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[Q] Best Android Phone for my Needs?

So for the past few weeks I have been lurking the forum and such, and only just got around to registering.. and this is my first post.. so bear with me
It's my birthday in about 3 weeks, and I'm somewhat tempted to spend the money I get on an Android phone, to replace my dying iPod Touch 2G and also my crummy £10 phone.
So, what I could say I need in a Android phone is -
Value for money.
Decent music playback (Minimal hissing etc. I understand that the default music player at the moment is crap, but with Gingerbread should come a much improved one).
Nice touchscreen.
And if at all possible, an official or unofficial upgrade to 2.3 or well, updates in the future. I would hate to buy a phone which suddenly was dead in the water after 2 months!I understand it can depend on the phone and such as well. I do understand that unofficial updates depend on the model and such etc.
Unlockable.
I originally looked around and saw the ZTE Blade, I was really surprised at the value for money and huge amount of unofficial development in terms of updates.. and it looked perfect! But I heard it's music playback leaves much to be desired sadly.
If anyone could reccomend an Android phone which you think would fit my needs, I would really appriciate it to be honest haha
I would say my budget is £150 or so.
Thanks in advance, and a (somewhat) belated happy new year ,
KILLTHATWHA.
Other details -
From what I have looked at.. the HTC Wildfires resolution was really low, which put me off that model..
The camera can be terrible for all I care, I have a decent Pentax one which I use..
Gaming ability isn't really a huge thing for me either, but a decent CPU would be a bonus, since it would means the can potentially get more updates.

I would say get an HD2. They have an 1 GHz Snapdragon processor and a hefty 576MB of RAM. Even though it's not actually an Android phone, you can easily turn it into one.

little13193 said:
I would say get an HD2. They have an 1 GHz Snapdragon processor and a hefty 576MB of RAM. Even though it's not actually an Android phone, you can easily turn it into one.
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As awesome as that phone is.. it costs a hefty £300-£350! That over double my budget :/

You can grab an used HD2 for a decent price, not much more than a ZTE blade (unless you are in the UK and can buy directly from Orange).
But if you are looking for a new phone the ZTE really looks great for its price.

Faenad said:
You can grab an used HD2 for a decent price, not much more than a ZTE blade (unless you are in the UK and can buy directly from Orange).
But if you are looking for a new phone the ZTE really looks great for its price.
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Click to collapse
I am in the UK haha, so I would be buying it directly from Orange probably So would you say the \ZTE is my best option?

Your really low price seriously limits your options (for buying new, anyway).
I was looking at budget Android devices (sub £200) recently for the ladyfriend, and the only real options I could find were hTC Wildfire, LG Optimus GT540 & SE Experia Mini.
Having played with a friends WF I can tell you that the screen is - as feared - shockingly bad, but quite responsive (it's pushing less pixels after all).
About Android's music player, someone has rebuilt it with a slightly improved UI and a couple of new features (appropriately dubbed 'music mod'), it's quite nice, can't comment on sound quality unfortunately.
As for the blade, if you can get one it doesn't seem like a bad way to go. You do get a nice screen (as opposed to WF), but only 256mb of RAM which is a *serious* issue (WF has 384mb). They have the same CPU but the blade has a marginally higher frequency.

for your budget id reccomend rhe oeange san francisco. scout around and you can pick it up for about £100, and unlock it for free at modaco. then have. look at movin to giffgaff for the cheap internet

killthatwha said:
I am in the UK haha, so I would be buying it directly from Orange probably So would you say the \ZTE is my best option?
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Click to collapse
yes, for the price it's an awesome deal. And the community support and interest seems decent.

ZTE Blade does seem like the best option but as Android upgrades begin to utilise more system resources older phones will be left behind. Just consider that you are buying a *first generation* device, those specs were impressive on the Droid a year ago, but not so today.

Next phone, Xperia Arc or Moto Atrix?

So heres the deal, Im on att and already upgraded so I will have to buy either outright, overall I'd say the Atrix bests the Arc in specs but the design of the Arc is fantastic imo and it has a better screen and im gonna assume the camera will be better, im just not sure though, also theres the question of release date and price, anyone have any ideas when these phones will come and how much on eBay? Also do you think that the Arc will make it to att or at least a 3g compatible version at launch? I know people are gonna say avoid SE but I like them and I liked the X10, only thing that annoyed me was no MT.
Anyway what do you guys think? I really need a new phone as I am using a 3GS after my captivate broke, its not bad but I really miss Android.

Well you like Android so I'm not gonna go into the pros/cons of the OS. Just these two devices.
Xperia Arc (Should be out by April, most likely WON'T support AT&T 3G)
Pros:
-Good quality camera
-Thin and sleek
-4" Screen (not too big, not too small)
-Great screen BUT there's only a major difference when playing videos or looking at photos. Besides that, it's just a normal but good quality LCD.
-Gingerbread 2.3
Cons:
-Sony Ericsson put a skin on it
-Sony Ericsson has a spotty history with updates (I'm sure you know that being a X10 owner).
-Probably just as expensive as the Atrix thanks to the "Sony tax".
Motorola Atrix (Should be out by March, launching on AT&T)
Pros:
-Tegra 2 = total beast and the fastest thing out there.
-4" Screen (not too big, not too small)
-Screen resolution of 540x960 (qHD) -- the highest res screen of any Android device.
-Motorola is better than most to provide software updates.
-Crazy WebTop app and Laptop 'Dock'
-1930mah battery -- largest of any Android device.
-HSPA+ so you get 4G-like speeds.
-Front-facing camera
Cons:
-Motorola's abortion of a skin is on there.
-Froyo 2.2 and no idea of when upgrade will come.
-WebTop app looks cool, but could still suck.
-Despite large battery, Tegra 2 is under the hood and that could suck some battery really quickly.

