So, my Fascinate and his Droid X are sitting on a FedEx truck right now. ETA tomorrow. Help?

[magsgundah]

My subject line said it all.

I got a deal (elsewhere, shhhh) on a Droid X for him, a Fascinate for myself and an LG Accolade for Mom.  All three phones for $40.  So, I used my upgrade credit.  They're on the FedEx truck "In Transit" with an EDD of 3/5/11.

What should I know, (yes I know his phone has Android 2.2, mine has Android 2.1 and there's no update in sight - I liked the phone, so I picked it), what apps do I need, task killers - yes or no?  (We're coming from Blackberries - we both have Storms and I had a Curve for work, so I know only enough to be dangerous about Android.  The only Android devices I've touched are my NOOK and my bff's NOOKColor.)

What brick-and-mortar store should I hit for accessories?  I'm thinking hard snap-on cases and screen protectors only.  We have Verizon car chargers from our Storms and he's not (as of yet) getting a dock .  He needs an HDMI cable, I believe.  Anything else?  

None of the cases at VZW struck my fancy, the ones at Android Central were all pricier than I was willing to pay sight unseen.  I'm considering some from Overstock - and $3 shipping makes them more attractive - but I might want to go to a store.  Do the VZW stores have more than online?  Is Best Buy my source - it was for the Blackberries...

Anything else I need to know before I unpack the phones?  He'll be at work when they're delivered and activated tomorrow (he goes in at 9AM and won't be home before midnight, so if he doesn't miss the delivery, they weren't delivered) so I get to play with them both.  

[MaxBuck · Accepted solution]

First, I'm not sure why you'd want a "screen protector" for the Fascinate.  Its screen is a very hard glass that, unless you plan to carry it in a pouch along with uncut diamonds, is unlikely to scratch.  A screen protector will do nothing more than lessen the vividness of the display, IMO.

Second, I'm not sure why you'd want a "case" - though I suppose everyone has different esthetic tastes, the thing I like best about this phone is its thinness and ease of handling.  If I were to get one, I'd probably shop online, since that's where you'll find the biggest selection.

Applications are a lot of fun to shop for on the Market (I've yet to actually pay for one; freeware has met my needs so far).  I've never understood what value people find in "task killers," since the application killer that comes loaded on the phone seems to work well.  My favorites:

UPM - universal password manager, similar to the Vault application on the BlackBerry.

K-9 Mail - use of this or maybe Maildroid is essential if you want to avoid long delays in delivery of POP3 email.

RealCalc - excellent, simple RPN-style calculator

Weather Channel - very good weather widget

Battery Widget - free, easy-to-use battery monitor

AndiCar - auto mileage tracking program to track business vs. personal miles on auto (limited but very easy to use)

I recommend Google Voice usage for voicemail - it will translate all voicemails to texts or emails so you don't need to actually listen to most of them (though the "translations" are occasionally hilarious).

I replaced the standard clock and daily update with free apps that better suited my needs - CBS News widget and a digital clock widget cleverly titled, "Digital Clock Widget."  There are plenty of alternatives out there, though.

Finally, I have disabled "automatic updates" for all apps - I want to control this process rather than allowing the developers to do so.

[PO_pack_mule]

When my wife picked up my SF, she also picked up a "hard case" (all I know is that it says "Pt" on the back), a swivel belt case and the invisible shield. Our old chargers from the Motorolas worked just fine. As far as downloads for the sf, I ended up going to K-9 mail because it grabs your email much better, the missed call app so you get notifications of missed calls and/or texts. Also ended up switching from live wallpaper to a static image so it doesn't drain the battery as much. So far so good! Hope this helps!

[PJNC284]

Avoid task killers as Android likes to manage it's memory on its own.  

As far as the storm charger, it may not work.  I had the original storm and purchased an oem verizon car charger the same day. It worked fine when I got the OG droid but eventhough it's microusb, it would not fit snuggly into the Fascinate and would wiggle itself out.  I ended up purchasing one of the dual vehicle power chargers like verizon offers from ebay. ($12.95 for shipping and everything is a much better deal than the $30 verizon sells it for).  http://cgi.ebay.com/Samsung-Fascinate-i500-Car-Charger-Wire-w-USB-Port-OEM-/180588232576?pt=PDA_Acce...

