Technology Android

[masta247]

Man, i would buy the Samsung Galaxy S if it wouldnt be so god damn expensive. I like the design way more than the HTC ones.

Not only the design but it also rocks the most awesome hardware in my opinion. Especially its display which is hands down the best on the market at the moment.

 

[masta247]

Today I played with my friend's G1 and I don't know if it's just me but it worked incredibly slow. Sliding a notification panel lagged. Sliding through the menu also lagged. It was annoying to play with. Is it normal that G1s are that slow? Because he bought that phone not long ago. Official firmware btw.
Not that it bothers him but after being used to my phone where everything is smooth I found it very annoying.
Considering that some new phones like the HTC Legend rock a similar, "slow" CPU it also seems underpowered, no?

Actually I found out that HTC Legend isn't good in its price range. It's almost on par with earlier-gen devices if it comes to speed, has equally sized display while being much more expensive. Comparing it to my Spica (as always) it's slower, everything else is on par except of aluminium body and a higher res camera while being 3 times more expensive here lol.
It's incredibly overpriced considering that the N1 is in a similar price range.

 

[ARon]

A lot of people with slow G1's don't use task killers. On Cyan's new ROM I stopped using the task killer though, mainly cus he and many other developers do not recommend it and I haven't had any lag issues really.

 

[Casey]

My G1 is fast as fuck. But it's running CyanogenMod and is overclocked to the max.

I would imagine that official 1.6 firmware on a G1 is fairly slow though, yeah.

Do your friend a favor and root his G1 for him and install CyanogenMod.

Anyway, I know what phone I'm getting next. It'll be the DroidPro aka DroidWE (World Edition). Not much is known about it at the moment, but there are two tipsters leaking information to a hardcore cellphone forum. It's planned to launch in Oct/Nov, 4"+ screen, front-facing camera, physical keyboard, all the right stuff.

 

[masta247]

If you're considering a big device like that you might as well consider this
Sony Ericsson working on a 5-inch QWERTY-packing Android tablet? - GSMArena.com news

 

[Casey]

/\ I'm not a fan of SE devices. Plus they'll likely put their UI over it. I have no interest in custom UI's.

Anyway, if any of you G1/MyTouch folks are interested, CyanogenMod 5.0.8 just got released. It's an experimental ROM, but I just flashed it and it's SUPER fast. Even faster than 5.0.7.

Here's the changelog:

---- 5.0.8 (pre)
* Common: Resync with Google as of 06/03/2010
* Common: Kernel 2.6.34 for DS & N1
* Common: ADWLauncher by Ander Webbs is now the default launcher (http://github.com/anderweb)
* Common: Complete music app overhaul by Eliot Stocker (http://github.com/eliotstocker)
* Common: Customizable silent mode - Glenn Maynard (http://github.com/zewt)
* Common: More customizable colors for various parts of the system (in Spare Parts) - Wysie & Bcrook
* Common: Updated translations from Eug89, ThiasB, and Takuo Kitame
* Common: Wired headset hangup/mute control - Krazy Krivda
* Common: Updated USB tether and Bluetooth PAN tethering - Stefan Tomanek (http://github.com/wertarbyte)
* Common: Bluetooth DUN tether support - Stefan Tomanek (http://github.com/wertarbyte)
* Common: Various minor bugfixes
* Common: Ability to load custom color theme xml - Wysie
* Common: Support AlbumArtist in media scanner
* Common: Various code cleanups all throughout the source - Christian Mehlmauer
* Common: Fix issue where notifications would play thru the HW speaker even if a headset was connected - Gelnn Maynard
* Common: Only load IPV6 if persist.net.ipv6 is set - Glenn Maynard
* D/S: Multitouch and swipe added to legacy gallery app
* D/S: Long standing "disappearing icons" Launcher bug fixed - Glenn Maynard
* D/S: Fix acore crash when pressing hard call button - Glenn Maynard
* D/S: Fix issue where camera use kills all system audio
* D/S: Added antibanding to camera driver
* D/S: Fix bug where some wall chargers could disable the USB port
* D/S: Load the correct audio profile for the device to fix glitchy audio on Dream
* D/S: Default compcache size set to 12MB
* D/S: Offset the lowmemorykiller to allow for use of a fraction of swap (Dumfuq & Farmatito @XDA)

Get it here:

http://forum.cyanogenmod.com/index.php?/topic/253-test-builds/

 

[Casey]

I implore you all to install ADW Launcher. You will NOT regret it. Seriously, it's amazing.

