Google Android OS

[n_maher]

Honestly, I'd just get another incredible. With the exception of the original Droid everything pre-Incredible is not something that I'd want to own having owned a phone like the incredible. With the rash of new phones coming out you should be able to pick one up for ~$200 which isn't awful.

[Dusty Chalk]

I paid $1 for my Droid. That was a one-day deal on Dell, but you should be able to get it for a lot less than $200, now that it's "previous generation" technology. Of course, I am not burdened with the experience of anything more contemporary/faster/whathaveyou.

[Dusty Chalk]

HTC to officially stop locking bootloaders on Android smartphones

[Iron_Dreamer]

Still very happy with my Thunderbolt, haven't had any of the rebooting or battery problems that people are reporting. And the screen useful enough for general web stuff that I really wouldn't want a tablet, short of a full-on Windows affair like the Asus EP121, capable of running Photoshop.

[guzziguy]

I have a motorcycle buddy who is looking for a tablet on which to base a GPS system for motorcycling. He is doing this for personal use only and not looking to make a product. He has been using Garmin products for this up to now but is tired of paying large amounts of money for Garmin maps and often not being able to get the map he wants from Garmin. There are a lot of maps out there and the GPS system he plans to use supports them. His largest need is lots of storage to hold the maps. He doesn't need any cell phone wireless protocols as he plans on tethering it to a cell phone.

He recently pointed me to Archos 70 and upcoming Archos 7 tablets. Could the Android knowledgeable here please tell me what they think of these tablets and whether either would be a reasonable HW base for my friend's need? He would be happy to consider any other recommendations.

I have a question about the specs of the Archos 70. It says that "Windows/Linux/Mac" are system requirements. I don't understand this. I assume that the tablet runs Android? Is this for a separate machine?

Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

[manaox2]

Its running a pretty old version of android by now and they keep talking about updating to the previous version of Android that practically all smart phones are using now. It doesn't look like they have any plans to go to honeycomb which is the actual made for tablet android OS. Personally I would be checking out the samsung galaxy tab 8.9. The 32 GB be will likely to be about $499, 16Gb may be between $400 and $475. The 32GB galaxy tab 10.1 with the larger screen will be $599 which is what I'm using to estimate price, it will be released in the next two months for retail. It seems about perfect specs wise for size, speed, and memory. Its thinner and more powerful then the iPad 2. http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/22/samsung-galaxy-tab-8-9-and-new-galaxy-tab-10-1-thinner-than-the/

Although the google maps have replaced my old GPS unit, they are still pretty bad at doing the smart features like redirection without taking you for a loop. I might be willing to shell out for a nice GPS instead of a tablet unless he is looking for tablet features on the go as well that his phone won't provide. It would be fun after a long ride laid over at the hotel.

Edited June 5, 2011 by manaox2

[n_maher]

I would think that a 7" tablet would be the way to go and there's slim pickings in that range right now. I also wonder if there's a tablet out there that has a screen that would function very well in direct sunlight applications. It also strikes me as pretty extreme to think about using a tablet as a GPS device unless it's more of a mapping device for route planning rather than route following. One more random thought - in order for any GPS to be useful it has to either carry all of its maps on board or have a data connection. Google maps only offers the option of download on demand (no real local map storage) and therefore requires a data connection to generate a route. You can, if you think of it ahead of time, plan a route and allow it to download the necessary maps before breaking the data connection (in the case of a wifi-only tablet) but otherwise your friend would need to be looking at a tablet with a built in 3G or otherwise modem which is going to make it a pretty expensive GPS.

And Ken, the software requirement is simply listed there to show that if you want to attach the tablet to a computer (as a USB drive, for example) that it is compatible with all of the major OS's.

[Beefy]

There are some 'proper' navigation apps available for android that might fit the bill, such as this: https://market.android.com/details?id=com.navigon.navigator_checkout_us

From the reviews however, it doesn't seem like they are ready for prime time just yet.

[MexicanDragon]

Original Samsung Galaxy Tab. 7", small, runs on the phone OS. You should be able to find a deal. IDK anyone with them, but I'd look to see how that screen does. I think the latest update to Google Maps 5.5 does caching of maps. I'm too tired to look into it/remember properly, but remind me later and I'll look into it. You know, if you don't know how to use Google.

**BRENT**

[n_maher]

Based on what I'm looking at right now the eee pad transformer might be worth a look, the screen is awesome. )

[manaox2]

Hulu plus hit android tonight (technically last night). Between this and Netflix, I'm one really happy android user.

[n_maher]

I wish they'd get Netflix for HC done already.

[manaox2]

I wish they'd get Netflix for HC done already.

Not sure what HC is, but if its android, they have removed the device check for all devices. It has the possibility to work if you have the apk install. OG Droid is running it fine.

