The Droid is just not for business users - beware [Archive]

bravo4

11-07-2009, 11:32 AM

hondamx525

11-07-2009, 11:42 AM

Posted this in your other thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by bravo4 View Post
The iPhone is vastly superior, the only way this phone has the iPhone is on it's somewhat openness and multitasking (both of which I had on my iPhone after being jailbroken).

Here are the ways in which the Droid is far inferior and not even usable from a business standpoint:

no solid backup solutions - sure your mail, calendar and contacts can sync, but if you lose your phone and need to restore, plan on some hours and never getting quite back to where you were

Backups for what? give an example about what you mean.

no v-card (.vcf) contact file handling - this is common in the business world. Blackberry has been doing this for years, is it that hard?

Is this something your blackberry could do or your iphone im confused.

No .ics file handling - get a meeting invite from a Blackberry or some calendar clients in this standard, can't even open it (pretty stupid).

Sorry dont know what this is.

You have to have an app just to kill other apps, tons of apps stay open, no way to close them upon exiting like on the Blackberry Storm. Ends up eating memory and killing performance and battery. My battery drains faster than my iPhones, and I thought the iPhone's was terrible. You have to baby this thing to nurse more battery life out of it.

Whats wrong with needing an app just to close apps? You have to jaibreak the iphone just to allow backgrounding, and then you have to install sbsettings on top of that. SO i dont see how its any different. Also the battery is new so the more full runthroughs you do the more the battery life wil improve.

Crappy apps, lots are not compatible with the Droid. Few are solid.

Compatibility will come, this is the first android 2.0 device and many people do not have 2.0. Apps will get updated as times goes on.

No media management - as a working professional, the last thing I have is time to mess with loading media. Apple makes it way too easy.

No auto-text - I need a dictionary I can edit for often used words and phrases (I couldn't do this on my iPhone but could on my Storm II, is this that difficult to implement?), shortcuts for auto-correcting into words or phrases often used.

There is a dictionary that you can add words to. Look for it in text and locale in the settings.

Contact scrolling is lame, I can't jump to a letter section. More steps involved to search and find a contact. Slower than iPhone in so doing.This is a frustrating experience for me. I've had quite a few smart phones for almost a decade now, from the old Nokia bricks to the original Blackberry, to the Moto Q and other WinMo devices and now this - though this is my first Android phone because I've read about such issues, I thought now would be the time to try on 2.0. Boy, was I mistaken. I am actually thinking of going back to AT&T after eating the ETF's! Ah! And their coverage is just so terrible.

The beauty is that unlike the iphone, you can replace the phonebook app. There are plenty of apps that replace the phonebook and have quick letter by letter contact jumping/management. Not everyone wants what you want, but luckily some do so the other apps are a good choice.

steven s

11-07-2009, 12:28 PM

I didn't think it was designed for business?

simms22

11-07-2009, 12:54 PM

Here are the ways in which the Droid is far inferior and not even usable from a business standpoint (at least for me):

no solid backup solutions - sure your mail, calendar and contacts can sync, but if you lose your phone and need to restore, plan on some hours and never getting quite back to where you were
no v-card (.vcf) contact file handling - this is common in the business world. Blackberry has been doing this for years, is it that hard?
No .ics file handling - get a meeting invite from a Blackberry or some calendar clients in this standard, can't even open it (pretty stupid).
You have to have an app just to kill other apps, tons of apps stay open, no way to close them upon exiting like on the Blackberry Storm. Ends up eating memory and killing performance and battery. My battery drains faster than my iPhones, and I thought the iPhone's was terrible. You have to baby this thing to nurse more battery life out of it.
Crappy apps, lots are not compatible with the Droid. Few are solid.
No media management - as a working professional, the last thing I have is time to mess with loading media. Apple makes it way too easy.
No auto-text - I need a dictionary I can edit for often used words and phrases (I couldn't do this on my iPhone but could on my Storm II, is this that difficult to implement?), shortcuts for auto-correcting into words or phrases often used.
Contact scrolling is lame, I can't jump to a letter section. More steps involved to search and find a contact. Slower than iPhone in so doing.

