Talking Android with Rogers Customers: What makes Android so exciting?
By: calendar iconApril 14th, 2011 a 12:36pm

Talking AndroidTwo years ago, Rogers led the Android charge bringing Android to Canada. Early adopters jumped on board at first sight and many others are coming up right behind them.

Although it’s one of the fastest growing platforms, we know many of our customers have questions about what makes Android so exciting. Today, we’re kicking off a new RedBoard series about Android and how it fits in your lifestyle.  To do this, we’ve gone straight to the experts: Rogers customers who were sold on Android from the beginning. As part of this series, we asked these early adopters what they love about the platform and what sets it apart from other operating systems.

What Rogers Android device do you currently use?

Stephen Lee (SL) – blogger/developer – Although I own an HTC Magic+ and a Sony Ericsson X10 my day to day phone is a Samsung Galaxy S. I’m waiting for the new Samsung Nexus S. The new Sony Ericsson PLAY and arc look like pretty darn good devices too.

Michael J. Schmidt (MJS) – blogger- As an early adopter of the Android platform, I am still rocking an HTC Magic, and my wife has an HTC Dream. I have my eye on the Samsung Nexus S.

Bryan Baker (BB) – developer/student – My family has been “converted” to the smartphone era with Android devices. I own an HTC Dream, my brother owns an HTC Magic, and my girlfriend Nicole owned an LG Eve, and upgraded to the Samsung Galaxy S Captivate.

Stephen Herskovits (SH) – blogger – Galaxy Tab

Puleen Patel (PP) – blogger/developer – Samsung Captivate

Don Rayner (DR) – blogger/developer – From the time that I first used the HTC Dream, I’ve been hooked on Android. I moved over from the Dream to the HTC Magic for awhile then started using my current device, the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10.

Greg Carron (GC) – blogger/developer – My daily device is the HTC Nexus One and I also own a Samsung Galaxy Tab. I’ll be upgrading to the SE Xperia arc soon.

What do you love most about the Android platform?

SL - Open Source! The openness of the platform makes it great for developers. For end users it means there is a lot more information available on the Internet when they are looking to solve an issue.

MJS – Not only does Android have a huge selection of apps, but the design of the OS allows me to customize the look and feel as much or as little as I want. Beyond simple things like live wallpaper, I can change the number of screens, the launcher bar, even the fonts! Android is a mini-computer in my pocket that is truly MINE.

BB - The Android platform, simply put, encompasses all the features a power user needs, while maintaining a straight-forward user interface that groups of all ages can understand.

SH - Widgets and notifications. I love that I can keep up to date with everything that is important to me without having to constantly launch and switch between apps.

PP – The ability to customize several aspects of the device for efficiency and quick access to necessary information including GMail, Contacts and being able to do so using Voice Actions.

DR – I have to say that because of choosing Android, I now go days at a time at home without having to touch any computer except for my Android smartphone and if I need to look something up, unless I’m actually sitting at a computer doing something else, I’ll always reach for my phone first.

GC - Android is an Open Source mobile platform. That fact alone is enough to draw me to Android. The online communities behind Android are great. I love the fact that I can customize my Android device, anyway I want.

If you had to describe Android to someone who had never heard of it, what would you say?

MJS - Android is an “operating system” like Windows or the Mac OS on your home computer, but made by Google, and available on phones and tablets from multiple manufacturers in many different styles. It’s a little computer in your pocket! You can download apps from the official Android Market, or from other places, to do anything from taking pictures, surfing the web, connecting with your friends via social sites, to playing games, watching live TV and YouTube videos, and even more.

SH – It’s a phone operating system that lets you configure it any way you like. It doesn’t have limitations like “other” smartphones. Android devices come in all shapes and sizes, price ranges, with or without keyboards, big screens or little screens and so on. This means that you will likely be able to find a device that really feels right for you.

PP - Imagine a device running an operating system that gave you the freedom to do what you want and still allow you to control the experience the way you want it, that’s Android!

DR – I would have to describe it as “The do anything for anyone phone” There is something in Android for everyone from the business man who needs a device to keep him connected to the office to a youth whose priority may be social media and gaming.

GC – A smartphone is just a real high tech cell phone  All your Google stuff online is now attached to your phone – all your Google contacts are synced to if you break your phone or get an upgrade you’re backed up and the native apps like GMail, Maps, Calendar are all integrated real well. The thing about Android is that it’s designed not only for smartphones but can be put on virtual anything with a touch screen – tablets, your TV, navigation system in your car – so it’s very very flexible.

Stay tuned for the next Talking Android installment. In the mean time, check out our new microsite with loads of Android information.

Do you have an Android? What do you see in Android’s future?

