Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with Droid

Phone upgrade from Droid Razr?

DeltaForce — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 05:41:29 -0800

Phone upgrade from Droid Razr? I have a Droid Razr that is about a year old. I have just about had it with this phone, as very few things work on it as it should. It seems like it got good reviews, so I am wondering if maybe it's just my phone.

When texting, the keyboard will randomly freeze up and force me to replace the last word I typed in order to continue. Videos take forever to load, even with 4g, when others next to me have no problem. The browser is glitchy. I don't know if it's the website's fault, but Facebook, Youtube, and Yahoo are impossible to navigate. The battery life is laughable.

So is it time for a new phone? Is the iPhone 5 really an upgrade? Have phones improved in any noticeable way just in the past year?

Looking for a smart phone or laptop app to control my Vizio "smart" TV

filthy light thief — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 09:35:29 -0800

What options do I have for an alternative remote for a Vizio smart TV (streaming Hulu/ Netflix/ Facebook access, model SV472XVT)? Is there a Droid app, or a way to use Bluetooth to access the TV? My old remote died, and the side access buttons are cumbersome to say the least. Thanks!

Google Play music alternative?

thrasher — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 10:49:48 -0800

Can I access my music in the Google Play Music cloud with something other than the Google Play Music app? I compared Google Play Music, Amazon's cloud thingie and the iTunes cloud thingie, and decided to try Google since it's free for 20,000 songs. I have 17,000. Uploading them all to the cloud is taking a while but should be done today. The app on my Droid 1 phonekeeps freezing, forcing close, and generally making my phone run very slowly, not to mention the fact that it's not showing me everything I actually have in the cloud. (And when I tell it to refresh, the app forces a close.) Is there another app I can use to access my music in Google's cloud?

(on Verizon, still have an unlimited data plan, phone is running Android version 2.2.3. Let me know if the kernel version, baseband version or build number is of any use.)

Droid DNA drivers

Chocolate Pickle — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 14:20:36 -0800

I just bought a Droid DNA from Verizon. I took some pictures and want to transfer them to my Win7-64 system via USB, but I can't figure out how. There seems to be a driver or software package needed. Where do I get it?

Reccommend me a great music dock

Aizkolari — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 12:39:13 -0800

Please recommend me a dock/speaker solution to play music from an iPhone 4s and Android devices as well. I want to get a dock and/or speaker for my girlfriend to listen to music in her kitchen. She has an iPhone 4s and I plan to get a Nexus 4 or Galaxy sometime next year. In order of decreasing importance, I'm looking for the following from this device:

- Works with iPhone 4s
- Decent sound quality
- Works with Android devices
- Attractive form factor/appearance.

It would be awesome if it had a usb port for changing phones off of as well. The source for sound here will probably be Spotify much of the time, if that matters.

I'm open to Bluetooth, Wifi, or dock solutions and my budget is $100 but I could go to $150 for something really awesome.

She does not plan to upgrade to the iPhone 5 super soon so the thunderbolt issue should not be huge. As a pony request if this thing had a USB port to charge phone off of that would be great too.

Syncing gmail contacts

latkes — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 06:55:43 -0800

Help syncing contacts to gmail, in prep for an iphone to droid switch. [Asking for my ladyfriend, will pass on follow-up questions to her.]

iTunes, iPhone users, I need tech help. In preparation for the new phone arrival, I have been trying to make sure that all of my phone numbers are synced to my gmail contacts, so that supposedly, they will just show up on my new droid phone once I set up my google account there. I have synced my contacts via ITunes, and most of my phone numbers show up in my gmail contacts, but not all. I have a bunch of phone numbers on my phone that are for some reason not showing up in my gmail contacts, even when the name on the phone is the same as the name in gmail. Why? And how do I fix this?

And I have googled ,"Some iphone contacts not syncing to google contacts", and tried lots of things including setting up a new exchange account on my phone associated with my gmail account and then syncing again, as per suggestion on Google help forums. No Luck.

Also, when I have a person with 2 phone numbers, like a cell and a landline, on some of them it syncs both numbers, and on some, it only syncs one.