Do you like MotoBLUR or whateverskinSonyEriccsonhasontheirGingerbread? I personally think MotoBLUR is complete crap and the fact that AT&T is not known for updating their phones rather quickly might be a roadblock. Than there is the locked bootloader if you don't plan on doing much with custom roms.
In all seriousness, there is no way in hell that the Atrix will have a better camera than the Arc, mainly because Cybershot cameras usually take phenomenal photos (tested with two Cybershots) and the Arc kind of has the censor from the Cybershots. The Arc might be the best camera orientated Android phone despite the lack of 1080p video recording. Motorola isn't really known for having good cameras, but they are known for using gorilla glass on most of their phones, so I am assuming the Atrix has that.
Depends on your preference really. I would personally go with the Arc and hope that SE is true to their word about updating their phones.
Atrix will come by March 1st.
Arc will come April.
Most unlocked phones have AT&T bands, so I wouldn't expect the Arc to be any different.

I would definitely go for the Atrix. Im on ATT too but I upgraded last june to the captivate so I will be waiting as well.
However, I would definitely get the atrix because of the specs and docking capability.

Well im leaning towards the arc as I like SE and imo they make the best looking phones, and that silver one is...wow! Only thing I need a confirmation is price, date and most important if it will have 3g bands, im willing to wait but not till the mddle if the year either lol

my question as well...arc or atrix?

I would go with Sony, mainky because i own X8 aswell and it proved to be a quite nice phone for the price range it has.
Yea, updates are Sony's biggest con, but besides that i had no real problems with it All their devices i had run pretty nice and smooth

Defiantly arc the looks of it are awesome plus it'll have 3 rd gen snap dragon soc won't be as powerful as atrix but the is like no apps that really use dual core but wait and see as for me battery life is huge
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App

solidkevin said:
Well im leaning towards the arc as I like SE and imo they make the best looking phones, and that silver one is...wow!
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It's funny how peoples' tastes differ. I think SE phones look horrible, especially the Arc. Also, in a few months time phones with single-core processors will seem so out-of-date.
Motorola Atrix for me.

Moandal said:
It's funny how peoples' tastes differ. I think SE phones look horrible, especially the Arc. Also, in a few months time phones with single-core processors will seem so out-of-date.
Motorola Atrix for me.
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lol it is funny, I love Sony's phones, they always look different from the competition as well instead of an iphone wannabe, Atrix looks so....common.

Wait and watch the forums on XDA see which phone gets rooted first/more easily and see which phone is more easily modded.
I had the X10 and while it's a great phone the lack of support from SE really annoyed me and the fact that they locked that phone down like crazy was even more frustrating.

True, but as every phone out there, X10 will get unlocked properly sooner or later. Wasn't much of a factor here when i was buying my Xperia X8

Ryukenden said:
True, but as every phone out there, X10 will get unlocked properly sooner or later. Wasn't much of a factor here when i was buying my Xperia X8
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Not true, I had a Motorola Milestone (European version of the Droid) and that never was properly unlocked-- still a great phone for it's time through, despite its weaknesses.
Anyways, to actually answer the question, the Atrix is a beast. 16gb internal storage is fantastic. Super fast processor. Both Sony and Motorola have pretty crappy track records when it comes to customer support, so don't expect much from either company on that front. I'd go with the Atrix.

Atrix is way better. I dont trust sony phones....
Sent from my A853 using XDA App

I can talk about SE Arc 'cause I personally use this device atm
I'm really satisfied for its functions, pros:
a) weight, it's so light
b) good media section (camera, music player...just radio is pretty poor in tuning)
c) pack (two usb cables, one for charging, the other for car charging - car charger included - screen protection - nice headphones)
d) display (wide enough and natural colors)
e) design (IMHO, the best form factor atm)

i've seen both phones a prefer the dual core atrix as it is much quicker (atleast in my experience)

go with your feeling，pick up you like

These two phones completely died off after CES.

Yes, stay for the first will be root

Help me figure out if I want to an XT720

So I currently have a Huawei U8100 from WINDMobile. It's a good starter android (at a good price) but it's not much more than that and I want something better. I dislike how small it is and how slow it can be at times (as well as jam up and reboot), and it doesn't have a great list of features. Getting my hands on an unlocked good android in Canada (at a decent price) doesn't seem to be so easy, but WIND does carry the XT720. My first impressions from checking it out a bit online is that it looks very nice (I really like the glass screen and unusual design) and that it has some pretty good specs, as well as a high quality camera and video recording. And the price of $400 is not too hefty. So, basically it's something I'm considering.
Here are my questions though:
Updates: So this is stuck at 2.1 from Motorala, which is something that initially turned me away from this. But apparently, this forum has decided to hire a dev to get 2.2 on it (something I find very cool btw). So it seems that this will have 2.2 sometime in the near future (I hope?). That increases the appeal for me significantly. I was wondering though, hypothetically are the development of future updates (2.3, 2.4 etc...) possible to bring to the XT720 like 2.2 is being brought? I'm trying to think long term here and figure out if I want a phone that will never go higher than 2.2 (and if that's true), or if I'm fine with that.
Speed: One of the biggest drawbacks for me and my Huawei U8100 is the speed of it. It's just not very fast. I do have it overclocked and it works a bit faster, but it's just not that fast even after that. The XT720 seems to be at 550mhz (which isn't much faster from the standard U8100 speed) but I read that Motorala released an update that overclocked it to 720mhz. But what I read seemed to imply that it was only for UK and some other place (i.e. not Canada). Does that mean I won't have that update if I get the phone? Even if that's the case, there are ROMs for the phone that will allow me to overclock to that and be stable? Will the dev who is making 2.2 for this allow overclocking in his build? Additionally even though it comes at 550, I read that Motorala's enhancements (??) make it feel fast. Is that true? Is the XT720 a fast phone?
Camera/Video: No question that it takes good pictures. How's the video though? I use a flip Mino for all my video recording needs and while it works, the screen is tiny and the resolution isn't the best (nor is it HD). Does the XT720 have a better camcorder then my flip Mino?
Screen quality/sound: How does the actual graphics and display look? Is it very clear? And how is the sound quality? As well, the U8100 has a resistive touch screen that isn't very responsive (though it works), how's the touch on the XT720?
Your general opinion: How do you, as a owner feel about the XT720? Do you love it? Do you just consider it a decent phone? Do you just want it for it's camera? Do you not recommend it? What is your opinion about this phone in general?
Also, if you're from WIND and had a U8100 and got an XT720, please say so (just for curiousity's sake ).
Also, one more thing, not really related to this subforum, but more of a general question. My U8100 is rooted with the popular The Celestial Teapot. Does rooting your phone take down the value of resellability? If I try to sell the U8100 on let's say ebay, would people want to stay away from rooted phones? If so, is there a way to "unroot" the phone?
Any help and clarity is appreciated. Thanks

