Hard Light Productions Forums
Off-Topic Discussion => General Discussion => Topic started by: Pred the Penguin on November 19, 2011, 06:22:17 pm
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Do any of you know of any good unlocked Android phones around the price range of US $200~$300?
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Quick Newegg search turns up the ones at this page:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100008699+4018+600028588&QksAutoSuggestion=&ShowDeactivatedMark=False&Configurator=&IsNodeId=1&Subcategory=227&description=&hisInDesc=&Ntk=&CFG=&SpeTabStoreType=&AdvancedSearch=1&srchInDesc=
Only issue I see with them is that all of them are touchscreen only phones. I don't mind touch screens, but I understand those that want proper tactile buttons. Personally, though I haven't had that particular HTC phone, I've enjoyed my HTC and quite like the interface.
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HTC or Samsung units are generally quite good.
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I'm fine with touchscreens. The only things I absolutely need in a phone is that it's unlocked and has some kind of GPS feature. Edit: Oh yeah and also one that I can upgrade the OS easily.
My uncle doesn't agree with Samsung phones at all, too many technical problems I think.
Anyways, just asking to see if anyone has anything special to recommend. Thanks anyway though.
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Just wanted to mention: With Android based phones in general, the updates are easy enough to apply, but you usually have to wait for the company that sells the phone (i.e. HTC) to put an update together. I haven't really dabbled in custom roms myself, so I can't say much about that.
I'm not particularly a fan of Samsung either, but I haven't heard much to the effect that their hardware is faulty. I currently have an HTC Legend, quite like it, and I've already dropped it down a flight of stairs at least once (EDIT: with no signs of damage beyond cosmetic). However, it's a last gen phone, somewhat underpowered, only goes to Android 2.2, and is likely less than 200 dollars by now.
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Yeah, I'd like to be at least up to date on the OS so I'm ok with something over $200. I'm entirely sure about Samsung, but I guess I could check out a few. All I know is I'm going avoid those running Windows cause it's... well... horrible. :blah:
Edit: Also I'm specifically looking for GSM phones if you understand the lingo which I barely do. :P
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I'm using a Sony Xperia Arc, which is a pretty good phone, and which is currently fitted with Android 2.3.4, with an update to ICS coming early next year.
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Love my Inspire 4g, but its already kinda outdated (only one core? really? :p) and now only comes in crap brown. As for the ability to update... it officially supports 2.3, we'll see how far Cyanogen can take it. Not sure I would recommend it (it's $325 unlocked anyway), there must be better options out there.
Quick search came up with a simple list, similar to LHN91's: Link (https://www.google.com/search?aq=0&oq=unlocked+an&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=unlocked+android+phones#q=unlocked+android+phones&hl=en&safe=off&prmd=imvnsu&sa=X&ei=CcPIToafKuLm2gX-9tXNDw&ved=0CDEQpwUoAA&tbs=price:1%2Cppr_max%3A300%2Cppr_min%3A200&tbm=shop&tbo=&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.,cf.osb&fp=1d8b0b6175fd99a9&biw=1280&bih=920)
EDIT: Woo! Looks like I might be able to expect my Inspire to be 4.0 compatible.
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Nexus S here (Samsung).
Pros:
- vanilla Android
- (because of vanilla Android,) future Android updates should be relatively fast (rumour has it that Android 4.0 should become available this year)
- (because of vanilla Android,) no weird software to be installed when you want to connect the damn thing to your computer. Just plug and play.
- a good price (when I bought it, it was sold at the same price as HTC Wildfire S, which has noticeably worse specs)
Cons:
- no Gorilla Glass
- shiny black plastic ;d
- single-core, yeah
- no SD card slot (I don't mind, but others might)
- once it somehow ended up thinking that there was no SIM inside or something. A reboot took care of that, but still.
- sometimes the Facebook app gets stuck up on doing something, and ends up draining the battery if you don't notice it (probably not the phone's fault, actually).
