Android devices after EVO

[shyguy87]

So far only the EVO is the Android device for Sprint this year what else is Sprint going to add to the lineup cause Verizon and some others they get one each month seems like.

[entropism]

Verizon and some others? More like just Verizon. That being said, I only know of a few in the works for sure: The Moment 2, The Hero 2/Legend, the i1, with possibly another Moto and LG phone coming our way shortly.

[shyguy87]

Well t-mobile is coming out with 2 devices in June

[unisound1]

I think Sprint needs a luxury flagship, mid class and entry level android selection to cover all the bases.

[Protagonist]

Sprint will be pretty well set with:

Evo - flagship
Moment 2, Hero 2 (if it does come) - mid range
i1 (if it ever ships) - rugged PTT

it is a nice hypothetical lineup, we shall see when it becomes reality though.

[Evan702]

I can't imagine that they won't also have Android devices from LG and Motorola at some point this year.

[akayareal]

I believe I read somewhere that the Samsung Galaxy S may be coming to all the major carriers.

[Joe12304]

I hope the Moment Two has a fixed keyboard. I REALLY am hoping for a Moto device that isn't iDEN.

[mdasen]

What is Verizon getting every month? The only thing Verizon has launched this year (in terms of Android) is the Incredible - which is mostly the same as the EVO (different size screen and without 4G). Oh, and I guess the Devour, but that's not really a compelling device - it's huge, running an old Android version (that I don't think Moto has plans to rectify), and slow.

Verizon has the Devour, Eris, Droid, and Incredible.
Sprint has the Moment, Hero, and EVO.

That's not a greatly different lineup. The Moment is easily better than the Devour (which Verizon won't even give the Droid title to). The original Droid I think is topped by both the EVO and Incredible and I think the Moment stacks up nicely against the Droid for those that want a keyboard (display resolution is the big difference there).

So, Verizon has one additional Android phone and it's probably the worst one out there on any carrier.

[Protagonist]

I think the backflip or the CLIQ take that honor.

VZW has the Droid Shadow coming soon as well, basically the Evo without 4g and with more internal storage.

[155]

Sprint will be pretty well set with:

Evo - flagship
Moment 2, Hero 2 (if it does come) - mid range
i1 (if it ever ships) - rugged PTT

it is a nice hypothetical lineup, we shall see when it becomes reality though.

I think they need 5-6 android phones.

They need a high end slate and a high end qwerty.

They need a mid range slate and a mid range qwerty.

And they need a low end slate and/or low end qwerty.

Pretty soon they will need a large tablet as well (5-8").

[Protagonist]

I think they need 5-6 android phones.

They need a high end slate and a high end qwerty.

They need a mid range slate and a mid range qwerty.

And they need a low end slate and/or low end qwerty.

Pretty soon they will need a large tablet as well (5-8").

In a perfect world sure! This is Sprint though, if they release their next 3-4 Android phones on time and working perfectly they will be doing pretty well indeed! (remember that they have only released 2 Android phones ever and one of those had issues out of the box)

[mdasen]

I'd disagree. I think one needs quality, not quantity. Apple produces (basically) two models. The iPhone 3G and the iPhone 3GS. The more expensive one has a faster processor and more internal storage, but the iPhone 3G definitely doesn't feel cheap. It's build quality is the same, the display is very good, etc. When the new iPhone comes out, the 3GS will take that spot.

What we're seeing is the proliferation of somewhat crappy Android devices. The Backflip, Devour, and CLIQ are all underpowered, less nicely constructed devices that just don't compare to high-end Android devices. The iPhone 3G compares very favorably to the iPhone, it's just older.

For example, the Moto Droid is an Arm Cortex V8/PowerVR ~600MHz Android 2.1 phone. The Incredible is clearly a newer device with better specs. However, the Moto Droid doesn't look cheap or crappy by comparison - just older. The problem is that the Moto Droid is still at the $200 price point. But if it were dropped to $150 or $100, it would be a good value, high quality device. The Backflip, Devour, and CLIQ aren't good value devices against an iPhone 3G at the same-ish price point; they seem cheap knockoffs by comparison - knockoffs of the iPhone and high-end Android devices while the iPhone 3G doesn't have that knockoff, cheap feel.

The issue is that a lot of the manufacturers are feeding customers crap right now at the same price that you can get good devices. At the $100 price point, you need to compete with the iPhone 3G. I even have a hard time seeing the Hero being a strong competitor against it. They're similarly powered devices, but the iPhone has such good build quality. We need Android phones with really good build quality at the $100 price point. Hopefully the Motorola Droid will get there in a couple months (as Apple will be reducing the iPhone 3GS to $100, presumably).

[balazer]

Consumers aren't that discerning. :P Many will settle for a much less capable device to save a little or no money. People are motivated by a lot of things other than just capabilities: look and feel, price, carrier... And they tend to look at the discounted handset price alone, and ignore the service cost. ($50 difference on the handset is very little compared to the total cost over a 2-year contract)

[155]

What we're seeing is the proliferation of somewhat crappy Android devices. The Backflip, Devour, and CLIQ are all underpowered, less nicely constructed devices that just don't compare to high-end Android devices. The iPhone 3G compares very favorably to the iPhone, it's just older..

I think there are plenty of Android devices that compete with the iPhone, but they need to make devices that compete with RIM and Palm. They need a mid-range Blackberry/Treo/Pixi style Android phone.

I was with an older friend the other day who was looking to upgrade his AT&T Curve to an AT&T Bold. He asked me what he should do. I told him to get an iPhone. It'll be a cheaper plan and better. I let him try my hero. He said his fingers shake too much and he's uncomfortable typing on the touchscreen. He wants another Blackberry. This is the same friend who last month was saying how the Blackberry is great and allows him to work from the field without going back to his office at all. He would obviously love an even more powerful phone.

RIM still outsells the iPhone and Android. They need to make a phone that competes with RIM not dozens more phones that compete with the iPhone.