How quickly we can change our minds. Last Spring I left a comment on the article, Why I Refuse to Own a Smartphone, stating that I totally agreed, that I didn’t have one and that I didn’t want one.
Fast foward four months and now I have an LG Ally with Android on it. (no iPhone for me but that’s a another discussion for a different day – let’s just say I prefer open source to super proprietary. I even refuse to use iTunes.)
There are a couple of reasons why I did this.
Reasons
- Free – I use Verizon and they have the new every two years for phones with a contract renewal. I don’t always get a new phone right away but the one I got was free. Free is good. I thought that having a smartphone would end up making my phone bill higher because I would also need the data plan but I was able to shuffle things around a bit and am actually paying a little less now than I was before. So, free phone with a cheaper monthly bill. I know this is far from the best Android phone out there but I’ve been happy with LG and I really like the keyboard on it (I’m not so good with the touchscreen). There were two other Android phones that I liked more and had better reviews but they were not free. This is sort of like Android or Smartphone lite.
- Curiousity – I’ve been curious about Android and have wanted to use it. I really like gadgets but rarely NEED then so I don’t bother spending the money. And most of my friends and family are less into gadgets then I am so I don’t usually have the opportunity to play with other people’s. I love/hate Google but I do use a lot of their products so using Android makes sense.
- Open Source – I’m a big fan of open source software. I do use Windows but other than that all of my software is open source or at least free. I used to dual boot between Linux and Windows and only use Windows for games but I haven’t set that up again since the last time I had computer problems. But software choices; Open Office instead of Microsoft Office, VLC instread of Windows Media Player, etc.
Resources
Anyway … having no real experience with smartphones or Android I was a little miffed that the phone came with a tips guide but no real manual. I’ve been looking for the best online resources and decided to share what I have found.
- The Complete Android Guide – this was written by Kevin Purdy of Lifehacker. The online wiki version is free. You can also purchase a pdf or hardcopy of this material. Some of it is basic but in the first few chapters I learned a lot that made me more adept with the phone. I also learned things that I knew nothing about, such as I can use wifi for data transfer rather than Verizon’s network when there is an available access point. Much faster and it doesn’t eat up your data plan if you don’t have unlimited.
- Android Forums – A lot of my searches have brought me to this site. Seems to be a great resource for having specific questions answered or problems solved.
- Beginner’s Guide to Android by Androinica – This site devoted to all things Android has gathered their tips and articles for beginners in one handy location.
- Android Central Tips and Tricks – useful list of resources for figuring out how to do things with Android
Always Connected
I still don’t need or want to be always connected but I am finding the phone fun to play with and it does make some things easier. For example, after dropping my daughter off at school I can stop at the cafe for a coffee and go through my email without having to lug around my laptop or feel like I need to rush straight home and get to work. So far, rather than making me feel like I’m always available, it has made me feel a little bit more free.
Do you have a smartphone? Are you lost without it? What kind do you use? Do you like it?
photo credit: astanush
I am also planning to buy an android phone this fall, I think Android is the way to go for now. Opensource rules and anything Google always shines :)
Not necessarily, Shiva, for I know some folks with different versions of the Android and they’ve said Google routinely displays wrong information in the Contacts folders, i.e. while the Contacts list may say you’re calling “Mom” you might be calling your boss.
Hi Shiva – I prefer Open Source and like a lot of google’s products but am a little wary of them as well. And I’m sure there are problems like with any product.
This is very interesting to me — and you can see by a recent article I wrote linked below on the subject — because I am contemplating downgrading my 2-year-old BlackBerry Curve to a clamshell. I explained the why there.
I’m also considering purchasing a pay-as-you-go cell phone so I can take that and give the number to close friends and family when I want to leave without the berry. The ideal is to have a pay-as-you-go smartphone but I don’t think anyone offers that.
Hi Ari – Hmm … I don’t know of a pay as you go smartphone either. I wouldn’t have gotten this phone if it hadn’t been free and my bill wasn’t less because I have little need for it. But, so far, it’s been fun to play with.
We went with smart phones 3 or 4 months back. We have the Palm Pre Plus, which has mobile hot spot capability. We were specifically looking for a way to improve our internet access when we were traveling and the mobile hot spot did that for us on our trip this summer. (Blogging While Traveling and How we are posting in Yellowstone National Park). The mobile hot spot feature went from $29.99 a month to free while I was wavering on weather to go with it or not. We still had to pay for the smart phone data package.
