Related
Here's one I've been contemplating lately, what to do with my old smart phones and pdas after I upgrade.
Sure I'd hand them off to any friend or associate who wanted them, re use recycle and all that, but often no one seems to want them since they're well old and out dated.
So what to do? Some have nice stands and make decent clocks for my desk, or snooze alarms for my night stand, but I feel like that's such a waste.
Anyone find any creative and usefull things to do with their old gear?
If it has a decent sized screen and bluetooth you could mount it into your dash and make it a dedicated GPS. If it has a headphone outlet you could also hook it into your car stereo and load it with with music over bluetooth from a laptop etc...
why not sell them if they recently-released phones? many people can't afford a new phone, and don't want to be stuck with a contract, and don't care an older model.
I use my old O2 XDA 2i for my tomtom in the car, it may be old but it runs TomTom perfectly and the screen is much bigger than recent devices. (It also runs video files much better than my Tytn II)
I havnt soft re-set it in about 3 months, so its also very reliable.
ebook reader is also an options
you can set them up as router for your network
After I bought my Kaiser, I used my old Palm LifeDrive as a digital photo frame. It has a 4 GB hard drive and a cradle, so it sits on my desk quite happily. They also make good universal remote controls if they have IR ports.
Dave
I've always just sold mine on Ebay for fair price....Many users are looking for 2nd hand devices.
i still have my ancient trium mondo from 2000 (or was that 1999?). it's still working and i use it as my alarm clock. still pretty good despite it's age and the "night mode" green hew looks great in the dark. the battery, though, doesn't charge anymore so she's forever stuck on her cradle.
cheers
You can always donate them to someone on this great community!
or sell it on marketplace
you could use it as a secondary display with innobec sidewindow that is what i did with my old toshiba before i sold it.
i was just thinking back to an old thread and googled.
this is the site http://www.wmwifirouter.com/
josefcrist said:
you could use it as a secondary display with innobec sidewindow that is what i did with my old toshiba before i sold it.
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Click to collapse
+1. Using this you can use your phone to display temps, fan speeds, an IM chat window, external TV. Brilliant.
Use it as a camera, or a Business mini computer (Office, and Internet)
Dont donate it... Its not like giving food to starving kids, thats a diff story, its more like giving a guy free money.
I collect mine (as you can see from my sig), but if I were to ever start considering getting rid of it, Marketplace would be my first choice, Craigslist would be second, and eSpray would be last. Long as it's done for a fair price, or a good trade, there's no problem with that in my book.
With that in mind, I still have all of mine. Once I get one of my wizards working right, the other will go up in Marketplace. I just gotta have the time to fix my mini-usb port... Figures, huh?
Who-m3 said:
Once I get one of my wizards working right, the other will go up in Marketplace. I just gotta have the time to fix my mini-usb port... Figures, huh?
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Click to collapse
Craigslist or Ebay, The Forums Marketplace isn't Safe to make Transactions and sales. Atleast with my Previous "Purchase"
For those who have cellular, wifi and GPS or cellular, wifi and a bluetooth GPS, why not use them to earn some money?
Navizon is a wireless positioning system that works a little bit like a GPS, only that it uses Cellular Towers and Wifi access points instead of satellites. In addition to being a wireless position system, Navizon offers cool features like the Directions, Buddy finder, Geotags and many more...
This software relies on a community of users who contribute data to the system (WiFi and Cellular towers) when they have a GPS device. And the cool thing is that we can earn money doing it with the Navizon reward system.
I'm already using it and you could make money too with it if you're interested. All you need is to install it on your phone and have Navizon connected to your GPS. Every Wifi access points that you pass, every cell tower that you log will mean money in your pocket. So if you have a phone that is compatible with this software, you should really check it out.
If you plan on registering, please do so by clicking on the link below:
Navizon
That way, I can also earn some referral points since I'm the one who introduced you to the system ;-)
I've got an old Athena that I'm currently in the process of mounting in my car, once I've built the custom cradle for it. Because the screen is so big it'll perfect for in car video, mp3 play back and of coarse good old tomtom!
Ok, I've been a very proud owner of the Samsung Omnia i8910 for a few months now... Still considering which phone I'm going to keep now after getting the Nexus one.
