Which Android to purchase?

[Skele Drew]

I'm going on a pretty small budget (about $300) here. Would like to buy my Android this or next week Black Friday/Cyber Monday...). Got my eyes on one with medium specs: the SE Mini/Mini Pro, HTC Magic or Samsung Galaxy 3, possibly even the HTC Wildfire if I can manage to stretch that far (but I'd be wiped out for XMas, and I want a SD card too), or something else withing that region. Should be unlocked (w/out contract), and work in Ja too of course (pref on Digicel; AT&T compat?). Would like recommendations and reasons for the recom; maybe in terms of ease of customizing via custom ROMs vs feature set, etc. Currently looking at this list at Amazon but I'll consider elsewhere...

[Neoprimal]

I'm seeing that those phones are extremely modest. Be very careful of expecting too much from the devices. They're all faster than the G1 but not by a helluva lot.

My recommendation, the LG Optimus T or S. This device has a 600mhz processor which means it's a few mhz faster upfront than the others. It comes with 2.2 which makes a big difference and isn't lagged down by any layered or additional UIs. Coming with 2.2 means you don't have to do much in terms of hacking the phone (if that's your thing anyway). Meaning that you're not getting sth with 1.6 or 2.0 or 2.1 that you'll then have to root and hack to get to 2.2.

Onboard storage is lowish at ~150MB or so. Of course this isn't an issue with 2.2 at all as most apps will automatically install to your mSD if they're able to run from it properly. In 100+ apps I've utilized about 70MB in onboard storage on my MT4G, and that's a conscious decision by me to xfer apps from SD to phone. It comes with 512MB RAM, probably the highest you'll find on these phones.
While it's def. entry level I find it the best of the barrel you're aiming at. I may pick one up for my wife for Xmas since I got her loving the G1, lol. The suggested retail is ~$239 so it's under your budget and you should be able to walk into Tmo/Att or Sprint to get the one you want at that price without a contract or anything....don't quote me on that though as I'm not sure. This is what Tmobile told me directly when I inquired about one for the wifey, but we are both on Tmobile so I'm not sure if this matters. I asked about the retail cost without a contract.

I played with the T at T-Mo a couple times I've been there and it is snappy. Is it as fast as the G2 or MT4G? Of course not - but it's way faster than the G1 and even feels snappier than the Wildfire and SG3....and obviously way faster than the HTC Magic and SE Mini (for the record, I'd stay clear of SE in terms of Android for now....very 1/2 assed attempts at making them so far). Of all the phone's you're looking at only the SG3 puts up any competition because it actually comes with wifi n, however I'm not ever going to recommend Touchwiz (Samsung's layered UI) on a phone with a 667Mhz CPU.

GL and I hope this helps you out.

[Virus]

http://www.techjamaica.com/forums/sh...ad.php?t=94692

Link me when you have the difference...

[Skele Drew]

I'm seeing that those phones are extremely modest. Be very careful of expecting too much from the devices. They're all faster than the G1 but not by a helluva lot.

My recommendation, the LG Optimus T or S. This device has a 600mhz processor which means it's a few mhz faster upfront than the others. It comes with 2.2 which makes a big difference and isn't lagged down by any layered or additional UIs. Coming with 2.2 means you don't have to do much in terms of hacking the phone (if that's your thing anyway). Meaning that you're not getting sth with 1.6 or 2.0 or 2.1 that you'll then have to root and hack to get to 2.2.

Onboard storage is lowish at ~150MB or so. Of course this isn't an issue with 2.2 at all as most apps will automatically install to your mSD if they're able to run from it properly. In 100+ apps I've utilized about 70MB in onboard storage on my MT4G, and that's a conscious decision by me to xfer apps from SD to phone. It comes with 512MB RAM, probably the highest you'll find on these phones.
While it's def. entry level I find it the best of the barrel you're aiming at. I may pick one up for my wife for Xmas since I got her loving the G1, lol. The suggested retail is ~$239 so it's under your budget and you should be able to walk into Tmo/Att or Sprint to get the one you want at that price without a contract or anything....don't quote me on that though as I'm not sure. This is what Tmobile told me directly when I inquired about one for the wifey, but we are both on Tmobile so I'm not sure if this matters. I asked about the retail cost without a contract.

I played with the T at T-Mo a couple times I've been there and it is snappy. Is it as fast as the G2 or MT4G? Of course not - but it's way faster than the G1 and even feels snappier than the Wildfire and SG3....and obviously way faster than the HTC Magic and SE Mini (for the record, I'd stay clear of SE in terms of Android for now....very 1/2 assed attempts at making them so far). Of all the phone's you're looking at only the SG3 puts up any competition because it actually comes with wifi n, however I'm not ever going to recommend Touchwiz (Samsung's layered UI) on a phone with a 667Mhz CPU.

GL and I hope this helps you out.

Thanks for the thoughts. Did quite a bit of thinking on this. First it was the GT540 vs SG3, then it was the SG3 vs SE Mini Pro. But I finally decided on SG3 after reading numerous reviews, friendly advice and comparisons of each.

http://www.techjamaica.com/forums/sh...ad.php?t=94692

Link me when you have the difference...

I don't have anywhere near that kind of funds...

So I ordered a brand new Samsung Galaxy 3 (i5800) on eBay not long ago for $250. Should get to me by next Friday latest. I'm a bit edgy since this is the first time I've shopped online and paid upfront for something I have yet to see. But I'm putting my trust into eBay and Paypal combined, and by their rep, I should be totally covered .

Right now I need to do more research on what plan I'm going to use (with AT&T of course), cuz the prepaid rates here are horrifying (makes me love Digicel). I also need to decide on the memory I'm going to get. Guess I'll post a review when I've received (hope there're no hitches) and become somewhat familiar with it ...

[vylle]

im trying to upgrade as well, got an aria for my girlfriend and now i think i want an HD2 cuz its a more beefed up version of the aria.. i know its winmo but the minute im getting it im gunna drop on android on it!! with such a sexy screen and 1GB rom it outperforms alot of the more recent HTC android phones (Except the desire HD)

just waiting to get paid

[hv_thugg]

nexus1 is the droid to have

[nigelt]

im trying to upgrade as well, got an aria for my girlfriend and now i think i want an HD2 cuz its a more beefed up version of the aria.. i know its winmo but the minute im getting it im gunna drop on android on it!! with such a sexy screen and 1GB rom it outperforms alot of the more recent HTC android phones (Except the desire HD)

just waiting to get paid

If I remember correctly Android can't be flashed to the HD2 yet, you have to boot into it from WinMo, which reduces its performance. Double check http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=735 before you buy the HD2

[vylle]

If I remember correctly Android can't be flashed to the HD2 yet, you have to boot into it from WinMo, which reduces its performance. Double check http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=735 before you buy the HD2

been doing a bit of research and there recently android loaders have been made that allows the phone to boot android from the SD card instead of booting windows. kinda seems a bit iffy though..

.. cant be bothered.. i guess i'll just stick with ma G1 untill i get the funds to afford a G2 off e-bay *sigh - by that time though im sure the G3 will be out -_-

[hirky]

Ordered my HTC Desire online today. Had a hard time deciding between it and the nexus one, but in the end the desire was cheaper and it has fm radio (so me can listen ragashanti live)

[LeBoss]

Ordered my HTC Desire online today. Had a hard time deciding between it and the nexus one, but in the end the desire was cheaper and it has fm radio (so me can listen ragashanti live)

My Samsung Vibrant will be coming soon, I too can listen fm radio ... (ZIP, FAME and LINKZ to the world)