Sunday, November 08, 2009

Palm OS Or Android

Just recently, I've been considering switching my phone to something new. I didn't want to try bleeding edge stuff but wanted something stable. Yes, I already have a Treo 680 but nowadays it feels lacking. The trend right now with mobile phones focus on applications, GPS, WiFi and a high resolution camera. What probably got me to consider the urge to migrate is the arrival of Android 2.0 and the Motorola Droid.

If you are not familiar with Android, it is the latest innovative products from search behemoth Google. Essentially, the idea behind the Android is a free, open source mobile OS based on the Linux kernel wherein the search giant can go ahead and riddle your phone with their free services.

(If you don't even know what Linux is, I suggest getting a hammer and hitting yourself on the noggin.)

Better yet, read the Wiki article here.

I actually thought of the HTC Dream which was one of the first phones that made it to the mass media. Officially it was exclusive to T-Mobile and marketed as the G1 or Google Phone. The usual hubbub of the geek community provided new buzzwords such as gPhone, ubiquitous device, and touchscreen albeit the latter has been with us since the arrival of Apple's iPhone.

I asked around regarding the HTC dream and a PLUG lister commented he bought the developer version of the phone but somehow the keyboard is sadly lacking. I guess this is my only deterrent and getting on pruchasing the HTC Dream. In case I forgot to mention, Motorola's droid is not available yet for GSM, only CDMA. That plus the fact that Verizon has first dibs on the device. Now, I have several factors on what to consider on migrating to a new phone:

  • WiFi - Not sure if this is a must but it would come in handy as whipping out my netbook is kind of silly just to tweet something personal.
  • Camera - Not a requirement but would be nice for those quick shots. Kinda reminds me of what someone mentioned during a DDO game, "Today's word is Legs, Go and spread the word!" That cracked me up... Ha ha!
  • Synching - It would be nice to have a nice offline backup in case you lose the phone. Android synchs up with your Google applications, haven't done enough research to see if this can be done similar to the Palm Desktop. More importantly, There are still some glitches when migrating from Palm OS to Andorid so I'll wait for a free utility that can do that for me. :P
  • Battery life - WiFi is a power eater. Add camera functions and cam-flash that could eat a lot more. What I liked about my Treo is that it has overcharging protection. You can leave the phone charged for 24 hours and your battery wont break. There are also some power settings that can help extend battery life and I have yet to experience where I unintentionally forget to charge my phone and leave the battery empty.
  • QWERTY - Yesiree, I like my phones like I like my keyboards, ergonomic and comfortable to use. I still have an old S-type keyboard that doesn't match the color of my computer. I guess Im just partial to comfortable typing. I don't want to develop carpal just becuase I type a lot.
Hmmm...What else should I consider? Perhaps further reading is needed. I'll get back to this if something useful comes up.

Currently, I am still open to suggestions following the criteria above. I've got nothing better to do today so I opted to post in a few thoughts after a month of no blogging.

Enjoy!