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Pls enlighten this Android newbie

Hi all,
Am a newbie to Android tablets/devices both in terms of hardware and software. So if my post is posted in the wrong thread or reposted pls pardon me. I just want to understand a few basics.
As you all may know, now the market is being flooded by those Chinese made Android tablets. And many of them looks good (at least on paper) and at a very good price. But the problem is most of the time when come to chinese goods, they don't usually do what they claims (if you know what i mean). and the best part most of the salesperson don't know anything about the products they are selling especially when comes to tech gadgets like the Android tablets.
So here i am seeking help from you gurus and hoping i can start my Android journey on the right step. Below are a few questions. Hope I can get answers (links to somewhere where i can read up or anything).
1. What are the conditions (CPU make, firmware, etc) to fulfill if i wan to upgrade/root/hack the original Android OS? Cos most of the chinese made tablets are running on Android 1.5. Hoping to be able to upgrade the OS whenever a newer one comes out. Like the latest 2.1 And be able to download new apps from the apps market.
2. Which CPU chip is better and what are the common CPU chips in the market now? I know there are the Rockchips, VIA, Telechips.
3. Can we tell what are the hardware (CPU make etc) and software (OS/firmware version, etc) that are being used in the device from the system setting or something?
4. I read somewhere that not all CPU chips can be upgraded to the latest OS. i.e. that any upgrade is determined by the CPU chip. Is it true?
5. As for custom ROM, is it also device dependable? Like is there a generic ROM for all devices?
For now these are the questions which are bugging me. Hope the gurus here can enlighten this Android newbie.
Sorry for the long winded post and thanks for any help.

Hmmm. Just check that it is upgradable to froyo and it has more than 500mhz cpu
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App

if you are looking for a tablet just get an ipad. the android tablets i see floating around are just 1.5 or 1.6. even if you get a tablet that can do 2.2 (froyo)... i dont see how that can be any better than an ipad.
i just feel that 2.2 isnt meant to be in tablet form. if you can wait... wait for 3.0 before you decide. the main deterrent here is the maximum resolution for android (854 x 480 or something), and that the apps were made with phones in mind.
im very happy with my nexus one... i just cant imagine having a tablet running android as of the moment unless its very very cheap ($200 or so).
i for one will get an ipad next month. my nexus one with wifi tether + the basic wifi ipad will be gadget heaven. looking to get an ipad primarily for reading magazines (zinio) and comic books. android does not have zinio yet. the android comic viewer (ACV) i use on my nexus is ok... but not great. then theres the games. games on android are still so so with less variety and choices.
as a phone the android is great! better than the iphone (yes im an apple user through and through) even. but as a tablet... not quite yet.

Hp is going to release a tablet so is samsung with 2.2
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App

Hopefully start seeing some of these 2.2 tablets in the 3rd Quarter...

[Q] Can you all point me to a Reliable Fast and Supported Tablet?

So after the past week or so i have done some casual research. Looking thru various sites getting some not so reliable feedback i figured i would just ask at the top.... And i dont know why i didnt in the first place..
I am looking to get a Android Tablet when taxes come. Something not to expensive but not a cheap piece of junk either.
I am looking for something reliable, fast good graphics, a decent camera if possible certianly gps, wifi, bluetooth. I would like to dock it in my car for its Gps potential, and for movies and certianly its music capabilities (like power amp) and pandora last fm ect. I figured i would tether it to my Droid 2, and no i wont be watching movies on it thats more for my wife, friends ect.
I would defenatly want it to have the android market on it, wether i have to put it on there myself or if it was stock. I want to be able to play games like angry bird or whatever. Not just simple low end games but the potentintal to play anything i might want to..
And lastley i would like something that defenatly has some community backbone to it. Something that has been rooted, that people know and i can get reliable support on. I dont want to be running 1.6 on it it has to be like 2.0 or 2.2 and i can upgrade it. Something that runs really smoothly and has at least one decent rom.
I see some of these people who bought cheap tablets off ebay from Hong Kong or whatever and there having to scour the net just to find out what excatly it is called.. I dont really wana do that lol.
If i can find it locally great! If i got to order it off the net then so be it. I just want something that is open, reliale, smooth, fast and has some support behind it...
Sorry if this is the wrong section i looked for a overall tablet form but couldnt find one on XDA and i didnt want to post in every forum. If you have anylinks or even one u are thinking about buying like a link let me know id love to check it out!
Thanks Everyone!

