Newbie Understanding Android

[zainjetha]

hi Guys

Am currently the user of a BlackBerry 9700 Bold and an iPhone 3GS. Am considering making the switch to Android. My iPhone is my primary handset which I use for iPod, browsing, phone, SMS etc, but use the BB simply for mailing and BBM which I do in great quantities.

Passed by my O2 Store today and had ten minutes with the Galaxy S and Galaxy S II, both were very impressive phones. I loved the user interface as am getting bored of my iPhone. The OS was snappy, and intuitive. What was most appealing was the excellent way in which the Browser rendered flash content, I have begun a little trading, and this requires me to be able to monitor the charts, and an Android phone would be quite helpful for this purpose. I tried this in-store and was gobsmacked.

I have done a bit of research about Android, and was originally leaning towards purchasing a Google Experience Device to get the 'Pure Google' experience however this would limit me to the NEXUS S which is good, but there are better specced handsets out there and I'm not sure if the purity would make that much of a difference. What would you guys suggest to be the main differences between Stock Android, and Manufacturer/customised Android, in this case Samsung. How do the differences make an impact on real life. NFC is good, but I'm sure it will eventually become industry-standard in a while.

Also, from the research I have done, it appears each manufacturer has their own syncing software for their respective Android devices. This is strange. I thought Google might have perhaps released their own syncing tool since they created their OS. Is there a Google-approved synchronising method? The fact that each manufacturer produces their own software for syncing leads me to believe that there must be significant differences in each Android device. What syncing software does the Nexus S come with?

Lastly, from my research, I believe it is possible to install stock Android on a manufacturer-customised device.
(a) Does it warrant the (1) efford and (2) the risk involved?
(b) Will doing this void my warranty?
(c) Will (1) manufacturers or Google offer me support after I change the firmware?

Thanks for the responses and I promise to be an active member of the community when i get my Robot in less than 2 months when I am due for an upgrade.

 

[sitlet]

(a) Does it warrant the (1) efford and (2) the risk involved?

That all depends on how much you want the original android os.

(b) Will doing this void my warranty?

Yes, rooting voids your warranty.

(c) Will (1) manufacturers or Google offer me support after I change the firmware?

No, neither provide support with custom roms. Only the rom that came with your phone.

 

[sitlet]

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[thedosbox]

I have done a bit of research about Android, and was originally leaning towards purchasing a Google Experience Device to get the 'Pure Google' experience however this would limit me to the NEXUS S which is good, but there are better specced handsets out there and I'm not sure if the purity would make that much of a difference. What would you guys suggest to be the main differences between Stock Android, and Manufacturer/customised Android, in this case Samsung. How do the differences make an impact on real life. NFC is good, but I'm sure it will eventually become industry-standard in a while.

The stock google UI is relatively barebones compared to an iphone, but is highly customizable. Samsung's TouchWiz is an attempt to ape the iphone look and feel (and has got them into legal trouble). The differences don't make that much difference IMO as you can find widgets/apps on the market that will address most of the shortcomings of the stock UI.

However, the main reason (IMO) to go with a stock Google experience phone is that you'll get more frequent updates to the software.

Also, from the research I have done, it appears each manufacturer has their own syncing software for their respective Android devices. This is strange. I thought Google might have perhaps released their own syncing tool since they created their OS. Is there a Google-approved synchronising method? The fact that each manufacturer produces their own software for syncing leads me to believe that there must be significant differences in each Android device. What syncing software does the Nexus S come with?

Android assumes you'll want to sync everything with the cloud - and in particular gmail. HTC comes with htc-sync that will allow sync of Outlook contacts and calendar, as well as music and pictures. Samsung Touchwiz phones come with Kies that offers similar functionality, but this does not apply to the Nexus S.

Sync Android/Droid with Outlook/Exchange lists the various third-party options available for syncing with a PC.

One other point to consider is that the Nexus S uses a Pentile screen (like many of Samsung's phones). This can cause high contrast text to look fuzzy.

 

[Demache]

hi Guys
Also, from the research I have done, it appears each manufacturer has their own syncing software for their respective Android devices. This is strange. I thought Google might have perhaps released their own syncing tool since they created their OS. Is there a Google-approved synchronising method? The fact that each manufacturer produces their own software for syncing leads me to believe that there must be significant differences in each Android device. What syncing software does the Nexus S come with?

That's a good observation. Especially since your coming from a Blackberry and iDevice. The fact of the matter is, there is no standard Android syncing software for syncing with your PC. Its entirely manufacturer and app dependent. Since the Nexus S is sold by Google (made by HTC), it will have no PC syncing software out of the box. Google designed Android around the fact that your phone regularly syncs automatically to your Google account for Gmail, Contacts, Calendar, etc. While for some (such as me) this is very convenient, since I never plug my phone into my PC, except on rare occasions. And if my phone screws up, I don't have to worry about losing contacts and such (I will note this does NOT back up text messages or other app data or anything saved to the SD card like pictures or music).

