Related
My Desire is starting to feel really outdated due to the tiny amount of internal storage so I'd like to pick up something new. I know there is a Desire HD which looks pretty good, does anyone know if they have a version of it that works with US AT&T 3G (it has to be made for Telstra or Telus since they run the same bands)?
Would you guys recommend the Desire HD? Or would you recommend something else over it? It has to be GSM, work with US AT&T 3G, have lots of internal storage space, and I need to be able to buy it unlocked online. I'm willing to spend about $600 USD or so (but feel free to suggest cheaper phones or more expensive phones if you think I'd like them better).
I'm using a Desire as well.. damn good phone, but yes, its getting very dated, even with running Cm7 and tweaking it to hell for performance lol I'm in canada, but I'm picking up a Galaxy S II next friday. I dont think it's out there yet, but it is due out soon iirc. Id seriously wait for it if you have the money. I've been looking alot, comparing several different phones, but it seems the SGS2 just leads the pack currently, and by quite a bit from the reviews. There are free easy unlock methods online (a couple right on the market) and you can use it on whatever networks you want (our version works across all networks in canada)
I just bought a galaxy s2 from amazon unlocked for 650. It works on att 3g and it's the most future proof phone on three market, but if you hold out you might get a hold of the nexus prime in a couple months. Also if you want something cheaper buy the inspire 4g on ebay or somewhere else. It is the desire hd with att branding and.att.3g bands. Also the development on that phoney is sick. I just sold mine or I would offer it to you for what I sold it for (200).
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA Premium App
^ I'll check out the Inspire. If it's AT&T branded, does that mean they'll have a bunch of useless AT&T links/apps all over, and dev features locked? And will AT&T recognize it as a smart phone (because they don't recognize the Desire as smart phone so I get to use the cheap $15 unlimited internet plan).
To be honest I would like to get an HTC if possible because my last 5 phones have been HTC and I'm basically a fanboy now, lol.
rpimps said:
^ I'll check out the Inspire. If it's AT&T branded, does that mean they'll have a bunch of useless AT&T links/apps all over, and dev features locked? And will AT&T recognize it as a smart phone (because they don't recognize the Desire as smart phone so I get to use the cheap $15 unlimited internet plan).
To be honest I would like to get an HTC if possible because my last 5 phones have been HTC and I'm basically a fanboy now, lol.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AT&T will recognize it as a smart phone, you should be able to keep your data plan though. Make sure they let you keep your unlimited plan, if the associate can't help ask to talk to a manager, they won't force you to use a limited plan if you already have an unlimited plan. Just make sure you keep the plan cause once it's gone you won't get it back.
The Inspire will come with AT&T crap but that's all easily removed through custom ROM's. The Inspire supports most Desire HD ROM's and visa-a-versa. The Inspire/Desire HD has probably the best developer support of any smart phone, it's a good phone, but the battery is small (1230mAh) and has a huge, battery eating 4.3" display. A lot of people complain about the Inspire's battery life, if you need to make it past a day with moderate usage then stay away from it. Still a good phone though.
I currently have the Atrix 4G and I love it, check it out. The Samsung Galaxy S II looks to be a great phone also.
I'm looking up Inspires on eBay and they're ridiculously cheap (around $300 USD), for example http://www.ebay.com/itm/HTC-Inspire...0600720825?pt=Cell_Phones&hash=item43a92719b9
Is this right? When I bought my Desire it was around $600, even the Hero was more than 300, I can't believe the Inspire would be so cheap.
Do branded phones have any features locked, such as usb debugging, installation of non-market apps, etc. or can you do all of those things on them? I am one of those people who likes to stick to stock roms if possible, so I can live with a couple of silly AT&T ringtone apps and whatnot but I can't live with important features missing.
The Inspire is rediculously cheap because it is verging on the older side now after being out for a couple of months, and it isn't dual core. As far as I know, the only locked feature on the Inspire was the install unknown sources, but I think they have already allowed that via an ota update.
About your unlimited plan, yes. You will be able to keep it, and if the rep talking to you says that it isn't possible, ask to talk to their manager or just call back for a different rep. The thing is, your $15 Media Net Unlimited plan is not available for smartphones. They will bump you up the the $30 Unlimited Smartphone plan.
