Phones Convert to android and loving it?

[KentuckyHouse]

I've had exactly the same experience as a couple of you have noted. Former 3GS user, upgraded to the 4S on launch day. Got bored waiting for the jailbreak, so I picked up a GSII over Thanksgiving for $50.

It stayed stock for about a week, while I read up on the rooting process. For the next month and a half after rooting it, I went on a spree of different ROMs. I'd find one that I really liked and then another one would come along that everyone was saying was the greatest, so I'd try that one. I was having a grand old time.

Then the jailbreak for the 4S came out...and I've been back to my 4S ever since. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I don't like my GSII...I do...a lot. But I'm just so much more comfortable with my iPhone. Now, if something happened and I lost my jailbreak and had to return to stock? I'd probably be right back to using my GSII over my 4S.

For me a jailbroken iPhone > my GSII. Not by a huge margin...but enough that I still pick up my iPhone before my GSII. I've actually tried to make myself switch for a week to the GSII. I'll pop my SIM out of my 4S and put it in my GSII...and within an hour I'm putting it back in my 4S. It's just easier and more fluid to use.

In my experience, Android is great and has a TON of potential. But until they stop the fragmentation and join everything together, they're never going to meet their full potential. Does iOS get bland and boring after a while? Yeah. But it's also familiar and works well.

Eh...just my .02

 

[Lindenhurst]

Exactly. You are new to Android. I have ad 6 of them over the past 4 years. All Android phones start out wonderful. Give it time. Eventually you will start loading apps that crash your phone, apps that force close or start draining your battery because the update to it wasn't written properly and the phone starts to slow down. Most people who root their phones do so because the phone is garbage otherwise. So no, I am not just some Apple fanboy who's never used an Android talking crap, I know Android all too well. Not saying its unusable, but if you have time to root and ROM your phone or babysit it by watching everything closely and closing out apps all the time or removing poorly written ones, go for it. I was tired of the headaches.

I don't care what you have used over the last 4 years. I care what is available right now. I have loaded all the apps I need on my phone with no problems, and my phone hasn't slowed down at all. Sure there are garbage apps out there, but I'm not interested in them. I use my phone for business, and it works perfectly for me. I rooted the phone for the heck of it, and now it is back to stock. Works both ways for me. Didn't really see the advantage of rooting, as the phone already allows for customization beyond what I need. I also never felt as if I was babysitting my phone. I use it exactly the same way as I used my iPhone, and it just works...just like the iPhone.
Just why do you feel the need to jump into the discussion and put down something other than what you like?

It's ok if you prefer Apple. Doesn't bother me at all. I love Apple products, but I just wanted a larger screened phone that does what I need it to, and the Galaxy Note does the job just as well as my iPhone did, but it's easier for me to see whats on the larger screen.
Do you think it is entirely possible that things can change and some things do in fact improve over time?
Do you think that by rooting your Android phones, you may have done something that caused your phones to not perform?
Maybe it was the operator!

----------

I've had exactly the same experience as a couple of you have noted. Former 3GS user, upgraded to the 4S on launch day. Got bored waiting for the jailbreak, so I picked up a GSII over Thanksgiving for $50.

It stayed stock for about a week, while I read up on the rooting process. For the next month and a half after rooting it, I went on a spree of different ROMs. I'd find one that I really liked and then another one would come along that everyone was saying was the greatest, so I'd try that one. I was having a grand old time.

Then the jailbreak for the 4S came out...and I've been back to my 4S ever since. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I don't like my GSII...I do...a lot. But I'm just so much more comfortable with my iPhone. Now, if something happened and I lost my jailbreak and had to return to stock? I'd probably be right back to using my GSII over my 4S.

For me a jailbroken iPhone > my GSII. Not by a huge margin...but enough that I still pick up my iPhone before my GSII. I've actually tried to make myself switch for a week to the GSII. I'll pop my SIM out of my 4S and put it in my GSII...and within an hour I'm putting it back in my 4S. It's just easier and more fluid to use.

