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I'm pretty much set on T-Mobile as the carrier (though unfortunate that Verizon seems to have "top dog" with the Droid series), priorities are Web, YouTube, and video/picture recording quality, with minimal lag. (1 GHz or better please!) Current choice is the Vibrant, as while I haven't had it compared to the HD2 (slightly larger screen), I understand that the battery life is better than the G2's. Which should I pick for a "media/Web smartphone," or should I hold off until one of the probably-upcoming ones such as the myTouch HD/Emerald or Motorola DEFY, or dual-core CPU smartphones have arrived?

Note: An online retailer is offering free activation on the Vibrant and G2 through midnight Monday, but I'll be willing to hold off if (like with buying a Radeon HD 5000 series) something better in this role is right around the corner.

I have a G2, and its great however after the internal memory debacle and their holding back on the OTA update that improves reception its going back before the end of the buyers remorse period. I would advise caution with any phone made by samsung, after their disastrous performance with their moment 2 on T Mobile you can safely expect zero customer support and future upgrades.

The G2 aside from what I mentioned is an excellent phone, the processor is under clocked to 800Mhz but still out preforms the vibrant. HTC also has a charging regimen that really helped with my battery life for it.

If your technically inclined the HD2 is good because you can tear it down and dump android onto it, and probably WP7 eventually if you want, but if you get a hold of it stock, your dealing with a windows 6.5 phone with HTC sense over it. While it makes it usable you miss out on some of the "fun" of the new apps on android, and future updates and improvements.

Zed Snardbody wrote:I have a G2, and its great however after the internal memory debacle and their holding back on the OTA update that improves reception its going back before the end of the buyers remorse period. I would advise caution with any phone made by samsung, after their disastrous performance with their moment 2 on T Mobile you can safely expect zero customer support and future upgrades.

Ehh, there's a recent update for the Vibrant called the JI6... but anecdote has it draining the battery life faster. I'm aware that it's not going to get Froyo (Android 2.2) for a while, but my understanding is that apparently earlier phones such as the myTouch 3G get priority for the update to 2.2.

Problem with the upcoming myTouch (nicknamed "HD" or "Emerald") is it coming out well after T-Mobile's current "3rd, 4th, and 5th lines on a family plan are free until 2012 if you add before November 2nd!" promotion... I "see" a savings of $120 before tax out of that promotion, see. Amazon's also offering the Vibrant for $99 with a new plan or upgrade, but unfortunately add-a-line is "coming soon." There's several online retailers whose price is closer to T-Mobile's but who're allowing free activation through midnight Monday even for add-a-line.

By the way, is it true that instant messaging counts against the messaging service (i.e. $0.25/message sent or received), or are regular IMs (as opposed to those converted into text messages) part of the data plan?

I second the G2 - haven't had any problems w/ it. Hingegate seems like BS, and it's been confirmed that it actually has 4GB of memory in it, it's just partitioned out and inaccessible (at least until the next OTA or when it's rooted). Internal memory isn't really used for anything but storing settings and applications, and applications tend to be < 2MB at most, and can often be offloaded to the SD card anyway. Supposedly there's an update in the queue that provides tethering and wifi calling. No reception issues in Fairfax County or Richmond, at least not any worse than my G1.

A rooted vibrant can outperform the G2- Samsung's shitty proprietary filesystem kills performance apparently, and Froyo provides a large performance boost.

Instant Messaging is data.

Dunno how to root a smartphone, but if Froyo's going to come to the Vibrant down the line I'd go with that. What about the myTouch "HD" though?

So if I'd be IM'ing a lot, but not sending/receiving text/picture/video messages a lot, then I'm better off going without "unlimited messaging"?

The vibrant is a good phone, but after Samsung's pitiful follow through on supporting their handsets after something new roles out makes wary of trusting them with an OS like android that updates so often.

One thing is the fact that the vibrant is rootable which means one can self-update to Froyo and beyond while the G2 currently isn't. b

Not sure if you've seen these yet, or if you're only interested in Android, but I just thought I'd throw them out there. I own an HTC dash and I'm highly satisfied with their products in general, and WP7 certainly looks good. They should both be availiable October 21st.

Only looking for an Android, but thanks for the heads up on WP7. So far looks like it'll be the Vibrant... final decision should be by tomorrow night, so I'm still taking ideas.

It does appear like the G2 may be perm-rooted soonish, and one can currently install ROMs on the SD card by bindmounting over the real filesystem by using temproot- Cyanogen has successfully made a ROM for the G2, although it isn't out yet.

So really the difference is marginally faster performance on the Vibrant (after rooting and forcing Froyo on, which does void warranty) and a larger screen, lower weight, thinness, and "real" rootability vs better build quality and added heft on the G2, faster official updates, physical keyboard, and a trackpad (the vibrant has no d-pad, trackball/pad, or joystick for precision cursor control).

