Post by David Pierce. Find me on Twitter.
I’m a bit of a gadget fiend. I had this terrible trend of always buying the one-behind gadget to save money, and then having constant, crippling gadget envy that would force me to upgrade—always right before a new one came out. It’s a vicious cycle.
But this time, I made the smart choice. I went out and said “to heck with you, money! I’m going to get whatever phone my little heart desires.” I went and tested just about every phone Verizon has (because a phone’s no good without decent service, AT&T), and eventually bought the Droid Eris. I’ve now had it for a few days, and let me tell you – I couldn’t be happier.
The Eris, for anyone who doesn’t know, is the phone to the right. It’s the slightly smaller, physical keyboard-less version of the Droid—the one with all the terrifying commercials. I bought the Eris because I don’t need a physical keyboard, and the one on the Droid isn’t particularly good anyway.
Here’s what I love about the phone: it’s a perfect mix of simplicity and features, and that’s a hard thing to pull off (until this one, no one had done it but the iPhone).
On top of the regular ol’ Android, HTC designed its Sense interface, making basic functions easier, the phone easier to navigate, and me a happier David. One critical test any smartphone has to pass for me is the “can I use your phone?” test: if someone asks to borrow my phone to make a call, are they going to have to hand it back to me and say “how do I do this?” If they do, the phone just failed. The Eris, with a big button that says “Phone” on it, passes with flying colors.
I’m also a huge fan of the Eris’ screen – it’s responsive and easy to navigate, and the browser works perfectly. The screen, and the phone, are as big as possible without making the phone feel kludgy – a line the Droid didn’t tread nearly as well.
But the best thing about the Eris, and any Android phone, is the apps. Unlike the App Store from Apple, the Android Market is totally open, meaning anyone can create an app and you can put it on your phone—as an everyday Google Voice user, that’s a big deal.
The Apps
Most of the apps you’ll find on Android are a step or two behind the iPhone versions, but that’s only a factor of time—the iPhone’s just been around longer. Some, though, are awesome of their own right. Here are a few of my favorites (any of them can be found via a simple search in the Android Market):
Gmail: The Gmail client, which is infinitely more feature-rich than the iPhone Mail application, is reason enough by itself to get an Android phone. My email is as powerful and fast here as it is on my computer.
Evernote: It’s a basic app, but gives me access to everything I need to know, do and remember. It’s no secret I’m an Evernote fanboy, and the Android app works great.
Seesmic: Again, somewhat basic, but it’s by far the best Android Twitter app available. Twitter is one of the few things I’m jealous of on iPhones, but Seesmic levels the playing field a lot.
Yelp: Yelp hooks into your GPS and finds everything from restaurants to hotels near you, and provides you with reviews and information from its massive database of users – it’s a great way to see a restaurant menu, book a hotel room, or find a great cup of coffee.
Paperdroid: I switched from Instapaper, which I love, to Read it Later, because RIL offers Android support through Paperdroid. Paperdroid lets me download my whole reading list to my iPod, computer, or phone, and get some reading done anytime I have a free moment.
Google Voice: Another of the clinching reasons for me to get an Android phone, Google Voice’s app basically takes over your phone, letting you get SMS, make calls, and transcribe your voicemail all natively, making your GV number your default cell number. No more jumping through hoops to make GV my outgoing number.
Pandora: Internet radio. You can’t do much with the app other than listen to stations you’ve made on the Web, but it’s a great way to have background music while you’re doing other things. And, thanks to Android’s ability to multi-task, I can listen to Pandora while I do things like email and read.
Google Talk: You’ll notice a trend here, and it’s that the best Android apps are the ones Google itself makes. For whatever reason, I never found an application on the iPhone that worked for me, IM-wise. Google Talk, on the other hand, works perfectly—it runs in the background, gives me notifications when I get a new IM, and gives me all the IMing features I need.
Google Maps: Yeah, yeah. Google’s the bomb. And with this one, I’m mostly jealous of the newest versions of Android, because they’ve got included turn-by-turn navigation. But Google Maps can find me, find what’s near me, and get me where I need to go. Can I really be that much pickier?
Bible: This is an app from the folks at YouVersion (which, by the way, is the best online Bible reader there is), that lets you read, search, and even following reading plans created by YouVersion users. It’s a great, simple way to read and study the Bible on the go.
Where: Where, another app I’ve written about before, makes you a local anywhere on the planet. It’ll point you to things like gas stations and popular local haunts, deals around you, and access to everything from local weather to traffic conditions. It’s all based on your location, and works flawlessly basically anywhere you take it.
I love, love, love my Eris. It’s got good-enough battery life (though that would be my one knock, not lasting longer), it’s simple to learn and powerful to use, good-looking, and totally satisfies my geekhood. And for $99, it’s a huge victory.
I’m pulling for Android. How about you? And what’s your favorite Android app?
