Corpser

08-07-2011, 05:10 AM

tablets are quite expensive i belive about $400 and surfing random sites may give virus not sure may need to google that
and yeah $199 was for a htc wildfire which is a mobile. you can get virus scanners for android tho not sure if they work.

however if you use the droid for pl and sl you can use an itunes card to purchase plat then play the android one.

Ellyidol

08-07-2011, 05:12 AM

DownStairsMix

08-07-2011, 05:17 AM

If you're interested in an android tablet, check out www.archos.com

Great prices, lots of features, tons of memory!

Corpser

08-07-2011, 05:52 AM

Ah I see.

I actually had a droid before, a Sony Xperia. Quite awhile already, way before I found PL. A year and a half ago?

Anyway, it wasn't so good from what I remember. It felt so laggy using the phone.

yeah i was told to stay away from sony ericsson cause there a new brand and not as experienced as the better brands.

that said they do make nice looking phones and some great ideas behind those phones

Torrentula81

08-07-2011, 06:01 AM

yeah i was told to stay away from sony ericsson cause there a new brand and not as experienced as the better brands.

that said they do make nice looking phones and some great ideas behind those phones

I have an xperia play. I honestly think this is the best android phone out there for gamers. We have star legends and dungeon defenders that supports the controls plus much more. Its on a whole nother level playing games via controls vs swipe. Plus you can play roms like legend of zelda ocarina of time, super mario world, or whatever. The battery lasts ALOT longer I believe due to its single core yet the games run just as good as any dual core. Most run better because they are optimized specific for this device. I just think your missing out by blindly agreeing yeah I shouldnt pick them. Im never going back, ever.
I havent played pocket legends on this device but star legends tuns 100% smooth and the graphics are way better then pl. I think PL is outdated graphics and should be tossed aside once out of beta.

xXDamonDXx

08-07-2011, 06:04 AM

If your only looking at gaming on it then best stay with an ios device, android fails pretty hard at that, already found that out considering i got both an android and ios devices.

-The App Store has way more content, and more games. There are no compatibility issues with ios compared to an android. It's safer to, in the past i seen on the news about android apps being found with viruses in them. I'm sure there are still some out there that have viruses or other malicious content. Thats why i hardly download apps and my Android Device.
This is one of the main reasons for the app approval process.

-The Android market can be limited to your device, and some apps may crash or not be available for your device. That effects gaming. Found tons of games on the app store that i can't get from the android market even though they are there. Not becuase my device can't handle it because the devs haven't made support for it. Then the security problems.

Android is only good for, well actually idk. IOS is way better imo. And it takes a couple of minutes to jailbreak then you got all the customization you want to.
Only games i play on my droid is nova, pl and sl because of a bigger screen.

Ok droid fans flame away, becuase I'm a droid user but i hate it so much.

Ellyidol

08-07-2011, 06:08 AM

Cahaun

08-07-2011, 07:11 AM

A neverending feud between Android and IOS users.

WhoIsThis

08-07-2011, 08:01 AM

I'll chime in later, but the gist of it is that if you are a geek that loves to tinker with stuff, Android is a no brainer. Otherwise, iPhone should probably remain the top choice.

Torrentula81

08-07-2011, 08:09 AM

I went from droid x to iphone 4 to evo 3d (returned that trash) now xperia. I went to iphone looking for more games. They have a bit more but not enough to trade in my freedom. I want my phone to look and do what I choose to. Apple tried to make jailbreaking your own bought device illegal. They wabt people locked im blind folded and ignorant. Glad people got wise will soon pass up ios for android altogether.

Above poster is right though. Everyones got their favorite and will die defending them.

RedRyder

08-07-2011, 09:39 AM

If you like tinkering with your device iOS is the only choice. This is why

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m279/MADNIGGA2K5/0b78df86.jpg
http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m279/MADNIGGA2K5/394939c5.jpg
http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m279/MADNIGGA2K5/75218a64.jpg
http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m279/MADNIGGA2K5/5bdcee55.jpg
http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m279/MADNIGGA2K5/53c91e8b.jpg

FYI, jailbreaking is perfectly legal. Voids your warranty but the jailbreak can easily be removed.
I was talking to my droid friend last night, and he told me the android market was flooded with multiples of the same kind of app. Like 100 different battery saver apps. He uses his iPod touch for gaming

Physiologic

08-07-2011, 10:09 AM

1. What exactly am I looking for? I love my iPad 2 in the sense that I don't have to worry about specs (hardware), what about for a droid? My impression for a droid device is that of a PC. You need to know the specs; processor, graphics chip, etc.

2. Any good brands? I'm not familiar with anything that really stands out. The top two that come to mind are Samsung and HTC, am I correct?