But apparently, this forum has decided to hire a dev to get 2.2 on it (something I find very cool btw). So it seems that this will have 2.2 sometime in the near future (I hope?). That increases the appeal for me significantly. I was wondering though, hypothetically are the development of future updates (2.3, 2.4 etc...) possible to bring to the XT720 like 2.2 is being brought?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Currently there is no chance of getting 2.3 or 2.4 without Motorola's help. The 2.2 we're talking about actually comes from Motorola. Motorola released 2.2 for the Korean XT720 in December, but won't release 2.2 in any other region. We're hoping Dexter can help us figure out how to run the Korean 2.2.
I am super disappointed about the locked bootloader. It would be bearable if Motorola intended to actually support the phone, but Motorola has officially announced that 2.1 is the end of the line. I will never again purchase a phone with a locked bootloader. I chalk that up as a learning experience.
As far as speed goes, I've only used an XT720--it's my first smartphone. It seemed faster than the Palm III I used for years . Eventually I came to feel it was unbearably slow in its "official" form. After rooting, applying the all-in-one optimizer, and replacing the class 2 sd card with a faster one, I'm pretty happy.
I don't use the camera much at all, though, and the few times I've tried to use it, I've been frustrated with the shutter lag (even with a class 10 card). There may be camera tweaks I don't know about, it's not been a priority for me.

maybe this topic will help
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=892703
many have already replied to similar questions there

If you unroot it and wipe the files on the SD, any ordinary person shouldn't be able to tell if it was rooted before.

re: rooting
any one who wants good android experience will root the phone
so, no worries about resale value there
re: video
there are plenty of apps in the market with better quality, just try them out, most of them are free anyways, see which one you like best
re: speed
the phone is stock at 720, not 550, only old ROM will still be there
the update is OTA, as soon as i turned on my new phone, it asked me if i wanted to update, and it was done, that was with the stock ROM, no root, no nothing
also, the CPU spec (manufacture spec of the chip) is actually rated for 1000 Mhz
it was actually under-clocked to 720 (550) mostly to save battery power
re: Froyo 2.2
yes it's true we might not see anything better than 2.2
but that is more than enough to bring out the full power of the phone
re: general
this phone is awesome, comparable to the latest stuff available, just the battery is a bit on the shy side 1390 mAh... which will get drained very quickly if you leave your phone running at 1000 Mhz all the time, reason why i speculate it was released at as a 550, and then updated by Moto to 720 to bring a happy medium for speed vs. battery life
it can run smoothly any of the latest 3D games that work on the other phones
it's one of the rare phones that have a true authentic Xenon flash, and not a LED light for "falsh"... i meant "flash"
re: sound
simply the better one of all the phones i have
re: screen
is a normal TFT LCD, no much you can expect from it.... that's comparing it to a SAMOLED display, there's simply no comparison

Hi, I am windmobile user with XT720, previous phone was Nokia 5230. XT720 is definately an upgrade compare to the Nokia, however, if you compare with other Android AWS phones, such as Galaxy S, Nexus One, Nexus S, it is a little behind. Consider I paid $250 for it (450 -$50 discount, - $150 windtab), it is actually a good deal for this phone.
RE Update:
With JIT enabled, App2SD, new Golauncher, it is acceptable without Froyo/Gingerbread. The down side is Flash 10.1, but the youtube app fixes it.
RE Speed:
JIT actually enhances the overall performance by a noticable amount, with slightly OC from 720Mhz to 850~900Mhz you could eliminates the lack in most game. Note worth: the default speed is [email protected], but I could actually achieve [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], much of a performance boost w/o killing battery life.
RE Camera/Video.
XT720 is absolute awful when it comes to camera/video. the image quality is worst then my Nokia N73 (3.2MP). 720p video recording is terrible, laggy as hell, i rather record at SD resolution. If you plan to do alot of Photo/Video, you better go for X10i AWS, but X10i has a lot of problem of its own, but photo/video is definitely much superior to XT720
RE Screen.
it is a good size, not much to complain, nothing much too special either.
Re General Opinion.
for $250 (as i paid), i am cool with xt720 as an Android phone, but if you going to pay $400 brandnew for it, I suggest you get an lightly used Galaxy S from Kijiji or Craiglist or RFDs, probably around $480 ish. little more pricy but much better IMO.
RE U8100
I don't think U8100 is capable of providing user the full Android Experience, XT720 does however.
PM me if you have specific questions. Hope this helps you a little bit.

