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Hello-
I was hoping any and all users can giver their 2 cents here. What are the real world limitations of this device? I have done a fair amount of research and this phone seems to fit the bill, but wanted some feedback on it. I know I want an Android based smartphone, and I must stick with AT&T as it's what my company has and it's the ONLY provider in my rural part of Texas.
While the phone has been labeled "mid-spec" it still seems pretty impressive. I also know being tied to AT&T means I'm REALLY limited, and I do not want an iPhone. My wife has one, I've tried it... It completly DIED after 3 months. I know in other posts people have said iPhone still best bang for the buck for AT&T smartphone, but a smartphone that does not work as a phone, doesn't show the net as it really appears, and has updates that seemingly copy Android does not seem too "smart" to me. Yes, iTunes looks pretty, and I could play "Words w/ Friends," but seems like a lot of fluff.
I have found due to hardware Aria cannot run Google Earth, is there anything else it cannot do? I know there is debate about Gingerbread being compatible, but that seems a ways down the road. I'm really torn, as I like the size of this thing: it still looks like a phone and not a flat panel TV, but the car guy side of me thinks "no replacement for displacement" when it comes to a processor.
That would mean getting a Nexus One, but I worry about the trackball popping out like my sister-in-laws Blackberry, and the cost is hard to swallow. The Desire looks AWESOME but if I have read correctly it will not work on 3G for data, only voice, and it is expensive. Then there is the Samsung Captivate which is coming, but it seems HUGE, or does the camera add 10 lbs???. I'd like to limit the physical size to an iphone-esque size at most so it is pocketable. I also have read Samsung can be difficult to work with from a consumer standpoint with respect to updates, etc.
I also like the Sense UI as it seems elegantly simple and worked well while I messed with the phone in the store.
Overall, I want the most bang for the buck phone. A true "dream machine" would be an Aria sized phone, with the Desire specs, that does it all on 3G. What really would be the closest thing to such a device? I'm open to any ideas and suggestions, but again I CANNOT change providers; seriously, AT&T is the ONLY provider with coverage in my area.
Thanks in advance for any and all answers and help!!!
The phone does have some limitations (you have done your homework). If you want a great phone on att, this is a good choice. The galaxy s (coming soon to ATT) may be better if you must have a high end device.
I would say that if you are stuck with AT&T, the Aria may be your phone. I have a had HTC, Samsung, Motorola, and Apple phones and HTC has been the most solid of all of them. I just came from an iPhone and I can honestly say it has better reception, call quality, and adaptability than my 3GS. Phones seem to be almost a matter of taste, some people will deal with the most ridiculous shortcomings if it has a feature they feel is the most important. That being said, I played with a lot of phones and found the Aria to be the best package for a smartphone on AT&T at this moment. That could change as soon as another high end phone hops on but for now, I'm very pleased. I will say this, the battery life takes some getting used to, but its right in the same area and any other smartphone. Also, the speaker phone is quiet but since I never use it, it doesn't even make my list for pros vs cons. Being that it is locked down to certain apps and such is annoying, but coming from an iPhone makes it seem like a walk in the park to get other apps and such on it. I would say read a little more of these forums to see what some complaints are and see if any of them make your list of important features. But otherwise, you have on recommendation here.
Some of the gripes I have with this phone include:
* The screen isn't quite adequate in size for reading ebooks, which I didn't expect I would do at the time of purchase.
* The speaker is pretty crappy. It's not very loud and it sounds irritating at volume - very tinny.
* It doesn't appear to support very many video file formats. In fact, the only format I've gotten to work with Act1 video player are the base h264 and h263 formats. To my understanding, it is up to the manufacturer to include any extra codecs, so you're SOL if you're planning on using this as a mobile media player.
* It doesn't come with live wallpapers or an option to sideload apps. You can enable both of these by rooting the phone (which is a pain in the ass, by the way), but I've found that the processor isn't up to the task of running some of the more complex live wallpapers (like the mario wallpaper). I'm hoping this will be less of a problem with Froyo and the JIT.
* It gets a little warm when you have the gps on in navigation, but not enough to scald your junk if you're keeping it on your lap. It's actually not that big of a deal, just makes me worry about damaging the battery.
* Typing is a bit hard in portrait mode. Some applications seem to crash in landscape mode, like 'better terminal emulator', but I suspect that's more of a problem with the program and not the Aria.
* The camera is a bit mediocre and doesn't include a flash, but to be fair, it's primarily a phone and not a camera (I have yet to see a phone's camera be on par with a midrange point & shoot).
* Sense UI can't be disabled/enabled as an option, like on the Evo 4g.
I was going to test Google Earth for you, but I can't seem to find it in the Market.
Anyway, in summary, it has a few shortcomings, it's a midrange phone after all, but I love it regardless. It's slips into my pocket comfortably and feels solid in the hand. The interface is nice and smooth (unless you have some crazy live wallpaper enabled). It doesn't bog down when you fill the screens with widgets, and the browser experience thus far has been great. All in all, it was definitely worth the $50 I paid for it from Amazon.com.
P.S. I was considering holding out for something higher spec'd to come along on AT&T, but who knows when that will happen? The Dell Aero was supposed to be out months ago. Likewise, we are actually supposed to have 3 HTC phones running Android to choose from right now, and yet we only have the Aria. The Samsung Captivate is supposed to be 'coming in the next few months,' but I've grown to distrust AT&T's timelines. A major part of why I got the Aria was because I was simply tired of waiting for ATT to get their act together.