But I just wanted to confirm that awhile back I bought a car dock/holder for the Omnia but to my suprise and delight it fits the Nexus absolutely perfect. IMO this is the best car holder on the market. Proclip USA makes excellent products and I can confirm this particular dock is not only excellent but fits the N1 perfect as well.
Defininetly more expensive than others especially those you can find on ebay from china... but for me well worth it. If anyone is considering this their website - proclipusa.com - you need to select your country and then they give you the option for make of car and make of phone. Obviously there is no selection for the Nexus one but I can guarantee the model of phone you need to select is the Samsung i8910 Omnia HD, the product number is - 511020 - put that in the search and you'll find it. This is for the Holder with tilt swivel which is perfect for maps & navigation as you can swivel it landscape for great looking directions... they even have a model with a built in charger but I just opted for the holder with tilt swivel.
I am not affiliated with this company whatsoever just a happy customer.
Again it is expensive but I love it and love the fact you can select the make of your car and it comes pre-configured to mount to it.
**Edit: Forgot to mention there is no drilling and messing up your dash... just simply applies with a sticky backing and can easily be uninstalled without any damage whatsoever.
I am not sure that what you are describing or the pictures attached are what is typically considered to be a dock.
A dock would include a charging station, that is the purpose of the contacts on the bottom of the Nexus one. Ideally, the docking station would allow you to use transmit the Nexus One media thru the auto sound system.
Thanks for the information but that is a phone holder not a dock. The dock will be capable of charging the phone through the contact points on the bottom of the N1. The dock may also interface with your car radio and possibly other functions yet to be determined.
jacksonj51 said:
Ok, I've been a very proud owner of the Samsung Omnia i8910 for a few months now... Still considering which phone I'm going to keep now after getting the Nexus one.
But I just wanted to confirm that awhile back I bought a car dock/holder for the Omnia but to my suprise and delight it fits the Nexus absolutely perfect. IMO this is the best car holder on the market. Proclip USA makes excellent products and I can confirm this particular dock is not only excellent but fits the N1 perfect as well.
Defininetly more expensive than others especially those you can find on ebay from china... but for me well worth it. If anyone is considering this their website - proclipusa.com - you need to select your country and then they give you the option for make of car and make of phone. Obviously there is no selection for the Nexus one but I can guarantee the model of phone you need to select is the Samsung i8910 Omnia HD, the product number is - 511020 - put that in the search and you'll find it. This is for the Holder with tilt swivel which is perfect for maps & navigation as you can swivel it landscape for great looking directions... they even have a model with a built in charger but I just opted for the holder with tilt swivel.
I am not affiliated with this company whatsoever just a happy customer.
Again it is expensive but I love it and love the fact you can select the make of your car and it comes pre-configured to mount to it.
**Edit: Forgot to mention there is no drilling and messing up your dash... just simply applies with a sticky backing and can easily be uninstalled without any damage whatsoever.
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Click to collapse
link? can you provide a link from where you bought the dock from?
Yes I think I put the link in at the OP but its at proclipusa.com
Also stated I believe is that yes I just bout the holder and since there is an opening at the bottom charging is perfect as it hooks up right to the bottom but I didn't get the other version offered which included a coiled charging station.
I do like the look of that phoneclip, however my only concern that I can see is, how does the phone not vibrate out of it while its horizontal?
This fits the N1 so good that it almost takes two hands to pull it out... there's no way it can come out without pulling it out and certainly not due to vibration.
Would it being as tight as you say, cause it to wear out on the phones material on the sides?
mesajoejoe said:
Would it being as tight as you say, cause it to wear out on the phones material on the sides?
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Click to collapse
Seconded, this would be good to know too. Although I've already ordered one, which hopefully should just connect to the existing brodit mount I had for my Touch Pro 2.
Wow, I checked into that website. I really like the interface of the website. How it shows pictures of your specific dash, and where and how the phone will sit. Very expensive. I mean 65 bucks, for the setup and that is only the mount and swivel. No way. When the real Nexus One docks come out. The Car Mount is going to be 50 and the desktop mount will be 40. Both the dock's will use the gold contacts on the bottom for charging. And the car dock should have options to work directly with car stereo (optional of course).
Wait guys it's coming about 10 day is my guess.
Well mine came in the post today. Screwed onto the existing mount I had for my Touch Pro 2 just fine. The N1 does indeed fit fine but is very tight. Didn't scratch the phone and no way is it falling out when horizontal.
I've been using my Iphone in car with this dock.
