Do you (or have you) experience with Samsung Galaxy Player 4 or 5?

I had a Gingerbread phone that I used for web browsing all the time – and loved it. I recommend, however, that you hold off a bit. First of all, the rumors are that the Nexus tablet is imminent – and around $200. Also, apparently the Acer Iconia Tab A110 is about to be released. It’s a quad-core 7-inch that runs ICS and is rumored to be under $200. Anyway, I suspect the next month or so could get interesting for people interested in Android tablets.

Also, I forgot to add the “contrast it with iPods” part. You should go try them out – both iOS and Android. Find what works for you. It’ll be difficult for me to discuss the contrast without revealing my Android preference in a way that will anger people. I’ll just leave it at this: there are significant functional differences between the browsing capability on an Android vs. iOS.

@tom

Thank you for your answer. And I certainly didn’t mean to shut down all opinions on iPod vs. Android functioning. I’m a user of both platforms since I also have had an iPhone for the past 3 yrs. It’s just a chore doing all your web browsing and typing on that tiny screen LOL And Apple’s refusal to enable Flash is another major inconvenience. Hence, I began researching tablets and knew I did not want a 10 incher. So when I found one at a great price on BF sale, I pulled the trigger.

I merely wanted to avoid an entire thread devolving into all the trite generalized stuff that always gets thrown around without any specific context in the Apple/Android wars. Obviously I use both for different purposes.

So, feel free to opine away on contrasting the two in regards to how they function vis a vis an mp3 player and anything else which is pertinent (YouTube problems? or whatever) I really want to know.

Interesting you mentioned the upcoming Acer Iconia, for my current tablet is the Iconia A100 (also 7 inch)

And if it has ICS, I def. don’t want it. Everything on my Acer went to hell in a handbasket following the ICS upgrade (not that the hastily cobbled together mess that was Honeycomb was much better either).

But at least HC was not absolutely unbearable the way things are now. The stock browser is like molasses in January. YouTube is largely a mess if trying to view several short vids in a row. Cursor control for editing typos is a crapshoot and always has been. And now the keyboard drops off mid-typing and refuses to come back up. (that’s the final straw for me) I’ve gone back to using my iPhone for all my typing in spite of the tiny screen and kb. It works flawlessly, including the cursor and always has.

I’m just tired of being an uncompensated beta tester for an immature OS. Perhaps in a few years they will have it straightened out. Or perhaps not.

It’s impossible to communicate with Google either by email or phone. Yes, every time the browser crashes the form comes up to send in a report but I don’t see that doing any good at all. They did absolutely nothing to straighten out the problems with HC so I don’t see them as the most responsive company.

Amazon has major annoyances but at least they’re not too cheap to provide both phone and email support to address issues. Google is swimming in money and does nothing and it’s their own damn operating system to begin with so you’d think they could at least get the browser right. And Acer is the one company running the purest form of Android without excess modifications like other companies do so there isn’t even that excuse for them. Sheesh. It’s just totally ridiculous.

But in spite of the crappy ICS performance I’m not ready to give up on all Android devices. It just makes no sense to me to put up with all the ICS nonsense that makes simple web browsing a horror.

Anyhow, tell me more about Android advantages. I need to hear something hopeful. And if there’s anyone out there having a good experience with ICS, let me know which device. I’d certainly be interested.

@Buttonstc: “Google is swimming in money and does nothing and it’s their own damn operating system to begin with so you’d think they could at least get the browser right.”

Go with iOS. You’ll be happier.

You shouldn’t have to deal with bugs and that other stuff you’ve experienced. If you had said that the thing was working properly and then you wanted a comparison, then I would have a ton to talk about. Note: My experience has been almost the opposite. I own Android and iOS devices, but have generally experienced more crashes on my iOS devices (but relatively few overall).

Google does have a problem though – they wrote an amazing OS, but they hand it over to hardware manufacturers. This allows them to a) ruin it by slapping one of their proprietary skins on it (Motoblur, TouchWiz, Sense, etc), and b) use any craptastic hardware/internals to run the thing. Many of the thousand Android devices out there are under-powered junk.

Anyway, if you have iOS devices and they don’t frustrate the hell out of you (like they do to me), then you’re golden. You’ll be able to get an iPad, which is an amazing device. I have an iPad 2, but the newest one has the great display. I do a ton of browsing on tablet and phones, however, so browsing functionality is critical. I hear that Chrome on ICS is just amazing, but even stock Android on older devices just renders websites better. Try viewing this website in iOS, for example: link. No matter what you do, you can’t adjust the size of the text and double-click to fit. They cross themselves out. In Android, you simply pinch out to the size you want, then double-click and all is well. Then there is the “share”/integration within Android. I can share the webpage with any service/app I have installed on my phone (Facebook, Google+, Instapaper, etc). Also, a big one for me is that iOS has considerably-less real estate for content because of the bars that are required to house the controls (back arrow). Android (for me) just requires a lot less work (scrolling less, etc).

A lot of what you’ve mentioned is quite accurate but I’m under the impression that you’re not using and Android devices with ICS.

I doubt that the problems I’m experiencing have much to do with Acer since they don’t overlay a lot of the stuff other mfrs. do. Closest of any device to pure Android.

And it’s definitely not underpowered. It was one of the first with Tegra as well as a full gig of Ram. But all that can’t overcome a crappy OS and that’s what ICS is IMHO.

There were several reasons I didn’t get an ipad not the least of which is cost. But there’s also needless duplication (basically a large iPhone) and essentially the same limitations. The walled garden, no Flash integration, strict limitations on allowed apps, etc.

Plus I definitely don’t want a 10 inch tablet. A friend of mine has one and it was just too unweildy for my taste. Very uncomfortable to use. I didn’t like it at all.

