XCVG
ModRetro Legend
This is kinda actually two posts in one, kinda.
I'm tired of my flaxty J706 retardphone, and disappointed by the epic failure that was the release of the Galaxy Player. I figured I'd go the same route as 90% of people and just bite the bullet for a smartphone. At this point in time I've pretty much decided what I want.
It's a Samsung Galaxy S2. It's purdy. It's fast and powerful. And it's relatively slim and small. I've actually played with and held one, and it is REALLY nice. The AMOLED screen really is as epic as the reviews make it out to be. TouchWiz+Gingerbread is kind of a fail but it's slated to receive an official ICS upgrade, and if that turns out to be flax Cyanogenmod 9 seems to be coming along. There are several versions, I've pretty much decided on the factory-unlocked i9100 international variant.
Problem is, it's currently hovering between $500 and $600. Similar phones, like the LG Optimus 2X and the Motorola Atrix, are below $400. Even the Sensation is a hundred dollars or so cheaper. Now, I'm hoping that the price will go down as next-gen phones are released, but I would like to have the device before I visit Japan in March-April. Should I wait, bite the bullet and buy it, or consider other options?
The second part goes something like this. I'm looking for a Tablet. I know, you're all going to be like, holy flax, XCVG wants a tablet? Isn't he the biggest tablet-hater in the world? Well, that's true to an extent. I want a small, cheap tablet that I will use primarily for reading and internet browsing. This one I have four specific criteria for:
1. 7" size
2. ARM processor Wait, isn't XCVG an ARM hater too?
3. Tablet OS (3.x Honeycomb or 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich)
4. Below $200
The only thing that I can get here is the Acer Iconia Tab A100. It's a much better device than any of the other ones I've looked at, with a Tegra 2 processor and whatnot. Honeycomb, with an Ice Cream Sandwich update coming (eventually). Problem is, it's $279.99 CAD, which means it doesn't meet the fourth requirement. The smartphone takes priority over the tablet, and I'm not willing to spend that much. I almost did, but got sticker shock and backed out.
There's also the Kobo Vox, which is like a poor man's Kindle Fire, except at $199 it's still not cheap. It's slow as *Can'tSayThisOnTV* and runs a horribly outdated OS, 2.2 with garbage customization IIRC.
I could eBay me a Nook Color, which I thought was my best option until I looked a little deeper. With shipping, it would cost me nearly as much as the Iconia Tab, neither the Honeycomb or ICS ports work properly, and the thing is apparently pretty slow.
Kindle Fire is even worse off, because although it's faster it's only 8GB and has no expandable memory and that's a deal-breaker for me. Also expensive. Not sure about Honeycomb or Ice Cream Sandwich ports.
Finally, we move into the cheap Chinese tablets from China. There's one that I can get really cheap and from a trusted seller- the Novo 7 Paladin. It runs Ice Cream Sandwich for $130. However, it uses a MIPS processor which means a lot of apps, including Flash, don't run. There is a cheapy tablet that satisfies my desires, the Ramos W6HD. But I don't know where to get it that doesn't involve shipping from China, something me and everyone I've asked IRL is afraid of. I could wait, as there are several other ARM/ICS tablets coming in February, but I suspect they will be in the same situation. I also wonder about the quality of these tablets. Has anyone used one? How are they? I want something with a screen nice enough to look at for longish periods of time, and won't fall apart instantly.
So, uh, help?
I'm tired of my flaxty J706 retardphone, and disappointed by the epic failure that was the release of the Galaxy Player. I figured I'd go the same route as 90% of people and just bite the bullet for a smartphone. At this point in time I've pretty much decided what I want.
It's a Samsung Galaxy S2. It's purdy. It's fast and powerful. And it's relatively slim and small. I've actually played with and held one, and it is REALLY nice. The AMOLED screen really is as epic as the reviews make it out to be. TouchWiz+Gingerbread is kind of a fail but it's slated to receive an official ICS upgrade, and if that turns out to be flax Cyanogenmod 9 seems to be coming along. There are several versions, I've pretty much decided on the factory-unlocked i9100 international variant.
Problem is, it's currently hovering between $500 and $600. Similar phones, like the LG Optimus 2X and the Motorola Atrix, are below $400. Even the Sensation is a hundred dollars or so cheaper. Now, I'm hoping that the price will go down as next-gen phones are released, but I would like to have the device before I visit Japan in March-April. Should I wait, bite the bullet and buy it, or consider other options?
The second part goes something like this. I'm looking for a Tablet. I know, you're all going to be like, holy flax, XCVG wants a tablet? Isn't he the biggest tablet-hater in the world? Well, that's true to an extent. I want a small, cheap tablet that I will use primarily for reading and internet browsing. This one I have four specific criteria for:
1. 7" size
2. ARM processor Wait, isn't XCVG an ARM hater too?
3. Tablet OS (3.x Honeycomb or 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich)
4. Below $200
The only thing that I can get here is the Acer Iconia Tab A100. It's a much better device than any of the other ones I've looked at, with a Tegra 2 processor and whatnot. Honeycomb, with an Ice Cream Sandwich update coming (eventually). Problem is, it's $279.99 CAD, which means it doesn't meet the fourth requirement. The smartphone takes priority over the tablet, and I'm not willing to spend that much. I almost did, but got sticker shock and backed out.
There's also the Kobo Vox, which is like a poor man's Kindle Fire, except at $199 it's still not cheap. It's slow as *Can'tSayThisOnTV* and runs a horribly outdated OS, 2.2 with garbage customization IIRC.
I could eBay me a Nook Color, which I thought was my best option until I looked a little deeper. With shipping, it would cost me nearly as much as the Iconia Tab, neither the Honeycomb or ICS ports work properly, and the thing is apparently pretty slow.
Kindle Fire is even worse off, because although it's faster it's only 8GB and has no expandable memory and that's a deal-breaker for me. Also expensive. Not sure about Honeycomb or Ice Cream Sandwich ports.
Finally, we move into the cheap Chinese tablets from China. There's one that I can get really cheap and from a trusted seller- the Novo 7 Paladin. It runs Ice Cream Sandwich for $130. However, it uses a MIPS processor which means a lot of apps, including Flash, don't run. There is a cheapy tablet that satisfies my desires, the Ramos W6HD. But I don't know where to get it that doesn't involve shipping from China, something me and everyone I've asked IRL is afraid of. I could wait, as there are several other ARM/ICS tablets coming in February, but I suspect they will be in the same situation. I also wonder about the quality of these tablets. Has anyone used one? How are they? I want something with a screen nice enough to look at for longish periods of time, and won't fall apart instantly.
So, uh, help?