Just Mobile Xtand Go (google it)
I was really impressed to see that it EXACTLY fits my N1
IMHO, it's really the best dock around
now...i am just missing FM transmission.
Would you need pics...please request
I am using this car dock until the real Nexus One docks are ready. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001DQQBVW...e=asn&creative=380341&creativeASIN=B001DQQBVW
If you are looking for a good bluetooth stereo for your nexus that works really well. Try this one. http://signature.crutchfield.com/s_105KDA805/JVC-Arsenal-KD-A805.html?search=JVC+KDA805&ssi=0
Once you sync your stereo with your phone the first time. You can just leave your phone in your pocket if you want, you can answer phone calls from your stereo, or even make them from your stereo if you want, you can listen to music from your phone on the stereo by just using the stereo's remote. With you phone still in your pocket.
If a person doesnt want to replace their stereo and just want's to use a fm transmitter. Get the motorola t505 I used it for 3 months it does work. Hands free driving syncs with any stereo any car. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16875982214&Tpk=motoraloa t505
The ProClip holders are quite nice, but I think the Omnia II might be a better fit:
Nexus One: 119 x 59.8 x 11.5
Omnia II: 118 x 59.6 x 12.3
Omnia i8910: 123 x 58 x 12.9
The OmniaII's width is just .2mm thinner than the Nexus and thickness is only .8 thicker.
karnovaran said:
The ProClip holders are quite nice, but I think the Omnia II might be a better fit:
Nexus One: 119 x 59.8 x 11.5
Omnia II: 118 x 59.6 x 12.3
Omnia i8910: 123 x 58 x 12.9
The OmniaII's width is just .2mm thinner than the Nexus and thickness is only .8 thicker.
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Click to collapse
just ordered the omnia II I will report once received.
http://www.amazon.com/Type-AC30267-60-XGrip-Universal-Holder/dp/B001PRPBB0
BEST Phone holder.. BY FAR
bought this to use with my G1 back when the Sprint Hero Nav app was dumped.. used it many times and works excellent with the Nexus One as well ... it rotates landscape and it unclips to use in the dash vent .. i originally wanted it because it doesnt interfere with the touchscreen and its low profile wont let it vibrate too much..and it has a good grasp on the phone without damage (i run a track setup on my suspension with competition spring rates and coilovers.. along with solid engine mounts)
TailsNeon556 said:
http://www.amazon.com/Type-AC30267-60-XGrip-Universal-Holder/dp/B001PRPBB0
BEST Phone holder.. BY FAR
bought this to use with my G1 back when the Sprint Hero Nav app was dumped.. used it many times and works excellent with the Nexus One as well ... it rotates landscape and it unclips to use in the dash vent .. i originally wanted it because it doesnt interfere with the touchscreen and its low profile wont let it vibrate too much..and it has a good grasp on the phone without damage (i run a track setup on my suspension with competition spring rates and coilovers.. along with solid engine mounts)
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Click to collapse
Any pictures? I couldn't find any online besides that amazon one. How about some with the n1 attached and also attached to a car vent?
looks good thanks!
Though I did order a car mount, i just spotting this one and like the fact it's made for the nexus one.. not sure if i'm going to get it or not and return the one i just ordered.
http://www.nexusoneblogaccessories.com/servlet/the-Nexus-One-Car-Mount/Categories
e.g. Speaker dock, normal dock for charging,etc
Because i see a lot of dock on iphone, but no dock for android phone?
It would be very useful.
Trouble is, with the USB connector on the top, the normal 'drop in' operation of a dock is not workable.
This is not a dock, but a homemade stand
good job
it reminds me of the old Casio watch boxes
those makes great phone stands
Btw, there are official docks now..
http://www.samsung.com/us/consumer/...ype=acc_detail&subsubtype=chargers&returnurl=
So yes.. Possible, and definitely workable..
a bit expensive, and bulky for the car, but it works
andrewluecke said:
Btw, there are official docks now..
http://www.samsung.com/us/consumer/...ype=acc_detail&subsubtype=chargers&returnurl=
So yes.. Possible, and definitely workable..
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Click to collapse
AllGamer said:
a bit expensive, and bulky for the car, but it works
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are proper Car docks too (which are very expensive I feel), but they also apparently change the phones profile when you plug it in (so goes to navigation probably). http://www.slashgear.com/galaxy-s-o...aled-desk-car-docks-dlna-hd-streamer-1197250/ Probably also comes with car charger and such
I probably would consider the car dock personally if the GPS fix in september DOES actually work.