[PO_pack_mule]

Btw, the accessories were purchased at BB.

[magsgundah]

@Max, thank you, thank you, thank you - you were far more helpful than you probably realize.  A Kudo for you!

Several reviews of the phone have called it "fragile" so I was thinking it would be good to give it a little added protection.  I've always used my Storm and my Curve uncovered - and I prefer it that way - so it's good to know that others leave thisone uncovered.  I will probably end up doing the same.  The screen protector is just habit.  I've always had one, but if the screen is even remotely scratchproof, I will be fine.  I'm not rough on phones.  Mr., on the other hand...  

And thank you very much for the app suggestions.  The only two I knew I needed were Angry Birds and Words With Friends - because I've been hearing about them over and over and over.  (Basically the only apps I had on the Storm were facebook, Opentable and the vault because the Storm is so clunky.)  I'll also be putting NOOK on it, so I can read in line at the grocery and someone else suggested aldiko, as well.

[PJNC284]

The screens are scratch resistant, not scratch proof.  I have a couple little fine scratches on mine and I keep it in one of those case/holster combos from verizon.  Hasn't been dropped or anything.  If you go with a screen protector, stay away from the crap verizon sells and go with http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B0042KY7UI/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&qid=1284508128&sr=8-1&condi....  Much better quality and you can barely tell it's there.

[magsgundah]

@PO, thank you for the app suggestions.  If I decide on "accessories" I'll try Best Buy.

@PJNC, that is what I'd read, mostly - no task killers, but there are others who swear by them.  Like I said, I don't know enough about Android to really have my own opinion.  And especially thanks for the link tot the car chargers because I might buy those at $13 just to have those USB ports.  (Ours are older and were $30 each without the additional USB ports...)

[M91-30]

the fascinate has a task manager app from samsung that properly manages the RAM and allows you to kill apps, also. not sure about the motorola, though. the fascinate has gorilla glass, and has proven to be a VERY tough material. the phone, however can be broken as easily as others, so I use a snap on soft case from a verizon store. best buy doesn't seem to have a comparable soft case, and hard cases don't protect the phone as well.

[HarleyDrifter]

I work construction and keep my Fascinate in my pocket or sometimes even my tool belt so a protective case and cover is a must .  I've had a couple of cases but the one by Body Glove is by far my favorite both for aesthetics and functionality.  It's a hard case but still has a soft leathery feel to it.  All the buttons are still easily accessible and yet more recessed so less apt to be accidentally pressed.  Two disadvantages however: (1) It's more difficult to get to the battery and you will have to do this from time to time for a reset, (2) it wont fit in the desk cradle.  I first used the $5 screen protectors from Verizon but they didn't fully cover the screen and got small micro scratches in them right away.  Now I have the $20 Invisishield and it looks a lot better. The only way you can see it is when the phone is off and it doesn't show fingerprints as much either.  When the display is on you can't see it at all and it also has zero effect on the touch sensitivity. Supposedly it has a warranty that states if it ever gets scratched they will replace it.  It's a little tricky to put on and if you do it yourself make sure you are in a well lit and dust free environment.  I got both of them at Best Buy.

As far as additional apps go, some of my favorites are:

• Google Navigation
• Google Earth
• Navionics Oceanographic & Lake Charts
• Tesla LED Flashlight
• Google
• Weatherbug
• Wikipedia
• Pandora Radio

My only big complaint about the Fascinate is that it doesn't sync email very well.  Mine's set to auto-check hourly but sometimes it just seems to fall asleep on the job.  Some people use the K-9 app for email and claim it works better.

I think you made a good choice with the Fascinate and it would still be my choice today even with the iphone coming out on Verizon.  Just wait until you record a video in 720P, it will blow you away, then load it onto your computer and it still looks great.  You might need to download mp4 player software to your computer to play the video files though.  I use the DIVX player for that.