In my experience, Android is great and has a TON of potential. But until they stop the fragmentation and join everything together, they're never going to meet their full potential. Does iOS get bland and boring after a while? Yeah. But it's also familiar and works well.

Eh...just my .02

I doubt the fragmentation issue will ever be resolved because of the variety of handsets available.

 

[BiggAW]

Does iOS get bland and boring after a while? Yeah. But it's also familiar and works well.

Visually, I just change my wallpaper and the retina display looks new all over again. That screen is just so nice!

 

[str8bucs]

Like I said, my 5.3" screened Galaxy Note battery lasts 90% of what my Iphone4 did, and i carry an extra battery in my wallet.
Not sure why this keeps getting brought up.

ALso, I have never heard of an Android phone rebooting during a call.

C'mon, you can do better than that!!! Think of something else.

The Galaxy Note is a horrendous size!!!

Well I used the Galaxy SII, Motorola Atrix, Galaxy Infuse and they all sucked the battery. I am on my phone all day checking email and phone calls with the occasional Words game. Also my car stereo has a iPhone dock so it was a no brainer.

Also the AT&T 2.3.6 update totally screwed the WIFI on the GSII and i was getting 5 hours of battery life and that with nothing running.

 

[-aggie-]

The Galaxy Note is a horrendous size!!!

Well I used the Galaxy SII, Motorola Atrix, Galaxy Infuse and they all sucked the battery. I am on my phone all day checking email and phone calls with the occasional Words game. Also my car stereo has a iPhone dock so it was a no brainer.

Also the AT&T 2.3.6 update totally screwed the WIFI on the GSII and i was getting 5 hours of battery life and that with nothing running.

Have you actually used the Note? It fits fine in my shirt pocket (I've seen the pic going around of someone with it in their pocket, and it must be rigged or the pcoket is abnormally small, because my Note is mostly covered with barely the top being visible). Besides not caring what someone thinks about how I may look talking on the phone to my ear, I mainly use the speaker phone, so that's not even an issue. The screen is great IMO. I no longer have to squint to try to see what a webpage has written, and i don't have to constantly zoom in and out to see text. It's great for reading books for that reason.

It fits a niche for some. Get over it.

 

[Pro-pacCase]

I went and tried Android twice, and I really don't understand what Android does better than the iPhone, aside from the larger screen.

My wife uses Android. She tried playing with my iPhone couple times but she hates iPhone!! I don't get women sometimes

 

[cynics]

My wife uses Android. She tried playing with my iPhone couple times but she hates iPhone!! I don't get women sometimes

My girlfriend is the same way. She used mine a few time and after asking "how do you do this?" and me saying "you can't" other and over. Then she'll tossed it back too me and say "dumb". She's really good at pissing me off lol.

 

[-aggie-]

My wife uses Android. She tried playing with my iPhone couple times but she hates iPhone!! I don't get women sometimes

Mine loves the iphone 4. She was amazed just to have her.yahoo calendars synced

 

[str8bucs]

Have you actually used the Note? It fits fine in my shirt pocket (I've seen the pic going around of someone with it in their pocket, and it must be rigged or the pcoket is abnormally small, because my Note is mostly covered with barely the top being visible). Besides not caring what someone thinks about how I may look talking on the phone to my ear, I mainly use the speaker phone, so that's not even an issue. The screen is great IMO. I no longer have to squint to try to see what a webpage has written, and i don't have to constantly zoom in and out to see text. It's great for reading books for that reason.

It fits a niche for some. Get over it.

I haven't used it for any length of time.

First of all I don't wear shirts with pockets in them, than the weight of that in your shirt pocket makes it feel like a Palm Pilot I'm sure.

The screen on any Samsung device is very nice I do give it that.

99% of the time my phone does reside in my pocket like most other people.

I don't do a bunch of surfing on my phone anyway.

Yes you are correct it does fit a niche for some people

BTW.... I'm way over it. I was just make an observation of my Android usage

 

[-aggie-]

I haven't used it for any length of time.

