Twenty-first century digital boy

[drwex]

This weekend we finally took advantage of our freedom from contract slavery to AT&T and bought new phones, with new carrier and new plan. We got Motorola Droids, with service from Verizon.

If you've got experience, pro tips, or favorite apps please share.

The integration with the Google cloud has been nearly seamless and I'm having fun testing out the Google Nav app, which will probably remove my need to get a car GPS/nav system.

I managed to get most of the contact info from the old phone transferred over, though it lost some of the phone type information. Thus if I call your home when I should be calling your cell, I apologize in advance. If you want to leave me reminders of which number is which, or send me wholly new contact data so I can update, that would be appreciated.

(Yes, I know the iPhone is better in some ways, but I dislike the closed/locked approach and I really don't like the way Apple has treated developers in its store. Also, AT&T sucks and I wasn't psyched to re-up with them.)

Comments

[stevie-stever.livejournal.com]

I actually prefer Droid phones now, as I've had a G1 for over a year and I'm switching over to a Nexus One soon. Better treatment of developers, and better app integration(IMO) to native operating system.

And more than one at once

[drwex]

I am liking the ability to flip back and forth between apps as needed. When I was activating Pandora I forgot my PW so I just jumped to the browser, hit their reset pw page then jumped to email to get the confirm message there.

[unseelie.livejournal.com]

am loving my droid; I was geeky enough to hold it out to Amy & Tom Yu as we walked down a peir here in SF; watching the dot "you are here" in my google map - update itself as we walked. it was goooood.

U R A GEEK

[drwex]

:)

Like all GPS it seems to have some problem inside buildings but once I get it outside where it can see the sky it does much better.

[srakkt.livejournal.com]

So, I very much heart the Android Scripting Environment (http://code.google.com/p/android-scripting/). In a nutshell - script for the device *on* the device, in many modern languages, with hooks into the core featureset (SMS, Camera, camera-as-barcode scanner, tilt sensors, touchpad).

SimpleLED is in the marketplace, and makes a much better torch than most of the other apps, which turn the screen white and the brightness all the way up to be a flashlight, which drains battery quickly.

I hear Bump is supposed to be cool, and even tried it, but wasn't thrilled.

I got a different app

[drwex]

B&B droidlight, but I haven't tried it yet.

[rapha.livejournal.com]

Mozel Tauf (or however you spell it, I'm so obviously NOT jewish)

Also, you don't read my music posts

[drwex]

but that's OK, too. Thanks!

"Twenty-first century digital boy"

[gothtique.livejournal.com]

Was that really a Sigue Sigue Sputnik reference???
hehehe
This is why I enjoy having you on my f-list! :-)

Re: "Twenty-first century digital boy"

[(Anonymous)]

No, its a bad religion reference. And it is sad when the very yuppies of song are embracing same.

Re: "Twenty-first century digital boy"

[drwex]

The very yuppies of song?

Re: "Twenty-first century digital boy"

[drwex]

No, sorry, it's a Bad Religion reference:

"'Cause I'm a 21st century digital boy
I don't know how to live, but I've got a lot of toys"

While I will confess to having seen Sigue Sigue Sputnik live once (they were opening for Flock of Seagulls) I have never been that big of a fan.

Sorry to disappoint.

Re: "Twenty-first century digital boy"

[gothtique.livejournal.com]

I know the Bad Religion reference...
but that particular SSS song goes back to the mid 80's...in came up first in the recall... I was young and foolish then, and living in scandinavia. ;-)

Cool!

[taura-g.livejournal.com]

Definitely let me know what you think of these...

There is a pretty good discount on them through my company and I am leaning that way myself.

[davidfcooper.livejournal.com]

Enjoy! I have phone envy, but considering what a homebody I am an expensive calling/data plan doesn't make sense for me. I do love my ZN5's 5megapixel camera which is also in your Droid.

minimalistic

[sweetmmeblue.livejournal.com]

I tried to get the cheapest rate plan. I got one that is just minutes and the cost of the data plan (we are splitting the minutes). We opted out of the text messaging as we don't use it. Also, with phones having IM on all the time text messaging is almost pointless. It will be cheaper to pay by the message than pay the cheapest monthly rate.