FAQ onSelection and comparison of portable devices

Help determine the choice пїЅ | Selection and Comparison |

Content

Be sure to read the topics:
GENERAL RULES OF THE SECTION;
Terms and jargon.

New products - devices that are not yet on sale, are discussed in the section.New items (redirect).

The FAQ is aimed at the selection and comparison of any portable multifunction devices other than laptop-like. The FAQ will help you learn to better understand the devices and approach the choice wisely, but this FAQ will not be able to replace personal experience. In this FAQ, the question of games is not intentionally affected.

FAQ created for youmainbord , Semyon , bohdan111 , HD_Rain .

Any edits, corrections, criticism, additions are accepted, both on the complaint and personal messagesmainbord

Post has been editedmainbord - 04.07.17, 23:15

Content


1. General issues

• 1.1 What you need to know before choosing?
  
• 1.2 How to start choosing?
  
• 1.3 Secondary technical specifications
  
• 1.4 Display
  
• 1.5 Battery
  
• 1.6 Price
  
• 1.7 Reliability and quality
  
• 1.8 How to ask?
  
• 1.9 Device for girls
  
• 1.10 What should I look for when buying a particular device?
  
• 1.11 Photo and video camera
  
• 1.12 Sound
  
• 1.13 Do I need a mechanical keyboard?
  
• 1.14 Something about laptops
  

2. Operating systems

• 2.1 Android
  
  • 2.1.1 Features of the choice of devices on the Android OS
    
  • 2.1.2 Choosing hardware for Android
    
  • 2.1.3 Choosing a processor (board) for Android
    
  • 2.1.4 Select the amount of internal storage for Android
    
  • 2.1.5 The choice of RAM for Android
    
  • 2.1.6 Do I need an update or a new version of the operating system?
    
  
  
  
• 2.2 Windows Mobile (Windows Phone)
  
  • 2.2.1 Features of the choice of devices on Windows Mobile OS (Windows Phone)
    
  • 2.2.2
    
  
  
  
• 2.3 IOS
  
  • 2.3.1 Features of choosing devices on iOS
    
  • 2.3.2
    
  
  

3. Book readers

• 3.1 Features of the choice of devices for reading books
  
• 3.2 LCD or electronic paper
  

4. Navigation devices

• 4.1 Features of the choice of devices for navigation
  
• 4.2 Select navigation software
  

5. Devices for watching movies and web pages

• 5.1 Features of the choice of devices for watching movies and web pages
  
• 5.2 PWatching movies and videos
  

Post has been editedmainbord - 04.07.17, 21:18

What you need to know before choosing?

1. At the moment there are no differences between the tablet, the communicator, smartphone, PDA, telephone, player, navigator, electronic book. These terms are a software feature of the device, that is, the terms mean not a specific type of device (hardware), but software function, as devices today simultaneously allow reading books, play music and movies, play games, and much more. The question in front of the consumer consists only how convenient to use this feature on this device. On market purposes (earn the maximum amount of money) these terms can be used for anything, therefore we will not consider market terminology, for us as for the consumer it is not important.
   Therefore, you do not need to look at the name of the device, you need to look at the functions that you need, and select the device from the needs.
   
   
   
2. No one better to choose you the most suitable device, but for this you need to understand well in the question. All subtleties can not immediately take into account, the first time never manage to buy the most optimal device, if you have never used them. An experience leads to the sensible choice, and it leads to a choice of stupid. The question of choice in most cases is a very subjective question. Most users buy a device just like this, "mol will be useful", and then it lies on the shelf, do not repeat this error, do not go to the advertisement. Therefore, before buying, be sure to decide whether it should be necessary or not.
   
   
   
3. Choose in appearance, it is necessary to style at the very last moment when you have already been determined with all the other choice parameters. Choose several models in all parameters other than the appearance, and at the end you will choose from them that you like most outwardly. Your acquaintances, forum users, parents, sellers do not know your tastes and will not be able to help you in this matter. Since all the tastes are different, asking others, what device is more beautiful, more fashionable - it is useless, in response you will receive a subjective opinion that you will not help you. All the more, it is not necessary to ask about it on the forum in this style: "It seems to me that the white edging looks not so glamorous as black, and what do you think?", It only leads to a giant disputorself and no more. The appearance of the device you choose only you yourself, looking at the video and photo on the Internet, and also holding the device in your hands. Materials on the appearance of the device do not affect, since most often all materials are painted.
   
   
   
4. When choosing a device, you should not be limited to certain manufacturers only because you have a TV at home this manufacturer, and you like it, or do you recommend this company, or have you ever considered that the company produces high-quality products, or you have seen in advertising This company; And on the contrary, you did not hear anything about the firm, or heard only bad reviews. The manufacturer's name and the model name of the device do not talk about the quality of a particular device. All devices are different, each company produces cheap and expensive devices. Of course, each manufacturer has peculiar feature, marriage, but not worth paying attention to them.
   
   
   
5. In an expensive device, a person is looking for disadvantages, and in cheap dignity. Often people seek to take the most powerful and maximum functional model. This leads to the largest number of disappointments. If the device is more expensive and "cooler" of all, this does not mean that it is better than others or suits you. Now every company is trying to sell its device more expensive, so the price never talks about quality and performance. The most frequent error is to identify the quality and speed of the device with the smooth animation. Let the animation be better not working smoothly, but the games and movies will not slow down, moreover, almost all devices work more or less smoothly, the time of buggy interfaces have long passed.
   
