So I though I would be getting a "SMART" phone - when it is actually a bit meh

[roughiain]

So got myself a Galaxy S2 (Still stock gingerbread) - A nice upgrade on my Blackberry 8520 and thought awesome will be able to do so much... Most of my gripes are about the apps and lack of features - hardware wise I love the phone.


email

First thing I thought I would be able to do is manage my gmail, set filters ect, create labels - I got a massive shock when I found out the native gmail app does not even let you create a new labels. Only way I've found to do that is via mail droid and creating an imap folder. But that still soes not let you set mail filters. So still need a computer..

IM
One of the features i used all the time on my BB was "Alert When Contact Comes online" was so simple menu and select it. So far have not been able to find a solution. Tried about 6 different apps so far today only one that mentions it was im+ but the free version did not seem to have that feature.


App Developers
Have they ever heard of a complete feature list or detailed instructions. Trying to find out the complete list of what certain apps can do is almost impossible, the store gives you a couple of lines of text re the app, 90% of app websites are just the same info rehashed for a bigger screen.

Anyone has any solutions for first 2 please let me know...

 

[seanyp00h]

Why don't you install the same IM app you had on the BB?

 

[roughiain]

Why don't you install the same IM app you had on the BB?

Blackberry used standard Standard GTalk by RIM,

Gtalk by Google on does not have the feature....

I've so far looked at

Gtalk
Std IM app on the program
Trillain
Nimbuzz
Im+ Free
IMO
Ebuddy

 

[akescpt]

Why don't you install the same IM app you had on the BB?

what app was that? still have my 8520...dont use gtalk..

 

[CranialBlaze]

email

First thing I thought I would be able to do is manage my gmail, set filters ect, create labels - I got a massive shock when I found out the native gmail app does not even let you create a new labels. Only way I've found to do that is via mail droid and creating an imap folder. But that still soes not let you set mail filters. So still need a computer..

Don't really see how that's an issue, just log into gmail from your phones browser if you really want to do that from your phone. Personally I just use a computer, a far better solution seeing as ONLY the online version supports "folder"

IM
One of the features i used all the time on my BB was "Alert When Contact Comes online" was so simple menu and select it. So far have not been able to find a solution. Tried about 6 different apps so far today only one that mentions it was im+ but the free version did not seem to have that feature.

Cannot say that's a bad thing either, had 4 berries over 2 years and other than IM+ this is the first time I am hearing of such a feature, surely was not in BBM seeing as everyone was always online. Was definitely not in the BB GTalk, MSN, Yahoo or any other IM I used other than IM+

App Developers
Have they ever heard of a complete feature list or detailed instructions. Trying to find out the complete list of what certain apps can do is almost impossible, the store gives you a couple of lines of text re the app, 90% of app websites are just the same info rehashed for a bigger screen.

Won't argue with that, but I think that's less android developer and more human laziness.

Anyone has any solutions for first 2 please let me know...

 

[roughiain]

Cannot say that's a bad thing either, had 4 berries over 2 years and other than IM+ this is the first time I am hearing of such a feature, surely was not in BBM seeing as everyone was always online. Was definitely not in the BB GTalk, MSN, Yahoo or any other IM I used other than IM+

Used this feature every day for almost 2 years. worked in GTalk Windows Messenger, Really miss it. Could set it for individual contact - find when people I work with in South America or Australia got online so I can chat with them. Instead of constantly having to check the IM program to see that they are online or not...

 

[CranialBlaze]

Used this feature every day for almost 2 years. worked in GTalk Windows Messenger, Really miss it. Could set it for individual contact - find when people I work with in South America or Australia got online so I can chat with them. Instead of constantly having to check the IM program to see that they are online or not...

Seriously cannot remember seeing that. Had 2 curves, a bold and a storm. Had GTalk, MSN, Yahoo and IM+ installed.

 

[rorz0r]

Used this feature every day for almost 2 years. worked in GTalk Windows Messenger, Really miss it. Could set it for individual contact - find when people I work with in South America or Australia got online so I can chat with them. Instead of constantly having to check the IM program to see that they are online or not...