First of all I don't wear shirts with pockets in them, than the weight of that in your shirt pocket makes it feel like a Palm Pilot I'm sure.

The screen on any Samsung device is very nice I do give it that.

99% of the time my phone does reside in my pocket like most other people.

I don't do a bunch of surfing on my phone anyway.

Yes you are correct it does fit a niche for some people

BTW.... I'm way over it. I was just make an observation of my Android usage

Yeah, that extra 38 grams is a load.

 

[mbell1975]

Another thing I hated about android phones were the weak radios. Today was a perfect example of that. I went to eat lunch at cheesecake factory where I never got reception with four different android phones. The HTC Evo, Evo 3D and Samsung Galaxy S2 could barely do voice in there, no data, and the Samsung Nexus S 4G would go into roaming. Took my 4s in there for the first time today and I'll be damned, almost full bars of voice and data (although a bit slow) worked perfectly. Nice.

 

[rjohnstone]

Another thing I hated about android phones were the weak radios. Today was a perfect example of that. I went to eat lunch at cheesecake factory where I never got reception with four different android phones. The HTC Evo, Evo 3D and Samsung Galaxy S2 could barely do voice in there, no data, and the Samsung Nexus S 4G would go into roaming. Took my 4s in there for the first time today and I'll be damned, almost full bars of voice and data (although a bit slow) worked perfectly. Nice.

So you're attributing a weak carrier signal to the devices radio... gotcha.
The EVO and EVO 3D are Sprint devices and the SGS2 could be either T-Mobile or AT&T.

What carrier is your iPhone on?

If you're gonna make up some BS claim, at least make it believable.

 

[mbell1975]

So you're attributing a weak carrier signal to the devices radio... gotcha.
The EVO and EVO 3D are Sprint devices and the SGS2 could be either T-Mobile or AT&T.

What carrier is your iPhone on?

If you're gonna make up some BS claim, at least make it believable.

They were ALL on Sprint! Has zero to do with the carrier. It has to do with Apple making quality hardware while HTC and Samsung don't. At least not with their weak radios.

 

[BiggAW]

The Note is EFFING HUGE. Way too big for a phone. Wouldn't fit in my pockets comfortably, and I have big pockets. Wouldn't fit in my hand comfortably, and I have big hands. The S Pen thing is cool, but not worth having such a massive device. It seems like it would be a cool device if they made a Wifi-only version that didn't cost $600.

 

[cynics]

I mentioned in another thread I played with one at best buy. Surprisingly I was able to type using one hand with and adjustment of my hand.

I don't think I'd ever get a phone that size but it's pretty cool.

 

[ChazUK]

Another thing I hated about android phones were the weak radios. Today was a perfect example of that. I went to eat lunch at cheesecake factory where I never got reception with four different android phones. The HTC Evo, Evo 3D and Samsung Galaxy S2 could barely do voice in there, no data, and the Samsung Nexus S 4G would go into roaming. Took my 4s in there for the first time today and I'll be damned, almost full bars of voice and data (although a bit slow) worked perfectly. Nice.

I wonder if its a CDMA or U.S carrier thing? I'm constantly getting good signal on my Samsung Galaxy Nexus and my HTC made Titan (although that is WP7).

11 meg over bog standard 3g does impress me myself.

I wouldn't take notice of "bars" between two phones myself as different manufacturers set each bar at different signal strengths. Some are overly aggressive reporting a low signal and others stretch the truth a little.

 

[Sunsean]

I really think it comes down to aesthetics and preference...and past experience. I used Android for 3 years, from the glitchy Mytouch 3g to the comparably smooth GS2. Both platforms work and do what they should. In the end, I've come to now want a simple, clean, effective UI that looks pretty, and that's what I'm getting from the iphone. The Android can do just about all the same things, but IMO it's just a little clunkier. Both work well in my experience though.

I also agree with someone else who said that they don't need a huge screen on their phone. The iphone screen does seem a little small coming from an SG2, but I really appreciate the compactness of it...it is a phone at the end of the day, not a tablet.