Dude, get a NookColor! $249, supported in ROM Manager, and I'm sure soon to have full ROMs released..
It doesn't have a camera (but your Droid 2 does...) so that might be a deal breaker. It's not a tablet, it's an e-reader, but it's a neat little thing. I can't wait to see the development take off.
Other than that, the Motorola Xoom looks promising, but it's currently unreleased.
-pd

I would recommend the nook Color as well except for the fact that it is lacking a GPS. Therefore it does not fit into the car model. I have one for my son and it is a nice device.

The gps is kind of a nessisity for me, i could give up the camera but im stuck with the gps. But the nook or nook color is out for me. I see it as lacking later on because of its processor and it wasent built to be a tablet. I want something that will ride out for a few years if possible. It needs a 1 ghz prosessor and sufficent ram. And i got to have 2.2+ on it. And 7 inch minumum. Thank you for the suggestion thus far though

Consider the Archos 101 or 70.
Pretty sure it has everything.
There is a forum for it here too.

as far as I know no tablet meets your demands ( 1ghz/2.2/lotso ram/etc) probably best shot at the moment is a flytouch II from lightinthebox ...
10", decent rom support coming together, inbuilt gps, 2 cardslots for storage, android 2.1 with kernel 2.6.32.9 once you upgrade/update it to v1568 firmware.
another OEM provider promised 2.2 was going to be out last weekend but havent seen anything filtering out as of yet

chachi said:
as far as I know no tablet meets your demands ( 1ghz/2.2/lotso ram/etc) probably best shot at the moment is a flytouch II from lightinthebox ...
10", decent rom support coming together, inbuilt gps, 2 cardslots for storage, android 2.1 with kernel 2.6.32.9 once you upgrade/update it to v1568 firmware.
another OEM provider promised 2.2 was going to be out last weekend but havent seen anything filtering out as of yet
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, Archos already has 2.2 with 1ghz
http://www.archos.com/products/ta/archos_101it/specs.html?country=ca&lang=en
The RAM is not listed on that page but it would be easy to find out.
I'm just stepping out.
And there seems to be a GPS solution here http://forum.archosfans.com/viewtopic.php?f=63&t=37910

Sry... what I meant was I want to run the most uptodate firmware I can so im kosher with 2.1 what im hoping to avoid is where I have seen a lot of them running 1.6. I've been thinking about archos but I just haven't heardb from anyone who ones a archos or a flytouch.. I would defenatly like to hear experiences... thanks again everyone
Sent from my DROID2 using Tapatalk

Also and i forgot to mention it.. It has to have a Capacitive and Multitouch screen like my Droid X or Droid 2.... Does that FlyTouch have that? cause i cant seem to find any information pertaining to that.

no flytouch2 is not multitouch but otherwise i am more than happy with mine, best €130 ish i've ever spent

[Q] [N00b] Nokia N8 with android why not?

Hey,
Why is there no android version for the N8?
Could anyone create it? There is enough animo for it.
If i read some forums I see that some people want it. Why not?
Also it has the best mobile camera in the world.
If someone can run android on it it would be the best device ever. (I think)
I could find an answer on this forum. But I think this is already changed.
(That there isn't enough animo for it. But there is!)
I'm also a newb in this world. But I like android and the compatibility that the most devices already have with it.
Kevin

I dont know if its that simple. I dont rly know if the android suitable for N8, anyway would be nice to have it (even though that i have HD2, which i think that is much better than N8.) If its possible, my friends will have android too! xD

indeed!
I think an android developer must buy an n8.. that he can see it's a wonderfull device.
And then create android for it.

