Android alternative to iPod Touch for $200?

[sb56637]

Hi there,

I have just recently started looking at small PDAs or whatever they are called these days. I was surprised to find that the iPod Touch is retailing for around $200, which I consider a reasonable price. I was also surprised that most Android devices cost a lot more than $200. The hardware specs on the iPod Touch are exactly what I would want, but I don't like Apple as a company and I don't like the iPod OS.

What would be a good Android equivalent to the iPod Touch? I don't care if it has phone capabilities or not. And I don't care if it's a well known brand or not. The following are my priorities, in order of importance:

1. Around $200 or less (critical)
2. Available in the United States (critical)
3. Android 1.6 or 2.0 compatible (critical)
4. Very long battery life (critical)
5. WiFI (critical)
6. Camera (critical)
7. Some sort of external memory card slot (critical)
8. GPS (nice to have)
9. Bluetooth (nice to have)
10. Accelerometer (nice to have)

Thanks for your help and suggestions!

 

[Loon]

I'm pretty sure all android devices are phones?

 

[sb56637]

Well, as I said, I don't really care if it has a phone or not. I just don't want to pay for a feature that I won't use, and I don't want to spend a lot more than $200.

 

[lekky]

*whispers* (Get a zune hd) *whispers*

 

[sb56637]

*whispers* (Get a zune hd) *whispers*

;-) Not gonna happen. I dislike Microsoft even more than Apple.

 

[nateo200]

;-) Not gonna happen. I dislike Microsoft even more than Apple.

Then what do you want? You ask for amazing battery life and less than 200?! Look smartphones are smart with a draw back and that's battery power you buy the phone pay 80 a month and you get a computer in your hands.

 

[sb56637]

That's why I'm not looking for a smartphone, I am looking for an Android PDA. I want the computer in my hand without the phone.

 

[nateo200]

That's why I'm not looking for a smartphone, I am looking for an Android PDA. I want the computer in my hand without the phone.

Well I'm pretty sure all android devices are smartphones or tablets

 

[Rix]

Pretty much everything there fits the iTouch. Just get one and be done with it. There's nothing android that comes close to fitting that criteria.

 

[sb56637]

Android devices are surprisingly expensive. I expected them to be cheaper as they are competing with the critically acclaimed iTouch and iPhone. I personally would like to have an OS that lets me run more than 1 app at a time though.

The closest thing I can find to $200 that runs Android are these two Chinese smartphones:
http://www.clonedinchina.com/2009/10/android-powered-sciphone-n19-and-n21-now-is-on-sale.html

 

[Eugene]

I've been looking for the same myself, found

Zii.com

and

http://www.archos.com/ has some android ones IIRC.

They are all a little 4 at the moment, I'm hoping by next Christmas there will be a few more to choose from and the prices will be down.

 

[reznorfan0]

archos is one of the few alternatives you have. I have a pre-android model and am pretty happy with it. If your looking for just a music player, you don't want an android phone, the media players on these things are one of the few aspects that are less than spectacular. The archos gets around it by dual booting android along with their own OS that handles the media part of the device.

I'm a believer in the archos (but it is not for everybody), you get one or two of the accessories and you have an extremely powerful tool. If you have any questions pm me.

 

[nateo200]

Android devices are surprisingly expensive. I expected them to be cheaper as they are competing with the critically acclaimed iPod Touch and iPhone. I personally would like to have an OS that lets me run more than 1 app at a time though.

The closest thing I can find to $200 that runs Android are these two Chinese smartphones:
Android powered Sciphone N19 and N21 now are on sale|&nbsp Cloned In China

Android phones are just as expensive as any other smartphone, $200 dollars is a subsidized price that carriers set up so you don't pay an arm and a leg for the phone be greatful for it. the iPhone 3GS (32GB) retails for nearly $700, the nokia N97 is $700, and the blackberry bold is $660 unsubsidized while the motorola droid retails for $569 unsubsidized. No offense and I mean this in all honesty but please do some further research because you really don't want to come on here that uninformed.

 

[Eugene]

archos is one of the few alternatives you have. I have a pre-android model and am pretty happy with it. If your looking for just a music player, you don't want an android phone, the media players on these things are one of the few aspects that are less than spectacular. The archos gets around it by dual booting android along with their own OS that handles the media part of the device.

I'm a believer in the archos (but it is not for everybody), you get one or two of the accessories and you have an extremely powerful tool. If you have any questions pm me.

