Motorola Milestone

[101--BB--Xanthe]

 

Been watching this beast for a while now. It finally came to Canada, but unfortunately to Telus Mobility and I'm with Bell Mobility. From my research I knew that both Telus and Bell run the same mobile frequencies but bringing a phone over from another provider is always tricky. Here's what I did...

 

I bought the phone outright from Telus yesterday morning around 10am. Reasonably priced at $599. I walked out of the store and over to a Cellular stand and asked the clerk if he could unlock the phone (required before bringing it over to another service provider). The guy had no idea what the phone was as it was so new, it wasn't on his list of unlockable phones. He makes a call and tells me he can, but it will take a possible 24 hours to do it. I said "That's fine". I pay him and he gives me a temporary sim card so I can play with the phone till I get the unlock code. ;D

 

 

I go home, turn on the wifi and start downloading all the Android apps I want for the phone, they have a great selection of stuff and more coming every day! Starting to rival the iphone for apps now. I am amazed at how fast the thing is. 6:00pm I get a call from the Cellular guy with my unlock code. I enter it and it unlocks without a hitch. Now off to the Bell store to get a sim card. First Bell store didn't have a sim card so I hit the next one, which is a corporate store (so they should know a thing or two more than the average store).

 

I walk in and tell the guy behind the counter that I'd like to buy a sim card for my phone and transfer my existing account to the sim card for my new phone. He asked to see the Milestone so I show him. He looks it up on his computer and tells me it won't function on Bell's network. I told him, that I was sure it would, and could we please try. He went on and on about frequencies and the such. I told him I'd done my research and knew it would work. He then went and got one of their activated sim cards and told me to put it in but that it was going to prove me wrong. :police:

 

I popped it in, turned it on. I handed it to him and his face did a double take as the Bell network symbol became apparent on the Milestone. He uses the phone to call the store and 10 seconds later the store phone rings. He turned to me and said... you taught me something new today.

 

Anyway, bought the $5 sim card and went home. Once there I realized that while the voice and text service was working great, the data portion wasn't and I have a great data plan so it was essential that I get that working. So after a quick search on some of the Canadian phone forums I discovered I had to set up the APN portion of the phone. A few minutes later and I was solid gold! The beast was surfing like a pro and I was streaming youtube clips seamlessly!

 

This phone is the best I've ever owned. I've had the BB storm, Palm pre, and it beats them hands down. Both of those phones were 3G but this device kills them in speed. Not sure why, maybe it's because it's unlocked. Anyone else know? I also have an iTouch, but I feel my Milestone can do just as much media wise and I can tweek the phone to my hearts content. Because it's an Android phone I simply activated my google account and it immediately and painlessly added all my phone contacts and Calender appointments to the phone! ;D

 

Hopefully this thread helps anyone else who's interested in buying the phone (also known as the Droid on the Verizon network in the States).

 

Smart phone specs:

 

http://www.gsmarena.com/motorola_milestone-3001.php

[[-VR-] Tool_Minion]

My mom has the Droid (looks EXACTLY THE SAME) and absolutely HATES the keyboard. :-X

[101--BB--Xanthe]

Tool_Minion ]

My mom has the Droid (looks EXACTLY THE SAME) and absolutely HATES the keyboard. :-X

 

The on screen keyboard is perfect... just as good as the Iphone. The slider keyboard is flat, but even with big fingers I'm getting used to it.

[Nikastylez]

I'm a former iPhone user now sporting the Droid. Not to say the iPhone is bad, but I have had it since it came out and was just looking for a new gadget to play with. I must say that I am not disappointed at all about switching and do not miss my iPhone at all. Not that the Droid is better, but I do believe each phone has their pros and cons. The onscreen keyboard on the Droid does seem a bit more crunched. I tend to hit the period instead of the spacebar at times and I'm not fond at all about the slideout keyboard, but aside from that, I have no other complaints about the Droid. Not to mention that there's a great app called PDAnet from the market that you can use to tether. I always carry my laptop around with me and now with my phone, I can use my phone's connection on my laptop and go on the internet anywhere I am. The speed is absolutely amazing and pages load super quick on my laptop tethering.

[101--BB--Xanthe]

Nikastylez ]

I'm a former iPhone user now sporting the Droid. Not to say the iPhone is bad, but I have had it since it came out and was just looking for a new gadget to play with.

 

Looks like we have a new member...

[Marlne]

Just thought I would throw my input in, lol and yes I know this post is kind of old..

 

Me and my wife both got droids. I came from an iphone and my wife came from a htc touch pro 2..

 

I must say that I myself like the keyboard, and we tried the Moto Droid, the Droid Eris, and the HTC Incredible before selecting... (the store had a working Incredible on display)..

 

The thing that sold me on the droid was

1.The Keyboard

2. I like the stock android setup.. I cant stand the HTC look, my wife liked the eris, but opted for the droid because of the keyboard.