Gtalk and Windows Messenger are two different things... I would think it would be pointless to have such a feature as most people with android would always be online.

 

[roughiain]

Gtalk and Windows Messenger are two different things... I would think it would be pointless to have such a feature as most people with android would always be online.

It is nice when you want to have family time can sit watch tv ect and when that person comes online the phone beeps

 

[Elimentals]

I would think it would be pointless to have such a feature as most people with android would always be online.

^This

Also the number of people I have in my Gtalk list will drive me insane if I got constant updates of people joining/leaving, In fact this was a feature I hated the most in the old Windows live days.

As for OP's Questions:
Why not log feature requests for them, if enough people ask it will be done, if not enough people ask for it... well then you know why we dont have it

 

[roughiain]

^This

Also the number of people I have in my Gtalk list will drive me insane if I got constant updates of people joining/leaving, In fact this was a feature I hated the most in the old Windows live days.

As for OP's Questions:
Why not log feature requests for them, if enough people ask it will be done, if not enough people ask for it... well then you know why we dont have it

ON my blackberry if i had 20 000 contacts i can select JUST ONE and only when that one comes online will I get a notification - this feature is so simple and useful.

There is a google group for this - over a year old no response from the developers.

 

[roughiain]

Here are the instructions from 2007 for those that are interested from

http://docs.blackberry.com/id-id/smartphone_users/deliverables/673/Google_Talk_user_guide_TWEN.pdf

Receive notification when a contact becomes available
1. In the Friends list, highlight an offline Friend.
2. Click the trackwheel.
3. Perform one of the following actions:
• To turn on an availability alert, click Alert Me. Click OK.
• To turn off an availability alert, click Clear Alert.

SO a 5 year old blackberry feature is near impossible to duplicate on android - again meh

 

[TheBadMadMan]

I have an S2, absolutely love it, moved from a Bold 9780. I do miss the notifications and the "just works" aspect. For a central "hub" for all communication no one has anything on blackberry. Other than that Android owns everything else over BB.

Take note that I fully made use of every tweak and shortcut there was for my BB, including the user-defined auto correct - I miss this feature have to admit.
eg. I need to type something like say my email. All i did was assign auto correct to "correct" a certain 3 char string to my desired email address. (ie: ".m1" got converted to "email1257@blahblahmail.com") - this is just one of the many many uses I had for that feature alone.

 

[roughiain]

I have an S2, absolutely love it, moved from a Bold 9780. I do miss the notifications and the "just works" aspect. For a central "hub" for all communication no one has anything on blackberry. Other than that Android owns everything else over BB.

Take note that I fully made use of every tweak and shortcut there was for my BB, including the user-defined auto correct - I miss this feature have to admit.
eg. I need to type something like say my email. All i did was assign auto correct to "correct" a certain 3 char string to my desired email address. (ie: ".m1" got converted to "email1257@blahblahmail.com") - this is just one of the many many uses I had for that feature alone.

Have to agree with you 100%.

I really expected greater integration with Google's own services.

 

[SmartKit]

So got myself a Galaxy S2 (Still stock gingerbread) - A nice upgrade on my Blackberry 8520 and thought awesome will be able to do so much... Most of my gripes are about the apps and lack of features - hardware wise I love the phone.


email

First thing I thought I would be able to do is manage my gmail, set filters ect, create labels - I got a massive shock when I found out the native gmail app does not even let you create a new labels. Only way I've found to do that is via mail droid and creating an imap folder. But that still soes not let you set mail filters. So still need a computer..

IM
One of the features i used all the time on my BB was "Alert When Contact Comes online" was so simple menu and select it. So far have not been able to find a solution. Tried about 6 different apps so far today only one that mentions it was im+ but the free version did not seem to have that feature.