Jump on the iPhone bandwagon--maybe

sandra194 — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 09:27:20 -0800

Thinking about getting iPhone 5 for Christmas--currently have Droid 3 with Verizon and contract not up--6 months left. Do I have any purchasing options other than paying $600+ for the new iPhone? Should I pay to cancel current contract and start a new one and get phone at a discount? Other thoughts?

iRegretful?

julthumbscrew — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 18:47:01 -0800

Current Droid Charge user. Contemplating a move to my first-ever iPhone. Mistake? (Note: price is not a concern - work pays for it - and I'll be on Verizon no matter what.) I currently have a Motorola Droid Charge. Other than a few annoying issues (it's huge, the battery life is crap, it's semi-flaky when switching between 3G and 4G modes), I've really liked the phone, the network, the interface, everything. HOWEVER! My boyfriend has an iPhone. Everyone at work has an iPhone. There are billions upon billions of apps/cases/accesories for the iPhone. I am concerned that, by continuing to use a Droid device, I'm basically clinging to a Beta VCR in a VHS world. My questions for you, Hive-dwellers:

- Are there any basic, non-esoteric tasks which are possible on a Droid which are NOT possible on an iPhone? I am afraid of getting an iPhone and winding up thinking "holy crap, I can't believe this stupid thing can't do _____!"

- Are there any non-OS-related limitations to the iPhone that I am unaware of? I've never really used Apple products/support/anything. If I am going to move over to the dark (well, bright-white) side, I want to know if there are any ugly aspects of it that I'm unaware of.

- What sort of things might I be able to do as an iPhone user in an iPhone-centric world that I CANNOT do as a Droid-person? If there's a whole world of amazing iPhone-only crap that I'm unaware of, that'll help sway my decision.

Thanks, Mefites!

Time for a new Droid?

mudpuppie — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 09:06:18 -0800

Android question: Despite the fact that it is now owned by the Google itself, Motorola has decided that my Android (Atrix 4G) will not be upgraded to the Ice Cream Sandwich OS (which isn't even the most recent OS). Is it time to change phones? I'm generally happy with my phone, but I feel a bit cheated that the manufacturer is withholding its full functionality from me. My only major complaints with the phone, aside from the lack of upgrades, are

its keyboard is difficult for me to use accurately
when the phone sleeps, the wireless does too, and it sometimes takes 20 seconds after waking it up to get either a wireless signal or data connection (this is a Known Thing with the Atrix)
camera quality is so-so

I'm not sure whether it's worth shelling out a couple hundred bucks (contract extension) for a new phone. I guess I'm looking to be sold one way or the other. If I were to get a new phone, how would my experience improve? And which would be the best bang for the buck, in terms of current experience, and longevity? I'm happy with the Android platform and have no intentions of going iPhone, by the way.

I'm normally not one of those people who needs to have the newest and latest toy, and I'd generally keep this one around until it wore out, but the upgrade thing is kind of pissing me off.

Best headache-tracking app?

twoporedomain — Fri, 28 Sep 2012 11:39:13 -0800

Recommendations needed for the best headache-tracking app. I'm relatively new to getting headaches. My neurologist has ruled out big scary problems, but I would like to try to find some patterns in the possible triggers. Please recommend me the super best app (droid, preferably free but will pay if it's great) for tracking as much info as possible - triggers, treatments, weather, anything else I haven't thought of.

Any other advice you can think of in terms of how to learn to prevent or treat headaches is also appreciated!

Need Help on Navigating Smart Phone Plans

snap_dragon — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 13:32:34 -0800

I am looking for advice on finding the best smart phone deals. I have an old clamshell phone. I need very little for myself...not even texting though want the occasional use of apps. I am currently moving to Denver and may switch from AT&T though my wireless and phones are bundled and very cheap ($90/mo for our two cheap phones and wireless for home though that would change *a lot* with upgrades?). I am really confused on what the hell is a decent deal. I don't make many calls whatsoever but my wife will be calling family or perhaps using Face Time/Messaging via an iPhone if we can afford. We don't need the newest and best phones but am not sure where to start for packaging costs, especially as we may do wireless separate once we get to Denver. Any thoughts on how you would go about this, where you would buy a phone (new or refurb), deals that have worked for you (assuming you don't use the phone for a lot but still want the options of some of the apps). iPhone? Samsung? Razr? Carriers recommendations? I want to go as low $ as possible but not make a stupid decision out of pinching the hell out of the pennies.