I have the Atrix 4G on AT&T's network. I bought it with a contract ($100) but IIRC they are available online unlocked for $400-600. Really great phone: Lightweight, dual-core, and it looks pretty good too. Although I heard the SGSII was the best Android phone to buy nowadays.
k0sun7eash3d said:
The Inspire is rediculously cheap because it is verging on the older side now after being out for a couple of months, and it isn't dual core. As far as I know, the only locked feature on the Inspire was the install unknown sources, but I think they have already allowed that via an ota update.
About your unlimited plan, yes. You will be able to keep it, and if the rep talking to you says that it isn't possible, ask to talk to their manager or just call back for a different rep. The thing is, your $15 Media Net Unlimited plan is not available for smartphones. They will bump you up the the $30 Unlimited Smartphone plan.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm, that's not good. So that puts the actual price of the Inspire around $500 (adding in just under 200 for 1 year of the upgraded plan). Right now since the Desire isn't available here I can use it with the cheap plan and still get 3G. Are there any other comparable phones to the Inspire that AT&T doesn't have and that I can run the cheap plan on?
if you can find an unlocked/unbranded xperia play (aka: playstation phone) you should be able to use it on at&t. the only problem is it only has like 350 MegaBytes of internal storage, but it does come with an 8 GigaByte microsd card. it's my current phone (plus it's rooted {and themed with my own custom yellow glow theme}) it's pretty fast, and with root when you delete all the bloatware it gets almost 2 times the battery life . another thing is it isn't dual core (but who gives a crap with playstation controls) heres more info http://www.sonyericsson.com/play/?cc=us&lc=en&cid=sea_xplaylaunch_us_20110206_Google
note: this is MY opinion (never said anybody else agrees). so if you don't agree, go write in your diary or post your disagreeing opinion elsewhere.
edit: nevermind, figured out what was causing the issue
I'd probably also wait for the Nexus Prime.
And you might want to think about that Xiami M1 phone, that is about to come out, you won't find one, that is able to compete price/perfomance.
We'll have to see, how this one actually turns out to be. It it's good, it will at least replayce MY Desire!
loismustdie555 said:
if you can find an unlocked/unbranded xperia play (aka: playstation phone) you should be able to use it on at&t. the only problem is it only has like 350 MegaBytes of internal storage, but it does come with an 8 GigaByte microsd card. it's my current phone (plus it's rooted {and themed with my own custom yellow glow theme}) it's pretty fast, and with root when you delete all the bloatware it gets almost 2 times the battery life . another thing is it isn't dual core (but who gives a crap with playstation controls) heres more info http://www.sonyericsson.com/play/?cc=us&lc=en&cid=sea_xplaylaunch_us_20110206_Google
note: this is MY opinion (never said anybody else agrees). so if you don't agree, go write in your diary or post your disagreeing opinion elsewhere.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wouldn't go for the Xperia Play. There's already been talks about it going to AT&T sometime in Q4 2011, and when it does, they'll likely bump you up to a smartphone plan as well. I got caught with the X10. I picked up an unlocked Rogers version a few months before AT&T released it, and the week before it came out, it detected my IMEI and switched me over.
My "dilemma" is that I am looking for a solution that will provide communications in a lot of places and not just be dependent on WiFi. I have had several Android tablets and both versions of the iPad at one time or another (primarily setting them up for family), and up to now have relied on a PHS-300 and a USB WiMax stick for communications for the tablet, and an Optimus V on Virgin Mobile for phone/VOIP.
So I have two solutions I am considering in a couple of weeks when I get my XMas bonus. In both cases I am planning to us T-Mobile as the provider using their new $30/month plan for 5 gigs of 3G/4G data and 100 minutes of voice, and GrooveIP to do VOIP (which is what I have used on my current phone).
Solution A is to get a Samsung Exhibit II, set it up with WiFi tethering, and then get a Transformer Prime. This will require me to carry a bag with the Transformer, and means I may sometimes have to rely on the phone where it isn't convenient to lug the Prime. On the other hand, the quad-core Prime may eventually let me do things I can't do on a dual-core machine, and it is a 10+ inch screen which should make for easier reading.