I went to an AT&T Retail Store here in Corpus Christi, TX to look at it again and see what they could do for me deal wise because I'm mid-cycle in my contract. The Mgr. told me he is suppose to get the "sample" Captivate on Friday, and it's suppose to be on sale the 15th. I guess to go head-to-head with the X??? I'll wait til Friday to see if it true. He claims there is a lot to coming down the pike with Android OS as it's the "next big thing..." (Well, for AT&T I guess....) I've waitd this long, another couple of days won't kill me to see it, and help reduce buyer's remorse...
lonestarmotorcyclist said:
I went to an AT&T Retail Store here in Corpus Christi, TX to look at it again and see what they could do for me deal wise because I'm mid-cycle in my contract. The Mgr. told me he is suppose to get the "sample" Captivate on Friday, and it's suppose to be on sale the 15th. I guess to go head-to-head with the X??? I'll wait til Friday to see if it true. He claims there is a lot to coming down the pike with Android OS as it's the "next big thing..." (Well, for AT&T I guess....) I've waitd this long, another couple of days won't kill me to see it, and help reduce buyer's remorse...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good luck fighting the urge!
modest_mandroid said:
* It doesn't appear to support very many video file formats. In fact, the only format I've gotten to work with Act1 video player are the base h264 and h263 formats. To my understanding, it is up to the manufacturer to include any extra codecs, so you're SOL if you're planning on using this as a mobile media player.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not exactly. Do a search on 'Rock Player'. It's a media player that's still in Beta, and it expands upon the selection of video codecs that are handled by the standard media libraries.
It plays DivX-encoded videos like a CHAMP.
EDIT: Actually, here's the forum for it: http://www.diffthink.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=4
Regards,
Corporate Dog
* It doesn't appear to support very many video file formats. In fact, the only format I've gotten to work with Act1 video player are the base h264 and h263 formats. To my understanding, it is up to the manufacturer to include any extra codecs, so you're SOL if you're planning on using this as a mobile media player.
I was planning on using it as a media player... So, in simple English for my simple mind, what does this mean: that it can only use those two formats? Does it mean it's limited to what can be seen via the internet or does it mean I'm limited to the type of video formats I could directly load from my computer, or both???? Is there a way around these limitations because I want to be able to have infotainment in one device and do not want to drag around multiple devices. (Sorry if this seems like a dumb question but I am FAR from well versed in this field.)
Also, thanks again for the replies and info.. It is GREATLY appreciated!!!
Corporate Dog said:
Not exactly. Do a search on 'Rock Player'. It's a media player that's still in Beta, and it expands upon the selection of video codecs that are handled by the standard media libraries.
It plays DivX-encoded videos like a CHAMP.
EDIT: Actually, here's the forum for it: http://www.diffthink.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=4
Regards,
Corporate Dog
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Click to collapse
Thanks, I'll check it out when I get home, don't have any divx files to play here.
lonestarmotorcyclist said:
I was planning on using it as a media player... So, in simple English for my simple mind, what does this mean: that it can only use those two formats? Does it mean it's limited to what can be seen via the internet or does it mean I'm limited to the type of video formats I could directly load from my computer, or both???? Is there a way around these limitations because I want to be able to have infotainment in one device and do not want to drag around multiple devices. (Sorry if this seems like a dumb question but I am FAR from well versed in this field.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To my understanding, there isn't any "CorePlayer" equivalent. I dunno if you're coming from a Windows Mobile world or not, but CorePlayer could run pretty much anything your desktop computer could.
What I meant by my comment was that the Aria appears to be limited to the .mp4 format for videos (I have not tested .flv). So, if you wanted to toss some movies onto the sd card and use the stock media player or Act1 video player (appears to be pretty popular in the market), then you're stuck re-encoding all your videos to h264 .mp4. The iPhone is limited in this way too, or so I hear.
But, from what I've seen with RockPlayer just now, it's seems to be very bare on options but looks like it can play a very wide range of formats. I just played some mp4 videos I had on my sd card and they run flawlessly. Hopefully this program is in active development and will turn into Android's CorePlayer.
Thanks for the info and links; you both cleared up the questions I had. I just want to cover every aspect so when my iFamily tells me I made a poor choice I can show them it does EVERYTHING I want it to and more, not what the manufacturer thinks I need it to do or should do...
I just am not seeing where you can go wrong with this thing compared to other devices.....
lonestarmotorcyclist said:
I just am not seeing where you can go wrong with this thing compared to other devices.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the small size can either be a huge plus or killing minus depending on your habits/needs
for me it s a definate plus
lonestarmotorcyclist said:
Thanks for the info and links; you both cleared up the questions I had. I just want to cover every aspect so when my iFamily tells me I made a poor choice I can show them it does EVERYTHING I want it to and more, not what the manufacturer thinks I need it to do or should do...
I just am not seeing where you can go wrong with this thing compared to other devices.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are buying the phone for yourself or are you replacing iphones for your family?
Corporate Dog said:
Not exactly. Do a search on 'Rock Player'. It's a media player that's still in Beta, and it expands upon the selection of video codecs that are handled by the standard media libraries.
It plays DivX-encoded videos like a CHAMP.
EDIT: Actually, here's the forum for it: http://www.diffthink.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=4
Regards,
Corporate Dog
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've been using rock player on my Aria for a while, and I am hoping this is just cause it is still beta, but SD AVI files run like molasses. If there is more than one thing going on on screen the video lags and gets out of sync with the audio. You have to pause the video, wait for it to catch up and play it again.
This is my only gripe about this phone, but it may be the program, not the phone.
