Count me as another "defector".

[Guest ED2O9]

I've been a long time Verizon customer, and in recent months they've managed to pi$$ me off pretty well but I stuck through it. Then over the weekend, they made the cardinal sin of making an enemy of my fiance, and that was the last straw. Long story short, I terminated my contract with Verizon and picked up a Samsung Epic 4G last night. I opted for the Epic over the Evo (both are 4G phones and I live in a city with 4G coverage) because I liked the option of the physical keyboard AND swype, and my friend HIGHLY recommended it. After an hour or two of playing with it, here are my impressions:

- It's fast (in case you didn't already know).

- I truly have no idea how much memory this thing has, but it's not an issue. Because I didn't see the "task manager" right away, I was running 8 apps simultaneously and it was playing Asphalt 5 without a hiccup. By contrast, I was running AmdZero's base ROM with all the memory tweaks on my O2, and I was constantly watching the MemClock indicator to make sure I wasn't dropping below 20MB.

- I actually miss my O2. Since I got the phone in January, I've been on a never ending quest to make it as "perfect" as possible. After flashing the latest revision of AmdZero's base ROM and applying the dozens of tweaks I've accumulated, it was (IMHO) as close to being the perfect WinMo phone as could be expected. Seriously, the thing felt like an extension of my arm. Now, I'm starting back at square one. As I played with the Epic, I kept thinking "Man... I don't like the way THAT works. I hope someone has a patch." I've put my faith in the Android developers community, so I hope all the stories of "there's a widget for that" are true. We'll see.

- Finally, all the shots taken at WinMo aren't entirely accurate. Granted, it's a cumbersome OS with a major, memory leak problem, but it's not the steaming, pile of cr@p everyone in the Android community wants you to believe. I haven't found anything on the Epic that my O2 couldn't do. It might have been a little slow and clunky at time, but it got the job done. From all the hype, I expected to turn on the Epic to find the clouds part, sunlight shine down upon me and angels burst into song. It's just a phone.

So, thanks to everyone here for their help with my numerous questions and requests. This is a great community with a lot of amazingly talented developers. I can only hope that the Android developers sites are even half as dedicated as the chefs here. In the mean time, I have a nicely tricked out O2 with a ton of apps including Garmin XT, WMWiFiRouter, and SPB Mobile shell installed available to a good home. Make me an offer if interested. :)

[Guest grcd]

Nice one :P

Depends on your initial price tag. Give us one, and then we can make offers.......

And welcome to the Android side... I have come to it too, and to be frank, I don't want to look back.

[Guest ED2O9]

After tinkering with the phone some more, I've found a bunch of new surprises:

- Contacts sort by first name... not last name like every other database AND you can't change the sort parameters (supposedly fixed with Android 2.2).

- Gmail seems to be the only email service that pushes properly. I finally got hotmail to work, but the notifications still don't show up in the icon. The cure? "Switch to Gmail!" or wait for the fix in Android 2.2.

- The power management sucks. Unlike the multitude of power options available on WinMo, I get the option of how long before the screen powers down. No application lists or "when plugged in" settings. So... when I run the music player with the power plugged in, it locks after 30 seconds. I have to hit the power button on the side, then unlock the slider before I can change songs. There are no player controls on the lock screen.

There are a few other goodies, but unless Android 2.2 comes over and cleans my house too, I'm not very impressed with the whole Android experience. Yes... it's fast and smooth, but the basic design and function leave A LOT to be desired.

BTW - One last goody! The phone doesn't over-ride the audio when certain apps are running. I was using Google navigation when a call came through. In the middle of the call, the nav voice started going on and on about where I needed to turn and so on. I had to wait until it was done, tell the person I would call them back to disable Google. Meanwhile, everything on my O2 would pause for incoming calls and restart after I disconnected.

[Guest Echo30]

There are a few other goodies, but unless Android 2.2 comes over and cleans my house too, I'm not very impressed with the whole Android experience. Yes... it's fast and smooth, but the basic design and function leave A LOT to be desired.

From the other side of the fence, I think the interface is foremost the number 1 thing a device should have. The reason the iPhone is so popular is because of this. No matter what is going on, you can instantly get back to the front in a pleasing way and have the interface work. I'd take smooth sharp interface over some loss of function anyday. I've used an iPhone, windows phone, android, LG, etc. You can look past any downside, just so long as the thing seems to work rock solidly.

