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miss_s_b ([personal profile] miss_s_b) wrote2011-01-01 09:18
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HTC Desire: bedding in

Still finding some things frustrating. It's annoying that you really have to plug it in to the computer to do anything substantial managementwise, and having to "root" it to gain permission to get rid of pre-installed apps is bloody frustrating, irritating and pointless - and I still haven't worked up the courage to do it. Battery life is still awful, even after calibration, although extended ones are available... But they make the phone bigger :(

HOWEVER, it has quickly become indispensible; part of the reason why battery life is such a problem is because I am on it constantly. A lot of the things it does I could do anyway on the nokia (Google Calendar, Cricket Scores, news, and Twitter and Facebook were all handled by snaptu, for example, which I still think is a fabulous app) but this just does them better. Things are much more intuitively arranged. And the Swype keyboard app that Andrew recommended is utterly amazing and I love it.

Sound quality for voice recording is much better, and the mike picks up better too, so we're not going to get the problem that thirty centimetres from the mike you can't hear it, but twenty nine centimetres from the mike is distortingly loud - less buggering about in Audacity for the win!

And it still feels pleasing in my hand. And I have found a pleasingly Pratchetesque bingelybingelybeep notification tone on it.

Favourite apps at the moment are the afore-mentioned Swype, last.fm widget, UK Newspapers, Tweetdeck, Google Calendar agenda widget, Google Sky, and Angry Birds. Still trying to sort out a good podcatcher/podcasting app (beyondpod is ok, but functionally crippled once the free trial has run out; am trying RSS Demon at the moment, but if anyone has any recs for a (preferably free) podcatcher...), and would love to be able to get rid of the bastard stocks app, and I neeeeeeeeeeeeed a Dreamwidth app, but am just about surviving without for the moment.

What are your favourite android apps, folks?


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tajasel: photo of me lay in the grass, warm light. (Default)

[personal profile] tajasel 2011-01-01 10:43 (UTC)(link)
If you use Chrome browser you should check out Chrome to Phone - lets you send links etc from browser to phone.

Also slightly addicted to Wordfeud.

Dreamwidth app in the making, [personal profile] exor674 was doing research a bit ago.
ext_390810: (Default)

[identity profile] http://www.nickbarlow.com/blog/ 2011-01-01 10:51 (UTC)(link)
I use Seesmic and Opera Mini, but I think there's a lot of personal preference in browsers and Twitter apps, so what works for one may not work for another.

Advanced Task Killer Free is great, especially with the widget - one press and it kills every running app, so careful placement is useful.

Wikidroid is a great reference tool for quickly looking up stuff on Wikipedia.

(Anonymous) 2011-01-01 12:17 (UTC)(link)
+1 for WordFeud (scrabble clone)
TuneIn Radio (lets me listen to TMS during the early hours)
Endomondo (sports tracking)
VPlayer Beta (watching my divx collection on the move)
Last.fm (great for background music)
IMDb (for those moments whilst watching TV and going what have they been in)
Kindle (reading ebooks)
3G Watchdog (making sure that I don't go over my "unlimited" allowance)
RAC Traffic (not great but helps to see where known delays are)
Flickroid (allows me to Share to Flickr)
c:geo (for geocaching)

Ryan

[personal profile] muffin_nuffin 2011-01-01 14:47 (UTC)(link)
Been wondering about my 3G usage, have downloaded 3G Watchdog. I have also been annoyed when I have to plug in my big clunky radio and headphones to listen to the cricket in the dead of night. The radio app has saved my life. Thanks!!

andrewducker: (Default)

[personal profile] andrewducker 2011-01-01 17:50 (UTC)(link)
Which phone provider are you with? Some provide apps to tell you our usage (Orange does for me).
yoyoangel: (Default)

[personal profile] yoyoangel 2011-01-01 13:55 (UTC)(link)
I use Opera Mini instead of the native browser, and find that I'm happy using DW (and indeed f***b**k) straight from the browser.

