Okay, Android fanbois...
 

My last two phones have been iPhones, and while I like the (jailbroken) platform, the iPhone 5 announcement did not blow me away. I'm getting a new phone from work soon (which will be both my work and personal phone), and am weighing the iPhone 5 vs the Galaxy S3 (anything better on the horizon?). I borrowed a Samsung Galaxy Nexus from work for the next two weeks to play around with (only Android phone I could get my hands on).

As of this weekend, I'll be traveling most of the following week, but I'll check in here as much as I can, and I will have the phone with me and using it daily (though not with my number on it).

I've been talking to my friends who have android devices, but they're not nearly the zealots as the folks around here. So, time to put up or shut up - take these 10 days and convince me that the S3 is the way to go. Tell me what I should do with this phone while I have it - show me the power of the 'droid. My world is your oyster.

Go.

See, the problem is that the Galaxy Nexus and the SIII really aren't alike. Samsung skins over stock android with "Touchwiz", a very iPhone-ish setup. So maybe you'll like it. But I'm not a big Samsung fan. I switched from a Samsung to HTC not long ago, and like it much better. But it's a personal preference.

Also be prepared, coming from an iPhone, that Samsung phones feel a bit cheap. You'll see that a bit with the Nexus, but for a top of the range phone, they're very plasticy. That bothers some, not others.

I like Android because I'm invested in the Google ecosystem. I use chrome, gmail, drive, talk, docs, music, etc. So I like the cloud support it offers. I can easily switch between my desktop, laptop, and phone and have everything the same.

Here's your major difference with most Android "fanbois": we don't care what phone you buy. We'll make fun of you for paying twice as much for an inferior product, but I don't really feel the need to "convince" anyone to use a damn phone. If you like your iPhone, stick with it.

That OP was mostly tongue-in-cheek, but I will disagree with the "we don't care what phone you buy". The anti-apple people are just as bad and vehement as the apple fanbois.

While I generally do like my iPhone, I'm not married to it. I borrowed the Nexus because I am truly interested in checking out the platform, and deciding which is best for me (at least for the next 18-24 months). Given my minimal time frame with the phone, and my travel plans, I don't necessarily have the time to seek out all the "pros" of the platform on my own. So, I'm looking to the people who swear by the platform to guide my experience in the short-term. I'll certainly be doing as much of that on my own as I can, as well.

Thanks. The skinning thing seems a bit annoying to me, as does the fractured OS environment - I've run into a few difficulties knowing which apps I can/can't download for my particular device. I agree on the feel - if nothing else, the iPhone build quality is excellent.

At some point, I'll check out an S3 in person, but won't ever be able to spend any significant time with it in a day-to-day environment. So, the Nexus will have to do. Does the skinning really have that much of an effect on the user experience?

I have an S3. I like it.

Well, it's not really fractured based on "skins", but by versions. The manufacturers typically will give you one upgrade, maybe two. And those updates lag behind Google's official release by months.

But the the apps work across manufacturers. And almost all apps are supported back to Android 2.3 (Gingerbread). There are a handful that are Ice Cream Sandwich only, but anything you buy now will be able to run everything.

You do need to realize that each phone is different though. What carrier are you on? The Nexus you have has only software buttons. The SIII has a physical home button and two capacitive buttons. HTC follows the Nexus (stock Android) layout, but has them as permanent capacitive buttons.

You should run by a store and play with a few. If you tell me your carrier, I can tell you other phones to at least compare the SIII to.

I'm not too pleased with my android. It freezes up, tells me I have no memory even though I deleted every ****ing thing and don't see any way to fix it. It likes to take over my texts with some weird shit that clicks 20 things at once sometimes. It's a big piece of shit. Samsung Galaxy bought it like a year ago.

I'm waiting for the note 2

A few random things in no particular order:

• As mentioned, app compatibility is rarely an issue. There are some issues with some apps being designed for tablets only and things like that, but I'd guesstimate that 90% of all apps are compatible with about any Android phone that's come out in the past 5 years.
• On that note, a much higher percentage of Android apps are free. I haven't ever pirated an app for my phone, and I probably have a grand total of about $15 of apps on my phone. There are a handful of expensive ones out there, but a vast majority of the apps people use on a day-to-day basis are free.
• The Galaxy Nexus is a fairly "pure" Android phone in that it's Google's baby (manufactured by Samsung), so they don't mess with the software like Samsung does. I actually chose to buy the GNex two months instead of the SIII just because I don't like TouchWiz. (Though if you're in the mood to root your phone and install a custom ROM, that's not really an issue.)
• If you are already in the Google ecosystem, one of the great things about Android is that it all works together. If you have Chrome as a browser, your bookmarks will automatically sync (transparently) with the Android browser on your phone. You can add a contact in Gmail, and it will instantly show up on your phone. If the phone you have is on Jellybean (Android 4.1), it will even do creepy things like pop up with directions to a place you just searched for on Google Maps. Similarly, if you have an appointment on your calendar (Exchange or Gmail) with an address in the description, it will monitor traffic to that appointment and let you know if there are delays that would make you need to leave early.
• Try out a custom keyboard or two - Swype and SwiftKey are the most popular. It's great to have an alternative there.