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My Sony Ericsson X10i is two years old but still bleeding edge due to upgrading to the latest android version.... Which is ridiculously easy with Sonys bundled software.
So have a look at the Xperia range.
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Thanks for the recommendations. Still considering if I want buy a phone or not. It's a lot of money to spend on something. :blah:
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Thanks for the recommendations. Still considering if I want buy a phone or not. It's a lot of money to spend on something. :blah:
So get one that is locked, my inspire was only $100.
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Then the monthly rates will just be insane. Minimum of maybe $50 a month or maybe more I think.
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Had a HTC Desire and now a HTC Desire. Both were unlocked, S-Offed and Rooted. These are great devices! Custom ROMs are plenty and I get the newest OS without waiting for the manufacturer.
Rocking Sense 3.5 on HTC Desire S now.
Had a Samsung Galaxy S before, but the earpiece was broken, so I returned it. Didn't like the button design either.
If you want something great out of the box, consider getting a WP7 phone. It's really smooth and has a lot of stuff integrated like facebook, twitter. Downside is the OS is not open, tethering depends on your carrier (if they allow it), browser doesn't have flash etc.
Have HTC Mozart (corporate phone) and I like it! Not as much as my Desire S of course
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Im actually using a Galaxy 551. The Phone itself is great and quite robust (even with plastic, yes :P, remember the good ole undestroyable nokia phones ?). Problem is just the OS, which is Android 2.2. It has a lot of major bugs (W-Lan anyone ?). I have learned to life with em and how to avoid em.
Sadly neither HTC, Samsung or Sony keep there Phones updated for longer than a year. So before i ever buy a Android-Phone again, i look first for the OS and its bugs and then decide.
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http://www.modaco.com
http://forum.xda-developers.com/index.php
Two good mobile phone sites... they have some resources for modifying your phone to work better than the manufacturers bother to deal with. (basically, how to modify your phone / custom roms for your phone etc)
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http://en.miui.com/
Enjoy ^_^
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Guess I'm the only one still doing just fine with a 6-year-old dumb phone. :p
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Nope. If my old dumbphone hadn't gotten itself crushed under a truck, and if my DSL provider didn't have a rather good offer for smartphones, I would have gotten another dumb one. But then, my saving throw vs shiny is reaaaaalllyyy low....
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Thanks, Dekker. When they finally get Android hacked for the Samsung SCH-i920 (Omnia II), then I'll try that. They have Android for the SCH-i8000 version of the Omnia II (mostly same thing as i920 but better parts) already.
More info on that in this thread (http://windows.modaco.com/topic/330325-about-android-beta/).
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http://en.miui.com/
Enjoy ^_^
Don't forget Cyanogenmod too. And... uh... no, I can't name any other good ROMs off the top of my head, but there are more out there. Good news is with a rooted Android phone, if you don't like the rom you are using, just download and use another one. :yes:
On the down side, it's distro wars moved to the phone. :nervous:
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Guess I'm the only one still doing just fine with a 6-year-old dumb phone. :p
I'm actually using a 'dumb' phone right now. I'm actually reconsidering buying a smartphone, at least until my current one dies... It's one of those indestructible Nokias though, so who knows when that'll be... hehe.
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Guess I'm the only one still doing just fine with a 6-year-old dumb phone. :p
OH well, the reasons why i got a "Smart"Phone now are:
My old Sony W810 didnt work any longer and i wanted something where i can "play" a bit with.
Seriosly: if you only need a Phone, then dont buy a Smartphone. If you want something where u can try stuff and a phone, then you are right with a smartphone.
PS: i dont know why the hell they are called smartphones, they are dumb as hell aslong you dont use em right :pimp:
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My reasons to use a (android) smartphone:
- Gmail
- Google calendar
- Google reader
- Google maps
- Google authenticator
- Web browser
- Battle.net mobile authenticator
- Dropbox
- KeePass
Particularly the two authenticators (there are authenticators for other online apps/games too), dropbox and keepass provide me with security I can carry with me. Yet even if I lose my phone, the information is not in any immediate danger of getting compromised as keepass encrypts its database. Mobile access to mail, calendar, reader and maps can be real handy at times.
