The great "Help with switching from iPhone to Android" thread • Non-Gaming • Mobile Phones • Eurogamer.net

SirScratchalot 9 May 2011 08:38:51 7,921 posts
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Hello lads, I'm currently carrying around an ageing 3Gs and I've come to realize the prospect of upgrading to an iPhone 4 is not really exciting me. I've got an iPad I lug around town now and the iPhone has been relegated to sharing internet access.

So, I'm eyeing both the Xperia Arc and the Xperia Play, I've seen some very good deals on both recently and came away very impressed with the Ar hardware recently.

Anyways, I've got a few questions to all you android users out there.

1. Contact syncing: I've got a million mails from a thousand people I don't care about in my gmail. If I sync everything via google can I somehow filter out the noise, maybe set up a "white list" of people to import. And does anyone have nay experience on how to best go about transferring contacts from an iPhone? I suppose syncing the iPhone to google and then the new phone should take care of it?

2. I've got a few iPhone behaviours I'm reluctant to let go of:
I cycle a lot and tend to plot a rout as a motion-x file on the puter and sync back to the phone so I don't get lost and then currently use Cyclemeter to track my rides, with speed, calories burned, elevation and all that chuff.
Any suggested android apps?

I would love it if there was a 1password equivalent, I need to have my passwords in some sort of digital locker.

I listen to a lot of podcasts, I've got no idea how syncing tracks, downloading podcasts etc is best done on an android device so how are you lot going about it?

3. How does battery life tend to go? Is it the usual "Charge every 24h" sort of thing that all smart-phone owners have to put up with?

SirScratchalot 9 May 2011 08:39:36 7,921 posts
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Oh and I should probably say I'm very glad for any answers here, it's always a bit scary planning to leave the nest and all.

ModishNouns 9 May 2011 09:44:07 4,986 posts
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1. I don't think you can filter out the noise on import. You either import or you don't. I didn't find it too painful to turn off contact syncing after the import and then delete all the gash. The UI for marking and deleting contacts en masse is pretty good and only took a minute or too.

2. There are loads of podcast apps. I get by with Google Reader but there are tons of options in the market.

3. Yep. Charge it every day.

Spin_Dr_Wolf 9 May 2011 09:44:45 6,170 posts
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Short answers :
1. Yes.
2. Yes, try My Tracks.
3. Mostly, depends on usage.

In slightly more detail yes you can filter out contacts on your phone, in fact you can even choose which contacts sync down to it from the Google cloud in the first place, although its done through groups so they will require some organisation. Also you can set the phonebook on Androids to only show contacts with telephone numbers, which will reduce the random email contacts issue considerably.

I've not really played with My Tracks much but it records where you've been from you GPS, your route, height, speed etc. Not sure if it works out calories and the like, there might by cycling specific apps, have a little look on the

Spin_Dr_Wolf 9 May 2011 09:46:26 6,170 posts
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Also any kind of one password apps are a bad idea on you phone imo. Improve your memory.

Wow, never though i would be able to say that !

SirScratchalot 9 May 2011 09:47:37 7,921 posts
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Thanks, if anyone knows a good gps tracking app for workouts? I'm really looking for something that someone has good experience from.

Also found 1password in the marketplace so I'm probably gonna make the jump here.
Just need to check that bluetooth internetsharing works witht the pad and I'm golden.

PrivateFloyd 9 May 2011 09:52:31 5,464 posts
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Jogtracker
my Tracks
runkeeper pro

I would put my money on run keeper, used the exact same app for the iPhone and it's superb, a quick google also confirms it has the most consistent positive reviews.

SirScratchalot 9 May 2011 10:21:17 7,921 posts
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Thanks lads, good tips, runkeeper and runtracks look good and setting up groups on gmail seems a good idea.
Gonna look at some more phone deals and then decide.

beastmaster 9 May 2011 10:29:30 22,373 posts
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I'm totally bored with my 3GS and am seriously considering a Galaxy S2. I'll be shelling out on a iPad2 at some point (depending on job front etc.).

However, I know it won't be as good in certain areas but probably better than others. I'm still undecided.

figgis 9 May 2011 10:39:15 7,721 posts
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Last pass works on Android, you have to pay for it though.

crisotunity 10 May 2011 15:14:06 185 posts
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beastmaster wrote:
I'm totally bored with my 3GS and am seriously considering a Galaxy S2. I'll be shelling out on a iPad2 at some point (depending on job front etc.).

However, I know it won't be as good in certain areas but probably better than others. I'm still undecided.

I have posted my first impressions elsewhere - features-wise it's great, but there are downsides
http://www.eurogamer.net/forum_thread_posts.php?thread_id=174210&start=2220

Having moved from a 3GS to a Galaxy S2, I still feel undecided :-)

If you are up for a bit of a challenge, this is probably as good a time as any: iphone 4 is seen as old technology and with rumoured delays for iphone 5 (some say till January), you might as well have a go on the Android platform just for the geeky fun of it.
Just engage your sense of humour and be prepared for the shock of entering a world where counter-intuitive, hardly-beta software is the norm (Samsung Kies, the official syncing/itunes-type software for the GSII, brought my "old" core duo to its knees and crashed repeatedly; there are 3rd party apps that can sync music but not podcasts; and when you use them to sync music, they lose track info such as "Artist").

