Android mobile phone

[DarkSarcasm]

Two questions:

 

1. Does anyone have an HTC Desire phone? If yes, what do you think of it?

 

2. Are there many (any?) aviation apps available for Android phones?

 

I was going to wait until next year to get a new phone, but right now it looks like I might be giving in early...

 

 

[The Wolf]

Two questions:1. Does anyone have an HTC Desire phone? If yes, what do you think of it?

 

2. Are there many (any?) aviation apps available for Android phones?

 

I was going to wait until next year to get a new phone, but right now it looks like I might be giving in early...

I have a nexus one. It is the Google variant of the HTC desire. Internally the phone is the same (apart from memory) and the OS is the same (apart from HTC desire having propriatry apps) Differences are listed on wikipedia page of HTC desire (if you are interested). Top phone!

 

What aviation apps were you thinking? There are quite a few. could you narrow it down?

 

 

[DarkSarcasm]

What aviation apps were you thinking? There are quite a few. could you narrow it down?

I'm just interested to see what sort of stuff is available for Android, I know there's lots for iPhone.

 

Stuff like weather and things that would help on navs I guess...mainly useful stuff, but basically just wondering what is around for Android :)

 

 

[captbigwings]

Hi Darky, I got a HTC Desire two weeks ago, very happy with it. It is the first smart type phone I have had, took me a while to learn to use it. Just remember that the battery will only last a couple of days, I used to get a week out of the old Samsung. There are a few apps available now, but expect there will be heaps in the future. I was going to get the Iphone but the bloke steered me towards the Desire, he just got his after having the Iphone since they were released, he said the Desire was ten times better. I suppose it's like asking " What tooth brushes do dentists use ?" BTW, he wants to start flying so told him about this website, another member maybe. Steve

 

 

[The Wolf]

but basically just wondering what is around for Android :)

That is the advantage of open source, people can make their own without having to pay a company royaltys. If you know anyone who can program in JAVA then they can make an app for you. Apps will (with a soon to be made update) be able to be run off an SD card

 

There are fewer apps in android market than in apple market, but i am yet to not find an equivalent.

 

i have an artifical horizon, magnetic compas, GPS waypoint finder. I have seen a flight computer, directional indicator and a GPS guidance to airfields (it was american, but it is a matter of time till it gets localised).

 

 

[Tomo]

i have an artifical horizon, magnetic compas, GPS waypoint finder. I have seen a flight computer, directional indicator and a GPS guidance to airfields (it was american, but it is a matter of time till it gets localised).

Which are all standard in the iPhone... :big_grin:

 

Wait till they get the new Gen 4 iPhone out (June + a couple of months), and you'll be laughing. You can multi task on the new one, so that'll increase it's usefulness a lot.

 

Mind you, the HTC's do look alright, but I'd go iPhone for ease of everything. Scratch the back - get a new one for $14, break the screen, get a new one for $50 or something dollars. (DIY kits)

 

Similar prices for either phone.

 

Ps. sorry I haven't actually answered anything. :confused:

 

 

[flying dog]

Oh Dark one,

 

Be aware that you could run up bills with some of these services.

 

Only recently there was a media hype that people were running up $20,000 (AU) phone bills because they were downloading just about everything and/or sending MMS messages all the time.

 

Please don't fall into the trap of "NEEDING" the phone to do things.

 

 

[Guest basscheffers]

If you know anyone who can program in JAVA then they can make an app for you.

If you can convince them to spend hundreds of hours of their time to do so!

Let's face it, 99.999 of people, including Darky, are not writing their own software, making that a moot point in the "which phone" argument. Developing for the iPhone isn't hard, nor is it expensive, as 200,000+ apps prove.

 

 

[The Wolf]

making that a moot point in the "which phone" argument.

Not really, since it wasn't a "which phone" question, It was "what can this phone do".

My point was, that if you can think of a need for it, chances are someone else has too. Every google employee was given one for christmas. Out of all the employees in the world, there is a high chance that one of them flys.

 

It is unlikely that a few people, currently studying programming, are going to go through the trouble of publishing with apple, just for something to show at the end of the year. Many android publishsers make a point of saying "if you want something, tell us and we will try to help"

 

 

[DarkSarcasm]

Is this a good time to point out that I am not an Apple fangirl and am intending to avoid getting an Apple product if possible? :big_grin:

 

 

[GraemeK]

Good for you Darky!

 

For a while there I was almost about to buy an iPhone, but thankfully you've brought me to my senses in the nick of time :thumb_up:.

 

I'll watch this thread with interest .........

 

 

[jetjr]

Google "Dell Lightning" a few models with and without keypad slider

 

Out later in the year - supposed to be the latest and most powerful

 

Ill wait for this I think

 

 

[Tomo]

am intending to avoid getting an Apple product if possible? :big_grin:

I still have a ways to go it seems....... ;)

 

 

[pradeep]

Darky,

 

Android is based on linux kernel.

 

As a (100%) linux user at home for the past 3 years and active linux user for the past 13 years, I see lots of improvements in available programs for linux OS's. But compared with windows it's almost next to nothing.

 

Programming for linux is a bit harder than programming for windows. This makes very difficult to port specialised programs to linux. Even with most of the companies migrating to linux it will take a fair bit of time for us to see some programs developed for Android and linux.

 

If you are using the phone for normal stuff it should be OK, but the time you are looking for specialised software you will find it very difficult.

