Android noob, got a few questions.

zahg

Member
Dec 4, 2010
1
0
Hello all.
I've been looking at quite a few droid tablets lately, I could use some suggestions on which to get though.

First: I noticed that only a couple support flash, does this mean that the others dont support flash at all, or just flash 10?
On that note, I would mostly only use flash on it for streaming sites such as youtube, megavideo etc. If anyone here is into the PSP homebrew scene, you know about 'PSPtube/Ultimate PSPtube/GoTube' which lets you search and stream several video sites even though the PSP only has flash 6. Is there an Android app that does this(preferably for several sites aswell)?

Second: Several models have 'forward facing cameras', are any of these able to use this for video chat?
Speaking of chat apps, is there a yahoo client? I saw skype and msn named in a few ads but thats it.

Im leaning towards the X5A right now(I know it doesnt have a camera, and I just asked a camera question=p ) mostly for the 2-point multitouch. Is the screen sensitive enough for the multitouch to impact typing speed? My first tablet was an old fujitsu and single finger chatting took me forever on that thing lol.

Are there any good drawing apps? By 'good', I dont mean photoshop good, I mean windows 7 paint good.

My ideal would be a 7" tablet with multitouch, 'functional' webcam, a recess to hold a stylus into the case, and flash support or a 'multi-tube' app.
I know that probably doesnt exist, I'll take 3 or 4 out of 5.

If I get a model that has a G-Sensor, can it be switched off? I read a lot in bed and hate sitting up to do so.

Finally, How hot do they get? My stylistic gets hot enough to burn skin at idle after about 45 minutes, and my touchsmart is a space heater if I run any games.

Oh, a couple random questions that have little to no impact on functionality:
1: how customizable is the Android UI? Can you make custom themes?
2: Has anyone done any case mods? a 10" would be perfect for a Starfleet PADD, and I can see a 5" Archos making an awesome Kino remote.
last one: What about other mods, ipod hard drive, more ram etc.

Sorry for the huge post, Thanks in advance for any help. =D
 

zerotiger

Member
Nov 11, 2010
58
2
"droid" is actually a copywritten term, "Android" is the correct term.
flash support is both a hardware limitation and a software limitation. You must have Android 2.2 or higher to run flash in a browser. YouTube has an app that will run on just about any version of Android. I know it runs on 1.5.

a forward facing camera can be used for video conferencing like facetime for iphone and ipad. It's just a matter of picking the app that works best for your needs.

drawing apps - yes, photoshop good and ms paint good are both easily found.

Multi-touch and stylus are often mutually exclusive. But there are styluses made for multi-touch, just not super common. The whole point of touch screen tablets is to use your fingers.

Not sure what you mean by "g-sensor", but you can generally adjust settings to keep the screen on no matter how it is oriented. The kindle app has this option built right in.

Heat output is dependent on a lot of variables. Generally the cheaper tablets use cheaper hardware which typically run hotter. It also depends on how you use it. Leaving the tab on in a tightly enclosed area will build up more heat. For example, running it in your backpack while listening to music walking around town. It also depends on how hard you are pushing the processor. Certain apps require more battery power which generates more heat.

Android UI is highly customizable. Check out modmymobile.com to get started. There are tons of free themes out there that you can use without developing your own.

Case mods aren't my thing, but I'm sure it's possible and I'll bet any amount of money it will void your warranty.

other mods: typically tablets aren't very upgradable from a hardware standpoint. All of the components like RAM, video, processor, HDD are built on one board. That is how they can make them cheap and slim. However some devices have USB ports and flash card slots to allow for some minor upgrades. For example you could hook up an external hdd or dvd-rom via USB. You'll be hard pressed to find software to run a dvd-rom though. better to rip it in a compressed format and transfer it to the device.
 
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