3. The incred reminded me alot of the Iphone, and I just dont like the onscreen keyboard or the Eris or the Incred

 

 

To me the droid seems to do everything I did with the Iphone...My brother still has his 32GB Iphone and the first thing he hated on was that I cannot pinch to zoom...I laughed and showed him that the droid can pinch to zoom (thanks to the new 2.1 update), and guess what.... He is now sporting a moto droid also!!

 

Oh yeah...loving it!

[101--BB--Xanthe]

Stiill loving my milestone! The more I use it the more I discover its strengths. Surfing the forums on it now while playing MW2. The first phone I can honestly say isn't a hassle to browse the internet with! Ya'll definately have to get on the Android wagon at least!

[Marlne]

Xanthe ]

Stiill loving my milestone! The more I use it the more I discover its strengths. Surfing the forums on it now while playing MW2. The first phone I can honestly say isn't a hassle to browse the internet with! Ya'll definately have to get on the Android wagon at least!

 

what apps are you sporting on it right now Xanthe? There are some really good ones.. Me and my wife havent played with alot of them, but I am loving it more and more....

[101--BB--Xanthe]

o-Marlne-o ]

Xanthe ]

Stiill loving my milestone! The more I use it the more I discover its strengths. Surfing the forums on it now while playing MW2. The first phone I can honestly say isn't a hassle to browse the internet with! Ya'll definately have to get on the Android wagon at least!

 

what apps are you sporting on it right now Xanthe? There are some really good ones.. Me and my wife havent played with alot of them, but I am loving it more and more....

 

Mortplayer: Way better mp3 player than the stock version, it shows you your music files exactly how you see them on your computer.

 

Handcent: text message program, superior to the stock version.

 

xscope: Best web browser. Stock versions ok, this one's much better.

 

Speedtest: Allows you to see what your wifi speed and your data connection speeds are. ;D

 

PicSay: Allows you to modify and edit any photos you've taken or have loaded onto your phone. You can then send them to others via text message.

 

Astro: Allows you to browse, edit, copy or paste any files you have on your phone. Mini computer basically.

 

Netcounter: Keeps me informed of my data usage per month so I don't go over my data limit. Tracks wifi and data.

 

Draw: small program that I can finger draw on, very handy if your showing someone a sketch or diagram.

 

Fring: Allows me to call anyone's cell phone or land Line in North America using my Skype account. I can call using either wifi or data.

 

Tube Downloader: Awesome program, allows me to download youtube clip directly to my phone without a hitch. Don't know many phones that can boast that. :police:

 

Shazam: Great program to catch that elusive song on the radio. Simply press listen and it tells you the name of the song.

 

Google Sky: Really cool program that shows the night sky as you look at the screen. As the screen moves, so do the Constellations.

 

Newsflash widget: News program that rotates through top headlines in... World, U.S., U.K., U.S. sports, U.K. sports, Tech, Gadgets, Mobile and games.

 

Yahoo widget: Newsprogram, same as above.

 

Gaming widget: Latest gaming news

 

Chuch Norris Facts: Every guy should have this widget on their phone. The sun rises and sets with Norris! :police:

 

Dictionary widget: Self explanitory

 

Wikidroid: Quick access to wikipedia.

 

 

That should get you started Marine... Enjoy!!!

 

[Marlne]

Xanthe ]

o-Marlne-o ]

Xanthe ]

Stiill loving my milestone! The more I use it the more I discover its strengths. Surfing the forums on it now while playing MW2. The first phone I can honestly say isn't a hassle to browse the internet with! Ya'll definately have to get on the Android wagon at least!

 

what apps are you sporting on it right now Xanthe? There are some really good ones.. Me and my wife havent played with alot of them, but I am loving it more and more....

 

Mortplayer: Way better mp3 player than the stock version, it shows you your music files exactly how you see them on your computer.

 

Handcent: text message program, superior to the stock version.

 

xscope: Best web browser. Stock versions ok, this one's much better.

 

Speedtest: Allows you to see what your wifi speed and your data connection speeds are. ;D

 

PicSay: Allows you to modify and edit any photos you've taken or have loaded onto your phone. You can then send them to others via text message.

 

Astro: Allows you to browse, edit, copy or paste any files you have on your phone. Mini computer basically.

 

Netcounter: Keeps me informed of my data usage per month so I don't go over my data limit. Tracks wifi and data.

 

Draw: small program that I can finger draw on, very handy if your showing someone a sketch or diagram.

 

Fring: Allows me to call anyone's cell phone or land Line in North America using my Skype account. I can call using either wifi or data.

 

Tube Downloader: Awesome program, allows me to download youtube clip directly to my phone without a hitch. Don't know many phones that can boast that. :police:

 

Shazam: Great program to catch that elusive song on the radio. Simply press listen and it tells you the name of the song.

 

Google Sky: Really cool program that shows the night sky as you look at the screen. As the screen moves, so do the Constellations.

 

Newsflash widget: News program that rotates through top headlines in... World, U.S., U.K., U.S. sports, U.K. sports, Tech, Gadgets, Mobile and games.

 

Yahoo widget: Newsprogram, same as above.