 

[mbell1975]

Well I finally broke down and got a Note. Figured I had 30 days to try it out. Being very familiar with Android, I do like it so far. We'll see how it goes.

 

[M5RahuL]

From Windows to Symbian [S40/S60] to BB to iOS and Android, I love'em all Well, not the BB so much anymore!!

The Galaxy S II [ Sprint ] is a pleasure to use! Smooth as silk [ yes, even better than the iP4/4S ] and the screen is just gorgeous! The HTC EVO was my first Android and that phone kicked a$$ for it's time! The Evo 3D sucked, but the GS2 is mobile sex!!! Plus, there's so much you can do with Android even w/o root, its amazing!

However, I can't get myself to give up my 4 or the newly acquired 4S. There's something about the iPhone I just love, especially the camera! The 3.5" screen doesn't bother me, although I seriously wish it came with Google Navigation and FB integration with contacts in stock form!!

 

[Lindenhurst]

The Note is EFFING HUGE. Way too big for a phone. Wouldn't fit in my pockets comfortably, and I have big pockets. Wouldn't fit in my hand comfortably, and I have big hands. The S Pen thing is cool, but not worth having such a massive device. It seems like it would be a cool device if they made a Wifi-only version that didn't cost $600.

Fits in my hands and pockets just perfectly. WHy way too big for a phone?
Try it out. It isn't as big as you think. The s pen is irrelevant to me, as I really don't use it.
I would venture to say that most that think ti is too big haven't actually touched or held one.

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Well I finally broke down and got a Note. Figured I had 30 days to try it out. Being very familiar with Android, I do like it so far. We'll see how it goes.

It'll grow on ya!

 

[BiggAW]

Fits in my hands and pockets just perfectly. WHy way too big for a phone?
Try it out. It isn't as big as you think. The s pen is irrelevant to me, as I really don't use it.

I've actually played with them several times at various AT&T stores. Human hands don't keep getting bigger, so phones shouldn't either. 3.5" is the right size for a smartphone, and I love my iPhone.

 

[ChazUK]

I've actually played with them several times at various AT&T stores. Human hands don't keep getting bigger, so phones shouldn't either. 3.5" is the right size for a smartphone, and I love my iPhone.

The 4.65" screen on the Galaxy Nexus suits me fine. I don't have such a strong feeling as love for my phone (that is reserved for my wife, children and my Cat only) but I wouldn't ever expect everyone to get on with such a screen as I can.

Human hands may not be getting bigger but people have all types of hand sizes that they'll manage to use different phones with. That's just the way it is sadly.

Enjoy your phone as Lindenhurst obviously does.

 

[LSUtigers03]

I have a Galaxy Nexus and I love the phone. I have an iPad so that fulfills my iOS needs. I don't feel the desire to go back to the iPhone. Some people think 3.5" is as big as a phone screen needs to be. I'm not one of those people. The 4.65" Galaxy Nexus screen is great. It looks awesome and it fits perfectly fine in my pocket. ICS is very stable and smooth. It's a joy to use. Of course that's just my personal opinion.

 

[iMaconApple]

Day 3 with my note and wow I love it..battery still needs break in/cycle..going to root it later on..loving the android custom stuff no more waiting on jailbreaking.. this my first android..it's going to be hard to return it back to AT&T because im just going for a test drive on this but I'm loving it..

Waiting for Galaxy S3/iPhone 5 has to offer..but for now I'm enjoying this note..perfect for my use..don't really talk on the phone much..it's like fitting my iPad in my pocket yeah I have small hands and small head feels but funny making phone calls to me but I'm slowy getting use to it day by day..can't wait for jelly beans

 

[mbell1975]

I can't stand the over saturated colors on the Note and its only been half a day. Skin tones are orange, almost looks cartoonish. However, the whites aren't nearly as bright as my 4s, even at full brightness. Its like they just made the RBG colors annoyingly bright but not the rest.