App Developers
Have they ever heard of a complete feature list or detailed instructions. Trying to find out the complete list of what certain apps can do is almost impossible, the store gives you a couple of lines of text re the app, 90% of app websites are just the same info rehashed for a bigger screen.

Anyone has any solutions for first 2 please let me know...

Shall I use the Apple argument?

But why do you need that? Obviously Android is a better OS and if everyone else doesn't need that feature you don't either!

Seriously though, I feel your pain. We all like our devices to work in a way that is best for us, not the majority, and most convenient for us. Hope you find a solution!

 

[CranialBlaze]

Only way I know of the online notifications is IM+ and I can assure you its worth the money, I have been through 2 licences already, had my BB one which i transfered to my droid but gave it away and then re-purchased it via the market. Don't use it anymore as I work in front of a pc all day and its web interface just irritated me. IMO had a nice web interface but no "push" mode, eventually I stumbled onto trillian, $12 per year but has both desktop and mobile versions, multiple accounts just like IM+ and IMO with the added "push" function of IM+.

In case you missed it when checking out IM+ its 1 of the 2 IM clients that can work without actively running, all you d is sign in and then sign out to push mode, it then fully exits from your phone and will re-activate should someone send you a message. Great for battery saving, cannot say for certain about the online notification for droid, as I said have not had reason to use it in a while, but it worked on the berry, if a notification was set I would get my email in my offline push mode saying they were online.

 

[phoneJunky]

Gtalk and Windows Messenger are two different things... I would think it would be pointless to have such a feature as most people with android would always be online.

I wouldn't think so, the whole point of android is that you can customize it like you like.

To the OP, I also came from a Blackberry Bold, and was also a bit disappointed with my Samsung Galaxy S at that stage, but when I got used to the Android way of doing things it was quite difficult to use my Bold again.

I still hold the opinion that those first two you list will not really be as enjoyable on android than on BB so I think you will just have to get used to that. The blackberry is better at those two facets.

The last one - I don't know, I generally get what I am looking for on the play store.

But you can do much more on android than you can do on your blackberry, just give it some time and you will see the other benefits of using android.

 

[Elimentals]

ON my blackberry if i had 20 000 contacts i can select JUST ONE and only when that one comes online will I get a notification - this feature is so simple and useful.

There is a google group for this - over a year old no response from the developers.

Cool, to be honest its the 1st time I hear of such a feature. Hope you find a selution none the less.
Now I'll know next time someone asks.

I have an S2, absolutely love it, moved from a Bold 9780. I do miss the notifications and the "just works" aspect. For a central "hub" for all communication no one has anything on blackberry. Other than that Android owns everything else over BB.

Take note that I fully made use of every tweak and shortcut there was for my BB, including the user-defined auto correct - I miss this feature have to admit.
eg. I need to type something like say my email. All i did was assign auto correct to "correct" a certain 3 char string to my desired email address. (ie: ".m1" got converted to "email1257@blahblahmail.com") - this is just one of the many many uses I had for that feature alone.

There are keyboards on the market that will allow you to created shortcuts or autocorrect replacements. I can think of Thumb keyboard for one, Maybe its a better idea to ask instead of just claim that it doesn't work like X

I think SwitkeyX also has this but not to sure... using Touchpal because of predictive sliding so not 100% sure.

Edit: Oh and this reminds me of a prank I love to pull with this feature. When someone leaves his phone unattended go into auto-replace and add LOL with "I love sex" os some such phraze....

 

[Elimentals]

Shall I use the Apple argument?

But why do you need that? Obviously Android is a better OS and if everyone else doesn't need that feature you don't either!

Seriously though, I feel your pain. We all like our devices to work in a way that is best for us, not the majority, and most convenient for us. Hope you find a solution!

Think you missing something: The Android one is if you cant find it, code it. After all we have access to both the SDK (Free) and the OS Source Code (Free)

Or better in short:

 

[SmartKit]

Think you missing something: The Android one is if you cant find it, code it. After all we have access to both the SDK (Free) and the OS Source Code (Free)

Or better in short:

Exactly!