Android Phones

[the yawner]

Mmkay, so months back I have intended to get me that SE Xperia X10 handset as soon as it gets released. But after the very much delayed release, and finding out that they stuck with ver. 1.6 (with just a supposed plan to upgrade to to 2.1 or so), and the lack of multitouch support (which reportedly was not only a software limitation, but a hardware limitation as well), I'm thinking of checking out the alternatives from the competition.

Problem is, after a bit of searching on local blogs et al, it looks like the choices of Android handsets are limited in the local market. Tomorrow I'm gonna check out a couple of shops. I'm eyeing for the HTC Legend but I'm not keeping my hopes up. :(

Anyone here can verify what handsets are confirmed available in your favorite local shops? Thanks much!

[creek23]

You mean HTC's G1? I know someone who's trying to sell his to pre-order Windows Phone 7.

As for the multitouch, I'm not sure that it's a hardware limitation. The feature is patented that's why Google didn't implement it on Android. But hardware-wise, I think I could do so.

[the yawner]

Hmm... Next year pa yata magkakaroon ng Win 7 phones. OS is still under active development, afaik.

As for multitouch, HTC's Sense UI has it enabled. Even Motorola's Milestone (Droid in the US) has multitouch. Google hasn't really declared where they stand with it. I think.

Anyway, as long as the hardware supports it, it's just a matter of updating the firmware or flashing the ROM. But in the SE X10's case, it really looks like a hardware limitation. Something about it not being capable of registering simultaneous entries. More info about it discussed at this link. (http://blogs.sonyericsson.com/products/2010/03/26/xperia-x10-launch-consumer-research-program-started/comment-page-4/#comment-35712)

As for G1, it is sadly outdated now. HTC Hero's only been out for less than a year but a successor is already set to take its place (HTC Legend). The rate of development on both the hardware and software front is really picking up, but the local market is still behind the times.

[sasayins]

Balita ko ngaun, dinidemanda na ng Apple ung HTC dahil sa multitouch ng Nexus one, at ngaun naman isang compnay sa taiwan dinedemanda naman ang Apple dahil din sa multitouch..

[the yawner]

Paraan yun para ma-inhibit ang growth ng HTC sa US. Pero I don't think that should affect us here at the other side of the globe that much. But then, I don't even know if we have software patents here in the Philippines.

Anyway, I saw the X10 at Sony Ericsson's store sa MOA. It's big! Hindi ko na natanong kung magkano price, but reports say it's around 32k. The only other Android handset I saw from two other stores is the HTC Hero. It's also ridiculously priced at around 32k. May nakita nga rin pala akong Nexus One on this one small store but I was unable to ask for it's price sa dami ng tao sa loob. I hope in the next coming months the local market will be saturated with the currently newer handsets.

Preferred ko talaga makita muna yung phone before I decide on the purchase.

[wersdaluv]

Very happy with the Nexus One.

You can now buy it on Ebuystore http://www.ebuystore.com.ph/products.php?pageview=index&cat_id=1&sub_id=63&pro_id=1248 for PHP 31,600.00 at this time of writing.

[the yawner]

Hmm... How is ebuystore's service? I'm not really too keen on making purchases online, pero if they suddenly sport a HTC Legend in their page then I might consider. Oks na rin kung yung Desire. Hehe...

[loell]

related OT ;)

sa wala pang android device, baka gusto nyo nang zenpad :)

http://www.enso-now.com/

[sasayins]

wow nice, ipad competition.

[the yawner]

related OT ;)

sa wala pang android device, baka gusto nyo nang zenpad :)

http://www.enso-now.com/
That would make more sense, instead of Joojoo's Crunchpad. Pero personally I don't find a large tablet useful much. Gusto ko nga subukan sana lagyan ng Android yung netbook ko. :lolflag:

[jsgotangco]

Used an HTC Hero for a week and returned it. Before that a Magic. Android is not for me. Even if its the generic Android or buttered up version with Sense UI. I prefer the Nokia N900 (for a Linux phone that is).

[loell]

Gusto ko nga subukan sana lagyan ng Android yung netbook ko. :lolflag:

medyo tedious lang yung process pero pwedeng pwede naman :)

[the yawner]

I think I'll just wait for Acer's supposed Android desktop. And then perhaps we'll get some spins here and there.

@jsgotangco
What was Android's downsides for you?

[jsgotangco]

@the yawner there are many things that doesn't make sense to me in Android that is very simple for most mobile platforms to do (connecting to wifi is one). Another is the current state of fragmentation with regards to manufacturers (they say there is no fragmentation or very little, but the availability of handsets vis-a-vis Android version is very obvious). Perhaps the most annoying for me is selective Android marketplace. It doesn't help either that HTC is churning out Android phones every quarter making last years handset an anachronism in the Android space. Then you add Google basically giving the finger to everyone who has an HTC branded handset and releasing the Nexus One as a true "Google Experience" phone.

But I think this can still be fixed, but basically phones are phones and they have to act like one in the end and not like a computer with a phone. If a so called smartphone provides non-intuitive phone functions then its not built as a phone in the first place and just an afterthought.