This is a frustrating experience for me. I've had quite a few smart phones for almost a decade now, from the old Nokia bricks to the original Blackberry, to the Moto Q and other WinMo devices and now this - though this is my first Android phone because I've read about such issues, I thought now would be the time to try on 2.0. Boy, was I mistaken. I am actually thinking of going back to AT&T after eating the ETF's! Ah! And their coverage is just so terrible. Or go back to a frustratingly slow and proprietary experience on the Blackberry Storm II. Sigh. Not sure what to do. I had high hopes for the Droid.

1. there are lots of apps that backup . plus , your contacts , calender , gmail , and apps sync with googles servers to your gmail account . if you do switch phones , log into your google account and everything comes back . ive done this with a couple g1's .
2. theres an app for that ;)
3.?????
4.yea , it sucks having multitasking , and 3g, and constantly being connected to the internet..... (sarcasm) :D
5.lots of great apps on the market . i have 204 apps on my g1 , all of them wonderful .
6.what do you mean by media management ? because there are lots of great apps for that .
7. again , there are apps for that . YOUR choice of what YOU like.
8. cant say , dont know android 2.0 contact app . on 1.6 , you can press on a tab when viewing contacts and scroll by letter .

ive had a blackberry and a winmo device . android is different . you really got to get used to how it works . i didnt really appreciate it for a couple months after i got it . once i caught on , i think its much better than both . you really do have sooo much more options of what you can do with it , personalize it to YOUR needs . maybe shortly someone will "root" the droid . if so , the possibilities are endless :)

radiopayola

11-07-2009, 12:58 PM

Replace "business" with "half-wit MBA culture"... I'm a business professional, and my wife's droid meets or beats the iphone I'm currently using for everything I do.

bravo4

11-07-2009, 01:11 PM

@Hondamx525:
1. Full backup and restore, like if I lost my phone, bought another Droid, restoring to be completely where I was, apps settings and all (like the iPhone)
2. both
3. When you get calendar invites from Blackberry or Outlook users, you can't accept them!
4. On my jailbroken iPhone I could close each app when I was done. How do you do that on Android?
7. That is not auto-text, it does not replace text, just adds words to the dictionary for suggestions. For example, I need to be able to type like "aisc" and it auto insert "Android is so cool" - like on a Blackberry or in MS Word. Saves tons of time for much used phrases and terms.

1. there are lots of apps that backup .
2. theres an app for that ;)
3.?????
4.yea , it sucks having multitasking , and 3g, and constantly being connected to the internet..... (sarcasm) :D
5.lots of great apps on the market . i have 204 apps on my g1 , all of them wonderful .
6.what do you mean by media management ? because there are lots of great apps for that .
7. again , there are apps for that . YOUR choice of what YOU like.
8. cant say , dont know android 2.0 contact app . on 1.6 , you can press on a tab when viewing contacts and scroll by letter .

1. haven't found one solid full-backup solution that supports the Droid yet
2. No there isn't, not from email attachments :confused:
3. When you get calendar invites from Blackberry or Outlook users, you can't accept them!!
4. There should be a smart/clean way to do this. I have an app called voicerecorder that keeps running itself. Not cool.
6. Like an itunes, something to organize and manage all the media on your computer and load your Droid with it - I'd love to explore your suggestions, I am admittedly new to Android.
7. Maybe I shouldn't trust the reviews then, so hard to find a good app. You'd think the default calling interface would be intuitive enough in itself.

So I guess waiting for Rooting will be key. Too bad.

Replace "business" with "half-wit MBA culture"... I'm a business professional, and my wife's droid meets or beats the iphone I'm currently using for everything I do.

