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Bit of an odd request, sorry...
I need an Android phone _just_ to run a particular app that hasn't yet been ported to iOS (calibration tool for Avio Powersense power meters, in case anyone's wondering).
So I don't need a fancy screen, fingerprint ID or even a camera. It basically needs to run a recent-ish flavour of Android, talk to the WiFi so I can download the app and have a good Bluetooth interface.
I bought a cheap Motorola Moto G3 from eBay, which seemed fine at first but the Bluetooth is erratic at best and frankly hair-tearingly uncommunicative at worst. Which makes it useless to me. Googling this seems to show it's not only a common problem with many Android flavours but many different Android phones! Sometimes the Bluetooth interface won't show any possible connections, sometimes it shows MAC address only, even then it won't successfully connect to many devices.
We've been using a colleague's Samsung Galaxy S8, which works great but is way more phone than we need.
So, to get to the point - can anyone recommend an Android phone I could buy second-hand for not very much money that generally has a reliable Bluetooth interface?!
I'm got a fan of Samsung Android phones, but I'm told by those who know that the G6 was the first Galaxy that wasn't gash. I had a G5 briefly and it was awful.
For what you're using it for I'd hazard that a new entry-level phone would be a better punt than something that was high-end five years ago, if only for the 'recent Android' requirement. A quick Google would suggest that the Moto E5 Play is £80 from O2. If that's too rich for you, there's probably a bunch of bottom-feeder handsets in your local supermarket.
Can you not just borrow a decent phone off a friend when you need to run the app? (I don't know the app, so no idea if you need to use it often)
What about a cheap/SH tablet?
Blustacks or similar on your laptop?
Can you not just borrow a decent phone off a friend when you need to run the app? (I don’t know the app, so no idea if you need to use it often)
That's what we've been doing so far, but that member of staff isn't always in, and the rest of us - and the shop iPad - are all Apple-based.
What about a cheap/SH tablet?
Thats's a point - worth looking into.
I’m got a fan of Samsung Android phones, but I’m told by those who know that the G6 was the first Galaxy that wasn’t gash. I had a G5 briefly and it was awful.
For what you’re using it for I’d hazard that a new entry-level phone would be a better punt than something that was high-end five years ago, if only for the ‘recent Android’ requirement. A quick Google would suggest that the Moto E5 Play is £80 from O2. If that’s too rich for you, there’s probably a bunch of bottom-feeder handsets in your local supermarket.
This is a great point. £80 is the higher end of what I was considering (because if / when they eventually do port the app to iOS we'll run it on the shop iPad and sell the Android phone for whatever we can get for it) but that's worth a punt. A new(er) Bluetooth chip in a cheap phone will be likely to be more compatible than an old chip in a once-higher-end phone. Thanks! (I'll have a look for a Galaxy S6 around that price too)
As for Blustacks... I'll look that up. Cheers!
Doesn't it calibrate via a Garmin? What are you using as a headunit?
Doesn’t it calibrate via a Garmin? What are you using as a headunit?
It calibrates with any compatible head unit, but that's the zero-reset (i.e. hang the crank down to 6 o'clock position while not touching the pedal).
The app gives other force / angle / power / calibration data and allows setting the other calibration point: holding the crank exactly horizontal and hanging a 10Kg weight off the pedal so it has a deviation reading for 98N. Once it's got both zero and 10Kg calibration points it can give accurate data. It's not an essential thing for customers, but as a shop that fits the units we need to be able to do it in the first place. And to do it again if there are any future problems.
The problem you've got is that £80 will either get you a new-ish bargain basement phone or an older higher-spec phone. The bargain basement one will fit your requirement of probably being a relatively recent version of Android (but it might be a bit shit, because it's cheap), while the older one will probably work better, but might have an old version of Android.
My Lenovo P2 was only £200 new, so figured that might be a good option in the second hand market (I've never had any issue with Bluetooth) but even grade C refurbs are selling for £120 and grade A ones for £190.
My wife has an old Galaxy S5 Mini that I have recently started using for Strava. It's not THAT old so the app should run on whatever version of Android is on it, it's relatively snappy if you don't load it with many apps & you can get that for <£100. I can't recall any bluetooth issues with it, but it perhaps wasn't being used as intensively as I expect you to use it.
How much is an Amazon fire tablet nowadays? Do they run proper Android or is it Amazon's version of it?
How much is an Amazon fire tablet nowadays? Do they run proper Android or is it Amazon’s version of it?
A variant of android which may not support the app even if the Bluetooth works.
Bluetooth for non standard functions (like speakers) is patchy across android devices due to the numerous standards and OS version variations. My assumption would be a new 80 quid device would be more likely to work (and continue to be supported for a few years) than a second hand one. I would go to a car phone wharehouse or similar on a quiet day, with the device, explain your dilemma and see if you can try it on their demo devices.
I wouldn’t assume they will port it to iOS as that is probably a lot of work unless they designed it that way to start; and iOS may not even support their methods.