AllGamer said:
maybe this topic will help
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=892703
many have already replied to similar questions there
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, checking it out
AllGamer said:
re: rooting
any one who wants good android experience will root the phone
so, no worries about resale value there
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Click to collapse
Yeah, but considering the U8100 is like an entry level phone, I was worried that people unfamiliar with android would be scared off. Though I suppose I should check around and see what's selling on ebay
there are plenty of apps in the market with better quality, just try them out, most of them are free anyways, see which one you like best
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You mean it just utilizes the hardware better than stock app?
re: speed
the phone is stock at 720, not 550, only old ROM will still be there
the update is OTA, as soon as i turned on my new phone, it asked me if i wanted to update, and it was done, that was with the stock ROM, no root, no nothing
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh good.
also, the CPU spec (manufacture spec of the chip) is actually rated for 1000 Mhz
it was actually under-clocked to 720 (550) mostly to save battery power
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This phone can be safely overclocked to 1GHz? If so, that really increases the appeal for me.
re: Froyo 2.2
yes it's true we might not see anything better than 2.2
but that is more than enough to bring out the full power of the phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, froyo seems to add a lot over most other updates.
re: general
this phone is awesome, comparable to the latest stuff available, just the battery is a bit on the shy side 1390 mAh... which will get drained very quickly if you leave your phone running at 1000 Mhz all the time, reason why i speculate it was released at as a 550, and then updated by Moto to 720 to bring a happy medium for speed vs. battery life
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What does very quickly mean? I'm fine charging my phone every day (like I do now).
re: screen
is a normal TFT LCD, no much you can expect from it.... that's comparing it to a SAMOLED display, there's simply no comparison
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It does look better than my current though I think.
teruyume said:
Consider I paid $250 for it (450 -$50 discount, - $150 windtab), it is actually a good deal for this phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Heh. I think I misunderstood how Windtab works. I'll have to check into it more.
RE Camera/Video.
XT720 is absolute awful when it comes to camera/video. the image quality is worst then my Nokia N73 (3.2MP). 720p video recording is terrible, laggy as hell, i rather record at SD resolution. If you plan to do alot of Photo/Video, you better go for X10i AWS, but X10i has a lot of problem of its own, but photo/video is definitely much superior to XT720
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I looked at some examples posted in someone's review and I thought they looked decent. I guess it's not actually . Whatever the case, camera/video isn't a major feature for me, but a nice one.
Re General Opinion.
for $250 (as i paid), i am cool with xt720 as an Android phone, but if you going to pay $400 brandnew for it, I suggest you get an lightly used Galaxy S from Kijiji or Craiglist or RFDs, probably around $480 ish. little more pricy but much better IMO.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
/goes to check out Windtab some more
PM me if you have specific questions. Hope this helps you a little bit.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks.
So I'm going to check out that link Allgamer posted, check out WindTab options some more (is it only for new customers?) and then see if I can figure out what I'm doing.
Are there any estimates for when the 2.2 will be ready? (And is it basically confirmed that it will happen?)
Thanks for all the help guys

The screen is actually much more beautiful than a AMOLED, but that is just my personal opinion.
And am I the only one who thinks this camera is NOT crap? Image quality here is more than fine and video @720p isn't laggy AT ALL. Note that overclock is needed to record in 720p, else the camera app will crash. But I don't care about that. Once overclocking is enabled, it runs really, really great
So I think many of you need to stop complaining. Or am I really the only one who is actually very happy with this camera?

i really like the camera as well, it is very good, it's great phone for taking picture

I suggest you stick with your current phone and buy a new phone from eBay which is compatible with WIND. Yu should get a Google phone at least you will always get the latest for it unlike us who are stuck with what is given. Unlike an Apple product you can easily watch others surpass you while you are stuck running old version of your software.
Sent from my Milestone XT720 using XDA App

the top choices right now that are AWS (1700+2100) compatible are only this phone XT720 and Nexus S
the XT720 can be found for less than $400 new on phones stores, and are unlocked
the Nexus S, average street price is $700 to $800
unless you can travel to the USA and buy one yourself for $530+tax +GAS or plane ticket
the XT720 is subsidized by WIND & MobilityCity if you buy through them, so it's cheaper than $400

What AllGamer said. Nexus S isn't as easy to get my hands on. And to be honest I do really like the design and features of the XT720.
I think what I need to do in order to figure out more about it (especially since I'm getting mixed reviews about the camera/video) is to check it out for myself. Which is precisely what I'll be doing when I head to a WIND store today or tomorrow. Hopefully they can also clear up the deal with WINDtab for me (I don't think I can use it since I'm not a new customer but who knows, they might be nice lol).

What versions are compatible with WIND? Here's international version on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Motorola-MILE...BJC8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1296432364&sr=8-1 and it's new for $70 cheaper than WIND (and with Warranty). Compatible with WIND? Is there anything different from this and the one WIND sells? I'm just wondering why Motorola is selling it for $70 cheaper lol.
Thanks

Guys is it worth it to switch from Samsung wave to Motorola xt720? thanks

So after playing around for a bit, my first impressions: (granted, I didn't play around with it for very long)
Touch - Way better touch reaction than my U8100
Look/Design - Looks better (and much thinner) in real life. Really like the look.
Sound - Didn't get a chance to test.
Camera - I didn't play around with it for very long, but my first impressions were that the camera quality was very very nice.
Video - Also. I don't think I was even using the higher settings and I think this is better than my dedicated camcorder (flip mino - which does happen to be over 2 years old.)
Display - Very roomie (as opposed to the U8100), very visual.
Speed - Didn't get good oppurtinities to test with.
Anyways, I was overall impressed with it and I'm leaning towards buying it. They said that WINDtab is only for new activations, but I could just create a new account and get it for $250 ($150 WINDtab). WINDTab does expire on the 31st though which is like... tomorrow. XD
I think it makes more sense to get from Amazon though (provided that works with WIND). It will take quite a while to get $150 paid on WINDtab (with WIND's cheap plans). Additionally, if I make a new account I lose my current benefits of my special plan (which saves me $5 a month until September - i.e. $35 ). Through Amazon I save $70 and keep my $35 + I'm not forever stuck on paying off WIND.
My one major concern before making a purchase is if 2.2. doesn't get released (by Dexter) for this, but it does seem likely that it will be.
Anyways, if anyone could clear up the deal with Amazon (does it work with WIND?) as soon as possible (so I can figure out if I should buy from WIND), that would be a great help.
Thanks for all the help from you guys.

syrenz said:
Anyways, if anyone could clear up the deal with Amazon (does it work with WIND?) as soon as possible (so I can figure out if I should buy from WIND), that would be a great help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It works on WIND.

my XT720 is international, not Wind model, but using it in Wind
and it's a shame to say, the XT720 works better (as a phone & camera) than the Nexus S

See now you people were able to easily answer that question while when I asked on WIND community no one could give me a straight answer... (worst comes to worst there is Amazon's 30-day return policy)
Anyways, think I'm going to get this.
----
Time to check around these forums and figure out all the rooting stuff. (though I may just wait until Dexter does his thing before rooting)

syrenz said:
Time to check around these forums and figure out all the rooting stuff. (though I may just wait until Dexter does his thing before rooting)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
easy root http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=887416

The situation is similar at Cincinnati Bell. The XT720 is much cheaper upfront than the Nexus S so that definitely tips the scales. It's pretty nice after rooting and optimizing and it is worlds better than the Nokia 6010 I was using previously. Plus, I like to ***** about multinationals. Win win.