Whatever phone I get will be just for me. My in-laws got their 3Gs' about a yr ago and like most, thought they were the greatest thing sinced bread. So then my wife "needed" one. I've played with it and it is nice to be able to access the web, and have music right there, but.... there seemed something lacking. I like the concept, but I also like to tinker with stuff. I'll admit, I LOVED the Droid ad campaign of "Droid Does" and since my phone has died, I started looking to get something new. It just seems better in everyway I can think of, but I want to know all I can to properly inform those who will tell me I'm wrong when I get my new phone. (And there will be a lot, I know...)
I just don't see how they really can be compared. Everyone I know who has an iPhone loves them, but they use them for the web, Facebook, Words W/ Friends, and as an iPod. I think it's great there are 200K apps, but I don't know anyone that uses more than 1% of them and every "cutting edge feature" seems to be copied from Android. I guess there is also the fact that there are a truckload of docks and cases to "personalize" them, but I think I rather personalize the stuff that matters.
In reality, I want to blow their socks off with what it can do and know it inside and out as soon as I get it. (You know, the ones that were excited about folders and backgrounds on iPhones. Does that make me a bad person??? Or just honest???)
My wife has an Aria, I have a Nexus One. I'm REALLY surprised when I use her phone, it's actually smoother than my Nexus. Long lists scroll like butter, the launcher scrolls extremly smooth, apps list, etc... I've never seen the phone slow down, it's all very smooth.
She doesn't watch videos on it, but she will eventually load her iTunes music onto it, but hasn't yet. She loves the smaller size, but you're right that it is a tad touchier to type on.
She raves about how fast the browser is.. And how everything just opens, bam... And her GCal euphoria moment was pretty awesome too; suddenly she can see my entire calendar, add to my calendar, see when I'm in a meeting until 5...
She's really been looking for something to complain about moving from her iPhone and so far I don't think she's found anything.
Just an update on the video playback capabilities in RockPlayer - I tested it with a 320x240 mpeg, 700x500 divx, 640x480 .mp4 and a 720p mkv video. The mpeg and mp4 ran perfectly fine, the divx ran pretty slow (maybe 10fps) and the sound was constantly desychronizing, and the mkv was unwatchable. It didn't scale down to the Aria screen size, and it ran so slow that you could see the individual frames (like 2-4fps).
Considering the speed difference between the .mp4 and the divx, I'm assuming this is a lack of hardware acceleration issue with some codecs?
Never had an Android phone before but plenty of WM ons, (see sig) but feel time is right to jump OS. Desire and Galaxy S seem to be the best 2 around for uk users.
Looking at the specs nearly everything about this phone seems better than the Desire
Pros:
Bigger screen
Super Amoled
Faster CPU
Better GPU (has Desire got one?)
TV-out
8GB Internal memory
720p recording
Good camera (even without the flash it seems to take pretty impressive photos/videos)
Cons:
Froyo update (officially yes, but when? Samsung past record doesn't inspire confidence)
Likelyhood of further Android OS updates (such as gingerbread)
Could people who have experience of both please comment on the general speed of the 2 devices. Is the Galaxy faster in real life doing most things,
especially web browsing (including flash video) and playing videos from MicroSD card.
I would be running these apps if I get an android phone:
Slingplayer
Skyfire
Opera mini
myPlayer
Are there any apps/ anything else which isn't working on the Galaxy which runs o.k. on the Desire.
Thanks in advance.
I have both the phones & a Dell Streak up until yesterday. All those apps you listed work fine on both devices except Slingplayer which I don't know about as I don't use it.
I'm having problems with the web brower of the Galaxy in that when I click on a link the web browser shuts down & returns to the home screen. Also I can change the UA string to set the browser to show desktop version but it won't stay. I've already exchanged one unit & the second one still does it.
I use a well known porn site (ahem, testing purposes only :wink) to test the flash & have to say the Galaxy plays the clips without a hitch (though not super smooth) but the Desire just plays the sound, no video.
On specs alone the Galaxy pisses all over the Desire but in actual use there's not much in it. For sure the Galaxy screen is better & the speaker is much louder & better sounding than the Desire but the Desire feels better quality & I prefer the physical buttons.
The Galaxy will be returned for refund tomorrow because my 7 days are up, but I would probably choose it over the Desire if not for the web browser issues.
Thanks for that Zen123.
Probably sensible to wait till Froyo is officially out on Desire and more info about when it will be on the Galaxy but it won't be easy.
I have both.
Galaxy S pros:
Much better at graphics intensive tasks
Better sound quality, output volume
Better music player with EQ
DivX etc out of the box
TV Out (cable + DLNA)
WiFi tether
1.8GB of storage for app installation
More storage with inbuilt storage
Better screen - not only size and display characteristics but also touch and multitouch (most important for gaming, but not entirely irrelevant elsewhere)
Better loudspeaker
Better battery life
Desire pros:
General operation speed is better
GameBoid works
Widget selection is much, much, better
Hardware keys
Better build quality
Browser is better in terms of function, but the extra 0.3inches of the Galaxy negate that advantage for me
HTC music player works with LastFM, Galaxy's doesn't
Off the top of my head those would be the main things.
NZtechfreak, interesting you mention Desire is quicker generally. The difference in browser functionality? Don't they have the same browser?
Got both:
And like the other say both phones are realy nice, but if i had to chose one i would go for the Galaxy. Why?
Galaxy:
Better screen, colors and most off all i can see it better in sunlight.
Ok, it had a small bit off lagg for me when i did open DialPad, but after i got a task killer no more lagg there. Other then that i have not notice lagg in apps/programs like some other have been notice.
Battery last longer on Galaxy then on desire, and that is importent for one like myself.