Those are just off the top of my head. Honestly, one of the things I love about Android is that you can play with custom ROMs (software) to your heart's content, but I wouldn't recommend that with a work phone. With mine, though, I've got all sorts of custom settings pages to quickly turn things on and off, custom themes, different button layouts and functions, and a ton more. Android itself is great, but the development community is what would make me never consider an iPhone.

What it really comes down to is that, if you're looking for a phone that is sleek and feels nice, Android will probably disappoint compared to iOS. It's making HUGE strides, but I doubt it will ever match the look and feel of an iPhone. But if you're looking for something that is incredibly customizable and can be molded to do just about whatever you want to do with it, Android is awesome.

I have a company-issued Motorola Droid X2 and I like it. Can't say that I'm overly-enamored with it. I have a company-issued iPad too and other than a couple of minor things, I like it too.

Step up to the S2.

S4 announced for March

For anyone who's not crazy about Samsung's Touchwiz, use a different launcher.
I like Apex.

Are you a 14 year old girl? Cuz its 14 year old girls that spell shit ****ing reeruned like you did with "fanbois". The way us MEN spell it is "fanboys".

****ing douchebag.

Lulz

You still have to deal with the hardware setup, which I'm not a fan of. Antiquated, and holding Android back.


There are a lot of rumors that Google might release a series of Nexus phones soon to help manufacturers out. I have no idea if it's true, but it's worth thinking about.

I see what you did there.

Dick. LMAO

How often do you really need to set it up?

I love how well the S2 performs, but I'm not crazy about the look of Touchwiz.

I have the S3. My buddy has the new Evo 4G. I don't think you can go wrong with either device. The screen on my S3 is effing sweeeeeeet.

I was talking about the button layout. Google has moved away from a permanent menu button, but Samsung still has it. It makes it awkward with any app that follows Android design guidelines.

Its possible you may be knit-picking. :)

I like being able to swap the battery. Back-ups are pretty cheap on Ebay. I also like being able to add an extra memory chip for about a dollar a gig. The customization is also nice. I use the Swift keyboard and love it.

I have an SGSII and before they upgraded my OS a month ago I had an app that would make my phone a hotspot without incurring the hotspot fee (damn you Sprint.) My wife is not as technical as I am and she prefers the Iphone as everything is simpler (dummed down.)

I will upgrade to the latest 4gLTE phone when Sprint rolls it out in OC next Spring - Summer. By then the SGSIV might be out!

On my SGSII there is a feature called SprintID which uses a more Droid pure interface. I like it better than tw. Although I didn't have issues Touchwiz.

You probably know this, but you could most likely get the hotspot functionality back if you rooted. It wouldn't even take a custom ROM.

nah, I really don't need a smartphone. Gonna go back to a cell that's just for texting and calling.

I have investigated rooting and it appeared to be a level of research that I haven't been up to yet. Used the hotspot feature a couple times a month. That is what I liked about it being free is that I used it too infrequently to justify the Sprint fee.

Plus, I feel I am 6 months from getting a new phone so maybe I will root that and go to the next level.

I've had the Galaxy Nexus since April- honestly, it's the best phone I've ever had. Especially since it was updated to Jellybean, it's as smooth as butta. Seamless integration with my laptop(access to the file system), waay more free apps than Apple, a big damn screen (I LAUGH at the 4" iP5 screensize), HD video recording, not having to go thru iTunes to move media files onto and off of my phone- I could go on.

I admit that the phone's body has a less-polished feel than the iPhone, but I've always cared far more about what's under the hood than the candy-apple paint job. To each his own, I suppose.

try foxfi.com should work without rooting.

I'd rather have the s3. Thing that sucks about the evo is the battery isn't removable.

This would suck.

I like to root and flash Roms and battery removal is a must in my experience.

I use mine to make phone calls and it works outstanding.

Really? My last phone was an EVO, and the battery was removable. That didn't stop the phone from totally sucking the last year that I had it (it rebooted constantly)

I've been researching both the EVO LTE and the SGS3 and while the EVO's battery isn't "removable", it also isn't soldered to the motherboard. It would be a pain to do often, but you can switch out the battery.

