[Q] Sub $60 Android Phone - Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Greetings.
Question. I have a friend looking to get a cheap android phone to run a couple apps on a pre-paid network (sprint compatable one called kroger iwireless).
I saw two of them that they sell, but they are running Android 2 and im not sure the apps she wants would run on them. Is there a better phone that we are missing out there that she could use, or a better one thats become cheap enough that can be converted? Or does anyone have better ideas?
Shes trying to do this on the cheap.

Related

Need advice from those smarter than me about a pay-as-you-go phone.

So my mother-in-law is in from out of town (like really out of town...foreign country) and she will be here for a month helping with child care. I want to get an Android disposable phone that is decent and rootable. Prefer something under $150. After she leaves I'd like to use it as my "vacation" phone should we ever go over seas to visit so GSM supporting all bands would be nice. I know where she comes from I can just buy a SIM card to throw in any compatible band phone. Especially one that can be carrier unlocked.
While here in the US, I've love to load Google Voice and GrooveIP on it and make it a "Wifi phone" which doesn't need carrier access (since it works on my Transformer).
Any advice or suggestions? Am I asking for too much? I saw a few Android disposables for $200+ but a lot were $100-150, but I don't know which one would be best. Don't really care about the provider if it can conform to the things listed above.
Maybe you can try to look on craigslist for a used nexus one or some other gsm used android phone.

[Q] Atrix Laptop Dock

Hello everyone, I recently purchased an Atrix off CL to use with the new straight talk BYOD plan. I know I can find a cheap laptop dock off CL or ebay or what not and I know it's limitations but my question is:
Since I have to change the data settings and all that, will the dock work without it knowing it has to tether or however it acts when connect to do the dock? I don't know the behavior of the dock fully or what it asks and I haven't seen anyone ask a question just like this. Any help would be appreciated, thanks!
Morphling27 said:
Hello everyone, I recently purchased an Atrix off CL to use with the new straight talk BYOD plan. I know I can find a cheap laptop dock off CL or ebay or what not and I know it's limitations but my question is:
Since I have to change the data settings and all that, will the dock work without it knowing it has to tether or however it acts when connect to do the dock? I don't know the behavior of the dock fully or what it asks and I haven't seen anyone ask a question just like this. Any help would be appreciated, thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When you conect to the lapdock it checks for data plan (assuming your wifi is off)
If your wifi is on however it just starts normally and you can browse and do whatever you want.(on wifi only)
There is a way to get it to work with cellular data without having to get a bigger data plan but I haven't personally tried this method but I'll send you the link.
As for buying the lapdock heres a good site to go to :
try this site all4cellular they have refurbished lapdocks for $100 and new ones for retail price.I bought a refurb and its got no issues
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=21905374&postcount=930
Thanks a lot, that's a much easier way to get around it than I found.
Also, thanks for the site too, the refurbs are up to 130 there which is about the same I saw on ebay. Have a good day!
Morphling27 said:
Thanks a lot, that's a much easier way to get around it than I found.
Also, thanks for the site too, the refurbs are up to 130 there which is about the same I saw on ebay. Have a good day!
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just saw that woops they raised the price since i bought mineabout two weeks ago...thats crazy

Would YOU recommend the LG P769?