Solution B is to get a Streak 7 4G model and a stereo bluetooth headset. This would mean I'd have the tablet with me all the time (I borrowed my wife's Kindle Fire and confirmed it fits in my pants pocket), although calls might be a bit inconvenient if I don't have the headset handy. That is a dual-core tablet, and at this time, I don't know of many things in the Android market that I would need more than that to do.
Solution A runs around $800-$900, while solution B runs around $500-$600. So is Solution A worth the extra $300-$400 and the occasional inconvenience? Anything you know about any of the mentioned devices I might want to be aware of?
Thanks in advance!
I think its down to how much money you are willing to spend. I would personally go with solution A as you wont regret it. The transformer prime is a fantastic tablet which is future proof, so you won't need to replace it for a year or two. The Samsung Exhibit II is also a fine phone. I think the deal is worth the extra $400. You won't have buyers remorse when there is hundreds of new quad core devices coming out soon!
So my sisters are 10 and 11 and currently they have some cheap feature phones (Samsung Comeback). They wanted iPod touches this Christmas, but they are basically just looking for a device they can play Angry Birds on.
Instead of plopping down $200 for what will end up being a glorified Angry Birds device, I thought I could find a cheap Android phone.
The cheapest by far is the Motorola Q700. It's $50 brand new, but I talked with a T-Mobile rep and they told me it has problems because the Sidekick servers had been taken down. The rep said the phone will reset every month and reset contact lists. So that's not great, but it sounds like there might be a solution to this.
Online, I haven't been able to find out too much about the problem.
These phones will not have a data plan, and like I said it will just be to play Angry Birds and make calls/text.
What do you guys think? Is it worth the $50? Do any of you know of a fix for the resetting problem?
Thanks in advance.
Hmm. I am reading more about this, and it seems like this isn't even a real Android phone. In fact it doesn't seem like it has WiFi, which would make it impossible to use the Android Market if it had it.
I guess I'll be looking elsewhere.
The Hiptop or any Sidekick prior to the Sidekick 4G (Manufactured by Samsung) is not an Android phone. Additionally, Microsoft has taken the Sidekick servers offline so they won't do anything outside of calls and text. If you're looking for a phone to run Angry Birds, you'll need a mid range phone at least. I'd suggest the Sidekick 4G, it's a great phone and it's only 29 dollars on contract. Plus is has the best keyboard, next to the blackberry.
the sidekick 4g has the best keyboard on android period and its for 29.99 with 50 dollar mail in rebate pretty much 80 dollars i have played all 3 verisons of angry bird and they run wonderfully
ALso woa root the phone and install a custom rom to make the phone btter
Sent from my SGH-T839 using XDA App
Hey guys, I know there are other threads like this in the 7 inch but "this may be crazy, so call me maybe." but all terrible pop culture jokes aside, I am planning on using a GT 10.1 as a phone. I current have a Droid Charge on Verizon, which I am fond of, but I am always looking for something new/different.
My plan is to save lots of money by doing this, be quite unique, and functional.
Yesterday I purchased a GT10.1 with service capabilities (Is that the 10.1v?) and it should be here next week. And no I did not pay $800 from Verizon. Also, my main reason for this is I'm that weird person that doesn't like their phone in their pocket. I am always checking for it because I can't feel it. With this, I will always have it in my hand or somewhere close. *NOTE* I'm not attached to it, I just like to know where it is at all times.
I was mainly posting to see if anyone has done this with the 10.1 and any problems they ran across, or tips, tricks, anything to help me out on this transition. I will be dropping my unlimited plan to save money, and getting a 1 or 2GB plan, seeing as I am on WiFi 99% of the time being at a college campus.
If anyone has other program suggestions than the following, please step in. That is why i'm posting! If all possible I would like to keep my phone number, I'm not sure if that is possible due to me switching contracts and not having a mobile plan.
As of now, I plan on doing the following:
Galaxy Tab 10.1 16GB
-Caller: GrooveIP (Uses Google Voice) (Or should I use something along the lines of skype?)
