Wireless 'Net for Dummies

[beagle]

I'd put it off until after Oct 22, when you can get Windows 7.  I think XP will start to look very old soon after that.

I'll echo the Windoze 7 thing.

October could be interesting. I'm guessing Apple will announce their grown-up-iPhone portable at the same time to steal MS's thunder. 

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

Who wants an oversized iphone when you can get an Archos 5 with Android now. 

[beagle]

Who wants an oversized iphone when you can get an Archos 5 with Android now. 

Looks interesting. I get the impression Android has a bit of an image problem still. It's not wholly boring-corporate-compliant like MS and it's not so wow-cool-young-fashionista-i'd-spend-my-own-money-on-this-compliant as Apple.  With enough good apps it could shift that IMHO.

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

Actually that assessment suggests that they're doing something right, besides they seem to be selling a good number of handsets and more and more manufacturers are embracing the system. Oh, and the apps are quite decent nowadays. 

[beagle]

Oh I think they're doing stuff right, just not as right Apple.  However the weight of phoneset manufacturers who need to respond to Apple must help in the long term.

Who wins in the end can depend on all sorts of peripheral things. Like here you can get iPhone on pay as you go contracts, but not Android (at least I haven't seen any).

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

Who wants an oversized iphone when you can get an Archos 5 with Android now. 

Read the Amazon reviews-- eyeopening.

And not in a good way....

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

There are no reviews for the Android one (it's on pre-order). I have seen mixed reviews for the Archos with it's own system, though.

Given that I already know and like Android I would be inclined to get one once you can get one for a decent price, but I'll check the reviews as soon as those become available.

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

There are no reviews for the Android one (it's on pre-order). I have seen mixed reviews for the Archos with it's own system, though.

Given that I already know and like Android I would be inclined to get one once you can get one for a decent price, but I'll check the reviews as soon as those become available.

I looked closely, but couldn't locate the actual specs on the OS.  I was most curious-- I really like my G1 (android) cell phone, for example.

T-mobile?  Not so much...

________

That being said?  I'm really in the market for a palm-top computer running Android, and with a built-in cellphone.  I really would prefer a larger device than my current cell-- one with a proper screen & such.

I hope someone creates one of these-- I'm even looking seriously at taking a palm-top computer, buying an unlimited cell-data plan, and using VOIP on it for my telephone, and something like a paid Skype account (so I can get a land-line phone number), with a bluetooth headset.

I already own 5 or 6 quality bluetooth 'sets-- and I found one last Friday that I thought I'd lost... (fell down behind the seat in my truck).

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

I wouldn't be surprised if T-Mobile sucks in your area, in mine the data coverage is quite decent and I haven't had many problems with them (as opposed to ATT whose network might be OK but are severely lacking -or should I say abusive- in customer service).

I believe you can get a netbook with wireless internet from various vendors, or you can get the netbook and use one of these.

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

Yeah, "netbook" is what I've been looking at.  Linux Netbook

So far, the best candidates are the one's running Linux.  And I like the T-Mobil dongle thing.   It would be a must, until my T-mobile contract is up...

The voice on T-mobile is adequate.  The data is what sux... But I knew that going in.

And you're correct AT&T customer abuse hotline is setup to actively discourage anyone calling in more than once... <eyeroll>


Edit:

This looks interesting.... Gidum

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

I would be inclined to get a netbook with XP and add the correspondent partitions for Ubuntu but you have to do your homework, there are certain models with driver problems.

The alternative is getting something like this but I would not buy it with Vista so you would have to wait until it is available with W7.

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

I would be inclined to get a netbook with XP and add the correspondent partitions for Ubuntu but you have to do your homework, there are certain models with driver problems.

The alternative is getting something like this but I would not buy it with Vista so you would have to wait until it is available with W7.

Too big.

I'm looking at those smaller ones, with a solid state "hard drive"-- something I could, if I wanted, clip on my belt... something about the size of a paperback, only thinner.