WANTED: advice on buying my first Android device

[Jason Hsu, Mr. Swift Linux]

I'm in the market for my first basic Android device.  My main reason for buying one is for learning to develop mobile apps.  While the Eclipse IDE offers a virtual Android device for testing apps, it's not the same thing as a real Android device and won't put me on the same wavelength as Android device users.  (The most obvious example: Visibility is poorer in a bright outdoor environment than indoors.)

Some questions:
1.  Is a tablet PC the type of device I should get?  I don't need a smartphone, because my dumbphone works well for me, and I don't even use it that much.  And I HATE the idea of being locked into a specific wireless provider.  I'm not interested in ebooks, because I still like books on paper better.  Is there any good reason I should buy something other than a tablet?
2.  In addition to wifi, what features should I look for?
3.  Are there any brands/models I should avoid?  What are the mobile device equivalents of Packard Bell computers and Yugo cars?

At the moment, I'm leaning towards a new Android 2.3 tablet with wifi.  I'd consider a used one, but buying used doesn't make that much sense when there are only a few used tablets, and they're not much cheaper than used ones.  (This is a stark contrast to desktop computers, which depreciate rapidly.)  A search of Ebay for new tablets in the "Buy in Now" category with Android 2.3 and wifi shows over 200 tablets selling for $55 to $80.

[Craig Smith]

My two cents:

1. Tablet vs Phone: Even if you don't need a phone, the apps you develop might. You'll have to look at the features in tablets vs a phone. Tablets typically don't have GPS, for example. iPhones are much more expensive than iPods because there are a lot more features other than just the calling feature. Cameras are sometimes not present or of lower quality. If you get a tablet you should target features that you think you might develop to. Err on the side of too many. 

I'm confused why you would get a 2.3 tablet (probably huge discounts?). I'd strongly consider the Android 4 tablets. For targeting devices, there are a lot of older phones (<= 2.3) but the tablet market will more quickly shift to Android 4 because of the more limited existing base. And 2.3 was not designed for tablets like 3.x and 4.x are. I upgraded my phone to ICS and like it very much. 

For what it's worth I have a Kindle Fire and have flirted with the Amazon-verse but have come to the conclusion that I prefer the Google-verse (Drive, Play Music...). The Kindle Fire is fine but I wouldn't recommend it with the good tablets available now. You can sideload apps not available through the Amazon app store but it runs a fork of official Android and isn't a good testbed.

2. Phone recommendations: If I were buying a phone I would get the Nexus ( http://www.google.com/nexus/ ). I have a Galaxy Vibrant (the T-mobile version) and the hardware is quite good. But wireless providers are slow to update their OS and add on junk you don't want and can't remove. You can work around that by flashing your phone with a custom ROM. I've done that and it's been great but it gets increasingly difficult to find reliable ROMs for ageing devices (and mine is ageing even though it is still less than 2 years old). I bricked it pretty bad on my most recent upgrade and had to spend a couple of days to get it back to operational. This is probably my last upgrade. I think the Nexus will have a longer lifespan than other models and should represent the purest Android device. Also, even though I've unlocked my phone, I still need to enter a pin when not using my T-Mobile SIM. 

Craig

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[Breon Nagy]

Here are my thoughts...

Get a phone, not a tablet - There are way more Android phones in the world. Another reason to buy a phone would be that it has 3G/4G capabilities. If your apps are going to rely on a data connection, you'll want to test how they work on various network, not just WiFi

Get a tablet, not a phone - If you plan on developing tablet-specific apps, then obviously get a tablet :P

Buy a "Nexus" device - These are developed by Google and the OEM directly. They are usually the first to get OS updates. The device below can be purchased off-contract, and will work with an AT&T or T-Mobile SIM in the US and tons of SIMs internationally. Another reason to get a Nexus is that their typically easier to unlock/root, which would allow for custom ROM development. Think "Swift Android" :)  https://play.google.com/store/devices/details?id=galaxy_nexus_hspa It's hard to beat that price. $400 for an carrier-free, contract-free phone.

$55? - You get what you pay for.  A lot of those tablets will probably have resistive touchscreens. Most of the higher end tablets and almost all phones will have capacitive.

--
Breon Nagy
http://breon.com

On Wed, May 23, 2012 at 4:41 PM, Jason Hsu, Mr. Swift Linux <jhsu8...@gmail.com> wrote:

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[Jeremy Haberman]

One more vote for a Nexus device.  Swappa currently has 6 Nexus S phones in the $200-300 range: http://swappa.com/buy/nexus-s-google

--
Jeremy Haberman
Software Developer | Livefront
612-356-7196
jer...@livefront.com

[Jason Hsu, Mr. Swift Linux]

Thanks for the responses.  I know much more now than I did 24 hours ago, but I still don't feel that much closer to making a decision.  I feel like an Amish person joining the non-Amish world who is trying to figure out what car, TV, computer, refrigerator, and washing machine to buy.