Melanie Masson is a regular contributor of RedBoard

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  1. Branden J says: April 14th, 2011 a 5:12pm

    I’ve only been using Android for upwards of a year now, but in that time I’ve utilized some of the top devices in the Canadian Market, and several ranges of the Android OS.

    What I’ve found as an Android user is that I get a reliable interface, limitless freedom and an ever improving portfolio of apps and features.

    To showcase this, here are some of my fav apps/features:

    Google Maps+Latitude+Navigation: This is a killer combination. Maps provides a plethora of info, combined with satellite imagery, traffic info, points of interest, and customizability to mark locations, or choose destinations from your contacts address.
    Latitude is a fun little app to let you and your friends keep track of each other, in the event that one or more of you is directionally challenged.
    Navigation is some of the best GPS software out there. It communicates with you, supports all of the same functions as Maps, and allows you to go straight in to Street View, as well as calculate different routes between locations and compare those routes.

    C:Geo: Geocaching anyone? Free app? Best on the market? Sounds unbelievable, but it’s true. No fees, time limitations or any of that. You download it and you’re set. Integrates with your geocaching.com account, shows other cachers nearby, translates puzzles, even tweets for you! :D

    Titanium Backup: Whether you like to change phones often, are prone to losing your device, or switch Android ROM’s often, Titanium Backup covers you. You can even schedule backup operations so you never have to worry. All this, and it syncs your backups to the DropBox service as well. Can it be any better?

    Lookout: Like Titanium Backup, piece of mind is key here. Lookout’s free service gives you Antivirus-like security, mobile backup options, and it will even provide a FREE GPS tracking function for lost phones. Plus, weekly updates through e-mail. :D

    Winamp: “Winamp, it really whips the llama’s butt” Who doesn’t know this little audio clip? Winamp, oh yes, is in beta for Android and available on the market. Seemless integration with media, shoutcast support, and ease of use.

    Keyboards: Be it the base Android keyboard, or alternatives such as Better Keyboard, SwiftKey, or Swype, Android has the keyboard for you. Among them, I find SwiftKey the most intuitive. It is constantly learning your speech pattens, and can actually predict whole sentences from only the first two letters of the first word.

    Widgets: These little things have seen a less than impressive adoption in PCs, but on phones these things are time savers. Need to read the most recent text, email, or social chat message? There are widgets for that. Want to know the forecast for your area, there’s a widget for that too. You name it, there’s probably a widget (or 10) that do that.

    The list is truly endless, but these are some great reasons to love Android.

    In the future, expect Google to step up the game on seeless integration of services. It’s the name of the game these days, and Google has its number.

    • RogersElise says: April 15th, 2011 a 2:28pm

      Waoh, I love your comment, knowledge and enthusiasm for Android. Thank you for sharing, that’s very helpful.

  2. Frank says: April 14th, 2011 a 7:35pm

    I have a Samsung Captivate. Unfortunately, by following the instructions on the Rogers website directing me to the Samsung upgrade process, my phone can no longer access more than 2GB of internal storage when connected to my computer. Rogers has done nothing about this issue except say it’s Samsung’s problem. With rumours of 2.3 coming to Europe, we *might* eventually get a fix, but it’s way too little, too late. I would never buy another Android phone (and probably won’t renew my Rogers contract) unless the OS updates came directly from Google without the manufacturers and carriers adding on their useless shovelware. Sure, it’s great that Android is “open”, but you can’t take advantage of most of the benefits without voiding your warranty. I shouldn’t *need* to use third-party firmware to get a fast, bug-free phone. The Samsung Captivate is supposed to be one of Rogers’ star Android smartphones… why is the experience for users so terrible?

    • mjschmidt says: April 15th, 2011 a 1:07pm

      Frank, you should elevate the issue. CSRs don’t have a clue. Take it to the office of the president, or contact one of the Rogers Helps team on twitter, like @RogersMary or @RogersMiranda.

      Explain that following THEIR instructions your phone no longer works as advertised when you bought it, and tell them you want a new phone.

    • Branden J says: April 15th, 2011 a 2:21pm

      And that’s why all of my Android devices are rooted and run custom ROM’s.

      You can get ROM’s that are minus all the bloatware, and the ROM Chef’s keep transparency with known issues, as well as regular updates for the more common ROM’s.

      Bare in mind, rooting and installing a different ROM will generally void standard manufacturer warranties, so the value of this information is dependant on your needs.

    • RogersElise says: April 15th, 2011 a 2:30pm

      Hi Frank. I had never heard of that issue and will be getting in touch with you to see if I can help.