Really? You can do the things I mentioned? I am just trying to be productive for work and have to work with lots of Blackberry users. I am surprised you can do these things or don't run into them.

hondamx525

11-07-2009, 01:30 PM

Well technically, on the iphone you couldnt "close an app" when you wanted to, you could just make it not multitask. I dont think a task manager app is bad implementation in any way, just different than the iphone work around.

There is basically backup for everything, im not sure of anything that would reinstall your apps, but again i think that would come with an itunes like software for the phone if one ever gets created. Right now i think that is what google needs to help out android.

As for vcard, thats a verizon thing right? This being the first android phone for verizon you have to think of this as square one. Yeah blackberry has had it for years, but since it was first intro'd? maybe not.

Hope you can find some solutions to your problems. Android is a great and growing platform, but a few of the things you are mentioning were never claimed to be had by the droid. (v-card, .isc, etc.)
Ahh ok auto text i get it. Dont know if they have an implementation of that you, but i do know there are many different virtual keyboard applications to replace the stock one and some may have it, you would have to ask the developers.

Also, i believe google has been rumored to be working on some music software to add sync to the phones, but for now there are a few sync work arounds with different programs that you can look into.

bravo4

11-07-2009, 01:36 PM

v-cards (.vcf) is a standard that has been around for quite some time, even Windows can display them and Outlook supports them (even Outlook Express).

I just don't have much options on Verizon. And I really just want something to beat the iphone... I think Droid has the potential, it's just so open that it's all over the place in terms of development efforts and organization. I hope that more devices means more support and more development energy. I think we'll get there. It's just surprising that Apple could be so far ahead of the game.

simms22

11-07-2009, 01:37 PM

notxel21

11-07-2009, 01:38 PM

[QUOTE=bravo4;265449]Here are the ways in which the Droid is far inferior and not even usable from a business standpoint (at least for me):

WOW Bravo4!
It's seems for an individual who needs a mobile phone for what you define as being usable from business standpoint, sure didn't you're homework.
It seems as if you're nothing more than an Apple Fanboy! :cool:
Did you just jump on the hype of this phone without doing any research on it or the Android mobile OS?
Did you go to you're local Verizon store and ask a sales representative if all the features you rely on work on this phone and v2.0 at this current point in time?
With time I'm positive that all the things you've mentioned will work with Android 2.0 and beyond, but before you invest in a product I suggest doing a little more footwork, research, and reading before you make an important purchase such a mobile phone for a business professional like yourself. :cool:

bravo4

11-07-2009, 01:44 PM

an app called back up for root users , obviously for root users only , that backs up everything and your apps and restores them too .
astro file manager backs up your apps , doesnt restore them . so does app manager and others . mybackup backs up a whole bunch of stuff .

No root, mybackup doesn't backup everything and people are having trouble with Android

It's seems for an individual who needs a mobile phone for what you define as being usable from business standpoint, sure didn't you're homework.
It seems as if you're nothing more than an Apple Fanboy! :cool:
Did you just jump on the hype of this phone without doing any research on it or the Android mobile OS?
Did you go to you're local Verizon store and ask a sales representative if all the features you rely on work on this phone and v2.0 at this current point in time?
With time I'm positive that all the things you've mentioned will work with Android 2.0 and beyond, but before you invest in a product I suggest doing a little more footwork, research, and reading before you make an important purchase such a mobile phone for a business professional like yourself. :cool:

Not a fanboy, I actually hate Apple and was hoping Droid would stomp it (read above, flamer).
I did research, unfortunately no review goes into sending contacts or calendar entries, had to learn that the hard way (those seem basic too, most phones can do these things, why not android? Silly me, I admit, to think it could at least have 2004 capabilities.)
Wait, does this make you an Android fanboy? :D

notxel21

11-07-2009, 02:03 PM

No root, mybackup doesn't backup everything and people are having trouble with Android

