"safe" android phone?

[CLIFFORD ILKAY]

On 03/16/2011 04:41 PM, Andrej Marjan wrote:
> Hello, recent events have led me to want to get a smartphone with an
> Internet connection. Initial research of the Android space seems to
> indicate an unholy mess of manufacturer and carrier customization,
> bastardization, and refusal to provide software updates. Leaving the
> consumer either marooned, or warranty-less after rooting their phone.
> I consider both alternatives undesirable.
>
> It seems the only "safe" and reasonably high quality Android phones
> are the Nexuses, but those don't appear to be available through any of
> the major carriers. I'm beginning to see the massive appeal of the
> iPhone - if you don't mind Apple's heavy hand and the itunes mess, you
> get a pretty powerful pocket computer that Just Works.
>
> What am I missing? I know there are numerous Android users on this
> list; how are you all navigating this situation?

I was in exactly the same situation just before Christmas when WIND was 
having an incredible sale for their service. Their low-end Android 
offerings were clunky and slow. The only one that was reasonably fast 
was the Motorola Droid X, which is one of those phones that the 
manufacturer seems to have abandoned in terms of upgrades. I didn't feel 
like spending $400 on a phone that couldn't be upgraded so I bought a 
"placeholder" smartphone for $100, a Nokia 5230, which runs Symbian OS. 
The plan was to buy a Nexus S when it arrived in Canada but I've come to 
like the Nokia and don't know why I should spend five or six times as 
much to have another phone that might do a few more tricks when the one 
I have does all the tricks that I care about. I care about a good web 
browsing experience and the Nokia has a fast browser that is quite 
usable. I care about GPS and this phone has a very good GPS. It has 
voice dialing that actually works quite well. It has great call quality. 
This phone is a tremendous bargain. It's supposedly hard-to-use but I 
haven't found that to be the case at all.

I want my phone to do a limited number of things well. I don't need a 
replacement for my notebook computer in a phone. If I need a computer, I 
can use my phone in tethered mode with my notebook.
-- 
Regards,

Clifford Ilkay
Dinamis
1419-3266 Yonge St.
Toronto, ON
Canada  M4N 3P6

<http://dinamis.com>
+1 416-410-3326
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