[Q] £500 - What to buy? - General Questions and Answers

Hi guys,
I'm a new member to the group, but have been an Android user since my 1.5 cupcake HTC magic. I now have a Nexus One (bought from Google without ever seeing one first) with 2.3.3, but am in the market to spend some cash...
So, my question is:
What should I buy?
I have been dreaming of the Xoom, but reviews seem to be rather negative (incomplete product, rushed to market etc). However, being (a relatively) early adopter, I am presuming that things will pick up (OS upgrades, more tablet specific apps etc).
The other option is to splash the cash on a new phone. But which one? I like the idea of the Atrix, but am thinking about the next Google experience phone (much prefer to stick with stock Android).
Any considered suggestions will be gratefully received.
Thanks,
Jamie

Related

Question about buying a tablet and possibility of flashing custom honeycomb roms

Hey everyone
So my situation, I was fortunate to earn a free ipad wifi/3g 16gb from a sales contest at work, well Ive played with the thing for a few weeks and I have to say apple blows. Anyways gunna sell it on ebay, looking like I can get about $450 for it.
I then want to take the money and buy an android tablet, i really want a honeycomb one, but I know they are very expensive as they are just coming out.
So I thought to myself why couldn't I just buy a tablet that comes with Froyo, and then root it, and flash a custom honeycomb rom once a developer ports it over to my device..? It would save me alot of cash/waiting
So a few questions about that
1. Any hardware concerns or min specs that I should look for to make sure it can run honeycomb?
2. Is there alot of developers out there making custom roms for tablets? I havent seen much on here..? Is there another site that is tablet specific?
3. If the I can get those questions answered what tablet would you recomend?
I only need wifi, dont need 3g, I would like something a little smaller than the ipad, price range is $450 or less, and the use will just be for web browsing, playing games, etc...
Thanks!!!
A question for the community: I'm in the market for a tablet, and have taken my sweet time for the last 3 months looking for the best one to buy. I've done my fair share of research and now i'm asking you: Should I buy the ASUS Transformer Prime with the dock, od should i wait for samsung/htc/moto/lenovo/acer... next-gen tablet? My fear is you see, that I'll buy The Prime, and that it won't be supported by some software develeopers, and left out in the cold with some apps, or not on par with the next-gen 2012 tablets. I want the best hardware specs, possible future windows 8 compatibility, preferably tegra device, and don't mind waiting for a few more months since this would be my first tablet. NO IOS/IPad talk please. Any reasonable advice is more than welcome, and thank you all in advance!

[Q] Which Android phone with front-facing (secondary) camera to buy?

Greeting to fellow developers,
First thing's first: I'm a programmer, experienced in Java, C,C++ (mainly MSVS, unix/linux), and a few other (i.e. no longer fashionable) programming languages ... And I'm planning to start developing Android based Apps. Currently I'm in the phase of selecting the most suitable phone for my future endeavours.
The Question: What is the best, most suitable, Android phone which fulfils following criteria:
[1] is based on Android OS
[2] has a front-facing, i.e. secondary, camera. This is a must (!!!)
[3] is suitable for development & testing front-facing camera Apps. A must (!!!)
[4] would also be suitable for development of other Apps
[5] phone has to have a company promise of at least 12 months of security updates and updates on newer Android OS vers. (Due to ongoing developing, App debugging, etc.)
Where I come from (Slovenia-land) following are the phones which are available and achieve upper five features: Samsung Galaxy S, Samsung Galaxy S 2, Samsung Nexus S, HTC Sensation, HTC Desire S, LG Optimus 2X, Samsung I8000 Omnia II, .... (These are all phones available through telecommunications companies - i.e.: by investing into a 24 month usage plan. There's also a few other, promised, scheduled to be pushed on the market, phones. But without any certain launch dates, there's no point in me mentioning them!)
What I'm looking for is an advice from seasoned developers, who are / were already developing front-facing-camera Apps, which Android phone is best for me to buy (to be used for a whole App life-cycle: learning, developing, testing, updating)? Due to Android phone fragmentation this choice is really mind-boggling me, and is very difficult for me to make, and I would really not like to buy two or more phones right from the head-start. - For the past few months I've been reading a lot about Android development, and the thing that frightens me most is Android fragmentation. The way I understand negative effects of this fragmentation is: Let's say I develope an App, which exploits some front-facing-camera functionality (like a new skype, fring, or sth. like that), and start marketing it on various Android App Markets. Which phone is best for me to buy, to be able to avoid, those "doesn't work on my htc", "doesn't work on my gingerbread SGS", etc. negative Customer Experience and Evaluations? ... In short: I'd like to buy an Android phone w/ an Android OS, that would ensure me a developed App on that phone, is giving me confidence and peace of mind, that my App will work on all, or at least most, front-cam Android phones. I'm looking for an advice on which phone to invest in, so that my developed App will work on all, or at least most, Android 2.3.* (or later ver.) phones?
Currently I'm rooting for a Nexus S, but have read a few negative evaluations about them on Cnet and Google Customer Support forums . And I'd really not like to buy a $600 phone, which front camera or Wi-Fi doesn't even work the way it's supposed to! ...
I hope I'm not asking sth. that's not even remotely possible? And most certainly I hope I'm not shooting goats? ... Like I said, I am experienced in desktop Java, linux, etc. development, ... but the World of Android development is totally new for me! But I don't the have money to buy all of the latest front camera Android Phones out there.
I've searched this forums extensively, but found no answer to my thoughts and questions! I've also asked on fellow developer forums, got a few weak answers, but no strong ones. As You can see, I have a few blind spots in my knowledge ... And hopefully w/ Your help, I can fill these spots!
Thank You very much for any advice!
-- Lucky Star
Anyone? ... .. I'm just looking for an advice on which front-cam Android phone is best for me to buy for development purpose (to ensure that my App will work on all Android 2.3.* phones, i.e. best phone to fight Android fragmentation) ... Any kind of advice will do.
Thank you for your help.
Have a nice day,
-- Lucky Star
I think your best choice is the Nexus S as it is the official Google puppy and very easy to develop for.
Why is the Nexus S, as you say, "very easy to develop for"? - Is the development process on e.g.: SGS2 more difficult than Nexus S? They are using same OS, same SDK. SGS2 only has different UI.
2nd Question: How do I ensure my developed Apps on, let's say, Nexus S will indeed work on all, or at least most, front-cam Android 2.3.* phones?
Thanks for any and all advice!
Keep em' coming!
-- Lucky Star
+1 i am i also seekin a good suggestion
Bump ...
Come on people ... There must be some enthusiast on XDA developing Apps and exploring Android's FFC functionalities?
Still in search for a good advice ...
Many thanks!
Sgs 2.
Sent from SGS Captivate CM7 or MIUI with Escapist orTKGlitch using XDA premium app.

