seeking advice re: iPhone

Discussion in 'Video Games and Technology' started by Ops_was_a_truck, Sep 9, 2010.

  1. Ops_was_a_truck

    Ops_was_a_truck JOOOLIE ANDREWWWWWS!!!!!!

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    Seeking opinions on Droid and Google Android. I want to be able to connect to my office's VPN client, then use VNC to drive a remote PC. Also want to be able to access my work e-mail. So far, I'm seeing all of this stuff either supported or being discussed, leading me to believe that all of it is possible on the Droid. Also really tempted by the open source ability to just up and write in apps. Advise me, TFW!

    Also, devil's advocate - I'm also open to "use the iPhone instead" commentary but would like to know why. I'm a 2-year AT&T user and I'm sick and tired of their poor network coverage (at least re: phone/voice.) The lure of getting back on the Verizon network and having virtually constant network coverage is very high. Also, I'm soooorta turned off by needing to wait on apps to do anything I want to do on the phone, but I'll also acknowledge the fact that it sounds like it's not difficult to start developing apps for the iOS.
     
  2. Zeta Otaku

    Zeta Otaku Who ya gonna call? TFW2005 Supporter

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    I'm a recent Droid owner (Droid X) and I gotta say... it's sex in phone form. Before I start my praise for it, I will say that I have had plenty of experience with the new iPhone and the previous model... and hands down, my Droid is far better in my eyes. First off, signal strength and call clarity. Granted, the signal thing is regional and your mileage may vary, but when you can put someone on speaker and they can't tell they're on speaker, that's saying something in my eyes.

    My friend has the new iPhone. she's on her 2nd new iPhone and 5th iPhone in total. I've been witness to these things just up and dying on her. Also, they have a VERY VERY sensitive moisture sensor. If that activates and your phone breaks, you're screwed.

    Another plus on the Droid? you can change the damn battery yourself! Now, I'm not sure if this is uniform with all droids or smart phones (my X is my first), but if you're doing a LOT of work on your phone, your battery will drain fast, so invest in an extended battery or just keep the phone plugged into a charger.

    As for accessing your e-mail, that shouldn't be an issue with any smartphone. As for the remote PC stuff... you got me there. I can't see why it can't be done though, but to be honest, I haven't done anything remotely (no pun intended) that complex with my X.

    Oh, and you'll want to do some research on screen size with the Droids. I got the X because it has the largest screen which is perfect for my sausage fingers... plus not having to squint until my eyes bleed helps too.
     
  3. Ops_was_a_truck

    Ops_was_a_truck JOOOLIE ANDREWWWWWS!!!!!!

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    Ugh. I was digging over the course of lunch and it looks like the biggest dealbreaker here is that there is no one-stop, easy-to-activate Cisco VPN client software for Droid. There are a lot of folks out there (forums go back to 11-2009) who have been playing with the tunneling protocols and etc., but no clear solution exists unless you root your phone.

    Cisco and Apple, though, have a clear deal worked out, meaning the Cisco VPN client works quickly and easily on the iPhone. Unless that changes within the next month or so, it may mean I'm stuck with AT&T's shitty reception if I want to use this to interface with my lab test PCs. Uuuugh.
     
  4. Zeta Otaku

    Zeta Otaku Who ya gonna call? TFW2005 Supporter

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    ok, simple solution.... GET BOTH! :D 
     
  5. MicroZone21

    MicroZone21 Well-Known Member

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    I've had my Android phone (a Samsung Moment) for awhile and just love it. My next phone will be whatever Android 3.0 phone I like early next year, when I'm ready to switch.
     
  6. kenm2474

    kenm2474 LORD DC TFW2005 Supporter

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    I have an iPhone 4 accessing email is very easy to do. I just bought an App. last week called iTeleport which allows you to remote access your or any number of PCs that you want. It works through both 3G and Wifi.
     
  7. chapsy

    chapsy Well-Known Member

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    Have a rooted droid running cyanogenmod 6.0 stable. EXCELLENT aftermarket mod, and all the settings you gain access to are well worth it. Also, the regular moto droid is capable of running at 1 ghz stoxk.
    If the settings you need require rooting, go for it. You'll still have service, just a voided warranty.
     
  8. Counterpunch?

    Counterpunch? Interior Renovator

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    I have an HTC Evo and it's outstanding.

    Every bit of functionality is great.

    The only two problems I would address are that the batter life is not great and I don't like the way phone contacts are managed. As I get the phone set up more to my liking, I'll probably look to find an app to manage the phonebook better.
     
  9. kenm2474

    kenm2474 LORD DC TFW2005 Supporter

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    Here is some pics of the app. in action.
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
  10. Ops_was_a_truck

    Ops_was_a_truck JOOOLIE ANDREWWWWWS!!!!!!

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    Thanks to those folks that offered an opinion and gave me some help figuring out which way I wanted to go.

    I ended up going with the iPhone, simply because it looked like the amount of time I'd be spending getting it to do what I wanted it to do would be greatly reduced. I'm still enough of a mobile device virgin that I was a little scared/put off by the possibility of rooting the droid & losing access to upgrades. Additionally, call me lazy, but it sounds like getting both Cisco VPN, the MS e-mail client and facebook to all play nice with the droid is a bit more work than I'd like to put into getting my phone to do what I want it to do.

    So far, I'm enjoying the iPhone - pretty much everything has been a quick one-click (or a few clicks) setup. I've gotta suck it up on the signal strength and the inability to reach in and hack on my own, but I think any time I'd actually be spending fucking with this thing will more than likely go to work, babygirl or other real life shit.

    Anybody have any app suggestions?
     
  11. Ops_was_a_truck

    Ops_was_a_truck JOOOLIE ANDREWWWWWS!!!!!!

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    To anyone who might be interested, so far, I've grabbed Mocha VNC lite (which is free) so I can drive the remote desktop and Touchterm ($3.99) to ssh into the devices I'm playing around with. Both of these are fantastic for debug/interface.

    In terms of cool shit, I grabbed the DiagnosticPADD and Talking Carl. Gotta have Talking Carl.