   
   
6. A frequent error when buying a device is to buy a device with the coolest processor, the largest amount of RAM, greater resolution, the newest or expensive device and so on. First, productivity and quality is not measured by numbers, for example, a processor with a frequency of 1800 MHz does not necessarily work faster than the processor with a frequency of 1500 MHz. Secondly, in most cases, the productivity of devices is redundant and even with average characteristics, the device will cope with all tasks. You will only overpaid very much, and the reserve for "obsolescence" will not be, the device for 30000 rubles will also endure quickly, as for 10,000 rubles, this is not a home computer that can be bought for three years. If you have an interface or program on the current device, then the problem is most likely in the software, and not in the performance of a particular device and replacing the faster device will not help, you need to change the program that is much faster and cheaper. If the screen resolution is greater, then this does not mean that you can notice the difference as images. It often happens that the screen with the same diagonal, but greater resolution, in quality it turns out worse. Therefore, it is not necessary to increase one or more digits in characteristics to perceive as an improvement in quality or increase productivity. If the digit characteristic is greater, for example, more resolution, more processor frequency, and so on, this does not mean that this characteristic of the device is better or the device is better as a whole, mostly this is just an advertisement, the formation of demand, suggestions and making money. Improving some characteristics leads to the deterioration of others. For example, an increase in the screen resolution worsens the characteristics as a screen response time, the resolution affects the performance of the device and its power consumption; Increasing the frequency of the processor in most cases does not affect performance, but the power consumption is greatly increasing; The increase in the screen diagonal will certainly lead to an increase in the device as a whole and so on. The performance of the processor, the video screen or device as a whole does not depend on the results of synthetic tests. If Samsung Omnia 9 came out, this does not mean that it is better than Samsung Omnia 8, it also does not mean that these are the same devices or devices of the same class. It should not be thought that the device on a dual-core processor is slower than the device on a four-core processor, moreover, the device on a dual-core processor can operate faster than quad-core.
   
   
   
7. If everything suits you in your current device, or you don’t know why change it, don’t need to change it. Newer does not mean better, in any case, you need to spend money on a new device, which you can spend on more useful things. Before buying a new device, make sure that it performs all the functions that you need, that you will not lose what you already have.
   
   
   
8. The words that appear in the model name or device characteristics: 3D, HD, nano, high, super, 4G, and so on, usually have a purely advertising character and say absolutely nothing, so do not pay attention to them.
   

Post has been editedmainbord - 15.10.13, 12:28

How to start choosing?

Start your choice with the need to clarify the basic functions of the device that you definitely need. Decide on a set of your needs, and their proportions, how important they are; you need to read books, watch movies, read pages on the Internet, call, listen to music and so on.

The main features of portable devices (the answer to the question why you are buying more than just a phone for yourself):

1. Making calls (including video calls) through the network of the cellular operator. Ability to record telephone conversations.
   
2. Notebook;
   
3. Text and multimedia messaging (SMS, MMS) through the network of the cellular operator;
   
4. Reading e-books and documents;
   
5. Work with office documents (text files, tables and databases, presentations);
   
6. Notes: text, voice (voice recorder), etc .;
   
7. Dictionaries and translators;
   
8. Photographing and recording video;
   
9. Navigation: compass, interactive maps, positioning and routing (by ground and metro);
   
10. View: previously downloaded videos and movies of any format, as well as streaming video over the Internet or from the network with the ability to output to an external display device;
    
11. Listening to FM radio;
    
12. Listening to previously downloaded music of any format, as well as streaming music through the Internet or from the network with the ability to output sound to an external device;
    
13. View websites (in a full format with support for flash, Java and other languages)
    Internet access through the network of the cellular operator and Wi-Fi and all the resulting opportunities;
    
14. VoIP or IP-telephony - voice and video communication via the Internet (Skype, SIP, ICQ, Viber, Whatsapp, Telegram);
    
15. Communication:
    - instant messaging services via the Internet, such as ICQ, whatsup, Jabber, etc;
    - social networks;
    
16. Email;
    
17. Distribution of Internet access (obtained by means of the cellular operator’s network) to other devices via Wi-Fi, USB and Bluetooth (software Wi-Fi access point, USB modem, Bluetooth modem);
    
18. USB-drive information;
    
19. Reading and writing to external USB-drives;
    
20. The use of training and sports programs, specialized engineering, medical and other applications;
    
21. Scheduler and alarm;
    
22. Calculator;
    
23. Stopwatch;
    
24. FM transmitter;
    
25. Torch;
    
26. Games and entertainment.
    

Next you need to decide on the main technical characteristics.

1) Start the selection with an approximate diagonal of the device screen, taking into account the previously selected functions. You should not dwell on any particular size, decide only on an approximate range that will allow you to fully perform your tasks. Keywordfully and taking into account the previously selected functions , because today devices can do everything at once. To read books, especially in pdf or djvu formats, you need a diagonal of 5-10 inches (text formats can also be read 3.5 "); for calls, notebook, diary, on the contrary, the big screen will be superfluous, physical dimensions are more important.

2) Next, with which it is necessary to determine this with the maximum dimensions of the device. Basically, this characteristic is important for pocket devices with a diagonal of up to 4.5 inches. Determine where you will wear a device: in your pocket, bag or on the belt. Determine whether you will use the device only with one hand or two. All this affects the choice of device sizes. In any case, it is best to estimate the size, holding the device in your hands and putting it into your pocket. Devices with one and the same diagonal may have different dimensions and various shapes, someone thicker, someone longer, someone is wider. Identifying several devices that suitable you with the same diagonal, see the one that is less (other things being equal). Note that in addition to thickness, there is a width, height and weight of the device, which are much more affected by the convenience of using and carrying the device. For devices with a diagonal of more than 4.5 inches worth paying more attention to the diagonal of the device rather than physical dimensions, since the device does not fit into pocket, and the bag is not so critical, in the end, you can take a bag more. The convenience of using one hand is affected by the width of the device, which should not exceed 60-70 mm depending on the size of the hands. On the convenience of carrying the device in pocket jeans affects the height of the device, which, depending on the host, should not exceed 110-130 mm. The thickness of the device affects the battery capacity and other sizes.