Not a fanboy, I actually hate Apple and was hoping Droid would stomp it (read above, flamer).
I did research, unfortunately no review goes into sending contacts or calendar entries, had to learn that the hard way (those seem basic too, most phones can do these things, why not android? Silly me, I admit, to think it could at least have 2004 capabilities.)
Wait, does this make you an Android fanboy? :D

I'm not an Android fanboy! :cool: (I do love the Android OS)
I'm a Technology fanboy! :D
I've owned IPhone's, Blackberry's, Verizon Samsung sch phones etc, etc... and I've been on every major mobile phone carrier besides AT&T.
I will jump ship in a heartbeat for the next best thing! (I have a loophole that get's me out of paying ETF fees!;) )
I just think you should have probably waited for a friend to be the guinea pig before you made such an important purchase and found out things the hard way. :cool:
That's where I was coming from when I said you probably didn't do you're homework. :cool:

bravo4

11-07-2009, 02:07 PM

I just think you should have probably waited for a friend to be the guinea pig before you made such an important purchase and found out things the hard way. :cool:
That's where I was coming from when I said you probably didn't do you're homework. :cool:

You're right. I should have. Some one has to take one for the team, right? I really don't like the Storm II or BB in general, so what choice do I have on Verizon? I am so tired of dropped calls on AT&T that I had to go to Verizon. It's amazing, no dropped calls! Imagine that... and 3G that actually works. Expensive though.

I'm a Technology fanboy as well, not loyal to anything the best for what I need.

Ward

11-07-2009, 03:03 PM

Here are the ways in which the Droid is far inferior and not even usable from a business standpoint (at least for me):

Hey Bravo4, I'm happy for you, and I'ma let you finish. But Android is the best mobile OS of all time.

bravo4

11-07-2009, 03:14 PM

Hey Bravo4, I'm happy for you, and I'ma let you finish. But Android is the best mobile OS of all time.

I think it is solid and has a lot of potential, but it is in it's infancy and has some shortcomings. It is best to face and overcome these things then be blind to them, IMO.

hondamx525

11-07-2009, 04:05 PM

He was making a joke about kanye west and the VMA's haha.

Ward

11-07-2009, 04:06 PM

I disagree. The fact that you cannot figure out your phone, doesn't mean that it's a bad phone for that specific use. I use my G1 in a corporate env, and have no problems with it. I'm a Network Engineer so I'm constantly sending and receiving emails. Grant it, the BlackBerry OS' of old are better for Corp Structure.

Android 2.0 on your Droid may have some flakes to it due to the UI / Customizations put forth by Motorola, however; you cannot complete discredit the mobile OS because of the Phone Manf's spin on the OS. Look at the Hero/Eris, that phone has multiple scenes used for Work, Social, Personal, etc. As far as everything you said, the only thing I'd really like to comment on is the Apps: Android 2.0 just came out, and it's only on the Droid. So, give it some time. Be patient. The SDK just came out recently anyway, so people haven't had the time to make their current apps compatible with Android 2.0.

Go back to Verizon and get a Black Berry.

He was making a joke about kanye west and the VMA's haha.

rofl

bravo4

11-07-2009, 04:10 PM

Go back to Verizon and get a Black Berry.

Other than not being able to accept calendar invites or import vcards colleagues send to me (sales leads, muy importante if my kids are going to be eating, heh), I would not go back to Blackberry, I like the Droid much better... autotext would be very nice though :)

Sorry I missed that VMA reference, I am pretty tired, been up all night working on my Droid :)

hondamx525

11-07-2009, 04:14 PM

hahaha. Hey man dont mind the haters around here, your complaints are completey valid, even though it was not advertised as such.

