Android 2.1 questions

A

adbw1002

New member
I am considering buying an HTC Incredible to replace my BB curve and I have the following questions about Android 2.1 and the HTC Incredible in particular. As background, for a variety of reasons I must use Verizon's network and all my computers are Macs.

How does the synchronization of of address book information work with a Mac? Specifically, I have accumulated entries in my Mac address book where the address, be it physical, e-mail, or phone is labeled "Boston" or "Summer Home" etc. and both the BB program and the Mark Space program won't transfer any entries that don't match the rigid blackberry set of work, home, fax, mobile. Will the address book program that comes with the Androids and any related synching software allow the kind of flexibility I have with the Mac address book? Address will be transferred as "Boston," etc. and not dropped. Must I do all this with the Google cloud, or can I transfer data directly from the Mac to an Android?

How well does the voice recognition software work? At first the voice recognition worked on my BB, but as the software "learned" my voice it became completely useless.

How easy is the Incredible to use with one hand?

From time to time, I really need turn by turn with voice commands navigation. Is Google maps really a viable alternative for Verizon Navigator?

How well does the HTC in particular and Android machines in general work with a weak signal? I have seen various complaints about the Incredible not working with poor signals. Any truth to this? At my house and office, signal strength varies between 2G and 3G but for either signal fluctuates between -95 and -105 db. Will the HTC work with this poor of a signal?

I have heard the Incredible screen is hard to read in full sun? How about a sunny day in a car when I am trying to make a phone call?

Is it true with an Android on Verizon I can get Tethering and not pay extra for it like the BB?

Thanks.
 
Not sure about your contacts. but voice recognition and maps navigation work splendidly.

one hand use I imagine is just as easy as with the nexusone.

the screen should have an ambient light sensor making it a little easier to read in sunlight. however direct sunlight is probably still slightly difficult but can be easily over come by holding your phone at a slight angle.

tethering is free if your phone is rooted (possibly if not rooted if the carrier added it) however there are rumors that it will be standard in 2.2 coming out very soon.
 
Android is made to sync with Google Contacts and Calendar- not directly with Outlook or other contact apps. There is a 'HTCSync' program on the internal memory of the HTC Incredible but it is designed to work with Windows and Outlook only.

There are some apps to sync your contacts and calendars to Google- and I think there may be some of this functionality in iTunes. If you can find a good Apple version of sync-to-Google for your contacts, you can go from there.

The HTC incredible is easy to read in a car- it is only hard to read when walking in an open area under direct sunlight (but the same can be said for every other phone).

One hand use is easy- but you will need to get used to the touch screen if coming from a Blackberry. You will probably never need to use the track pad.

Can's say about the signal strength; I know I get less bars on my HTC incredible than on my Droid, but I have heard that it is a false display reading. I have never dropped a call on my Incredible as of yet.

Tethering is not available on the HTC Incredible at this time. When/If root is gained on the phone there is an app called 'Wireless Tether for Root Users' that makes the phone act like a MiFi device. Rumor is v2.2 will also enable this functionality- but since it is a Verizon phone that may be several months away.

The turn-by-turn navigation is excellent; I haven't used my Garmin GPS unit since I the original Droid was released.
 
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