3) At the third stage you have already decided that you need and how important it is. Based on this and financial opportunities, determine the maximum amount you are willing to spend on the device. In the future, you will either choose the cheapest device with the right features in this price segment, or you will have to return to this stage and increase the budget. If the financial capabilities of the budget do not allow the budget, then you will have to return a step back and refuse some possibilities of the device.

4) Next, you need to decide on the operating system (OS) of the device. At the moment, the most common is the following OS: Android, Windows Mobile (Windows Phone), iOS. There is also a BADA OS (used only on Samsung devices) - a little developing OS, on which it is not necessary to especially sharpen their attention. Outdated OS: Symbian, Maemo / MeeGo; At the moment, the support of the OS data is completely discontinued, and new devices are not available on them. BlackBerry OS (used only on devices of the company of the same name, previously known as RIM) - OS for CIS countries is not popular, since the devices on this OS in the CIS are not sold, and there is no support for it. A detailed description of each OS is given later in the FAQ. To select the OS, you need to decide whether you are ready to use what manufacturer provided you, or you want to configure everything and put third-party applications. The manufacturer cannot configure its device so that it is convenient to use everything. Therefore, if you do not configure the device above the list of features will be much shorter and ease of use. Next you need to decide whether you will buy applications and games, or you will put stolen. If you are not ready to install applications on your device and generally bother with its setup, this facer is not for you, the smart device requires a smart user, even if this is a device on iOS. Ultimately, only two differences in operating systems between themselves can be noted: 1) the number of software (software), its diversity and quality; 2) The ability to customize and install software, working with files and installing hacked software and simplicity of these actions. In appearance, operating systems, of course, differ, but the appearance can be changed beyond recognition, therefore the appearance of the OS in this FAQ is not considered. It is very important not to chase the version of the OS, no longer means better. A very big misconception that the new version of the OS contains some improvements that cannot be made in the old OS, or that the new OS is working faster and less consumes, in most cases it is not so, but it should definitely say that the new version of the OS is more demanding that The phone will therefore work at least not faster than the old one. The OS version affects only application support for applications, as a rule, application developers cease to maintain the old OS, but this happens quite slowly, so you can safely buy a device with a last version of the OS.

Post has been editedmainbord - 07.07.17, 02:21

Secondary technical specifications

1. Availability or lack of radio module or multiple radio GSM or CDMA modules. If you need to use two SIM cards at the same time it is worth paying attention to the presence of a second nest, and pay attention to the support of the simultaneous work of two SIM cards. Manufacturers often do not indicate this, but even on devices with two sockets under the SIM card may not be supported by their simultaneous work. But even if simultaneous work is supported, you need to further find out if you can call a call simultaneously with two SIM cards, it is possible to use high-speed Internet access and the like at the same time.
   Simpler devices with a single SIM slot may provide hot-swappable SIM cards. This gives an advantage quickly (without turning off the device) and without additional tools to replace the SIM-card;
   
2. The presence of Wi-Fi 2.4 and 5 GHz (Internet access, update), Bluetooth (for transferring files and connecting to a headset or to a car stereo), Bluetooth LE (support for smart watches and sports bracelets);
   
3. A satellite navigation (GPS) module is required for navigation. If GLONASS, BeiDou or Gelileo is also supported, then the location will be determined more accurately. A-GPS support allows you to speed up a hot start from a few minutes to a few seconds;
   
4. Now all portable devices have a USB-connector (except for Apple they have their own) to connect to a personal computer. Separately, you should pay attention that to connect to your device through this connector of USB drives, manipulators and other external devices, USB OTG or USB host must be supported, pay attention to the type of USB connector (B or C), as well as its micro size or mini;
   
5. The digital compass will allow to determine the directions of the world and will allow you to navigate in the forest
   
6. The presence of video output via HDMI or mini-jack or mhl will allow you to display a picture from the screen of your device on an external display;
   
7. If you need video telephony, look for the presence of a front-facing camera;
   
8. The presence or absence of touch or mechanical buttons affects usability;
   
9. Accelerometer (G-Sensor) allows you to automatically expand the screen depending on the position of the device, as well as control;
   
10. The proximity sensor allows you to forget about accidental clicks on the touch screen during a call;
    
11. The light sensor allows you to control the screen brightness automatically depending on the ambient light. This not only increases usability, but also saves battery power;
    
12. The NFC sensor allows you to read information from some tickets, perform actions on NFC tags, work with some bank cards, transfer files;
    
13. FM radio - listening to FM radio;
    
14. FM transmitter - output music and other audio signals to the car stereo or any other device with a built-in FM receiver;
    
15. Fingerprint sensor - device protection;
    
16. Protection against water and dust (for travel lovers and for those who like to talk in the bathroom or in the rain);
    
17. Hot swappable memory card.
    

Post has been editedmainbord - 04.07.17, 19:09

Display

Main characteristics:
1) Resolution;
2) Diagonal;
3) Type LCD or LED.

