[Q] hackable/community budget dual core phone - General Questions and Answers

hi, i am searching for a hackable android dual core phone... by hackable: i mean the most supported by the community .. running latest android version (think it's 4.2.2 atm) with no issues and kind of future proof (more chance of getting latest rom version) ... i am mainly serching for an htc hd2 dual core version... other requirements are microsd slot, bluetooth, usb otg and if possible hdmi out/video out. If i can find it cheap as second hand on ebay .. i will still be interested ... will mainly use it for experimental stuff, development, and as a downloader.(to reduce my electricity bill as my pc is 24/24 online downloading stuff)

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[Q] Switch between Android, Win Phone 7, and WinMo 6.5 on the same device?

hi guys,
I'd like to know if it possible because I've been using my Xperia x1 for about a year and i think it's time for a change but when I checked all the available phones I got confused a little.
it seems like Windows phone 7 looks great but in a review i saw somewhere it says that it lacks some important features such as:
No Bluetooth file transfers
No USB mass storage mode
No multitasking
No copy/paste
No Flash or Silverlight support in the web browser
No DivX/XviD video support
No internet tethering support
Swapping memory card requires hard reset; cards not readable by computer
and Android has great features but IMO I think WinMo gives more freedom in the terms of using or hacking
and as a WinMo 6.5 user I find it a great OS with all the features needed and if there some feature I want that is not already offered it's available here on XDA-Dev either as a .cab or cooked in a ROM
So the Main Question: if I buy a Sonyericsson (X10 maybe) or a HTC with a 1 GHz Processor will I be able to install any OS of them as a ROM???
Thanx in advance.
The only device capable of running WP7 is the hTC Leo and it has actually working Android and some working on Ubuntu and Maemo as well.
not any other device will be capable to do so
Thanx for reply
So the HD2/Leo is able to handle all 3 OSs
but i have more questions please
how is the HD2 up to date regarding the specs? like the RAM, ROM, and processor
can there be 2 OSs in the same time and to be able to switch between them?
and does android 2.2 froyo work 100% i mean with everything working??
thanx again
ahmedsalem89 said:
it seems like Windows phone 7 looks great
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm intreagued, what about the duplo phone looks great to you?
The basic HD2 specs are up to date on paper (RAM, ROM, processor) and even beat some newer phones but dig deep and you'll see the latest version of the chips are better. Android 2.2 is running perfectly but WP7 is still work in progress.
It's more than a year old but still the best phone EVER.
samizad said:
The basic HD2 specs are up to date on paper (RAM, ROM, processor) and even beat some newer phones but dig deep and you'll see the latest version of the chips are better. Android 2.2 is running perfectly but WP7 is still work in progress.
It's more than a year old but still the best phone EVER.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, it's clear now that the HD2 is one of the best phones out there as it's capable of handling nearly the 3 OSs, Thanx for ur help
Any chance for Desire to use WP7 too?
I would be great if it is possible.
I wanna try WP7 too.