      • Andrew says: April 15th, 2011 a 5:54pm

        I’m having the same issue that Frank had. People were posting on the Community forum back in February (and earlier) that their support tickets had been “escalated” and no one helped them. I’ve heard rumours that tech support may have offered refurb phones with 2.1 to some people. That’s not really an acceptable solution if you’ve just bought a brand new “smartphone”.

  3. Hans says: April 14th, 2011 a 7:37pm

    Looking forward to upgrading my Nexus One to the Samsung Galaxy S II. Love to see the price of mobile data drop too!!!!

  4. Gen says: April 14th, 2011 a 10:07pm

    I have been waiting for the Nexus S but it’s not available on Rogers website, although people seem to have gotten their hands on Rogers Nexus S from Futureshop somehow. Is it true that it’s available in retail stores but not on Rogers website?

  5. ryan says: April 14th, 2011 a 10:35pm

    Love this article – don’t forget to check out other blogs about http://www.AndroidInCanada.ca

  6. Kevin says: April 15th, 2011 a 1:33am

    Android is indeed an exciting platform. It’s unfortunate that the line-up of Android phones offered by Rogers is rather narrow.

    It’s a bit disappointing to see competitors launch a wide assortment of new Android devices, while although Rogers does have some “blockbuster” phones on board (e.g. Galaxy S Captivate, Xperia Play), it seems to pale in comparison to other carriers? Just my 2cents.

    To be honest, I would love to see more HTC Android phones available on Rogers, but it seems like they are getting snapped up left and right by your competitors.

    • Branden J says: April 15th, 2011 a 2:27pm

      I agree that more devices would be nice, as long as more devices doesn’t mean crappy devices.
      I love many of the Androids from Telus, but some of them (ie. Motorola Backflip and LG Shine Plus to name two) fall into the category of embarassments to the Android device lineup.

      As for HTC, I’m in agreement here. My main two devices are the HTC Desire and HTC Desire HD. HTC makes beautiful hardware that shares a mutualistic symbioses with Android almost unheard of in smartphones these days.

    • RogersElise says: April 15th, 2011 a 2:45pm

      Thanks for the feedback Kevin. If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you must know by now that we don’t comment on other carrier’s line ups :)
      Just a word about our strategy though: our goal is is to have a wide array of devices that appeal to a wide audience. That’s why we have the largest selection of Android devices from a diversity of manufacturers. As you mentioned, we have the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc coming up, and of course, the Play (for the gamer in each one of us!). The Captivate is a great piece of hardware also I hear.
      Ultimately, our goal is to offer an option for everyone!

      • Kevin says: April 17th, 2011 a 11:32pm

        Thanks for your reply. Not sure if you’re allowed to discuss this, but regarding device procurement, how does it work at Rogers? How much research goes on in deciding which devices will come to Rogers? I’m curious, as Sprint briefly talked about their device procurement strategy in an Engadget podcast a while back.

        Also, Rogers seems very buddy-buddy with Sony Ericsson (which is fine with me, I do have a Sony Ericsson phone), but I would love to see some more HTC phones in the Rogers lineup. After all, the first Android selection offered by Rogers were via HTC devices! Not sure how feasible that is, but I can always hope!

        • RogersElise says: April 19th, 2011 a 10:31am

          Hi Kevin. As I mentioned above, our goal is to cover a wide range of devices: make the early adopters as well as the new-to-smartphone customers happy, the tech geeks, the mid-range or the no-frills shoppers interested.

  7. Andrew says: April 15th, 2011 a 8:47am

    When is the Nexus S finally going to be available? We’ve been teased for weeks now – it’s up on the Best Buy and Future Shop sites already, and there are leaks regarding the price plans and I’ve been told by front line Rogers reps that it should have been available yesterday, but it’s still nowhere to be found :(

  8. Icy says: April 15th, 2011 a 10:20pm

    I have a SGS Captivate since November and it’s now starting to have some burn-in images on the screen. The AM/PM on the upper right hand corner and the taskbar have burned-in on my screen. It is similar to burned-in images on Plasma TVs. The phone itself is excellent but the experience is foiled by this problem that I knew will only get worst as days goes by.

    The link below shows a burn-in problem on a Galaxy S and I’m suffering from the same exact issue.

    http://fattylewis.com/2011/01/galaxy-s-amoled-burn-in/

  9. Stephen says: April 18th, 2011 a 1:47pm

    Question for everyone, how often does Rogers update firmware? The thing I love most about my blackberry is the fact I can upgrade as soon as it becomes available world wide. Its a simple task of deleting the vendor file and then I have the most recent updates / fixes.

    I know I do have the option of unlocking and downloading directly from samsung’s site (thinking about getting the Galaxy S II once it drops)

    Words of advice?