Considering getting a custom ROM when Cyanogenmod releases Android 4 (Ice Cream Sandwich) based ROM. From what I've read, Cyanogenmod seems to have better and larger community than MIUI, which is always definite plus when development is mostly by community.
Can't really say much about 200-300 price range phones, don't have any experience of them. Samsung and HTC phones are generally the best android phones though. Of course there's also the latest Windows phones, particularly the Lumia phones from Nokia that might of interest. Unfortunately application support from smaller 3rd party companies is scarce at this time because WP7 (or WP in general even) simply isn't all that popular yet. WP7 wouldn't work for me because not all the apps I listed above are available for WP7. Black sheep of the bunch is definitely Nokia N9 running Meego. Of course it suffers from same lack of 3rd party app support like WP7 does, and it is very unlikely it'll ever get any because Meego is pretty much dead. That doesn't stop the phone from being awesome if those reviews of it are to be believed. There's also iPhone and rumors say there's going to be cheaper version of it. Knowing Apple those rumors are false though.
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PS: i dont know why the hell they are called smartphones, they are dumb as hell aslong you dont use em right :pimp:
Let's look at it, baseline specs for a smartphone are a single or dualcore CPU running at 1GHz or more, a GPU that offers functionality on par with DirectX 9.0a, a display with a resolution greater than 800x600, 256 to 512 MB of RAM, and several GB of built-in storage.
Those specs are pretty much in the range of what you'd expect from a 2003/2004 PC.
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My old Sony W810 didnt work any longer and i wanted something where i can "play" a bit with.
Heh, that's actually the exact phone I have; love the little thing. :) It's a shame that the brand has apparently been dropped; Sony Ericssons seemed to have the best interface out of any phone brand several years ago.
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Looks like I'll be getting a used, but in good condition, unlocked HTC Inspire 4G for $200.
I'll tell you guys how it works out.
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Looks like I'll be getting a used, but in good condition, unlocked HTC Inspire 4G for $200.
I'll tell you guys how it works out.
Enjoy the 4.3" screen, I suggest getting hacker's keyboard (just a better keyboard, supports a bunch of layouts) right away, the stock keyboard kinda sucks.
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Where would you get such a thing? I literally have no previous experience with smart phones. :P This'll be my first.
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Android anything. I personally use a Droid 2 second generation, but the Droid 3 and Droid RAZR definitely trump the competition in both specifications and appearance.
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Where would you get such a thing? I literally have no previous experience with smart phones. :P This'll be my first.
Android Market.
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its free on the market, as are quite a lot of interesting things.
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PS: i dont know why the hell they are called smartphones, they are dumb as hell aslong you dont use em right :pimp:
Let's look at it, baseline specs for a smartphone are a single or dualcore CPU running at 1GHz or more, a GPU that offers functionality on par with DirectX 9.0a, a display with a resolution greater than 800x600, 256 to 512 MB of RAM, and several GB of built-in storage.
Those specs are pretty much in the range of what you'd expect from a 2003/2004 PC.
you know ... a PC is dumb too:)
what i meant: without the right apps and a intelligent user, a smartphone is a dumphone, just bigger, with a shiny screen and the need to recharge it quite often :lol:
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That goes without saying. But then, if you do not know what you're going to use your smartphone for, you should probably reevaluate whether you need one.
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That goes without saying. But then, if you do not know what you're going to use your smartphone for, you should probably reevaluate whether you need one.
very true
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Well, I got my Inspire 4G. It's gonna take some getting used to considering it's my first smartphone, but no problems so far.
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Well, I got my Inspire 4G. It's gonna take some getting used to considering it's my first smartphone, but no problems so far.
Just don't go stabbing the screen with your fingers, the touchscreen is extremely sensitive and not much pressure is needed. You can also use it through light gloves, which is nice with winter on the way.
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Hey! I'm not stupid you know. :rolleyes: It's not the touchscreen that's bothering me it's the whole interface... now on a very small screen.