[Guest ED2O9]

I've just started with Android, so I'm sure there's a lot more resources available to tweak the interface, especially after you root the phone. But for now, I will say that Android has a long way to go before it approaches the user defined features of WinMo. On the plus side, I've been installing and running all kinds of stuff on this phone and it's been smooth as silk with NO lock-ups or restarts. :P

[Guest Echo30]

Haha I would look past all the shortcomings just for that simple fact alone.

...I had to do a battery pull waiting for the bus the other day. Blechh.

[Guest ED2O9]

Oh... here's another glaring omission:

You can't change the font size in the email viewer. Most people think the Gmail default setting is too small (although it's great for me), but the "Corporate" account settings I needed to get hotmail to work look like I'm using a JitterBug. Seriously... did no one even consider the ability for people to choose their own font size preference?

[Guest Echo30]

I could see that being very annoying. When I get one I'll be using it as my work phone as well which means I'll need push email. How is it for that? I can see them giving hotmail a hard time, but have you tried it for work email?

[Guest ED2O9]

After a week of tinkering with this thing I think I have it pretty close to where I want it, but I came across something that you guys would appreciate.

When the Galaxy S specs were initially released, they claimed that users could connect a composite TV-out cable to the headphone jack (just like the Omina 2). I was looking forward to this feature because it was great to plug my phone into my parent's TV to show videos or pictures of my daughters. Sooo... this weekend, I try to hook it up... no option for TV-out. I check online and find a bunch of Youtube videos showing Galaxy S phones connected to TVs. I look again... still nothing. I read further and discover this gem: when the CDMA version of the Galaxy S came out (Epic 4G) it had the option of playing video out, but after a firmware update it disappeared from the settings menu. People were furious, assuming that Sprint had disabled it to cut down on bandwidth from people streaming videos to their TVs. Then, a few weeks later, Verizon customers started complaining about the same thing. None of the CDMA phones will support TV-out, but the GSM phones do. A tech rep for Sprint got onto one of the forums and explained that Sprint (or Verizon) had nothing to do with it. Apparently, the Qualcomm chip can't support TV-out (or FM radio) and the Samsung guys didn't figure this out until after the initial release. Some guys who were more tech savvy disassembled their phones and found that the chip in question DOES support TV-out, but no one has figured out how to re-enable it yet. There's also some talk that the Android 2.2 Froyo update (due any day now) will include a feature to play video out through a USB micro to HDMI cable that Samsung briefly advertised on their accessories page (for $50?!?).

In any case, I thought you guys might like to know that Samsung isn't beyond the practice of releasing devices that don't include the advertised features. On a side note, there are a lot on people who are very unhappy that Samsung came out with a "patch" for the inaccurate GPS readings, but the resulting fix ended up further reducing the actual amount of available RAM. Sound familiar? :P

[Guest BaltazarPinto]

I totally agree with you ED, Samsung has good hardware with poor software. I'm very disappointed with my Omnia 2. I thought it was a top of the art mobile after reading it’s specifications but in the end it’s just a poorly designed mobile phone with lots and lots of bugs that Samsung never corrected.

I won’t be buying another Samsung, nor will I ever buy another Windows phone … Android is now the best designed mobile OS.

I’m still looking forward to install Android on my Omnia and that’s the main reason I still use this phone.

Samsung … never again.

[Guest dwallersv]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, there are always transition pains. It's like moving to a foreign country and having to learn new customs. Frustrating and uncomfortable at first, but as you figure things out, it gets better and better.

I'm two weeks in now with my Epic 4G. I love it. I agree that there are plenty of youthful pimples and blemishes on the young Android system -- chief irritant to me the lack of BT voicedialing support in Eclair (implemented in Froyo, coming soon to the Epic), but I have not found anything yet -- nothing -- that I couldn't find a solution for. And in balance, I'm happier with the platform.

BIG pluses:

• Fast and smooth.
  
• Apps are cheap cheap cheap from the Android Market (like generally 10-20% of what winmo apps cost)
  
• The graphics engine is phenomenal -- game graphics are mind-blowing, comparable rendering to the PS2 and XBOX
  
• And games -- the multitouch screen makes it possible to have usable controls and actually play a FPS or driving game. Nova (FPS) is like having Halo on your phone; Asphalt 5, included, is spectacular.
  