-Messenger: N/A (Need one, Not sure what yet)
-3G/4G card from my Charge
I will root and theme etc, that's a given!
I know this is a giant wall of text, I tried to break it up a bit, but thanks for reading and I hope I get some good feedback and helpful tips.
I do something similar but not on the tab. I have an unlocked galaxy nexus gsm phone, no contract needed. I use tmobile prepaid, $30 per month for 5gb, at 4g (hspa) speed, then unlimited throttled. But it comes with only 100 minutes per month, so must be supplemented with calls over data. I have used grooveip and talkatone. The free talkatone app seemed to be about the same quality as grooveip. The monthly $2 high quality talkatone may be a little better. The quality of Skype is much much better than both, and since most everyone I talk to have Skype I just use that for free. But if you get a google voice number, you can use grooveip or talkatone as a phone too. Google voice will also work for sms. I only use that app, never the phone messenger app, I like it so much. No mms though. Also keep in mind data speeds matter. With 4g speeds you are ok. May have trouble in a moving car, I'm not a big talker so I haven't really noticed. At 3g speeds it will probably still work but quality will be worse. No way to use it if you drop to edge. So this is what I do on the phone. If I need data on the tab, I turn on the wifi widget in the nexus phone and voila I have data on my wifi tab. No expensive tablet/contract, no expensive monthly bills, $30/ month gets me what I need. You do have to pay a premium to escape the carrier contract, but think how fast you make back the extra cost of the phone. The galaxy nexus with jelly bean is only $350 in the google play store, not a bad deal at all.
Thanks a ton Kisrita, I bought my GT10.1v for $350, which seemed like a pretty good deal. And TMobile in our area does not have 4g, and what little service they have, sucks. And that helps me out a lot, I'd like to use skype a lot, but the hassle of this day and age at least for my generation, is not a lot of people USE the Skype on their phone. They have it, but they don't have it open to be "online" everyone just texts via messenger, so in theory, to communicate, I also have to be on a "Messenger" but knowing that GV can work for SMS is a good thing.
Sorry, nevermind, didn't read carefully enough.
All is good. Thanks for the free bump atleast!
Well, My tablet gets here today. Still looking for some answers!
I don't know if you knew this, but the Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 (GT-P51xx) works as a phone and for SMS.
www.samsung.com/global/microsite/galaxytab2/10.1/mobile/index.html?type=find
However, if you must go with the 10.1v, you have the option of doing the SMS mod on it and using Whatsapp as a primary messenger. It's fairly popular and a lot of people have it. For phone calls, I believe work is on to enable phone calls, and it may be possible some time in the very near future. Until then, you could always use Skype with a Skype paid number for incoming and outgoing calls through 3G/4G. Google Voice also has some interesting similar options.
Sent from my GT-P5100 using xda premium
No SIM card?
I'm not sure if this applies. Have 10.1, but it has no visible SIM or SDCard setup. Would like to see if some kinda way to run my T Mobile service through it. Is this possible if I can't put in a sim card?
Alright, I have an iPhone 5 on Sprint with a family plan. My mum is tired of the bill jumping up for every little thing and paying over $200 for it just to have them shut it off a week later, so I'm going to be moving to tmobile. I have two Photon 4g's, a Nexus 4, an iPhone 4(cracked), and iPhone 5. Out of all my phones they are in near perfect condition except the 4, obviously. I want the HTC One; bad. But I wanted the Nexus 4 bad when I read about that too and now I can't even use it since I'm not on Tmobile. I recently got a new job and things are looking up for me money wise so I'm a bit more comfortable paying my own bills now, but I don't want to go to Tmo just to be paying $100 again. I know about the plan prices and the 'renting' a phone basically, but I plan to pay that all off ASAP.
I need help with two things;
1. Can someone explain the tmobile plans more thoroughly? I know companies always have something not true or stretched and I'm hearing all over commercials Tmo has unlimited everything for $50, but on the website I'm seeing the tag next to it with 500MB of data. Are the commercials not true?
