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
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My Desire is starting to feel really outdated due to the tiny amount of internal storage so I'd like to pick up something new.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).
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^ 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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
Just looking for some first hand experience, or tips from a T-Mobile employee. I was just told by TMo that if this Vibrant fails me (being my 3rd one), I'll be able to get a completely different phone.
I have every intention of calling them in the next couple of days to kindly let them know that the GPS isn't working as intended, of course. I just did a road trip to the Dallas/Ft. Worth area and my GPS failed me over and over (yes, I've done all of the fixes known to man) while my Garmin Nuvi worked flawlessly, as usual.
So, anyone know what my options will be? Since I paid $199.99 to extend my contract for this POS, I feel that I should be offered any of their smartphones at that price, but really have no idea as to how this works.
Thanks in advance!
You can get alot
As long as you are clear in your point and sound like you know what you are talking about you should be fine.
I went through this right when the sensation came out.
I got one for free and got to keep my vibe by signing a 2 year with customer loyalty. They sent me tbe sensation and it had touchscreen isues so back it went and I went through 2 alltoghether.
It wasnt a bad phone but I missed my im on it again now.
samsung
If you really like not having a heavy phone (sensation was like a weight haha) or the phone with a million issues the g2x.
I'd stick it out just 2 more months tops and we will have the htc ruby/amaze 4g and the tmobile galaxy s2 "hercules" both are rumored to be on tmos 42 mps network which os way more than double our current max of 14.4
Thanks for the response! That's a good point... I'll wait until some better phones are released here soon and then call to get my replacement. No point in doing it now since the selection isn't all that great.
Yea its funny how there are so many levels of "top teir" devices that out can be hard to keep track of. I can say I'll be way happier with a lighter phone with a more visible screen outdoors anf that they won't know my warranties gone because I used the same oems software of who made the phone. I think brand presence aside that the 42mps is worth the wait. i live in the mpls area and tmobile is very sttong here for signal so im excited for that chip.
In the meantime time try using the custom rom toxic crazy 8 with the clean and shiny theme. I put it on a guy I work withs vibrant and now he is wayyy happier with his phone that ever before. He even stopped talking about needing a new phone all the time hah
I know one of these shows up every once and a while, but now that the selection of phones has grown quite a bit over the past two days, and the holiday season is coming soon, I was curious; What phone do you plan on upgrading to?
[Edit]
Oh ya, I plan on getting the Galaxy Nexus in late November :3 I have always wanted a Nexus on Verizon. That with a grandfathered unlimited plan? YAY!
I will get whatever quad core phone is out when I can renew (in January ) as long as it's 4g, I'll be happy
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Oops, I didn't think to include a "Better future phone" as a poll option, sorry all :3
I had a Bionic for a little while, but exchanged it for a Droid 3 the other day. The Bionic kept dropping data randomly, in spots where I knew there was a great 3G signal. I really don't need 4G bandwidth on a phone anyway, was looking for a solid radio for a change that wouldn't stutter or drop calls (so, Moto was a plus), the world phone is a plus. I know that all of the 4G phones have had data issues, and I wanted something I could count on while Verizon works out the 4G bugs. The D3 is still dual core, and has the same qHD on a smaller display. Bonus: it's a world phone. I may be traveling to Europe during this contract.
Also, the Bionic was really too big for what I wanted, so, to me, the Nexus looks like Maxwell Smart's shoe phone. I think I'd go Razr over the Nexus if I wanted a 4G phone, but that's me.
If I had to upgrade today, it would be the HTC Thunderbolt. It's not perfect, but when I played with one in the Verizon store it seemed slick and faster than the Incredible 2.
I like HTC since Motorola has been hostile to people who want to root their phones, and Samsung has lagged on updating to newer versions of Android.
Now that HTC has decided to pay blackmail to Microsoft over patent suits (like Samsung and several others), they're no longer pure. Motorola is the only company that hasn't bent over for Microsoft and I hope they stand up and sue to prove Microsoft is bluffing.
So who knows what things will look like in January when I upgrade. I might be buying a Motorola.
My current daily use phone is a rooted Sensation, and my secondary device "was" a G2. I say it "was" because I just gave it to my wife to get her off Blackberry and into the 21st century. Unfortunately that only leaves me with one Android device to mess with, and now I need another backup. I am actually only planning on using the backup phone to test out with my PBX, so it doesnt really matter what network it runs on. I suppose if push came to shove I would want one that could operate on Tmobile USA in case of a pinch, but its really just for internal testing. My only requirement is that the phone runs Gingerbread as that was the first version with a built in SIP client. I see MetroPCS has a Gingerbread device for $79 that I could play with, but I would really like to get something in the $40 to $50 range. Checking on Craigslist all the phones in that price range are either broken or 4 years old. Any suggestions?
I've seen the Samsung Gio go for around 75 bucks prepaid. My friend bought it and it has a smallish screen but fairly good use.
Dataslycer said:
I've seen the Samsung Gio go for around 75 bucks prepaid. My friend bought it and it has a smallish screen but fairly good use.
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I will look into that one, thanks. Any other thoughts?
Nomophobia, as in "No mobile phone phobia!" I found this article interesting because, 1. Its definately me. 2. The one chick checks her phone 50 times a day? Please, Im triple that easy!!!!90% of the time im awake, Im on my phone! News, Facebook, bank, XDA, text, 401K, ZumoCast to my home computer, Playstation Network! I can go on forever!
http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2...our-cellphone-nomophobia-on-the-rise#comments
yep, i got it. and it drags me away from my PC more and more every day as they become more powerful. i mean really, there is not much technology out there that is more handy then a smartphone. i cant read the news for hours on less then 2000mAh on my laptop, but i can on my phone!
and 50 times... i get more then 100 text messages a day, plus 30-50 emails, then phones calls and internet surfing... yeah i def beat her mark of 50. i use my phone as my clock, it would be interesting to see how many times i do turn my screen on. im guessing id be well over 400.