And like some say they like the build Quality on desire more, i cant say that is wrong But i quite like Galaxy even i guess some should say it is litle "plastic", feeling on it, it is damn light in the pocket.
And if we talk "Root" if both both device use custom roms and the the right chefs make them, Galaxy will be a monster with a custom rom made for it
the other standard things i did see they had already write in other posts here
I had the desire first, returned it and went with the SGS. Why?
-The screen is obviously better, bigger while not too big (in my opinion ofc) and properly registers multitouch (desire has problems when you cross axis with 2 fingers, not a problem in normal usage but very annoying when you try to play a game with 'joysticks' on screen).
Edit: The S-amoled also seems to solve some of the pentile problems I found using my desire, like pink colours where gray shoud be.
-Camera quality is slightly better, however the lack of flash sucks, I enjoyed using the flash as a flashlight.
-The media player is just amazing. Goodbye converters, hello divx playback . Seriously though, it allows me to save 10's of GB on my desktop's harddrive, space I had to use to store those converted files before.
-Audio quality is top-notch, way better than the desire. It also simulates 5.1 playback and plays very HQ music (my flac library sounds better than ever).
-The GPU. You can actually play a game like asphalt on this, while on the Desire the game hangs constantly.
-Storage (this is only for android 2.1 ofc, but this might still be very important during the next couple of months). If you want to keep a few good games on the Desire at the same time, you will need to root/a2sd. Otherwise you WILL run out of storage. On the SGS, you have more than 10 times the app space.
Now with that said, the Desire has it's perks as well, like the sense ui (it's a lot more elegant than touchwiz), tweaked browser with flash Lite and the overall better experience (I feel the Galaxy S has a tendency to slow down over time, while I didn't have this experience on the Desire, might be that I play more games on the SGS tho).
However, I do feel samsung is putting a lot of effort in this phone and I really believe that we're gonna see some good firmware tweaks very soon. The fact that they are offering some quality apps with the phone, like the tweaked layar version, and the "samsung app store" which offers free stuff like the full asphalt game (which costs 5€ in the gameloft store).
Assuming that the Galaxy S is released on T-Mobile UK, this is going to have to be a decision I make as well. I was going to go for the Desire, but since hearing about the Galaxy S I've all but decided to go for that instead. Just a pity the build quality isn't so good, it has a PenTile screen and it doesn't have a flash (though that's a minor complaint) - pity that there isn't a high-end Android phone available without any real drawbacks!
A bit puzzling that it would seem slower than the Desire when the hardware should be as good or better - that must be software, and software's fixable, hopefully.
TMobile UK seem to have confirmed that its coming next month
I'm currently using HTC Hero, but thinking of getting the SGS.
The GUI is a big turn off for me. But like on the Hero, i'm using Launcherpro from the Market. And i'm hoping this would also work on this phone.
Have anyone testet if it works on SGS?
See no reason why it shouldnt
http://www.androlib.com/android.application.com-fede-launcher-Ezxp.aspx
Running launcherpro here on the SGS, works fine. You can still use the samsung notification bar functions like enabling wifi/bluetooth and setting ringer volume and brightness while using it. Combined with the fancy widget, it looks very nice.
Cooki3s said:
Running launcherpro here on the SGS, works fine. You can still use the samsung notification bar functions like enabling wifi/bluetooth and setting ringer volume and brightness while using it. Combined with the fancy widget, it looks very nice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Came in buckets. thnx is what i want to hear
Phone is now purchased online
The Desire and Galaxy S have the same amount of RAM, though I believe, not 100%, that the Galaxy S kernel is lacking High Mem support, which if it's anything like the Nexus prior to gaining the support, means it only has access to around 190MB of RAM. The HTC kernel has High Mem support iirc, which bumps accessable ram to 390MB or so.
The fact that the Galaxy S comes out of the box with flac support and wifi tether negates my major reasons for really needing root...but having root and switching between roms more times than I shower is all part of the fun!
LadFromWales85 said:
The Desire and Galaxy S have the same amount of RAM, though I believe, not 100%, that the Galaxy S kernel is lacking High Mem support, which if it's anything like the Nexus prior to gaining the support, means it only has access to around 190MB of RAM. The HTC kernel has High Mem support iirc, which bumps accessible ram to 390MB or so.
The fact that the Galaxy S comes out of the box with flac support and wifi tether negates my major reasons for really needing root...but having root and switching between roms more times than I shower is all part of the fun!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
meaning? where is the rest of the RAM being used at (if your claim is right)?
So the verdict is the SGS is better than the HTC Desire, basically..
Hi
I own both phones and the conclusion is ready. Galaxy I9000 is much better than nexus or desire. Very fast, sped, screen, games, internal storage, sound.. Is my point of view as developer for android
Flash question
I am slightly confused about the flash support for the 2 phones. If you read GSM arena review, they say Galaxy S doesn't have any, other than the youtube videos through a dedicated youtube player. HTC's own website says the Desire comes with flash support. They are both running Android 2.1.
What exactly does the stock Desire have in terms of flash, some version of flash lite? If so can't the Galaxy S be upgraded to the same level through installing an application?
Interested in Galaxy...or Desire
Currently running an iPhone 3GS . Was tempted(briefly) by the iPhone 4 , but not enough of an upgrade as far as Im concerned.
I must admit to loving my 3GS.OK the UI may be boring,but it does what its meant to do good enough.
Had never read anything about the Galaxy s until last night.I didnt even know Samsung made an Android phone!It does look really nice though.The screen looks great.
I have owned Samsung phones in the past, few years back now.And was always disappointed with volume.Is the Galaxy loud?If I leave the phone in my coat pocket downstairs am I going to struggle to hear it ring?(Not talking miles away here).