Not all phones are like hd2, where you can have different os
Sent from HTC HD2 with Android

Not all people wants a HD2

you are not alone my friend!
I too wish the N8 had Android.
It is a much better device than the HD2, screen size isn't everything.

coldest~~~ said:
Not all phones are like hd2, where you can have different os
Sent from HTC HD2 with Android
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
anything is possible, it just takes time.
and in the HD2's favor, it had hardware that was common across different platforms.
plus a big userbase

Isnt the N8 nokia soft based on Debian? couldn't drivers be ported my friend has this device and yes the camera is amazing on it

I thougt it was only meego and maemo wich is debian based?

i was thinking to get a nokia n8 untill ive found out that nokia had very low quality development for that new symbian version, and that they moved torwards windows mobile... i never liked windows mobile and since they were not going for android i said whats the point, on paper the nokia n8 is amazing, but it has some problems aswell, for example the cpu is only 625mhz, while its arguably enough to run android, im not entirely sure it has all the instruction sets compatible with it, emulation is out of the question too, the android code would have to be natively changed to work for it, and then there had to be the matter of games, they also had to be coded properly for that specific gpu,cpu and sound chip, accelerometer and so on.
So thats why ppl dont usually port phones to android, its a mess to code and most of the drivers they have to code them from scratch.

TheWarKeeper said:
i was thinking to get a nokia n8 untill ive found out that nokia had very low quality development for that new symbian version, and that they moved torwards windows mobile... i never liked windows mobile and since they were not going for android i said whats the point, on paper the nokia n8 is amazing, but it has some problems aswell, for example the cpu is only 625mhz, while its arguably enough to run android, im not entirely sure it has all the instruction sets compatible with it, emulation is out of the question too, the android code would have to be natively changed to work for it, and then there had to be the matter of games, they also had to be coded properly for that specific gpu,cpu and sound chip, accelerometer and so on.
So thats why ppl dont usually port phones to android, its a mess to code and most of the drivers they have to code them from scratch.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The CPU is official build for 750mhz. So it can run faster.. Also i heard that the new version of android (3.0?) has hardware acceleration for the UI. So the GPU can be used for it.

cpu for android need nore juice and ram.
battery life will be hunger for more to join android.
nokia seem battery effective device.low power consumption

under18 said:
cpu for android need nore juice and ram.
battery life will be hunger for more to join android.
nokia seem battery effective device.low power consumption
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why?
The HTC ChaCha and Salsa has a 600 mhz processor... And still Android runs on it.
Indeed the ram is littlebit low 256 mb...

Chacha is 800Mhz, 512 of ram..

yeah i wish that someone would find a way to port android to n8 i recently got one and dont like symbian os, any way i'll keep on searching if no luck, guess i have to get an android phone
Edit: forgot to say i had a sony ericsson x8 which had 600 Mhz processor and 256mb ram and i was even able to run android 4.0 on it dunno why n8 would not run on this device

The question is why port android to N8? The N8 is a wonderful device as is. If you have an N8 you probably bought it for it's camera prowess. Bonus: you get a very long battery life (compared to droids). Now if you want to port android on it then it will become power hungry and will be full of glitches since it has poor dev support. Also, you wouldn't want a slow droid. 600mhz for a droid is quite slow, and as stated, the RAM is low. You're better off buying an affordable Galaxy Y. Believe me it's quite fast, if you can live with it's low res screen.
Cheers,
Cezar

kevinwalter said:
Hey,
Why is there no android version for the N8?
Could anyone create it? There is enough animo for it.
If i read some forums I see that some people want it. Why not?
Also it has the best mobile camera in the world.
If someone can run android on it it would be the best device ever. (I think)
I could find an answer on this forum. But I think this is already changed.
(That there isn't enough animo for it. But there is!)
I'm also a newb in this world. But I like android and the compatibility that the most devices already have with it.
Kevin
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it's not possible to port Android or any other OS to symbian phones because of locked bootloaders by Nokia
Nokia n9 is running meego OS which is with unlocked bootloaders and that's why this phone can have dual boot or just one OS like Android 4.x.x ICS

I want it too
I have an Nokia N8 too and i would love to run android on it.
So if there is any way to install android on it....

I also have nokia n8, it was really a great phone,hi quality build, superb. And I fine with symbian^3 but what bothering me was that the nokia apps store is getting useless. I need BBM and can't find any.