The home and car dock apps are now released for Samsung Captivate. So I would say there's a good chance the the official docks will be coming out in a month or two.
To download the apps from the market, you need to have a Captivate phone. Good thing that there's work around. Download My Market from the market, launch it, set provider to US T-Mobile, and search for Samsung.
andrewluecke said:
Btw, there are official docks now..
http://www.samsung.com/us/consumer/...ype=acc_detail&subsubtype=chargers&returnurl=
So yes.. Possible, and definitely workable..
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Click to collapse
Is that a 3.5mm audio-out in the back of that dock? I wonder if you could output to both the 3.5mm on the phone and the dock at the same time, probably not but would be interesting.
snapper.fishes said:
The home and car dock apps are now released for Samsung Captivate. So I would say there's a good chance the the official docks will be coming out in a month or two.
To download the apps from the market, you need to have a Captivate phone. Good thing that there's work around. Download My Market from the market, launch it, set provider to US T-Mobile, and search for Samsung.
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Click to collapse
What is the actual app called? Searching for Samsung brings up hundreds of apps.
Kidigi make one too
w w w .kidigi.com/product_lv2.php?pid=1202
The Samsung one is a beaut though, damnit why are all the accessories out of stock?
Hey, so I have found those two stands that are compatible with the SGS, it may worth checking out, since I cannot really post links here it goes
w w w.mobilefun.co.uk/clingo-parabolic-sound-sphere-p25474.htm
w w w.mobilefun.co.uk/desk-genie-non-slip-charging-desk-stand-p22432.htm
let me know if you already have them and give a quick review if you can.
cheers.
Here is one for the T-Mobile Vibrant I don't see why it won't fit the other models as well
http://www.wirelessphonegallery.com/samsung-t959-vibrant-battery-charger-ECR-D979BEGSTA.aspx
I've got a desk genie... [actually mine was an advertisement for a pharmaceuticals company, but the same thing]
I wouldn't call it a cradle tbh since it's just a highly rubberised surface, the USB hub is nice for charging/syncing. I've not tried placing the phone horizontally on it yet.
The sound sphere looks interesting. tbh I'm really after a desk-cradle; something you physically insert the device into and sync up
Any luck finding a car dock with "integrated" usb-charger?
so the liveview is $25 on amazon, the second gen sony smartwatch is $94, and the pebble is $150. I have preordered the pebble, but have yet to pay. I wanted to ask if the liveview is worth it in comparison, for the price being so cheap..i may just buy it to try it out since its so cheap. i have an htc one s with android 4.2, also does liveview have push notifications?.... any suggestions..thanks
When a Google search brings up the suggestion "Sony Liveview don't bother", you know you'll be wasting your money.
Those Amazon reviews paint a very negative picture.
See what kind of reviews the Pebble gets and decide from there. You'll likely get what you pay for.
Sent from my Galaxy Note 2 using Tapatalk 2
got to respectfully disagree. For 20$ this thing is awesome.
I'd sort the reviews by date.
Also, consider the technical sophistication of your average user.
If you are posting on xda - you are the top 1% generally.
This thing is awesome.
There's a new firmware and client software out from sony that obviates pretty much all of the old problems.
AND there's an Open Live View reverse engineering effort that is 90% functional already!
This thing is badass!
imho.
willfck4beer said:
got to respectfully disagree. For 20$ this thing is awesome.
I'd sort the reviews by date.
Also, consider the technical sophistication of your average user.
If you are posting on xda - you are the top 1% generally.
This thing is awesome.
There's a new firmware and client software out from sony that obviates pretty much all of the old problems.
AND there's an Open Live View reverse engineering effort that is 90% functional already!
This thing is badass!
imho.
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Click to collapse
yea i ended up getting it for $27 off amazon with expedient shipping. so i should get it soon and im hoping it works well with my htc one s...and for that cheap why not...much better than spending $150 on a pebble that ill get in like 6 months
i got my liveview, and id say its worth the money...it does what it says it does, though it sometimes disconnects...im glad i bought this and didnt spend 150 on a pebble, since its kinda of a gimmick... i mean its basically a pager on your wrist, but 27$ for it, i cant complain
For $20-30, it is a steal. Unfortunately they don't ship to my country, otherwiser I would have ordered an extra one as well.