Also, the 3GS does feel like a quality bit of kit in the hand.Looks as good now as it did when I bought it 12 months ago.The build quality of the Samsung worries me slightly(from what I have read about it)
J-Hop2o6 said:
meaning? where is the rest of the RAM being used at (if your claim is right)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I always thought this was something comparable to 64bit OSes, you just can't go above a certain amount (around 3.5gb, but for android 256mb) since the os doesnt support it. I guess it's a bit different with linux, but the comparison remains the same.
There was a line in the 2.2 features description on developer.android.com before, saying "HIMEM support, enabling access to more than 256mb of ram on devices", but I can't seem to be able to find it now.
Edit: http: //developer.android.com/sdk/android-2.2-highlights.html see platform highlights
billu said:
What exactly does the stock Desire have in terms of flash, some version of flash lite? If so can't the Galaxy S be upgraded to the same level through installing an application?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Desire has Flash lite 4, it's good enough to see some movies and some content like banners, but things like games and high quality/bandwidth movies are very sluggish.
Dunno if it can be ported that easily to the SGS, I think the browser needs to support it aswell, but not sure there.
camera photos comparison
can anyone post a photo(s) taken by these handsets (same object if possible)? will be upgrading tomorrow, and i feel these 2 handsets are pretty even for what i am after, the camera (photo & video) will be the deciding factor.... can anyone post pleeaaasssssseee??? i have less than 24 hours to decide!
I'd like to make a comparison in video playback before I preorder mine mine tomorrow.
I have one particular video in mind
Zenith Part 1 Sample mkv. It can be found via thepiratebay (official destributer, its free and legal, the video I mean, as well as the full version of it.) But you can find it elsewhere (their own website) if you have a problem with TPB.
The galaxy tab struggles to play the sample in VPlayer and refuses in the stock player to even try. I get screen glitching and slowness if it doesn't just crash.
Would someone be willing to download it (33MB) sample and comment?
Thanks.
Sent from my GT-P1000
playback is very slow. audio plays at a normal speed. used mobo for the video app.
Thanks for the test. I just tried mono on my grab plays slow but no screen glitching like my other player. I had to use soft decoding though. Unsupported by system player.
It seems video playback is no better than the gtab.
Hopefully its atleast similar I'm happy with that much.
Sent from my GT-P1000
try vitalplayer just discovered it today
myv6mustang said:
try vitalplayer just discovered it today
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Click to collapse
I tried it, but because I'm using the Galaxy Tab as a comparison here, it's build in codecs don't support the sample video format and so can't play it.
You may want to wait for Samsung's upcoming GalaxyS tablets that are coming in June. Their GalaxyS phones are the only ones I know of with out-of-the-box great MP4, MKV, Xvid, and WMV support. My Xoom doesn't play a vast majority of videos that my GalaxyS Vibrant does. Presumably the GalaxyS tablets will have similar abilities.
reuthermonkey said:
You may want to wait for Samsung's upcoming GalaxyS tablets that are coming in June. Their GalaxyS phones are the only ones I know of with out-of-the-box great MP4, MKV, Xvid, and WMV support. My Xoom doesn't play a vast majority of videos that my GalaxyS Vibrant does. Presumably the GalaxyS tablets will have similar abilities.
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Click to collapse
Thanks for the info. So do we have solid dates and/or specs for hte GalaxyS tablets? I don't have the kind of patience to wait two more months unless i can clearly see £600 on the XOOM next week is wasted.
alias_neo said:
Thanks for the info. So do we have solid dates and/or specs for hte GalaxyS tablets? I don't have the kind of patience to wait two more months unless i can clearly see £600 on the XOOM next week is wasted.
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Click to collapse
http://gizmodo.com/#!5784427/samsung-galaxy-tab-comes-in-in+between-89+inch-size-now
June 8 - $499
reuthermonkey said:
http://gizmodo.com/#!5784427/samsung-galaxy-tab-comes-in-in+between-89+inch-size-now
June 8 - $499
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I really don't want another TouchWiz device, so I'm out as far as the Samsung's go. Any up-coming google devices? I want pure honeycomb, looks like the scales are tipping back in favour of the XOOM.
alias_neo said:
I really don't want another TouchWiz device, so I'm out as far as the Samsung's go. Any up-coming google devices? I want pure honeycomb, looks like the scales are tipping back in favour of the XOOM.
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Click to collapse
From the videos at CTIA, it's even lighter than TouchWiz3, but I can understand wanting a pure flavor of Honeycomb. That said, any pure Honeycomb ("with Google") very, very likely will not have direct, out of the box support for MKV (See: Nexus S vs Galaxy S).
That said, I know Acer and LG are coming out with some Honeycomb tablets, as well as Sony and HTC. Pretty much all "by Summer". The only one with a set date is the Sammy.
At this point, I think the Xoom is going to be the only customization-free tablet of the bunch. Until it gets a firmware update to fix the slow rendering and video playback though, it's *very* hard for me to recommend it though. I may well be returning my own in the coming days.
reuthermonkey said:
From the videos at CTIA, it's even lighter than TouchWiz3, but I can understand wanting a pure flavor of Honeycomb. That said, any pure Honeycomb ("with Google") very, very likely will not have direct, out of the box support for MKV (See: Nexus S vs Galaxy S).
That said, I know Acer and LG are coming out with some Honeycomb tablets, as well as Sony and HTC. Pretty much all "by Summer". The only one with a set date is the Sammy.
