New to Android

[txmoakster]

I have been an Iphone customer since 2007 and finally moved to android when the Captivate came out. I love the phone (wish there were better apps).

I know nothing about all this stuff, what is rooting, sideloading, basically what can I do to this thing? I know fancy widgets and stuff like that but that is basically it.

Any help would be appreciated. I want to learn it all

 

[Ph8]

Sorry if this sounds like a angry post, but it isnt.
Ive always found it was best to point people to the right direction and have them to the leg work. This way they may find answers to other questions along the way.

You can search the Stickies and the forum for most of your questions. There is also a Root subforum that has a lot of information. iw ould also head over to xda-developers as there are a few good FAQ\tutorials as well.

R00t=means exactly that git gives you r00t control over your phone allowing you to do what youd like with it.

Sideloading-loading non market applications to your phone. Google Andriod Wonder Machine and it allwas sideloading without the need for r00t.

 

[txmoakster]

Its all good. I just didnt know there were "101s" available, I have done some researching but havent really had the time the past week to really dig in. This week before school starts will be my learning week

 

[sremick]

1) Don't worry about "rooting" yet. It's an advanced topic, not necessary, only done for certain things and has its own risks. As you're new to Android, shelve that for a while.

2) Sideloading is loading apps through other means than using the Marketplace. There's a free tool to do this now that doesn't require root.

3) The forum search function is your friend. Read the stickies, search for terms you have questions about. 99.999% of the time someone has asked it before and you'll find your answers in-length in an existing thread. No need to make people type it all out again for every newcomer.

4) Looking for an app? Google and AppBrain are your friend. On AppBrain, search for various related terms. On Google, just search the same term + "android" and you'll find all sorts of info, often reviews of various apps/games in that category.