The Samsung Galaxy tab is the Droid's equivalent to the iPad 2. If you're getting any Droid-based tablet, that should be the one. You can browse through here for other options, though: http://www.androidtablets.net/forum/android-tablet-discussions/2507-non-authoritative-android-tablet-buying-list-what-get-what-avoid.html

3. What's it like maintaining one? Take iOS, I just update it once in awhile via iTunes and that's it. How about for android?

No maintenance required. Updates are automatic or you can go through Settings -> About phone -> System updates -> Check new to manually search for updates, which are extremely infrequent.

4. I'll face it, the reason why I want a droid is for gaming and the open market, will I have to worry about performance on droids?

I use a Samsung Galaxy S I and it works flawlessly for gaming, including graphic-intensive Gameloft games. Previously the mobile gaming market catered specifically to the iOS but I think companies found that catering to Droiders was extremely profitable, so nearly all games will be compatible with Droids (the Droid device should be a fairly new gen though; older generation Droids have issues with compatibility, but that isn't an issue with you since you want a new device).

5. I've also heard/read of droids being able to be corrupted by viruses and all, is it really that big a deal? I feel so safe on my iDevices since, afaik, they're virus free.

Elly, this is a statement propagated by many iOS users which only cause unnecessary and unwarranted fear and panic and animosity towards Google-based devices. Trying to get a virus on your Droid is like trying to intentionally get a virus on your computer - Much like if you download shady things off Google.com, if you download shady things from the App market, you may get a virus. The most common way to have obtained it in the past was through apps that looked-alike/sounded-alike a legit app (see here for more info: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1362676/Android-hit-rogue-app-viruses.html) but these apps are long gone. The downloaders of those virus apps probably didn't even think it was fishy that there were two apps of the same name. In short, a lack of common sense will lead you to download malicious software, much like downloading anything off Google.com. The other way to get a virus is to intentionally download 1 star apps with comments and reviews saying "this is a bad app" but I don't think you need to worry about those.

Basically, if you're aiming to get anything, get the Samsung Galaxy tab; it's easy to use, completely backed up by Google, low-maintenance, and the equivalent to the iPad 2.

edit: And Red - The Samsung Droid series has the exact same capabilities as an iOS device, so you can do all that on them too. You Apple fanboys love bashing on Droids for no reason, even though top-notch Droid-based devices are exactly the same as an iOS device. Except Droids rule.

Zaltiar

08-07-2011, 10:31 AM

Bro, you're in Sydney as well? Vodaphone has a great plan for the Samsung Nexus S which is a great phone. I use it to play pl and i have absolutely no problem :D
dont get the Galaxy S2, game freezes and f/c a lot.
cheers!

Sigkill

08-07-2011, 10:32 AM

i got the htc wildfire i find droids are sooo much nicer then apple

reasons for keeping an apple device
security
nearly always good
dont need to pay with credit card

reasons for droid device
live wallpapers- Ok Big deal? I'm pretty sure you can get those with a jailbroken IOS device.
open market- Uhhm? apples market is more secure and apps actually have to be approved
can download games from internet- I'm confused what you mean here, I doubt you can play WOW on your droid.
can watch movies on the internet- I seriously doubt you have any type of IDevice
wider variety of phones/tablets- Wider variety of crap, the iPad 2 is far superior to the crappy droid tablets, and all the droid phones are just lame.
more apps- WRONG!!! actually look up information before spitting out your stupid crap, And even it were true; most of the apps on the android market are just stupid, repeats of the same app, or just don't work.....

only way to get virus on a droid is to download games from the internet e.g say a cracked versions of games.

you can pick up a htc wildfire for $199 from telstra.
but it cant play 3d games at least not very well white squares and such

/rant over

RedRyder

08-07-2011, 02:37 PM

Lol sig. And yea animated wallpapers through jailbreaking; I have a couple

Otukura

08-07-2011, 02:48 PM

Lol sig. And yea animated wallpapers through jailbreaking; I have a couple

Animated.. but do you have interactive ones? Tap the screen to pop bubbles, etc?

Phys has pretty much said everything, although I have heard some good stuff about the Acer ICONIA. Basically the same Specs. Haven't seen it myself.

Zeus

08-07-2011, 02:48 PM

Pros to Droid:

Openness for tinkering. (Then again, you can do that with iPhone too).
You can gain root access.
If you are a developer, the app store isn't as crowded. So you have the potential to make more money off your app from the Android Market.
Very useful standard interfaces and utilities that one normally has to download from the app store on an iDevice.
Powerful Phones with diversity; You can basically pick up the phone you want.

Cons with Droid:
Outrageously long software updates if one is on a skinned version of Android.
Subject to the phone maker and cellular provider to provide you with Android updates.
Fragmentation on operation system versions due to the wide variety of phones.
Fragmentation on applications because of the hardware of the phones being different.
Short Battery Life
Debatably more expensive
Touchscreen is not as accurate as the iDevices touchscreen. (Most Android phone screens use weaker, cheaper capacitive senors in order to help shave off the cost for the AMOLED screens). Accuracy test can be shown to prove this.