I saw the Pebble, and frankly, I miss a two quite important functions from it that the liveview has: volume up and down as a music remote. Yeah, most likely someone will figure out how to add them to the 3-button-only interface (long press track skip would be ok) but till then, I'll go with my Liveview. Even if the connection is still not rock solid. Yeah, it is much, MUCH better than it was, but still not 100% if you are skipping music tracks left and right.
Another thing to watch out for: the frames are extremely fragile. Yes, even the metal clip-on frame. My wristwatch frame has a holding clip broken off (so it is useless as the LV falls out of it quite easily) and the clip-on is broken at the microUSB connector part. I actually had to attach the LV with a piece of masking tape to the frame so it won't fall out. I'm thinking of supergluing it there.
i found sony liveview a good smart watch but this is depending of what you demand from it
i found that it offers me the basic functionalities with cheap (really cheap) price
may be you found it a little bit dull (its look is not that great for some people), but who cares
It all depends on what you want to do with it, for me I wanted to use it as a cycling computer that worked with my phone using the my tracks app which worked perfectly so I love it for that and it only cost me $25. If you buy it just for the hell of it and don'd really know what is available for it then you might hate it, also I haven't encountered any issues with it disconnecting with my phone as others have had but it can be difficult to set up at first.
auda said:
i found sony liveview a good smart watch but this is depending of what you demand from it
i found that it offers me the basic functionalities with cheap (really cheap) price
may be you found it a little bit dull (its look is not that great for some people), but who cares
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
I just got my liveview so far so good I bought one when it first cam out switch to an HTC amaze and it didn't work at all so I got rid of it, switched to a samsung note 2 and since I rarely had a problem with my old nexus s and t959 I figured it was worth getting it over the pebble I synced it about 2 hours ago and no disconnects and everything seems to be working fine
Sent from my SGH-T889V on the WIND network
Mine frequently disconnects, and I also had issues with the clip not holding, so I was a little disappointed. That being said, I only paid $22 for it, so I can't be too upset. I only need it to be able to discreetly check text messages at work, so it serves its purpose.
Sent from my HTC Flyer using xda app-developers app
Hello,
I was in a position like you at one point here's my take on it:
I considered the Liveview when it came out, but the reviews were horrible. Personally felt it looked a bit cheap for a wach... I saw the price drop, but since I can't get the US deals, I gave up on that one.
I then saw the pebble, but missed the kickstart. Noticing that the shipping date was so far away (and the price of $150 seemed too high), I looked elsewhere.
I found a nice balance with the Sony Smartwatch. It's cheaper than the pebble, and the general reviews are better than the previous liveview. I also like how they bundle the 20mm watch strap adapter so you can make it look better with other straps. This is what I ended up getting and I'm quite happy since all I really need was for my notifications to show up on my watch (free app for that!). Cost me about $100 AUD, but I've seen it cheaper in US sites.
just purchased one last night and i should be getting it on saturday. will post my thoughts on it. not expecting too much for $22 but im still excited!
I kickstarted the Pebble. I had another Android smartwatch on preorder until I realized the Pebble is the only waterproof one. I dreaded the thought of washing my hands wrong, or getting caught in the rain and ruining my $300 watch. The $115 Pebble seemed like a no brainer, all things considered.
With that said, the Pebble SDK still isn't public yet, so there's currently a severe lack of functionality. The Pebble has piqued my interest in smarter watches though, so I've been keeping my eyes peeled for better alternatives.
I think the year of the smartwatch is coming soon. Especially if the rumors of an Apple iWatch are true.
Have mine for a half year now. I use it almost every day. It's pretty useful if you are listening to music via your phone in car and want to skip a song etc. . Also the Camera Watch function is pretty funny
i can only speak about the liveview since i have not bought a smartwatch yet.
as you can see within this thread and on openliveview.com, custom firmware developement and a liveware manager replacement is in developement.
the custom liveware manager replacement you can find here, has all the functionality the liveware manager has, except plugin support (wich is currently in developement)
besides, it has a notification implementation that is pretty similar to how custommessagenotifier works.
the firmware is yet not for daily usage since it does not put the watch into deepsleep yet and has no bluetooth support yet.
a big minus would be that you need to kindoff break your wristband holder to charge the liveview.
overall i'd say, the liveview is currently extremely customizable since the custom manager and the custom firmware are opensource.
to the smartwatch:
it has bluetooth 4 instead of 1.1 (liveview) wich makes the bluetooth battery drain pretty small and it could theoretically even be ported to iphone.
the screen is the same except it has multi touch instead of 4 tap keys.
it has more internal storage than the liveview so a custom firmware would be more awesome on it.
overall i'd say, its better than the liveview but unless we devs get our hands onto it, there will mostly not be a custom manager / rom soon, so you will need to stick to connection issues and sony's creepy try to write software.