If you're buying off contract the Vibrant works w/ full 3G on ATT as well should you want to switch to it (although that begs the question WHY?!)

Apparently the Vibrant is physically moddable to get a front facing camera. From the XDA thread there seems to be issues w/ getting Fring to recognize the FFC- modifying the build.prop file causes it to work but breaks swype which is rather essential on a keyboardless phone.

FWIW, my sister is thinking of returning her Vibrant in exchange for a G2 similar to mine, although her experience may improve once I get around to rooting it. Her battery life is pretty bad, but that might just be because of new toy syndrome and constantly playing w/ it. My G2's battery life has been pretty good. They're both pretty good and I wouldn't object too strongly to trading, although I still prefer my G2 (physical keyboard is extremely useful for SSH)

The Venue Pro looks physically pretty. If only it ran Android (ABMer here , although w/ good reason, since Microsoft is notorious for poor interoperability w/ non-microsoft products ) . The processor on that thing is inferior to both the Vibrant and the G2 though.

Edward Yee wrote:I'm pretty much set on T-Mobile as the carrier (though unfortunate that Verizon seems to have "top dog" with the Droid series), priorities are Web, YouTube, and video/picture recording quality, with minimal lag. (1 GHz or better please!) Current choice is the Vibrant, as while I haven't had it compared to the HD2 (slightly larger screen), I understand that the battery life is better than the G2's. Which should I pick for a "media/Web smartphone," or should I hold off until one of the probably-upcoming ones such as the myTouch HD/Emerald or Motorola DEFY, or dual-core CPU smartphones have arrived?

Note: An online retailer is offering free activation on the Vibrant and G2 through midnight Monday, but I'll be willing to hold off if (like with buying a Radeon HD 5000 series) something better in this role is right around the corner.

As someone who's used droid since it first came out on the G1, I love the Vibrant. It's loaded with additional media like a full Avatar copy and a full version of Sims 3, but those are just extra perks. Even with all of the preloaded apps, I haven't noticed any lag time. The HD video recording and picture capabilities are great despite the lack of flash. I found that even in dimly lit settings, the camera was able to take crisp pictures/videos. In addition to that, the camera is now faster when it takes pictures. I did, however, have to become familiar with the new camera set up, but it's nothing you can't adapt to after a few uses.

As far as battery life goes, I find that charging it daily or once every two days is enough; it's really going to depend on how much you use the extra apps (pictures, email, web, etc don't really decrease battery life significantly). It also has a light sensor that will automatically adjust screen brightness, which is helpful in conserving battery life.

Other than that, youtube videos look great as always and email and web are easy to navigate (especially now that it's a pinch-zoom function as opposed to those annoying pop-up buttons on previous droids).

Random notes:

-I love that the mini-USB port has a sliding cover on it rather than a pop-off cap like on the G1; I'm no longer paranoid about my USB port being exposed.
-Yes, Froyo is going to take a while to get to the Vibrant, but it will get here, so don't think of the wait time as a negative.

Hope that helps!

Not to be pedantic, but it's Android, not "Droid" - that specifically refers to the high end Verizon devices that Verizon licensed the trademark for from LucasFilm

Oh, huh, the G2 does have a flash on it. Don't really use the camera though, and the sensor on the vibrant may or may not be better. It does make low light photos possible.

G2 also has a light and face sensor for screen brightness.

All androids running 2.1 or above have pinch to zoom.

Unlimited messaging is unnecessary if you stick to IMs, although I have it anyway on all lines on the family plan so my sister doesn't blow out the limit.

If you're not going to root (missed that earlier), I'd lean towards the G2 due to it being stock froyo and being updated more frequently, and Samsung's spotty record of updates (they essentially abandoned the Behold). The root lock on the G2 won't affect you. Unlike Techno_Union, my sister's experience is that the Vibrant lags- there's a fix, but it requires rooting http://androidspin.com/2010/08/09/guide ... duces-lag/

The article does remind me that there's lack of notification LEDs on the Vibrant as well. The G2 has notification LEDs, but it doesn't seem as obvious as the G1's due to a slower pulsing rate.

EDIT: Oh, and HSPA+ on the G2, getting consistently 2.5-3Mbits down in Fairfax, VA. Not sure how the slower connecton on the Vibrant really changes things though, haven't played w/ my sister's vibrant enough.

Thanks to Techno_Union and Pu-239 for your recommendation, the Vibrant's the plan "of the night."

Zed, thank you for highlighting some of the potential issues, and eion, thanks for bringing up an alternative.

Pu-239 wrote:Not to be pedantic, but it's Android, not "Droid" - that specifically refers to the high end Verizon devices that Verizon licensed the trademark for from LucasFilm

D'oh! Thanks for that catch! Ha, to be honest I forgot about Verizon's Droid when I was writing that response.