 

[ARon]

Man I installed ADW over Cyans 5.07...shit was tight, I'm glad he included it, absolutely no widgets on my homescreen now except google search, clean as fuck.

Seriously though, their needs to be a site dedicated to the honor of the G1. No phone has ever, ever, lasted this long and been able to do what it do lol. The phone is truly a legend


By the way, for all you non rooted users, ADW Launcher is in the market

 

[Casey]

/\ for sure. My cousin was hella surprised. I showed him my G1 running 5.0.8 with ADW Launcher and he wondered how it was faster than his HTC Hero even though it's an older phone. It's really amazing what the devs have managed to do.

Hell I've had mine damn near 18 months, and now I'm rocking a full Android 2.1 with no lag at all. I daresay it's faster now than it's ever been, and I have over 100 apps installed and an 8GB card full of videos and music.

Even with all these other great phones on the market, the G1 still more than stands it's ground.

I reckon I could have it for another year and still be happy with it. Realistically I'll probably think about upgrading it this winter though.

 

[THEV1LL4N]

^^ me too, it really had a breath of fresh air into the system with the rooting when i first installed cyanogen mod, and gave it a new lease of life with the android 2.1 rom.

im thinking about getting a rolling 30 day contract once my G1 contract is up in december, then i'll just keep waiting until i see one in stores that i really want. no rush, because i should be able to keep the phone fast with updates and optimisation which is possible using the various apps all down to the benefit of customisation on android.

 

[Cooper]

/\ I'm not a fan of SE devices. Plus they'll likely put their UI over it. I have no interest in custom UI's.

I like HTC sense.

 

[THEV1LL4N]

HTC Sense is okay, quite nice and i dont mind it but.... id rather have android updates more frequently and if i want the HTC Sense UI features i would download apps from the market which have the same functionality as HTC Sense widgets/apps.

 

[Casey]

/\ yep.

My issue with custom UI's boils down to that......you are at the mercy of the manufacturer when it comes to updates. HTC Hero only JUST got a 2.1 update and 2.1 was pushed into the AOSP code back in January when the Nexus came out. Motoblur devices are still on 1.6, as is the Xperia.

Because of that I'd personally never use them.....but some of them are quite good. Sense and Motoblur both have some nice features.

btw Coop, I'm rooting my cousin's Desire for him later this week. Did you manage to root yours? What ROM did you put on it?

 

[Cooper]

^ Yea mines done, tho I only put the first Modaco one on it so far, so not much difference. Had no probs.

 

[Casey]

iPhone 4 vs. EVO 4G... fight! -- Engadget

If you put your ear up to the screen, you can hear these two beasts snarling at one another. Hit up the gallery for more shots, along with some iPhone 3G for good measure. Let's see how they stack up on the big stats, shall we?

Not enough for you? We'll have a big comparison of all the "majors" for you shortly.

Now, there's a lot left to learn about Apple's FaceTime video chat service. For instance, they called it "open," but they also only mentioned a zero-configuration iPhone 4 to iPhone 4 calling setup. Meanwhile Qik can make calls between EVO 4Gs, but also stream video live to the web (while the iPhone needs to record and then upload to get "social" using its official apps). No mention was made of the FaceTime call resolution, but given the fact that the front camera is merely VGA, it's probably streaming at the same 640 x 480 that Qik is constrained to in the free service. However, a premium version of Qik for $5 a month lets you go beyond that resolution, using the EVO's higher resolution cameras. Perhaps the largest distinction is the fact that the EVO can stream video calls over 3G or 4G, while the iPhone 4 is constrained to WiFi for the time being. Naturally, we expect other video calling apps (Skype, please?) to crop up on both platforms and give these initial offerings a run for their money.

Apple's new phone ain't even out yet and it's already getting it's ass handed to it by HTC and Android.

 

[masta247]

It's almost as if Apple lagged far behind now (even though it's probably the biggest step forward generation-wise to them).
Funny that this Iphone will be there at least for another year or even more before a next-gen comes out, it's already inferior to modern Android phones AND there are more and more awesome to come.