It seems a good idea this new project.
Since 2 years, the LiveView is not on my wrist but on my desk.
Liveview is so worth it considering the price.
Sent from my GT-I9100
I got mine for $15. I can't even find a cheap wristwatch at walmart for that much. The Liveview is a watch, but has some added functions which are pretty cool. Worth every penny of my $15.
Been planning on buying this for my Samsung Galaxy Nexus running on Jellybean 4.2.2 just wanted to ask if anyone can tell me if this watch is compatible on my device and android version. Just recently got ahold of bluetooth headset (Nokia BH-503) can this watch has capability to override handsfree and music controls of bluetooth headsets.
Now that I think of it, can I pair to devices on a phone at once? Asking because here in my country this costs 30$.
Hi everyone, my Relay 4g, thanks to all devs, rocks. I'm even thinking about buying a new one and keeping it in its box - in my experience, phones with hinges and moving parts such as this one do not last long.
We are part, I'm afraid, of a very small niche in the market - no one wants QWERTY phones, or atthe very least no one seems to want to supply them. Has anyone seen any rumor on new/upcoming Android qweerty phones?
Thanks!!
It's sad but no. I've researched a huge amount of materials but I wasn't able to find newer phone on the market than Relay since 2012.
Sent from my SGH-T699 using Tapatalk
http://www.gsmarena.com/lg_optimus_f3q-5998.php
Sent from my Nexus 4 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
I saw it: nothing interesting except LTE, which is useless in my country, and display even weaker. But it's my IMHO nevertheless
Sent from my SGH-T699 using Tapatalk
demkantor said:
http://www.gsmarena.com/lg_optimus_f3q-5998.php
Sent from my Nexus 4 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
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haha specs of that are less than relay in terms of processor, chipset, and camera...thats such a suckerpunch
http://techcrunch.com/2014/05/16/the-app-store-is-proof-were-in-idiocracy/
This is why there aren't QWERTY devices. People don't do anything with their pocket computers..
orange808 said:
http://techcrunch.com/2014/05/16/the-app-store-is-proof-were-in-idiocracy/
This is why there aren't QWERTY devices. People don't do anything with their pocket computers..
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Click to collapse
I think part of the problem is that QWERTY for many people is one of those things that you think you can live without... until you try it for some time.
Then you go back to a normal smartphone and you notice how much you don't say because it's a nuisance to type with an on-screen keyboard. You actively avoid having a meaningful conversation or replying to complex e-mails until you get to a pc (yes or meet in person, but lots of far away friends).
*sigh*
rad30n said:
I think part of the problem is that QWERTY for many people is one of those things that you think you can live without... until you try it for some time.
Then you go back to a normal smartphone and you notice how much you don't say because it's a nuisance to type with an on-screen keyboard. You actively avoid having a meaningful conversation or replying to complex e-mails until you get to a pc (yes or meet in person, but lots of far away friends).
*sigh*
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Absolutely! I can hardly explain the significance of hard keyboard to something but I cannot already live with usual phone myself
On-screen keyboard is a total s**t!
Therefore I've bought second Relay already)
rad30n said:
I think part of the problem is that QWERTY for many people is one of those things that you think you can live without... until you try it for some time.
Then you go back to a normal smartphone and you notice how much you don't say because it's a nuisance to type with an on-screen keyboard. You actively avoid having a meaningful conversation or replying to complex e-mails until you get to a pc (yes or meet in person, but lots of far away friends).
