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Noob smartphone owner, many questions...HELP!

W

wowandroid

Newbie
hi everyone,

i've just got a samsung galaxy s2 phone. i'm very happy with the functionality, but time after time i can't get used to touch screen phones.

now i'm going to return this handset as i hate having a touch screen for dialing numbers, but i love it when i can play games or do other stuff.

my question is, could anyone recommend some smartphones which can handle the latest android software and have a qwerty hard keyboard/keypad?

thanks
 
Xperia Pro (not mini) and Desire Z or MyTouch 4G are the best phones with hardware keyboards AFAIK. Although none of them would be as fast as the S2.

I simply dont think you're giving it enough time. It took me about a month or more (give or take a couple of weeks) to get used to full touch screen on my 5800 two years ago, and I've never looked back since. I actually find it more difficult to type on phone hard keyboards nowadays (portrait qwerty on a 4inch screen feels better for me than on landscape, including hardware keyboards).
 
There are quite a few.
Motorola Droid 3 (not sure about android version)
Samsung Captivate Glide (unsure if it's been released)
Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro and mini Pro
T-mobile Mytouch 4g slide (not sure about android version)
Lg Doubleplay (not sure about android version)
There are more, just have a look around on the web and you'll be sure to find them (:
 
thanks very much guys. Can all these phones mentioned, handle the latest android with ease? i.e. no slowdowns?

My problems with the samsung s2 are:-

1. i keep touching the buttons by accident whilst on phone call
2. the phone is very thin, yet it's size is big, so it tends to slip whilst holding it to make a call and difficult to hold
3. battery life is poor, even after following advice to switch off certain features

Other than the above, i really love the android software.

is there a quality case that can protect it from damage - especially dust?
 
wowandroid said:
thanks very much guys. Can all these phones mentioned, handle the latest android with ease? i.e. no slowdowns?
Click to expand...
If I remember correctly, the Captivate Glide is basically the S2 with a slide out keyboard. I had forgotten about that phone. Apart from that, the other models could either be slower or just on par with the S2.


wowandroid said:
1. i keep touching the buttons by accident whilst on phone call
Click to expand...
in all likelihood there is something wrong with the way you hold the phone. As it is a capacitive screen phone, your cheeks register as touches. There is a proximity sensor on the phone which turns the screen off when you hold it to your ear. Likely you're not covering that sensor by either holding that part too far from your head, or some other reason. This will be a problem for ALL touch screen phones for you if you dont hold it properly.

wowandroid said:
2. the phone is very thin, yet it's size is big, so it tends to slip whilst holding it to make a call and difficult to hold
Click to expand...
I had this problem was well, my solution was to get a bumper case which had a good grip. It did make the phone a bit thicker too (by about 3mm)

wowandroid said:
3. battery life is poor, even after following advice to switch off certain features
Click to expand...
You did mention that you are a noob to smartphones? Well you must realize that smartphones, due to all their power underneath and all the processes running, have bad battery life compared to feature phones. Its similar to why netbooks with weaker hardware(intel Atom no GPU) have longer battery life than full laptops with core i5's and decent GPUs.

A smartphone that can last to even half the battery life of a basic feature phones is considered to have great battery life. Normally smartphones whose features are fully taken advantage of last for about 10-13hrs on a full charge, while those who keep battery savings in mind can expect about around 17-20hrs battery life. Using it only as something like a feature phone with games would let it last for almost 2 days (depending on phone model of course).


wowandroid said:
is there a quality case that can protect it from damage - especially dust?
Click to expand...

You can try to look at Otterboxes.
 
thank you for your reply chanchan.

i'm the type of person who tends to use his phone on the move, so i guess a touchscreen-ONLY phone is very awkward to use, after having hard-keypad phones for the last 10 odd years.

I have seen a motorola xpert phone. Its obviously not as powerful as the samsung s2, as it has a 1ghz single core cpu, but its less than half it's price and i mainly need a phone for calls and the odd browsing/games....only problem being its in the USA and i'm in the uk.
 
I use the swype keyboard. May take a little getting used to, but its faster and easy to use, and can be used with one hand. Try it while you still have your S2. You may want to install it on your next phone if you go on with replacing it (not sure if non-Samsung phones have this preinstalled).

The Xperia Pro has recently been released in the UK from what I hear. Not sure about pricing though.
 
nah i don't like the xperia mate. the reason being is that i need a number keypad at the front - just to dial numbers, so slide keyboard would be pointless as i'm not bothered too much about texting.

after what you said chanchan, regarding giving it more time, i'm reconsidering my options. Can you recommend a cheap, but reasonably tough case that i can get? i.e. no more than
 
The Xperia Pro works almost exactly like an S2, theres a button on the dock that takes you to the dial pad. You can use the phone without ever opening the slide keyboard if you dont want to. Its just there if you want/need it.

Putting a screen protector lowers sensitivity a bit. Not sure on your end, but here as I live in SEA, I can get a cheap "jelly case" bumper for $3 on cell phone accessory stores/kiosks in malls, along with plastic screen protectors for $3 as well. I didnt think on spending for those as I just need them for a better grip and reducing sensitivity as well. Samsung Concept Stores here also sell similar accessories for about $4 each.
 
if i could make the phone a bit thicker, protect it's screen and reduce it's sensitivity, then i think i'd be happy to keep this.
 
I forgot to ask, if i rooted my samsung s2, would i be able to backup my original Orange/Samsung FW to put back on at a later date? I don't want to void the warranty.
 
If you have no plans on flashing a new ROM, you would still be using the stock ROM from Orange even if rooted.

If you will be returning it, simply unroot and uninstall root apps.
 
i thought rooting was the same as flashing a new rom? if not, then whats the difference?


i most likely will not be returning it now that i have found a "wave case" on ebay and have promised myself never to look at hard keypad phones again, lol!
 
Rooting is just getting admin rights. You cant flash a new rom if you're not rooted.

I'm rooted but I'm still using stock rom (rooting for my phone is just one click and a wait of 10secs).
 
Rooting methods vary from phone to phone. However since you are new to smartphones, I would suggest you to first get used to using the phone and exploring all the stuff you can do without rooting first, before thinking about rooting.

I would also suggest that if you do root, check if SuperOneClick Root works for your phone. What you do is just plug phone to PC in debug mode, run SOC and click root, the reboot. You are rooted (process lasts 10secs). To unroot, same thing, just click unroot instead of root.
 
Np, thanks mate. It sounds very complicated, so for the moment, i'll hold back.

Do you know of any sites mate that i can get the latest full version apps/games from?
 
wowandroid said:
Np, thanks mate. It sounds very complicated, so for the moment, i'll hold back.

Do you know of any sites mate that i can get the latest full version apps/games from?
Click to expand...

Android Market. :-) They're all latest. If you mean getting paid apps for free, download Amazon App Store, they give away one paid app for free everyday. Lets keep things legal here and this site supports developers who try to earn. :-)
 
sorry thats what i meant...legal.

i've got samsung app and orange app store, but i'm not sure if these are free.

can you recommend any apps which allow me to encrypt the phone or give it solid protection from prying eyes?
 
I have the Mytouch 4g slide (aka the HTC Doubleshot) and it is an awesome phone. Full qwerty keyboard, Android 2.3, a 1.2 ghz processer....You won't regret it if you buy this phone. Oh yeah and one of the best cameras on any phone.
T-Mobile myTouch 4G Slide
 
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