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I wanted to get an iPod, but hate Apple and like Google. I was told that the android equivalent of an iPod is any phone without a subscription.

Would an Android phone without a subscription be able to connect to Wi-Fi and download apps anyway? If not, what would be a real equivalent?

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2 Answers

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The equivalent of an iPod in the Android world would be one of these two:

  1. A handset with no telephony at all, this will be WiFi only
    • An example of this is the Samsung Galaxy Player.
  2. A prepaid handset phone, this will still connect to WiFi, but later on if you wanted, you could connect it to a phone network
    • An example of this is the LG Optimus V on Virgin Mobile.

As long as the manufacturer supports it (check the product page, but I think most do nowadays), you'll be able to download apps from the Google Play Store. You will also be able to download from alternate stores depending on the device. Finally, I think all Android devices can download from the Amazon AppStore.

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Which one would you suggest? Are there any other models like the Player? Does it do as much? – Glycan Oct 15 '12 at 15:54
Although the device can technically download apps from the Amazon App store, what matters is the user's location and where the Amazon account is registered. As an example, the Amazon app store doesn't allow users in India to download apps - free or otherwise - even if one has a valid Amazon account + credit card linked. – Sparx Oct 15 '12 at 17:09
It depends on your budget. If you look for sales on Amazon, Radio Shack, etc - you'll probably find the best deals on the prepaid phones since the carriers are competing with each other to get customers. LG Optimus Elite is a good handset right now from Virgin Mobile for $130 USD if you're ok with Android 2.3 (Gingerbread). If you want 4.0 or 4.1, you can consider the unlocked Galaxy Nexus direct from Google for $349 USD or if you want a bigger device, get the Nexus 7 direct from Google for $199 USD. The Nexus 7 would be my #1 choice right now, although it would be more like the iPad Mini. – louielouie Oct 15 '12 at 17:13
Is it possible to root the Galaxy Player so that it runs Jelly Bean? – Glycan Oct 15 '12 at 23:00
Glycan: That's a different question altogether - please ask it is a separate question. Here's how to root the Galaxy Player: android.stackexchange.com/questions/31895/… Not sure about Jelly Bean. I'd get the OS level you want pre-installed when you buy the device. – louielouie Oct 17 '12 at 2:24
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First of all, there is no equivalent of an iPod among the Android phones. The most obvious reason being the fact that an iPod is not a phone in the first place: you can listen to music, play videos, games, and even call with some IM services, but it's not a phone. The equivalent of Android phones might be the iPhone, for example.

Going to your question, yes. You can connect to any Wi-fi, as long as you know the password, and download the applications. There is no hardware obstacle, if that's what you're thinking about.

I think you will need to associate a Gmail account, but that's the only requirement as far as I can remember.

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The android equivalent of an iPod, not the other way around. – Glycan Oct 15 '12 at 15:42
@Glycan Yes, I understood your question. Where do you see the confusion? – Alenanno Oct 15 '12 at 15:58
"there is no equivalent of an iPod among the Android phones". I'm asking about the other way around. – Glycan Oct 15 '12 at 17:26
@Glycan You said "I was told that the android equivalent of an iPod is any phone without a subscription." and I replied "there is no equivalent of an iPod among the Android phones" which could be rephrased as "there is no [android phone] equivalent of an iPod." Again, I fail to see your point. But you got your answer, so I guess it doesn't matter now. :) – Alenanno Oct 15 '12 at 18:04
Equivalents of iPods running Android do exist. Samsung Galaxy Player 5.0, Creative ZEN Touch 2, Archos 43 are just some from known brands. There are a myriad others from not-so-well-knows ones as well. – Chahk Oct 15 '12 at 19:25
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