Can I use a French sim card with my Droid Razr?

mollywas — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 17:05:03 -0800

Can I use a French sim card in my Droid Razr? I'm moving to Paris for a year, and was planning on buying a French cell phone while there for texting and calls and bringing my Droid Razr for using wifi, reading books, and listening to music. Today I got an email from Verizon saying that Razrs now are global capable, which googling tells me means that they can work with GSM. My phone is currently running Jelly Bean and has the option to switch over to a GSM network mode- does this mean that I'll be able to buy a French sim card and have it work with my phone? If so, do I have to unlock my phone first, or can I just switch out my Verizon sim card for a French one?

I'd rather just bring my smartphone and use it there than having to carry around two different phones all day. I did try calling Verizon and Motorola's customer service lines, and neither were very helpful nor informative. Using Verizon's global roaming plan for a year is definitely not an option for me as well.

Smart Phones at Virgin Mobile

maxwelton — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 15:47:23 -0800

My wife and I are going to swap our elderly "regular" cell phones on Sprint for smart phones on Virgin Mobile. My wife is going to go with the Optimus Elite. My question is this: Can it possibly be worth it for me to go with the less expensive iPhone ($550) over the highest-spec Android phone (the Evo V 4G at $300)? I have no Apple devices and use Windows on my regular machines. I'm 95% convinced about the Evo but would listen to arguments about why spending twice as much will give me twice as much usefulness/pleasure. (I do inherently dislike the Apple business model.) Also would be interested in learning that no-matter-what, the Evo is a bad idea.

I use my phone only when I'm out and about, I definitely don't live on it. I'm looking forward to being able to use data-based stuff like maps and the web, if I take a photo with the on-board camera I'd be using it online so the difference between 5 or 8MP doesn't matter at all. That said, if the camera in the evo is just total junk, that's not cool.

My phone would need to have a service life of a couple of years, at least. The idea of running down to the phone store because a new model comes out is laughable to me, so I try to get something decent to start with.

I'm a programmer, so rooting a phone doesn't sound intimidating, but am not sure it's a requirement to be able to do so.

Should I replace my Droid Charge

token-ring — Fri, 25 May 2012 17:40:11 -0800

I got lemoned once, Should I upgrade my phone again? Is the grass as green as it looks? Android phone questions ensue. [ramble]

Last summer I got my first smart phone, a Droid Charge, on the day it launched. Initially everything was fine, but life went downhill from there. For the first seven months a good portion of the hardware didn’t work until android 2.3 was finally released to the Droid Charge. Even after the upgrade the OS was buggy, slow, and had a tendency to crash and restart the phone a few times a week. A bit after I got mine Verizon pulled the phone from its shelves for a few months because it was preforming so terribly; this was a strong indicator to me I bought a lemon. People could never hear me over the phone; they said it sounded like I was far away. Every time I went in with this problem Verizon’s solution was to do a factory reset and due to a bug with the phone each reset did not carry my settings and apps over. Instead Google would treat it like it was another phone and not restore my settings. Finally when the screen would only display everything tinted blue Verizon sent me a replacement phone. It’s been generally working hardware wise. But it seems there is no prospect of updates or bug fixes in the future, which it desperately needs. It’s the phone Verizon and Samsung want to ignore. The third update it got even removed functionality. During daily use the phone feels slow, and is constantly low on RAM just maintaining the OS and software it came loaded with, and has a tendency to kill background apps and clear the home screen to clear enough RAM to run an app. Every time I quit any app the home screen is blank for 5 at least seconds until the phone recovers. Since this is my first smart phone I don’t know how much of this is standard and how much is just this particular model phone. It seems everyone else is having a much better time with their phones, and that this phone was basically a $250 mistake.