[Q] A bad buy, need advice

I previously had no Android experience and recently bought Xperia X10 Mini Pro as suggested by friends in a haste as an upgrade from my Nokia E63. After purchasing it, I found it out to be more of a downgrade.The phone itself is outdated but that is a different issue.
Web browsing is better, I got GPS and music is a major overhaul. But the inability to do proper multitask and lack of GSM-GPRS Dual Mode means this is not gonna replace my E63. Sadly, as deep as I have searched, Dual mode is not as easily available among Androids and proper multitasking requires huge RAM compared to Nokia. So I need suggestion on a cheap android that can truly replace, suppose a Nokia E71. Does such an Android phone really exist?
ZTE blade maybe the best one for the guy had no Android experience, or a better one, MOTO defy.
I don't think so
waylz3344 said:
ZTE blade maybe the best one for the guy had no Android experience, or a better one, MOTO defy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ZTE models are sadly not available Here in Kolkata. That model would not have suited me either. But DEFY is a seriously good mobile. Got good RAM, Armv7, PowerVR GPU, long battery life. Price is within my capability. It is also water/scratch/dust resistant. Are u sure that it supports dual mode? The website does not mention.
I didn't understand the issue with camera clearly, If I get the GREEN version does that mean camera will never work for me using CM9? [I am damn sure India gets green. Guess I'll have to sacrifice ICS then]
From this post it seems that Moto Defy supports Dual Transfer Mode. The only concern that remains now is about ICS update and the camera. Can anyone clarify that?
When it comes to pricing, no one can beat Nokia
There are lots of cheap Android phone available in the market, but you have to compensate in the screen resolution, speed etc. I wud recommend you Galaxy S (i9000) if you can afford...cheaper than dat is Galaxy ACE & Galaxy GIO.
Check if HUAWEI is available in your location, they are the cheapest highly loaded Android devices here in Oman.
zte monte carlo nice
Problem is, none of the mobiles you mention has Dual Transfer Mode in official specs, while even the latest Nokia, the Lumina 800 mentions Dual Transfer Mode (MSC 32) clearly in its specs. It is sad how Symbian died due to lack of interest from the part of application developers, but it had the best multitasking among all mobile OSes. In Android, whenever I minimise Opera Mini to do something else, I am always afraid that perhaps opening the next file will unload the browser in background; while in S60, u can have 20 apps running and 20 tabs open in browser in a handset with only 128 MB RAM, if pushed to its limit, the device will reboot but never ninja kill apps in background.
I can provide many links where people complain about lack of DTM in their Androids. Sony Vivaz is a S60 and it supports DTM.
Some said that editing build.prop allows DTM in some HTC phones. I have tried that in X10 Mini Pro and it did not work. Seems the radio antenna itself is cheap.
I recently ran a test in my X10 Mini Pro by starting a file download in it and sending a barrage of SMSes from another phone simultaneously. The download failed, none of those SMSes arrived ever.
So please mention how u know that those devices suggested have DTM. It is necessary.
I think I need to update my question. From this post, it seems that SE does not provide DTM as 3G already supports multiple connections. SE may think that there is no necessity of this technology in this age of 4G but in India 3G is both costly and rare.
I need GSM DTM, not the simultaneous voice and data capability of 3G.
Edit: I have subscribed for 3G. I was shocked to find that good quality 3G is cheaper than US here. It will be activated within 24 hours. Lets see if dual mode works now; else I'll have to get another handset with better radio.
Update: Ok HSDPA allows simultaneous voice and data in this handset. But 3G drops during calls perhaps due to poor signal so I need stock ROM to force WCDMA only.

