Android Considering the Xperia Play

[SpaceJump]

I'm considering getting an Xperia Play. I currently have a jailbreaked iPhone 4 and have some questions how these two compare:

- First of all the Xperia Play runs Android, so is there some sort of "Jailbreak" for it available similar to the iPhone's?

- I know of emulators for Android phones. Are these free? Do they use the Xperia Play's "controller"?

- How good are the Android phones user interfaces compared to iPhone's? Are there free apps for e.g. ebay like iPhone apps?

 

[Pyrmon]

I'm considering getting an Xperia Play. I currently have a jailbreaked iPhone 4 and have some questions how these two compare:

- First of all the Xperia Play runs Android, so is there some sort of "Jailbreak" for it available similar to the iPhone's?You can install custom ROMs on your phone once it is rooted. I'll let you google how to do it.

- I know of emulators for Android phones. Are these free? Do they use the Xperia Play's "controller"?Some are free, others aren't

- How good are the Android phones user interfaces compared to iPhone's? Are there free apps for e.g. ebay like iPhone apps?Yes, there are free apps. The interface is nice, but that is subjective.

 

[Wabsta]

I'm considering getting an Xperia Play. I currently have a jailbreaked iPhone 4 and have some questions how these two compare:

- First of all the Xperia Play runs Android, so is there some sort of "Jailbreak" for it available similar to the iPhone's?

- I know of emulators for Android phones. Are these free? Do they use the Xperia Play's "controller"?

- How good are the Android phones user interfaces compared to iPhone's? Are there free apps for e.g. ebay like iPhone apps?

- You don't have to, you can just install illegaly downloaded apps.
- They are not free, and the latest android has some awesome hardware button mapping, that can be used in emulators.
- The interface is better, and fully customizable with the right apps (make it look like wp7, like iphone, or even a really custom design).
- Yes, most apps like, the ebay app, and stuff, are free.

 

[SpaceJump]

I'm considering getting an Xperia Play. I currently have a jailbreaked iPhone 4 and have some questions how these two compare:

- First of all the Xperia Play runs Android, so is there some sort of "Jailbreak" for it available similar to the iPhone's?

- I know of emulators for Android phones. Are these free? Do they use the Xperia Play's "controller"?

- How good are the Android phones user interfaces compared to iPhone's? Are there free apps for e.g. ebay like iPhone apps?

- You don't have to, you can just install illegaly downloaded apps.
- They are not free, and the latest android has some awesome hardware button mapping, that can be used in emulators.
- The interface is better, and fully customizable with the right apps (make it look like wp7, like iphone, or even a really custom design).
- Yes, most apps like, the ebay app, and stuff, are free.

But aren't the apps signed to run only on the device you downloaded them to?

 

[Originality]

You can use a file manager (Astro) to browse and open .apk files to install downloaded apps. You need to make sure that the phone is set to allow unverified apps. Apps installed this way do not appear in the Android market thus cannot be updated except by downloading and installing a more up-to-date .apk.

There is an Android black market, which has many apps that have been taken off the Android Market or many paid apps available for free, but it is not very well moderated, keeps dropping offline, has several outstanding bugs (it's had them for months) and is rampant with non-functioning apps and viruses.

As for "jailbreaking" Android phones... there are various methods to enable "root" access, some temporary and some permanent. Once rooted, you can install a custom ROM like CyanogenMOD, but you'll lose out on some of the tweaks exclusive to the phone (I don't know if CMOD can even use the Sony store yet). Personally, I don't see any real benefit in rooting/modding my HTC DHD, since HTC Sense works really well for me and there are no apps I use that need root access.

 

[SpaceJump]

You can use a file manager (Astro) to browse and open .apk files to install downloaded apps. You need to make sure that the phone is set to allow unverified apps. Apps installed this way do not appear in the Android market thus cannot be updated except by downloading and installing a more up-to-date .apk.