At this point, I think the Xoom is going to be the only customization-free tablet of the bunch. Until it gets a firmware update to fix the slow rendering and video playback though, it's *very* hard for me to recommend it though. I may well be returning my own in the coming days.
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If it were the Nexus One of Tablets, I'd have no problem, at least we could count on the updates from Google and know it won't get dropped. But with Moto in the mix, I don't trust them to get us any updates let alone keep them going for a decent period.
I feeling now that I may end up getting one anyway and replacing it after the summer. Mainly because I'm impatient, and so far all my impatience costs me is money.
Ok,
I am in the market for a tablet, and hate apple with a pashion. That being said, it leaves me with the options of many good android alternatives.
I am torn between this and the Motorola XOOM tablet. IMO the Acer has a piss poor build quality (though I know alot like it...).
Which is best straight out of the box? I can flash custom roms ofc, but would prefer to stick to stock software for the first 6 months anyway.
I am also considering getting it without the dock as I dont think it would be something I would use much....mabye I am wrong...lol.
Anyhow, whats the TF like running stock software?
Thanks,
Danny
Sorry, should have said, I want a tablet to showcase my amature photography, watch movies and to surf the web
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
Asus appears to be better than Moto at tying software to hardware. Their support for software has also stomps all over Moto.
The stock firmware on the TF is perfect for every day usage. Paired with the keyboard dock, I have no problems using it like a regular laptop. It's a powerful piece of hardware that plays nicely with all of my existing storage devices, and even a few of my game controllers. I did end up rooting it anyway, though, just so that I could block ads and disable tap to click on the touchpad.
Photo viewing works flawlessly, provided you can store your photos on a SD card or external hard drive, which you would then plug into the TF. At this point the support for plugging in an actual camera is a bit spotty, no telling whether or not it will work until you try it. Movie support is sort of a mixed bag, as it all depends on which video playing app you use. Personally I like to rip all of my Blu ray movies so that I can watch them from my hard drive, so I use Handbrake to re-encode them all so they can be played natively in the stock Google video player. If instead you have a lot of videos in unrecognized formats like xvid, you'll need to test them with a third party video player.
earlyberd said:
The stock firmware on the TF is perfect for every day usage. Paired with the keyboard dock, I have no problems using it like a regular laptop. It's a powerful piece of hardware that plays nicely with all of my existing storage devices, and even a few of my game controllers. I did end up rooting it anyway, though, just so that I could block ads and disable tap to click on the touchpad.
Photo viewing works flawlessly, provided you can store your photos on a SD card or external hard drive, which you would then plug into the TF. At this point the support for plugging in an actual camera is a bit spotty, no telling whether or not it will work until you try it. Movie support is sort of a mixed bag, as it all depends on which video playing app you use. Personally I like to rip all of my Blu ray movies so that I can watch them from my hard drive, so I use Handbrake to re-encode them all so they can be played natively in the stock Google video player. If instead you have a lot of videos in unrecognized formats like xvid, you'll need to test them with a third party video player.
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Click to collapse
all my xvid and divx flawlessly in rockplayer and even stream from a NAS using upnplayer
what will you use app wise to show of your amateur photography? The stock gallery? Are there better apps out there?
wilbur-force said:
all my xvid and divx flawlessly in rockplayer and even stream from a NAS using upnplayer
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Click to collapse
MKVs doesnt play audio, decodes video though.
I bought a Xoom first, then an Ipad 2 and have now settled with the Transformer. In my opinion (discounting the Ipad 2 as it's far too limited so I passed that onto the wife ) the Xoom and TF'er are pretty much the same......
the differences which set them apart as the spec are virtually identical are:
- thickness of the tablet
The TF obviously wins this and whilst it may not be the worlds biggest issue, you can definitely 'feel' the difference when you are holding it in your hands and the additional weight of the Xoom can make your arms ache after a while...basically, it's not the most comfortable tablet to hold.
- SD card support
The 3.1 update for the Xoom didn't include the SD card fix so as long as the tablet is stock it is still unsupported (Google still working on the update as far as I'm aware). I know there are fixes and work arounds available but this would depend on what your intentions are regarding modding/rooting etc. The TF'er has it working out of the box so you could drop up to a 32Gb Micro SD card in on day 1. Definitely a bonus and as the OP mentioned a vanilla tablet for the first 6 months in their current state this could be a big issue for the Xoom especially for a photographer who needs storage space.
- Price
Definitely the biggest thing for me...not because I'm on a shoe-string but because of the fact that the tablets have the same O/S, the same spec, the same features and the same software......why would anyone take the Xoom over a TF?, especially with a considerable hike in price and the TF has a much nicer screen which is a major feature of the tablet in itself.
Basically you can't go far wrong with either, but if you're gonna drop £380 or $399 on a tablet then get the one which is $100 cheaper than the current competition.
......and that leads me on to arguably the biggest feature of the TF. The dock. Whilst it may not be a requirement to a lot of people, or something that adds a lot of interest....the flexibility is there to have the TF'er as a notebook replacement - and it also means additional storage space is available via the SD card slot, USB ports which in my opinion will also offer future flexibility as device/accessories/peripherals can be added in the near future with the relevant support.
All in all, a 16GB TF at £380/$399 can have a 32Gb micro SD, and 64GB SD (or another 32GB Micro SD with adaptor) and offers twice the flexibility of the Xoom whilst offering a virtually identical base-feature set. After owning them all, it would be a no-brainer for me. I've not become a fanboy or anything daft like that and wouldn't 'slag' the Xoom off but in a direct comparison with the TF it's virtually identical, so I'd go with 'bang for buck' and flexibility. The TF gets both points by quite a large margin.