I am thinking about purchasing a LG P769 for use on At&t.Since it is a T-Mobile phone,I wont have to have a data plan from at&t which it forces me to have for my Atrix 2 and Galaxy Note.I plan to just unlock it and disable the data.
I've had some LG flip-phones in the past and have owned an LG Thrill which I did not really care for(I got it for free with an upgrade),but I am sure LG has improved slightly...
Is this a decent phone for the average used?I am just looking for good call quality,easy texting and playing some casual games.
Thanks in advance for any input.
PassingThruLife said:
I am thinking about purchasing a LG P769 for use on At&t.Since it is a T-Mobile phone,I wont have to have a data plan from at&t which it forces me to have for my Atrix 2 and Galaxy Note.I plan to just unlock it and disable the data.
I've had some LG flip-phones in the past and have owned an LG Thrill which I did not really care for(I got it for free with an upgrade),but I am sure LG has improved slightly...
Is this a decent phone for the average used?I am just looking for good call quality,easy texting and playing some casual games.
Thanks in advance for any input.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As per current situation in XDA and the restricted support of P769 providers, I will "not recommend it", until LG releases P769 through its own channel, and not from other mobile operators. Read all forum and various threads and posts about P769 before you decide to buy one.
I don't foresee the same XDA support for the P769 as was seen here for the HTC G2 and HD2 Leo. Nevertheless, it is a midgrade phone running ICS (JB 4.1 expected eventually) and serves me well w/o a custom rom. It is dual core, has 1GB of ram, and is physically light. Unfortunately, it includes a bit of T-Mobile bloatware (that is easily disabled). Removal is possible, but research! ...and you probably know that T-Mobile's wifi calling will not work for you on AT&T.
Two areas of concern are the lack of a light sensor for auto-dimming and has only 2GB of internal memory (G2 had 4!). It is sold without an SD card so you will have to buy one. The lack of auto-dimming hasn't bothered me yet, but it might. The 2150mAh battery seems to help with usage life. Whether I recommend it depends on the price.
Anyways, this was quickly written and I may be back to organize and edit this post.
btw... root it and backup root with voodoo (see threads here) before an OTA update installs.
dkouzou said:
I don't foresee the same XDA support for the P769 as was seen here for the HTC G2 and HD2 Leo. Nevertheless, it is a midgrade phone running ICS (JB 4.1 expected eventually) and serves me well w/o a custom rom. It is dual core, has 1GB of ram, and is physically light. Unfortunately, it includes a bit of T-Mobile bloatware (that is easily disabled). Removal is possible, but research! ...and you probably know that T-Mobile's wifi calling will not work for you on AT&T.
Two areas of concern are the lack of a light sensor for auto-dimming and has only 2GB of internal memory (G2 had 4!). It is sold without an SD card so you will have to buy one. The lack of auto-dimming hasn't bothered me yet, but it might. The 2150mAh battery seems to help with usage life. Whether I recommend it depends on the price.
Anyways, this was quickly written and I may be back to organize and edit this post.
btw... root it and backup root with voodoo (see threads here) before an OTA update installs.
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Click to collapse
He can get good alternate at the same or bit more cost, he just have to look around. And what if he gets phone with V10G or if V10G is unknowingly updated on V10E? He will lose root and nothing much can be done. He should better go for any HTC or Samsung Grand, a recommended at this moment.
cmahendra said:
He can get good alternate at the same or bit more cost, he just have to look around. And what if he gets phone with V10G or if V10G is unknowingly updated on V10E? He will lose root and nothing much can be done. He should better go for any HTC or Samsung Grand, a recommended at this moment.
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Click to collapse
For $150 USD, I'd buy it (no contract), but above $200 I might consider more expensive options. I see the LG 769 now at Best Buy for $200 (no contract). He can return it if it comes with V10G preinstalled. Considering that he wishes to use it with AT&T, he will have to get it unlocked and this will drive his total cost over $200. An AT&T phone might be more economical although I don't know their selections. An AT&T Samsung Galaxy S II is about $300 (StoreSF). The cheapest I see the Samsung Galaxy Grand is around $400 online (Mobile City Online). If you know of a phone with similar or better specs to the LG 769 (min. dual core, ICS or JB, 1GB Ram) at around $200 or less (no contract), please share.
PassingThruLife said:
I plan to just unlock it and disable the data.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Never tried this. I guess you can use Wifi only for data?
dkouzou said:
For $150 USD, I'd buy it (no contract), but above $200 I might consider more expensive options. I see the LG 769 now at Best Buy for $200 (no contract). He can return it if it comes with V10G preinstalled. Considering that he wishes to use it with AT&T, he will have to get it unlocked and this will drive his total cost over $200. An AT&T phone might be more economical although I don't know their selections. An AT&T Samsung Galaxy S II is about $300 (StoreSF). The cheapest I see the Samsung Galaxy Grand is around $400 online (Mobile City Online). If you know of a phone with similar or better specs to the LG 769 (min. dual core, ICS or JB, 1GB Ram) at around $200 or less (no contract), please share.
Never tried this. I guess you can use Wifi only for data?
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Click to collapse
U r right. At 150 u can go for it. In our country it is 310. And Grand is 350.
Sent from my LG-P765 using xda app-developers app
i would recommend the P768 with 8MP instead of 5MP camera - although software will still take a while and Sony / Samsung is always best.
Go for it mate..got mine too 2 weeks old..and im impressed..actually i have 2 android phone one is d galaxy s advance, they almost have thesame specs.but compare to both performance.,l9 wins,,maybe becoz i already had an upgrade my sgsa to jb..but overall performance game,browse,camera,sounds,not to mention the rom memry becoz thats the only thing i ddnt like to l9 but what the devs cant do about that,,.
And compare to samsung.i just noticed that most of their new released phone have thesame looks/style and thats a plus for l9,slim and light..like other post go for galaxy grand rather l9,naahh,,i even had thought of it overnight and finally had my l9 the ff day..
All in all rating:10/10
Sent from my LG-P768 using xda app-developers app
Based on your requirement: "I am just looking for good call quality,easy texting and playing some casual games", and if you can get 150$ price tag, definitely go for it, it should be the best bang for your buck the last 2, 3 months (USA). For 200$ price tag, it might be still best value out there, but you might want to look around more.
People here in this forum seems to always assume phone must be rooted, must have unlocked boot loaders to be a phone, but it totally depends on your usage to care about those things or not. And from your description, I would say you can live well with either of those (root might be a bonus for some adblocking and backup btw).

