Smart Phone Help

[Daseal]

Google has had their voice commands for some time. The structure is a bit more strict than Siri and not everything comes through the GUI like Siri. However, I've found it to be quite effective to send texts, look up an address in Maps, etc. Robin looks like a way to really utilize the google technology through a prettier UI.

I'm shocked at the accuracy of those swipe keyboards. I didn't think I would but I like them a lot. I use a different software, but enjoy it a lot!

As far as rooting -- I root my phone. There are advantages and disadvantages. The main disadvantage is if you're not really sure what you're doing it can void your warranty (but a quick google can walk you through it) and if you really jack it up you can brick your phone. Also, it can affect the stability of your operating system. If you're not interested in 'tinkering' then it's probably not worth it. I run a 'stable' OS I can always swap to if I need it, a 'fun' one that I mess with, and then play with a few others.

However, it lets you get rid of the bloatware, update the radio (which can improve efficiency for both battery and signal quality plus some other things). I like the freedom to bounce around with different, customized, OSes. Cyanogenmod is the defacto standard for android and is a fantastic balance of customizable, stable, visually pleasing, and support.

I'm far from an expert, but I'll gladly try to answer any questions about it here.