Which Android mobile to recommend?

[Bob]

My sister just told me that she is looking to buy herself a new mobile phone, and she had been looking at "one of those Android phones". She said she wanted to buy the HTC Legend (mainly based on the looks of it), but my initial thought was that you should at least go for the Desire (as it is more powerful, and almost the same price (at least here in Norway)).

Now I have tried to keep up with all the latest in the Andoroid world, but I'll have to admit that I don't really have a good overview. So my question is then: which Android phone would you recommend to somebody else?

From HTC, I guess the Desire is currently the best (?), but what about other brands? I've got a friend who recently bought a Samsung Galaxy S he is reasonably happy with... Are there any else worth considering?

[lionheart]

+1 for the Samsung, I've got one and the 4" Super Amoled screen is really rather special.

[delanvital]

It all depends on how she uses it. If she does half what you do, I'd say wait for Desire HD. If not, the physical appearance matter more, like does she wants an actual keyboard? (X10 pro perhaps, or, upcoming Desire Z), does it have to look really neat? (Legend), great screen? (Galaxy S) etc.

Galaxy S has won lots of tests and is mostly being criticised for being too plastic/squeaky but praised for HD-video and that wonderful screen which IPhone 4 users spend a lot of time explaining to others why is so inferior.

At the moment there isn't really an Android phone which has the looks like the Legend, mixed with top specs. the Desire HD is supposed to be all that, with these specs apparently:

Reports suggest that the Desire HD will be a   4.3-inch WVGA touchscreen phone, running Froyo via a 1 GHZ Qualcomm  processor. It's purportedly got an 8-megapixel camera with 720p video  recording, Xvid video playback, SRS surround sound, Flash support, 4GB  of built-in memory, with expansion up to 32GB - all presented in a  uni-body aluminium design.

http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/34668/htc-desire-hd-desire-z

Release date is soon.

[Bob]

Thanks for the tips so far.

What goes for physical appearanc, I think it mainly comes down to the "looks". A physical keyboard isn't important (and I wouldn't recommend it either, as the on-screen keyboards are getting really good), so it's more about its design and size.

My main consern when recommending a smart phone to somebody - especially when it's not a "pro user" - is that it must have sufficient power to give a smooth and snappy user experience. For those regular users who won't be rooting their phones, overclocking and playing around with custom roms, it is important that the default package delivers a good user experience.

The Desire HD looks nice, but to be honest I think phones of that size is a bit too big...

[delanvital]

I'd suggest giving the Legend a go in a shop and see how she feels with  it. I have given it a whirl, I have a friend who has one, and it is ok  snappy. My 710MHz Hero w/Android 2.2 is faster though, and I know you  run somewhat similar tuned Hero specs, so you should get the idea. You  can get it right now, it is cheaper than the Desire and it looks good -  and it has a flash for the camera, IIRC, which the Hero camera so badly  lacks... My 2 cents...

[OldBloke]

Don't dismiss the HTC Wildfire too easily. Although us techies wouldn't entertain its low resolution screen, the ladies like it as it's easy to use and geared towards social networking.

[Naldo]

Not a bad comparison...

http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/34543/best-android-phones-world-today

[Gone_Away]

Guys,
 
What about security? Anyone using their HTC with business email?
 
NF

[smilodon]

Personally I don't use it, but as I understand it HTC phones offer full Exchange support and am certain the Desire does. I can't comment on the other manufacturers.

[Gandalf]

Yup, full exchange support works great on the Desire.

[TeaLeaf]

Guys,
 
What about security? Anyone using their HTC with business email?
 
NF

All the time for everything.   There's a load of supported email packages out there - personally I use the Gmail hook-up and it works flawlessly.  Very impressed.

[TeaLeaf]

http://www.thialfihar.org/projects/apg/

Opensource PGP application for Android.  Find it in Market under APG.

[lionheart]

Ive got a citrix app on my Galaxy so can log into my works network with a citrix client and access my works desktop , if I was sad enough to want to do that  :flirty:

[OldBloke]

Guys,
 
What about security? Anyone using their HTC with business email?
 
NF

My employer has a blanket ban on all Android phones trying to connect to Exchange Server. Android (up to and including 2.2) does not implement the level of security required.

[delanvital]

Not a bad comparison...

http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/34543/best-android-phones-world-today

Now, that is a pretty good list. Do note, that the Streak is not available in the rest of Europe yet - at least AFAIK.