To LG, or not to LG

[Kaleopedeia]

Hello all,


I am a miserly android user not wanting to pay hundreds of dollars for a smartphone, but i still want to buy a quality device. I'm currently trying to replace my garminfone (free), which is stuck on eclair, but i'm running into some problems deciding on what to upgrade to.


The LG Optimus T seems to be one of the better low-end phones that i've looked at, but i am very concerned about the lack of internal memory.


I'm a big gamer, and honestly the main reason i want to upgrade is better performance of online apps (ahem parallel kingdom), but the lack of internal memory concerns me a bit. even my garmin has 3gb internal storage and 510mb of application storage, while the optimus only has 170. garmin also has a 600 MHz ARM 11 processor, Adreno 200 GPU, Qualcomm MSM7227 chipset. i'm not sure what any of that is, but it sounds impressive


i've also seen that gingerbread isn't available for the optimus yet, and i'd like to keep up with new android versions. And on top of that, i've seen in some reviews that users are having troubles with the phone bugging with dropped calls, black screens, etc.


So what i want out of the phone is:
-Cheap
-Good App performance
-good compatibility with third-party apps
-good web performance
-fast system performance


calls and texts are secondary to all these, haha


So, will the optimus fulfill my desires of a phone, or should i keep looking (any recommendations would be appreciated)?

 

[fratermus]

Depends on what you mean by "internal memory".

The OptT has 512 RAM (quite generous for the low end and twice the 256MB RAM in your garminfone), and 512 ROM (about 170MB ROM free for apps as you say)*. Froyo and later can move meaningful amounts of app data to the sdcard so I don't that's a real problem for folks that don't keep tons of unused apps around. My info on Storage says I have 87MB free, and I've got everything installed I want. Not holding back. I do move apps to sdcard from Settings | Applications when possible. You have not seen that functionality if you have not seen froyo or later.

As much as I love my OptT, I do not think it has enough CPU for gamers. Also Flash is never, ever going to happen on the device. And the screen is .3" smaller than the one you have now.

It's a great fit for me; I don't know that it's a great fit for you. Have you considered a small tablet for your gaming/multimedia needs since phone stuff is secondary? Probably some decent used tabs out there in the ~$100-~150 range, which is about what you'll pay for an OptT.

* looks to me like the OptT's system files reside on the 512MB ROM, leaving the ~170MB free.
The garmin uses an internal 256rom for system. The 4GB is not all usable for apps; about 458MB is.
I'm betting it's partitioned 3x: 2GB for mapsets, 512MB for apps (with preinstalled/system apps eating about 75MB stock leaving the 458), and 1.5GB for files like mp3 and vids. Never held one but this arrangement would make the specs and review data match up.

 

[AndyOpie150]

You might look at the Optimus Slider. 800MHz CPU speed stock, might go to 1GHz after rooting.
Not sure of the RAM. Real Keyboard, looks pretty solid. Found them at Radio Shack, Virgin Mobile. Sprint towers. $35.00 a month gets you 300 min and unlimited everything else. Cost. $199.00, might find them on sale somewhere else. Check the device specific forum for it and have a look see.

 

[Kaleopedeia]

Sorry for the delay in my response, the day after i posted this a friend (who works for t-mobile) offered to sell me his old htc nexus hd2, which he'd configured to run on android 4.0.3 as opposed to windows, and it's been great! perfect except for battery life.


i do really appreciate your help though, and i've Thanked each of your posts.