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Android Hardware Thread - 2009 Edition
- Thread starter ThatObviousUser
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Damn, I've had my Motorola Q for over 3 years now, never went to shit on me nor did I feel like I wanted to upgrade. I love the phone and I'm having trouble parting. It runs Windows Mobile 5 and is pretty bare bones if you compare it to some of the phones out now. I'm gonna check out this Droid and only if I absolutely adore it will I get rid of my Q.
sevenchaos
Banned
The Droid will be mine! Have been able to upgrade since September. Glad I've waited this long.
gimmmick
Member
Damn that is impressive, wish it had a faster clock speed for the cpu, but other than that it looks great. Not since the bb storm, has verizon had a show case phone until now.
Anyone know if it will ship with a 8 - 16 gig hardrive? If google had a lot too say for this phone, I'd only make sense since you can't save apps on your sd card with android.
Anyone know if it will ship with a 8 - 16 gig hardrive? If google had a lot too say for this phone, I'd only make sense since you can't save apps on your sd card with android.
First pics of the HTC Dragon:
http://www.areamobile.de/bilder/69572
Text says it's pretty much an HD2 but with Android. Which sucks, because it just has supposedly the original Android, no HTC sense... So it's probably an HTC HD2 for me
http://www.areamobile.de/bilder/69572
Text says it's pretty much an HD2 but with Android. Which sucks, because it just has supposedly the original Android, no HTC sense... So it's probably an HTC HD2 for me
ThatObviousUser
ὠαἴÏÏιÏÏÎ¿Ï Ïαá¿Ï εἶ
Totakeke said:
And tying in with that is the new color scheme the icons in Android 2.0 are featuring. It seems Google's going for a more relaxed, "light blue+light green" approach with the occasional dark yellow highlight. Very good choice of a color scheme.
gimmmick said:
We don't know for sure if 2.0 allows running apps from the SD card, (though I do believe you've always been able to save them there.)
The internal memory was confirmed by BGR to be 512 MB, with a 16 GB MicroSDHC card included in the retail box. I've forced myself to come up with a list of things I don't like about the Droid:
- For me, the d-pad is on the wrong side, but I'm sure I can adjust.
- The battery life needs to last at least a whole day with quite a fair bit of usage. With only a 1390 mAh powering it, I'm unsure of this.
- The internal memory, as mentioned, though it will be world's more tolerable if/when it can run apps from the SD card.
I think that's it... The rest is all gravy.
masud said:
It has multitouch, but not pinch-to-zoom.
Apparently Sony Ericsson thought the Rachael was so awesome and renamed it X10, that's a 8 generation leap folks!
http://phandroid.com/2009/10/19/sony-ericsson-xperia-x10-x3-renamed/
http://tweakers.net/nieuws/63164/sony-ericsson-xperia-x10-met-android-komt-begin-2010-uit.html
For this I can wait.
Phandroid said:
http://phandroid.com/2009/10/19/sony-ericsson-xperia-x10-x3-renamed/
http://tweakers.net/nieuws/63164/sony-ericsson-xperia-x10-met-android-komt-begin-2010-uit.html
For this I can wait.
One thing i keep seeing is people complaining about the cpu speed on existing android devices. I am not saying I am a master in hardware or anything but I am currently doind my phd in the field of embedded systems security and have had a runin with quite a few cpus.
A 500 mhz processor is more than beefy enough to do amazing things. Its really about the software.
Also, we have not gotten battery tech good enough to support amazing procs. Yes we are now getting faster mobile procs but there are a lot of hardware tricks you can pull to make the battery stretch.
Knowing this, i had no problem jumping in for the htc hero. If you are on sprint and you want a nice phone that runs android, has an improved ui over base install android, and works very well then i say pick it up.
A 500 mhz processor is more than beefy enough to do amazing things. Its really about the software.
Also, we have not gotten battery tech good enough to support amazing procs. Yes we are now getting faster mobile procs but there are a lot of hardware tricks you can pull to make the battery stretch.
Knowing this, i had no problem jumping in for the htc hero. If you are on sprint and you want a nice phone that runs android, has an improved ui over base install android, and works very well then i say pick it up.
MThanded said:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ybs_MBhzrQ&feature=player_embedded
Also, look for videos of HD2, that thing runs on the very same windows mobile you love to hate, but that thing is ridiculously smooth in comparison.
Edit: Actually here you go. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbZwURt7Gy0&feature=player_embedded#t=29m05s
like i said software. People have not been using pareto optimization and true embedded development on these devices. half of the programs are not designed correctly i know because i have seen some of the code lol.Totakeke said:
You can get a faster processor so you can stream hd video and your battery will be destroyed fairly quickly.
I like the snapdragon though. Quallcom put some good hardware design knowledge into it.
Its also impossible to benchmark two phones with two different oses and two different applications. You cannot normalize anything.