There is an Android black market, which has many apps that have been taken off the Android Market or many paid apps available for free, but it is not very well moderated, keeps dropping offline, has several outstanding bugs (it's had them for months) and is rampant with non-functioning apps and viruses.

As for "jailbreaking" Android phones... there are various methods to enable "root" access, some temporary and some permanent. Once rooted, you can install a custom ROM like CyanogenMOD, but you'll lose out on some of the tweaks exclusive to the phone (I don't know if CMOD can even use the Sony store yet). Personally, I don't see any real benefit in rooting/modding my HTC DHD, since HTC Sense works really well for me and there are no apps I use that need root access.

Is that some kind of hack und build into the system? Does that mean you can install homebrew (such as emulators) without even having to hack or root?

 

[Originality]

Go to Settings, Applications, and check Unknown Sources. That's all it takes. No need to hack to get that much. As for "homebrew", that's a silly question in the case of android, since just about everything is homebrew on Android. More specifically, everything is an app. Emulators are just apps. You can find some in the Android market, many in the black market, and can easily just download and install them from whatever website. The ones in the Android market are usually paid apps though.

 

[Wabsta]

I'm considering getting an Xperia Play. I currently have a jailbreaked iPhone 4 and have some questions how these two compare:

- First of all the Xperia Play runs Android, so is there some sort of "Jailbreak" for it available similar to the iPhone's?

- I know of emulators for Android phones. Are these free? Do they use the Xperia Play's "controller"?

- How good are the Android phones user interfaces compared to iPhone's? Are there free apps for e.g. ebay like iPhone apps?

- You don't have to, you can just install illegaly downloaded apps.
- They are not free, and the latest android has some awesome hardware button mapping, that can be used in emulators.
- The interface is better, and fully customizable with the right apps (make it look like wp7, like iphone, or even a really custom design).
- Yes, most apps like, the ebay app, and stuff, are free.

But aren't the apps signed to run only on the device you downloaded them to?

Nope.

 

[coolbho3000]

I'm considering getting an Xperia Play. I currently have a jailbreaked iPhone 4 and have some questions how these two compare:

- First of all the Xperia Play runs Android, so is there some sort of "Jailbreak" for it available similar to the iPhone's?

- I know of emulators for Android phones. Are these free? Do they use the Xperia Play's "controller"?

- How good are the Android phones user interfaces compared to iPhone's? Are there free apps for e.g. ebay like iPhone apps?

- You don't have to, you can just install illegaly downloaded apps.
- They are not free, and the latest android has some awesome hardware button mapping, that can be used in emulators.
- The interface is better, and fully customizable with the right apps (make it look like wp7, like iphone, or even a really custom design).
- Yes, most apps like, the ebay app, and stuff, are free.

But aren't the apps signed to run only on the device you downloaded them to?

Nope.

There's a very easy and non-intrusive DRM that us developers can choose to implement in 5 minutes. Stops all piracy until someone goes and disassembles and cracks your app which doesn't happen often and is really hard to do if you obfuscate well.

The Xperia Play is OEM unlockable out of the box. They basically have a way for you to root/"jailbreak" it officially. They're the company outside of Google to do this. Sony Ericsson is being so different from Sony Computer Entertainment in the homebrew/hacking/etc. regard.

 

[ProtoKun7]

They're providing the tools to unlock the bootloader, which I guess roots it at the same time, but for the record rooting and unlocking the bootloader can be independent processes (by which I mean rooting a phone does not necessarily unlock a bootloader).

 

[vincentx77]

You can find just about any app cracked that you want, if you're willing to look for it (not that I advocate that). Rooting in Android isn't exactly like jailbreaking in iOS. It's the exact same thing as logging in as root under a linux install. On an Android device, it's the only way you can access SuperUser mode. There are a few apps that you might want that require you to be rooted, like Wi-Fi teethering that circumvents your wireless carried (esp Verizon), or, oddly enough, any of the screen brightness apps that actually work.
When it comes to unlocking the bootloader, it's awesome that they are doing that, and having an Android that can accept custom ROMs is definitely something you want, just know that it voids your warranty, so that might be something that you would want to wait to play with after you've had the phone awhile and gotten experienced with the OS.