 

All the very best for your new purchase anyway.

 

Cheers,

 

 

[tonymcg]

I've been looking closely at the HTC Desire, all the reviews I've read seem to suggest that they are the bees knees. But then I wonder if waiting for the HTC EVO 4G is the way to go.

 

As for apps, I've been doing a fair bit of Googling for "android aviation". There's not a lot out there yet but keep an eye on developments at PropBlast.org - Aviation Android Apps Website is Live!. A good general starting point for apps seems to be here : Android.com - Market and AndroLib, Find all applications and games available in the Android Market for your Android Phone, HTC Dream, HTC Magic etc...

 

Not as many apps as the iPhone yet but I suspect that is all about to change.

 

Cheers,

 

Tony

 

 

[DarkSarcasm]

Tony, I've been reading the same reviews, all the reviews seem to be absolutely raving about it (which is unusual for technology reviews really, there's usually something to complain about)

 

I was going to wait until next year to get a new phone, but the reviews for this one just seem so good I might be tempted to get one sooner...

 

I still have a ways to go it seems....... ;)

Tomo, don't even bother trying I've got no intention of becoming one of Steve Jobs' zombies...sorry, did I say zombies? I meant customers

 

 

[sseeker]

Which are all standard in the iPhone... :big_grin:Wait till they get the new Gen 4 iPhone out (June + a couple of months), and you'll be laughing. You can multi task on the new one, so that'll increase it's usefulness a lot.

 

Mind you, the HTC's do look alright, but I'd go iPhone for ease of everything. Scratch the back - get a new one for $14, break the screen, get a new one for $50 or something dollars. (DIY kits)

 

Similar prices for either phone.

 

Ps. sorry I haven't actually answered anything. :confused:

Hi Tom,

 

I broke the silent switch on mine, sent it in and 7 days later I had a brand new iPhone shipped to me :) Very happy with the service. Recently theres been a break where someone installed Android on the iPhone, you have to have it jailbroken (no that does not void your warranty) but you have to be pretty computer literate to do it. HTCs look much nicer than the iPhone imo and I own an iPhone :hittinghead:

 

Regards,

 

Andrew

 

 

[Guest basscheffers]

Tomo, don't even bother trying I've got no intention of becoming one of Steve Jobs' zombies...sorry, did I say zombies? I meant customers

If you desperately want to buy second best, that's fine, but there's need to slag off those that prefer quality products!

 

 

[shags_j]

Don't be an apple sucker. Apple force you to do things their way. Go for a smart phone that you can do whatever you want with.

 

I have an n97 mini and it is awesome. The n900 is coming out soon if you want soemthing a little bigger and more web based. Android is ok too.

 

DONT BUY APPLE!!!!

 

 

[flying dog]

Errr,

 

Every phone "Forces you to do things their way" because of the simple fact the software must be supported.

 

Windoze - in any incarnation - is also going to force you to do things their way.

 

I live in the city and a lot of the "geeks" have them and I've spoken to many. They are "nice" phones, but they have a bad habbit of "falling over" and just not doing things suddenly.

 

 

[Tomo]

DONT BUY AN APPLE!!!!

People who don't want to step up really let you know their plight... :clown::clown:

 

Mind you the other brands are starting to do pretty well since they started using apples idea's.......... ;)

 

The only annoying things with my Mac is that it, never freezes, doesn't get viruses, easy to use and I probably should look at deleting some stuff since I'm down to only 14mb of space left on the Hard drive....

 

 

[shags_j]

Difference is apple is very limited in what it lets you do. So long as it's an app on istore you're fine. Want to add anything else and you run into issues.

 

With my N97 I can install software by virtually anyone, write software myself for it if I am that way inclined, it has ALL the features of an iphone (with a qwerty keyboard to boot which is the main reason I bought it) and for $250-$400 less.

 

I say go with an android or symbian system and you can't go wrong. Apple has produced a product that's like 4wheel drives for soccer mums, every middle age housewife in suburban brisbane says that need one and will give a million excuses why but in the end they just want to look cool.

 

(guess who is anti apple ;) )

 

 

[Guest basscheffers]

my N97 [...] has ALL the features of an iphone

Like a NAIPS application? BOM radar? Aviation calculators? And how easy are they to find for the average user? If they exist, they are not on the Ovi store.

It's not about the features of the bare device, it's about what the average Joe can do with it and what apps are available.

 

And Symbian is rediculously hard to develop for, as apposed to iPhone which is dead easy. Which explains the availabily of a lot more iPhone software, even though development of apps isn't even 2 years old yet.

 

As the great contemporary poet R. Williams put it: "You can't argue with popularity, well you could, but you'd be wrong."

 

PS: come back in two years and see if Nokia (or HTC) has been giving you the software updates needed to still run the latest apps. Ever come across a 2001 iPod that doesn't work with the latest iTunes version? Me neither...

 

 

[P4D]

I have owned an HTC phone for more then a year and would not replace it with anything but another one of the same. After frustrasting experiences with Iphone and Blackberry support I have found I do not need the same level of support for my HTC as it is extremley intuitive and easy for a non technical user. I even bought another the same for my wife who is a bigger luddite than me and she loves it!

 

 

[Guest basscheffers]

After frustrasting experiences with Iphone support

What was the issue?

HTC Androids are great phones, but I am surprised you found the iPhone less intuitive.