Alot of people dont like to hear that android isnt perfect yet, but im sure in due time youll have apps to work for all your needs.

ahugo68

11-07-2009, 04:23 PM

Other than not being able to accept calendar invites or import vcards colleagues send to me (sales leads, muy importante if my kids are going to be eating, heh), I would not go back to Blackberry, I like the Droid much better... autotext would be very nice though :)

Sorry I missed that VMA reference, I am pretty tired, been up all night working on my Droid :)

hmm so you have had the phone for how long? not much more than 24 hrs? how about take a little bit more time and search the market. most of the stuff you are complaining about there are solutions. take some time and do the leg work. i think there should be a rule that you have to use a phone for at least a week b4 you can bash it. BTW my mom is back in the stone age when it comes to technology and she is a real estate agent(relays heavily on her phone) and she was able to figure out how to do EVERYTHING on a HERO which is a heck of a lot harder to learn how to use than the plain vanilla DROID. so please dont bash something before you even learn how to use it. maybe its not the phone but the person using it.

HMMMM this is a reason why i am starting my secret project tomorrow

BTW you could have not bashed the phone but ASKED if any of those things were possible instead of jumping to conclusions

ShdwDrake

11-07-2009, 05:49 PM

WTF? My iphone has NEVER completely restored me. I always lose apps etc because they cannpt be synced.

simms22

11-07-2009, 05:54 PM

WTF? My iphone has NEVER completely restored me. I always lose apps etc because they cannpt be synced.

check in your settings that background data is turned on and syncing is enabled . i have never had it not restore my contacts and apps . the apps are listed , but you have too re download them . (unless you have root , than there are apps to reinstall them )

msheldon

11-07-2009, 06:23 PM

no solid backup solutions
This is a weakness, agreed

no v-card (.vcf) contact file handling
Not entirely true. The contact app exports and imports vcf. I'd guess the weakness is in the integration with the browser/email.

No .ics file handling
Can't comment, I've never used it

You have to have an app just to kill other apps
Nope, home/menu/settings/applications/running services You can kill apps there.

Crappy apps
Way too subjective, I'm not app crazy, but I've already found a few that are excellent. Keeper is a nice password manager, ES File Explorer not only allows me to manage the SD card, it talks Samba to remote servers.

No media management
Not sure what you mean specifically

No auto-text
The on-screen keyboard has it when messaging, but that's the only place I've seen it.

Contact scrolling is lame, I can't jump to a letter section.
If you have a large contact list, a little tab appears at the right that you can drag that "speed-scrolls". Very useful.

ShdwDrake

11-07-2009, 07:01 PM

check in your settings that background data is turned on and syncing is enabled . i have never had it not restore my contacts and apps . the apps are listed , but you have too re download them . (unless you have root , than there are apps to reinstall them )

Oh you mean it backs up your app settings. KK I thought you where talking about the actuall apps because I always have to redownload. (this is when I update since my phone ALWAYS crashes and has to restore).

Iceberg

11-07-2009, 07:02 PM

I just don't see the business mind behind deciding to go from a pure business phone that has it's own laptops to sync with and servers for companies to manage, that's been developed over at least 5 years.

To choosing a FREE OPEN SOURCE GOOGLE software that's still in development and was made for internet browsing.

Sheesh I'd stomp you out in the business world.

DewBob

11-07-2009, 09:13 PM

Bravo4,

I feel your pain. I like you just bought my Droid yesterday. I love the OS, and most of the Apps I can find.

I thought I did my research, and looked for everything I could on the Android OS and the Motorola Droid. It never crossed my mind to see if the Android OS would support ics or vCard attachments from email. (To me it is like having to ask if the new car on the lot has a transmission...)

Anyway, once I realized the issue I began searching specifically for these two issues looking for a work around. What I found were two bugs recorded on Google Code:

vCard
http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=3537&q=email%20vCard&colspec=ID%20Type%20Status%20Owner%20Summary%20Sta rs

ics
http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=1257&q=invite&colspec=ID%20Type%20Status%20Owner%20Summary%20Sta rs#makechanges

I encourage you to go here and vote for these bugs. If we can get enough people voting for them, we can put them on the radar and get a fix sooner rather than later.