I have ruled out buying any of those cheap no-name Android tablets on Ebay due to inferior touchscreens, reports of Yugo-like quality problems, and lack of compatibility with Google Play.

Several of you recommend the Nexus smartphone for $200-$400.  How do I know this isn't more than what I need?

I still haven't resolved the issue of whether to get a smartphone or a tablet.  I was leaning towards a tablet, because I'm satisfied with the dumbphone I already have for TracFone.  Smartphones are usually carrier-specific.  Unlocked smartphones cost more than smartphones configured to work with a carrier, but what's the point of having a smartphone if I won't be using it to make and receive calls?  Fully utilizing a smartphone means I have to switch to another cell phone carrier, locking myself into the new carrier, and spending lots of money on the new plan.  Given that I'm not even fully utilizing my dumbphone, is this really a good option for me?

And I still haven't resolved the issue of whether to get Android 2.3 or 4.0.  You mentioned that 2.3 was designed for smartphones but 4.0 is designed for smartphones and tablets.  Given this, I can probably rule out buying a tablet that doesn't have Android 4.0.

Given that the mobile device world changes so rapidly, are you sure I wouldn't be better off with a cheaper option today and switching to a more expensive option later on?  I'm sure my needs will be different in 6-12 months from now, and there will be many products available then that aren't available now.

[Hashbrown]

The overwhelming majority of Android users are on 2.2/2.3 phones.  http://developer.android.com/resources/dashboard/platform-versions.html

You said you are just trying to learn Android so I will assume you do not have a tablet specific app in mind.  You probably also don't care about having all the latest 4.0 features in your app (because none of your customers will either), you have plenty of standard features to learn.

Buy a cheap phone running 2.3 off Craig's List or something.  Unfortunately you won't be able to test it on 3G unless you get a plan from a carrier, but testing on wifi will get you a long way.  If you get close to actually releasing an app, go test it at LiveFront's test lab, you'll get access to many devices, etc.  You can always fake out limited connectivity on an emulator as well.

Build something, play with it, make sure you even want to continue developing fro Android, then go out and get the Nexus or a real tablet when you're more confident with the platform and your goals.

Whatever you do, DO NOT buy one of those cheap "tablets" that are running 2.3, etc.  At best they are a 7" phone, and more likely they are frauds. My dad bought one from UBids and most of the display was stuck in chinese and the "included" apps were just screenshots! Any real tablet should be at least running Honeycomb 3.2.

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[Bob Holmboe]

Nexus is the way to go. Google is guaranteeing that the Nexus line will be a 'reference phone'.This means that the hardware needed to run the latest Android stuff is included with the phone. You can look on MPLS Craigslist and pick up a NEXUS phone you can use for testing for less than $250 bucks.

 

                                                                                                                Bob H  

On Thu, May 24, 2012 at 3:37 PM, Jason Hsu, Mr. Swift Linux <jhsu8...@gmail.com> wrote:

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[Jason Hsu, Mr. Swift Linux]

Brad, thanks for your suggestion on buying a phone equipped with Android 2.3.  Thanks especially for your suggestion on testing apps at LiveFront.

If I buy an Android 2.3 smartphone as a cheaper alternative to buying a Nexus, what do I need to look for (besides making sure that the model is on Google's list of devices that work with Google Play)?  How should I filter the results on Ebay?  Does the phone need to be unlocked?  Is it OK if it has a bad ESN?  I have never before acquired a cell phone that didn't come with a cell phone service plan.  The web pages on how to buy a used cell phone aren't geared towards people who just want to try out mobile apps on it.

[Sue Metoxen]

Check out Big Lots.  I was just in there and was surprised to see some Android tablets.  They could be underpriced.  I once got a great price on a Big Lots laptop.

Sue Metoxen

On May 24, 2012, at 4:32 PM, "Jason Hsu, Mr. Swift Linux" <jhsu8...@gmail.com> wrote:

Brad, thanks for your suggestion on buying a phone equipped with Android 2.3.  Thanks especially for your suggestion on testing apps at LiveFront.

If I buy an Android 2.3 smartphone as a cheaper alternative to buying a Nexus, what do I need to look for (besides making sure that the model is on Google's list of devices that work with Google Play)?  How should I filter the results on Ebay?  Does the phone need to be unlocked?  Is it OK if it has a bad ESN?  I have never before acquired a cell phone that didn't come with a cell phone service plan.  The web pages on how to buy a used cell phone aren't geared towards people who just want to try out mobile apps on it.

