Buy Cheap CAMERA DOCK II

The Ultimate Android Lover's Gift Giving Guide Inman.com

20.12.11

Christmas time is here, time for Android and time for cheer!

That’s right, Christmas is just around the corner and if your a late shopper like myself then what better way to spread some holiday happiness than getting you and your loved ones on the fastest growing mobile platform on the planet?  And just in time for the holiday season comes some fantastic Android devices that will make Santa’s elves absolutely green with envy.

If one of your loved ones are still messing around with their “dumb” phone and defiantly says they are just fine with it,  then the best way to get them to feel the joy that a smart phone can bring is to give them one as a present.  This can be tricky as options can change depending on your carrier,  so to help let’s look at the top Android phone this season on each carrier.

If you are on AT&T then you can’t go wrong with the Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket .  A friend of mine got one and kept raving at how much he loved it.  This phone not only has style, but is fast enough to make Superman’s head spin.  With a 1.5 Ghz Dual-Core processor and 4G LTE,  you’ll be zipping around the web and multitasking with ease.  And when you want to record life you can do so with an 8mp camera on back with built in flash and a surprisingly good front 2mp camera.  To store all those great shots or 1080p video recordings you take you’ll have a full 16 gigs internal storage and an micro SD that can be expanded up to 32 gigs.

The deal hasn’t been completed and so T-Mobile is still standing separate from AT&T.  If you are on T-Mobile then you are in luck, because you too have the Samsung Galaxy S II on your carrier.  As a bonus, Samsung just released the white version so you have two different choices to fit your style.

Santa was extra happy with Verizon this year (It must, because they both love the color red) and so Verizon customers are fortunate enough to get the Samsung Galaxy Nexus – The official Google phone of the year.  For those that don’t know what that means, here is a brief summary.

Once a year Google picks a phone maker and carrier to work hand in hand with to build what they see as the next generation of phones.  This is the phone that sets the bar – all other phones will need to match or beat it.

It’s also because it is a “Pure Google” phone, which means the Nexus line gets “stock” Android (meaning that the carrier/phone maker doesn’t try to change it and add their own junk which usually just makes a mess out of some great devices).  I say “usually”, because one of Androids newest features,  Google Wallet , was removed by Verizon.  The Big V found it to be competitive to one of their own products they were developing.

The debate has been heated, but don’t let that keep you from gifting this great device.  This will be the first phone to officially have Android’s latest release Ice Cream Sandwich  that geeks far and wide have been clamoring to get their hands on.  This also means it will be one of the first Android phones to not have the touch “buttons” (home, menu, back, search, etc.) on the bottom as these will be virtual and integrated into the OS.  In comparison to the Galaxy S II some of the specs may appear behind, (1.2 mhz dual core vs 1.5 mhz dual core, 5mp camera vs 8mp camera), but don’t be fooled, this phone has a lot to make people jealous still.

For instance that 5mp camera comes backed by Ice Cream Sandwich’s zero shutter lag exposure and decreased shot-to-shot speed.  Other phones will upgrade to Ice Cream Sandwich, but may not have the hardware to support such a great feature.  And once you see a picture on the Galaxy Nexus’s 1280×720 16M HD Super AMOLED display, you’ll wish you thought to carry napkins to wipe up the drool.  Plus, you can store all those pictures and video on the large32 gig internal storage.  It just got released on December 15

Last, but definitely not least (especially since its a geeks last hope for unlimited data) we have Sprint.  With Sprint you actually have two great options, The Samsung Galaxy S II aka Epic 4g Touch and the HTC Evo 3D .  As you can probably tell Samsung has really dominated this past year with some great phones.  Sprint customers have the option to get on the Samsung wagon as well with their own version of the Galaxy S II the Epic 4g Touch.

This phone carriers all the great options we talked about above and should definitely be considered if you are a Sprint customer.  However HTC has a special place in my heart with their EVO line of phones.  I had the original EVO and loved it so much that I upgraded to the EVO 3D and have since been equally impressed.

