Q: Although I’ve been an avid Android
user for a couple of years now, owning both the Samsung Galaxy SII and HTCOneX,
I’ve yet to take the plunge in to the world of tablets. I was pretty set on
getting a Nexus 7, not just because of the price of the device, but also due to
its size. Personally, a 10" tablet Is far too big for me, but a 7”
solution seems far more transportable, and generally easier to handle.
With the Kindle Fire HD also now
available, and being mightily impressed with what I’ve seen of it so far, I’m
in a quandary about which tablet I should pay out for. On one side, I love the
stripped back approach to the Nexus 7, and think it’s a great way to explore
the new features in Android 4.1. On the other hand, the Kindle Fire HD has the
advantage of having access to the entire Amazon ecosystem, and as a frequent
user of Amazon, maybe this is the best choice? Help!
The
choice in quality Android tablets has seen a huge boost
A: It has been a longtime coming, but it’s
great that the choice of good Android tablets has improved with the Nexus 7 and
the Kindle Fire HD. First, we highly recommend you take a look at our full
Kindle Fire HD review in this issue before making your choice. The tablets are
similar in a lot of ways, and fundamentally the biggest difference are their
ecosystems. With the Nexus 7 you’ll have access to far more apps, and with It
being a Google tablet, you’ll get operating system updates a lot quicker. As
you mentioned, the Kindle Fire HD benefits from the full Impressive Amazon
ecosystem, and If you’re an avid user of the desktop website, then this might
be a suitable choice for you.
Enough is enough
Q: At the end of 20111 purchased a SE
Xperia Pro with promise of an upgrade to ICS. It’s now a year and I keep
checking the website to see if I am one of the lucky few to be on the list of
phones that are available for an much-needed update.
It’s up to the Sales Item number on the
device to match a number on the site, much like the lottery. My number is still
not on the site. The SI number 1249-8526 is there, but my phone is out by one
digit! As a previous supporter of Sony Ericsson I will not be buying a Sony
phone in the future - looks like the iPhone or Samsung for me.
It’s a well-known fact that receiving
speedy OS updates on your device varies from company to company. Although it’s
sad to say, it does seem like Sony are one of the worst in providing updates to
its devices. If you do decide to look for a new phone, the choice of ICS and
Jelly Bean-enabled devices are constantly increasing, so you’ll certainly be
able to find what you’re looking for.
Protection for free
Q: I live in London and want to send an
Android phone to my sister in Nigeria, but I’m worried about it being safe and
secure. Stockists like Carphone Warehouse and Phones4u offer antivirus for
$22.4, but I’d much rather spend the $22.4 on a strong protective case. Is
there a free app that will keep my phone secure, and double up as an antivirus
suite?
A: One of the greatest things about the
Android ecosystem is the sheer range of apps available on the Play store.
There’s a great variety of antivirus suites you can download from there, and
many of them are free. The antivirus suite from AVG has both a free and paid
version, with the former being great for blocking viruses and malware, scanning
apps and helping you browse the web securely.
Budget can be brilliant
Q: After having several problems with my
Blackberry, I decided to move to Android. Unfortunately I didn’t have much
money to splash out on a high-end phone, so I was a little worried I wouldn’t
find a good one.
It turns out I was wrong and was
surprised by the sheer range of decent budget devices available for Android.
Although It took me ages to decide between the HTC One V and Orange San
Francisco II, I eventually chose the former. I’ve to say, it’s by far the best
phone I’ve ever owned!
A: First off, congratulations on moving
over to Android! There’s a lot of complaints about how fragmented Android is,
and that there isn’t a lead manufacturer as such, but your story is a great
example of why having so many manufacturers is a good thing. The choice
available to Android users is phenomenal, whether you’re looking for a budget
or a high-end device. Enjoy the mag.
Anyone for 4G?
Q: Will the new Samsung Galaxy S III
support 4G when it rolls out? Orange reported it is just days away from
introducing 4G, if the new phones don’t support it, they will be obsolete very
quickly.
the
new Samsung Galaxy S III support 4G
A: The UK’s first 4G network will indeed
include the new Galaxy S III LTE. In total there are six devices that will get
the 4G treatment, and apart from the S III, Android enthusiasts will be able to
get their hands on the HTC One X and Huawei Ascend PI LTE for their dose of 4G,
The other devices are the iPhone, and the Lumia 820 and 920.
Skimping on storage
Q: I love my Galaxy Nexus, I think it’s
a fantastic device. But what I can’t stand about it is the lack of expandable
storage. If you’re a keen media hoarder, like myself, then having a measly 16
gigabytes of internal storage is simply not enough, so what logical reason is
there for not including a micro SD card slot on it?
But it doesn’t seem to be just my device
that’s affected. By the looks of things, most new Android phones seem to have a
distinct lack of SD card slot, and frankly it just isn’t good enough.
I understand that we’re ever so slowly
moving in to the cloud, and both Dropbox and Google Drive are great tools, but
having to upload movies, music and other large files is an absolute pain, and
doesn’t even come close to the functionality of having a micro SD card that I
can switch with other cards where and whenever I want.
I’ve tried streaming movies on my
Android device using cloud-based services, but if I’m not on a secure Wi-Fi
connection, I’m just in a constant buffer. But having a micro SD card allows me
to watch movies on my old phone without any bother. I think it's about time that
phone manufacturers started to realise that leaving out one of the fundamental
things that makes using Android phones brilliant will slowly drive people over
to other devices, and I for one will be the first in line to change.
a
Micro SD card slot
A: There’s no doubt that cloud storage is
certainly the future, and Google Drive, Dropbox and even Amazon Cloud are great
examples of why we should take more notice of them. We happen to agree,
however, that it’s a real shame that micro SD storage is often ignored, and
it’s one of the biggest gripes we have with some of the latest, and some of the
older Android devices.
Hopefully Samsung and company will soon
realise that expandable storage is a feature that people really do want.
Dodging malware SOS
Q: I love the fact there are so many
apps on the Play store, as it makes finding what I’m looking for really easy.
I’m a bit worried, however, that I might have recently downloaded an app I
shouldn’t have, and my phone is potentially riddled with malware. I've recently
purchased some antivirus software which should do the job, but it still worries
me. Why are Google so relaxed about the controls they've on the Play store, as
It seems any Tom, Dick or Harry can upload a malicious app and thousands of
devices could potentially be at risk!
A: Malware is a big issue on Android, but
the best advice we can give is to make sure you only ever download apps from
the Play store, and to basically keep your wits about you. One of the most
common issues users face is downloading rip-offs of popular apps; such as Angry
Birds and Flipboard. The antivirus software you’ve set up is a great way of
keeping your device protected and should alert you of any potentially
troublesome applications you attempt to download.