*sigh*
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Click to collapse
you've hit the nail on the head. my first smartphone was the original samsung blackjack (windoze mobile 5, later flashed to a custom 6.1 rom i think), and it was a blackberry style phone. when i tired of that, i got a samsung continuum, which was touch-only. not only was the device massively defective (had to return it so many times, vzw let me get a different model phone), not having a keyboard sucked for actually doing anything. so i got a droid 2 - slider qwerty. that one had its flight license revoked after a high speed impact with a wall, and was replaced with my current droid4. the d4 is slowly dying and its battery can't be (easily) replaced, and i want away from big red, so after much research, i decided that the relay is the best-specced qwerty slider on the market right now - especially sad since the just-released f3q or whatever actually has WORSE specs than the relay. so i bought a relay yesterday - found a local tmo store that had some open item stock and bought one for only $125. now i have to learn how to root, flash, and all that all over again - sammy stuff is WAY different from moto.
because i can actually use my phone for damn near everything (including RDP into the dell poweredge in my garage), i haven't even turned on my desktop pc in all of 2014. granted, i have a work laptop, but i don't have admin rights on it so i can't use it to work on my new relay. might have to commandeer the wife's laptop for that.
when i'm forced to use someone else's touch-only device (including my wife's sgs3 and tab2 7"), i quickly get frustrated by the on-screen keyboard. haptic feedback is no replacement for tactile buttons. that's why touchscreen sucks in a car, and why i hope the Tesla Model E (or whatever they're going to call it now) doesn't have 100% touch controls like the model S and model X. some touch is fine and appropriate in a car, but for some things, having a real knob or button is more efficient and safer. but i digress. calling these phones a "pocket computer" is 100% accurate. maybe someone will come up with a way to make those tack-on bluetooth keyboards not suck so much (like maybe they can clone the droid4's keyboard - it's nicer than the relay's, IMHO) or make it even bigger and make use of the space provided by these phablets out there now. i wouldn't mind carrying around a galaxy note if it had a good slider qwerty on board, and let me shrink the fonts to make better use of that big screen. alas, i just don't see that happening.
Gibson99 said:
you've hit the nail on the head. my first smartphone was the original samsung blackjack (windoze mobile 5, later flashed to a custom 6.1 rom i think), and it was a blackberry style phone. when i tired of that, i got a samsung continuum, which was touch-only. not only was the device massively defective (had to return it so many times, vzw let me get a different model phone), not having a keyboard sucked for actually doing anything. so i got a droid 2 - slider qwerty. that one had its flight license revoked after a high speed impact with a wall, and was replaced with my current droid4. the d4 is slowly dying and its battery can't be (easily) replaced, and i want away from big red, so after much research, i decided that the relay is the best-specced qwerty slider on the market right now - especially sad since the just-released f3q or whatever actually has WORSE specs than the relay. so i bought a relay yesterday - found a local tmo store that had some open item stock and bought one for only $125. now i have to learn how to root, flash, and all that all over again - sammy stuff is WAY different from moto.
because i can actually use my phone for damn near everything (including RDP into the dell poweredge in my garage), i haven't even turned on my desktop pc in all of 2014. granted, i have a work laptop, but i don't have admin rights on it so i can't use it to work on my new relay. might have to commandeer the wife's laptop for that.
when i'm forced to use someone else's touch-only device (including my wife's sgs3 and tab2 7"), i quickly get frustrated by the on-screen keyboard. haptic feedback is no replacement for tactile buttons. that's why touchscreen sucks in a car, and why i hope the Tesla Model E (or whatever they're going to call it now) doesn't have 100% touch controls like the model S and model X. some touch is fine and appropriate in a car, but for some things, having a real knob or button is more efficient and safer. but i digress. calling these phones a "pocket computer" is 100% accurate. maybe someone will come up with a way to make those tack-on bluetooth keyboards not suck so much (like maybe they can clone the droid4's keyboard - it's nicer than the relay's, IMHO) or make it even bigger and make use of the space provided by these phablets out there now. i wouldn't mind carrying around a galaxy note if it had a good slider qwerty on board, and let me shrink the fonts to make better use of that big screen. alas, i just don't see that happening.
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Click to collapse
if you ever need help setting it up or unlocking it and all that ill be glad to help and guide you to the right threads
What's really sad is that every manufacturer has such a huge lineup (including stupid curved versions of phones that are more expensive and worse than the original uncurved version --- looking at you Samsung) and yet nobody can squeeze out a qwerty with a modern chipset.