• Some things work better than winmo -- bt sensing and connections are more reliable. I get tired of having to constantly re-enable A2DP for BT devices as I switch around to different ones.
  
• Finally, and more important, it lives up to the Open Platform promise, just like Winmo, and in some ways even better. I've "rooted" my phone now, am running a custom kernel, and it's really cool that kernels and "ROMs" can be mixed and matched. Got a nice environment you like, but someone's created a kernel that fixes or optimizes something? In most cases, load it up, without losing your setup.
  

Because of its "youth", Android is going to have some kinks compared to Winmo. That's quickly being mitigated.

[Guest Corki2]

I had flashed my O2 to every ROM available trying to make it do what I needed it to do. I had hoped the DG21 update was going to be the answer to some of the issues. Well, it did speed up the Touchwiz interface a little, but I saw no other difference, except the widget store was broken with the update. I got so angry over the DG21 broken widget store that I decided to order the LG Ally and see what Android was all about. I got it free. I wasn't ready to plunk out $200.00 for an Android phone, but free, I could do. I know the LG Ally was not a "hot" Android phone, but it was advertised to have all the features I need. I figured I could try it out and if I liked it, I could get a better Android phone when the next line is due for an upgrade (we have 3 lines and I'm the only one who likes to get a new phone).

Well, after a couple months with my Ally, I know there is no way I will ever go back to WM. BT dialing, text to speech, spoken driving directions (included for free as opposed to $10.00/mth for VZ Nav), excellent slide out keyboard. Beautiful WVGA screen although it is smaller than O2, it's more beautiful and easier to see. I have found apps and widgets to accomplish everything I need. There are so many excellent apps available for free and some that cost a little. Not anywhere near as expensive as the apps on Marketplace. There are so many options for customization that it will make your head spin, and I haven't even rooted my phone. The Ally runs 2.1 but is due to get Froyo which should make it even better. I will enjoy being able to install apps on the storage card.

I had been waiting to see what Windows Phone 7 has to offer, but from what I've read, Windows Phone 7 takes WM a few steps backwards in some crucial areas to take a couple steps forward with social interface. Verizon seems to be moving away from WM and embracing Android. They don't even have Windows Phone 7 coming out that I am aware of. I will probably flash my O2 to Windows Phone 7 once someone puts a ROM out, but I'm not expecting it to blow me away.

I pick up my O2 now and then and play with it to see where it might have the Ally beat. The screen is bigger.

[Guest ED2O9]

Well, my beloved Omnia II is gone. I packed it up and shipped it off to a new home. ***sniff, sniff***

On the plus side, I did manage to sell it on Ebay for $170, which isn't too bad considering it cost me $100 last January. Granted, I threw in a few extras like screen protectors, a 4GB SD card, rubber case and spare battery. I also left all of my software on it including registered versions of SPB Mobile Shell and WMWiFiRouter. Not a bad deal, I guess.

Who knows... maybe the new owner will become a regular on this site. :)

[Guest alaamac199]

I had been waiting to see what Windows Phone 7 has to offer, but from what I've read, Windows Phone 7 takes WM a few steps backwards in some crucial areas to take a couple steps forward with social interface. Verizon seems to be moving away from WM and embracing Android. They don't even have Windows Phone 7 coming out that I am aware of. I will probably flash my O2 to Windows Phone 7 once someone puts a ROM out, but I'm not expecting it to blow me away.

That's why sometimes I regret I didn't buy HTC HD2 instead of my omnia 2 .. I mean if there's any current device that runs WM6.5 and will get WM7 .. it will be the HD2 ..

and it already has Android fully working on it ..

but other times I look again and I find that .. I love my Omnia !!

[Guest urphonesux]

That's why sometimes I regret I didn't buy HTC HD2 instead of my omnia 2 .. I mean if there's any current device that runs WM6.5 and will get WM7 .. it will be the HD2 ..

and it already has Android fully working on it ..

but other times I look again and I find that .. I love my Omnia !!

speaking of the hd2, lemme throw this at your head

http://pocketnow.com/windows-phone/htc-hd2...t=Google+Reader

also for all you androids out there have you discovered the beauty of apktor yet?