Note: I am sort of a hypocrite because i am contemplating switching to the samsung moment for that 800 mhz processor. I am a sucker for faster stuff lol . not gonna lie man :lol :lol :lol
WHERE IS MY SAMSUNG MOMENT REVIEW???????
i just looked at Verizon's plan. They charge you $10 a month to use the GPS. WTF. seriously? Don't other companies include GPS usage into their data plan, but verizon you gotta pay for it separately?
Anyone know if we'd need to purcahse vz navigator if we want to use the droid's GPS?
Anyone know if we'd need to purcahse vz navigator if we want to use the droid's GPS?
Hi guys, I'm really new to this Android stuff, and I have a couple of questions...
What is the best device that supports Android and has a qwerty keyboard? The one I like the most is the HTC G1, but I don't really know many other devices that have Android. Or are they better off without qwerty keyboards?
Also, is Windows Mobile better than Android? I once tried a WM phone (Moto Q, i think), and I hated it. It looks a hundred times better now, though.
EDIT: Just in case, I did read the OP.
What is the best device that supports Android and has a qwerty keyboard? The one I like the most is the HTC G1, but I don't really know many other devices that have Android. Or are they better off without qwerty keyboards?
Also, is Windows Mobile better than Android? I once tried a WM phone (Moto Q, i think), and I hated it. It looks a hundred times better now, though.
EDIT: Just in case, I did read the OP.
Totakeke said:
Maybe even sooner according to Engadgetmobile!
http://www.engadgetmobile.com/2009/10/18/curious-xperia-x3-tweet-by-ericsson-labs-makes-you-wonder/
SHE WILL BE MINE!
BlueMagic said:
Qwerty keyboards are really based on your preference, if you intend to type a lot of stuffs, then definitely get one, otherwise it adds to the bulk of the phone for something only marginally useful. If you want qwerty with Android, wait and see how Droid pans out.
FunBoy said:
Yeah, that has been posted before, but that's just the announcement, not the release.
Tideas said:
This is how Verizon cripples all their users on anything other than phone calls. To answer your question, I don't know and I don't think anyone does at the moment. I think everyone is waiting to see how much influence Android will have over the interface. So in other words:
Droid + Android OS = sex
Droid + Verizon's interface = lol
ThatObviousUser
ὠαἴÏÏιÏÏÎ¿Ï Ïαá¿Ï εἶ
BlueMagic said:
Motorola Cliq seems to be the number one contender in the hard keyboard space. We'll have to see how the Droid fares.
jasonng said:
The Verizon UI has only been applied to their dumbphones. All their WM and BB smartphones still use the standard OS, so I don't see where this argument is coming from. Furthermore, it has been repeatedly reported (and pictured) that the Droid is from a strong collaboration between Verizon and Google (and Motorola.) To think Google would let Verizon muss with the first public release of Android 2.0 is really... hrm... dumb.
PS- You have to pay for VZNavigator, but I'm pretty sure there's nothing Verizon can do about standard GPS.
Bluemercury
Member
I thought this had two cpus, one at 600mhz and another for graphic capabilities....
ASUS Android smartphone unveiling 'this year'
by Thomas Ricker posted Oct 19th 2009
It's short and sweet but we thought you'd like to hear the good news doled out by ASUS chairman Jonney Shih and CEO Jerry Shen at a local press meeting in Taiwan today. Shih says that the company's first Android phone will be "unveiled this year," not next as originally rumored. For a second, it makes you wonder what's going to happen to the OS underpinning the ASUS-Garmin nuvifone G60 -- then you remember that you weren't going to buy that phone anyway.
Manufacturers can't get enough of Android.
ThatObviousUser
ὠαἴÏÏιÏÏÎ¿Ï Ïαá¿Ï εἶ
Tideas said:
Well if you look in the Android 2.0 screenshots, there's the standard Google Maps app and no VZNavigator to be found.
Bluemercury said:
It (the Droid) does. An ARM Cortex A8 600 MHz CPU and a PowerVR GPU.
Fatalah said:
That's what this thread is for! I'm trying to make it as easy as possible to keep track, it's not easy you know!
SimleuqiR said:
That Garmin phone was supposed to be out like two years ago. I'll believe it when I see it.
MThanded said:
These Android phones are all running basically the same software (U/I enhancements aside). So the performance is all about the hardware.
Cortex has much higher IPC than ARM11 so you could get equivalent performance at lower clocks/voltage/power. Die size is larger, so static power is higher, but I'm better energy usage is better on the Cortex since the performance is so much higher at a given clock.
BlackNMild2k1
Member
Tideas said:
I haven't had the data plan for a few months now, but when I did, if you paid for unlimited data plan (my plan was about $100mo) GPS was free. They only charged you $10mo if you didn't have an unlimited data plan.
tokkun said:
An equivalently clocked processor with android on one phone and windows mobile on another and android will perform better. No need to worry. Android seems to be a very nice RTOS code base. Moral of the story is, this current gen of devices is more than beefy to run android with all the bells and whistles.
G1's are still the current dev phone and anything with similar specs will still work great. The real time operating system class here is using g1s for all of their projects. Sadly I am not in the class this semester.
however..... there is one thing that worries me about all of this.....
