Device advice (1 Viewer)

[JimmyBoy]

Im not sure if this the correct place to post this or not, but here goes.

When it comes to computer's im quite clued up, when it comes to smart phones / tablet's etc... I have no idea. I have never owned a mobile phone and never used / touched a smart phone or tablet.

My question is :

Im considering getting a device to use primarily as my remote control for MediaPortal and also as a portable music player, but as I have no experience with these, I am unsure of the differences.

Some that I can think of :

• Is one OS generally more stable than the other
• Is one OS better than the other (in terms of killer features etc, not so much personal taste)
• Is the iPod (4th gen) of reasonable quality re: processor / screen ?
• What would be considered a good processor for android devices ?
• Do you have to pay for all iOS apps, or can you get some for free ?
• Are all android apps free, or do you have to pay for some as well ?
• Does the iPod support Multi-Touch
• Does the android OS support multi-touch, and are thier android devices that use this feature ?
• Is there a certain type of screen I should be looking for (capacitive?)

Any advice in helping me choose what device to go for would be really appreciated, and sorry for so many questions!

Thanks

 

[ferzal]

To answer your iPod vs Android questions in this context... not much difference except that there's not really a good equivalent android device to the iPod. Smartphones, sure, but the iPod is still the best in its class imo. There are free and paid apps for both. You'll find some apps on both platforms. The excellent ampdroid, is only for android devices.

Multitouch depends on the hardware as its supported in software but ipod has been multitouch for years and you'd be hard pressed to find any modern android device that isn't multitouch now either.

For the purpose you're describing the iPod is perfect. I personally have an iPod and a Galaxy S2 smartphone (android) and whilst I prefer the Galaxy the iPod is still excellent if you don't want a phone. And I hate Apple so I say that begrudgingly.

 

[JimmyBoy]

Thanks for all the advice mate.

Was leaning towards an iPod and think that is what I am going to get.

I may in the future also get an android device as some of the apps im interested in are exclusive to a certain OS.

One last question if I may?

Does android app automatically work on an android phone AND android tablet (ie, bigger screens), or do you have to get specific versions for phone v tablet ?

Thanks again for the help.

 

[ferzal]

I'm not an android expert at all and I don't have a tablet. Previously there were some slight differences in android OS for tablet vs phone. UI tweaks mainly. The new android OS should be uniform. As far as the apps go they should be universal like 99% of Apple apps. Apple has a small percentage of apps that are iPad only but even if an android app has been designed for a tablet specifically you should be able to run it on a phone (you wouldn't want to but you could).

 

[JimmyBoy]

Thanks so much, you've helped clear up a lot of things for me!

 

[Oxan]

I don't think this is the correct forum, but anyway:

You're really comparing apples with oranges here. An iPod is musicplayer, while most (all?) Android phones are smartphones. iPods don't have features like 3G and GPS. If you want to make a fair comparison, you'd have to compare the Android phones with the iPhone.

Is one OS generally more stable than the other

No.

Is one OS better than the other (in terms of killer features etc, not so much personal taste)

Both Apple and Android fanboys say their own OS is better. For the average user there isn't a real difference in my experience.

What would be considered a good processor for android devices ?

Depends on what you want to do. For listening music and remote controlling your MP, everything available today is powerful enough. If you want to watch 1080p videos, you obviously would need a more high-end range processor.

Do you have to pay for all iOS apps, or can you get some for free ?
Are all android apps free, or do you have to pay for some as well ?

You've paid and free apps for both platforms.

Does the iPod support Multi-Touch

Yes.

Does the android OS support multi-touch, and are thier android devices that use this feature ?

Yes, all of them (except some very cheap Chinese stuff).

Is there a certain type of screen I should be looking for (capacitive?)

Resistive screens are almost extinct nowadays, so I wouldn't worry too much about a screen type.

Does android app automatically work on an android phone AND android tablet (ie, bigger screens), or do you have to get specific versions for phone v tablet ?

Most of them (I think >95% nowadays) do.

 

[DieBagger]

Does android app automatically work on an android phone AND android tablet (ie, bigger screens), or do you have to get specific versions for phone v tablet ?

aMPdroid 1.0 was designed to work for phones AND tablets (you'll get a tablet optimized layout when running it on tablets).

 

[JimmyBoy]

Well, received my iPod today, going to see how I get on with it. Also think I am going to purchase an android phone & table in the near future, I got uses for them outside of MP, but I can try both iOS and Android for MP to see how I personally feel.

Thanks for all the help guys.