What did you find limiting about the iPad 2? Genuine question. I have a tf and ipad2 and I feel they both have limitations.
h00ligan said:
What did you find limiting about the iPad 2? Genuine question. I have a tf and ipad2 and I feel they both have limitations.
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Click to collapse
In comparison to the TF (or large majority of Android devices)
Connectivity - no USB/storage devices meaning there is no option but to get apps/data/movies transferred to the tablet etc via a wireless connection or 3rd party application.
Requirement of additional peripherals for HDMI/cameras etc whereas the TF can take a direct connection or plug in the micro sd card directly for transfer.
The dependency on iTunes for some functionality. ie I'd be reluctant to take my Ipad2 anywhere for an extended period of time without a laptop for backup and updates etc. Another example that infringes on this is if you want to copy friends data/music then it's much more difficult to do this with an Apple IOS than it is with Android due to the bluetooth and connectivity issue.
Customisation - speaks for itself.
Don't get me wrong, I agree that every device has its limitations including the TF'er. The Ipad is a lovely bit of hardware, definitely has the better app store, more polished apps and better UI overall but the issues I listed above are restrictive to me personally and if I had to make a choice (which I don't) and could only take one of them, I'd select the TF in a heartbeat because of these points.
ASUS is hands down better than the xoom under every circumstance.
HOWEVER, if you're not interested in the dock (and the functionality it offers) for the TF or having a micro-sd card on the tablet itself, then you should probably go for the galaxy tab 10.1.
It's a $100 more than the TF but it supposedly has a better screen, is lighter and some people are saying that it has better build quality than the TF also.
Just don't get any android tablet other than the TF or Galaxy tab 10.1, especially if you're trying to show off your photography.
starplaya93 said:
ASUS is hands down better than the xoom under every circumstance.
HOWEVER, if you're not interested in the dock (and the functionality it offers) for the TF or having a micro-sd card on the tablet itself, then you should probably go for the galaxy tab 10.1.
It's a $100 more than the TF but it supposedly has a better screen, is lighter and some people are saying that it has better build quality than the TF also.
Just don't get any android tablet other than the TF or Galaxy tab 10.1, especially if you're trying to show off your photography.
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Actually, the TF has a much better screen. Look at any video reviews. I remember in a comparison I saw, both the TF and Xoom had the same wallpaper. The TF showed every color, while the Xoom washed out and showed a blend of white...
Since you're going to use it to show off photography, the SD reader in the keyboard dock would come in handy. I found my TF to be very snappy and responsive. I cannot stream pictures and movies correctly, but that's because I don't know how
SwiftLegend said:
Actually, the TF has a much better screen. Look at any video reviews. I remember in a comparison I saw, both the TF and Xoom had the same wallpaper. The TF showed every color, while the Xoom washed out and showed a blend of white...
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But he didn't even mention the Xoom... he did however compare the TF with the Samsung Galaxy tab 10"
And here i offer a little insight: seems that Samsung loves to have over saturated screens. That could actually be an issue, if the tab has to be used to show photographs... I know that if I set brightness at maximum on my 7" galaxy tab, skintones ends up in the douchebag tan kind of orange. On the other hand, low brightness makes for nice and vivid colours.
Sent from my GT-P1000 using Tapatalk
I'd say the TF is the all-round winner for your photography needs:
- It has a much better screen than the Xoom, so that's out.
- It's cheaper than the Samsung
- It has a working AND existent microSD card on it (should be invaluable for transferring pics if your camera also uses microSD. Also if you DID want to to root and flash a new ROM, the Samsung's out again (is this their "No Root" ploy?)
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using XDA Premium App
Thanks paradaz
AlexTheStampede said:
But he didn't even mention the Xoom... he did however compare the TF with the Samsung Galaxy tab 10"
And here i offer a little insight: seems that Samsung loves to have over saturated screens. That could actually be an issue, if the tab has to be used to show photographs... I know that if I set brightness at maximum on my 7" galaxy tab, skintones ends up in the douchebag tan kind of orange. On the other hand, low brightness makes for nice and vivid colours.
Sent from my GT-P1000 using Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
This over saturated screen on the 10.1 will drive me nuts not only viewing photographs but also watching movies. Its sound like that vivid mode u see on lcd. Some people prefer that look on their tv maybe that why led lcd sell so great. I prefer that natural look you see on plasma tv.
Wow, thanks for the replies guys!
The Galaxy tab was never going to be an option for me with the lack of being able to use removable storage.
Looks like the transformer will be my weapon of choice! Although you are now making me reconsider getting the dock as well....
My reasons for not getting the dock where;
1. It would be another item to cart around. I will be generally only using the tablet so will probably get a leather cover for it. If I where going away I would need to also bring the keyboard as well, perhaps in a separate case?
2. Low stock in the UK at present...i can drive 2 miles and pick up the tablet only package.
Although I didn't know it had an SD card reader! That coupled with the additional battery capacity is rather appealing!
To answer an earlier question, I have no specific app in mind to show off my photos... Can anyone else advise if there is better options than the stock gallery? I use lightroom on my PC, but would imagine nothing similar is available on android.
Also is it possible to convert mkv's to play on these tablets? 95% off all my digital media is in mkv format.....
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
djglenn1337 said:
Also is it possible to convert mkv's to play on these tablets? 95% off all my digital media is in mkv format.....
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
Click to expand...
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mkv is only the container so many third players like moboplayer are able to open mkv files..
what's really matters is the codec used inside the container, as of now, the TF on 3.1 is able to hard-decode H264 720p High profile and 1080p base profile..
you can use handbreak to encode media files if necessary:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1060825
djglenn1337 said:
Also is it possible to convert mkv's to play on these tablets? 95% off all my digital media is in mkv format.....