[Q] Generic Chinese Clone Devices

Ok, so I'm pretty new to this whole Android thing, but I'm not daft and know a think or two about computers and software, so I'm not a complete 'noob'...
However, to spare me the drama of trawling through thousands of pages, I have a few quick concise questions, and would appreciate concise answers.
So I bought a generic handset, branded as an Onyx Dragon though AnTuTu benchmark app tells me its a Yusu... details and specs from Chinavision.com (search Onyx Dragon).
I initially bought it because I needed a new phone (been on a Moto V3 Razr for about 6 years!) so got this cos it was cheap and looked good. Runs Froyo on what I have found to be pretty **** hardware (MT6516, advertised as 416MHz but shown to be around 207MHz, but not sure if this is main CPU or radio core...) with not a lot of RAM. I installed an 8Gb SD card to save the apps and keep as much free internal space as possible, in case the OS supports disc memory (?). The wireless is good and screen works well, but the GPS, navigation and camera are rubbish, but they are not why I bought it; I have a decent camera and I can read a map. Its definitely 'entry level' so I'm not too bothered if I brick it.
Since I got it, and seeing the many cheap 'clones' out there, I'm keen to get into them a bit more and start developing. I already rooted it with z4root, BusyBox and Superuser all installed fine. ROM Manager is running but because I don't know the actual brand I'm not yet running ClockWorkMod (doesn't show up in the list). I'm keen to install Gingerbread or maybe even CyanogenMod 7, but cannot flash the ROM without CWM. Can anyone tell me what phone 'model' I should use for this particular handset?
I can't overclock the chipset, but have been looking at other clones to play with, such as htc Incredible G11i Pro clone from etotalk.com and 'CyberStar' 3G handset with MT6573 650MHz chipset (also from Chinavision).
Does anyone have any knowledge/experience with these clones? They look great and if they work as well as the budget model I have now then there is certainly potential. Sure, they may not be as good as a genuine Galaxy or Nexus, but then the price reflects that. However, as a cheap development platform you can't really go wrong! I'd like to see faster processors and more hardware mod ability such as clocking, just to see what is possible. Anyone tried ICS on one of these? I read elsewhere that if Froyo runs ok on a cheap device then GB should be better. My friend has GB 2.3.3 on a genuine $500 Galaxy S2 and I'd love to show him up with a rooted and clocked clone running ICS for a fraction of the price!!
Well, thats not as concise as I would like, but it covers pretty much everything. One last thing though, I cannot install ES File Explorer 1.6.1, it will download from Market and attempt to install but then fail. The latest version I have is the pre-installed 1.4.2.2. I've tried everything I can think of; downloading on my Mac and copying via USB to install from Astro making sure ES is not running, failed. Tried uninstalling ES with ROM Toolbox having root access and disabled AVG, failed. Tried to launch new version from package options, failed. I have installed ES Task Manager v1.2 but cannot use all the features as it says File Explorer needs to be updated, and needless to say updating it from the prompts failed as well... Any ideas? I'm thinking a flash to GB should include the latest version (or better alternative).
Thanks all in advance!

I don't think it's possible to run ICS on such a low spec'd device. This onyx dragon runs on a 416Mhz ARM9 processor with a 200 Mhz ARM7 GPU. Even the G1 that uses a 528Mhz ARM11 CPU can't run ICS well. I would suggest that you give up on theses crappy chineses devices. If you don't have money you can find a LG Optimus One for 100 bucks on ebay and it is A LOT better than any of these chinese crap phones
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App

For CWM, take a look at this site http://www.koushikdutta.com/2010/02/clockwork-recovery-image.html and the quote below
Don't see your phone? Email me if you want to help me get it working!
And of course, all the source can be found on Github.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Please use the Q&A Forum for questions Thanks
Moving to Q&A

Hey all, thanks for the feedback. Basically, sure I don't want to spend a lot being a student, I don't have a lot, but I'm keen to get more out of what I can afford, hence the Chinese crap (yes it is crap but if it does what you need...) : ) just a shame I can't clock mine! Does anyone know if ANY MediaTec chips can be?
Sure, I think running ICS is a bit optimistic, but I'd still like to give GB or C-Mod a go, providing I can get CWM installed. I'd like to compile myself and even think about refining my own version, perhaps slimming down a newer version to run on low performance hardware. What's this about a special cable needed with a 3.5mm jack?
And am I right in thinking Honeycomb was only for tablets, not phones...?

droidscope said:
Hey all, thanks for the feedback. Basically, sure I don't want to spend a lot being a student, I don't have a lot, but I'm keen to get more out of what I can afford, hence the Chinese crap (yes it is crap but if it does what you need...) : ) just a shame I can't clock mine! Does anyone know if ANY MediaTec chips can be?
Sure, I think running ICS is a bit optimistic, but I'd still like to give GB or C-Mod a go, providing I can get CWM installed. I'd like to compile myself and even think about refining my own version, perhaps slimming down a newer version to run on low performance hardware. What's this about a special cable needed with a 3.5mm jack?
And am I right in thinking Honeycomb was only for tablets, not phones...?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes you are right about honeycomb. As for the device. Without kernel source which will never be released due to copyright issues you may have a bit of trouble Modding it. CM only supports authentic devices and not clones as the hardware specs as you learned are faked and never true.