It is unlikely that the quality of the screen will be decisive for you when choosing a multifunctional device. The described characteristics will help you when choosing a display, but ultimately, when you already find several models, it is worthwhile to look purely out of your sight what you like best, since only the characteristics do not determine the quality of the screen. Open a book, open some pictures, look through several applications.

1) optimal permissions. With the optimal resolution, we will consider the permission at which sufficient clarity of the picture is achieved, and the performance, power consumption and other characteristics are not much worse. It should be understood that with an increase in permission, the performance of the device under the same characteristics falls, while the processor and the video screen is loaded, and energy consumption increases, so it should not be chased by numbers. Therefore, the cheap apparatus with a slow processor works quickly, as it has a small resolution. For a diagonal of 3.2 inches and less sufficient resolution of 320x480, for a diagonal of 3.7-4.5 inches 540x960 (480x800), for a diagonal of 7-10 inches 800x1280. It often happens that the display with the same diagonal, but greater resolution, in quality it turns out worse. Therefore, it is not necessary to chase permission, no longer always means better. For example, an increase in the LCD resolution of the display worsens such characteristics as a response time and contrast. Note that usually with an increase in permission, the device's diagonal increases, and ultimately the picture density remains almost the same.

2) Selecting the device's diagonal diagonal primarily depends on the tasks used. If you need to read books in PDF or DJVU format, you will need a diagonal at least 7 inches if you only need calls and SMS, it will be enough to 3.2 inches, for the Internet and textbooks you need at least 4 inches. In any case, before buying a device, it should be held in hand, or at least hold a model with a similar screen size. When choosing a diagonal, it is worth considering the fact that devices with the same diagonal may have different sizes, for example, a 4.3 inches diagonal device can have a height of both 122 mm and 131, which is very important for the pocket device. Note that the increase in the screen diagonal certainly leads to an increase in the device as a whole.

3) Portable devices are made with two types of screens: LCD (liquid crystal, LCD) and LED (AMOLED). Both types of screens, and LCD, and amoled are manufactured with a control matrix of thin-film transistors (TFT). Almost everywhere the name TFT is associated with the LCD, it is wrong, these are two different things. There is also a type of screen as electronic paper (E-INK), it is preferable for reading books, so it is not considered here. When an amoled or LCD is selected, it is impossible to make an unambiguous solution, you must compare two specific devices next to the eye and choose your favorite. In the picture or video, you cannot select the screen. There are a bunch of varieties of LCD screens, the only variety that can be distinguished by this IPS - LCD screen with increased viewing angles, and such important device characteristics are deteriorated: response time, which is very important for games and movies, contrast and others. Therefore, it is impossible to say that the LCD IPS is definitely better than ordinary IPS, rather worse. It should be noted that the phone use only you and you are generally anyway what kind of viewing angles, you always look at one angle and you can always turn the phone. The newer phone, the better it is the screen, even if it is absolutely the same and without any promotional names Super, Nano, HD, Clear, etc. It is necessary to keep in mind, the more expensive the device, the better it is in it, even if the screen is the same. In practice on the device for 20,000 with the same resolution and type of screen, the usual LCD and LCD with the Super, Nano, HD, Clear, are almost no different, and it is worth paying attention to this characteristic only at the very end, it is stupid to abandon a good processor aside "Nano" screen. Pixel placement schemePentile. There are a lot of myths regarding pentile, for example, this matrix reduces the screen resolution and worsens the text, it is not. There are several Pentile construction schemes. Poentile's bad attitude was created on the Internet because of HTC Desire, which had a bad screen. AMOLED screens. AMOLED has, both pluses and cons. This type of screen has a contrast at least an order of magnitude higher than that of the LCD screens. Black on Amoled is really black and not glow. AMOLED screen has larger color coverage and high brightness, but modern LCD screens via brightness are not inferior, and somewhere even won, but at the same time have a lower contrast. AMOLED screen flashes with time, for example, for two years, the screen brightness drops noticeably. AMOLED average power consumption is more than that of the LCD, but on the amoled you can save consumption by black topics. Most AMOLED screens are oversaturated colors, that is, the color scheme on the screen is very different from the real one. Therefore, it is impossible to unambiguously say that it is better for a LCD or LED screen.

Post has been editedmainbord - 18.09.13, 19:53

Battery

The main characteristics of the battery:
1) Capacity;
2) Type;
3) Removable or non-removable.

1) When choosing the battery capacity, you need to be guided by the rule: the more, the better. But it is not necessary to forget that it is usually inserted into devices with a large battery and more screen, and more powerful processor, so it is not necessary to surprise that the new device works less, although the battery is larger, while the battery capacity is usually increasing not very much at 100- 300 mA / h, which in percent is only 20% and of course the increase is not even 2 times. It is necessary to understand that power consumption depends mainly from the device's use mode of the user, from the operating system, and on its settings. In particular, the exceptional feature of the Android OS is a very flexible setting of power consumption. Therefore, it is not necessary to pay special attention to the differences in the battery capacity in the range of 300 mA / h, now if the battery capacity has raised at least 1000 m / h, and the remaining characteristics remained the same, then it is worth viewing a device with a more capacious battery.

2) On modern devices, the most common types of batteries are li-pol and li-ion. You should not pay special attention to this characteristic, since the differences between the types are minimal.

3) This characteristic is important only for those users who wish to achieve maximum autonomy of the device through the use of multiple batteries. If the device is good and it has a non-removable battery, you should not give it up.