That’s the main reason I’m strongly inclined to sell the Acer before it loses too much market value and get a 5 inch GP 5. From what I’ve read, it’s unlikely to upgrade to ICS (and I could simply refuse to update even so).

I’m thinking that most of the crappy functioning is due to ICS rather than device specific to Acer (at least from all the reviews of it I read as well as comparisons to numerous similar devices. I could be wrong, of course, but my instinct tells me I’m not.

I’ve seen very few complaints about GB (perhaps there were some when it first came out) so I’m assuming they’ve dealt with the bugs in it already.

But I’m hoping to get as much feedback as I can from people with ongoing experience of it.

It looks like there aren’t that many GP 5 owners (at least compared to iPods, the device it is most often compared to) but I’m hoping that’s because it’s fairly new to the market.

You’re right – I don’t have an ICS device. I have used one, however, and was blown away. Plus, many of my friends/coworkers (software developers) run ICS (either Galaxy Nexus or rooted custom roms on other devices) and they can’t say enough good things about it.

I had the unfortunate experience of trying to use a Toshiba Thrive (?? or some nonsense) recently, and it was very slow. It was running Honeycomb, I believe. I suspected that it was just extremely underpowered, although I could be wrong.

Anyway, ICS (the phone version) is apparently the best thing since sliced bread. I can’t get it right now because I can only use Verizon, and the Galaxy Nexus’ radio is crap. I couldn’t get a signal anywhere and had to return it.

There are way too many compromises to be had (unnecessary compromises) in the Android world. One phone has great hardware but non-stock Android or a poor Pentile screen, etc. Good luck.

You could wait for the rumored 7 inch ipad in the fall.

Actually, I just thought of something – what about the Galaxy Note? I have heard nothing but good things. Of course, it would be a phone/mini-tablet or “phablet” though.

You know, I did consider the Galaxy Note for about half a second. And I’m currently with ATT which carries it and I’m overdue for an upgrade.

However, that means I’d have to switch my phone service to an Android device and give up iPhone altogether. That’s just kind if a bridge too far for me.

In spite of my frustrations with the limitations imposed by Apple, the one thing I can say with certainty that it is rock solid where phone functioning is concerned. 100% reliable.

If there’s ever a slowdown or crash on the web browsing end of things, a 2–3 minute hard reset puts everything right again. Without fail. Every single time.

And there’s always the backup of the best telephone support line, acknowledged by all including Consumer Reports year after year. And if worst comes to worse, there are the guys at the Genius bar at the Apple Store.

The first 3 weeks I had the phone, I did have major problems when it just would not function and I was ready to return it. But that’s because I was unaware of how the hard reset was the magical solution for 99.9% of iPhone issues.

Ibut that’s because I had been dealing mainly with ATT people. I went to the Apple Store ready to return a “defective” phone and one of the Genius guys totally set me straight about everything.

If I ever were to have significant problems with an Android phone such as the Galaxy note, there is no store to turn to for free help and I learned the hard way that ATT personnel know next to nothing about dealing with problems of a product. They’re salesmen. Period.

My cell phone is my only phone and I’m just not willing to take that big a leap of faith on an Android phone.

Right now when stuff gets screwy with my tablet, it doesn’t critically effect the rest of my life. If something goes screwy with an Android phone, I really am totally screwed.

Quite frankly, I just don’t have that much confidence in Android and there is literally NO backup. None. Google certainly doesn’t give a damn and wherever I purchase it basically cares more about the initial sale than anything else.

When I first heard about the Galaxy Note, I really thought it would be perfect for me but then I saw the (unsubsidized) price. But when I found out that ATT carries it, even tho it would be $100 more than an iPhone with a 2 yr. contract, I seriously wanted one.

But as I thought about the practical implications, I knew I could not risk an Android phone, followed shortly by the ICS upgrade and all its attendant frustrations.

It’s bad enough dealing with all that on a secondary device, but risking it on my primary phone upon which so much of my life depends, nah. Not gonna happen.

But your suggestion would make sense for someone more technically adept and able to root a device and have complete control. Unfortunately that person is not me. I realistically know myself and my limitations.

I do think that people with rooted devices of any sort are having a much better ICS experience because the guys who develop these custom roms do a much better job of improving Googles sloppy first buggy version.

But I just don’t have the expertise to handle that stuff without bricking my device irrevocably. Ive read some scary accounts of people who have done that. No thanks, I’ll take a pass.

It’s looking like I’ll just have to go to BB and get a GP5 and use it like mad for 29 days to thoroughly test out every aspect of it and make my decision then and either return it and put up with the Acer or keep it and sell the Acer.

I would highly recommend saving up for iPad. It seem like the right choice for you – even though there is only the 10-inch right now. Like I said, the 7-inch is going to happen. Some people are saying there is evidence that it’s happening as early as this fall.

@Buttonstc: “Google certainly doesn’t give a damn and wherever I purchase it basically cares more about the initial sale than anything else.”

Just to clarify – Remember that Google is not in the mix here. It’s an entirely different model. Google has no control over manufacturers. I can build a phone and install Android. My hardware and or integration could be crap and it would have nothing to do with Google. Comparing this to Apple and iOS devices is apples and oranges.

Also, why would you want to continue to suffer? Just go iOS? I am migrating back to Android after a year with iOS because I found that I was constantly frustrated because my phone would not do what I needed it to do. It didn’t work for my lifestyle. (It also was more buggy than my Android experiences, despite having 20% of the functionality of Android). Anyway, I have recommended iOS/iPod/iPad to many people in my family, and they are more than happy. As a software engineer, Android is just the more appropriate choice for me. Choice is a good thing. Choose the right thing that will work for you.