There really isn't much for a music player to do, what else does the droid one need?

 

[Josh0187]

Droid.

Get it from Best Buy and avoid having a $100 mail in rebate and get it for $200 exactly.

 

[sb56637]

Droid.

Get it from Best Buy and avoid having a $100 mail in rebate and get it for $200 exactly.

Hmmm, isn't $200 the subsidized price with a cellular contract?

 

[Eugene]

That price is dependant on a two year data plan, which defeats the reason for a phoneless android device.

 

[Josh0187]

He said he doesn't care if it can make phone calls, not that it cannot come with a contract.

 

[Eugene]

This nook may be the answer
Rooted Nook Gets Web Browser, Facebook & Twitter Apps | Android Central

it meets a few of the criteria already, no camera though.

 

[AndroidCrazy]

I've been looking for the same myself, found

Zii.com

and

http://www.archos.com/ has some android ones IIRC.

They are all a little 4 at the moment, I'm hoping by next Christmas there will be a few more to choose from and the prices will be down.

WOW... that video for the ZII was crazy! Now this thing has some serious possibilities, and android none the less!

 

[Delude]

Why are you comparing an iPod to an Android device when you say that having a camera is critical? Currently the iPod Touches don't have cameras, so...

 

[blinky]

Sony was supposed to have a device out that was an MP3 player with Android on it. It was going to be the iPod Touch killer, but I don't know why Sony scrapped that idea.

The Zune doesn't have Android on it, so that is not going to work for the original poster.

 

[IOWA]

Hi there,

I have just recently started looking at small PDAs or whatever they are called these days. I was surprised to find that the iPod Touch is retailing for around $200, which I consider a reasonable price. I was also surprised that most Android devices cost a lot more than $200. The hardware specs on the iPod Touch are exactly what I would want, but I don't like Apple as a company and I don't like the iPod OS.

What would be a good Android equivalent to the iPod Touch? I don't care if it has phone capabilities or not. And I don't care if it's a well known brand or not. The following are my priorities, in order of importance:

1. Around $200 or less (critical)
2. Available in the United States (critical)
3. Android 1.6 or 2.0 compatible (critical)
4. Very long battery life (critical)
5. WiFI (critical)
6. Camera (critical)
7. Some sort of external memory card slot (critical)
8. GPS (nice to have)
9. Bluetooth (nice to have)
10. Accelerometer (nice to have)

Thanks for your help and suggestions!

Im sorry, but I just have to say it. Some people just make me laugh. Seriously. I want a device that has a 2039489230MP camera and 6TB of memory and expandlable memory with Bluetooth that travels 8 miles and Wifi/WiMax and washes my clothes, does my dishes, cuts my lawn.... etc...

I mean seriously. Why is needing a camera on a MUSIC player critical? If you want a camera, buy a freakin camera with a REAL lense. Until they start sticking Nikon Lenses in camera phones it really doesnt matter how many pixels you have your still limited by the lense. And Very long battery life, and all those features is kind of contradictory. Not unless you really want to carry a 5lb battery pack? They don't need to make an android media device. IPODS and ZUNES and other standalone MP3 players will be obsolete in the next 5 years anyway. The way phones are progressing, you can even use an inactive phone as a mp3 replacement, and with more phones carrying the 3.5 mm Jack, it IS going to happen.

 

[ari-free]

iPod touch is a music player? That's like saying a blackberry is a pager.

 

[nateo200]

Im sorry, but I just have to say it. Some people just make me laugh. Seriously. I want a device that has a 2039489230MP camera and 6TB of memory and expandlable memory with Bluetooth that travels 8 miles and Wifi/WiMax and washes my clothes, does my dishes, cuts my lawn.... etc...

I mean seriously. Why is needing a camera on a MUSIC player critical? If you want a camera, buy a freakin camera with a REAL lense. Until they start sticking Nikon Lenses in camera phones it really doesnt matter how many pixels you have your still limited by the lense. And Very long battery life, and all those features is kind of contradictory. Not unless you really want to carry a 5lb battery pack? They don't need to make an android media device. IPODS and ZUNES and other standalone MP3 players will be obsolete in the next 5 years anyway. The way phones are progressing, you can even use an inactive phone as a mp3 replacement, and with more phones carrying the 3.5 mm Jack, it IS going to happen.

Someone has some sense in here!