Droid noob question

[ArkRoyal]

To start, I should let you guys know that I'm a total smart phone and droid noob. Until recently I was set on purchasing an iPhone 4

However, I had the chance to play with a Samsung Galaxy S (Vibrant) (Carried by Bell in Canada) and was really impressed. So much so that I'm now considering abandoning my iPhone 4 plans.

I know droids allow for a lot of customization, but how much exactly? Could I change the colour of the top banner that has the battery info and signal strength for example?

 

[LifeIsABeach]

That is the least of what you can do. You can literally customize anything. Here is a 100-page thread conatining many screenshots of people's desktops. You wouild never know they were all using the same phone/os.

http://www.droidforums.net/forum/dr...s/717-screenshots-peoples-droid-desktops.html

 

[brando56894]

Currently it depends on what phone you get. The phones have to be Rooted to modify/customize most things since you need to edit system files to do so and by default you only have write access to your SD card.

IMO the phone with the best customization is the original Droid, its what I have and its awesome but the stock hardware specs are kind of crappy compared to the most recent phones but overclocking will make up for the slow processor. If youre brand new to android Id say get a high end phone and wait because it will most likely be rooted in the near future, in the mean time while youre waiting read up on what rooting entails and learn about the Android OS itself.

AFAIK With the iPhone then only things you can customize are the notification sounds and the desktop icons, if your willing to take your time and learn stuff you can essentially customize anything from changing text colors to actually implementing new features in the OS (very hard though since you have to edit the source code, which is way above your level im assuming)

 

[huskerkate]

most of the ability to customize comes through rooting and installing custom roms. (that being said, from what i've been able to discern from playing with friends' i*hones, even a stock android unit allows for a lot more customizing.) rooting the D1 is well established, and there are tons of roms and even more themes out there which allow for all sorts of customization. but like the previous poster said, there are some newer phones out recently with a little nicer hardware and memory/cpu's. being rooted, and running custom roms, i'm perfectly content with my D1.

but, the Droid X has been rooted, and koush and birdman are pretty close to hacking the bootloader altogether, which should pave the way for custom roms in the not too distant future. also, i know p3 is working on roms for the galaxy (i'm pretty sure).

overall, because Android is an open source code, if you want the potential for customization, you're MUCH better off going with a higher end Android device (D1, X, Incredible), IMHO...

 

[ArkRoyal]

Thanks for the replies!