Android phones, apps and tablets

Got an experia go last week on the cheap.

It's not particularly high spec, but the battery lasts a fiar bit, haven't bothered rooting it or anything like that just yet as their bloatware isn't particularly offensive.

Best thing about it though, other than it being relatively small is it's waterproofness. It's been regularly dunked in pints and works fine.

Hours of fun.

Best place to buy nexus 7¿?

Also still toying with the idea of a bigger tablet but haven't got loads to spend would one of the 'budget' tabs on ebuyer suffice? Or am i better just settling for the nexus?

get it from the google play store, think they deliver super quick

Yep. 16gb in stock. 2 day delivery.

Seems great so far.

ebuyer have them too - with free next day delivery you can also get a few % cashback.

I'd buy from John Lewis as they offer a great returns policy and come with a two year warranty. However, John Lewis seem to be out of stock constantly. I ordered one from Tesco Direct online in the end, you can find a £10 discount code on the web and collect next day from your local store for free. They also offer a 10 day returns period if you're not happy.

Is that an OTA?

My unbranded stock Sensation on 3.32.401.5 say's it's up to date and no update available.

ditto

I'd buy from John Lewis as they offer a great returns policy and come with a two year warranty. However, John Lewis seem to be out of stock constantly. I ordered one from Tesco Direct online in the end, you can find a £10 discount code on the web and collect next day from your local store for free. They also offer a 10 day returns period if you're not happy.

That's why I was looking to buy from Tesco. That and the fact I can use our club card vouchers.

If not John Lewis it is.

Tempted to get a Nexus 7 but the lack of micro SD card slot is putting me off. Are any of the Chinese budget tablets worth considering? Nexus 7 owners - is the lack of micro SD slot a problem?

due an upgrade end of this week.
With t-mobile, tempted with a HTC One X over the SGS3.
Alternatively is it worth waiting for the rumoured Nexus/ Nexai due later this year?

Currently got a Desire (orginal style) still works, but regularly runs out of space on the phone and is a few years old.
Might root it and see if it improves and keep it for a while longer.

Please advise me, oh wise ones

The lack of SD card isn't really putting me off at the moment. I did consider a cheap chinese alternative but it won't be built anywhere near as nice and won't be all that nice I reckon.

due an upgrade end of this week.
With t-mobile, tempted with a HTC One X over the SGS3.
Alternatively is it worth waiting for the rumoured Nexus/ Nexai due later this year?

Currently got a Desire (orginal style) still works, but regularly runs out of space on the phone and is a few years old.
Might root it and see if it improves and keep it for a while longer.

Please advise me, oh wise ones

Root the Desire it'll blow you away, seriously. I put Cynogen on mine and got 7 days out of the battery with it underclocked but the phone was much faster and smoother to use due to no htc sense rubbish.

i dont think i dislike Sense...
(based on not having used anything else)

I will root it then, and if i fuck it/ dont like it, i can get my upgrade and be happy still.

Lack of MicroSD is no problem.

This ones for you, GA2G: Galaxy note 10.1 will be quad core, 2gb RAM...
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2012/08/samsung-galaxy-note-10-1-will-have-quad-core-exynos-processor-2gb-ram/

Lack of MicroSD is no problem.

Do you have one? Wouldn't mind your views.

As far as tablets go I think the Nexus 7 is a winner.

I use it more than I ever did my iPads (I've had one of each) or my Transformer.

I think the form factor is pretty much spot on and that there is great balance for the battery life and performance. At the given price point it's a no-brainer and punches well above it's weight.

However... there are a few issues.

• Some apps are not just not optimised for tablets, but they simply crash.

• Some apps work, but the developers hard-coded dimensions and things like a list of items take up the space that is visibly that which would be fine on a mobile... but on a tablet is just half the size of the screen.

Note: The vast majority of apps I've tried work perfectly fine. Just note that you'll find one or two that don't. So if your use of Android is heavily dependent on a single app or two it is worth asking someone with a Nexus 7 or other tablet to give it a try.

The biggest issue with it is in the target market... what's the use? Is it a big smart phone (did you go and configure it with your contacts, Google Talk, Calendar, etc) or is it a tablet?

I still think tablets need to be multi-user... with it allowing multiple Google accounts to be logged in. Tablets to me are shared devices. You pass them around in a cafe to show something, and leave it in the centre of the sofa where your partner may pick it up to quickly check something.

So whilst I think it absolutely excels at the form factor and for me finally makes a highly portable tablet useful... I think it falters by not including multi-user capabilities.

If you treat it like a large and more convenient smart phone, you'll configure it for all your email, work stuff and personal things and it kills the ability to nonchalantly pass it around.

But it you don't do that so that it is a shared device, then all of the potential is wasted as there's so much it can do that you're not doing with it.

So I think there's a problem. But it's not a problem with this device... it's a general problem with all tablets at the moment. They're all single-user.

As for the Nexus 7... it's the best thing out there in the world of tablets, and the price makes it a steal. Now you just have to figure out whether it's yours or your households'.

A good thing would be a lock screen that signs you into your account with your code/pattern and someone else's with theirs, maybe an optional guest button too.

That's the thing I'm hoping to have mine and Mrs. Spenceey's email going through to it. I realise that this can't be the same for facebook and the like which is a shame.

I'm still looking at the iPads (god knows why) but I don't want to buy one and regret the size.

Also I don't really want to have a tablet and then have to zoom in on loads of web pages again, does that defeat the purpose of a tablet?

If you use 2 different facebook apps I guess you could sign into both.

Lack of micro sd card on my nexus 7 is only annoying forgetting photos from camera to Internet when out and about. The solution may well be to get an eye-fi sd card for my camera.

Thats an idea - I mean don't get me wrong that isn't my main reason.

OK so old iPad for £160 or Nexus?

I guess It's all down to form factor?

Re multiuser on android tablets. There is an article doing the rounds on the android sites about this. Apparently the bear bones of it are in the JB code base and can be turned on with some pretty grungy hacking. Will probably make it into v next.

Thats an idea - I mean don't get me wrong that isn't my main reason.

OK so old iPad for £160 or Nexus?

I guess It's all down to form factor?

The form factor of the Nexus 7 is a winner.

and I guess the original iPad is old tech now? Unless they do bring out the smaller iPad, but do you really think that would compete with the nexus?

The original is many years old. If you're going to get an iPad at least get the 2nd gen.