FAQ on batteries (very important information):

Rules for using lithium batteries: separating the truth from myths
Lithium Batteries - Operating Rules
ACCUMULATORS Li-ion, Ni-mh and Li-Pol: rules for operating batteries for cell phones
Charger for communicators with mini / microUSB
Charger for communicators with mini / microUSB
Li-ion (Li-ion) batteries
Questions and problems with the battery or charger
http://forum.ixbt.com/post.cgi?id=annc:17:133
http://forum.ixbt.com/topic.cgi?id=17:13320

Post has been editedmainbord - 23.07.14, 20:38

Price

The price is a very important parameter when buying any product, the types of devices that differ in price are described below.

Types of devices purchased:
1) new "white". "White" devices, these are devices that are officially sold in a given country and have a formal guarantee in a given country. "White" is used only in relation to the country. "White" phone can be bought only in a given country. If the device was bought in the official store of another country, then in your country it will still be "gray", and there will be no guarantees. All "white" devices are certified, they are assigned a unique IMEI, they have the official firmware and language for your country.
2) New "gray". “Gray” devices are any non-“white” devices, that is, devices that were brought into the country informally, without certification. The gray device does not always have the language for your country. The gray device has no official warranty in your country.
3) Used. Phones used.
4) New or used from abroad. You shouldn’t be afraid of buying abroad, you can read more about this issue inFAQ on buying portable devices abroad
5) New is not the latest models.

When buying it is worth considering where and which machine you will buy. The place of purchase affects the cost of the device and on the official warranty. The possibility of buying from abroad is important for residents of small cities and to buy devices that are not sold in this country. Gray devices are usually significantly cheaper than white, but there is no guarantee. Do not forget that you can buy a used model, they are usually selling significantly cheaper than new ones. Do not forget that sometimes it is better to buy an old cheap model than a new expensive, the new is not always better.

Post has been edited-del- - 18.04.13, 16:47

How to ask?

If you want to help you with the choice of device as quickly and effectively as possible, be sure to include the following information:

1) What is the device for (reading books, calls, watching movies, internet, navigation, music, etc.). Write everything you intend to use, if you do not know what you need, or this is your first device, read “key features of portable devices�.
2) Approximate diagonal device
3) Country of purchase, the possibility of buying abroad, a new or used device, white (ROSTEST) or gray (not ROSTEST)
4) Maximum budget
5) Additional functions that the purchased device should have, only if you intend to use them, do not take "to be". For example, the mandatory presence of a front camera, NFC, memory card, two SIM-cards, qwerty-keyboard HDMI output or other characteristics. If you do not plan to use the named functions or do not know whether you need them or not, you do not need to write about them, or ask if they are necessary for your tasks.

What you should not specify:
1) Specifications, specific processors, memory, etc.
2) It is not necessary to write the intended type of device: navigator, tablet, smartphone, communicator, telephone, and so on.

Why it is worth specifying this information is written here:FAQ on the selection and comparison of portable devices (Post # 20027264)

Post has been editedmainbord - 29.06.13, 13:21

Device for girls

Common topic:Choosing a device for a girl

Choosing a device for a girl today is almost no different from choosing a device for a young man. The only two factors that mainly influence the choice of device for a girl are the size and appearance of the device. Appearance usually means coloring. The choice of size and appearance is described in detail in this FAQ (FAQ on the selection and comparison of portable devices (Post # 20027264)- point 3). Basically, the choice of a device for a girl is reduced to choosing a device according to one or several optimal parameters, for example, the presence of HDMI, the longest operating time, screen size and others. Having selected several models, show them to the living future owner, let her choose superficially what she likes best. Check out the following topics for choosing a device for a girl:



Post has been editedmainbord - 10.06.14, 20:51

Photo and video camera

As a rule, most of the portable devices are more expensive than 15 thousand rubles photograph and remove the video in daylight pretty good, there are autofocus, panorama, mark about place and so on, so choosing a device that will shoot a little bit better, but others Functions will be worse, it does not make sense as if you need to take a picture or shoot a memorable day (wedding, graduation, vacation, birthday) is still better to take a camera or camcorder, and for everyday, "random" shooting will fit almost any camera phone And for those who buys a device cheaper than 15,000 rubles, the camera is usually not important at all. In the devices of one price segment, the differences in the quality of the camera are not found. If the device camera has permission more than another, it does not mean that it is better, most likely the camera will be worse, since the quality of the camera depends mainly on the optics (lens) and the matrix area. In the case of increasing the resolution of the matrix, the optics does not improve and the matrix area does not change, but it very much the amount of noise grow, which is extremely negatively affected by the photo. As experience shows, the permissions of the photo in 5MP is enough absolutely for any screen from 2 to 64 inches, and for printing on A4 format and less. To photograph A4 texts, any cameras on modern devices are suitable. In most cases, the newer the device, the better it is in it. Also pay attention to modern software functions: improvements in HDR photos, support for saving photos in the RAW format, the functionality of the Camera2 API, the presence of a flash and its type of both at the front and the front chamber.

16 megapixels 4608 x 3456
8 megapixels 3264 x 2448
4 megapixels 2272 x 1704
2 megapixels 1600 x 1200

Post has been editedmainbord - 04.07.17, 19:20

Do I need a mechanical keyboard?

General topic for discussing this issue:Do you need hard keyboard if you type a lot

There is no definite answer to this question. Most people do not type texts on trips in large volumes, so they need to buy a portable device with a mechanical keyboard, keywordmost . Do not forget that the mechanical keyboard can be bought as an accessory. Do not forget about the laptop, or a stationary computer, on them texts are much more convenient. In principle, the touch keyboard displayed on the screen also has a complete layout and can be typed on it with two hands, it does not affect the thickness of the device, the usability and size of the screen. The touch keyboard displayed on the screen can be used or in the landscape, or in the book mode, and the mechanical keyboard allows only one use option. In most cases, the keyboard displayed on the screen is quite enough for all users. If you need to dial a large text, it is better to use a comfortable keyboard than to lose all the delights of the device due to the mechanical keyboard.