    • mjschmidt says: April 19th, 2011 a 9:00am

      The difference with Android is that, because Google gives the OS away for free to OEMs (manufacturers), and because those OEMs make changes to the OS for their devices, when a new update comes out we have to wait for the OEM to get around to adding their changes, then, test, then get Google’s approval, then send to the carrier to have them test it on their networks.

      In some cases the OEMs just won’t do it at all after a certain point. (see my blog http://www.iwantmyonepointsix.com ).

      Rogers promised us an “update roadmap” for devices going forward, but we have yet to see it.

      The only real way around it is to get a pure, official “Google phone” like the Samsung Nexus S. The official Google phones get all the updates from Google, with no OEM interference. Although in some cases Google or the carriers have held back an update, possibly because of issues that need to be fixed before it can go out. This is happening now with Android 2.3 (aka Gingerbread) for the HTC Nexus One.

      • Stephen says: April 19th, 2011 a 12:17pm

        Thanks mjs for the write up on your blog and here. What you wrote is my biggest concern and why despite the fact Blackberry is not exactly up to date on the spec’s they do however allow me to upgrade and run hybrids which are not restricted by carriers.
        That being said I may be ready to try an Android device, so from what i’ve read teh Galaxy S2 is going to be one of those “google phones”. Is this true from you knowledge?
        Also, if you had your choice of any Android phone which would it be?
        Thanks

        • mjschmidt says: April 19th, 2011 a 2:29pm

          The Samsung Galaxy S is NOT a “Google” phone.

          The Samsung _NEXUS_ S _is_ the new official “Google” phone.

          The Nexus is is sold unlocked so it is carrier independent. Every carrier _except_ Bell has so far announced the Nexus S. It is the device I will likely get next.

  10. Matt Gorman says: April 18th, 2011 a 5:21pm

    I was very happy when Rogers was the first on the Canadian market with Android phones. Unfortunately, since then they’ve fallen way behind the other providers (specifically Bell & Telus).

    I started with the HTC Dream aka G1 (as I require a qwerty keyboard for the amount of messages I send with my phone) and was hopeful that when HTC released the Desire Z aka G2 that Rogers would pick it up. When they didn’t I was forced to pick up an unlocked phone from a separate source so that I could have a fast phone running Android 2.0 with a qwerty keyboard. Now I’m just waiting for my Rogers contract to come up so that I can switch to a provider with more Android options. That is unless Rogers picks up a good Android phone with a qwerty keyboard before then.
    .
    On a side note – in the last Rogers magazine they mentioned a new app for Android that would be released soon and would allow you to control your PVR from your phone. I’ve yet to find any updates as to this app, and there is no mention of it in the new Rogers magazine. Does anyone know when this app will be available to Android users (as it has been for customers of Bell for close to 2 years)?

    • mjschmidt says: April 19th, 2011 a 12:10pm

      I agree about the lack of good, new devices at Rogers. Bell and Telus seem to be scooping them! Don’t get me too wrong, the Sony Ericsson devices (Arc and Play) are pretty nice. I played with them at the Android Panel, but like you, I’d like some more keyboard options, like the Desire Z.

      As for HTC devices at Rogers,who knows? The Dream and Magic are now both gone from the Rogers site, and they haven’t carried an HTC device since the issues with the Dream and Magic and getting an update to 2.1 from HTC. Rogers won’t comment on their relationship with HTC, or if they will ever be carrying HTC devices in the future.

  11. Sean says: April 19th, 2011 a 3:26pm

    Stephen,

    No the Galaxy II is not a true google experience device. Only Pure Google devices which are available are the Nexus One and the Nexus S. If you want updates direct from Gogle without carrier/oem delay then get the Nexus S, which is made by Samsung. If I were buying a device from Rogers it would be the Nexus S. Hope this helped buddy!

    • Stephen says: April 20th, 2011 a 12:12pm

      thanks Sean, would you rather have the Nexus S or live with the carrier updates if they end up getting the Galaxy S2 (GS2)? Or get the GS2 unlock it and wait for updates from Samsung? or I’m open to other ideas.

      • mjschmidt says: April 21st, 2011 a 9:21am

        It depends on the buyer. If you want the latest, greatest hardware, and aren’t concerned about getting every update in a timely manner, or if you plan to just root anyway, then your options are plentiful.

        personally, i don’t want to go through what we went through again with the HTC Magic and Dream, and Rogers still hasn’t supplied the update paths they promised, so my money is on the Nexus S.

        Nexus S review: http://www.engadget.com/2010/12/10/nexus-s-review/

  12. nick says: April 20th, 2011 a 4:38pm

    i just want android phones that are straight android and no carrier software… i really hope when rogers launches the LG G2X the follow T-Mobiles lead and leave the phone alone…..