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Android phones

32 posts & 20 voices | Started 7 months ago by z1ppy | Latest reply from Olly

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z1ppy - Member

Looking at the moment for idea's on what to replace my g/f's 3G iphone with. Moneys' tight so a 4G/S is not an option, but neither is a Andriod phone that cost near enough as much (no contracts either thanks).

Requirements are purely: Work well as a phone (unlike my 3GS), full size screen which matchs or betters: 3.5-inch 480-by-320-pixel resolution at 163 ppi (so no stupid BB's), & will browse, email, play solitaire, occasional map search & have at least 8Gb internal storage

What options are there for us to look at?

I have looked but as I have no experience of them, I dunno what actually any good.... convince me this isn't another iPad siutation where everyone offering product's no better for the same price.

Posted 7 months ago #
Stoner - Member

there's a few carriers doing cheaper android PAYG phones. Some listed at PLay.com

http://www.play.com/Search.html?searchstring=&searchtype=allproducts&searchsource=2&searchfilters=ae212{637757}+&ob=4

Posted 7 months ago #
Jamie - Member

Something like a Motorola Defy?

Posted 7 months ago #
z1ppy - Member

The Defy looks good, any personal reviews?

Posted 7 months ago #
Cougar - Member

Orange San Francisco. Sub-100 quid at that Argos, better and cheaper than the Wildfire and dead easy to root / unlock etc.

Posted 7 months ago #
allthepies - Member

http://shop.orange.co.uk/mobile-phones/orange-monte-carlo ?

Posted 7 months ago #
Cougar - Member

Oh, good spot. Seems to be the San Fran's successor.

Review here. http://montecarlophone.co.uk/2011/08/09/orange-monte-carlo-review/

Posted 7 months ago #
Pieface - Member

Try resetting your gmail password if you want a lesson in poor design

May not be an issue but a bit of an epic fail IMO

Posted 7 months ago #
Pieface - Member

Double post

Posted 7 months ago #
z1ppy - Member

TUT!
The San Fran got no flash support

Cheers guys, that's just the job.

Posted 7 months ago #
GrahamS - Member

The San Fran got no flash support

For God's sake don't tell deadlydarcy.

Posted 7 months ago #
Cougar - Member

Monte Carlo doesn't seem to have been unlocked yet, but you can buy it already un-Oranged as the ZTE Skate. http://crave.cnet.co.uk/mobiles/zte-skate-comes-to-uk-orange-monte-carlo-unlocked-50005331/ (they want £180 for it though - you can get a second hand Desire for that).

Posted 7 months ago #
z1ppy - Member

Pieface, you wanna expand on that, or produce a link?

Though I can't say I've every reset my gmail password since setting it...

Posted 7 months ago #
Pieface - Member

If you reset your gmail password on your computer, you have to restore the factory settings on your phone to get it to work with gmail again, which then means restoring all of your apps and so on.

Not very clever for an operating system built by google

Posted 7 months ago #
BigButSlimmerBloke - Member

Got a defy - tbh, there are probably better phones on the market, but mines has been dropped from 1-2 meters acouple of times, left on the roof of the car then picked up when it fell off (muddy drive not tarmac) and spent around 20 minutes sliding about the bottom of a boat at sea. I've managed a couple of small scratches on the glass.
The size is just right, not too big to fit in a pocket, not so small it gets lost. It connects to those wi-fi networks it's been set up on most times, although every so often it finds the network but doesn't conect to it (open wi-fi buddy, click on the network, click on connect, job done). Left with wireless on, it'll make a couple of days absolte toops before the battery is flat. ni the car, a 30 mile drive =30% charged.
I really like it, but I think i'd like any similar specced phone, the toughness side of it really appeals

Posted 7 months ago #
nedrapier - Member

Sony Ericsson Arc?

Ticks all your boxes I think. I've just got the ray, which is pretty much the same but smaller, and I'm very happy. Decent camera, too

Posted 7 months ago #
jimmers - Member

+1 Motorola Defy

Only had it a couple of weeks now but its suffered river water (canoeing), sweat (running) and rain (biking).

Reception is clear and no complaints from me about the spec of the phone. It can play back video quite smoothly and the built in Motorola software is good especially the swipe typing thingy. Instead of tapping letters on the keyboard you can simple draw a line between the letters and it guesses the words.