 

Gaming widget: Latest gaming news

 

Chuch Norris Facts: Every guy should have this widget on their phone. The sun rises and sets with Norris! :police:

 

Dictionary widget: Self explanitory

 

Wikidroid: Quick access to wikipedia.

 

 

That should get you started Marine... Enjoy!!!

 

 

Awsome man, I got some of them just now:)

 

Heres a few I have besides what you mentioned.

 

My favorite so far is MiKandi, its a app you download, but it is really a porn app store itself.I just downloaded it, but I am liking it so far ;D ;D ;D

 

Snake: of course, this oldie but goody game is just awsome:)

 

acar: it helps you track your gas mileage, tuneups, changes, and all that good stuff....

 

urbandictionary: in case your friends want to know what a "Rusty Trombone" is ;D ;D ;D

 

weatherbug: its pretty nice

 

Speedview: pretty cool, it uses your gps to track how fast you are going, and your top speed, works in a car, and if you are running. You can see how fast you can run top speed in MPH, pretty cool from what I have seen. I am going to see how fast I am when it stops raining outside.

 

Past Events: pretty cool program, you tell them your bday, and it tells you all kinds of past things that happend on your bday, wars,sports,politcal, ect... its sweet

 

I download and deleted everyday lol, these are just a few I have right now....

 

I love this phone man!

 

[101--BB--Xanthe]

o-Marlne-o ]

Xanthe ]

o-Marlne-o ]

Xanthe ]

Stiill loving my milestone! The more I use it the more I discover its strengths. Surfing the forums on it now while playing MW2. The first phone I can honestly say isn't a hassle to browse the internet with! Ya'll definately have to get on the Android wagon at least!

 

what apps are you sporting on it right now Xanthe? There are some really good ones.. Me and my wife havent played with alot of them, but I am loving it more and more....

 

Mortplayer: Way better mp3 player than the stock version, it shows you your music files exactly how you see them on your computer.

 

Handcent: text message program, superior to the stock version.

 

xscope: Best web browser. Stock versions ok, this one's much better.

 

Speedtest: Allows you to see what your wifi speed and your data connection speeds are. ;D

 

PicSay: Allows you to modify and edit any photos you've taken or have loaded onto your phone. You can then send them to others via text message.

 

Astro: Allows you to browse, edit, copy or paste any files you have on your phone. Mini computer basically.

 

Netcounter: Keeps me informed of my data usage per month so I don't go over my data limit. Tracks wifi and data.

 

Draw: small program that I can finger draw on, very handy if your showing someone a sketch or diagram.

 

Fring: Allows me to call anyone's cell phone or land Line in North America using my Skype account. I can call using either wifi or data.

 

Tube Downloader: Awesome program, allows me to download youtube clip directly to my phone without a hitch. Don't know many phones that can boast that. :police:

 

Shazam: Great program to catch that elusive song on the radio. Simply press listen and it tells you the name of the song.

 

Google Sky: Really cool program that shows the night sky as you look at the screen. As the screen moves, so do the Constellations.

 

Newsflash widget: News program that rotates through top headlines in... World, U.S., U.K., U.S. sports, U.K. sports, Tech, Gadgets, Mobile and games.

 

Yahoo widget: Newsprogram, same as above.

 

Gaming widget: Latest gaming news

 

Chuch Norris Facts: Every guy should have this widget on their phone. The sun rises and sets with Norris! :police:

 

Dictionary widget: Self explanitory

 

Wikidroid: Quick access to wikipedia.

 

 

That should get you started Marine... Enjoy!!!

 

 

Awsome man, I got some of them just now:)

 

Heres a few I have besides what you mentioned.

 

My favorite so far is MiKandi, its a app you download, but it is really a porn app store itself.I just downloaded it, but I am liking it so far ;D ;D ;D

 

Snake: of course, this oldie but goody game is just awsome:)

 

acar: it helps you track your gas mileage, tuneups, changes, and all that good stuff....

 

urbandictionary: in case your friends want to know what a "Rusty Trombone" is ;D ;D ;D

 

weatherbug: its pretty nice

 

Speedview: pretty cool, it uses your gps to track how fast you are going, and your top speed, works in a car, and if you are running. You can see how fast you can run top speed in MPH, pretty cool from what I have seen. I am going to see how fast I am when it stops raining outside.

 

Past Events: pretty cool program, you tell them your bday, and it tells you all kinds of past things that happend on your bday, wars,sports,politcal, ect... its sweet

 

I download and deleted everyday lol, these are just a few I have right now....

 

I love this phone man!

 

 

I'll pass on the porn program... but I'll definitely check out snake and speedview. Weatherbug is good, but I use Weather forecast, it incorporates more info into a nicer widget package and has great animation when you click on the weather icon.

[Marlne]

yeah man, I might have to check out that widget......see how I like it..

 

The more and more I play around with droid the more and more I am glad I dropped the Iphone for it...

 

Not to mention Flash is coming soon:)

 

I downloaded shazam and it is pretty cool. it listens to a song for you on the radio and tells you the name of it and the artist...I havent tried singing something and see if it works. Its a ok app I guess, might be useful sometimes

 

I am currently looking for some more games to download, find a couple I like.