G2x, Sensation, or Galaxy S II?

Before I ask, I know there have been many threads about this topic, but my question is a little more specific than the rest. I get to upgrade my phone sometime in the next few weeks and one of these will be my first android phone. As a young artist, I am mostly looking for a phone which will take quality photos for good reference and preferably one which has video auto focus. I'm also a heavy internet user (about 5 hours a day on iPod Touch) but coming from iOS, I long for flash player. I also like to game a lot so the dual core cpu performance has to be somewhat decent with good speeds (better than my 4th gen touch at least lol). Lastly I'm a big media person with music a videos so I'm looking for a quality screen, support for multiple media formats (specifically mkv), decent speakers, and if possible, support for in-line headphones with volume, FF and RR (optional to come in the box, but if there are alternative working ones, please post below as I haven't found a solution with android devices and working in-line headphones). I've played around with my cousins EVO a lot so I've grown a liking to HTC Sense but I would also like to try out stock android sometime. And after a lot of time reading reviews and comments, I've taken a liking to the Galaxy S II's screen but I'm not a fan of TouchWiz. As previously stated, coming from an iOS user, I'm hoping one of these phones can either match or have greater quality with the screen in terms of brightness and contrast (not so much with resolution but mostly with colors, hue, and saturation). I'm hoping this narrows down the margin between these 3 phones.
P.S. I'm also hoping for one of these to have great dev support since I love to customize and test new tweaks.
EDITED - Also as an additional post, can you explain the batter life of the 3 as best as you can (even considering not having much info about the sensation)

I would say the G2X after LG fixes the Bleeding screen, restarts, and battery life issue. Both the GS2 and Sensatoin both have skins over android to which I've never been a fan of. 1st GS2 Engaget did a review and called it the best smart phone on the planet (the week before g2x was lol) but its made of plastic and its really thin so if the unthinkable happens and you drop the phone changes are its going to get jacked up and touchwiz. 2. Sensation Ive never been a fan of sense its a power hungry beast that needs to be removed. Just look at the battery life of the thunderbolt its really bad.
I had the G2X for a week and I loved it, its solid like my Nexus One it feels like a phone. I dropped it twice once on my tile floor and there were no marks and once on my naked foot to which brought me great pain. (lol) The G2X will have CM7 the galaxy s phones don't have CM support so why do you think that GS2 will? I plan on getting anothe G2x I'm just waiting until the 2nd line of them.

It honestly sounds like the Galaxy S II is just right for you. I know you say you dont like touchwiz (believe me I hate it) but the TW 4.0 or whatever its called looks really nice. From what I have seen it looks better than sense ui. Anyways, there have been battles between the G2X and the Galaxy S II and hardware wise the GSII always has the upper hand with camera, performance, screen, colors, etc.. However there are many things to consider. Do we even know what US carrier (if any) will receive the GSII? Also coming from the vibrant I swore up and down I wouild never buy a samsung phone again. Their lack of software support was just unacceptable. Im not even talking upgrades, just basic bug fixes. Development for this phone NEVER gave us a fully functioning stock android or AOSP ROM. Sure CM7 made a lot of headway and may still come to the galaxy s with all the fixes but right now it still has bugs and some things just dont work.
To make a long story short, I got the G2X because I wanted a stock android experience with a lot of developer backing (specifically cyanogenmod) and the specs of the phone are pretty amazing. Now it sounds to me like media and camera are more important to you so you may feel more welcome by the Galaxy S II if you dont care about aftermarket roms and such.

get 2x
coming from a vibrant, i can say that screen on the g2x is actually better and it being a stock android updates come faster and custom roms will also. I can't wait for the cyanogen mod either. I had battery issues but after resetting my phone the battery works just fine. they all have similar processors but the g2x being stock will get you better performance. I am a photographer also and am creating a photo journal with the g2x and it does the job well. good luck

i say go for SGS2, it works quite good out of the box and it has a great screen and you will absolutely appreciate the larger screen. Though im not really a fan of touchwiz.
I have g2x and going to return it today for SGS2.

There is no doubt in my mind that the dev support will be there for the sgs2 but it will be greater on the g2x just b/c of all the vanillaness.
The weight of the galaxy line is extremely light but believe me when I say that it is extremely durable. My old cliq felt like a brick but the second time I dropped that it stopped working completely so weight and feel have nothing to do with durability.
My vibrant has pretty much been through the equivalent of back to back fights with Manny Pacquiao and Anderson Silva only to come out as the new peoples champ. If you can wait, I would say try to see what all 3 of them are like and whether or not they come to your carrier. Its what I'm gonna do b/c I would hate to be stuck in another 2 year contract and not have the phone that I'm gonna own for atleast half of that time.

I have the same question, but new phones will probably come out because my next upgrade is in September. I really hate big phones and it seems phones are getting bigger and bigger. I really like the nexus s design (A lot!) And I like stock android, so I think I might wait until the nexus s2 comes out. Hopefully it stays a bit close to the design of the nexus s.