Posted 7 months ago #
midlifecrashes - Member

Another happy Defy user here. Mine has shrugged off numerous drops and soakings. However if money is tight, why not keep the 3G and swap to a low cost plan? 3G is a very decent phone if you're not chasing bling or latest release.

Posted 7 months ago #
soma_rich - Member

I just got had a Defy for 6 months and got a Defy+ today great little phone powerful tough cheap and dependable.

Posted 7 months ago #
nedrapier - Member

swypey keyboard is an app download for any android, I think. definitely handy, though!

Posted 7 months ago #
Cougar - Member

If you reset your gmail password on your computer, you have to restore the factory settings on your phone to get it to work with gmail again, which then means restoring all of your apps and so on.

Change password on PC. Go into Market, get prompted for new password. Enter new password. Go to Settings / Accounts, and hit Sync.

I suspect, though I don't know, that deleting your google account from the phone and re-adding it would also work.

Posted 7 months ago #
chvck - Member

I'm anti-defy purely because the camera on it seems to break the app I made!

Posted 7 months ago #
BigButSlimmerBloke - Member

especially the swipe typing thingy.

oh yeah forgot about that - real pain for the first week or so, but brilliant once you get used to it

Posted 7 months ago #
z1ppy - Member

midlifecrashes, we already have it on a low cost giffgaff card, but it's 3+ years old and is suffering (though a factory restore has 'just' put off the inevitable).
Rather than wait for the inevitable I'm being pro-active and locating a cheap successor...
This will give me time to see if I can't get hold of them and have a play, rather than buying without trying, out of desperation..

Cheers for the replies all.

Posted 7 months ago #
DeeW - Member

Orange San Francisco for well under a hundred quid. The Monte Carlo seems a bit better , for a bit more (but no unlock yet). Neither of these will run Flash (though there is a hacked version out there). My San Fran will not run Iplayer which is a PITA.

For a bit more I'm probably going to get an Acer Liquid Metal from Expansys at around £130

Posted 7 months ago #
cruzheckler - Member

Pieface - Member

If you reset your gmail password on your computer, you have to restore the factory settings on your phone to get it to work with gmail again, which then means restoring all of your apps and so on.

Not very clever for an operating system built by google

Not on my desire

Posted 7 months ago #
coolhandluke - Member

Nice to hear good comments about the Defy cos I bought one yesterday! just waiting for it to turn up, after I ruined my iphone3 with a splash of water.

Posted 7 months ago #
masonmarxx - Member

anyone know of any andriod apps which can forcefully turn off apps running in the background? i shut down apps but a lot of them tend to automatically restart and i want to turn that off!

Posted 7 months ago #
Ambrose - Member

Advanced task manager

Posted 7 months ago #
CountZero - Member

What issues have you had with a 3Gs? Most users seem to be satisfied, and it's going to be free now that the 4 is going to be the low-end contract phone. I'd get her the 3Gs, yours may just be a flaky one. I've still got my old 3G as a back-up; works fine, just seems s l o w after the 4.

Posted 7 months ago #
z1ppy - Member

Countzero: My 3GS and the previous one I had before it (I had it replaced due to a battery issue), have both been rubbish at getting a signal, receiving calls and txt's. Have used two networks, same as the g/f on a 3G, she has better reception (standing next to me) and no issues with calls/txt's in the slightest.

One friend "knows" to ring me twice, 1st time will always go to answer phone, second time the call will come through. I get TXT's 6 hrs after they've been sent to me, most of the time I ring some-one (to confirm a meeting) and their txt they sent me an hour before will come through as I'm speaking to them.

I love the device, for internet, music and movies but as a phone it's left me cold.

EDIT: I'd have upgraded to a 4 (when I had some cash), if I could have given her my 3GS, but she wouldn't accept it, as she knows it's rubbish. Hense why I'm 'looking' @ cheaper android units.

Obviously it doesn't happen 'all' the time or I'd have gotten rid of it ages ago, but it's happened enough I know there an issue and my phone is @ fault

Posted 7 months ago #
Olly - Member

jose has this one, its raather nice, and the same price as my stodgey wildfire

Posted 7 months ago #

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