element_dragon

I’m in the market for an all-in-one tablet/phone device so I can ditch my primitive flip phone and also perform all of the basic things my 17.3”, 8 pound laptop can do, but on a more portable scale. Although I have a Android devices in mind (Viewsonic G and Viewpad), I’m also considering either the Apple iPhone or the iPod Touch. And although this is an Android forum, I’m sure that many of you also have experience with Apple devices, as well. But as you guys can probably tell, I’ve done a little research and have come up with a list of features that I’m looking for:



(1) Relatively fast (In your recommendations, take into consideration some of the ROMs I could install such as Vegan and CyanogenMod that would dramatically increase speed.)
(2) Less Expensive than a Budget Laptop (<$450. I’m also willing to buy used or refurbished devices, so if you’re going to recommend a more recent generation of the iPod Touch or iPad, for instance, do it only if it has notably better features, other than just being new.)
(3) Covered by Square Trade Warranty (I’m fairly sure that ST doesn’t care about jail-broken or modified tablets/phones, but let me know otherwise. I know that there are also a lot of great deals on refurb/used phones on places like Newegg.com, but I don’t really know about their warranty coverage compared to Square Trade’s.)
(4) Released before 11-08/Doesn’t Require Data Plan (I live on a university campus, so I plan on using the fee wifi here. I’ve also read that any phones released after November, 2008 are required to have a data plan. I don’t know if this is true for all carriers though, and I’m also unsure of this policy on used phones released after that date sold on Ebay.)
(5) Intuitive Texting (This goes especially for touchpad keyboards.)
(6) Many (free) Downloadable Utility Apps (I’ve heard that Android and Apple products each have a lot of apps in their store, so I don’t know if this would be a deal-breaker. One specific app I would like to have is a decent voice recording app, the reason for which you’ll see below.)
(7) Free/low-cost Texting and Calling Capabilities (This applies to both receiving and sending. I wouldn’t mind using multiple apps to achieve this, either such as Groove IP, Line2, Sipgate, Nimbuzz, Google Voice, Talkatone, etc. This feature also depends on my best option to satisfy (8) below. I’m also taking into consideration the size of the device. After all, it’s a lot easier to text and call on a smaller device, but that might come at the cost of other features, such as viewing and typing 300+ word documents and also the ability to use it in class without getting reprimanded for appearing like I’m texting instead of taking notes.)
(8) Working, Convenient Microphone (I’m willing to buy a Bluetooth or 2-in-1 headset if there is no built-in microphone or microphone jack available. I don’t know how the Bluetooth would work if I suddenly had to put it in take a call from someone, though. I would also really like to have the microphone be useful for picking up voices several feet away so I could record lectures, casual conversations, etc. Some of the clip-on microphones/headsets from Amazon look promising enough.)
(9) Superb Customer Satisfaction Overall




I realize that I am definitely asking for a lot, so any recommendations, as well as comments and corrections to my research would be extremely appreciated.

Stuntman

You're asking a lot for a device that is less than $450. Most smart devices that are subsidised require data plans.

Replacing a laptop is a very tall order. What exactly do you do on your laptop? I have an Eee Pad Transformer with keyboard dock. It does a lot of what my laptop can do, but cannot fully replace it. I just tried using the spreadsheet app on it and found it rather lacking.

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rui-no-onna

Are you on AT&T? If so, the November 2009 date is the cut-off date for when you activate/start using a smartphone on their service, not when the phone is manufactured. All carriers require a data plan with smartphones (Android, Blackberry, iOS, webOS, Windows Phone 7). AT&T appears to tack on the data plan based on IMEI so if they don't recognize the IMEI for your non-AT&T branded smartphone, they won't tack on the data plan. I've never heard of a November 2008 date before, but even if there was one, the phones available from that time would likely suck by today's standards.

You might want to consider using a different carrier. You can get plans that offer voice/unlimited text/unlimited data for cheaper than the lowest plan with tiered data on the Big 3.

On T-Mobile, if you don't get a subsidized phone from them, I think they don't force you to get a data plan and they allow you to choose a Value Plan which is less expensive than their normal plans. Their 500 Minute Value Talk plan costs $35/month. They also have the 500 Minute Value Talk and Text plan which includes unlimited texting for $40/month.

Prepaid is another way to go. AT&T and T-Mobile don't require you to get a data plan on prepaid. On AT&T GoPhone, assuming you can stick to using wi-fi for calls and text messaging, service can cost as little as $100/year (with Pay As You Go). T-Mobile just released new prepaid plans that are looking pretty awesome. $30/month for 100 minutes/unlimited text/unlimited web (throttled after 5GB).

Unfortunately, other prepaid services such as Virgin Mobile, Boost, etc, use CDMA so device choice is sorely limited.

I've found Android to be the nicest when using internet telephony apps. I use GrooveIP for voice calls (can integrate with the native Android dialer) and the official Google Voice app for SMS and visual voicemail with transcription. The nice thing is, my Google Voice number is mine forever. I don't have to deal with number porting if I decide to change carriers.

That said, this device looks quite promising:
Get the latest update on ASUS Padfone.

Last edited by rui-no-onna; October 16th, 2011 at 09:01 PM.

element_dragon

@ Stuntman

You have a point there! I guess I didn’t word my post quite right. I actually want to keep my laptop for the time being (it’ll remain stationary in my dorm room). But I’ve found that it would be nice to have something portable where I could check my email, calendar, documents in the cloud, call, and type a light to moderate amount. I guess I want to greatly curb/eliminate the texting/calling costs and inconvenience of my flip phone as well as be able to type/access information on the go without carrying around my heavy, short-lived laptop.

I actually have seen the Asus Transformer, but it was a bit expensive compared to the Viewsonic tablet models, which I’ve heard are among the best when you want to get the most for your buck. And again, when comparing laptops to tablets, I’m looking for something that would complement the laptop I already have. And thanks again for helping me clarify my post.



@rui-no-onna

No, I have a Virgin Mobile phone on a prepaid plan. The phone and plan are fine for what they are ($15-$20 every 2-3 months or so), but as I gradually need to keep in touch with more and more people in college, I know that it very well might get more expensive in the future, and I feel like I shouldn’t have to pay for a data plan if I live on campus and have access to a wifi connection. Are there any disadvantages to wifi (besides the inability to use it when off-campus) that I’m not aware of? I feel that if I can take advantage of some free/low-cost apps, then I would want a smartphone or tablet, the final selection of course depending on the other variables I’ve mentioned. As for pre-2009 phones, I honestly have no idea how inferior they would be to today’s models, mostly because I’ve used an extremely basic phone plan for the better part of my life. I mean, similarly some people still use Windows XP, although it’s very outdated.

So have you found the telephony apps to be reliable? (Thanks, btw, I wasn’t aware of the exact phrase that was used.) If they are reliable, do you have your 3G service because you don’t have that constant access to a wifi hotspot?

It does look very promising, indeed! It certainly seems like it would fit most, if not all of my criteria. However, I fear that it’s going to be fairly expensive for a while, and I would like to purchase a more reasonably-priced device within the next 1-2 weeks, one that can act as a jack-of-all-trades device with a few forgivable imperfections, especially when I still have an aforementioned, fully-functional laptop. Perhaps I can sell what I will hopefully get in the near future and buy it when the price is lower.