It is weird to see android phones with beefier specs and an upgraded OS so close to all of these recently released devices. Is google going to segment their market or will we all be getting a new OS version. I would be pissed if my htc hero is outdated so soon. I am assuming that 2.0 has new api calls that devs can use. If they do segment the market then I suspect a lot of backlash.
I just got a 1.5 device that came out this same month and less than a month away a 2.0 device is coming out. Its not like android has hit full capacity in the US or anything. This is the first wave of phones and they are getting shuffled away very fast... As a consumer that is sort of disheartening :-/ . I have a 1st gen ipod touch and it still runs the majority of the apps on the app store(not all) but i expect that due to how long ago i got the device. The htc hero just came out in the US this damn month and i feel like its going to be an old device before the end of december.
sharkmuncher
Member
This is a quote from Verizon's TOS regarding the data plan.
I was wondering how this would come into play with the Droid doing something like a running a Pandora app all day at work or watching A LOT of youtube videos. Anyone who has a data plan with Verizon every run into any problems with this?
I was wondering how this would come into play with the Droid doing something like a running a Pandora app all day at work or watching A LOT of youtube videos. Anyone who has a data plan with Verizon every run into any problems with this?
MThanded said:
The transition from ARM11 to ARM Cortex is really no different from what happened with the iPhone. The vast majority of the current installed base is running on the older processor (G1, Magic/MyTouch, Hero) so I expect developers will not try develop software that requires a faster processor for a while. Existing devices should eventually get Android 2.0 as well.
The thing that concerns me a lot more about market segmentation is the lack of standard interface buttons. For a while, everything had trackballs. Suddenly devices are coming out with d-pads and no trackball. Even the devices with d-pads can't decide if they should put them on the right or left side. It will become impossible to actually use those buttons for things like games.
ThatObviousUser
ὠαἴÏÏιÏÏÎ¿Ï Ïαá¿Ï εἶ
Iknos said:
It's actually a normal (button) d-pad cleverly disguised.
Wendo said:
Not that we know of as of yet.
tokkun said:
As a game semi-developer... I wouldn't really say it's a problem. For most games, the trackball an d-pad would remain functionally similar. The bigger issue is the keyboard on some devices; already, apps like emulators require hard keyboards (last time I checked.) It'll just require a couple minutes of thinking on the part of the developer to decide how the control scheme should be for the different devices.
Of course, if there's ever a non-touchscreen Android device...
After looking at some video previews on the moment i think i will stick with my hero. That little optical nub seems like a pain to use. In every video i saw it seemed like it did not work too well.They should have just thrown a trackball in there instead of that optical nub.
Also they showed the usb port on the moment and unlike the htc proprietary port it does not seem like it would fit a normal mini usb cable( i hope this is not true, if so that sucks). Still waiting for reviews though.
Also they showed the usb port on the moment and unlike the htc proprietary port it does not seem like it would fit a normal mini usb cable( i hope this is not true, if so that sucks). Still waiting for reviews though.
jonnybryce
Member
MThanded said:
Many people, like myself, think a trackball + touchscreen is (1)ugly and (2)pointless. Samsung has the same mindset with the Moment, they hid the search button, made most of the buttons touch buttons and got rid of the trackball. I really can't justify a trackball on a touchscreen, I would never touch it and it would just annoy me. Just touch the screen.
ThatObviousUser
ὠαἴÏÏιÏÏÎ¿Ï Ïαá¿Ï εἶ
Is the optical pad on the Moment similar to what the pre-HD Zunes used?
Well i thought i wouldnt need a trackball because of the touchscreen but when you are on a website and there are a lot of links it makes it easier to go between them. the optical pad just seems like a pain i dunno. I am still holding out for a review. The htc hero trackball is far from ugly. Also that optical pad is far from good looking loljonnybryce said:
dont see how the above looks better than the below
lol. The trackball is definitely more aesthetically pleasing.
yeah its really nice. I never owned a device with a trackball but i use it a lot on my hero. I am very used to using touch screen devices, ipod touch, touch pro but i think having a trackball really makes things a lot easier.santouras said:
A lot of people have been complimenting the way the phone looks when the trackball is backlit.
I did not buy the device for its good looks but ill take that too :lol
Manmademan
Member
MThanded said:yeah its really nice. I never owned a device with a trackball but i use it a lot on my hero. I am very used to using touch screen devices, ipod touch, touch pro but i think having a trackball really makes things a lot easier.
A lot of people have been complimenting the way the phone looks when the trackball is backlit.
I did not buy the device for its good looks but ill take that too :lol
anyone complaining about the hero trackball hasn't seen or used it in person. it looks great and adds usability. definitely not a drawback at all.
The Take Out Bandit
Member
Manmademan said:
Yeah, it's not a fashion accessory it's a tool.
Then again, some of these tools think it's a fashion accessory.
I used a MyTouch last week and the trackball doodad was pretty nice. I prefer that to navigating a site and accidentally fucking "clicking" on shit. loliPhonelol
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