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I am glad to hear your views on Eris! I am actually planning to buy Eris during the MLK weekend. But I just heard a bummer about Droid Eris. My IT department at workplace told me that Droid (few employees do have Droid) does not work with the server properly. Do you think you have any information about synching work emails on Eris
I haven't heard about issues with the Droid, no! I've heard a few about the Eris, because it's an older version of the software (which is supposedly changing next week…), but nothing about the Droid. You mean with exchange servers?
Best APP the BIBLE???
unfollow for you Mr…
David, so I am in the midst of deciding between an iPhone and an Android possibly with T-mobile. One of my hesitations is that I have a Touch right now and love iTunes as well as the App store. Seems the Android market just doesn't compare right now, but do you think it will be on par in the coming months/years?
By the way, major props to you for recommending You Version of the Bible. I have it on my Touch and LOVE it!!
Wow. Harsh. But cool with me, I guess.
You're right, actually – the integration with iTunes is a huge plus for the iPhone, despite all the knocks on iTunes. As far as App Stores, other than games there's actually little I haven't been able to find in the Android Market–there are fewer of each kind of app, but at least for me, every app I needed existed.
If media's a big part of your decision (listening to music, etc.) then the iPhone's probably the way to go. But if not (and for me, having a Touch, it wasn't), then give Android a serious look. Good luck!
Best APP the BIBLE??? I'm impressed. I've been reading your blog for awhile, and I really enjoy it. I'm a youth minister, so finding out you read the Bible was a BIG plus
Hey thanks! I'm glad you're with me on that one. Where are you a youth minister?
I'm at a little church in Bridgeport, TX.
I'm actually in youth ministry as well, with Campus Crusade for Christ in Orlando, FL
Hey David -
If you could either Instapaper or ReadItLater, but had to choose one, which one would be your preference? Just curious, as I've seen you mention both.
There is an app called Touchdown that works well with Exchange and meets some stricter security requirements, such as entering your pin after 8 hours and remote wipe. It is $19.99 but has been worth it for me.
Hey David,
I have been on the Android train for a little while now. If you keep a Google Calendar and want some awesome automatic setting bliss, download and use Locale. It truly is the one of the best Android apps available. I am working on an in depth tutorial now.
Also, I don't know if you are an RTM (Remember The Milk) user, but RTM for Android is top of the line.
Congrats on moving to Android, you won't be sorry! Plus you should be getting Android 2.1 pretty soon.
Nathan, I had both Read it Later and InstaPaper on the iPhone. When the site involved gave me a choice, I always seemed to use RiL. Now, on the Droid, I use Paperoid, for RiL. Methinks it's the superb integration with dang near everything– even gReader gets RiL goodness per an add-on. It just does what it's supposed to, in a completely no-fuss manner.
Locale is amazing! You're completely right, I'm so glad you recommended it. Thanks for the tip!
And RTM, which I didn't put on the list but definitely should have, is literally the only reason on the planet I'm still functioning. Which is nice.
If you want to read only on computer/iPhone, you can't beat Instapaper. It's pretty flawless. But for me, wanting more platforms and more acces (like Android), I like RiL.
Honestly, the feature sets are almost identical, and you really can't lose. It's definitely a time to try both.
I'm the guy that developed Paperdroid – thanks for the nice minireview!
I recently developed an app that greatly improves battery life – a common problem among all Android devices, apparently.
It's called JuiceDefender and it's free (and ad-free); a description is here: http://www.latedroid.com/2010/01/juicedefender….
Give it a try, I'm sure it will help your Droid Eris easily last till evening – with still juice to spare
You're going to make me cry – this is the awesomest-sounding application in history. I don't love the interface, to be honest, but the application has some amazing potential. I'm d0wnloading now, and rest assured, you'll be hearing more from me if this works!
Just picked up a Motorola Droid and am loving Android. Any recommendations/updates for this post to fit new apps released in the past 3 months?
Just picked up a Motorola Droid and am loving Android. Any recommendations/updates for this post to fit new apps released in the past 3 months?
well i just orderd a eris, did i make a mistake?
honestly id never download the bible app but i like these apps
dildroid, barcode scanner, trippo, batery status, picsay pro, google sky map, ringer toggle widget, handcent sms, moble defence, imusic, advansed task bar killer, panda home, iphone theme, droidlight, toddler lock, floating image, talk to me, abduction, shazam, isteam, fx camera, google goggles, glypse, poke a mole, android lightsaber, yellow pages, mototorch, and bluff my call
I don't think you made a mistake, no. The Eris is a fine phone, it's just not the right thing for me – I really needed a hardware keyboard. How do you like it?
If you want to put your Itunes songs on your Android phone…Download Itunes agent onto your computer…Then connect your phone to your computer…right click itunes agent then sync your phone…Then drag your songs onto your phone in itunes…works great