Jet

11-08-2009, 12:44 AM

Or it could be that you used your BB for the longest time, and you are now adjusting.

bravo4

11-08-2009, 01:00 AM

WTF? My iphone has NEVER completely restored me. I always lose apps etc because they cannpt be synced.

I never had a problem, destroyed 3 phones (accidentally) and could always restore them 100% perfectly each time, they would look and function exactly as the one it replaced did. Pretty nifty. Quite simple too.

no v-card (.vcf) contact file handling
Not entirely true. The contact app exports and imports vcf. I'd guess the weakness is in the integration with the browser/email.
You are right, but it takes an app and no email/browser attachments. It got me in trouble yesterday when I had to contact someone and was sent their card, can't tell the boss my phone is incapable (would say as much about me), so I had to find a PC in a hurry... on the road, it's harder than you'd think.

No .ics file handling
Can't comment, I've never used it
You never get meeting invites? Must be nice!

You have to have an app just to kill other apps
Nope, home/menu/settings/applications/running services You can kill apps there.
Yeah, but wouldn't it be nice to just exit them somehow from within the app? Like the Storm does or a jailbroken iPhone?

No auto-text
The on-screen keyboard has it when messaging, but that's the only place I've seen it.
Predictive text is not auto-text. Auto text is when you type "dd" and it automatically expands into "Droid don't"

Contact scrolling is lame, I can't jump to a letter section.
If you have a large contact list, a little tab appears at the right that you can drag that "speed-scrolls". Very useful.
Yes, that is VERY useful... took me a while to find it too, sorry

To choosing a FREE OPEN SOURCE GOOGLE software that's still in development and was made for internet browsing.

Yes, I took a risk, now I'm paying the price. I just wanted to support this phone and OS! I'm a bit of a Google fanboy I suppose... and I hate AT&T and not fond of proprietary Blackberry (not using it with Exchange, so it doesn't sync my email, just pushes it or deletes my gmail instead of archiving)

I feel your pain. I like you just bought my Droid yesterday. I love the OS, and most of the Apps I can find.

I thought I did my research, and looked for everything I could on the Android OS and the Motorola Droid. It never crossed my mind to see if the Android OS would support ics or vCard attachments from email. (To me it is like having to ask if the new car on the lot has a transmission...)

Same here. I appreciate your empathy and posting! I felt like I was the only one with these issues.

...I encourage you to go here and vote for these bugs. If we can get enough people voting for them, we can put them on the radar and get a fix sooner rather than later.

I followed your links and voted! Thanks for showing me where to find them! I added them to some Google feature request page, but I was not certain it was just for Android.

Or it could be that you used your BB for the longest time, and you are now adjusting.
Perhaps, but I have only had the Storm II since it came out on the 28th of October. Jailbroken iPhone before that.

I want the Droid to win. Badly. Very badly. But I can't be caught with my pants down at work, if you know what I mean.

paul roberts

11-08-2009, 04:25 AM

I never had a problem, destroyed 3 phones (accidentally) and could always restore them 100% perfectly each time, they would look and function exactly as the one it replaced did. Pretty nifty. Quite simple too.

you need root and nandroid, in fact google should make something like nandroid that does not require root.

msheldon

11-08-2009, 04:37 PM

No .ics file handling
Can't comment, I've never used it
You never get meeting invites? Must be nice!