Sense isn't that power hungry the reason why the thunderbolt sucks on battery life is because of the lte network. A custom sense rom usually has no data drops. Like the aosp roms do.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA Premium App

Killbynature said:
Sense isn't that power hungry the reason why the thunderbolt sucks on battery life is because of the lte network. A custom sense rom usually has no data drops. Like the aosp roms do.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Each one of my friends who had a sense phone who switched to a custom rom w/o sense batter life increased alot.

jrharvey said:
It honestly sounds like the Galaxy S II is just right for you. I know you say you dont like touchwiz (believe me I hate it) but the TW 4.0 or whatever its called looks really nice. From what I have seen it looks better than sense ui. Anyways, there have been battles between the G2X and the Galaxy S II and hardware wise the GSII always has the upper hand with camera, performance, screen, colors, etc.. However there are many things to consider. Do we even know what US carrier (if any) will receive the GSII? Also coming from the vibrant I swore up and down I wouild never buy a samsung phone again. Their lack of software support was just unacceptable. Im not even talking upgrades, just basic bug fixes. Development for this phone NEVER gave us a fully functioning stock android or AOSP ROM. Sure CM7 made a lot of headway and may still come to the galaxy s with all the fixes but right now it still has bugs and some things just dont work.
To make a long story short, I got the G2X because I wanted a stock android experience with a lot of developer backing (specifically cyanogenmod) and the specs of the phone are pretty amazing. Now it sounds to me like media and camera are more important to you so you may feel more welcome by the Galaxy S II if you dont care about aftermarket roms and such.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your input. Also as a CFW PSP user and a Jailbroken iOS user, I like to have a combination of both dev support and media features, so I wouldn't want to leave that out. I'm surprised that only one person gave consideration to the sensation when I stated how it was the only UI I've ever used so far on android, and I read how it had an HRD camera with auto focus video so I thought most would assume that as the better choice, but my only problem with it is how its rumored to not have an unlocked bootloader. I think atm I will go with the g2x but I hope to hear about some alternatives to getting inline music controls to work.

g2xnerd said:
coming from a vibrant, i can say that screen on the g2x is actually better and it being a stock android updates come faster and custom roms will also. I can't wait for the cyanogen mod either. I had battery issues but after resetting my phone the battery works just fine. they all have similar processors but the g2x being stock will get you better performance. I am a photographer also and am creating a photo journal with the g2x and it does the job well. good luck
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you very much! when I saw still photos on the G2X compared to the S II, I thought it looked inferior, but being able to make a photo journal out of it seems to counter that argument. BTW is it possible for the camera to get an update for auto focus video recording like the Galaxy S Vibrant did? For camera usage, that is the only thing pushing me back from the G2X as well as the support for multiple video formats (which I hear the Galaxy S II will have based on the Exynos processor). Hope to receive some additional feedback.

If you go bluetooth you can get inline music control. I personally have and like the plantronics backbeats and the sweatproof motorola S-10 HDs. The backbeats are more flexible and easier to wear, while the S-10s are must haves for working out and sports.
Sent from my LG-P999 using XDA App

Infos3c said:
If you go bluetooth you can get inline music control. I personally have and like the plantronics backbeats and the sweatproof motorola S-10 HDs. The backbeats are more flexible and easier to wear, while the S-10s are must haves for working out and sports.
Sent from my LG-P999 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i hear a lot of mixed things about bluetooth headphones. even though the sound quality is great and the music controls work, I cannot always depend on headphones which need charging. Having to charge one device already is enough so i am more suited for wired inline in ear headphones.

jree said:
There is no doubt in my mind that the dev support will be there for the sgs2 but it will be greater on the g2x just b/c of all the vanillaness.
The weight of the galaxy line is extremely light but believe me when I say that it is extremely durable. My old cliq felt like a brick but the second time I dropped that it stopped working completely so weight and feel have nothing to do with durability.
My vibrant has pretty much been through the equivalent of back to back fights with Manny Pacquiao and Anderson Silva only to come out as the new peoples champ. If you can wait, I would say try to see what all 3 of them are like and whether or not they come to your carrier. Its what I'm gonna do b/c I would hate to be stuck in another 2 year contract and not have the phone that I'm gonna own for atleast half of that time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well not voting for the SGS2 here but I don't think Vanilla has any bearings on Dev Support, directly. Granted, I prefer vanilla and thus may contribute to its popularity, which, indirectly, popularity = dev support.
The only thing that matters is that the bootloader is unlocked and it is easily rootable and flashable. I mean once you get a CM rom on there, they all work the same.
I think Vanilla roms are more open to other variants like MIUI and the likes because they typically share the same partition structure. I know the G2x has a different structure and I think it is safe to say the SGS2 does too. Good thing that we are able to format and change the partitions to work across multiple roms.
The SGS2 was recently rooted and I think they found the bootloader to be unlocked. So it should be able to be flashed pretty easily.
One big factor that more people don't think about is the screen size. I have small hands (vs huge sausages) and the 4" screen of the G2x pushes my comfort zone. I think 4.3" would be too much and I would be fumbling it while trying to do one handed operations.
Having bought a G2x from a N1... I can say I'm extremely happy. I've been reading the SGS2 forums trying to stir up some internal buyers remorse... but I can honestly say that I would still pick my G2x over the SGS2 again. To me Tegra>Orion justifies AMOLED>LCD. I think NVidia will really push some developers to create some great games and I don't want to be stuck on the sidelines wishing I could get in on the action. Unable to play some of the newer "HD" (Only for Tegra) games are really making some of the SGS2 owners unhappy.
Nothing like buying a new toy and finding that it doesn't work with the latest HD games.
DMan1993 said:
that is the only thing pushing me back from the G2X as well as the support for multiple video formats (which I hear the Galaxy S II will have based on the Exynos processor). Hope to receive some additional feedback.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As far as multiple video formats, I don't think this has much to do with physical hardware as it does software. While I am most certainly not an expert, I have played a range of videos on my phones. Wouldn't all you need is a Video app that has the correct codecs and support for such file types?
I mean, really, not picking one device over another based on media format is just insane to me and defies all logic. I mean how easy is it to convert between formats, come on. I'd say that if you using a less common format or one that isn't widely available, you are only asking for trouble anyway. Most of the video I find online are either MP4 or avi and have no problem playing them on my device. If you are ripping it yourself, just save it in a format you can use.