Pu-239 also brings up a good point about the LED notifications; that was a favorite of mine on the G1. The "Missed Call" app made that LED light so useful!

The reason I didn't go with the G2, though, was because I didn't like its slide out keyboard. I guess I was used to the larger G1. Figured I'd either want something of similar size or just opt for a pure touch keyboard.

As a sidenote: I went ahead and bought an Amzer silicone skin jelly case for it and of course a different screen protector; they've worked pretty well so far.

Techno_Union wrote:

Pu-239 wrote:As a sidenote: I went ahead and bought an Amzer silicone skin jelly case for it and of course a different screen protector; they've worked pretty well so far.

I'm rather irritated w/ the choice of cases for the G2- the gel cases block the trackpad while the bodyglove case blocks the mechanism causing some wobble. It appears difficult to make a proper case for this phone. I might eventually just go caseless w/ this phone or just get a pouch or something if this annoys me too much.

Pu-239 wrote:I'm rather irritated w/ the choice of cases for the G2- the gel cases block the trackpad while the bodyglove case blocks the mechanism causing some wobble. It appears difficult to make a proper case for this phone. I might eventually just go caseless w/ this phone or just get a pouch or something if this annoys me too much.

That's what I did with the G1. I found a simple pouch was enough to protect it from most things. I'm sure you've already looked, but Amzer has some fairly decent phone cases; I've seen a few for the G2 while browsing for the Vibrant.

A week later, I know, but the phone's finally come in. How long do I need to charge the device for the first time around? (I assume it has the usual "lithium-ion battery means that you have to charge it all the way the first time or battery life is always gimped.")

I honestly would check the owners manual. The old days of "training" a battery where you would run it down all the way and give it a full charge are over, you can damage a battery now from what I've read. Shoot samsung an email and see what they say if you can't find it in the manual. XDA Developers might also have some insight as well, they keep specific forums for each android phone on the market.

Zed Snardbody wrote:I honestly would check the owners manual. The old days of "training" a battery where you would run it down all the way and give it a full charge are over, you can damage a battery now from what I've read.

Ugh, too bad people seem to be split over whether that's "true" or not. It appears that my phone came packaged with an included 2 GB card (microSD), the SIM card already installed and the battery outside -- but it seems to have arrived with a (partial?) charge in the battery, just topped it off. Is the screen supposed to go black when the battery is considered fully charged? So far I'm leaving it plugged in (dunno if topping off is the greatest thing in the world...) Only first-party answer I've gotten was to charge the battery fully, but I'm not sure if that's already happened...

XDA Developers might also have some insight as well, they keep specific forums for each android phone on the market.

Those forum goers are part of the above problem, I seem to get differing answers!

Mindja, the above is while the device is (nominally) powered off. I'd much prefer a percentage indicator instead of the graphical icon, but seeing the "green" (of the large battery icon) dip by a noticeable amount when I unplugged the charger...

Note: Before plugging it in for the first time after inserting the battery, I'd accidentally powered on the Vibrant, before powering it off, leaving it in the charger... after I saw the screen go black I unplugged the thing and powered the Vibrant on briefly, then powered it off and am now leaving it plugged in.

All those batteries are precharged at the factory. Its not an issue.

So just use freely and charge when I feel like? (I might go for moderate, partial charges -- i.e. not going all the way to 100% -- as the norm.)

Still haven't figured out how to interpret the big green "charging" icon (at the center of the screen when charging while the phone is off), or the screen going black after a bit of said icon.

It's a lithium-ion battery, charge it up all the way the first time then after that you can do whatever you want. Try not run it all the way down or store it for extended periods of time on a full charge, both of those things are rather harsh on the battery. Other than that, use it as you please and charge whenever.

Well crap... I didn't recognize that the screen had a 30-second turnoff (i.e. left unattended), so I probably partially-charged it that first time. (It doesn't help that when the phone is off, there's no numerical indicator of charge percentage until it's at "100%"). There's an offered swap of the phone (the seller doesn't carry the battery separately for swap), and I'm almost considering it. On the other hand, after a few minutes the percentage isn't too bad, 23 minutes with wi-fi enabled, watched a few videos and still 98%... that's normal, right?

On top of that, my old phone was on when I first (inadvertently too!) turned on this one, so the number isn't even ported over yet. *Groan*

I'll add that for a bit, when I'd unplug the charger the battery level would immediately drop to 97%, took a few chargings before it'd stay at 100% when unplugged, not sure if that's symptomatic of a bad first charge. (Guesstimating the rate of discharge, I don't know if "about 12 hours uptime with wi-fi enabled" is normal or not.)

Nevertheless, the phone seems to be functional otherwise, and once the number's ported over I'll see how that goes. (If the exchange policy isn't generous, i.e. only a certain number of swaps, I'll just eat the $49.99 for a replacement battery.)

The charge doesn't matter; they precharge them at the factory for this very reason.