Looking for an upgrade

Shirohane · 04-17-2012, 12:25 PM

So, I bought a Kindle Keyboard 3G about a year and a half ago.

I've recently decided that I'd like to upgrade to "something" Android. Please note that I live in Canada.

At first I was drooling over the Samsung Galaxy Note but quickly decided that it was out of my price range. Sadly, the same happened with the Galaxy SII.

Then I passed by a carrier that was offering the Galaxy S for 150$ (I'm guessing that prices are higher here) no contract and I was quite tempted. (The phone would be free on a 3-year contract.)

At the same time, I was thinking of waiting for the Galaxy Tab 2 (7.0), the rumored Google tablet or the rumored ASUS MeMO 370t. However, I also run the risk of having to travel over the border in order to get those tablets as they might never come here in Canada or for some of them, come out at all.

Now, what I'd like in my device is to be able to read books, consult my emails and browse the web. Anything extra is great but not necessary.

I did also consider a Blackberry PlayBook but the future seems a bit bleak for it. I did consider the Acer Iconia A100 (it was on special this weekend for 200$) but reconsidered due to the bad reviews.

My DBF told me to not get the Galaxy S because I'd be paying for something that has outdated parts.

What do you guys think?

ilovejedd · 04-17-2012, 12:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shirohane

Then I passed by a carrier that was offering the Galaxy S for 150$ (I'm guessing that prices are higher here) no contract and I was quite tempted. (The phone would be free on a 3-year contract.)

My DBF told me to not get the Galaxy S because I'd be paying for something that has outdated parts.

$150 off-contract for the Galaxy S sounds about right. Yes, those are dated parts and I do find it to be pretty slow and laggy. The TouchWiz UI really slows down the phone (Nexus S with the same hardware runs much more smoothly). $150 off-contract is a decent price for it, though.

Are you guys required to subscribe to a data plan if you get a smartphone? What's the minimum contract length? If you're going to be forced into a data plan anyway, might as well take advantage of the built-in subsidy. Wouldn't recommend the Galaxy S, though. Opt for a nicer phone.

Shirohane · 04-17-2012, 04:07 PM

Well, that's what tempting about it. The phone is free with any plans. It could be voice with pay-as-you-go data. It is, however a 3-year contract to get free.

Otherwise, I pay for the phone and can take any plan for a minimum of 30 days.

The Nexus S was offered at 50$ on a 3-year contract w/ data plan. The Galaxy S2 was 100$ for the same terms. Of course, data plans start at 50$ a month...

ilovejedd · 04-17-2012, 04:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shirohane

Well, that's what tempting about it. The phone is free with any plans. It could be voice with pay-as-you-go data. It is, however a 3-year contract to get free.

If a data plan is not required and pay-as-you-go rates are reasonable (or you don't plan on using cellular data), then for $150, go ahead. It's not going to make for the nicest Android experience but it's a decent enough phone for the price. Going price for the Galaxy S is around $200~250 off-contract so you're really losing out if you get it on a 3-year contract. Much better to go with a phone with higher subsidy if you're gonna tie yourself to the carrier.

Shirohane · 04-17-2012, 05:11 PM

Thanks a lot for your input.

Also, would CM7 or CM9 make the Galaxy S more enjoyable?

ilovejedd · 04-17-2012, 05:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shirohane

Thanks a lot for your input.

Also, would CM7 or CM9 make the Galaxy S more enjoyable?

Given the Nexus S running stock Android works pretty well, I'd say yeah, an AOSP ROM such as CM7 would probably help. Wouldn't go with CM9, though. Tried both CM7 and CM9 on my Nook Color and CM9 was so slow as to be unusable.

Dopedangel · 04-17-2012, 10:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ilovejedd

Given the Nexus S running stock Android works pretty well, I'd say yeah, an AOSP ROM such as CM7 would probably help. Wouldn't go with CM9, though. Tried both CM7 and CM9 on my Nook Color and CM9 was so slow as to be unusable.

cm9 is great on galaxy s its actually feels faster than cm7. I would advise you to wait a bit samsung is going to announce galaxy s 3 on may 4th will likely bring down the price further for galaxy s

ilovejedd · 04-18-2012, 03:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dopedangel

cm9 is great on galaxy s its actually feels faster than cm7. I would advise you to wait a bit samsung is going to announce galaxy s 3 on may 4th will likely bring down the price further for galaxy s

Interesting. Maybe it's because of the better GPU on the Galaxy S so hardware acceleration is actually useful?

Shirohane · 04-18-2012, 03:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dopedangel

I would advise you to wait a bit samsung is going to announce galaxy s 3 on may 4th will likely bring down the price further for galaxy s

Hmm... Good catch! I hadn't thought about that. I'll hold out a bit then.

And it'll be for the best if one of those new tablets get announced for Canada meanwhile.

04-17-2012, 12:25 PM	#1
Shirohane Enthusiast Posts: 29 Karma: 497132 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Canada Device: Kindle Keyboard 3G, Nook Tablet	Looking for an upgrade So, I bought a Kindle Keyboard 3G about a year and a half ago. I've recently decided that I'd like to upgrade to "something" Android. Please note that I live in Canada. At first I was drooling over the Samsung Galaxy Note but quickly decided that it was out of my price range. Sadly, the same happened with the Galaxy SII. Then I passed by a carrier that was offering the Galaxy S for 150$ (I'm guessing that prices are higher here) no contract and I was quite tempted. (The phone would be free on a 3-year contract.) At the same time, I was thinking of waiting for the Galaxy Tab 2 (7.0), the rumored Google tablet or the rumored ASUS MeMO 370t. However, I also run the risk of having to travel over the border in order to get those tablets as they might never come here in Canada or for some of them, come out at all. Now, what I'd like in my device is to be able to read books, consult my emails and browse the web. Anything extra is great but not necessary. I did also consider a Blackberry PlayBook but the future seems a bit bleak for it. I did consider the Acer Iconia A100 (it was on special this weekend for 200$) but reconsidered due to the bad reviews. My DBF told me to not get the Galaxy S because I'd be paying for something that has outdated parts. What do you guys think?

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04-17-2012, 04:07 PM	#3
Shirohane Enthusiast Posts: 29 Karma: 497132 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Canada Device: Kindle Keyboard 3G, Nook Tablet	Well, that's what tempting about it. The phone is free with any plans. It could be voice with pay-as-you-go data. It is, however a 3-year contract to get free. Otherwise, I pay for the phone and can take any plan for a minimum of 30 days. The Nexus S was offered at 50$ on a 3-year contract w/ data plan. The Galaxy S2 was 100$ for the same terms. Of course, data plans start at 50$ a month...

04-17-2012, 05:11 PM	#5
Shirohane Enthusiast Posts: 29 Karma: 497132 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Canada Device: Kindle Keyboard 3G, Nook Tablet	Thanks a lot for your input. Also, would CM7 or CM9 make the Galaxy S more enjoyable?