My issue with custom UI's boils down to that......you are at the mercy of the manufacturer when it comes to updates. HTC Hero only JUST got a 2.1 update and 2.1 was pushed into the AOSP code back in January when the Nexus came out. Motoblur devices are still on 1.6, as is the Xperia

It's also because companies would want their phone's lifespans to be much shorter than people want. I'm sure HTC would already love to forget about G1, Magic, Hero etc. since there are new-gen phones they'd like to focus on now. UI customizations sort of spoil the whole Android idea because it's less likely that they'll invest in older models. It's easier to just do some basic customization to a generic android and release it as an update rather than totally redesign each version. Most companies want to stand out though. Custom UIs come for the price of less likely updates and shorter phone lifespan.
It's not that companies can't do it and can't do it fast. They can but they don't want to.
My Spica got a 2.1 update soon after it officially came out with all Samsung customizations. It's easily capable of running 2.2 but it's not so likely that I'll get the official one. That sort of spoils the Android idea imo - that developers don't want to spend their resources to release software updates. They want to make people buy new phones instead.

 

[Casey]

great article regarding what we were just talking about...

Android's Acne Problem: Or Why You Should Stick to the Google Phone

HTC's Evo might be the last phone running custom software on top of Android that you should even consider buying. Because the whole trend of skinning Android has become a horrible, dividing mess.

The problem and Android phone running a phone manufacturer's homebrew software, like HTC's Sense or Sony's TimeScape, is well known: You're going to wait a lot longer to get the freshest version of Android. That wait wasn't a big deal in the past. But as of Android 2.2, you should think a bit more deeply about which Android path you're going to walk down.

The Problem with Custom Skins
They're awful. HTC's Sense interface was widely regarded for making Android better when it showed up on the Hero a year ago. Well, Sense is the exception, not the rule. Some truly hideous atrocities have been committed in the name of Android, like Samsung's Behold II. Not every skin is quite that offensive, but even what I'd consider the average, like Sony's interface for the Xperia X10, is cloying and confusing; with the Evo, even Sense started to feel a bit tacky. The point should be to make Android sexier and easier to use. They don't.

Android's caught up. As of Android 2.2 Froyo, there is basically nothing any of the custom interfaces do that Android doesn't. A year ago, Android lacked a great many things, from social networking powers to decent Exchange support to remotely accessible settings. HTC's Sense filled in those massive gaps, once upon a time. But now Android juggles multiple calendars, smoothly integrates Facebook and Twitter into contacts (more seamlessly than any of the custom skins), lets you quickly access settings from the home screen, and even has built-in Wi-Fi hotspot powers. At this point, none of the custom software builds add killer features anymore.

They're too slow. A corollary of the above point: Not so long ago, Android was behind the best of the custom interfaces. But now, Android is evolving so quickly, it not only caught up, it's zooming past those meddling with its software. Frankly, the custom interfaces need to innovate faster to make themselves worthwhile—as it is, it seems pretty likely that the next stock version of Android build will be superior to anything phone makers can offer (in fact, I would argue that 2.2 is already). But think about it: How likely is it that hardware companies are going to be able to keep up with Google, who finally seems to have hit its stride with Android?

The reasons to buy an Android phone with customized software have effectively dissolved. They don't look better; they don't work better; and they'll hold you back from getting the latest and greatest updates from Google, possibly by many months. Most people don't care or even know that their phone really is a computer, meaning it can actually get better via the magic of software updates. But if you're reading this, you probably care. Android 2.2 is a markedly more excellent experience than 2.1. The best stuff at this point seems like it'll come from Google, so riding the bleeding edge of Android is the place to be, more now than ever.

Maybe that'll change in another year, if Google slows down their release cycle as drastically as Android chief Andy Rubin says, to just once or twice a year. Which will be kind of a sad moment when it arrives—the thrill of Android, at least for geeks, is how fast it's moving. But that's when it'll be safe to jump on the slow road. Until then, I'll be sticking with the official, (probably) annually released Google phones.

 

[S O F I]

Hello guys. I'm getting the iPhone 4.

 

[Sebastian]

Fellow friends: Im getting the Samsung Galaxy S by the end of the month. Price dropped, so, yeah, done deal.

 

[Prize Gotti]

Fellow friends: Im getting the Samsung Galaxy S by the end of the month. Price dropped, so, yeah, done deal.

I believe this model is still on 1.5