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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

My first tablet

Hello,
I am considering buying my first tablet. I believe I would like it to be based on Android, as I like full customisation and I don't like having to use itunes to accomplish almost anything.
My quick research shows that the main players (highest quality producers) seem to be:
->Samsung
->Asus
... and the most advanced device planned for 2012 is Asus Transformer Pad Infinity.
I have a few general questions:
1) Am I correct in the aforementioned observations (i.e. any other important producers, any other more advanced android tablets?)
2) I currently live in US but I am moving to UK in October. Hardware is usually cheaper in the US than Europe. Question: will I have any problems with warranty or usage (any relevant regional locks etc.) if I make the purchase in the US?
3)What is the general stability and performance of Android vis-a-vis other OS? More specifically: smoothness of operation, wifi, browsing, crashing etc.?
4)I have read somewhere on this forum that Asus Transformer Prime had some issues with screen cracking. Would you recommend therefore skipping Asus and entrusting some other producer?
5)If you were to buy your first and only tablet now (/in the coming months)... what would be your choice?
Thank you for your help and opinion! Any comments highly appreciated!
Best,
Theriel

Wait for the nexus tablet. Around 200 dollars, tegra quad core, pure Android with regular updates straight from google. Should be out next month!
Sent from my PC36100 using xda premium

1.You are correct in observation.
2.Get your tablet unlocked,it's cheaper than roaming.
3.excellent wifi,excellent browsers,super smooth if it's high end as you're planning.
4.Asus are great,long long battery,people are just clumsy.
5.I'd buy a Huawei Mediapad 10 FHD or the New Asus
Imetumwa kutoka U8150 kutumia XDA

Thank you for the replies!
Nexus tablet might be interesting, but its 7 inch screen is too small for my needs.
I am looking forward to hearing more of your recommendations on what to buy! If you have any further comments - please share them!
Best,
Theriel

You could also consider a Samsung tablet.
The Plus models are excellent value,especially the 10.1 inch. Sounds big,but its actually same screen size as an iPad,only the thinness lies to the eyes. If money is still tight look at the Acer tablet. And finally Lenovo wrap up my top 5.
Imetumwa kutoka U8150 kutumia XDA

Suggestions for buying my first tablet (Remote connection, note-taking)

Good day guys!
I've always used a laptop as my main PC, mainly because I can bring it to university, now I would like to build a desktop and would like to use a tablet to connect remotely to my new desktop and type any notes of documents directly on my PC.
As I would be taking notes/writing documents, it would be necessary to have a keyboard dock, I'm not too sure how the thing with docks work, if only some tablets can have them or if there are universal docks.
Additionally, it would be great if the tablet could play Full HD, or 720p at the very least
Price limit could be up to $500.
Thank you very much for your help everyone!
P.S.: One more thing, separately from the hardware, what is the best app available to do remote connection?

Andrex316 said:
Good day guys!
I've always used a laptop as my main PC, mainly because I can bring it to university, now I would like to build a desktop and would like to use a tablet to connect remotely to my new desktop and type any notes of documents directly on my PC.
As I would be taking notes/writing documents, it would be necessary to have a keyboard dock, I'm not too sure how the thing with docks work, if only some tablets can have them or if there are universal docks.
Additionally, it would be great if the tablet could play Full HD, or 720p at the very least
Price limit could be up to $500.
Thank you very much for your help everyone!
P.S.: One more thing, separately from the hardware, what is the best app available to do remote connection?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
$500 + tax? lol well here we go, You didn't ask for screen size so I'll give some 7 in ones too.
All tablets have an HD resolution, but the only one that has Full HD is the Prime Infinity. To be honest each one has a great screen. Some tablets come with a dock that's is meant for them (Asus Transformer Prime and Galaxy Note 10.1) but each tablet also can be paired with a Bluetooth Keyboard and Mouse if you want. Also you can use a USB input dongle with the Note and Prime so that you can use a regular keyboard too (kind silly though =D).
1) Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 in specs http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_note_10_1_n8000-4573.php
2) Asus Transformer Prime Infinity 10.1 in specs http://www.gsmarena.com/asus_transformer_pad_infinity_700-4606.php
3) Nexus 7 in specs http://www.gsmarena.com/asus_google_nexus_7-4850.php
4) Toshiba Excite 7.7 in specs http://www.gsmarena.com/toshiba_excite_7_7_at275-4693.php
5) Sony Tablet S 10.1 in specs http://www.gsmarena.com/sony_tablet_s-4137.php4
Best Remote connection app is TeamViewer 7 Here's the app https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.teamviewer.teamviewer.market.mobile&hl=en, and here's the program you install on your PC http://www.teamviewer.com/en/download/windows.aspx.
For me it works pretty much with lag doing light task. So typing and make notes should be a breeze. However, you may experience lag if you are trying to watch a movie on it. I got lag when I tried it out, but I think it is because the GPU on my device (Galaxy Player 4.0) is not powerful enough. These device either have Mali-MP 400, Tegra 3 or Tegra 2 which are far superior. So I hope this helps you, and if you want I try and post reviews of each device.