I need to check these two out up close, the biggest difference for me thus far is the SGS3 has double the RAM of the evo. I still have and still like my EVO 4G, so I'm kind of torn at the moment. I need to check out the differences between Touchwiz and the more pure android system. Wasn't even concerned about it until Daface mentioned it and some reviews mention it as well.

You can go ahead and **** the hell off, thank you very much.

ROFL at you thinking that MEN even use the word "fanboy" - it's a word used by kids to belittle people who don't agree with their opinion, but who have no real ammo to support their claim. The OP was clearly meant to be mocking, in a tongue-in-cheek manner, hence the use of "fanbois". I wouldn't expect you to understand such nuance, though.

Enjoy your MANliness... :)

I had Foxfi running for a few months on android 3.x, then a month ago Sprint finally pushed out the Android 4.04 update which wiped out Foxfi. From the forums that I have read Foxfi hasn't released a workaround yet.

Strange, it is working for me on an unrooted SII... download from the website NOT the Play Store and if it doesn't work go to the Store and add the foxfi add on. should work.

The IPhone 5 announcement was a huge letdown, and giant step sideways for Apple imo.

I have the SGI and while it is a little old, it still does everything I need it to do. I will stick with Android.

This is awesome. I had no idea this existed and I can FINALLY replace the icons located at the bottom of the screen that were locked in until now.

Rep on its way...

Im still on a iPhone, but working at a cell phone store, I have learned a lot Bout the droids. I havent made a decision yet between the sg3 or ip5. But when we get some in tomorrow ill let you know what I think ;)

Are you on Sprint? I tried to downloaded the add on (already had Foxfi installed) and it didn't work. I un-installed and Foxfi and tried to re-download it from the site. They have a special section for Sprint where they noted they were still working on a workaround for Epic Touch (SGSII) and SGSIII phones. Tried to download the apk and it would not install. Checked my downloads screen and nothing.

Not sure if Folders was an option on tw, or if it came with the 4.x upgrade. They are available on the MySprintID. I like them because I can squeeze 10 games into 1 folder and it doesn't take that much real estate.

yup, I'm on Sprint. Very strange, but mine works fine.

I have been tracking it at:

http://forums.androidcentral.com/spr...e-today-2.html

and nobody there has gotten it to work. I even tried to bluetooth tether it through a different tablet and haven't been able to get it to work.

Was there a reason you did not want to root your device?

Sprint will support rooted devices

I am intimidated by the process. Don't want to get 1/2 way through and run into some of the problems I have read about "bricking" the phone.

Eh, with a phone as commonly-supported as that, it's mostly a matter of following a step by step list of instructions. I understand the reluctance though - I was there once upon a time.

Samsung phones are the easiest to root.

I plan on replacing my phone when 4glte rolls out in OC in a little more than 6 months. Maybe with the next one. The main reason I would want to use it as a Hotspot is to use with my Slingbox and the Sprint speeds in my area make watching TV a challenge at best.

Mine may work because I installed it when I was rooted on 2.3. I then went back to a stock unrooted version and let Samsung's 4.0.4 update install. That's the only thing that makes sense.

I've had a 1st gen droid incredible. Great phone for about a year until i found out the app caching was dogshit. 150mb so i constantly have delete app cache. Also internal phone storage says 480 mb so any app i dl drags off that but the rest of the phone had 5 gigs free....uh ok. I kept getting the low storage message.

Due for an upgrade. Galaxy S3 or wait for Razr maxx hd? Also there is the incredible 4lte which i like the size but not sure i can trust hTC again

I'm a big fan of HTC's new One series (my current phone), but the Incredible 4 doesn't compare. It's an odd design, given how nice the One S and One X are.

What is the benefit of rooting a phone?

Free Access Point.

Remove carrier bloatware.

Flash custom Roms/Themes.

There are really two main things that people mean when they talk about having a rooted phone: gaining "root" access to the phone (so that programs can run with privileges the manufacturers don't want you to have), and installing a custom ROM.

Root access itself really just lets you do a small number of things, such as running programs that would normally be blocked (WiFi tethering is the most popular) and the ability to change things that are locked down (like removing/disabling some of the built-in BS that carriers love to put on there).

The step beyond that is installing a custom ROM. This is essentially like installing a modified version of Windows. They are built off of the normal (stock) software, but modified to add new features and options. For example, one of my favorite mods is a panel under the notifications menu that lets you toggle a variety of settings (WiFi, bluetooth, airplane mode, etc.). There are hundreds of those types of things that you can play with.

You mean like the one built into the Samsung UI? :D

I actually don't mind any of the manufacturer custom UIs... although I prefer stock, I don't get all the complaining about them.

Oh, there are SOME things I like about TouchWiz - just not ALL of it.