Our old cell phone reception was spotty at home. Before we got the new phones, I was hoping that that would improve. It was unrealistic, I thought, to consider that the phone reception and mobile hot spot would be good enough that we might be able to drop our land line phone and DSL.
Before we went on our 50 day summer trip, we dropped our land line and DSL. So far, at home, we’ve had maybe one dropped call and that might not have been on our end. The mobile hot spot speed compares favorably here with what we saw on DSL.
We also lowered our monthly voice minutes as we never, ever came close to using them all up.
So in the end, while the monthly bill is higher than our old plain-Jane phones, our communication costs (phone plus internet) are way down since we went with the smart phone.
Hi Mike – If the monthly bill is higher but the combo of costs has gone down than you are doing a lot better. I haven’t had a landline in a couple of years but couldn’t do without the DSL. I need a regular computer and internet access for work.
Do you like the Palm?
Pretty much, though, since it’s our first smart phone, we don’t have any personal experience to compare it to. It is a huge difference from our old cell phones. I don’t think it has as many aps as some of the others, but, since I don’t use any most of the time, that doesn’t matter. I really fits our needs remarkably well, since the mobile hot spot is why we went with it.
Hi Kim – Welcome to ‘Droiding! I love my Android. Like Mike says he did above, Pete and I long ago dropped our landlines for cellphones. We still have cable internet, but I’ve recently learned how to link my netbook through my phone for 3G connectivity. It made me feel kind of geeky!
Pete’s such a fan-boy of everything Apple that he’s conflicted on Smartphones. He’d love to have an IPhone and IPad, but our carrier is Verizon. Without unlocking capabilities, he’d be SOL on the hardware part. He does envy me that I can stay in touch like you mentioned above when I’m on the go using the phone, and not hauling around a computer.
That being all said, I’m anticipating some conflicts of my own when the Android tablets hit the market. I think they’re just the thing for old people like me who would prefer a larger screen. :D
Hi Betsy – I love things like that that make me feel geeky too :-)
Part of my resistance to the iPhone is the cost and that you have to use AT&T. And I prefer open source – as open source as Verizon actually lets
a gadget be ;-)
I haven’t been that interested in tablets but an Android one would definitely intrigue me.
And old people? I just increased the font size on this site because I couldn’t read it anymore ;-)
I’ve been using an iPhone for over a year now, and it’s quite handy. I think in a lot of this debate about smartphones vs dumb phones, open vs prop and all that – basic stuff such as the phone just being a tool which you can use to your good or bad gets lost.
It’s good if it works for you, and if it doesn’t then switch to something else. At the end of the day it is just a powerful phone.
I envy people who get so worked up about their phones because to me that shows that most of these don’t have real troubles to deal with.
Hi Manshu – I prefer the philosophy of open source but would never argue with someone about what was a better phone ;-) I totally agree that people like that need real problems :-)
I’m in the middle of this debate for myself. I currently have a super-basic phone that only costs me $100 a year (no long distance). My Palm Tungsten PDA is getting old. I’d like to combine the PDA and the phone, but I’m also envious of those who have Internet connectivity on their phones. I can’t really justify (or afford) the extra expense of the Internet service, so for now I’m just sticking with what I have. But a decision will have to be made when the Palm dies.
Hi Dot – It would be hard to come close to that price :-) It also comes down to wants versus needs. Sometimes I want something but when I really think about it, I don’t need it. I wouldn’t have gotten a phone like this either if it hadn’t been free and if my bill hadn’t gone down a little.
Do you also have a landline? Would getting rid of that help pay for the expense of an internet capable phone?
Something is different… you changed the font on the blog, right? I like it!
I’m sure I’ll own some type of a smart device too, eventually. For now though, I’m still blissfully disconnected when out of the house. :)
Thanks for the link Kim!
HI Vered – I did bump up the font size! My eyes have been bothering me this week and I couldn’t read the site – I figured if I was having trouble, other people probably were too ;-) I did leave it smaller in the sidebar.
If you get one, you’ll have to write an article about it.
I had my views against smart phones (in general excess mobile phone usage as well) till recently. Right now even I am thinking about an affordable android phone mainly to experiment around the platform :)
iPhone and crapberry are big NO for me as I do not want jazzy features or even emails on the move for now.