droidscope said:
Hey all, thanks for the feedback. Basically, sure I don't want to spend a lot being a student, I don't have a lot, but I'm keen to get more out of what I can afford, hence the Chinese crap (yes it is crap but if it does what you need...) : ) just a shame I can't clock mine! Does anyone know if ANY MediaTec chips can be?
Sure, I think running ICS is a bit optimistic, but I'd still like to give GB or C-Mod a go, providing I can get CWM installed. I'd like to compile myself and even think about refining my own version, perhaps slimming down a newer version to run on low performance hardware. What's this about a special cable needed with a 3.5mm jack?
And am I right in thinking Honeycomb was only for tablets, not phones...?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi droidscope,
Not all the Chinese phones are crap there are a few very capable phones now entering the market and they are catching up the bigboys rapidly.
For more info & reviews on the latest Chinese phones check over here http://www.gizchina.com/category/phones/ Try to stick with the branded chinese phones such as Zopo, ZTE, Newman etc because there is at least some support where as the direct copy/clones have no support at all. If buying try to get the phone pre rooted because some of the Chinese phone are getting more difficult to root. I would look here http://www.etotalk.com/ if buying and select the MOD ROM $4.99 for most phones then the phone will come pre rooted with working playstore language etc. They do not 1 to 1 copys although some of the phones have more than a passing look of some of the more famous brands. I have used them a few times and they have not let me down be sure to email them first to ask about stock levels though.

Requesting forum for Samsung Galaxy S II HD Lte

hey we are requesting for a new forum of Samsung Galaxy S II HD Lte, any news?
we need costumed ROM here

+1
(The message you have entered is too short. Please lengthen your message to at least 10 characters.)

Sup with the mods ?
+1 Vote,
I've reached out to two mods already....come on mods.... cut us some slack here.
See my forum for the TeamLeader 1.2 rom, its just a bit custom from the stock rom but pretty stable.
://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=22093503 << add http infront enjoy

I think we need a forum for this wonderful phone even if the number of users still aren't a lot!
This phone is really wonderful

Vote for the idea!
Come on....

i just dont understand why we still dont have a forum for the most powerful phone on market today, already months waiting for it there is some customized rom out there, and in XDA nothing. we need a forum for our "beast" here to speed-up things.
hope administrator can give us some space here...
we need our forum here 4.65-inch display with 1280 x 720 pixel resolution, 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor with 1 GB of RAM, 8-megapixel rear camera with 1080p HD recording.

I'd like to add my voice to this request.
I've just received this great little phone, fired it up and it's amazing...
sticking with mostly stock things for now (other than my usual apps) and since it's mostly in Korean.. I'd LOVE some roms for it... ICS would be lovely

+1
I'm using this phone, too. The phone is really great.
It's very difficult too find roms and howtos about this phone.
I hope there will be a forum for this phone.

+1
im i agree with you peaple^^ i just bought this phone yesterday~ and is amazing!!! but i really want to try others custom rooms~

I agree. I bought the non HD version but it is just a sweet (model SHV-E110S) and I woudl love some customization. Hell Id even pay for some. I am by no means a phone expert but I am running gingerbread FB13 on it and if someone needs a copy of it and can point me in the direction of how to pull from phone or where Kies stored it on my computer id happily send it.
Mike
P.S how about an Icon for beer....way off subject I know

Yes, we really need a forum for that kind of phone !

Hey guys, as the proud owner of a SG s2HD LTE. I would like to let you other guys know you can run most of the app's that the android market says are "incompatible". The way to do this is to install Snappz Market, find games like Order and Chaos HD and install (all free on this market), Order and Chaos HD runs very well, the phone does an incredible job running all games!

we really need a forum special for our S II HD LTE

+1 vote here

+1 Vote!! Really appreciate if the Mods can release us spare space...

vote
+1 vote... hope modders out there will spare some of there time to discover the potential of this very interesting phone. Much better than the SGS II i9100.

+1