[Q] Generic Chinese Clone Devices

Ok, so I'm pretty new to this whole Android thing, but I'm not daft and know a think or two about computers and software, so I'm not a complete 'noob'...
However, to spare me the drama of trawling through thousands of pages, I have a few quick concise questions, and would appreciate concise answers.
So I bought a generic handset, branded as an Onyx Dragon though AnTuTu benchmark app tells me its a Yusu... details and specs from Chinavision.com (search Onyx Dragon).
I initially bought it because I needed a new phone (been on a Moto V3 Razr for about 6 years!) so got this cos it was cheap and looked good. Runs Froyo on what I have found to be pretty **** hardware (MT6516, advertised as 416MHz but shown to be around 207MHz, but not sure if this is main CPU or radio core...) with not a lot of RAM. I installed an 8Gb SD card to save the apps and keep as much free internal space as possible, in case the OS supports disc memory (?). The wireless is good and screen works well, but the GPS, navigation and camera are rubbish, but they are not why I bought it; I have a decent camera and I can read a map. Its definitely 'entry level' so I'm not too bothered if I brick it.
Since I got it, and seeing the many cheap 'clones' out there, I'm keen to get into them a bit more and start developing. I already rooted it with z4root, BusyBox and Superuser all installed fine. ROM Manager is running but because I don't know the actual brand I'm not yet running ClockWorkMod (doesn't show up in the list). I'm keen to install Gingerbread or maybe even CyanogenMod 7, but cannot flash the ROM without CWM. Can anyone tell me what phone 'model' I should use for this particular handset?
I can't overclock the chipset, but have been looking at other clones to play with, such as htc Incredible G11i Pro clone from etotalk.com and 'CyberStar' 3G handset with MT6573 650MHz chipset (also from Chinavision).
Does anyone have any knowledge/experience with these clones? They look great and if they work as well as the budget model I have now then there is certainly potential. Sure, they may not be as good as a genuine Galaxy or Nexus, but then the price reflects that. However, as a cheap development platform you can't really go wrong! I'd like to see faster processors and more hardware mod ability such as clocking, just to see what is possible. Anyone tried ICS on one of these? I read elsewhere that if Froyo runs ok on a cheap device then GB should be better. My friend has GB 2.3.3 on a genuine $500 Galaxy S2 and I'd love to show him up with a rooted and clocked clone running ICS for a fraction of the price!!
Well, thats not as concise as I would like, but it covers pretty much everything. One last thing though, I cannot install ES File Explorer 1.6.1, it will download from Market and attempt to install but then fail. The latest version I have is the pre-installed 1.4.2.2. I've tried everything I can think of; downloading on my Mac and copying via USB to install from Astro making sure ES is not running, failed. Tried uninstalling ES with ROM Toolbox having root access and disabled AVG, failed. Tried to launch new version from package options, failed. I have installed ES Task Manager v1.2 but cannot use all the features as it says File Explorer needs to be updated, and needless to say updating it from the prompts failed as well... Any ideas? I'm thinking a flash to GB should include the latest version (or better alternative).
Thanks all in advance!
I don't think it's possible to run ICS on such a low spec'd device. This onyx dragon runs on a 416Mhz ARM9 processor with a 200 Mhz ARM7 GPU. Even the G1 that uses a 528Mhz ARM11 CPU can't run ICS well. I would suggest that you give up on theses crappy chineses devices. If you don't have money you can find a LG Optimus One for 100 bucks on ebay and it is A LOT better than any of these chinese crap phones
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App
For CWM, take a look at this site http://www.koushikdutta.com/2010/02/clockwork-recovery-image.html and the quote below
Don't see your phone? Email me if you want to help me get it working!
And of course, all the source can be found on Github.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please use the Q&A Forum for questions Thanks
Moving to Q&A
Hey all, thanks for the feedback. Basically, sure I don't want to spend a lot being a student, I don't have a lot, but I'm keen to get more out of what I can afford, hence the Chinese crap (yes it is crap but if it does what you need...) : ) just a shame I can't clock mine! Does anyone know if ANY MediaTec chips can be?
Sure, I think running ICS is a bit optimistic, but I'd still like to give GB or C-Mod a go, providing I can get CWM installed. I'd like to compile myself and even think about refining my own version, perhaps slimming down a newer version to run on low performance hardware. What's this about a special cable needed with a 3.5mm jack?
And am I right in thinking Honeycomb was only for tablets, not phones...?
droidscope said:
Hey all, thanks for the feedback. Basically, sure I don't want to spend a lot being a student, I don't have a lot, but I'm keen to get more out of what I can afford, hence the Chinese crap (yes it is crap but if it does what you need...) : ) just a shame I can't clock mine! Does anyone know if ANY MediaTec chips can be?
Sure, I think running ICS is a bit optimistic, but I'd still like to give GB or C-Mod a go, providing I can get CWM installed. I'd like to compile myself and even think about refining my own version, perhaps slimming down a newer version to run on low performance hardware. What's this about a special cable needed with a 3.5mm jack?
And am I right in thinking Honeycomb was only for tablets, not phones...?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes you are right about honeycomb. As for the device. Without kernel source which will never be released due to copyright issues you may have a bit of trouble Modding it. CM only supports authentic devices and not clones as the hardware specs as you learned are faked and never true.
droidscope said:
Hey all, thanks for the feedback. Basically, sure I don't want to spend a lot being a student, I don't have a lot, but I'm keen to get more out of what I can afford, hence the Chinese crap (yes it is crap but if it does what you need...) : ) just a shame I can't clock mine! Does anyone know if ANY MediaTec chips can be?
Sure, I think running ICS is a bit optimistic, but I'd still like to give GB or C-Mod a go, providing I can get CWM installed. I'd like to compile myself and even think about refining my own version, perhaps slimming down a newer version to run on low performance hardware. What's this about a special cable needed with a 3.5mm jack?
And am I right in thinking Honeycomb was only for tablets, not phones...?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi droidscope,
Not all the Chinese phones are crap there are a few very capable phones now entering the market and they are catching up the bigboys rapidly.
For more info & reviews on the latest Chinese phones check over here http://www.gizchina.com/category/phones/ Try to stick with the branded chinese phones such as Zopo, ZTE, Newman etc because there is at least some support where as the direct copy/clones have no support at all. If buying try to get the phone pre rooted because some of the Chinese phone are getting more difficult to root. I would look here http://www.etotalk.com/ if buying and select the MOD ROM $4.99 for most phones then the phone will come pre rooted with working playstore language etc. They do not 1 to 1 copys although some of the phones have more than a passing look of some of the more famous brands. I have used them a few times and they have not let me down be sure to email them first to ask about stock levels though.