Let me know about your LG experience.
Hi Ajith – It’s funny how our opinions are changing – I think it’s because Android is a cool platform that also allows you to make phone calls – it isn’t all about talking on the phone all the time.
The LG has been fine so far – the touch could be a little more responsive but I’m also not great with touch screens – that’s why I really like the keyboard on it. The Ally also doesn’t have 2.2 yet but there are rumours that it will be updated to that soon – there are already a couple of apps that I want to try that require 2.2
Nice. Even i was interested in an Android phone and bought HTC Wildfire 3 days ago. Turned out to be a great phone with some nice social networking features. I find it great that i can check my mails, chat with friends, check facebook from anywhere. Do share your experience with LG .
Hi Madhur – That looks like a great phone. The one I really convert from Verizon is the HTC Incredible but I’m not about to pay the price for it – even the contract price and it doesn’t have a keyboard – I’m not ready for touchscreen only.
I love getting your posts in my inbox, there’s always something useful, but today’s compelled me to click over and read your comments, too. Your reasons and your resources are super helpful, but you left out the bits I really wanna know! I’m also on Verizon, with a BB curve (so I’ll read Ari’s post next), due for a change (though I rarely fall for that upsell.)
I use it mostly for email, txting, twitter, and the few calls I want to take (I get my calls transcribed and txted+emailed to me by this great service called YouMail.com), so I’m keen on the speed — this BB browser makes getting online a torture!
May I ask:
How you shuffled things to lower your fees?
What the other two phones were that you would’ve preferred if they’d been free?
TheBoyPie and I both have BBs (good for emergency chargers & batteries), share a family contract, and that may interfere with my going ‘droid unless he does, but this post came at the right time, I’m eager to learn more — thanks so much ~ !
Hi – I’m not anti-Blackberry. It’s just that my only experience with one was when I worked in tech support and when I was on call I had to take the dept. one home for the weekend. I just have a negative emotional reaction to them ;-)
I’m not 100% sure but I think Verizon changed their calling plans around – before I had to have more minutes to have friends and family on the plan. Now I can get less minutes and still have the friends and family. Since I have less minutes (I certainly didn’t need them all) the extra cost of the data plan makes everything about the same cost – it’s about $10 less/month than what I was paying. I have the nationwide plan with 900 minutes and the data plan.
I really like the HTC Incredible even though it doesn’t have a keyboard and it’s been getting awesome reviews. But even with a new contract I’m not going to pay $200 for something I don’t really need. I also like the Samsung Fascinate. If I was going to get one I would probably go with the HTC. The phone I got is sort of like a smartphone for beginners with Android lite – or at least the people who are really into smartphones call it that ;-) The Motorola Droid X is supposed to be really good too but I’m not as interested in it – not sure why.
I only had a family contract once and we did have different phones – I think if each one has a different phone number that the phones can be upgraded separately but I’m not positive on that.
Thanks so much! I like everything about the BB except the insanely slow browser. Tried many times for 32 minutes (racing on the way to a flight) to connect to my Delta check-in and it just gave “running script” forever — ugh! Nearly missed the flight and never did connect!
I’ll look into your suggestions, really appreciate your reply.
And if it helps anyone else on Verizon, the support guy I called about my account said that anytime within 3 months of your contract being up they will let you make your phone change then.
Keep up the great works, I always find your posts helpful…
i love android but hate its logo
Hi Vikash – Why do you hate it? It’s silly but also cute.
I can’t believe that you got an Android phone for free. I’m with tmobile and the only nice free phone in May was the Nokia Nuron and it sucks. I ended up getting the Blackberry Curve; I guess I’ll be switching to Verizon soon.
Hi Kaylee – Well, it isn’t a top of the line phone. I’vebeen with Verizon a
long time now and it was time for a new 2 year contract. If I hadn’t been
able to get it for free or next to nothing, I wouldn’t have bothered. I don’t
have any experience with tmobile.
if you allow me to add another resource of android content and community!
http://www.androidmodz.com
it is being maintained by me and two other friends of mine!
HI Faizan – Thanks! I’ll check it out.
Nice. Even i was interested in an Android phone and bought HTC Wildfire 3 days ago. Turned out to be a great phone with some nice social networking features. I find it great that i can check my mails, chat with friends, check facebook from anywhere.