[MexicanDragon]

You mean OG Droid X?

HC = HoneyComb, which means he prolly has some cool tablet that I missed at some point running HC... maybe a Nook Color?

**BRENT**

[n_maher]

You mean OG Droid X?

HC = HoneyComb, which means he prolly has some cool tablet that I missed at some point running HC... maybe a Nook Color?

**BRENT**

Yes, Honeycomb. And yes a different tablet, I've had a Asus Transformer for a few weeks now. It's an exceptional piece of hardware currently handicapped by Google's OS. They'd best get off their ass with that as hardware manufacturers are now providing many compelling iPad alternatives with the potential to be much more powerful devices. Problem is that the device is the limiting factor, the OS is and as a result even I considered simply getting an iPad 2 as a holdover until Google's tablet OS matures. I'll probably go the root/Rom/overclock route with the Transformer in the near future as that has been said to clear up some of the limitations of the OS with brute force but again, that feels like it shouldn't be necessary.

[Beefy]

The new Google Maps update is bloody brilliant. You now have the ability to pre-load maps in a 20 mile square for offline use, and the directions include public transport integration that do cool things like warning you before your intended stop.

[Iron_Dreamer]

Rooted my Thunderbolt and Installed CyanogenMod7 yesterday. What an improvement from the stock ROM! Most operations feel a bit quicker, but start-up time is noticeably quicker, and the overall UI is just much more streamlined and appealing. I'm not yet sure if the battery life is any better, but I'm sure it will be in 4G areas, being that I can now quickly and easily turn off the power-sucking LTE radio when I don't need the faster speeds.

And yes, I do love that Google Maps now allows the map downloads for offline areas. Makes a big difference for me, since I spend a lot of time in remote, mountainous areas with sporadic service.

[MexicanDragon]

Very nice. I'm a big fan of vanilla Android over HTC Sense. Sense just seems too heavy for me these days. Back in the early days of Android, it was a value add. These days... not so much.

Did you not have the widget to cut 4G on and off on the Thunderbolt when it was with Sense?

**BRENT**

[Dreadhead]

Well I upgraded my Atrix to Gingerbread today and it's pretty nice. I'm now trying to decide if I should root it so that I can do mobile hotspot for free. Anyone use the mobile hotspot function? I'm probably going to end up buying a dedicated mobile hotspot in the near future but using this would probably be good.

[Dreadhead]

Well after much futzing (and some money for a db editor) I have a working mobile hotspot

[MexicanDragon]

Nice!

I have mobile hotspot on my Android phone (G2x) and my WM6.5 phone (HD2). Both are free for now... but having trouble getting decent speed out of the G2x. It has HSPA(+)... 14.4Mbps capabilities, and I normally get 5-6Mbps on the phone, but tethering it's closer to 1.5, which is about what I get with the HD2. Gingerbread was released today for OTA availability on my phone, but I'm getting the error "Connection failed caused bye authentication error." I've called T-Mo and they had the IMEI wrong on one of their two systems. We got that updated, but still the same problem. I've had to have a couple replacements, and I think all the swapping around may have confused them. Hope to get that fixed soon.

Were there many/any changes to Blur on your Atrix, DH? Do you use a launcher app to change things around?

**BRENT**

[Iron_Dreamer]

Finally recieved my Nook Color on Friday...have it running the latest CM7 nightly now. Even at 1200MHz, it seeks a bit sluggish at times, compared to my HTC Thunderbolt, also on CM7, on the same wifi network, doing the same tasks. That said, the screen size and resolution are a boon, though the screen seems to have a somewhat desaturated color palette.

Anyone have any must-do tweaks, tips, or apps for the Nook Color?

[falkon]

You have to OC it to make it run smoothly. You really need a dual core to get a tablet to run smoothly without OC.

[manaox2]

Ice Cream Sandwich is rumored to be possibly up to 1.8x faster, but that is mostly because of optimization for dual core tablets. I'm sure Cyanogen mod will be one of the first to port it. I expect it by January.

Edited September 19, 2011 by manaox2

[jinp6301]

Finally recieved my Nook Color on Friday...have it running the latest CM7 nightly now. Even at 1200MHz, it seeks a bit sluggish at times, compared to my HTC Thunderbolt, also on CM7, on the same wifi network, doing the same tasks. That said, the screen size and resolution are a boon, though the screen seems to have a somewhat desaturated color palette.

Anyone have any must-do tweaks, tips, or apps for the Nook Color?

You have to OC it to make it run smoothly. You really need a dual core to get a tablet to run smoothly without OC.

1200mhz is overclocked. stock is 800.

You really cant get it faster than what you have it at right now. The bottleneck seems to be the gpu. Not really a huge problem for me but as you probably realized, its much less fun to use.

Edited September 19, 2011 by jinp6301