There is an upgrade on my plan that I can borrow from another line that won’t need it. I have been looking at phones the last week and there are two phones I think I would like, both of which have been out long enough to make it seem like they are not the flop the Charge was. I was thinking about either the Razor Maxx or the Galaxy Nexus. I am worried that I will spend the money to upgrade the phone, get the accessories for it, and then find it’s no better than what I have now. I also feel bad about getting another expensive phone when I already have one. I don’t want to throw more money down the drain. It seems the newer 4G phones are faster and have more RAM, along with way better software support. I expect the Nexus and Razor will receive way more support since one is developed by Google and the other’s company just got bought by Google.

[/rant]

So mefi, I am very frustrated right now (I have another replacement on the way since a button just broke on this one) and there is the possibility of an upgrade and I want to know how much of an improvement would I see if I upgraded? What phone do you recommend? Or am I better off calming down, sticking it out, and saving the money? I would like to stick with Android and I know newer and better phones come out all the time, so whatever I get will be outdated shortly, but I just learned being newest it not always best.

So, then, which IS the droid I'm looking for?

azpenguin — Sun, 13 May 2012 08:21:20 -0800

Starting a new job and I am being given a smartphone. Or, actually, $100-$150 to buy a smartphone. My plan will be unlimited on Sprint. What phones do you recommend? So I start a new job tomorrow (yay me!) and the owner says he would like to offer me a smartphone. (Yay again!) He said that he will give me $100-$150 and let me go out and choose a phone. I will not be contacted very often by work, but this way I will at least have access to email. (A former co-worker, who got me this job, says they almost never call her during non-work hours. It's pretty much a case of the company has a phone plan and they can add additional lines cheaply, so, hey, why not. She has attested to the awesomeness of the owner. In other words, the phone is a genuine perk, not a leash.)

This will be on Sprint. I would love to go iPhone, but at this price range that's flat out. I've been impressed by the newer Android phones. Storage space and the ability to do things (add apps, ringtones, move files, etc.) without having to root the phone is a big plus. So, whatcha think?

Best set-and-forget ROM for Droid Eris?

ChrisHartley — Sat, 12 May 2012 18:13:51 -0800

What is the best (fast, stable) 3rd party firmware for the Droid Eris? My wife is frustrated by the laggy nature of her Droid Eris. Would installing a 3rd party ROM help make the phone feel snappier? If so, what ROM would you recommend?

Her primary uses are texting/emailing, making phone calls and playing a solitaire app. I would be the one doing technical support for the phone and while I have a strong Linux background I have no experience with smartphones and no desire to fiddle with bug fixes after flashing.

Help me pick a new phone.

zephyr_words — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 15:07:07 -0800

Long time AT&T iPhone user. Switching to Verizon. Help me wade through the sea of non-iOS smartphones. I moved to an area that has almost no AT&T service. I've been using the iPhone since the first generation and currently have the iPhone4.

Verizon is basically the only game in town. I shaved down a tmobile sim card and still have terrible service. The iPhone is factory unlocked so I'm just going to sell it on eBay. The iPhone5 will probably be out in less than 6 months but I don't have much desire to stay with iOS when the device seems so inferior to similarly priced phones.

SO, that brings me here. I know nothing about the droid phones. I plan on rooting whatever phone I get.

I just want to know which one is really the best for the money. What phone do you like? Why?

The sea of reviews really havent clarfied anything for me and I don't live somewhere where I can easily go play with each phone. Does the Samsung galaxy nexus really offer that much over the x2 which I could get for $150 less? Etc...

Thanks!

Droid 4 Camera Quality & Third-Party Apps

soleiluna — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 11:54:06 -0800

Upgrading my phone: I'm debating a Droid 4, but I'm a bit nervous about the mediocre reviews of the camera. Will a third-party camera app improve the photo quality? I love my physical keyboard. I strongly dislike typing on iPhones & touchscreens, which is making it tough to find a new phone. I've had a super-old original Droid for years, and it's been time to upgrade for a very long time. The features I love about my decrepit outdated android phone: the high quality of the GPS navigation and the physical keyboard.

But...I'm jealous of the great photos my boyfriend takes on his iPhone. I just hate the lousy reception he gets, and when using it, it's annoying to not being able to hammer out a ton of text messages or emails without constantly needing to correct what I type.