I get meeting invites, but the in-house calendaring system deals with that, I haven't had any reason to sync to my phone. It sends an SMS 15 min before the meeting so reminders are handled.

afrikasalaam

11-11-2009, 07:54 PM

If you wanted a phone that does what the iphone does to the t, why not get an iphone? It seems like a waste of everyone's time to get a product and then do nothing but complain about it. If you don't like it, don't like it in the privacy of your unpleasable mind. I'm satisfied with Android OS and the personalization and functionality it offers. Many others are as well. On top of that, you can't expect a product that is fairly new to be exactly the same as a product that's been around for some time now. If you're so impatient about your urgent "business needs" then you should have stuck with blackberry or iphone which you seem to love so much. (P.S, android was never marketed as a business minded phone, just very customizable and new)
:eek:

bravo4

11-11-2009, 11:03 PM

If you wanted a phone that does what the iphone does to the t, why not get an iphone?

If they had it on Verizon, I would. The AT&T network coverage where I live is terrible. I wasn't fond of Blackberry without the BES server. I have gotten over everything that I mentioned except for the issues with ending calls (I have the dreaded black screen at the end of calls and it won't wake up for 10+ seconds) and also unable to answer calls from time to time (it just has a gray screen until the incoming ring/call is finished and I miss it), it also locks up sometimes if I am in SMS and a call comes in, I can't switch to the phone or even the home screen to get to the phone. The phone really should be a phone first, if I wanted a mini laptop or multimedia device, I would buy those.

hondamx525

11-11-2009, 11:13 PM

Well the phone first argument definitely wouldnt win for the iphone either so i dont know about all that. But what i do know is that something is probably going on with the droid and 2.0, because i have none of those problems with the mytouch and 1.6.

bravo4

11-11-2009, 11:15 PM

Well the phone first argument definitely wouldnt win for the iphone either so i dont know about all that.

Perhaps, but I never had any trouble with any of my iphones, and I had each model. Yes, I do recall working through some shortcomings, I would be more patient except I really need a reliable phone first. My issues with the iPhone were more the network, it didn't matter which phone I used, I had dropped calls and poor coverage in places I travel for work.

Diviance

11-11-2009, 11:18 PM

I don't understand why the iPhone keeps popping up in Android conversation.

Are we that stuck on a crappy phone?

constellanation

11-11-2009, 11:21 PM

I don't understand why the iPhone keeps popping up in Android conversation.

Are we that stuck on a crappy phone?

i just ignore most of it... its the same thing over and over again... iphone is what it is. love it or leave it. android is what it is. love it or leave it. i choose to love the android.

bravo4

11-11-2009, 11:38 PM

i just ignore most of it... its the same thing over and over again... iphone is what it is. love it or leave it. android is what it is. love it or leave it. i choose to love the android.

I only mentioned the iphone to give a context of what I was previously using, that and the Storm II. I Love the android, except for the calendar and v-card issue (calendar is certainly major for me, I have a time consuming work-around for the v-cards).

However, not having a reliable phone is a deal killer, I've missed several important calls - if I miss a call from some people, I am unable to reach them sometimes as a doctor might be in an operating room calling from a hall phone or something and it's near impossible to get them back on the phone. The whole reason I switched to Verizon was to not have anymore dorpped calls (which it has been good at).

I also have THIS (https://supportforums.motorola.com/thread/16228) issue with not being able to end calls. Unacceptable, IMO. Why is everyone so in love with this device that they ignore the phone usability issues?

ewdi

11-11-2009, 11:46 PM

Answering OP IMO

1. There are some backup apps for Android
2. Hopefully in the future, for now try http://androidcommunity.com/forums/f12/vcards-7896/
3. I'm with you on this one
4.Droid power management are pretty amazing, I have great battery life even with background tasks running. True I wish they put a built-in task manager.
5. Give developers time to catch up with 2.0
6. I was able to sync my iTunes playlists/library using DoubleTwist
7. There is auto correction/guess on Droid, just not editable.
8. I'm with you on this one too

All and all, it's a solid phone but every tech gear have it's shortcoming. I think usability is there, just needs to be accustom to it

constellanation

11-11-2009, 11:50 PM

I only mentioned the iphone to give a context of what I was previously using,

i just meant iphone (and i'm sure the same could be said about some droid fans) talk in general, didn't mean you specifically. and also not sure if it was this thread or another you started, but i think i agreed with some of your points. i know droid's not perfect, and neither is the iphone.

hondamx525

11-11-2009, 11:56 PM

I dont get it are the problems that youre reporting problems on all the droids or something? If not why are you assuming yours isnt a defective phone or something?

