The Google Android Phone : IDEOS U8150

This is a personal review of the phone. I have reviewed a few of the phones I’ve had, so far over 8 of them. The torches that could call and text were not reviewed, of course not. Check out the review of the Nokia C3 and the fake Nokla I had. Yes people, I’ve used Chinese products before, don’t act you’ve never done that too.

1. Smart phone

This is the first smart phone I’m having! The joy of having one… indescribable. The best thing for me is the ability to multitask. Which means I can be using multiple apps at the same time, without having to close the app to make a call, receive a text etc. Apps are left in the same state you left them, unless they are continuously updating themselves. You can have any number of apps running, minimizing them to go to other apps. The rest of the features are only possible because it’s a smart phone!

It runs on the Android Operating System (the best really), which is rivaled only by the iOS (for Apple products), Blackberry platform (not sure of the official name) and Windows OS for small devices.

2 .Applications

The Android market has got to be the biggest in terms of applications. I doubt Nokia’s OVI comes close! Anyway, here are a few of the many apps I have, and will be downloading more later:

Gmail: You can sign in with multiple accounts, and every time a new message arrives, you get an alert. So far I’m logged in to four accounts! Including my mum’s.

Email app: you configure any account with yahoo/whatever server

WordPress: you can blog straight to your wordpress.org blog or selfhosted wordpress blog. I mostly use it to read/reply comments. You can copy/paste text from a word document, upload photos and view blog stats.

Documents To Go: this is for reading your documents: Word, PDF, Powerpoint slides, Excel Sheets. With Word documents, it formats them for mobile viewing but it’s tasking viewing pdf because you have to scroll left-right and up-down to read a document. However, if it’s urgent it will do

OppenOffice: Same as Documents To Go

Bible and SDA Quarterly Lessons Apps: these two go together and you can browse the SDA Lessons offline. The Bible has to be online though. I’m yet to get the offline version

Google Chat: You can chat on the phone, for those with java phones you should try ebuddy

Dictionary

Places: this is preinstalled. Tells me exactly where I am via map/satellite. If there is somewhere I want to go, I get directions.

QuickPic/Pic Say: One to view photos, another to edit them. Does most things Ms Picture Manager does, cropping, light intensity etc

Snaptu/Twitter for Android/Facebook for Android/Tumblr/YouTube/Skype

News channels/Weather Apps

Voice search/ voice dialing: they are never accurate unless I’m searching the word FOOTBALL. Perhaps it’s my diction.

I could go on and on. There are thousands of apps in the Android market.

3. cheap

Imagine all that… for slightly over $100. It’s costing Kshs. 8500. I wanted the Nokia E63, which goes for about Kshs. 16000. Double this current phone. It’s definitely value for money.

4. stylish

It’s smaller than the iPhone, Blackberry, and the Nokia QWERTY phones. Slim and stylish. Comes in black/blue/pink/yellow.

huawei-ideos

I had a blue one but exchanged the cover with someone who had a pink one. He’s a guy and the teasing was getting to him.

5. 3G/Wi-Fi

In addition to internet access via 3G, it can surf via Wi-Fi. So if you’re at any hotspot (mostly in the office!), you can use the data-intensive apps comfortably!

Just Adding More Info About Internet Use

So with the wifi, it means that even if you don’t have a SIM card you can comfortably surf where there is a hotspot. Cool, no?

Second, there is an option of tethering. To tether is to surf with your comp, the phone acting as a USB modem. Whether using 3G or wifi. All you have to do is go to Settings> Wireless & Networks > Tethering and Hotspot > Turn on Tethering. Then go to your computer and voila, you start surfing right away. No need to edit any settings!

6. The rest that you shall discover for yourself

1GB memory card, synching of all your contacts (phone, email), multiple home screens that are customizable, threaded messages, Notepad, radio, music, Bluetooth… you know, the whole shebang.

Like all things, it has its downside:

1. Poor Camera

The camera claims to be 3 Megapixels, but my previous phone, a Nokia 2700 with 2Megapixels, produced better photographs.

2. Battery Life

This is the problem with most smartphones! You have to charge it twice a day with intensive use, once with average use and I suppose once in two days if your usage is below average. I charge it twice a day!

3. Data Intensive

With the high cost of data bundles, if you have all the apps running at the same time, you’ll sell your car to be able to afford maintaining the phone!

The trick is to shut down any apps that you’re not using.

It’s not really the phone’s fault that we can’t afford data!