Dad needs and wants both, doesn't he?

When you root your Android phone, you can remove any bundleware (great term, thanks!) you want - but moreover, you can change the desktop (launcher) itself, you can go with kernel variations.

Everyone's talking about root like it's something goofy.

It's simple: it's superuser (Administrator to Windows-only users) access.

You can plug your phone in to a Linux/Mac/Win machine via USB and access whatever you want via a command line.

The way God intended.

You can pay Sprint for the privilege of wifi tethering, per month - or you can root and do it yourself.

You can buy a backup application - or you can use the command line and do it yourself.

There are a few Androids that you can't do this with - such as the Droid X, where you can root it, but you can't replace the rom image.

Otherwise, if any of you are the least bit knowledgeable of why preemptive multi-tasking with superuser control of your device is a good thing, then you want Android.

It's just that simple.

And no - task killers are sufficient for bundleware and neither do they innocently sit quiescent doing nothing. The Sprint crap on the EVO - as well that most popular malware, Facebook - and that Amazon MP3 store thing - were constantly waking up.

And given that these phones use scalable processors whose actual CPU speed varies based on load and number of apps being serviced, yes, they do impact battery life.

And the rm command is alive and well.

OBTW - they say rooting voids your warranty. yeah. big deal. you can remove your root access and leave no trace.

With iOS, you violate your TOS and you jailbreak. With Android, you gain superuser (root) access.

Words mean things. /rant.

Yeah, that's great. I believe the apps I pointed out do not affect the carriers' backbone in any way.

They affect my data usage however, by installing things that give me the latest NASCAR and NFL stats - whether I want that bloat or not.

Me me me - it's my money.

According to what rule?

And who laid that down?

So - the entire class of apps is just wrong according to your theory: ringtones, volume modifiers, brightness modifiers, radio on/off controls, anything that changes the stock performance of contacts, calendars and call lists, on screen clock and weather widgets that replace or repair included widgets, soft keypad and dialer replacements, news aggregators, email client replacements, text-to-voice replacements, navigation replacements...

We're all supposed to pay out the nose and drink from the trough like pigs because there's some rule that phones aren't SUPPOSED to be user-modifiable?

Seriously - here's your new phone:

http://www.tias.com/10782/PictPage/1923012113.html

Usable device is a subjective term.

HTC's Sense UI is a product differentiator as is the hardware. Like Apple or RIM or any other company, they slather their UI onto the hardware knowing that that's sufficient for many/most users to get what they want.

When it's time to use things outside their box, it's root time.

Android isn't mature. It's just not. I agree with you, root access should be easy to come by - but just as easy to avoid, few people running as root in Linux all of the time should be doing that. Until there's a sudo equivalent for Android, we'll face this problem.

There are only two reasons to lock users out of an Android phone - 1) to keep the unwashed from creating service nightmares by uninstalling things in /system that didn't meet their unwashed scruntiny, and 2) to protect the phony baloney interests of bloatware.

I rooted my Evo just to get rid of Qik, Sprint apps (except TV) and that freaking Amazon MP3 Store app that started to decide it owned my phone.

In summary I agree with you with the proviso that more than just stock/root options are needed, in my opinion.

That's what a classroom for a kid is supposed to be?

It's not tough enough for any kid to figure out what's going on in the world?

In other news today:

Teacher Provided Grant to Study Creative Defense of Incompetency
NEA Announces Press Release Tomorrow

And sold by BellSouth.

Nokia 9000 in 1996.

Smartphone 2002 announced by Microsoft in 2001 - defined as lacking a touchscreen.

Winner: IBM, by nearly a decade.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smartphone#History

http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2002/feb02/02-19intelwirelesspr.mspx

http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2002/feb02/02-19tismartphonepr.mspx

http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/wireless/2004/01/01/mpx2002.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nokia_9000_Communicator

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_(phone)

The individual plan for unlimited everything, no data caps, except for 450 minutes to landlines, with a per-minute charge thereafter is $70/month. For unlimited everything , it's $100/month.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but your Nexus One plan at $70/month is capped at 500 minutes and does have a data cap, does it not?

Further, as an EVO owner, I can assure you that Sprint adds a $10 premium stated for 4G access (whether you use it or not) and with some suggested preferential treatments for any data throttling.

That puts the EVO at $80/month compared to your $70. Sprint charges $30/month for the feature that lets your phone act a mobile wifi hotspot - it is not required if you don't use the service, and if you do want that capability but would rather escape the charges, you simply void your warranty, root your phone and do it for free.

Bottom line, Sprint's pricing isn't mysterious, it's $10/month more to use an EVO on Sprint than a Nexus One on T-Mobile with plans that are only arguably comparable.

I'm not saying that I'm happy with the price, tho.... ;)

I thought this was a fabulous submission - news for nerds, with links to balancing links to opposing points of view and a counterpoint example of a competitor's approach.

That said - isn't it time that Android got its own sub-section?

This isn't Apple news, it's Android news, and it seems to me that just putting this in the Apple area has done little to help signal to noise.

Android isn't going anywhere and it's market share is on a steady incline.

Sure, it's only a mobile OS - but it also represents a significant penetration of a desktop based on a Linux-based operating system for mobile users.

How is that not a good rationale for a new category for news for nerds, stuff that matters?

http://www.evdoinfo.com/

Hopefully, I didn't misread that. "Via update" implied a supported process to me, not rooting, or ad hoc or something.

Yep - not trying to do your thinking for you. I was pretty sure, just from my not-what-it-was-memory, that you were the guy last year that took time to turn me on to some of the Nokia alternatives and so forth - and that set me out armed with info to look into better alternatives and looking at things differently from what I had been.

Presuming that my memory was correct, I was just hoping to give back.

See also:

http://androidandme.com/2009/11/applications/swype-keyboard-coming-to-android-in-2010/

Apologies if this is old hat - hey, it's just bytes of info.

Fring is just a front-end. It coalesces contact in one place and uses any xport layer you desire.

If you want swype capability, how about checking this out?

http://www.shapewriter.com/software.html#android

http://lifehacker.com/5344955/get-a-better-android-keyboard-no-rooting-required

http://forum.androidcentral.com/hacking/7674-wifi-hotspot-app.html

There's at least one poster there talking about simultaneously supporting his iPod touch and laptop - no extra software on those devices - via their wifi.

The beauty of Android - you can get in as much trouble as you like. :)

I've every reason to expect that Fring will fully support the iPhone 4 - I had an iPhone buddy turn me on to Fring in the first place.

No waiting for Skype support - just use Fring.