I've never had any handheld devices like Gameboys and PSPs, so this takes some getting used to.
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Hey! I'm not stupid you know. :rolleyes:
Oh trust me, its not you, its the fact that 90% of touchscreens actually require that you use your fingers like spears (my GPS being one of those...) to do anything. I don't let my cousins touch my phone anymore because they are used to such poor responding screens and I swear they'd put a finger through it after a while. If you've only ever used super-sensitive touchscreens, you've been spoiled beyond belief.
I've never had any handheld devices like Gameboys and PSPs, so this takes some getting used to.
Too early to mention you can find an RDP app or use teamviewer to control full size computers? :D
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Welcome to the difference between resistive and capacitative touchscreens :P
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Too early to mention you can find an RDP app or use teamviewer to control full size computers? :D
Um... what?
Also, hope you realize I was just joking before. Really appreciative of any advice you guys give me.
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Too early to mention you can find an RDP app or use teamviewer to control full size computers? :D
Um... what?
Also, hope you realize I was just joking before. Really appreciative of any advice you guys give me.
Alright, in the world of practical apps:
Movie player: Mobo
Camera: Camera 360 (the stock one kinda sucks...)
Music: whatever is stock, it'll play any format you can dream of including .ogg
File Manager: Astro or ES File Explorer
IRC: AndChat
Web Browser: Dolphin Mini (basically a Chrome copy on android)
Games: All 3 angry birds, unblock me, galaxy wars, fruit ninja, whatever else you can find that you might like
Other: Flashlight, Android booster, Hacker's keyboard
Every last one of those are free. It might be worth spending 30-45 mins just looking through the app store, find things you might be interested in.
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Random side note. In my experience the default HTC music player, while able to play plenty of formats, chokes on some .wav files.
Of course that may also be because of my somewhat out-of-date HTC Legend on 2.2. Debating on rooting and doing the unofficial 2.3 upgrade, but because I updated to the newest official HTC rom, it's several times harder to do; involving several steps of workarounds to get the phone manually downgraded to an older rom and bootloader even before doing the rooting and 2.3 installation.
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Mine doesn't like MP4s, it can play some, even though it's not included in the list of supported files on HTC website. I'm assuming if I install a new music play it'll work out better?
And I basically understood half of what you posted Kyad.
Isn't Android made by Google? Why would the web browser not be some offshoot of chrome? Or are web browsers basically different for every phone?
Color me confused... and technologically deficient. :P
This thread should be changed to "Teach Pred How to Use His Smartphone" :lol:
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Mine doesn't like MP4s, it can play some, even though it's not included in the list of supported files on HTC website. I'm assuming if I install a new music play it'll work out better?
And I basically understood half of what you posted Kyad.
Isn't Android made by Google? Why would the web browser not be some offshoot of chrome? Or are web browsers basically different for every phone?
Color me confused... and technologically deficient. :P
This thread should be changed to "Teach Pred How to Use His Smartphone" :lol:
MP4 is video isnt it? Mobo will probably play it.
Yes, both Android and Chrome are made by google, but while android is aimed at phones/tablets, Chrome OS (or Chromium, you've probably seen the ads for chromebooks by now) is aimed at netbooks. The two projects don't really share much, and that includes the chrome browser (basicly the heart of Chrome OS). Instead, android has the 'android browser' with lack of tabs and a hard limit of 5-7 'pages'.
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Sorry brainfart, my files are in m4a format.... but it says MPEG-4. I'm having serious issues with technology...
And Yeah, Android's default browser does suck. :blah: But apparently I can't download Dolphin at the moment. I'll try later.
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Sorry brainfart, my files are in m4a format.... but it says MPEG-4. I'm having serious issues with technology...
And Yeah, Android's default browser does suck. :blah: But apparently I can't download Dolphin at the moment. I'll try later.
m4a stands for MPEG-4 Audio. just FYI :P
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Yeah, learned all that 2 years in high school... and promptly forgot all of it. :P