The general advantages of mechanical keyboards: you can type blindly, buttons are felt when typing, more speed.
General disadvantages of mechanical keyboards: the work resource is less than that of conventional devices with a touch screen keyboard, only one use case, either landscape or portrait.

There are two types of mechanical keyboard:
1) Mechanical retractable keyboard. The advantages of the sliding keyboard are that it does not affect the screen size of the device, regarding option 2. The disadvantages are that devices with a sliding keyboard are thicker and you can only use the keyboard in landscape mode with two hands, and you need to open the keyboard before use.
2) Mechanical keyboard on the front panel under the screen. The main disadvantage of this type of mechanical keyboard is that the keyboard greatly reduces the screen of the device, and the screen in turn affects almost all functions of the device can only be used in portrait mode.

Post has been editedmainbord - 21.04.13, 22:20

Something about laptops

Section to select laptopsLaptops, Tablets, TabletPC, UMPC, MID

Choosing a laptop from choosing a desktop computer is almost the same, so laptops are not considered in this fake. At the choice of laptops there is a factFAQ on the choice of components for the PC. To date, it should be noted that mostly laptops differ from other portable devices in the presence of a keyboard, a touchpad and a large screen diagonal of 15-17 inches. The laptop necessarily has an x86 or x64 architecture processor and support desktop Windows, Linux or Mac. Lately, the Montoblock laptops were released in the tribute to fashion (without the second half of the keyboard and touchpad) with small screens diagonals about ten inches, which made them very similar purely externally on the tablet devices. The laptop is much more functional device compared to the tablet devices, the laptop completely replaces the desktop computer. The presence of the tablet devices of the mechanical keyboards does not make them at least one step closer to the laptop.

Post has been editedmainbord - 07.04.13, 23:29

Features of the choice of devices on the Android OS

Among Android devices, unlike iOS and WP, ​​there is a very large selection, covered all price segments, you can find the device for taste and color, while the differences in characteristics are quite noticeable. Androd devices are the most customizable, with the largest number of settings and capabilities and almost do not have any restrictions, but because of this, they are somewhat more complicated to use compared to devices on other OS. When choosing a device, you should not chase the version of the OS, no longer means better. For example, Android 4.1.2 requires 1024 MB of RAM for normal operation, when 512 MB is enough for 2.3.7. Moreover, almost all applications from 4.1.2, you can put on 2.3.7, and then even a purely externally version will not differ. In any case, the manufacturer of your phone in its firmware modifies the basis of Google, inserts its applications, settings. In most cases, all the improvements and additions that Google reports in the new version of its OS, the manufacturers of other devices have long been done and all the developments are valid only for Google's products. It is necessary to consider that if you are going to customize the device full, then you can put absolutely any firmware and any application on your device, so you should not pay attention to the software shell and embedded applications when you select the device on the Android OS. Android version only affects application support, as a rule, application developers cease to maintain old Android versions, but this happens quite slowly, so you can safely buy a device with a last version of Android. Before buying, examine reviews about the device, read the topics of discussion on the forums. You may need root or unlocking the bootloader, these functions are not available on all devices.

Among the owners of devices on iOS, the myth walks that the devices on Android are always hanging, brake, buggy and in general they have very bad screens, camera processors, work very little, etc. Of course, this is not true, even the cheap devices on the Android OS for 7,000 rubles, work smoothly, and even more so do not hang, and work for quite a long time. Devices on Android OS for 7,000 rubles, characteristics, of course, worse than that of iOS devices, but the devices for 20,000 rubles, the characteristics are not worse than the devices on iOS, and somewhere and much better.

Pros:
- Flexibility of the system, each user can customize both the functionality and the appearance for themselves
- All price segments and all functional segments are covered
- A large number of applications for taste and color.
- To install stolen applications do not need to hack the phone, lose the warranty and do any complex actions.

Minuses:
- Relative complexity, in order to fully use all the capabilities of the device, you need to understand how Android works, and configure the device.
- In cheap devices can not appreciate all the advantages of the operating system.

Post has been editedmainbord - 03.12.15, 19:49

Choosing hardware for Android

The main characteristics of the device that affect its performance and in part on the functionality are:
1) processor;
2) RAM;
3) built-in storage device;
4) video accelerator.

The secondary characteristics of such cameras, flashes, screens and batteries are selected after the main ones, do not forget that this is primarily a computer, and only then a phone, camera, flashlight, and so on.

These parameters affect the functionality only indirectly. Because the devices even with a very weak processor video accelerator and a small amount of memory in the presence of the necessary chips will be able to perform most tasks. For example, an office can be launched almost on any Android device, but a large file on a device with a small amount of RAM not open; Similarly, on any device you can run games, but with a weak video screen about the latest achievements of three-dimensional graphics can be forgotten.

In addition to hardware, software is greatly affected by software. For example, the same work desks can work on the same device at different speeds. The program can brake both on the very slow device and in the faster. It all depends on the program itself, as well as it is written, so before swearing on the program, try replacing. The applications built into the firmware are not always written correctly and therefore can slow down. Most games and programs are written under the slowest devices, so really few tasks for which powerful devices are needed.