[Q] Current recommendations for powerful low-budget phone / tablet supported by CM?

I'd like to buy a new phone and/or tablet, I don't mind if no-name Chinese, but it has to be
powerful with up-to-date hardware
low-budget (I mean a real bargain)
suitable for running CyanogenMod
No idea about a tablet yet, it should be around 10" (min. 1280x720px) with built-in 3G, thought about a Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 GT-P5100, but compared to some Chinese devices I found on Alibaba it's quite expensive, with the freshly announced Tab 3 even at a higher price.
Concerning the phone I found the amazing Lenovo A820 at an unreal low price with top specs, but it's Dual SIM and not supported by CM (in fact CM currently has no Dual SIM support at all).
The major issue with no-name Chinese devices is the uncertain CM support (don't mind if officially or unofficially supported), but not being able to install CM would be a showstopper for me, as I have no intentions at all to run any Android device with GAPPS installed!
And advice?
Master One said:
And advice?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Most Chinese devices (HTC and huawei and Oppo excluded) will not get CM support. If they do, it will be very limited. As in, they'll stop after maybe a couple months of nightlies.
Lenovo makes android tablets? Hmmm.
And stuff that is made specifically for China is usually much cheaper, but much harder to get your hands on.
My 0.02.
After some more research and searching through the list of supported devices at CM I came to the conclusion, that unfortunately none of such interesting Chinese / no-name hardware is suitable for me. I just have to have CM without GAPPS on my device, there is no way around it.
It seems there are quite some devices coming now with reasonable (and similar) specs at very low prices, like the freshly announced Huawei Ascend G525, which are all Dual SIM. If it wasn't about the missing CM support, I'd go for something like the Lenovo A820 or similar.
I still don't know what to do. The tablet is not a must-have, but a new phone would be nice right now. The list on CM does not show which devices are new, it should be a recent 2013 model.
So any hint, which of the un-/officially CM supported recent devices would be worth looking at?
Please use the thread stickied for this type of discussion
Thread closed

Looking for cheap Android phone which is good for AOSP and custom Kernels

Hi guys,
I want to find a cheap Android phone (around $100) which is good for AOSP and kernel development.
I need it cheap because I want to buy a lot of them for my classes in University (about 50 phones).
There are tons of cheap phones, but I am not sure that it will be easy to find Android and kernel sources for them.
I would prefer a vendor that open-sources all stuff, so I do not have to waste too much time for searching sources.
What would you suggest?
Max88888 said:
Hi guys,
I want to find a cheap Android phone (around $100) which is good for AOSP and kernel development.
I need it cheap because I want to buy a lot of them for my classes in University (about 50 phones).
There are tons of cheap phones, but I am not sure that it will be easy to find Android and kernel sources for them.
I would prefer a vendor that open-sources all stuff, so I do not have to waste too much time for searching sources.
What would you suggest?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe Samsung Galaxy Trend Plus (if you can find many of them)
Sent from my GT-S7580 using Tapatalk
Cheap Phones
The FIGO Virtue 2 is about as cheap as you are going to get (50 bucks) for a phone running Android 5.1 out of the box. Not exactly a fire breather but it is complete. 512MB RAM 8GB ROM MT 6580 chipset. SMALL display. Feels like a toy when you pick it up.
Just got a first partially successful attempt at TWRP to at least not bring the whole thing down when booting to recovery but at this point all it will do is show me what I need to eventually fix and let me re-boot normally, but it is a start :good:
UPDATE 18 November 2016 - TWRP now appears to be fully functional (hacked a different one into it) so looking to create or find a CM 12 ROM for it.
The 5.1 implementation is delightfully devoid of bloatware although not quite the "pico" GApps option I would prefer with CM.
Easy to root with Kingo Root (use the APK rather than the PC version) and the standard MTK tools you can find online will work with it as well.
Their web site is figoglobal.com
They have some reasonable support staff as well. People who actually respond intelligently to e-mails and offer useful replies. Rarely if ever life telephone support but it is, after all, the 21st century and these are all rather inexpensive mass produced in China devices
TRY the redmi 3s

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