That doesnt happen on the other android phones.

bravo4

11-12-2009, 12:05 AM

I dont get it are the problems that youre reporting problems on all the droids or something? If not why are you assuming yours isnt a defective phone or something?

I'm on my second Droid, tried two in the store and know three people with them and they are having the same call ending issues I am. Perhaps it is defective, but that's a pretty extreme defect rate.

6. I was able to sync my iTunes playlists/library using DoubleTwist
7. There is auto correction/guess on Droid, just not editable.

Thanks for the tip, that is awesome on number 6, I was just reading about that HERE (http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2355561,00.asp) also. Thank you.

On #7, I mean auto-text, it inserts text for your automatically from a custom dictionary, as the Blackberry does... saves a lot of time, not the same as auto-correction.

hondamx525

11-12-2009, 12:12 AM

Thats weird. I wonder if its a 2.0 thing then. Ive had my complaints about android but those definitely had nothing to do with the phone app.

devwild

11-12-2009, 10:25 AM

I also have THIS (https://supportforums.motorola.com/thread/16228) issue with not being able to end calls. Unacceptable, IMO. Why is everyone so in love with this device that they ignore the phone usability issues?
For me personally, I'm not ignoring it, it just doesn't bother me enough to toss the phone, especially since this is one of the problems I actually expect to see a fix for. I don't get much voice mail, and that's the only time it really affects me (and not all the time). I'm more concerned about the sometimes-problems with voice quality, though that too, is supposed to be addressed in the December update (I hope).

BaamGetDown

11-21-2009, 07:54 PM

I had to wipe my droid the first night i got it, and my phone downloaded the 20 or so apps i had gotten at that point, all by itself. FYI, don't try to apply an image located on your local network as a background with es file explorer. boot cycle ad nauseum

darreno1

11-21-2009, 09:44 PM

If you want help without people wanting to bash you, try not to come across as a troll. As pointed out already there is a way to end apps but it's usually not necessary as Android handles resources pretty well on it's own. I've had my Droid for 3 weeks and use it a whole lot and haven't had the need to end apps to save on battery. Now, there have been some people with mis-behaving apps that ate up the battery but it's rare. My battery performance has been excellent. Oh and it is a whole lot better than the iPhone 3gs in that regard. Besides there will be extended batteries in a couple weeks.

There is a program called Motorola Media Link that allows for easy kindergarten-like, iPhone-like, Steve Jobs- like syncing. No it's not itunes but it allows for music, pics, video syncing and phone updates. It's free and available from Motorola. As mentioned already you can also use Doubletwist and I heard Media Monkey and Songbird works as well. You call also drag-n-drop to the SD card or remove it.

With today's universal search, scrolling through contacts seems primitive almost primordial like. Hit the search button and start typing from the home page. How hard is that? Or use the google search or speak into the microphone, again right on the home page. If your brain is wired to scroll, then in contacts, simple hit the search button (little magnifying glass) and start typing. You need to get away from that ****berry mentality.

No Android isn't perfect and the Droid isn't a purpose built smartphone like a blackberry. So naturally some features will be lacking but many business users will have no issues with it. I sync to our exchange server just fine and I'm able to go about my work on a daily basis without a hassle. Yeah a specific subset of business users will be affected but tough, they'll just have to wait till it matures more or just stick to ****berry.

The call ending issue is a known problem with some Droids. It seems to happen when on long calls. I haven't encountered it yet though. I'm sure Motorola is aware of it and is working on a fix. Other than that, this phone beats the **** of the iPhone in terms of coverage, call quality and reliability.