@lroy, I'm probally in the 400+ range also. And speaking of computer, I was just telling guest Sunday, I could not tell you the last time I physically sat at my desk at home or moved that laptop off the coffee table. (She asked could she have it!). The only reason my desktop is powered on is I use ZumoCast when I'm out to access it! Hell, I even program my cable box when I want to see something and I know I will not make it home!
I wanted to bring this back to the front. Last week a friend mentioned she could not take pictures, I replaced 2Gb Card with 16Gb Card for $19.99. Same friend came over and told me she could not send text, told her to delete all of them, fixed! She just now called and asked if her daughter can come over Saturday and I replace her card like I did hers..........This got me to thinking, over the last month or so, I have helped 8+ people with something or another. If your not going to use the features of the smartphone, why spend $600.00? You can still look cool and spend alot less money? And Im not talking about rooting or unlocking, I'm talking about simple, everyday life things to make life simple in which the device was made for?
1. Most of these people did not even know Bank of America had an app to check your bank account? (Members1st Credit Union either?)
2. None knew that you can program your Comcast DVR from your phone?
3. All thought you had to pay $29.99 for hotspot?
4. None knew about Google Music?
5. I tell people about Douphin Browser and they look at me like Im crazy?
6. No one, including my boss who is IT manger knew about Nexflix on smartphone?
Maybe it's me being anal, but you would not get at $2000.00 TV and not know how to use it right? and look at all the phones coming to market now, bigger, faster, larger, etc............. Again, just me!
dsims7_2000 said:
Maybe it's me being anal, but you would not get at $2000.00 TV and not know how to use it right?
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That's US carrier subsidies for you!
Carrier subsidies have f^@k*! up the entire system; $600-$700 devices being sold for $200 or less. People don't value smartphones at all.
Think of it, in reality smartphones cost more than most laptops, televisions and audio equipment etc.
Do people upgrade their TVs every year or two? Heck no! But carrier subsidies allow us to buy brand new phones for $200 every 2 years. And in case of Android phones, wait for 6-to-10 months and some models can be had for $100 or even close to free. Who doesn't like that?
And in turn to make their money, these carriers make us sign contracts and buy expensive data plans even if we don't want to.
I don't know of any other country in the world where they make you buy a data plan if you want to run a smartphone on their network.
You simply buy a phone and buy a plan, that's how it should work.
Lots of people I know in other countries have bought their own phones and run it with a simple voice-only plan. If they need data they pay only for what they use. No $40 data plan forced upon them. I wish our major carriers would adopt this policy.
Heck, I will leave Sprint if something doesn't change soon.
I've been with them for 10 years now and paying $80/month for ****ty service.
I'm waiting to see how its LTE network turns out before resigning any contracts.
DH can $uck it with his unlimited plans!
Ok....rant over! Taking a deep breath now....!
OK, My OP was NOT about data plans and contracts (althought you have some truth), I know people that have had their phone for over 10 years, he** I lost a bet because co-worker has flip Sprint phone with SIM card. That said, it is/was about people buying $600.00+ phones to take pictures and text, PERIOD!!! you can get a free phone for that. If your not going to utilize your smartphone with all it can do, why get it?
As for Data Plans, I have been to..........23 countries in the last 5 years. I took AT&T Tilt, flashed it, VodoPhone SIM from Airport, I'm good. I really only used data twice a day for a few minutes if that. But yes, phone only for your used minutes and what data you uses is subtracted from your minutes, no biggie. But also remember, they don't get the $100.00 up front and 2-year contract, they pay full then pick a plan. (For the record, no matter what phone I had, its not working in South Korea with WCDMA!)
dsims7_2000 said:
OK, My OP was NOT about data plans and contracts (althought you have some truth), That said, it is/was about people buying $600.00+ phones to take pictures and text, PERIOD!!! you can get a free phone for that. If your not going to utilize your smartphone with all it can do, why get it?
As for Data Plans, I have been to..........23 countries in the last 5 years. I took AT&T Tilt, flashed it, VodoPhone SIM from Airport, I'm good. I really only used data twice a day for a few minutes if that. But yes, phone only for your used minutes and what data you uses is subtracted from your minutes, no biggie. But also remember, they don't get the $100.00 up front and 2-year contract, they pay full then pick a plan. (For the record, no matter what phone I had, its not working in South Korea with WCDMA!)
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Yeah, sorry about that, didn't mean to hijack your thread.
I would gladly buy my phone at full price if they allowed me the freedom of choosing my plan. But they don't. So I end up paying $100-$200 for the phone and then $1800 over the next 24 months in service charges.
I check my phone for email several times a day (definitely less than 50) but I am an average user with regards to every day usage.
I am around Wi-Fi 95% of the time and so are most users, so I don't need or want their ($hitty & spotty) internet service.
My gripe is this: keep the unlimited plans for those who want it but allow those who don't want it to buy a cheaper plan.
The other thing that really p!$$#$ me off is the iPhone!
As everyone well knows, subsidies are the highest for the iPhones. And where do carriers recover their money, in the plans and contracts. I hate it that I pay money for services that I can never fully utilize so that others can have their iPhones. If iPhones were sold at retail without subsidies, we wouldn't have all the iDiots!
Coming back to your original topic: I'm definitely addicted. I need my phone and check it regularly for email, messages, clock, workouts etc.
I'm hooked and can't live without it now.