New Android user(s) here. Wow...so much to digest....

[locomoconomo]

Hello droid users, my name is James and my wife and I have just entered into the droid-fold. I am moderately comfortable with computing/technology and have been looking forward to adding an Android phone to my lifestyle to see how I might benefit. My wife is a bit more of a technophobe, but she has agreed to come along on my Odyssey to help her gain confidence in todays "Always Connected" world.

Best Buy was offering the Droid Bionic for FREE with new 2yr agreement and I had some gift certificates that bought us a couple of Otterbox Defender cases so we made the plunge.

I can honestly say I've spent the last 6 months earnestly researching the options and it came down to the Razr Maxx or the Bionic. The slight bit of processor speed I gave up and possibly some display quality and real estate were not enough to offset the $2-300 difference between the Bionic and Maxx, so here I am with the phone I wanted and 4gig a month of data usage available and a company wi-fi laptop connection available 24-7 to use as I please. I've been researching apps and familiarizing myself with the phones functionality and I can honestly say that after 3 days of pretty intensive "goofing around", I can see that the learning curve is going to be steep for a bit and then probably level off like a pool table.

I've tried to google things like "what are the top 10 most essential applications for android phones?" and similar, but to tell the truth, there is very little consensus to that kind of search. I discovered instead that the best source of confidence in application viability is by the sheer volume of downloads that a particular theme of application has had. Nonetheless, I would like some opinions from you, the droid faithful, on what applications would best serve a new user. By that I mean, Is there a better dialer/contacts app than the oem motorola bionic app? Should I install some kind of anti-virus? Has anybody here, using Google's Octopuslike linked account craziness found it difficult to add gmail, youtube, yahoomail, facebook etc to thier phone? On Google, I use the 2 step authentication process and I had to learn how to make application specific passwords in order to get my apps to work. Can anyone link me to some tip sites or offer some advice of thier own experience regarding issues with initial phone set up of common applications etc...

I really liked the Smart Actions application available on Razr and was dissappointed to see only some hacked versions available until I found this page;
Smart Actions App - Make Your Smartphone Smarter - Overview - Motorola Mobility, Inc. USA
so I'm looking forward to the Bionic release of that app for sure.

Speaking of Motorola applications, I've not performed any searches as yet regarding ICS for Bionic but if it's available and reviewed, what do you guys think? Will you upgrade? Why should you? Why would you not?

Well, that's about all for now, gotta go play with my Droid and take some HD video of my kids playing in the park to send to GrandMa.

Bye and Thanks,

James

 

[Jungle King 76]

Hello and welcome to avoid and the forum. This a great place to jump in and learn from others.

If you have only had the Bionic for a few days, you could check out sites like letstalk.com because they typically offer phones for $100 less than Verizon. So, the razr is likely free or only $50 and the maxx may be as low as $100. (Haven't looked yet so i am just guessing). Anyway, if you are happy with the bionic, that's great but i just thought i would point out other places that offer low prices in case you were more interested in the razr or maxx.

The learning curve can be steep if it is your first smart phone but as you get the hang of it, it will become easier, especially if you really get into it. Although my wife has had a Droid for more than 2 years and still doesn't know how to really use it. She is happy just using Facebook, email, text, and calling. ;-)

Just like you mentioned, you will not find any consensus on must have apps. You would be better off doing a search based on a specific type of app but even then you will find some variety in opinion.

One app that may or may not be useful is "where's my Droid". This app allows you to track your phone if it is lost or stolen along with other security features.

As for virus protection, i have always used "lookout" but to my knowledge there hasn't really been any significant problems with phones yet. The biggest issue is when you download an app from the market, make sure you read the permissions. Some apps could be designed to use your personal info.

There are other dialers but i have never had the need or desire to use any. Stock works great for me. Although i have heard good things about "contapps".

As far as tip sites, these Forums are a great place to start and then there are several websites out there that offer help but i don't normally use them so i really can't give any insight.

As for ICS, the RAZR and the maxx are getting ICS next month but the bionic won't see it until Q3 (sometime between July and September). I don't think you will find anyone who is not planning to install it when it is ready. ICS is just a much improved version of Android.

The down side is, when ICS comes, you will have another learning curve to get used to some of the changes.



Sent from my DROID RAZR using Xparent Purple Tapatalk

 

[smalltowngirl13]

Hello & welcome James and Mrs. James ...

We are happy to have ya guys and congrats / good luck with the Bionic! The Bionic is a nice device for sure - I had one on release...

Jump in, enjoy, ask questions when ya have them and participate when ya can...we do also have a sister site dedicated to just the Droid Bionic if you wanted to check it out as well Droid Bionic Forum...

 

[LoudRam]

Welcome to the site. The best thing to do is just browse through the market, I mean play store (I hate that name). That will give you an idea of what apps are out there. One of the first apps I downloaded was Call Confirm. It's in case you accidentally press a phone contact as you're scrolling through your address book. I almost did that at 3am when I got my first smart phone. It will ask you a second time if you really want to place the call. The people in your phone book will appreciate you having that app. Again welcome to the site and to Android.

Sent from my HTC Rezound infused with ice cream goodness using Droid Forums.

 

[JSM9872]

Welcome to Droid Forums to you both!! We are happy to have you guys :biggrin:

 

[SFGate]

Welcome to the site. DancingNexus