This is a very good player, plays many formats
http://market.android.com/details?id=net.thefluxstudio.implayer

Player911:
Having bought a G2x from a N1... I can say I'm extremely happy. I've been reading the SGS2 forums trying to stir up some internal buyers remorse... but I can honestly say that I would still pick my G2x over the SGS2 again. To me Tegra>Orion justifies AMOLED>LCD. I think NVidia will really push some developers to create some great games and I don't want to be stuck on the sidelines wishing I could get in on the action. Unable to play some of the newer "HD" (Only for Tegra) games are really making some of the SGS2 owners unhappy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm quite surprised that the SGS2 folks have a buyers remorse, especially after reading your post. I was having remorse with the G2x since it just has 512MB ram and the GS2 kicks the G2x to the curb on every bullet point except Value for money/cost (I'm buying off contract). I'm also very surprised when you implicitly state that Orion cannot run Tegra games even though it's way faster than tegra.

ski_power said:
I'm quite surprised that the SGS2 folks have a buyers remorse, especially after reading your post. I was having remorse with the G2x since it just has 512MB ram and the GS2 kicks the G2x to the curb on every bullet point except Value for money/cost (I'm buying off contract). I'm also very surprised when you implicitly state that Orion cannot run Tegra games even though it's way faster than tegra.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dont just look at numbers (1ghz dual core vs 1.2 dual core) RAM numbers, etc.
It has been said the 1ghz Tegra 2 is a better processor overall, and you really dont need more than 512mb of RAM since Android closes apps on its own when memory gets low. You wont see much if any performance increase from merely more RAM.
Lets not forget Samsung's recent past with its Galaxy S line having broken GPS, wonky file systems that slowed down phones, and bootloaders locked.
I wouldnt just yet say the SGS2 is a better device because how it looks on paper.

>It has been said the 1ghz Tegra 2 is a better processor overall, and you really dont need more than 512mb of RAM since Android closes apps on its own when memory gets low. You wont see much if any performance increase from merely more RAM.
I'm not sure about that. Both use dual Cortex A9s. The difference in hardware between the two is the GPU. We all know Tegra 2 uses GeForce ULP but I'm not sure what the Exynos uses(SGX or Adreno).
I concede my point to your statement about the RAM, since I only recently learnt about memory management in Android (this is my first Android). I'm pretty sure Sammy must have fixed the GPS issues, since if they don't I'd lose all respect for them.
Oh OP, one thing you might want to consider is that the Galaxy S2 does not have an HDMI out port. They say it's got some USB-HDMI cable though.
Also, it depends on your hands. The G2x itself is a pretty big device in my opinion, and seeing that the SGS2 has a 4.3" screen it's going to be much bigger.

Definitely sgs2
Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk

player911 said:
Well not voting for the SGS2 here but I don't think Vanilla has any bearings on Dev Support, directly. Granted, I prefer vanilla and thus may contribute to its popularity, which, indirectly, popularity = dev support.
The only thing that matters is that the bootloader is unlocked and it is easily rootable and flashable. I mean once you get a CM rom on there, they all work the same.
I think Vanilla roms are more open to other variants like MIUI and the likes because they typically share the same partition structure. I know the G2x has a different structure and I think it is safe to say the SGS2 does too. Good thing that we are able to format and change the partitions to work across multiple roms.
The SGS2 was recently rooted and I think they found the bootloader to be unlocked. So it should be able to be flashed pretty easily.
One big factor that more people don't think about is the screen size. I have small hands (vs huge sausages) and the 4" screen of the G2x pushes my comfort zone. I think 4.3" would be too much and I would be fumbling it while trying to do one handed operations.
Having bought a G2x from a N1... I can say I'm extremely happy. I've been reading the SGS2 forums trying to stir up some internal buyers remorse... but I can honestly say that I would still pick my G2x over the SGS2 again. To me Tegra>Orion justifies AMOLED>LCD. I think NVidia will really push some developers to create some great games and I don't want to be stuck on the sidelines wishing I could get in on the action. Unable to play some of the newer "HD" (Only for Tegra) games are really making some of the SGS2 owners unhappy.
Nothing like buying a new toy and finding that it doesn't work with the latest HD games.
As far as multiple video formats, I don't think this has much to do with physical hardware as it does software. While I am most certainly not an expert, I have played a range of videos on my phones. Wouldn't all you need is a Video app that has the correct codecs and support for such file types?
I mean, really, not picking one device over another based on media format is just insane to me and defies all logic. I mean how easy is it to convert between formats, come on. I'd say that if you using a less common format or one that isn't widely available, you are only asking for trouble anyway. Most of the video I find online are either MP4 or avi and have no problem playing them on my device. If you are ripping it yourself, just save it in a format you can use.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Coming from iOS, I am tired of having to convert all of my videos to mp4 format and having little knowledge of android from not having owned one just increases my curiosity on the matter since the SGSII specs list stated that the Exynos processor has more support for video formats than tegra 2. Being able to directly download and play any format is one thing I am looking for in one of these phones so that is why I asked the question. Some of the videos I download are dual audio and subbed mkv's and having to download multiple programs to get the subtitles and audio working on a mobile device is very time consuming so having support for multiple codecs would make things a whole lot easier.

suggest me ! i am about to buy an atrix 2 !

hello friends !
i am about to get an atrix 2 from a friend in cheap !
so i was asking whether it would be good to buy this phone !
i know the chipset is old and all and that is not of my primary concern !
things i want to know about are
-battery life (main concern)
-camera and camcorder quality
-headphones output
-screen quality
-loudspeaker output
would also like to know about the jellybean update and how would you compare it to ics ?
i have been through many reviews of this device but would like to get personal user experiences from y'all..
you can also compare this device to the used devices in my signature pic so i'll get a very clear idea !
thanks...

buy it lets share the joys and regrets of this, well in my opinion is "UNIQUE" phone,, and if its cheap.. why think twice..

hafizkris90 said:
buy it lets share the joys and regrets of this, well in my opinion is "UNIQUE" phone,, and if its cheap.. why think twice..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
your comments regarding the points i mentioned above ??