Now the hardware has reached such a level of development that even devices far from the maximum power allows you to perform all the tasks with the maximum performance. Therefore, even if you make very tough requirements, do not limit yourself to only four nuclear processors and devices with at least 6 GB of RAM. In most cases, you overpay for show off without getting anything in return.

More information about the selection of each component is written in the following messages of this FAQ.

Post has been editedmainbord - 04.07.17, 19:26

Choosing a processor (board) for Android

Under the processor in portable devices, the entire board is implied, since these are not prefabricated systems as desktop computers and laptops, but on one crystal system. Please note that manufacturers give the name of the board, and not a central processor, which may differ only by a radio module, and the central processor in them will be the same. A good example of Qualcomm MSM8260 and Qualcomm MSM8960T, even though the numbers and different, even the number of the second and much more, but in terms of the performance of the board are absolutely the same.

The main characteristics of the CPU:

1. Processor manufacturer (Nvidia, Qualcomm, TI omap, Samsung, Mediatek, Rockchip, their variations and others);
   
2. The number of cores (1,2,4,6,8);
   
3. Video accelerator (Andreno, Powervr, Nvidia, Mali, their varieties and others).
   
4. The frequency of each core (1000 MHz, 1500 MHz, 3000 MHz, and others);
   
5. A set of instructions (roughly speaking armv6 or armv7);
   
6. The architecture of the processor core (for example, krait 300 or krait 400);
   
7. The technical process (45 nm, 22 nm) affects the maximum frequency and power consumption of the processor.
   

Do not forget that your phone is not a busy server. In order for messages and the Internet to work, you absolutely do not need 8 cores of 2 GHz each. If you do not need games, then most likely you will fit any processor.

1. Processor manufacturer. There are many different manufacturers, the most numerous of them are Qualcomm, Mediatek, Samsung, Nvidia, Marvel, TI omap. The end user is unlikely to be able to distinguish by performance or by any other factors what brand of processor he has. It is also impossible to say for sure that some manufacturer makes processors better than another, you need to compare a specific model with a specific model.
   
2. Number of processor cores. It is one of the important characteristics when choosing. Single-core models recently almost left the mobile device market. Most devices are made on dual-core processors, they are much faster than single-core processors and almost do not inferior in terms of performance of 4 and 8th nuclear processors. If you buy the most powerful device, this will not necessarily be a device on 32-cores, it is likely that the device will be dual-core. Please note that almost so many nuclei do not need and the system is made so that it can use a maximum of 4 cores, the rest are needed to save energy.
   
3. Video accelerator. Only the main video accelerators are shown. The video accelerator affects only the performance in games, but usually if the processor is good, then the video accelerator is inserted into it according to the processor level. In principle, the main number of games is done under the slowest accelerators.
   Detailed comparison, reviews and detailed information about video accelerators can be found at the following link:
   Graphic Accelerators
   
4. CPU frequency. The frequency in the processor, of course, affects performance, but not much, it is not worth paying for no particular attention, especially in the most expensive and rapid processors. Frequencies in 1500 MHz is quite enough. The frequency is a digit and no longer better, so the power consumption is growing with the frequency and the time of work is greatly reduced, while the performance almost does not grow. Compare the performance of different processors in terms of frequency is meaningless and incorrect. In almost all modern phones, the processor's frequency can be how to increase and decrease, while quite largely limits. Please note that if for example, the manufacturer declares that its 8-core processor operates at 2.5 GHz, this does not mean that all 8 cores can work at this frequency, most likely the maximum frequency of two nuclei will be 2.3, two more 1.7 a Other 4 will be disabled, it is associated with thermal restrictions. Moreover, it is a mobile phone without active cooling, and after a long load (maximum 15 minutes) so that the phone does not overheat the phone to automatically reduce the frequency to 1 GHz, so modern frequencies do not affect anything at all.
   
5. A set of instructions. It is one of the important characteristics when choosing. In Android devices, you can see a lot of processors with different instruction sets ARMv6 (outdated), ARMv7, ARMv7-a, ARMv8-A. Everything is simple. Roughly speaking, the larger the index, the more functional the processor.
   
6. Kernel architecture It is a secondary characteristic, but also important. The core architecture directly affects the performance of the processor. That is, two processors with the same frequency and number of cores can differ in performance only due to different core architecture.
   
7. The technical process, the newer the processor, the lower the technical process it is doing and the less it consumes and the more you can set the frequency of such a processor and more devices placed on one chip. Therefore, it makes sense to buy new processors with a smaller technical process.
   

Post has been editedmainbord - 04.07.17, 21:07

Select the amount of internal storage for Android

The bigger, the better. At the moment, if you buy a device with an integrated drive of 32 GB, you definitely do not limit yourself. In most cases, a device with 16 GB is suitable for not a particularly spoiled user. In Android OS in all modern devices, the manufacturer has a specific part of the built-in drive allocates for user data, including in this section, the volume applications store their data, for example, navigation maps or cache for games that often occupy about gigabyte each. The problem may occur in a limited amount of this built-in drive for user data, as almost all applications write their data into this memory, especially the game, and the place can quickly end. Taking into account this factor, especially if you want to record a lot of games, you need to take the device at least with 32 GB of internal memory, but it all depends on your needs. In some devices, there are methods for increasing, both internal memory and the embedded drive section for user data, but these methods should not consider these methods, as it is very difficult. The memory card will help avoid memory problems in 80% of cases, but it will not help you easily save you from issues with built-in memory and with a built-in section for user data, and perhaps this and complex methods will not work.

It is very important to knowWhy the amount of memory device does not meet the specifications?