2. Would anyone here recommend trading in some of my already android phones to help pay off the One and it's down payment? The only phone I want to keep is the i5, and maybe my Nexus 4. I don't see the reason to keep two android devices when one is way better than the other, but I want the nexus because I've been reading it's like a hacker/modder/rooter, whatever, play world. Because it's original google then it's just great for rooting and modding. Any input from you all here? It's usually where i come to for all my android needs.
Iyokuu said:
Alright, I have an iPhone 5 on Sprint with a family plan. My mum is tired of the bill jumping up for every little thing and paying over $200 for it just to have them shut it off a week later, so I'm going to be moving to tmobile. I have two Photon 4g's, a Nexus 4, an iPhone 4(cracked), and iPhone 5. Out of all my phones they are in near perfect condition except the 4, obviously. I want the HTC One; bad. But I wanted the Nexus 4 bad when I read about that too and now I can't even use it since I'm not on Tmobile. I recently got a new job and things are looking up for me money wise so I'm a bit more comfortable paying my own bills now, but I don't want to go to Tmo just to be paying $100 again. I know about the plan prices and the 'renting' a phone basically, but I plan to pay that all off ASAP.
I need help with two things;
1. Can someone explain the tmobile plans more thoroughly? I know companies always have something not true or stretched and I'm hearing all over commercials Tmo has unlimited everything for $50, but on the website I'm seeing the tag next to it with 500MB of data. Are the commercials not true?
2. Would anyone here recommend trading in some of my already android phones to help pay off the One and it's down payment? The only phone I want to keep is the i5, and maybe my Nexus 4. I don't see the reason to keep two android devices when one is way better than the other, but I want the nexus because I've been reading it's like a hacker/modder/rooter, whatever, play world. Because it's original google then it's just great for rooting and modding. Any input from you all here? It's usually where i come to for all my android needs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. The $50 "Unlimited" everything gives you unlimited text, talk and 500 MB of "High speed" (4g/LTE/3g depending on your coverage). After you've hit that point they throttle data to 2G "Edge" speeds until the end of the month. They call it unlimited because they won't ever charge you for going over your "high speed" data. For $10 more you can add 2 more GB of high speed data (2.5 GB total) or for $20 more you can get actual unlimited "high speed" data (it might be $20 and $30 more, I'm not sure about single plans, I'm on a family plan and I know those are the rates to upgrade the lines for my family plan).
2. Instead of trading in your phones you could sell them on swappa. You'll definitely get more money through swappa then just trading in at T-Mobile. While it's true the Nexus 4 probably has the most development of any phone out right now, all the roms are a variation of stock android (CyanogenMod, AOKP, Paranoid Android, etc.), which are all awesome, but now that the Google Play Edition of the HTC One is out, you could get the best of both worlds (Sense 5 is really nice also) on an HTC One. The stock Android roms are already very functional and should only get better now that the devs have their hands on the GPE roms.
Having used both, I prefer the Nexus 4, mainly because I like the way it felt in hand more than the HTC One (ALL phones should put their power button on the side IMO). But the HTC One screen and speakers are everything you've heard about them and more, and stock Sense 5 is sooo smooth, and the custom Roms and Kernels add some nice features and help improve the battery life.
Just my $0.02
mcdsmaster8824 said:
now that the Google Play Edition of the HTC One is out, you could get the best of both worlds (Sense 5 is really nice also) on an HTC One.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd look into the Play edition a little more if you're considering it for T-Mobile, I've read that the hardware isn't built to spec on a per carrier basis, and is lacking the radios for the T-Mobile LTE spectrum.
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using XDA Premium HD app
Wait, so is there a difference between the tmobile version and the google play edition? Also, after a small amount of reading can't I just flash the GPE over to my HTC One from any carrier and it would be the same thing?
OutlawV said:
I'd look into the Play edition a little more if you're considering it for T-Mobile, I've read that the hardware isn't built to spec on a per carrier basis, and is lacking the radios for the T-Mobile LTE spectrum.
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using XDA Premium HD app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
^^^^^Correct it is missing the AWS band needed to utilize T-Mobile's 4G. Sorry I meant that now that the GPE is out, converting a T-Mobile HTC One to a GPE should be possible in the near future if OP still wanted to enjoy stock Android.