aaki_rocker said:
hello friends !
i am about to get an atrix 2 from a friend in cheap !
so i was asking whether it would be good to buy this phone !
i know the chipset is old and all and that is not of my primary concern !
things i want to know about are
-battery life (main concern)
-camera and camcorder quality
-headphones output
-screen quality
-loudspeaker output
would also like to know about the jellybean update and how would you compare it to ics ?
i have been through many reviews of this device but would like to get personal user experiences from y'all..
you can also compare this device to the used devices in my signature pic so i'll get a very clear idea !
thanks...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, it is old, and therefor will not perform like new devices, but it was good for it's time, so is still not half bad.
Battery life can be good, but keep in mind you are buying a used phone, so it will have lost capacity over time. if it is bad, you might want to invest in a new battery.
Camera was one of the best of the time, and still is very good.
headphones work fine, but I doubt you will see anything particularly bad or good with them. keep in mind, as with all phones with the jack on the top, lint from your pants pocket often gets jammed in it, causing loss of audio or poor connections. you can remove it carefully with a bent paper clip (google it).
The screen is higher resolution than most phones when i came out, but it still is not as good as the phones today. Some people complain about a yellow tint, but generally the screen is very good.
Can't say much on the loudspeaker, I have never really used a different phones, but it does sound loud and good to me.
Jelly Bean really speeds things up, and most of the custom ROMs are JB anyways so you are probably going to want it.

And if you dont like to root the phone and flash the roms....
if can always install the official JB leak... this is pretty cool...
JB obviously much better than ICS.... It runs really really smooth...
Its been over an year now.. but still loving Atrix2 alot....

aaki_rocker said:
hello friends !
i am about to get an atrix 2 from a friend in cheap !
things i want to know about are
-battery life (main concern)- 2 Days on 2G and 6hrs on 3G
-camera and camcorder quality- Average quality camera
-headphones output- Nice audio quality
-screen quality- Warm tint and pales in comparison to IPS LCDs
-loudspeaker output- VERY loud. One of the loudest phones I've used
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My answers to your query in bold.
Battery life is phenomenal in 2G mode. I suggest you use tasker to toggle 3G/2G according to your need. The phone is strictly average in the present day. In addition, the non-existent Motorola presence in India makes spares harder to come by. So, even if you buy it for a pittance and later need a new battery, that alone would cost you 1500 Rs, and broken screen takes 1month to repair.
I suggest you not to rush into the purchase and regret it later .

raffmonster said:
My answers to your query in bold.
Battery life is phenomenal in 2G mode. I suggest you use tasker to toggle 3G/2G according to your need. The phone is strictly average in the present day. In addition, the non-existent Motorola presence in India makes spares harder to come by. So, even if you buy it for a pittance and later need a new battery, that alone would cost you 1500 Rs, and broken screen takes 1month to repair.
I suggest you not to rush into the purchase and regret it later .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
perfect answer !
doubts cleared !
thanks buddy...
getting a mint one black & white for 8k buddy !
what do you think. should I ??

Also just to point out, this phone has been locked down a lot by Motorola and our devs have worked hard to find work arounds. If you love flashing Roms and would require an unlocked boot loader then I can't suggest that you buy this phone.
That said, it is not a low end phone. Pretty fast and smooth. It has a good camera that takes quality pictures. Lastly it's pretty durable in comparison to other smart phones.
Press the thanks button if this post helped you

aaki_rocker said:
perfect answer !
doubts cleared !
thanks buddy...
getting a mint one black & white for 8k buddy !
what do you think. should I ??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
8K is the current going rate for Atrix 2s. What I would suggest is that you be thoroughly aware and ready to accept any pitfalls that might occur in the near future with this phone as far as Motorola support is concerned, if you intend to buy it.Agreed, it is a durable phone, a daily driver and runs Jellybean 4.1. However, what I got to know in the 3-4 months after I bought this phone that it is the Software that makes up the phone, the dev support, the variety of features and custom ROMs available. The locked bootloader on this model makes any stable Key Lime Pie upgrade doubtful, and the customizations for this are even lesser than that for Droid RAZR. And I presume that you know that this phone doesn't support 3G videocall over GSM network. You'll get bored after a day or two with this phone after having owned the likes of Razr and the One X.
I bought this phone over the Galaxy S II in September 2012 , very well knowing that even ICS upgrade might not come for this phone, and that it had more durability and better resolution than the former. But now, it feels ancient in the current lineup of Quads and 2GB RAM phones.
In short:
Don't buy it just because it is being sold for peanuts. Buy it if you really intend to use it despite the abovesaid facts.

raffmonster said:
8K is the current going rate for Atrix 2s. What I would suggest is that you be thoroughly aware and ready to accept any pitfalls that might occur in the near future with this phone as far as Motorola support is concerned.It is a durable phone, a daily driver and runs Jellybean 4.1. However, I got to know in the 3-4 months after I bought this phone that it is the Software that makes up the phone, the dev support, the variety of features and custom ROMs available. The locked bootloader on this model makes any stable Key Lime Pie upgrade doubtful, and the customizations for this are even lesser than that for Droid RAZR. And I presume that you know that this phone doesn't support 3G videocall over GSM network. You'll get bored after a day or two with this phone after having owned the likes of Razr and the One X.
I bought this phone over the Galaxy S II in September 2012 , very well knowing that even ICS upgrade might not come for this phone, and that it had more durability and better resolution than the former. But now, it feels ancient in the current lineup of Quads and 2GB RAM phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
right buddy !
i will think again and decide!
thanks for your valuable opinion..
i had an eye on this phone for its battery life though !

Among all the phones that were below 20K INR last year, this is the only one you can run Jelly Bean on. Most of the hardware purchased by others last year, are stuck to GB (and rarely upgraded to ICS). That way, the phone has given enormous return of investment to people who bought it new last year. Even now, if you're looking to run JB - this is one of your best options (assuming you're not interested in micromax/carbon etc) as value for money.