Post has been editedmainbord - 05.08.15, 22:47

The choice of RAM for Android

Here the rule is simple, the more memory, the better. At the moment, in Android devices you can meet the volumes of RAM from 1 GB to 6 GB. For the normal operation of Android devices on the version of Android 5.0 and above, at least 2 GB of RAM is required. For the normal operation of Android devices on OS 3.x and 4.x, 1024 MB is quite enough. For the normal operation of Android devices on Android versions not higher than 2.3.7, 512 MB of RAM is enough, less quite affects performance. Of course, if you found a device suitable for you with a memory volume of 6 GB, it is not necessary to refuse it.

It is very important to knowWhy the amount of memory device does not meet the specifications?

Post has been editedmainbord - 04.07.17, 21:11

Features of the choice of devices on Windows Mobile OS (Windows Phone)

The Windows Mobile operating system (Windows Phone, WM) is not compatible with its predecessor Windows Mobile and its senior constructing Windows desktop. That is, WM and desktop Windows applications will not be launched on WM. Hardware differences among devices on WM are not very much, since Windows clearly prescribes which type of processor should be how many buttons should be and which they must be, these characteristics cannot be compared with the characteristics of other OS. WM is something mean between Android and iOS.

Pros:
1) Original interface

Minuses:
1) Today WM is a growing and developing OS, but software is released several times less than under Android and IOS.
2) Quite a closed OS, in order to change something for the user or to install a stolen application, you need to sweat a lot, but you cannot change anything at all (for example, appearance).
3) Binding products to software, for example, you cannot connect a device to any computer and drop files, music, etc. from it, you must use Zune.
4) On WM at the moment you can not install stolen applications.

Post has been editedmainbord - 08.07.17, 11:48

Features of choosing devices on iOS

There is almost no choice among devices on the operating system (OS). You either buy the latest model, or the previous one, which is cheaper. What model to choose among IOS to decide on the budget. With the output of the SE series, you can choose the size of the device.

About iOS, the myth goes that devices on IOS have the best screens, processors, they have the most time to work. This, of course, is not true. Devices on IOS are expensive and belong to the most expensive segment, so they insert relatively good hardware. Devices on other operating systems are available in different price segments. Devices on iOS as well as devices on other operating systems are subject to glitches and brakes.

The advantages of devices on iOS include:
1) IOS is initially written for a device on a specific hardware (processor, RAM, video accelerator), so the software is optimized (productivity increases without improving hardware, only by optimizing the code) for a specific device. Consequently, you cannot compare hardware on an IOS device with a device on another operating system. For example, Iphone 6s has 2 GB of RAM, and on Android of the same level 4 GB of RAM is put
2) In IOS, the priority of using resources is at the animation, that is, the picture that is shown to the user. Theoretically, this should get rid of the animation jam on the screen. In practice, the device on iOS can be brought to the brakes, and before hanging, examples on YouTube Million. The statement that the iOS phones are ideal, nowhere do not slow down, do not hang and are very easy to use - this is a myth. Of course, they work faster than the phone for 5000r, but if you compare them with analogues on other OS for 20-30 thousand rubles, the analogues also work and somewhere even faster.
3) Fixed maximum delay for the response of a user action, for example, tapping the screen. This allows you to implement applications such as piano or other musical instruments without delay.
4) A large number of applications for taste and color.

The principal disadvantages of devices on iOS should include the following:
1) The cost of the device is quite high, especially in the first months of sales; there are no budget options;
2) There is no choice, you can not choose a device with the desired characteristics;
3) There are no fundamental functions of the type: transfer files via Wi-Fi direct or Bluetooth, memory expansion through a memory card, usb-host or usb-otg (connecting USB devices, flash drives, mice, keyboards, etc. is especially important for tablets ), no video output;
4) Quite a closed OS, in order for the user to change something, you need to sweat a lot. In practice, as soon as the user wants to configure something, install additional software, make a jailbreak, the device immediately starts working as he wants;
5) Binding to Apple products and software, for example, you cannot stick a device to any computer and drop music files from it, and so on, it is necessary to use iTunes, or use workarounds. Even the charger uses its own, although other manufacturers have long used universal USB charging.

Post has been editedmainbord - 07.07.17, 02:25

Features of choosing a device for reading books

E-books sectionEBooks
Check out the topicFAQ on e-books

First of all, you need to decide whether you need a device exclusively for reading books or you need to watch movies, watch online pages, etc. Based on the needs, select the type of device screen (LCD or EB), then select the screen diagonal. If you need a device only to read books, choose electronic paper, if multifunctional (reading books, watch movies, internet), then choose LCD. To read textbooks in text formats (TXT, FB2, DOC, DOC), 4-7 inches diagonally will be sufficiently diagonally, the bulk of such devices on the EB is released with a diagonal of 6 inches. For reading books in PDF and DJVU format, a diagonal of 7-10 inches is required. Next, you need to decide on the supported book formats. Now, mostly, all devices for reading on the EB go with their operating system based on Linux, so to expand the standard set of readable formats due to the third-party software will not work, with the exception of the CoolReader program that can be installed on some devices. But some books are produced on Android OS, which allows you to not think about standard formats, convenience of reading and settings of the standard reading program, as you can always put a third-party program for reading any format. Take into account the amount of memory when you select the device only for reading text books, as books weigh very little, and we have no need to carry a giant library. It is not necessary to take into account the availability of Wi-Fi and GSM modules on the device with EB, as you will most likely be used to use. When you select a reader, you should pay special attention to the size and weight of the device, as it is not always possible to keep a heavy device on weight in your hands.

Post has been editedmainbord - 07.04.13, 23:15