[Q] Best phone for someone coming from the Nokia N9?

Hey everyone-
I recently purchased a Nokia N9 off of Ebay on a, in retrospect, misguided whim. I love the UI of the phone and how seamlessly the device allows me to switch from one app to another. However, despite my love for the phone, I still find myself missing Android and its ecosystem (I owned a Samsung Vibrant for a few years prior to this phone). Even though the N9 does the few core things I normally do on a daily basis really well, it's still missing of the basic apps I used to rely on for daily use; i.e. Tumblr, Instagram, Ebay, and Amason. So I decided to sell the N9 on Ebay but now I'm pondering which phone I should buy next. I probably want to stick with Android, but I'm not sure which device to go with. I'm leaning towards either the HTC One X or the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, however, I'm certainly open to other suggestions. I'm certain I don't wanna go with Galaxy S III because I hate the Touchwiz skin. If anyone out there has any suggestions for me I'm more than willing to hear them. Thanks.
-Sincerely, bobofosho123
P.S. I know for a fact that I'm not looking for anything with a contract, and I know I'll buy it without one since I'm on a grandfathered T-mobile plan.
Nexus all the way bud. Always up to date and great community support!
Sent from my PantechP9070 using xda app-developers app
Please see the sticky at the top of this section for phone decision questions. Thread closed.

Need a new phone (poor college student)

Hi. I'm currently using a Nexus One on an ATT prepaid plan. I am not a very heavy cell user, but I appreciate having a smartphone, and fortunately for me, the 2yr old (almost 3yr old) Nexus One has been powerful enough for my uses. I am glad that community roms like evervolv make it possible for me to have the latest software on such an old phone.
However, one big issue has forced me to upgrade: The call-volume is too low, and despite spending 10+ hours last week trying different roms, it is just impossible for me to make calls on the phone.
Long story short: I need a new phone. I don't want to spend too much money ($100-150 at most), and my needs aren't very much. I don't mind buying a used phone, so long as it is an upgrade from the Nexus One, and actually has decent call volume. Can be ATT or unlocked.
Does anyone know what would be a good upgrade with this budget? I suppose anything made in 2011 would be decent (Maybe a Galaxy SII)? Ideally, I would have something that the community still makes mods for, so that I can continue to have new software. I havne't been keeping up with phones, so I don't know what would be good.
Thanks. :laugh:
Sir, there is a thread in place that can assist you: **DEVICE SUGGESTION THREAD** -- Not sure what device to buy? Ask here!
Thank you & Thread Closed

Broke my Htc One, looking for a temporary low-budget phone

Hello,
As the title states, I broke my 1-year-old HTC One, and I'm looking to buy a new temporary low-budget smartphone. (w/o contract)
Having previously broken a relatively high number of devices from numerous brands and types (yes, i'm that clumsy), and currently not willing to splash the cash, I'm just looking for a smartphone, that can simply just run the usual apps, and that would last me at least 5-6 months until a new set of phones are released into the market.
I have a rather decent experience with android devices, so I'd prefer them over Windows phones, but anything would work.
My budget is around 150$, and I'm really unwilling to surpass 200$
Any suggestions are appreciated.
Thank you
-George Kayogre
Definitely the Moto G! You can pick one up for 150 bucks or so off contract I believe. Although if you have Verizon you can only use the G with their prepaid plans.
There are 3 threads already established that are devoted to discussions about devices, please read, and if necessary, repost your question in one of these threads: The what should I buy thread or the The Device Suggestion Thread or the The Device Comparison Thread.
There are also several other discussion threads that you probably should review to help you. They are What phone do you wish you had? or
The Worst Android Device That You've Ever Had & Why or even this place that talks about The best phone you ever owned.

Categories

Resources