 

[Foxi4]

Xperia Play is a fairly low-priced entry-level Android device.

Strong points:
+ Android 2.3 support
+ Tried and true design
+ Gamepad

Weak points:
+ The Snapdragon is a bit aged, but it still "does the job"
+ One core only... too bad.

Overall, good device. Very cheap when bought with a plan, even free in some plans. Most of the stuff you'll run will work at full speed ahead, since 2.3 and SE's custom mods in Android really pimped up the performance.

I'd get one.

 

[Terminator02]

Xperia Play is a fairly low-priced entry-level Android device.

Strong points:
+ Android 2.3 support
+ Tried and true design
+ Gamepad

Weak points:
+ The Snapdragon is a bit aged, but it still "does the job"
+ One core only... too bad.

Overall, good device. Very cheap when bought with a plan, even free in some plans. Most of the stuff you'll run will work at full speed ahead, since 2.3 and SE's custom mods in Android really pimped up the performance.

I'd get one.
hell no, it is not entry level

it uses the next generation snapdragon also used in the thunderbolt, incredible s, xperia arc, desire HD, and it is an incredibly efficient and powerful chip, and has plenty of power

and it's not cheap, it's just as expensive as other high-end android phones, it's only cheap for carriers because they subsidize their price

also, on the chip, android 2.3 doesn't do sh*t with dual core (only specific apps), the earliest it may happen is in the next release, and even then the speed improvements will barely be noticeable unless you are trying to overload your phone


Edit: @OP
QUOTEDo [emulators] use the Xperia Play's "controller"?

yes, you can configure the controls and set them to the physical buttons on the gamepad (although not the touchpad, but support for that can be added by the developer)

 

[Foxi4]

You are mistaken.
Read

Xperia Play does not use the latest Snapdragon. It uses the 1Ghz Adreno 205-equipped 45nm one. It was used in Tunderbolt, but how does it make it a good chip? They could've chosen better.

It's cheap compared to other high-end devices at launch. It's been a while since we've seen such a low launch price.

 

[Terminator02]

your link just proved that i was right, it uses the second generation snapdragon, and it's good because, as shown on other high-end devices, it is an incredibly powerful and efficient chip, and it performs wonderfully, just look at the incredible S, inspire, desire hd, desire s......

 

[Foxi4]

Last year's high-end devices.

We're mid-way through 2011. Snapdragons are currently at 3rd gen, 4th gen in testing.

Soon 3rd gen devices will start popping up, and the Play will stay in the back.

 

[Terminator02]

it's not that the chip is the latest, greatest, i'm saying it's one of the most reliable and very capable chips

 

[CarbonX13]

Just because the chip is a single-core processor, doesn't mean that it isn't capable of running everything smoothly. Sony's newest Xperia models (Arc, Neo, and Play) are all considered relatively high-end devices, very capable of providing a smooth experience with their hardware. They're not even close to being low-end. Dual-core processors are starting to appear, but that doesn't mean they make single-core processors completely irrelevant. Right now, there are few dual-core smartphones out there, thus they should be considered 'next-generation', and not something that will make current high-end models irrelevant. If this was 2012, I would agree with single-core processors being considered low-mid class, but it's still early 2011, and we only have a handful of dual-core smartphones out on the market right now, so models such as the Xperia Arc and Play, or the HTC Incredible S and Thunderbolt, are still considered high-end. They may be on the way out in a year, but that doesn't mean they're not high-end models as of right now.

 

[bazamuffin]

I got one and I must say Im impressed. Screen in clear and the touch side of things is v.responsive, system is pretty quick. The games look nice on it. A worthwhile purchse in my opinion

 

[ProtoKun7]

Dual-core processors are starting to appear, but that doesn't mean they make single-core processors completely irrelevant.

Fix'd.
Changes the meaning entirely the way you put it.