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Old 05-22-2011, 07:28 AM   #1
One Country Boy
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Default iPhone Vs Droid

Hey Guys and Gals,

It's about time for the XYL and I to change cell phones (mini computers). We've been using Black Berry's for several years now and really liked them until our last exchange. I'm down to selecting between the iPhone and a Droid. They both run EchoLink as a free app, that's one thing I wanted to know about.

Give me some pros and cons if you have experience with one or both please. I've read that the iPhone is quick to use batteries up. What do you think, which do you prefer? We have an unlimited data plan with Verizon, if that matters.

Thanks.



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Old 05-23-2011, 05:59 AM   #2
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Default Cell phones

Jim:
If you do the research, I believe you will find that the Droid will be the better of the two choices.
NOW, to go a bit further.
The "VERIZON" droid is a more "open" platform than the "AT&T" droid, which means you can get more "APPS" for the Verizon Droid than you can on the AT&T Droid market .
Next, look at battery life, how long will it run before having to re-charge ?
Run time is also related to running Applications, here you have to be careful , some apps are battery hungry will try to run all the time in the background and suck the battery.
Look closely at the "PLAN'S" available, if you shop around you can get some pretty good plans that will allow cross connecting of services ( I and my son Jeff are on AT&T, The XYL and daughters are on Verizon , we can text to either service with no charge anytime but can only cross services on voice after 20:00 or on weekend's) , both carriers have plans that will allow cross servicing anytime on a limited basis (number of people you can call on the other service) you have to set up a list WITH THEM
Model's of droid are also a big consideration, I have the AT&T GALAXY S which I get along with well due to the large screen (fat fingers) , different model's will also use more battery than others.
The bigger the battery the better !

One of the daughter-in-law's has an i PHONE which she likes but she is into music and games much more than I am which is the only reason I can see for the thing.

Hope this help's, but the bottom line is "shop around" , get what you can/will use and ask lotsa questions , don't just go into "RADIO-SHAFT" and let them shove a phone / service on you .

One other thing , be sure to get the insurance on the phones, if one is lost or stolen or has problems they have to replace it not you.
73, John
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Old 05-23-2011, 07:20 AM   #3
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Thanks John, your info is very much appreciated and understood. Many of the things you mentioned, such as battery life is of concern to me.

We were with AllTel until they merged with Verizon in our area. Alltel had great service and coverage. You have to understand that much of the area we travel in is rural. Alltell worked at it until they covered it well. When Verizon bought them, service declined for awhile. They removed cell sites rather than improve them. They have added more now and coverage is good once again, although I enjoyed AllTel much better and their communications skills with customers were much better then Verizon.

We've used Black Berrys for about 5 years now and really have enjoyed them. They have sync'ed well with the software we used on the home computers and the Google Calendar we've started using.

My wife and I both have BB's with Verizon and an unlimited data plan. To get the phone discounts you are required to carry an unlimited data plan and a two year contract. All our family, kids, grandkids brothers and sisters all have the Verizon Plans, so we text, use FaceBook and constantly take photos and share via the phones. If you had told me 8 or 9 years ago I would be into texting, I would have said, "you're nutz." But, here I am and a lot of the communications with the kids is via text messages. I sometimes kick the ground and say, "this is enough !!" I want to talk to my kid, not text him. We also use the calendars, reminders and notepad in the BB's. I don't know how I lived and worked without one before. I know before I retired, it sure would have made life much easier. I have my net schedules in the calendar and my "honey do list".

Wade and Andy can tell you I use the BB for FaceBook a lot also. I still don't have Twitter down pat, but like to get the news from Twitter. I basically want to change phones for the EchoLink capability and one or two more apps that the BB's do not offer. The wifi hotspot is also of interest to me when camping. I used a program with the BB called Teather that really worked well for awhile. With the last BB I got, I could never get it to work correctly. The software writers worked with me and I basically just gave up. They wanted to find the problem and fix it, but I gave up. When camping and no wifi, I could teather my laptop to my phone and it worked great. Verizon wanted an extra $30 a month for teathering and already having an unlimited plan for two phones, that was NOT GOING to HAPPEN. I'm not going to pay a phone bill like I have and buy an aircard for the laptop, so the wifi hotspot will be a nice feature.

After looking at everything, I've pretty much decided on the Droid. Now, "which Droid"? The Droid X? I've got to sort them out and research them now. Battery life is a big concern.

Are you back at home John or still out on the road? Thanks for your help.





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Old 05-23-2011, 09:30 AM   #4
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Back in Indiana Jim, but not too crazy about it.
Spent a good bit of time down there looking at properity's with the intent of re-locating but with Jeff living on the N.E. side of Macon on high ground and the daughter living near Byron (in a hole) the wife want's to be closer to Stacey but I want higher ground there just ain't any DOWN THERE.
Did make an offer on a site (4 acres) in Twiggs county near the Jones line off 57 but someone else made a better offer, so the search is on-going.
Good luck on the cell phone hunt, if I can be of any further help let me know.
73, John
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Old 05-28-2011, 09:29 AM   #5
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I agree with Jim 100 percent. A droid is an excellent phone. (Sent from my Droid)
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Old 05-28-2011, 09:32 AM   #6
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I went ahead and got the Droid X. So far I'm not sorry. EchoLink works real well with it. It's not a small phone but OK to carry on the belt. I really like the larger screen. Still getting used to it.



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Old 05-28-2011, 06:07 PM   #7
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Jim, now you can check out the ham radio and camping applications I've been posting about! http://openroadsradio.net/forums/showthread.php?t=843 It's easier if you navigate to the Open Roads Radio post on your Droid phone, when you click on the links, you can download the applications from there.
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