The Relay is indeed a keeper! Hope this great community can go on collaborating and updating it for the next few years
I think i will buy another relay to keep in storage! The f3q does not look great:
http://www.t-mobile.com/cell-phones/lg-optimus-f3q.html
And not a lot of dev in the horizon:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2650840&page=4
Easiest way to get aosp is piggyback off a popular device, like we did for s3. I spoke to the LG guys at CM. Nobody is interested in the f3 (non qwerty) or the f3q. I'm personally waiting for project ara
Nardholio said:
Easiest way to get aosp is piggyback off a popular device, like we did for s3. I spoke to the LG guys at CM. Nobody is interested in the f3 (non qwerty) or the f3q. I'm personally waiting for project ara
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The LG Feck really doesn't seem like a new device, so I'm not surprised.
F3Q? No... absolutly not an option to "upgrade".
http://geekaphone.com/compare/Samsung-Galaxy-S-Relay-4G-vs-LG-Optimus-F3Q
The parameters are worse than relay. But F3Q is the ONLY qwerty android released 2014. Sad. Very sad.
NO!
sorgo said:
F3Q? No... absolutly not an option to "upgrade".
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Strongly agree. It's a piece of s**t
endangered species listed here
qwerty android phones:
http://www.meetgadget.com/gadget/#/gadget/category/Cell Phones/?f[3373][]=4764&f[7178][]=9439
gsm qwerty android phones:
http://www.meetgadget.com/gadget/#/...?f[3373][]=4764&f[7178][]=9439&f[3327][]=4772
side-sliders qwerty android phones:
http://www.meetgadget.com/gadget/#/...s/?f[3373][]=4764&f[3341]=4486&f[7178][]=9439
I am really considering buying another relay to have another one backup phone just for the day when the qwerty phones will be absolutely extinct in the future.
Guiyoforward said:
I think i will buy another relay to keep in storage! The f3q does not look great:
http://www.t-mobile.com/cell-phones/lg-optimus-f3q.html
And not a lot of dev in the horizon:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2650840&page=4
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Click to collapse
Agreed. And Relays seem to remain available through ebay. The prices vary: I've seen some as cheap as $170 and as expensive as $250, but at least they are consistently available from various vendors. And I'm talking brand new still in the package with the plastic. But this may not last forever, though, so yeah, getting two might be in order.
RodimusConvoy said:
Agreed. And Relays seem to remain available through ebay. The prices vary: I've seen some as cheap as $170 and as expensive as $250, but at least they are consistently available from various vendors. And I'm talking brand new still in the package with the plastic. But this may not last forever, though, so yeah, getting two might be in order.
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Click to collapse
yes, I bought mine (used device) in november for $125 (plus shipping and import charges, it was ~ €150). Now the lowest price for a device listed as NEW is $163. The only problems I had to replace the screen protector and now my display flex cable is starting to die. Maybe a good idea is to by one for spare parts too But I would recommend to buy a new one just to make sure that the keyboard mechanism isn't used too much.
I have the non-qwerty F3, and it would be seriously better with 8-16x the internal storage. It does have LTE (awesome if you're in an area where T-Mobile is serving it up), better RF performance (better dBm levels in 2G and 3G areas, at least), and amazing battery life, but the lack of internal storage is its Achilles heel. Naturally, they couldn't be bothered to upgrade that when they tacked on a keyboard, and there seems to be nothing on the horizon with regard to custom ROMs.
I dragged my Relay out of storage, popped my SIM into it (had to use an adapter since the F3 uses a Micro SIM), and fired it up again. Then, less than 24 hours after I take the CM plunge, CM development for the Relay grinds to a halt.
What a shame, since, other than a couple of rough edges (the AOSP calendar isn't as good as LG's calendar, and LG's calendar isn't as good as Samsung's, and also I can't sort contacts by last name) I like what I see with the M8 release.
What I am really starting to hate about the smartphone market is that every damn phone seems to have some sort of stupid $#!+ somewhere. Nexus 5? No removable battery, no external SD - the latest fashion! Recent Samsungs? Region locked, even if it's a "soft" lock and I'm unlikely to travel overseas anytime soon. Aren't they also locking the bootloaders on the S5 and Note 3? Don't even get me started on Apple's walled garden. Google seems to be steadily inching in that direction as well, as everything gets shoved into Google Play Services. The LG G3 looks promising (they brought back the external SD and the removable battery, yay!) but it's a flagship phone with a flagship price, and it's anybody's guess whether there will be any custom ROMs for it. Also, the buttons on the back make it useless with my windshield bracket.