Others, do not like this, either because they do not want to use a Google account, or they deal with sensitive information, and do not like the idea of Google having that info (understandable in some cases). In that case, syncing is sort of a mixed bag. Not all syncing solutions are created equal and some have certain features that appeal to certain needs.

 

[zainjetha]

Hi Guys

Thank you all for your input.

OK, so from what I understand, the main difference between Stock Android and the Samsung-branded version is the UI, namely TouchWiz. OK, this helps me understand a lot. I perhaps might be leaning towards a Google Experience Device as I don't want to void my warranty. I also messed around with an Xperia too and I noticed the UI to be quite similar, the only real customisation which is done is on the homescreen. I fidn the OS to be the same across devices by and large, but the frequent updates attract me to Google Experience Devices. If only however they were more, but sadly they aren't. Heres hoping to more manufacturers ditching their ego in favour of Stock Android.

OK, as for the syncing, that is now clear in my mind. Google assume that everything would be synced with the cloud, which is fine. Yet how do they expect me to load my music, photos and videos via the Cloud. They ought to introduce this option all the way. But if I were they, which I'm not, I would have included a lightweight sync suite allowing for Music, Photos, Videos, Contacts, Files eg PDFs etc.

Thanks

 

[thedosbox]

Heres hoping to more manufacturers ditching their ego in favour of Stock Android.

The HTC mail client is better at handling Exchange accounts than stock android. For one thing, it can handle multiple Exchange accounts, as well as sub-folders. The stock Gingerbread mail client is supposed to have caught up in some respects, but it's an example of manufacturers offering valuable improvements.

I personally prefer the HTC keyboard layout to the Gingerbread layout. The positioning of the arrow keys means less accidental swipes of the capacitive buttons on my Incredible S.

Yet how do they expect me to load my music, photos and videos via the Cloud. They ought to introduce this option all the way. But if I were they, which I'm not, I would have included a lightweight sync suite allowing for Music, Photos, Videos, Contacts, Files eg PDFs etc.

Thanks

Most phones can be connected to a PC as a USB Mass storage device. You then copy over the files you want into the relevant folders.

 

[rbasusparky]

Hi Guys

Yet how do they expect me to load my music, photos and videos via the Cloud. They ought to introduce this option all the way. But if I were they, which I'm not, I would have included a lightweight sync suite allowing for Music, Photos, Videos, Contacts, Files eg PDFs etc.

Thanks

Aside from transferring files to/from a pc via usb cable, you can also use an app like ES File Explorer to transfer files to/from a pc via bluetooth.

 

[gadzooks]

Android, freewheeling, that's the ticket. I'm not sure why there isn't a lightweight sync facility like you describe but there may be more possibilities than appear at first glance.

I sync Contacts with my Google accounts. Photos can be sync'd with Picasa. There are Android apps for services like Dropbox and SugarSync and for syncing music too -- for example, DoubleTwist.

Nexus / pure Google maximizes the joy of Android for me: timely updates, NS is a screamer, and I like my customizations better than the manufacturers'.

Rooting is worth considering for some slick apps that require device be rooted. Titanium Backup lets you backup application data, like game progress. I don't lose sleep over warranty ramifications. I make sure I can unroot before I root. There's not a lot of overhead to rooting.

 

[takeshi]

What would you guys suggest to be the main differences between Stock Android, and Manufacturer/customised Android, in this case Samsung. How do the differences make an impact on real life. NFC is good, but I'm sure it will eventually become industry-standard in a while.

It all comes down to personal preference. You need to try both and see what you prefer.

Android assumes you'll want to sync everything with the cloud - and in particular gmail.

Gmail's the obvious and popular choice but Android can certainly sync with Exchange, Yahoo and some other options out there as well.

If only however they were more, but sadly they aren't. Heres hoping to more manufacturers ditching their ego in favour of Stock Android.

It's not ego. I don't understand why people think of companies in such an anthropomorphic fashion. Android was designed with the intent of being a platform for OEM's to create their own devices and that includes UI's.

Aside from transferring files to/from a pc via usb cable, you can also use an app like ES File Explorer to transfer files to/from a pc via bluetooth.

We could go on and on with options. I mean, you can also copy files via WiFi, or cloud solutions such as Dropbox.

Yet how do they expect me to load my music, photos and videos via the Cloud. They ought to introduce this option all the way. But if I were they, which I'm not, I would have included a lightweight sync suite allowing for Music, Photos, Videos, Contacts, Files eg PDFs etc.

If you approach Android with the mindset that everything that you need should be included out-of-the-box you'll just set yourself up for disappointment. It's a glass half empty/half full thing. You have tons of options with Android and a lot of extensibility. Don't limit yourself to what's stock to the device you're considering. If that's a must have then you probably will be better served with iOS.