After years of waining enthusiasm and declining returns with my Iphone 3G, I finally had opportunity to abandon the walled garden and lept headfirst into the madness that is Android.
This is that story.
I have been using the Samsung Galaxy S II X (some elegant naming there) for over a month now and while the OS has quirks, the open ability to wring every piece of performance out of the phone more than makes up for it. Unlike the 2 year abandonment cycle I suffered under Apple, the hardware inside the s II x is robust enough to ensure usability until the next upgrade, even with eventual OS upgrades.BROKEN NOT BURNED
While I had jailbroken the 3G in order have access to basic functionality that the 4.* iOS was no longer efficiently managing, Android announces it's open architecture when you first activate it. Running a dual-band GSM/CDMA modem, I can transplant SIM cards as I move from network to network. A handy feature for the occasional traveller this is a amazing convenience for jet-setters.
The first thing I did post activation was install a custom rom in order to root the phone. Only then did I discover there are at least 5 types of Galaxy S II phones and was pretty sure I bricked my brand new phone (note: the Samsung firmware tracks the number times you root the phone, voiding the warranty for realsies).
I was able to recover and install the proper rom for my carrier, fully rooted. There is a plethora of information on the web about the various ROM available for each phone. I am hoping to get ICS installed soon.
NOT YOUR GRANDMA'S PHONE
The UI experience out of the box is confusing and muddled especially in comparison to iOS or Windows Phone 7. Unlike the elegence and instant information available in the Metro interface, or sleek responsiveness of iOS (prior to ver 4), Gingerbread 2.3.5 is an unmitigated mess.Using 3rd party apps to customize the home screen (widgetlocker) brings the experience closer to iOS but I found myself aching for the livetiles and feedback found in Metro.
In exchange for a cluttered unintutive interface, the Android OS is an endless toy for a tech noodler. Like old school PC gaming, those who like to noodle will want to dive deep into wringing ever bit of performance of out the device.
EVERYTHING AT A COST
While a dual-core ARM processer running at 1.5 GHZ is impressive and far above the specs of the iPhone 3G or the LG Optimus 7, the battery takes a beating. The stock 1850ma battery lasts 4-6 hours of normal use as long as normal use includes an app that disconnects the "4g" modem when the screen locks and screen brightness reduced to minimum. I was able to extend that by turning notifications off completely and using Juice Defender to control all connectivity and screen options.
The screen is spectacular-bright and colorful, with deep blacks and no discernible off-angle for viewing. The touchscreen is responsive and accurate with little of the hitchs and staggers that plague most Android phones. Combined with the high download speeds of the "4G" modem (on Telus it's really just dual HSPA+ not LTE) the screen comes at a painful cost. I had gotten used to eeking out 8 hours of battery from the Iphone 3G and carried a charging cable everywhere, but it was not an experience I wanted to repeat. Fortunately for me, the open nature of Android offers another leg up on Apple: removeable batteries.
BATTERY, BATTERY, WHEREFORTH ART THOU?
After some dedicated research on Amazon (I had been burnt by a case purchase that was the wrong make) I settled on an aftermarket 3000ma battery. It came with a custom back cover to allow for the larger bulge protruding from the lower half of the handset. Made from a similar, cheap feeling thin plastic, both the stock and aftermarket covers are excellent excuses for a case. Dropping the phone on the carpet popped the battery loose more than once.
Intuitively, the larger battery results in double the life, enabling me to watch Netflix on the commute over "4G". The stream looks and sounds great, leaving me with low teens worth of battery when I hit the front step. Luckily I usually have a back-up ready to go. There are a ton of inexpensive third-party batteries and chargers available, to the extent that I don't see charging by wire happening except in the car, if necessary. To be honest, swapping batteries on the go is strangely empowering.
IMA CUT YOU
While Angry Birds is free* (ad-supported) on Android it is the least of the gaming opportunities avaiable. As a fan of the Dead Space console/Pc games, I wanted to give the mobile version a spin, and glory, is it good. Though the phone gets warm with extended use and the battery life drops 1% per minute of play, the game itself looks and controls great. The larger screen on the s II x spread the touch controls out, and the graphics look like early PS2 in the environments and enemies, but the main character is insanely detailed. Atmospheric and tense, it plays as Dead Space should, with mobile suited checkpoints.
It is impossible to overstate how kludgy and complicated Android is as an out-of-box experience. My wife, a WP7 user, instantly got gadget envy over my new phone, and when I handed it to her, could not figure out how to make a call. The only saving grace are the deep options to customize the phone, making it entirely unique and personal, an experience Apple tries very hard to prevent.
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