Going Android: Which Device To Pick?

Over the last year I’ve been asked quite a few times:

Hey,I’m going to Android, which phone/device should I get?

It’s a pretty easy question to answer …

Buy the best phone you can afford.

The reason for this response is because essentially you’re buying something you want to

• Enjoy
• Be Happy With
• Have For Awhile

Enjoyment and Be Happy are in the same boat in my opinion. Here’s how I gauge those:

• Is the Device Fast?
• Does it have everything I need?
• Is it not modified to Hell?
• Does it fit my needs (Some keyboards are too small for big hands, and some are on screen only).

I’ve worked with numerous phones and here’s my synopsis for you:

TMobile G1

Great Phone. My first foray into Android and I still have one today. I’ve burned through two warranties, but I attest that to the fact that I’m hard on phones.

Rating: 3/5 Stars.

Reason: 2 stars is missing because I’m stuck on Android 1.6 unless I mod it. The processor is a slow and its a V1 Product. However, it works great and its reliable. It’s getting old and if you’re going to buy a new phone, just get a newer more powerful one (more on that below).

TMobile Samsun Behold II

This thing is a pile of junk. This is the only Android phone I’ve met thus far that I cannot stand and nearly hate it. The UI is so unresponsive that it makes the phone impossible to use. Samsung also thought they were bright and smart so they modded destroyed the default Android UI that it was hard as hell to use. I couldnt figure it out. It was not intuitive and was an absolute PITA.

Rating: 1/5 Stars

Reason for the “at least they got 1 star” rating. The phone worked. Barely.

TMobile MyTouch

I liked this phone, it was the first move into the keyboard-less Android phones for me. It was basically a souped up G1 with some more power. Nothing else to really say about it. Oh yeah, it looks pretty.

Rating: 3/5 Stars

Reason for missing 2 Stars: Same as G1

Verizon Droid

This phone is NICE. I really like the phone. However, I don’t like the keyboard. It wasn’t designed that well in my opinion. Other than that, its super nice, its at 2.1 right now and supposed to go to 2.2 soon. Bonus here is that right now, as of this writing Verizon is giving away a free Droid when you buy one. “Buy one get one free”. So even if you only need one, you have one for backup incase you brick it, or break it, or just one to play with and Mod while the other one is safe.

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Reason for the missing star: The keyboard, but this is my preference, some people like it.

Nexus One

Whoa. This is one bad motherfelker. I bought one for myself and my wife liked it so much that she took it from me and gave me her G1! I have developed on it, used it for internet, phone, driving, typing, everything. This thing is badass. I love this phone. I have no complaints, other than the price. But then again, buy what you can afford, if you can afford it, get it.

Rating 5/5 Stars

Verizon Incredible

Note: I have not actually held this phone. I’m going off a friend of mines review. Long story short, its Super nice and its like the Nexus Ones close cousin. Super fast, nice and snappy, and I have not heard any complaints yet.

Rating: 5/5 Stars

Sprint Evo 4G

Note: Again, I have not held it in hand, however I have a fellow developer friend who went to Google I/O and got one for free there and gave me a pretty good rundown. Essentially, Sprint (or HTC, someone) altered the UI a bit so its kind of clunky from what I hear. I need to go to Best Buy and check one out. Other than that its pretty awesome. The real downfall is that real 4G coverage is super limited right now. So unless you live in one of the 4G holy-lands, your running 3G. Also, reports from the field say that 4G Sucks Battery faster than a Dyson Air Blade dries your hands.

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Reason for -1 Star: I’m hearing a few complaints about it and usually that means there is something going on with it … and .. it was only released today! But overall, its a good move by Sprint. The first of anything is usually the king of the market for awhile. Kudos to Sprint for that.

Wrap Up

Overall, buy what you can afford. If you’re on TMobile … get a Nexus One. If you’re on Verizon, get an Incredible (or droid if the incredible is too expensive). Get something you’re going to be super happy with. Even if the “one you want” is an extra hundred. You’ll be soooo happy you did.