Pros for iDevice:
Closed App Store meaning secure personal information.
Most applications are high quality and do what they state.
No perverted applications that you would want your child to see. (Meaning 17+ Content that shows Nudity)
If your device gets stolen, your credit card number will not be able to be used as it needs the number everytime to make a purchase. Some Android devices do not.
Higher Capacitive Sensors and better glass clarity.
Devices with Retina Screens have Anti-aliasing built in. The resolution is so high on such a small screen, the edges are already smoothed (Graphical edges on games). No other mobile device is capable of this yet.

Cons: Will list them later, as I don't have time atm.

Pman3255

08-07-2011, 02:51 PM

Droids seem laggy compared to iPhones. Btw when iPhone 5 comes out, everyone will lose trying to beat apple.

Swimmingstar

08-07-2011, 02:52 PM

HTC

xXDamonDXx

08-07-2011, 03:09 PM

Cons: Will list them later, as I don't have time atm.

lol :) just admit there arn't any. Or none worth the mention XD

...Although the biggest con is the lock screen, just doesn't work.

Pman3255

08-07-2011, 03:10 PM

Swimming which htc are you speaking of?

Otukura

08-07-2011, 03:10 PM

Cons with Droid:
Outrageously long software updates if one is on a skinned version of Android. How often do you update, thrice a year?
Subject to the phone maker and cellular provider to provide you with Android updates. Updates aren't ever needed with androids
Short Battery Life I can swap out batteries when mine goes dead, I have about 6 hours of PL playing time before that happens.
Debatably more expensive For tablets? I think they're about the same. iPhones are cheaper generally, but you eat it with the bill. Androids are cheaper over the long run.
Touchscreen is not as accurate as the iDevices touchscreen. (Most Android phone screens use weaker, cheaper capacitive senors in order to help shave off the cost for the AMOLED screens). Accuracy test can be shown to prove this. Most old ones did that, now most have AMOLED or even Super-AMOLED screens. Super AMOLED is only seen on Androids. SGS2 has Super-AMOLED Plus.

Where is my rolleyes emoticon. :(

Physiologic

08-07-2011, 03:49 PM

Oh yeah. Super AMOLED screen ftw!

Yvonnel

08-07-2011, 04:26 PM

Droid Tablets --> HDMI mirror mode. I'm looking at one to be able to record hi-def screen video.

Pman3255

08-07-2011, 04:33 PM

Oh yeah. Super AMOLED screen ftw!

What's that?

RedRyder

08-07-2011, 04:41 PM

Animated.. but do you have interactive ones? Tap the screen to pop bubbles, etc?

Phys has pretty much said everything, although I have heard some good stuff about the Acer ICONIA. Basically the same Specs. Haven't seen it myself.

It's really not like a trump or anything lol, but yes I have interactive ones as well.

Breadkeeper

08-07-2011, 04:46 PM

Guys why are you comparing droid phones, we clearly want to know about tablets...

RedRyder

08-07-2011, 04:51 PM

Actually, the OP was asking about androids in general.

Corpser

08-07-2011, 05:32 PM

jailbroken i devices can get virus' see here (http://www.abc.net.au/news/2009-11-09/australian-admits-creating-first-iphone-virus/1135474)
any way sig i ment you can download .apk files from internet which can give virus.
and watching movies on internet well my ipod touch wont do it it needs flash player droids can get flash player.
i like my ipod but i dont like having to jailbreak to get the best features.

Breadkeeper

08-07-2011, 05:52 PM

Actually, the OP was asking about androids in general.

I've been thinking of getting one, a tablet most probably since a second phone would be useless.

First line in the post.... Tablet...

Sigkill

08-07-2011, 06:05 PM

lol :) just admit there arn't any. Or none worth the mention XD

...Although the biggest con is the lock screen, just doesn't work.

Lock Screen can be disabled if you want, requires jailbreaking though. Mine is currently disabled

WhoIsThis

08-07-2011, 06:19 PM

This is quickly turning into an Android vs iPhone flame war. I'm reluctant to post here now.

Ellyidol

08-07-2011, 06:24 PM

This is quickly turning into an Android vs iPhone flame war. I'm reluctant to post here now.

Noticing that too. Will self-lock it the moment it gets too heated.

Thanks guys for the points, have a few questions still but will post it up when I get to a computer.

And those who just plan to bash on droid/iOS devices can leave before you get in trouble. Majority of the posts here have been constructive, a few juvenile and ignorant ones, but enough to start drama.

So nothing useful to say, don't say anything. Thanks.