Musafir

Yes, this does look good if it has a capacitive screen. Another not so well known alternative for the adventurous souls is the Nook Color, marketed by Barnes and Nobles as essentially a book reader. However, the hackers quickly found out that it was simple to modify the firmware and turn it into an android netbook. It can run experimental Honeycomb. Main advantage: a super display - comparable to that of ipad (though smaller at 7 inches). It should be about half the price of the cheapest ipad (if you can find it). Disadvantages: Hard to find, NO camera (it was meant to be a book reader) and no microphone (the hacking community has been able to activate limited bluetooth service so a bluetooth microphone may work if you really do need voice input). If you main purpose is to read a lot of documents, this is one nifty machine.

For most netbooks out there, the main hardware is not going to vary much. Most have the same Atom CPU (unless they are older versions), 2GB RAM limit and the same display. When I was buying one, I looked around and ended up buying an Asus Seashell netbook, mostly because of its looks. The newer Samsungs also look good. It is going to be mainly a looks based decision rather than a performance based decision when it comes to 10.2 inch netbooks. There are a few around that have better screen resolutions, but they are harder to find. Having used netbooks for a while now, if I was going to buy a new one, I would look for a 12 inch screen with higher resolution than a typical netbook.

It is also useful to match your needs with the speed that you pay for. Most cellphone microsd cards are used for storing music, contacts etc. You don't need a superfast card for that. DSLR cameras that record HD video do need fast cards. Figure out what you need the card for and then spend accordingly.

You are absolutely right. Apple is largely marketing, though one has to give them credit for keeping things simple. There is a clear contrast in strategy from Microsoft and even Android.

Sygic is a good possibility. There are several other paid options as well.

Got a Superpad! This is a 10.2" model with HDMI out. Came with Froyo but I installed Gingerbread (woks flawlessly). This is very nifty machine - has GPS (with external antenna) but no bluetooth (though people suggest that a tiny external bluetooth dongle can be added. Android marketplace works. The major drawback is the display - it is resistive, and if you have seen the ipad displays, this comes nowhere close. A cool gizmo nevertheless.

One of the YouTube videos that I watched shows a rather slow and buggy implementation of android on iphone. For hacking purposes, it looks like fun but I doubt if a practical everyday implementation exists yet. As for whether anyone would want to run android on iphone - I think it is an interesting option for folks who like the looks (and also the display of the new iphone)but otherwise like android.

Good luck! A complete restore by downloading a new ROM might solve the problem. It may be worth trying to put the phone in recovery mode and then see if itunes responds by telling you that it has recognized an iphone in recovery mode. You can then flash a new ROM. This may or may not help and if you haven't tried it, it may be worth considering.

Good choice! Especially if the Optimus One really does have dust issues. Better support from Dell is also a plus. Overall LG has a better reputation in the phone market, and Dell has a very limited market but they are positioning their products well.

So, leaving aside the issue of "Why would anyone want to do that!?", has anyone here actually tried running Android on their iphones yet? It is a VERY experimental thing to do, but it would be interesting to know the experiences of anyone who has tried it.

While Android is a very healthy competition for iphone, iphone has a unique marketing strategy that provides immense value to this brand. Iphone 3GS is still marketed all over the world, so hardly an obsolete gizmo. One could potentially buy a lot more (Android) hardware for the amount thet this model is being sold, but the brand appeal will generate a fair bit of business for this older model of iphone yet.

I haven't seen the Dell screen, but the Optimus screen is quite good. Also, there is a large active community on the web that is fiddling around with the Optimus ROMs, and that may be useful if you are interested in experimenting with new ROMS.

Having used an Optimus One, I think that is an ideal entry level phone. The screen is really super, and the medium size screen makes it possible to tuck away the phone in your pocket. There is also a lot of ROM development activity for this phone - easy to go to Gingerbread (CM7).