Edited November 6, 2010 by urphonesux

[Guest alaamac199]

speaking of the hd2, lemme throw this at your head

http://pocketnow.com/windows-phone/htc-hd2...t=Google+Reader

also for all you androids out there have you discovered the beauty of apktor yet?

well .. I regret now even more :) ..

[Guest Cherry Limeade Douche]

Long story short, I terminated my contract with Verizon and picked up a Samsung Epic 4G last night.

If you don't mind my asking, how much was it to terminate your contract (early termination fees)? I have a year left until I can upgrade and I want to switch to a Moto Droid 2. Amazon is selling the Droid 2 for 40 bucks with a new 2 year contract. I'm thinking 40 bucks plus the early termination fees beats paying 600 bucks for the full price of the phone anyday.

[Guest ED2O9]

If you don't mind my asking, how much was it to terminate your contract (early termination fees)? I have a year left until I can upgrade and I want to switch to a Moto Droid 2. Amazon is selling the Droid 2 for 40 bucks with a new 2 year contract. I'm thinking 40 bucks plus the early termination fees beats paying 600 bucks for the full price of the phone anyday.

They waived the early termination fee because their cellular service was "marginal" in my area. It was acceptable until this summer, when the signal strength decreased noticably for no apparent reason. I placed several service calls before they finally sent out a technician. The final report was that the towers were fine and if I wanted to make a call, I had to go outside of my house. I wasn't happy about this, and the tech support supervisor I spoke to agreed. They gave me the option of terminating the contract with no fee and I was gone before the end of the day.

[Guest Cherry Limeade Douche]

They waived the early termination fee because their cellular service was "marginal" in my area. It was acceptable until this summer, when the signal strength decreased noticably for no apparent reason. I placed several service calls before they finally sent out a technician. The final report was that the towers were fine and if I wanted to make a call, I had to go outside of my house. I wasn't happy about this, and the tech support supervisor I spoke to agreed. They gave me the option of terminating the contract with no fee and I was gone before the end of the day.

Wow. Yeah that would do it for me too, no service at home... How do you like your new carrier?

[Guest ED2O9]

Wow. Yeah that would do it for me too, no service at home... How do you like your new carrier?

I switched to Sprint, and although I had a major falling out with them in 2001, I'm very impressed with the improvements to their call quality and customer service. The $69 (+$10 for 4G) unlimited text, data and mobile to mobile calling was a great selling point, but free Sprint navigation and the 4G coverage in my area was the icing on the cake. Admittedly, I rarely use the 4G because it's spotty in a lot of areas, and it can significantly decrease battery life, but in areas where I get a strong signal it's equivalent to a good wifi hotspot. Another nice feature is the fact that nights and weekends start at 7PM instead of 9PM with Verizon. I practically never use minutes calling land lines, but my fiance calls her mom's house a couple times a week after 7PM.

It's like Sprint recognizes that they are trailing Verizon in the number of subscribers, so they try harder while Verizon just throws more junk on your phone as a way to milk more money from you, and says f*&%-you if you have a problem with it.

[Guest Cherry Limeade Douche]

It's like Sprint recognizes that they are trailing Verizon in the number of subscribers, so they try harder while Verizon just throws more junk on your phone as a way to milk more money from you, and says f*&%-you if you have a problem with it.

It's no secret that Verizon likes to "f*&%" their customers :huh: . I originally had Alltel, and in all honesty I loved their service. I never had problems with my phone until Verizon came bullying their way into the scene. Anyone else miss Alltel?

I know I'm just another raving lunatic here, but I also can't stand how Verizon chooses to lock stock features and customization options out of their phones. Apple does the same thing which is why people are so hell-bent on jailbreaking iPhones; Verizon should have gotten the hint by now that if the consumers want it- we WILL get it one way or another.

Alltel did lock some features out of their phones as well but certainly not as much as Verizon and they weren't as time consuming to turn back on either.

How is Sprint with the phone stuff? I'm sure carriers will always lock features to gain more denero.

Anyways, I want a Droid 2 badddd but I'm stuck waiting another year for Verizon's upgrade feature to kick in. I certainly don't want to spend $600 (full price) on it. Alltel used to allow customers to upgrade to a new device- at a discounted price- every year if they've had their service for a long time; it sucks because this year Verizon started my service new and they treat me like I've never had a cell phone with another provider before, regardless of how long I've had my account.

They should have at least let us carry our service record and tenure over... but I digress :rolleyes: .