SlashGear 101 : How do I use the Android Device Directory at Device.AC?

It's time we let you know about our sister site Android Community's big spec project. For quite a while now we've been working beyond the scenes to bring you a directory of devices that's not to be matched, all of them running on Android. What we're going to do is go through all the different ways you, the user, can utilize this directory of devices and the places you're going to see it in action on Android Community's main news feed from here on out. This is more than a directory of specifications of handsets and tablets – it's a whole new way for us to work with you to understand the whole Android landscape!

What is Device.AC?

Device.AC, otherwise known as our Android Device Directory, is a collection of pages that contain most (and soon ALL) Android devices, including information about their hardware, cellular network (where applicable), connectivity, display, dimensions, weight, battery, and software. In this listing of specifications for each device, you'll find the most updated facts officially released for said device. We will never post rumored specs, nor will we post specs we're unsure of. Therefore what you've got is a directory of devices that you can trust.

[vms 06dadf2190caad580298]

How to I navigate this directory?

You've got several options at the moment for how you'll be finding the devices you want to view. First, you can see on the front page a slider showing two devices: both of them featured for one reason or another. At the moment we've got the Samsung Galaxy S II and the Asus Eee Pad Slider because both devices have been the subject of a lot of news bits and/or highly discussed news bits in the recent past. The Asus Eee Pad Slider is the next in line after the Asus Eee Pad Transformer, a device we all know is one of the greatest Android tablets on the market. The Samsung Galaxy S II, on the other hand, is one of the fastest selling handsets in history, not to mention that it's not even released in the USA yet (again, when this post is posted.)

Below the featured devices slider, you've got your latest phones and tablets. In this set of thumbnails you can find every single device. The reason it's listed as latest phones and tablets is that it's listed from newest here on the front page with, for example, the Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet and the Motorola Droid 3 and at the bottom of the page you can see numbers leading to later pages, the last page containing the HTC Droid Eris and the HTC Hero.

On the right side of the directory you'll see three lists: Popular Carriers, Popular SoC Manufacturers, and Popular Manufacturers. If you see the name you need to get to the device you're looking for here, it's one simple click. If you're looking for a different name, hit the "See More" button and if you're in luck, you'll find the brand you're looking for in the full collection. Finally, you can get to a lot of these collections of devices by hitting keywords inside device listings. Manufacturer, SoC Manufacter, and Carrier are all listed as links to their greater collections of devices inside individual pages.

What else am I seeing inside an individual device page?

We've already talking about how you can see all the most current specs below the device's single image and how brand names inside the listings will lead you to their device collections, but what about the description of the device? In each device's description is listed a little bit about the device that the specs might not say plainly, then also has links to the times we've unboxed, reviewed, or otherwise had a hands-on experience with said device on either Android Community or SlashGear.

Then there's the Discuss button. What the Discuss button does is lead you directly into our forum, specifically to the forum that the device you're in the main subject, a place where you're free to discuss the device all day long with people interested in the same subject! You can also access threads posted already in the upper right of the screen above Popular Carriers.

How is this directory integrated into the rest of our day?

Beyond you using this directory for your own benefit inside the directory itself, seeing all sorts of specs and leading yourself out to the forums where you can talk all day, we've got this directory connected directly to the posts in the main news feed at Android Community. Whenever you enter a review, a hands-on post, or otherwise a post that's device-specific, you'll see the specs sitting kindly right at the bottom of the post, ready to be expanded for you!

What about the future?

As the directory expands, so does our thirst for additional entries, thusly we'll be adding every new device as the specs become official, by any means necessary we'll be delivering the facts to you as fast as possible – Device.AC is now and will be in the future your number one source for Android specs of all sorts. Any questions or suggestions? Feel free to ask or say below!