My job duties include social media, and a fair amount of both indoor rehearsal and low light performance photography. It would be nice to be able to rely a bit more on my phone's camera for those moments during rehearsal or backstage that need to be quickly captured even if my DSLR isn't available. I'm not necessarily looking for something super hi-res, but I simply want a phone with which I can take pictures that don't scream "crappy cell phone pix." I am primarily interested in having realistic (vibrant, even!) color, some semblance of low-light capability, and an acceptable lack of blur amongst movement in photos. For the sake of this question, I don't care about various stylized filters.

Other misc. info: I'm on Verizon. I own an iPod touch already, so I've got many of the iPhone features I like already available.

Does anyone have experience with the Droid 4's camera quality? Forgive my technological ignorance, but will a third-party app such as Camera Advance or Camera360 Ultimate improve the photo quality in both general use and the specific criteria I list above? Is there another phone you'd recommend altogether?

(Previously.)

Verizon Smartphone Upgrade: Drioid 3 vs Samsung Stratosphere vs Droid 4

filthy light thief — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 13:04:29 -0800

Upgrading smart phones with Verizon, January 2012 edition: moving from an original Motorola Droid and a Droid Eris, and unsure how critical 4G LTE and Super AMOLED are for phones we'll have for another 2+ years. More thoughts inside. My wife and I have (relatively) old smart phones - I have an original Motorola Droid with keyboard, and my wife has the touchscreen-only Droid Eris. We're eligible for upgrades now, and I've been watching news about the Droid 4, which sounds like the best of all things (4G LTE, Super AMOLED Advanced screen). But today I saw $250 is the (tentative) minimum advertised price for a phone + 2 year plan. Plus we're on a family plan, so it might actually be more, given the pricing I've seen on some other phones.

My wife and I are keen on pull-out keyboards, so the other alternatives are much more affordable: 1. Samsung Stratosphere (4G LTE, but "dated" WVGA Super AMOLED with 800x480 resolution, vs 720p HD displays available)
Price: $99 w/plan through Verizon, or $49 for a Certified Pre-Owned phone + plan through Verizon; or $39.99 from Amazon Wireless with Verizon plan

2. Droid 3 (soon to be discontinued, 3G, but qHD Display with 960x540 resolution).
Price: $99 from Verizon with plan; $19.99 from Amazon Wireless (backordered currently)

Questions:
1. is the improved resolution or 4G LTE that key for our relatively casual use? We don't watch movies on our phones, we just play games, browse the net, text and send the occasional email.
2. Might Amazon Wireless offer the Droid 4 for a discount off of the $250 minimum advertised price?

Droid won't load web pages on open WiFi connection

mudpuppie — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 11:01:45 -0800

Probably a stupid Droid question: My Motorola Atrix will connect to open (unsecured) WiFi networks, but I am unable to load web pages. Can't even perform a simple Google search. There must be an option somewhere that I can't locate. Any ideas? I've been thinking all along that it must be a phone option. But now I'm wondering if it's a browser thing. I'm using the Dolphin browser., but I'm not seeing any options related to open vs. secure networks. Any tips?

Please no lectures about security. It's not something I do very often and I don't connect to open networks automatically. But every once in a while, you need to Google, you know?

My Droid is low on space. What? Halp.

Eyebrows McGee — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 17:43:39 -0800

Android phone error: "Low on space -- Phone storage space is getting low." Help? My HTC Droid Incredible keeps giving me a message that it is "low on space." When I click into the app manager, I see:

All: Internal storage: 315 MB used / 435 MB free
On SD Card: SD card storage: 1.3 GB used / 516 MB free
Running: RAM: 246 MB used / 118 MB free

This seems like enough free space? I mean, 1/3 of the RAM is free, there's more free than used internal storage wise, and there's around 1/4 of the SD card free. (Probably I need to clear photos from the SD card again.)

Android version 2.3.4

In the past I have been able to fix this by going through and clearing data from various apps, particularly facebook, but this is a very annoying error, I don't understand why it's there, and I'm tired of clearing data. (Sometimes clearing data clears account info and you have to start from scratch.)

Searching online turned up the fact that there IS an error, and that clearing data from apps will make it go away temporarily, but no info on why there's an error or how to fix it.

You know what? The App for That sucks.

oflinkey — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 14:26:54 -0800

Help me not hate my iPhone. Help me not really, really fucking hate this phone.

