[NTLK] Einstein Android Device Reviews

[Joseph Reilly]

So as I mentioned before I got a LG Optimus V on black friday locally and on cyber monday I couldn't resist a deal on the Motorola Triumph, which just arrived today.
With all this android einstein talk I thought I'd give it a shot on both phones and post a review/feedback for everyone. Matthias already confirmed that both devices
wouldn't run einstein very well, however I was a bit surprised at the Motorola Triumph. Since this is not a phone list I will only list the specs relevant to einstein emulation 
to keep it short (spoiler: it ended up long anyway lol) but full specs are easily found with google :-) I had a very cheap conductive stylus (sponge dot tip, came free with some screen
protectors) that I tried but it didn't work well in the phone menus and not at all in einstein so all writing/selecting was done with my finger, a good conductive stylus 
would probably make life a lot better. 

All files other then my rom came from the google code page for einstein here: 
http://code.google.com/p/einstein/ 

The einstein.rex file I used was from the latest version for mac osx 10.6 here:
http://code.google.com/p/einstein/downloads/detail?name=EinsteinPlatform2010.1-MacOS_X.dmg&can=2&q=

The einstein android apk was the latest version uploaded about 5 days ago here:
http://code.google.com/p/einstein/downloads/detail?name=einstein.apk&can=2&q=

For those who haven't used einstein android, what I did was simply place all files in the folder /downloads/einstein on my sd card, checked the "unknown sources" option 
box in the settings/applications menu and then used a file manager (I used oi file manager) to install the einstein.apk file. After that open einstein and wait, it takes a minute...
or many minutes depending on your device LOL.


The LG Optimus V is the Virgin Mobile USA variant of the globally available LG Optimus One series phones. It sports a 600mhz MSM7627 (ARMv6) CPU, 
Adreno 200 GPU, 512MB RAM, and a 3.2in 320x480 LCD. This phone is, by specs, a low end phone however you would never know that by how snappy it is when you 
are using it. But the low power of the cpu does shine through when you try to run einstein on it at the current state of optimisation. This device is very pocketable even with
an otterbox case. Without the case it is almost the same height as a 1g ipod touch, narrower by only a bit and 1.5 times as thick. With the otterbox case it is 2 times 
the thickness, the same width and 1/4in taller. Einstein's first boot is approx. 8min with loads there after in the 4min range however you can switch away from einstein and it 
will sit in the background so you don't have to cold start it all the time. I also checked a cpu load meter and einstein doesn't seem to be running the cpu much when 
its in the background. The notepad screen has the bottom of the characters chopped off for the date/time and the notes title & current folder looked to be short a few pixels 
in the middle (squished), I also noticed chopped off pixels in the initial startup screens on  labels of the buttons near the bottom of the screen. It was generally pretty slow to 
register input (taps, writing, etc) and do actions (open extras, running the calculator, etc) but everything seemed to basically work and even with a few chopped pixels it 
looked AWESOME on the modern screen. Matthias mentioned that android menus/prefs and rotation were done however I couldn't get the menu to pop up and 
rotation failed bad, although only 5 days old according to google code I probably have an older apk without those options. My over all impression 
was that this would be an awesome einstein device if your looking for something very pocketable or need something with lots of accessory support since this series of devices 
is very wide spread, but with its small screen size you will need a good conductive stylus with a smaller tip then most and einstein will need a lot of optimisation before it runs
smooth on this device. If einstein does get to the usable point on this device or others with a 3.2in lcd we may still need to find, or someone write, a new on screen keyboard
with slightly larger keys for easier tapping with stylus or finger. I would recommend this device (or series of devices) if your in need of a good solid phone now and are willing to gamble 
on einstein getting to an optimisation level where it will run smooth. *note: Optimus devices have been rooted and overclocked to 700-800mhz dependant on each device so I may try that 
at a later date and see how einstein runs as I would love to have it run well on this device due to its size and the nice otterbox case I have for it :-)

The Motorola Triumph is a Virgin Mobile USA exclusive that is believed to be a modified and rebadged Huawei Ideos X6. The Triumph lacks a few features of the X6 but none
are relevant to Einstein. It sports a 1ghz "snapdragon" MSM8655 (ARMv7) CPU, Adreno 205 GPU, 512MB RAM and a 4.1in 480x800 LCD. This is the top end for VM USA, 
however it's specs are in the mid to lower end of post paid carriers premium phones these days. It is a very snappy device and is smaller then I imagined reading the specs
but once you add a case it will probably be just barely pocketable. It's about 1.25 times the height of an 1g ipod touch, wider by 1/8in and taller by 1/2in (without a case). Einstein's first boot 
took approx. 5min with loads there after in the 2min range, again einstein seemed to sit in the background fine. It seemed to register on screen writing and taps at about the same speed as an mp130
while conversion of writing seemed to go a little slower, most actions seemed slightly slower then an mp130, a few seemd the same speed. Since this device was way more responsive and the 
4.1in lcd made it easier to tap with fingers I played more :-) The word correction menu, caret menu, preferences, calculator, they all worked fine and again only a bit slower 
then an mp130, I was extremely surprised at just how usable it is already. The screen showed no signs of chopped characters like the Optimus, it was big, bright and BEAUTIFUL!
As with the Optimus, I couldn't get rotation or the android menu to work, again I probably have an older apk. My over all impression was that Einstein for android is very close in terms 
of response/feel to running smooth on this device or one of similar power. Matthias has mentioned more features that need to be implemented to make einstein a newton
replacement but it feels like its just a few optimisations away when running on this device :-) I think if you can tolerate the speed of an mp130 or emate then einstein is ready if you want
to "play" with it on a device of this speed or faster. Again a good conductive stylus would probably be great for this device as well. The Moto Triumph has impressed me with how 
well it runs einstein and how well it fits in my hand without a case (it reminds me of a pocket notepad) but I fear that with a case it may be too large for my pocket or at least make 
me look like I'm carrying a brick. My fears are probably unfounded as the Triumph will be wider/taller then the optimus with a case but still a bit thinner but I wont know till I find a case 
which is actually the biggest problem with this model, it has very little aftermarket support since its only on one carrier in the USA (and as far as I know it's not sold else where in its moto form). 
I would recommend this device only if you like larger devices and you are already a VM USA customer due to the lack of third party support. If you can get or have a device with similar specs on
another carrier (or a non-phone android device) your probably "sitting pretty" for when einstein matures a bit and your good to go now if you'd like to "play" with it a bit.

So thats my review of einstein on those two VM USA devices, hope that helps some of you asking questions about devices. Please remember your milage may vary and einstein may not
run at the same speed levels on all devices of similar specs, make sure where you buy has a good return policy and if all else fails root it and put a custom rom on it as they usually run faster then stock ;-D 

Thanks to Paul, Eckhart, Matthias, Frank, and all the other gurus that keep our green friends moving forward.

Joe Reilly