Re: Swap any Smartphone poll -- which phone did you pick?

Quote from Loan_Crusader : i didn't know you could side load apps w/o a root.

Seriously? There is not a single Android device (out of the million's out there) that I know of that blocks this. You simply just have to check the "Install Unknown applications" in security to do it (every Android device does this..stock or not). It's built into the OS. Hell..even the Kindle Fire, that wipes out any traces of Google's branding and software, allows you to sideload apps...because it's built into the OS itself. I actually think the Nook even lets you do this (not 100% sure though).

Anyway, for this contest I had reloaded my old HTC Diamond and then realized why I made the transition so easily to Android..because Windows Mobile does the same thing. Allows you to install apps from wherever you damn well pleased.

Quote from dzap : Seriously? There is not a single Android device (out of the million's out there) that I know of that blocks this. You simply just have to check the "Install Unknown applications" in security to do it (every Android device does this..stock or not). It's built into the OS. Hell..even the Kindle Fire, that wipes out any traces of Google's branding and software, allows you to sideload apps...because it's built into the OS itself. I actually think the Nook even lets you do this (not 100% sure though). Anyway, for this contest I had reloaded my old HTC Diamond and then realized why I made the transition so easily to Android..because Windows Mobile does the same thing. Allows you to install apps from wherever you damn well pleased.

but you'd need to root to create the backup

Quote from Loan_Crusader : but you'd need to root to create the backup

..of..what?

Quote from dzap : ..of..what?

the app.

Evidently i have no idea what a root is. i thought you had to root to side load apps. i rooted my phone before i played with it. What's capable and what's not capable w/o a root, is a blur to me.

if not to root to side load apps, why would a normal user need access to the root folders? to remove bloatware?

besides, all those years on windows mobile 6 and you never found someone who cracked it? i know when i had my symbian the s60 blackmarket was huge.

Quote from Loan_Crusader : the app. Evidently i have no idea what a root is. i thought you had to root to side load apps. i rooted my phone before i played with it. What's capable and what's not capable w/o a root, is a blur to me. if not to root to side load apps, why would a normal user need access to the root folders? to remove bloatware? besides, all those years on windows mobile 6 and you never found someone who cracked it? i know when i had my symbian the s60 blackmarket was huge.

Root is just a user profile

Windows = Administrator
Linux = Root

Root is basically like logging into Administrator in Linux. It is only used to gain access to the system apps and other special privileges, but rarely required. The only apps that require root, that I use, is a File Manager, but only because I like to edit system files. I also use Rom Manager, which requires admin or root to install a custom bootloader to allow flashing of custom roms...

You don't need root for anything unlike in iOS where it requires jailbreaking to allow installation of custom apps.

Also jailbreaking is a pain because, while it might be easy now, it takes months to get to that point. My iPad2 wasn't jailbroke for months (ironically it was jailbroke the day I sold it). Plus Cydia is a complete mess. Nothing is organized by display type or OS version. Some things work on iPhones that don't work on iPads and vice versa. Themes were a joke, only a handful of hacks were even useful. Plus most of the good hacks cost money!

Having to jailbreak and hack the crap out of your device to even get it remotely functional as an Android out of the box is retarded. Then every update will break everything and you have to start all over again. Forget that crap. I'm a 1000x more productive on a 10" Android tablet.

I picked HTC radar.

I picked up the focus s