[Q] Sim phones on sprint ? (please read in full)

Hello my sis recently purchased an sprint iPhone 5s about a week ago from eBay it arrived with no Sim and I didn't think that was a problem as sprint is CDMA well trying to activate it was a different story talked to sprint after self activating wouldn't work and found out it did require a Sim so got transferred to sprint international and got to order a free Sim from them it arrived and activation didn't work talked to support and guy said I was sent an android varrarent of the Sim after he checked the numbers and I would have to reorder an iPhone compatible one they gave me free overnight ship and it came and activated fine my question is tho
Would it be possible to activate cheap Chinese phones like the goophone or there new s5Clones/generic android sim phones on sprint. I ask this question because the only Google results I could find were from like 2008 and older So not to relevant today and BTW I still don't like iPhone over priced fads that do half as much as a android
Anyone this is messing with me not knowing
cochran069 said:
Anyone this is messing with me not knowing
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i would of thought this thread/topic would of had a lot more traffic who wouldn't want a cheap replacement Chinese phone as a backup in-case of accidents or theft and loss on the sprint network.
i basically just wanted to know if possible because last time i knew of sprint was cdma only still but i don't understand why they would have android sim card
You will have to check pretty carefully to make sure that the Chinese phone has the correct frequencies for use on what ever Carrier you go with. There is an article here discussing the pros and cons of getting a Chinese branded phone.
One thing to note is that the Moto G pretty much takes every Chinese phone to school and for not really that much more $$$.
justmpm said:
You will have to check pretty carefully to make sure that the Chinese phone has the correct frequencies for use on what ever Carrier you go with. There is an article here discussing the pros and cons of getting a Chinese branded phone.
One thing to note is that the Moto G pretty much takes every Chinese phone to school and for not really that much more $$$.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yea there are only a few company's i found the supports hspa+ net10 / with an at&t sim i figure at&t too but i believe every usa gsm network if i recall correctly supports voice and text bandwidths
my dad purchased a n9776 about a year ago and his data speeds on net10 with an at&t sim was around 15-18mpbs down before they rolled out the new plans for net10. now hes thinking of switching carriers the apns keep switching and loosing connection every other day causing his mms and data to stop working until we reenter the settings. but i'd like to know if sprint would be a viable option in the future (much better customer support). recently his charging port on his phone broke so he looking for a new phone. ill show him that moto g