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Click to collapse
I do know some people seems to be experiencing problems with mkv's. Unsure what codecs (video/audio) their mkv's might have, because I played about 30 different mkv's made by different people with and without soft-subs and I've not experienced any hitches or glitches to either sound or video.
All I use is moboplayer and start them - plays flawlessly.
RI've had my tab for a few weeks now and am generally happy with it.
The things I'm pleased with:
Battery life - can't fault it so far
Build quality
App compatability - generally no issues
Web browsing and music are good
Screen is fantastic
Things I'm unhappy with:
The omission of an actual sd card slot is an annoyance
Stock u.i laggy (using adw now)
Mac compatablity is lacking.Kies is ok for it but by no means fantastic
My biggest disappointment has been video compatability or lack of it. A lot of my videos are now digitally encoded, some are ok on the tab, others have horrendous breakup. I've done as much research as possible into re-encoding these to suitable format but no matter what program and settings I use I can't get them to run properly. I'm getting to the stage of moving down the Ipad route. I'd post screenshots but apparentlly can't for another 8 posts
Did you get the large update to touchwiz recently? I actually started using the stock video player now, as I don't have any problems with the playback. Unless you are enconding in some off the wall format, I would think you wouldn't have any problems.
No on the touchwiz update as yet. I have limited net access in that some things are blocked. Glorious Afghanistan I'm checking every now and then as I can bypass somethings but it's not showing any updates.
In regards to video encoding I've used settings recommended in these forums and also trialled the pavtube program as well as numerous others including handbrake. Pulling my hair out over it!
i agree with you with the Video Support, coming from the Galaxy s phone the Tab almost doesn't play anything without converting and stuff on my phone it just play everything without a need for any video player other than stock
gazwkd said:
RMy biggest disappointment has been video compatability or lack of it. A lot of my videos are now digitally encoded, some are ok on the tab, others have horrendous breakup. I've done as much research as possible into re-encoding these to suitable format but no matter what program and settings I use I can't get them to run properly. I'm getting to the stage of moving down the Ipad route. I'd post screenshots but apparentlly can't for another 8 posts
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I had the same issue as you - pretty much everything I tried to play on the GT would break up or have other issues. I was about to return the tablet when I tried transferring a video over WiFi rather than Kies for the Mac. To my surprised it played flawlessly.
So, I rather suspect that your problem is Kies performing some sort of erroneous conversion on the video as it is transferring the video across to the tablet.
I don't use Kies for the Mac anymore, and always transfer files via WiFi, and seldom have any playback issues now.
Regards,
Dave
If you transfer photos/movies from a MAC via the current version of kies then these get corrupted...
I'll try the wifi tip cheers. Although a friend has a 5 year old laptop that I tried the converted videos on and the same breakup occured through vlc. No probs with any of the encoded videos through vlc on my mac pro though.
Tried the wifi tip and works Shame it's a little on the slow side but it'll do till there's a better way
Kies is definately broken for the mac, it hasn't corrupted every video I transferred but enough to really annoy!
Cheers for the tip
The touchwiz update is almost perfect IMHO, I had lags with vanilla ui but since twz update, I enjoy my tab except for one thing:
My fingers literally hurt from overuse of gab10.1!
Sent from my GT-P7510 using XDA Premium App
The Tegra 2 is not capable to decoding most HD video. The video accelerator (seperate from the GPU) is simply too slow and can not decode most h.264 profiles other than profiles which are obsolete (baseline for example)
Sorry folks, its not a problem with the actual software, its the Tegra 2 which is simply too slow to decode much of todays HD video.
Agreed. As an owner of both a Captivate and Tab 10.1 I am less than impressed with the video performance of this Tab. My Cappy blows it away.
Now the only thing the Tab has over the Cappy is support for legacy DIVX codecs. With the latest update all of my DIVX movies work. But the Cappy still runs laps over the Tab. A shame really. One step forward, two steps back.
You have to understand that Tegra 2 is a very old chip despite tablets just being released due to honeycomb delays.
All future tablet chipsets like the Tegra 3 and others will be able to decode any HD content without performance issues.
gazwkd said:
My biggest disappointment has been video compatability or lack of it. A lot of my videos are now digitally encoded, some are ok on the tab, others have horrendous breakup. I've done as much research as possible into re-encoding these to suitable format but no matter what program and settings I use I can't get them to run properly. I'm getting to the stage of moving down the Ipad route. I'd post screenshots but apparentlly can't for another 8 posts
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Click to collapse
Use Dice player, and u will see how all videos will played nice!
5thElement said:
You have to understand that Tegra 2 is a very old chip despite tablets just being released due to honeycomb delays.
All future tablet chipsets like the Tegra 3 and others will be able to decode any HD content without performance issues.
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I won't count on that. The chipset used in Captivate is even older than Tegra 2. It's all about the drivers and matuality of the OS. HoneyComb just don't have much video codec support to be hornest. Tegra 1 chip in my Zune player plays 720p video better than Tegra 2 in my Tab. And there are 3rd party player app that can use Tegra 2 hardware acceleration to play videos that stock player can't. This is all software limitations in stock HC. Even when Tegra 3 comes out, HC as is will have the same limitation unless Google gets its act together.
I use dice player now, and my tab plays anything I throw at it. 1080p MKVs and avi files play awesome, even supports the multiple audio tracks and subtitles. No complaints here.
I personally don't need any more power in the tablet, it does everything I want it to do flawlessly.