I have read a few of the threads about switching from Droid to iPhone 4S, and while somewhat helpful, I have already made the jump. I did so because the battery life on Droids is abysmal. It really is. I had an original Droid, family members had different variations of Incredibles and X's , X2, etc., and I had a Razr for 5 days. All versions had crap for power, especially the Razr, and I wanted so much to like that phone.

I made the switch despite loving the Android OS, and knowing the iPhone is not generally customizable in the same ways. I have certainly used friends' phones and played with the ones in the Apple store, and I have and iPad. I figured, hey, I like that, so maybe I will like the phone. Maybe I should have thought that through a bit more.

I am not inclined to jailbreak the phone just yet, as if it weren't for bad luck, I would have no luck at all. I can easily see a bricking in the future. But it is not out of my head entirely. Anyhow, I would like help with the following few things, realizing that for some or most of them, I am more than likely SOL:

*I currently use Mapquest to replace my beloved Google Navigator. What app, paid or free, is closest to this? I realize none will replace it. I hate that I put in a request and it gives me results across the country.

*If I text my sister using the Message app and put the phone down, still in-app, I do not get a notification sound when she replies. And here I thought phones were supposed to tell me when someone was trying to contact me. So, is there another option which will tell me, whether or not I am in the app, when someone has texted me?

*Same for mail.

*With Droid, WeatherBug found me via GPS and told me the weather where I was. iPhone WeatherBug wants me to input locations. Is this it? Done?

*Am I somehow missing some way to get the temperature displayed on my lock screen? (see above)

*I really do not need to know the stocks. I would like this to go away.

Some of this might fall under a "Tasker" heading, where I would normally be tweaking my phone to do certain things. I know a "Tasker'" app is not currently possible on the unbroken iPhone (so no notifications at certain times of the day/in certain locations) and some of the things I miss are things the iPhone does not even have (a customizable front-facing notification LED).

I really did think the iPhone was going to be better, and after having the Razr for a few days and seeing that the battery life is not improved over previous phones, I have to stick with it. Please help me out with any advice, and anything else you think is going to make the phone work is the smooth manner everyone always seems to talk about . I thank you in advance.

Demystify podcasts

biscotti — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 13:37:55 -0800

I have a long (11 hour each way) drive coming up (NY to NC) next week. I am a pretty seasoned distance driver (many two-day TX to Toronto drives), but I am going by myself (with 2 dogs) and I need something to keep me sane and awake. I would love to have some This American Life or CarTalk or the like podcasts to listen to but...while I am nothing like a tech/net n00b, I confess that I don't really know how this podcast thing works to get past episodes. Please hope me! I have an iPod Nano and a Droid X smartphone. I would also appreciate suggestions for audiobooks (funny, thriller, mystery, scifi, British a plus - PTerry and Harry Potter are already planned for) although there have been several great threads about those that I am mining.

TL:DR version: help me figure out how podcasts would best work with the equipment I have, especially for "back issues," and suggest what I might like to listen to. Go!

All micro usb cables are not created equal?

de void — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 11:05:02 -0800

Why does the motorola branded micro usb cable that came with my droid phone both charge *AND* transfer data, but generic micro usb cables will only charge the phone? Recently got a Motorola Droid phone. It included a motorola-branded micro usb cable. I can use it to charge the phone and also transfer data back and forth between the phone and a computer.

I just bought some cheap, non-branded micro usb cables to sprinkle around home and work so I'd always be able to charge the phone. However, I've noticed that the non-branded micro usb cables will NOT transfer data, only charge.

Both cables appear to have the same number of metal contacts on each end.

So what gives, why does the motorola cable allow data transfer and the generics do not?

What Droid apps are we looking for?

sandra_s — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 08:33:03 -0800

My SO and I each have a Droid X2 on with grandfathered in unlimited data plans. Waht cool games and apps can take the bes advantage of this? We'd like to find games we can play together, either sitting next to each other or apart. Are ther any FPS games that will do that? Anything that will take advantage of the gyroscopic features?

Really recommendations for anything (doesn't have to be a game) that allows us to use our Droid X2s TOGETHER to their fullest would be appreciated.

Thanks, gang!