Samsung Galaxy Stardust S766C - Root/OS Upgrade

Hello all, I'm making a thread hoping somebody with far more experience than I in this field can answer some questions that I have.
My current personal smartphone is a Samsung Galaxy Stardust "S766C". It's currently running Android 4.3 Jellybean, and is on the Tracfone network.
Recently, I've noticed a number of apps that I've wanted to install only support Android 4.4 or higher. (Yes, Pokemon GO is one of them). I've checked with my phone's software update, and it doesn't seem any updates are available for my OS, so it doesn't seem I'll be getting any further official updates for this device.
So what I was wondering, is if it's possible to root this phone and install a newer, more compatible OS, such as 5.0 or 6.0? I've also heard custom ROMs can also accomplish a similar feat. Basically, what would I need to do to get these apps installed and functioning normally, without bricking my phone or accidentally discontinuing service?
I've conducted a bit of research, but have been scarce in finding specific tutorials or solutions to my given scenario. I really do not want to upgrade my phone, I purchased it less than a year ago and the hardware is still more-than-enough to meet my needs.
Thanks.
Unfortunately it does not look like there are any options to update your phone, whether officially or unofficially. That's one of the downsides to having a less popular phone on a less popular network. Tracfone and Samsung couldn't care less to update a $100 phone as it's hard enough for them to keep up with the Galaxy S and Note lines while the developers that are into modding phones don't have the inclination or the source code from Samsung for devices like these to be able to make newer versions of Android run properly on older devices. As far as Pokemon Go, you might want to keep an eye on this thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/android/help/to-patch-pokemon-to-4-3-jelly-bean-beta-t3412608, though be warned that there are some unofficial versions floating around that might have some spyware included: https://blogs.mcafee.com/mcafee-labs/trojanized-pokemon-go-android-app-found-wild/.
es0tericcha0s said:
Unfortunately it does not look like there are any options to update your phone, whether officially or unofficially. That's one of the downsides to having a less popular phone on a less popular network. Tracfone and Samsung couldn't care less to update a $100 phone as it's hard enough for them to keep up with the Galaxy S and Note lines while the developers that are into modding phones don't have the inclination or the source code from Samsung for devices like these to be able to make newer versions of Android run properly on older devices. As far as Pokemon Go, you might want to keep an eye on this thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/android/help/to-patch-pokemon-to-4-3-jelly-bean-beta-t3412608, though be warned that there are some unofficial versions floating around that might have some spyware included: https://blogs.mcafee.com/mcafee-labs/trojanized-pokemon-go-android-app-found-wild/.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I see, that's unfortunate, I was really hoping there would be at least some sort of option available to give this phone some extra life, but I guess I'll have to look into upgrading sooner than I originally thought.
I'll keep an eye on the Pokemon GO thread, but it doesn't seem like they're getting anywhere too quickly.
Iron124 said:
I see, that's unfortunate, I was really hoping there would be at least some sort of option available to give this phone some extra life, but I guess I'll have to look into upgrading sooner than I originally thought.
I'll keep an eye on the Pokemon GO thread, but it doesn't seem like they're getting anywhere too quickly.
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Click to collapse
Not sure what kind of budget you're working with, but if you know someone with an Amazon Prime account, you can get the new Blu HD R1 for $60 with 2 GBs of RAM, 16 GB storage + SD card slot, quad core Mediatek processor, 5" 720P screen, 8 MP camera, and 6.0 Marshmallow. It's nothing special and the discount is because it has lockscreen ads, but it's an upgrade over your current phone in most every way, and is unlocked for any GSM network (Tracfone has GSM and CDMA options). You can remove ads by just replacing the lockscreen with a 3rd party app. Got one coming this week to give to my mom.
es0tericcha0s said:
Not sure what kind of budget you're working with, but if you know someone with an Amazon Prime account, you can get the new Blu HD R1 for $60 with 2 GBs of RAM, 16 GB storage + SD card slot, quad core Mediatek processor, 5" 720P screen, 8 MP camera, and 6.0 Marshmallow. It's nothing special and the discount is because it has lockscreen ads, but it's an upgrade over your current phone in most every way, and is unlocked for any GSM network (Tracfone has GSM and CDMA options). You can remove ads by just replacing the lockscreen with a 3rd party app. Got one coming this week to give to my mom.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do have Amazon Prime, but only the student version. I get free shipping, but I suppose this deal is not included. Total for that phone comes to $109, out of my budget range by about a mile.
I also couldn't find any confirmation that it worked with Tracfone, only Verizon, AT&T, and Net10. Theoretically, it'll just work if I purchase the $1 BYOP Tracfone kit?
Iron124 said:
I do have Amazon Prime, but only the student version. I get free shipping, but I suppose this deal is not included. Total for that phone comes to $109, out of my budget range by about a mile.
I also couldn't find any confirmation that it worked with Tracfone, only Verizon, AT&T, and Net10. Theoretically, it'll just work if I purchase the $1 BYOP Tracfone kit?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's 2 versions of the phone - regular and the one with ads that is $50 off. I'm not sure about whether that is an option for the student version of Prime or not.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01H2E0J5M/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - see if that link works for you.
But yea, works on Tmo or ATT and I think Tracfone can support either, if I remember right. ATT network for sure.
es0tericcha0s said:
There's 2 versions of the phone - regular and the one with ads that is $50 off. I'm not sure about whether that is an option for the student version of Prime or not.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01H2E0J5M/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - see if that link works for you.
But yea, works on Tmo or ATT and I think Tracfone can support either, if I remember right. ATT network for sure.
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Click to collapse
Yep, same link that I followed, I can purchase it even though it says "only for prime members", but for $109.
Lame. Have to befriend someone else with a regular Prime account.

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