I like financisto for budgeting/money-tracking; Seesmic for Twitter; Astrid Tasks for to-do lists and Open Sudoku for making hours disappear.
miss_s_b: (Default)

[personal profile] miss_s_b 2011-01-01 14:18 (UTC)(link)
I had Opera mini on the nokia; am using firefox mobile on the phone at the mo, but it's incredibly slow so may go back to Opera
rhythmaning: (Default)

[personal profile] rhythmaning 2011-01-02 18:51 (UTC)(link)
Personally, I don't like Opera on my phone - it crashes (I have an "old" Android phone, v1.6).

[personal profile] muffin_nuffin 2011-01-01 14:52 (UTC)(link)
The ECB App runs my life when the cricket is on. Marvellous.

WhatsApp is also a useful one, phone to phone messaging over Wifi and 3G.

I find the alarm on the Desire to be utterly useless. Its failure to go off one morning caused me to miss a lecture, so I've downloaded Alarm Clock XTreme. Sets alarms and makes you answer math questions to turn it off.

Because I'm a music nerd, Ive got a Metronome Free and Tuning Fork. Who knows when they'll be useful?

And I use xkcdViewer quite a lot, and Tweetdeck for Android, and ebuddy for MSN and Facebook chats.
miss_s_b: (Default)

[personal profile] miss_s_b 2011-01-01 14:59 (UTC)(link)
Ooooo yes the ECB app is great. I like the way the screen changes totally when you rotate it.

I might go for the alarm clock; I need to select different tones for different things.

[personal profile] muffin_nuffin 2011-01-01 15:11 (UTC)(link)
And when the screen rotates to the scoreboard, if you tap it again you get the bowling stats *geeks out*

The alarm clock is fantastic. I have three alarms and varying difficulties of math problems to wake me up in the morning...
burkesworks: (Default)

[personal profile] burkesworks 2011-01-01 16:29 (UTC)(link)
Hmmm, trust you to think of this while I was contemplating writing about Droids (among other things) in my upcoming public post.

FWIW, TuneIn Radio is so killer it could be Tony Soprano. Check out some of the rock stations, they'll be very much to your liking. And whoever has recommended the ECB app needs to know that that will entail many, many hours of my life that I'll never get back. Right now, cricket is nearly as good as GIN and as awesome as BRIAN BLESSED.
andrewducker: (Default)

[personal profile] andrewducker 2011-01-01 17:51 (UTC)(link)
Oh, and I agree entirely about battery life. It's the main thing I dislike about the phone.
catdraco: (Default)

[personal profile] catdraco 2011-01-02 09:04 (UTC)(link)
How did you get Swype on your Desire? I can't work out how. The Spousal Unit has it on his Galaxy and I think it's rather nifty.
miss_s_b: (Default)

[personal profile] miss_s_b 2011-01-02 10:47 (UTC)(link)
If you follow the link I linked to you should get instructions.
catdraco: (Default)

[personal profile] catdraco 2011-01-02 10:53 (UTC)(link)
Nifty, thanks.
miss_s_b: (Default)

[personal profile] miss_s_b 2011-01-02 10:57 (UTC)(link)
No worries
rhythmaning: (Default)

[personal profile] rhythmaning 2011-01-02 18:48 (UTC)(link)
Tweetdeck - I love this! I have HootSuite and Seesmic as well. They all do different things...

Evernote can be useful, but I haven't really got around to work out how to make it work for me yet!

Note Me is my favourite note app - I've got rid of the others!

Brightness Profiles, ToggleWifi and SilentMode OnOff are really useful small apps - do exactly what they say on the tin.

(Anonymous) 2011-01-03 23:03 (UTC)(link)
I know you say must be free, but I think DoggCatcher is brilliant, but I'm not using much right now due to the aformentioned Tune iN radio and TMS

Gentle Alarm to replace the standard alarm prog

If you like walking check out RMaps,you can put OS maps onto your phone for offline use

Flashlight so you never need a torch again (except when the battery dies)

Speaking of battery, I have bought a £20 bedside charger - charges battery and space overnight - have found the usage settled down over time and the battery usually lasts an ordinary day now as long as I keep the screenbrightness at 13%

(Anonymous) 2011-01-04 13:41 (UTC)(link)
Whilst I don't suggest you do anything illegal, finding "free" copies of most apps including DoggCatcher is possible with a Google search.

Ryan
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