Good luck!

SirScratchalot 15 May 2011 07:00:21 7,921 posts
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So I've now accidentally ordered a Galaxy S2, I still slightly recent that I didn't got for the XPeria Play since I would have loved to have physical controls but the weakness of that particular screen sealed the deal for me.
Still think the Xperia Arc is better looking but was the same price so I really couldn't justify it.

Ginger 15 May 2011 09:22:44 7,256 posts
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endomondo will track cycles, running etc

SirScratchalot 3 Jun 2011 20:25:04 7,921 posts
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So coming back around to this now that I've been running with the phone for a while, it really is a much more inconsistent experience than an iPhone in a lot of ways. The remote control for audio on the headphones only controls one specific app, probably not having a consistent audio playback function to call.

The android market and google listen are both kind of a joke on a few fronts, first android markets search returned the actual app adw.loader a few pages of results in when searching for adw.loader. It's the same for a lot of search terms, like runkeeper etc. Search in the market just seems borked to me, I usually google on the web and then follow a market link instead.

Not requiring entering your password when buying something is gobsmacking, I wonder if this is not part of googles problems when it comes to getting paid apps going on the market.

There are a lot of plus:es though.
I love, love turtle-dove want to marry Swype text-editing it makes mincemeat out of Apples pathetic predictive text that I have never regretted turning of. I IM using Swype even when next to a real computer with the IM client running. It's just very good and drawing a complex word feels like being a magician.

Customization is the name of the game, I've replaced my launcher, failed, but at least attempted to sync a wiimote for emulator play on this thing and put widgets and themed icons juuust to my liking on this thing.
It's far more MY phone than the iPhone ever was.

I find the lack of hard hitting graphics powerhouse games saddening since I'd really like to stress test the phone but there are a lot of nerdy RPGs in there which I love.
General game production values is lower than Ios though, and Apps suffer a bit from the Swing GUI feeling that Java apps get.

I love the phone itself.

Anyway, I'd probably do it all over again, I've been itching a bit at the general IOs layout for a while and am glad that I can get the data I want presented too me right thera among the apps here, I love the notification system and Android 2.3 seems lightning fast.
Time to play with the phone some more then.

Phily50 3 Jun 2011 21:40:05 2,384 posts
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I'm pretty much in the same boat as others in this thread, however the main thing I will miss from my iPhone 3Gs will be the TomTom app as it really is the nuts. Any equivilant on Android?

BartonFink 3 Jun 2011 22:07:43 35,268 posts
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Milage may vary I guess, I have an iPhone 3Gs for personal use and a Samsung Galaxy S for work it replaced my Blackberry. Worst move ever. In comparison to the Blackberry and iPhone for mail etc the Galazy is slow unresponsive and I need to regularly force quit mail. The battery is absolute shite too. 5hrs max during the day. Not impressed with my Android experience so far at all.

Deleted user 3 June 2011 22:33:03

Sounds like you have a load of shit installed. That's not a slow phone.

SirScratchalot 7 Jun 2011 15:44:33 7,921 posts
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Right, getting all android accustomed here, but annoyed as all hell with sending pictures and video. On my friends Xperia Arc the video software will recode video to a lower res for sending over e-mail, so far I can't find any option like this on the Galaxy S2 or an app to do it on the market. Any tips?

Deleted user 7 June 2011 15:57:27

Phily50 wrote:
I'm pretty much in the same boat as others in this thread, however the main thing I will miss from my iPhone 3Gs will be the TomTom app as it really is the nuts. Any equivilant on Android?

The inbuilt navigation that comes with Android?

I used that on Saturday, worked a treat and didn't drink data bandwidth.

Deleted user 9 June 2011 22:42:12

I have just jumped into the world of Android from iPhone. I like it. Is there any websites I should bookmark? Got the Android Market and androidforums.com so far.

delboy83uk 10 Jun 2011 20:52:21 316 posts
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XDA forums if your after info on rooting ect

mrpon 10 Jun 2011 21:11:18 37,366 posts
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The dolphin browser is a must as far as I'm concerned. Some great features, love the gesture system - want to load up your favourite porn site? Then simply draw a penis onscreen and map it to a bookmark!

/mature

Deleted user 10 June 2011 21:27:21

There's a post somewhere on here about emulations but I can't find it, I'm thinking I'd be happy with a gameboy or gameboy advance emulator, can anyone point in the the direction of an easy to use one or a novices guide to putting it on the phone? All the youtube vids seem to be blethering idiots talking nonsense and I refuse to watch vids that start with "Whassup youtube??"

delboy83uk 10 Jun 2011 21:47:28 316 posts
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The good ones you can't get in the app store, do a google search for gbcoid, gensoid, n64oid (runs smooth as butter on the s2 aswell

) and snesoid. I just put them in Dropbox and install them from there

. The roms can go in dropbox too. A doddle

Deleted user 10 June 2011 22:03:25

Thanks mate, now I need to find out what Dropbox is haha! To Google!

delboy83uk 10 Jun 2011 22:31:03 316 posts
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Dropbox is amazing, cloud file storage syncing solution. Install it whack apk file in the dropbox folder on the pc fire up dropbox on your phone and install it.