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[colin tuggle]

just make an alert for 'android phone' or 'android tablet' on slickdeals.net

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Colin

Co-founder

Intuvio

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Phone:  (775) 461-2407

[Coalminer]

phone or tablet is interesting question indeed.

 My two cents: there is a big push right now to design websites for
mobile devices, so personally I would get phone for testing apps for
the same reasons.
--- Luke Wroblewski - Mobile First -   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjE_Or4VIlU


I think two bigger issues are..
 A) what type of apps are you interested in making and do any of them
need certain features(GPS, ect)
 B) which will you personally use more, the more you use it the more
you will understand the interface and your apps will make more sense
for the user if you apply that.
     --short term IMHO I'd think tablet would be funner to play with,
larger screen
     -- long run I would strongly suggest you consider switching to an
android phone for your main phone

> 2.  In addition to wifi, what features should I look for?

I would get device with WiFi-N,  N devices will give you better
quality and longer distances for the wifi, small issue but it is on my
personal need list

> 3.  Are there any brands/models I should avoid?  What are the mobile device
> equivalents of Packard Bell computers and Yugo cars?

for most part anything that is compatible and has OS version you want
to test
-- if you want to test anything with Bluetooth I would suggest
avoiding HTC (HTC uses Bluetooth stack from android OS 1.6 / works for
headset but has issues with more interesting uses of Bluetooth / i.e.
connecting Nintendo wii remote to your device doesn't work / on upside
HTC was one the first devices to have good support for MS exchange
email back in 2.1 days, and I currently use a HTC, so not all bad)

---------
if you can get a cheap phone that works but had bad esn I would go
that route, you do not need working cell service, most your testing
will probably be tethered to the computer so WiFi should be easy to
use


tracfone has - Samsung Galaxy Prevail / Precedent as option
** google offers service called google voice, if you have unlimited
data for the month you can use it to send and receive calls and not
use voice minutes.  also text other phones(but not short-codes [4/5-
digit numbers] to buy ringtones or vote)  it works really good if you
have unlimited data!      --  google.com/voice


OS wise 2.3.3 API 10 - will work on about 75% of devices


OS 4.0 is Allot of user interface improvement for tablet design but
should still be able to test 2.3.3 apps if you deiced to go with a
tablet, it will be more enjoyable for you to use, course I'm big fan
of user interface if you can't tell :-)
-----------------------
so...

PHONE:
- Samsung Galaxy Prevail / Precedent  *tracfone*
- Cheap Ebay/Craiglist working phone (OS 2.3 !!),  bad esn ok

TABLET:
TF300 --> asus transformer ( it has tegra 3 - batter life + powerful /
if you don't have laptop it has keyboard option )
Tab 7.0 PLUS --> the plus version adds an infared blaster( you can
change your tv channel.. lol, I'd get one )


..in all honesty the eclipse built-in emulator [other than being slow
to start] is really helpful for developing and can switch OS / API so
don't write it off completly, real device testing is always good thing
thou and loads allot faster :-)

>  And I HATE the idea of being locked into a specific wireless provider.

you can get phones without contracts from any provider its just way
more expensive, getting used phone in good condition is way better
just for testing

----------------------
hope that helps...

[Jason Hsu, Mr. Swift Linux]

Thanks so much for your input.  I'm closer to deciding what to get.  I've ruled out getting a tablet.  There's a strong consensus that the cheap no-name tablets are truly awful and not worth their relatively modest prices - just like the Yugo.  (And a Google search shows that the tablets and netbook from Big Lots aren't any better.)  After taking these out of the equation, an Android phone is a much better value than a tablet for me.

At the moment, I'm interested in the Samsung SPH-M820, which starts around $50 used and has 384 MB of RAM, 512 MB of ROM, Android 2.3 (though I have to verify this with the seller, as some listings show 2.2), and an 800 MHz processor.

If the Samsung SPH-M820 isn't a viable option, Plan B is the Motorola Droid 2 A955.  It starts around $80 used and has Android 2.3, a 1.2 GHz processor, and 512 MB of RAM.

I've eliminated from consideration several models that were getting too many bad reviews on CNet or Amazon, that I was unable to find reviews on, that are on Android 2.2 or earlier, that aren't on Google Play's list of compatible devices, etc.

[Coalminer]

I'd vote for moto droid 2
- 3.7" screen vs 3.2"
- 512 ram
- droid series = better know, and more support if you need to google
an issue with it later
----
on side note if you can get moto droid x for that price range that is
good device as well, i have found over 100 apps in the market I want
to try out that are not supported my newer or older devices but are
supported by the droid x... not to mention it has giant screen :-P