Switching to Android for Christmas

[Odeas]

Hello all, Just thought I'd ask for a little advice with regards to picking up a new phone to start using Android.

I'm from the UK and currently using an N95 which although I really like is gettin a little tired, old and feels slow compared to the newer phones.

My contract with Orange is coming up due and they've said I can pick any phone at any price for free so thought I'd switch to android.

I'm no stranger to messing with my N95 software so no need to be worried about suggesting a user friendly phone etc or if a phone can be improved by rooting etc.

I'm willing to wait if there's anything really nice due in the next month or 2 but i'm basically after the best I can get my hands on especially hardware wise (as I'll have to wait 18 months+ for an upgrade).

I've seen there could be new phones being released with 2ghz processors, 1gig ram etc which would allow me to keep up with updates. (I de-branded my n95 so I can use the latest firmware as i really dont like missing out on nice updates)
Having a fairly decent camera would be a bonus as I am partial to taking the odd piccy.

Thanks for reading and any suggestions anyone can make!

 

[HoochieCoo]

I am new to Android, so I can only give a limited perspective. But I can relate my experience because I would have gone about making my selection differently if I knew then what I know now.

I went the route of looking up reviews of Android phones, and reading user opinions. Then I went into a cell store and played with the various phones and narrowed it down by picking the phone I liked the best based on the interface, speed, etc...

What I didn't fully comprehend is just how much you can change the interface and apps. You don't like the home screen? Replace it. Don't like the virtual keyboard? Replace it. Browser, email app, SMS app? Replace them. The list goes on.

So... If I were doing it today, I would still read the reviews. But I would probably pay more attention to the actual specs and buy the best phone I could afford, and worry a whole lot less about the software interface. It sounds like you are already thinking along those lines.

I am not regretting my choice (HTC Incredible), but I now see phones like the Samsung Fascinate that have a better screen and battery life (among other things). So maybe I would have been better off with that? Dunno... No point in second guessing at this point.

 

[Odeas]

Yeah thats pretty much it

Software side of it doesn't really matter to me as I'd be looking at upgrading to android 3.0 as soon as its available and probably customising it to my liking. (Orange's original firmware for the N95 was horrid!)

I just wouldn't want to get the best of the current crop that seem to have been out a while (or based on hardware that has been anyways) only to find something released a week/month later that blows it out of the water.

There are currently rumours about the HTC Sabor which features a 2ghz Processor, 10mp Camera, AMOLED screen, and over 1000 screen res. which apparently meets the requirements for upgrading to 3.0 and comes preloaded with 2.5.

The best hardware of the current crop seems to be 1ghz proc?