Wow! Thanks a lot! I wasn't expecting such a detailed response!
From the suggestions you gave me I had been looking at the first three, the other two look really good too! I had been leaning mostly towards the Asus, although the Note also looks tempting, I'll have to do some thinking.
I've also had the galaxy tab on my watch, but it looks like the Asus is better.
Thank you!

Andrex316 said:
Wow! Thanks a lot! I wasn't expecting such a detailed response!
From the suggestions you gave me I had been looking at the first three, the other two look really good too! I had been leaning mostly towards the Asus, although the Note also looks tempting, I'll have to do some thinking.
I've also had the galaxy tab on my watch, but it looks like the Asus is better.
Thank you!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're welcome. Yeah the Galaxy Tab is kinda meh. I think the Note 10.1 is a lot better lol. Have fun. :victory:

Out of subject, I see you're running a custom Gundam Theme... would you mind posting a screenshot of how it looks??

Andrex316 said:
Out of subject, I see you're running a custom Gundam Theme... would you mind posting a screenshot of how it looks??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol yeah. But it isn't like super customized. I just use Go Launcher EX, and tweaked some of the objects using their theme maker. It took a while to find the images though, and I had to photoshop many of them, but it came out well.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1378822&page=30
Scroll down, and you should see it.
I was going to make a locker for it (still might) but I got kinda lazy =D

Wow! Awesome! I think I'll work on my own theme when I get my tablet!

You can get a Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 refurbished on Amazon for $340. This is what i use, it has amazing battery life and a very clear screen! If you remote connect to your desktop it will waste a bunch of battery, but what you can do is type your notes on your tablet and sync them with Dropbox so they will automatically be shared with your desktop. Dropbox is AMAZING! I highly recommend it if you haven't checked it out!

What new android phone should I get?

Hi,
I'm using since many years a LG Optimus 4X HD rooted but with the stock Rom,
I did not find any custom ROM that would be half way up to date and would run well on it.
Now there is kind of a security SNAFU the Stagefright bug (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stagefright_(bug)) that king of makes continuing the use of the phone a No Go that is unless some one points me to a reliably working ROM that would have that bug fixed....
Anyways What new phone should I get to ensure I will not find my self in a similar situation for at least 5+ years using that phone. That means a long therm community support must be to be expected.
Yes I know thats a long time, but for me any non x86 device is just a toy that does not have to do much:
1. Navigation (Navigon)
2. VPN
3. RDP, VNC, ssh client
4. taking pictures
5. playing mp3
6. surfing the web
What I would else require would be a micro-SD card slot.
Now what sounds really well is the http://shop.fairphone.com/fairphone2.html but lets be honest for 530€ I can buy 3 to 4 reasonably cheep smartphoens each time with an up to date android on it. So the price is simply to high.
I would say that a reasonable price for me would be around 300€
Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated
David

DavidXanatos said:
Hi,
I'm using since many years a LG Optimus 4X HD rooted but with the stock Rom,
I did not find any custom ROM that would be half way up to date and would run well on it.
Now there is kind of a security SNAFU the Stagefright bug (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stagefright_(bug)) that king of makes continuing the use of the phone a No Go that is unless some one points me to a reliably working ROM that would have that bug fixed....
Anyways What new phone should I get to ensure I will not find my self in a similar situation for at least 5+ years using that phone. That means a long therm community support must be to be expected.
Yes I know thats a long time, but for me any non x86 device is just a toy that does not have to do much:
1. Navigation (Navigon)
2. VPN
3. RDP, VNC, ssh client
4. taking pictures
5. playing mp3
6. surfing the web
What I would else require would be a micro-SD card slot.
Now what sounds really well is the http://shop.fairphone.com/fairphone2.html but lets be honest for 530€ I can buy 3 to 4 reasonably cheep smartphoens each time with an up to date android on it. So the price is simply to high.
I would say that a reasonable price for me would be around 300€
Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated
David
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's a thread for this here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1846277