[Watford] Androids

[Yvan Seth]

On Sun, Jul 18, 2010 at 01:13:02PM +0100, Neel Upadhyaya wrote:
> At the moment the nexus one provides the best machine for
> software+hardware.

I know two people with Nexus One's and they both love the things.  One
of them is Kathlene :)  - they're both software developer types.

> The best hardware is probably in the HTC Desire however the latest
> version of android [froyo] will not be available for it until
> Christmas (they say).  It is however very close in design and spec to
> the Nexus One (although a little more powerful) making the Nexus One a
> good second and better overall (especially as google are planning
> another OS release later this year).

I'm due a new phone soon and have made an incontrovertible decision to
break free of Steve Jobs's facist dictatorship... and am in the
problematic position of having to choose between the N1 and the Desire.
The Desire is, in my mind, a slightly better bit of kits.  I also hate
the testicle thing on the N1.

That said, what Neel says about software support is spot-on.  Every
techy Google employee I know was issued with an N1.  So it has an army
of Google-employed testers :) as far as software updates and support go
it will likely remain a step ahead of the Desire.

> In terms of your requirements the OS will sync with both outlook and
> your google contacts including phone, address, facebook, twitter and
> flickr.  The nexus one also comes with active noise cancellation which
> I understand is extremely usable.
> 
> For an ssh client most people seem to recommend Better Terminal
> Emulator from http://www.magicandroidapps.com which can be found in
> the app store. it costs $9.99 but I understand that it's the most
> fully featured app out there (including Ctrl key support).  You can
> check out the manual here:
> http://www.magicandroidapps.com/wiki//index.php?title=Using_Better_Terminal_Emulator_Pro

I just asked an Android power-user friend of mine about SSH clients,
he recommends:
    http://code.google.com/p/connectbot/

He develops software for the platform and is a Linuxy type.
Plug: he's responsible for:
    http://chris.boyle.name/projects/android-puzzles
    
> The nice thing about google marketplace is that it wont charge your
> card until after 24hrs of install meaning that if you uninstall the
> app before then you wont get charged, allowing for a 24hr "try before
> you buy".
> 
> If you're looking for a larger device then Dell has a iPad like device
> (the Streak I think) with an inbuilt phone, however, I'm not sure
> about the availability in the UK.
> 
> Hope that helps.
> 
> --Neel

Sometime in the future I'll try to make it down to a meeting again!  Kat's in
Australia for a few weeks her return clashes with the August meeting, a
friend's wedding with the September one ... October perhaps :(

Cheers
-Yvan