Now this makes me a bit biased,  however I strongly suggest checking out this phone as well.  You’ll find in comparison their specs to be fairly close (the Epic 4g Touch does inch out the lead in a few areas), but there is one thing that EVO 3D has over its competition: the inclusion of 3D.   This “gimmick” has provided me with hours of entertainment and made me realize how much potential 3D really has.  If you are one of the lucky ones that can watch 3D without the headaches,  then try watching some YouTube 3D videos on this phone and you’ll be surprised at how much bigger a screen can feel with a new dimension added.  Not only can you watch 3D videos and 3D pictures (no glasses needed), but the dual cameras on the back allow you to record videos and take pictures in 3D as well.  Now that special memory can be preserved with depth that makes you feel like you are there again.  And if you are one of those that jumped into the 3D TV arena, then you’ll be happy to know there is a micro HDMI port so you can share those 3D memories with the family.

Phones are always a tricky gift,  given that you are also tied to a carrier, plus the real hot item this year is Android tablets.  You’re in luck, because there are some great choices that will make jaws drop and squeal with excitement.  But you better act fast, because these are so hot and were rumored to sell out.

First up is the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 .  There is a reason Apple is trying to have this banned all over the world; its because it’s the first tablet to really make them quake in their boots.  The Android OS has proven itself to be an amazing operating system and hardware makers are finally catching up to the build quality it needs.  Coming in lighter and thinner than the iPad 2,  Samsung has shown exceptionable build quality with this device.  The insides will keep things peppy with its dual-core Nvidia 1 GHz processor and 1 GB of RAM.  It comes with the 3MP back camera and a 2MP front camera perfect for clear video conferencing.  It also comes complete with A-GPS, gyroscope, accelerometer, and a compass to give your apps the sensors they need for precise operation.  And on those nights you just want to watch some videos,  this beauty supports a wide load of formats (including Xvid, DivX, H.264, WMV9, MPEG4, and lots more) and the playback will look great in Full HD 1080p @ 30fps on the crisp 1280×800 WXGA TFT LCD screen while sounding great as well over the surround sound speakers.  Price competitively at $499 for 16GB, $599 for 32GB, and $699 for 64GB this will ensure a happy holiday.

Next up is what I’ve been trying to be a good boy all year for (and what I will Craigslist my old iPad 2 to get money for if Santa fails).  The ASUS Transformer Prime is coming on December 19th and it’s already proving so hot that Amazon had to cancel some pre-orders.

This is THE tablet to have this year and the previews have already be largely positive. First off I have to say that ASUS has really stepped up their game in a BIG way. I’ve always loved ASUS motherboards and their support has been second to none.  Seeing them get into the laptop/tablet arena almost brings a tear to my eye.

Their first tablet dared to go where we all had dreamed about, a laptop that you can pop off the screen and use it as a tablet.  Sadly it was a bit early for its time and Android was still learning the nuances of the tablet computing vs. phones.  But now Android has their act together and ASUS took what they learned in that first release and used that to put themselves in front of the pack.  The design and quality is simply stunning, it will make you look sexy just by holding it with its brushed metal look that screams style and power.  But don’t let the ultra sheik slim design fool you,  this thing is a BEAST!

Other areas that it beats out the old iPad 2 is with its 1280×800 Super IPS screen, 1 Gig of RAM, 8 mega pixel rear camera (which reviewers have said is remarkably good for awkward tablet photography).  It has a built in GPS, Micro HDMI port, microSD card slot and STILL comes in thinner and lighter than their fruity competition.  And just in case you’re wondering it too has all the great sensors such as G-Sensor, Gyroscope, light sensor, and E-Compass.

With all of this you can easily see why I’m so excited for this release.  However, it still gets better! (There is so many good parts about this tablet it’s hard not to sound like an infomercial).  If it doesn’t ship with Ice Cream Sandwich (it was debated if they would be able to get it in before ship time), they promised it will be upgraded within weeks after. That means it will be the first tablet to ring in the new year with all the amazing features and power that Ice Cream Sandwich is bringing to the table.  Finally the part that makes me the most excited.   Remember above when I talked about the “dream” laptop to tablet device, well this is after all a “Transformer” and thus for a little extra money you can get the keyboard dock.  You might be wondering “why do I need a keyboard dock? or I have a bluetooth keyboard, can’t I just use that?” – well this isn’t like an Apple vision of a keyboard for a tablet in which the bluetooth drains your battery and has insufferable lag when typing.  The Transformer has a connector built in just for the keyboard and thus it provides a plethora of benefits.

Source: