Best cheap UK Android phone? - General Questions and Answers

Hi all, first post for me. Fingers crossed I'm in the right forum
I'm looking for a couple of phones for my parents to use while the are visiting the UK from the USA. They both have iPhones there but need to make local calls when here and roaming rates on Version are crazy!
I'm not going to jailbreak there iPhone so I thought a couple of cheap Androids would be the way to go.
Ideally I would like to be able too root 'em and put Cm 10.1 on them.
They don't need powerful phones, just a couple of apps would be loaded so older phones are fine.
Any thoughts?
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium

Related

[Q] Xoom Manufacturing Revision Help

I am getting ready to buy a Xoom. One thing that I have noticed in the world of Android phones, I have the EVO, is there are several different hardware revisions of the same phones as production begins, new orders from carriers brings new manufacturing runs, ect. I have found their to be subtle differences between these revisions, usually all on the inside, but all for the better. Sometimes making a difference in the way a phone is rooted, or whatever.
Does anybody know if there are known revision series and how can I assure myself of getting the newest revision if they exist? What vendor do you think has the freshest supply of Xoom tablets?
Thanks for helping the newb!
Wilson Hines
about.me/wilsonhines
Wow, I thought you guys would've jumped all over this topic!
i can't say I know enough to give you a satisfactory answer but I can just say, are you looking for wifi or 3g? Because if your looking for 3g supossedly sales haven't been that good so they're may not be any revisions if the first batch is still sitting around. If wifi sales are better than maybe there is some variety in the models.
But in all honesty I am just guessing my @$$ off. I know the 3g did come unsealed from best buy which means they were changing things around up to the last minute...
IndivisibleP said:
i can't say I know enough to give you a satisfactory answer but I can just say, are you looking for wifi or 3g? Because if your looking for 3g supossedly sales haven't been that good so they're may not be any revisions if the first batch is still sitting around. If wifi sales are better than maybe there is some variety in the models.
But in all honesty I am just guessing my @$$ off. I know the 3g did come unsealed from best buy which means they were changing things around up to the last minute...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah WIFI, and I ended up buying from Amazon. I just placed the order about 10 minutes ago, next day Prime of $3.99 shipping. I figured Amazon would be drilling through their supplies and re-ordering more than just about anybody.
To be honest I doubt there are hardware revisions beyond the obvious ones (Wifi US, Wifi Europe and carrier 3g versions).
Ordering from Amazon was likely wise as they will have the greatest wifi only turnover so the device you get will likely be from the second or third production runs (any after the first will be less likely to have defects).
Beyond that the only advice is to be aware of where your Xoom comes from. I was careful to make sure the company I bought from had imported the us wifi models so I could get the 3.1 update out of the box.
Beyond that, enjoy your Xoom. I think you will love it.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA Premium App
I bought mine aweek ago and it came with 3.1 out the box I got it from best buy they only had 3 left.
Sent from my Dell Streak using XDA Premium App
nthknd said:
I bought mine aweek ago and it came with 3.1 out the box I got it from best buy they only had 3 left.
Sent from my Dell Streak using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK, just opened mine up and installed some mess and goofing around. Mine just downloaded the 3.1 update.
Wilson Hines
HTC EVO 2.2
Motorola Xoom 3.1
Congratulations....welcome aboard.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA Premium App
Great enjoy
Sent from my Dell Streak using XDA Premium App

Best prepaid device

I'm going to go off contact soon I want to know. The most cost effective way to get a new devices. I want to do some mobile game and check email stuff like that. At the moment I have a wilds fire s It works OK. I was looking at a Nexis 7 with a portable hot spot. Or the 3g ver. If I went this route I would be useing some kind of voip. I do a lot of manual work so Im a bit. Worried about the size and it getting damage. When you move into a phone the price shoots up a lot then I have to start looking into the used market like eBay. I would even use a iPod touch If need be but would like to stay with the Android platform. I don't mind a contact so much but prepaid see much cheeper I guess if I do get a contract I would get some kind of service plan. Just in case I know people ask this question all the time but it seems like tablets and phones get release on a weekly bases and it hard to keep track of it all. Thanks much
Sent from my HTC Wildfire S A510e using Tapatalk 2
raven.warsong said:
I'm going to go off contact soon I want to know. The most cost effective way to get a new devices. I want to do some mobile game and check email stuff like that. At the moment I have a wilds fire s It works OK. I was looking at a Nexis 7 with a portable hot spot. Or the 3g ver. If I went this route I would be useing some kind of voip. I do a lot of manual work so Im a bit. Worried about the size and it getting damage. When you move into a phone the price shoots up a lot then I have to start looking into the used market like eBay. I would even use a iPod touch If need be but would like to stay with the Android platform. I don't mind a contact so much but prepaid see much cheeper I guess if I do get a contract I would get some kind of service plan. Just in case I know people ask this question all the time but it seems like tablets and phones get release on a weekly bases and it hard to keep track of it all. Thanks much
Sent from my HTC Wildfire S A510e using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Craigslist and eBay.
sent from my Infuse running UnOfficial CM10 Jelly Bean. You Jelly bro?
The best no contract device and service is hands down the Huawei Mercury on Cricket...It is a underrated high end device, i recommend it to anyone,the only drawback is it doesnt have very much dev support yet but were working on it...here are the specs http://www.gsmarena.com/huawei_m886_mercury-4381.php

[Q] Way to Delay Upgrade?

Hello everyone, I'm a longtime Sprint user, and am looking forward to my switch to Verizon very soon! I currently own an EVO 4G LTE, and am taking a look at what phones I should get when I switch companies. The best available phone right now appears to undoubtedly be the SIII.
I have heard that there are some pretty awesome phones on the horizon, and I would love to get them (HTC's apparent phablet, Razr Maxx HD, etc.). However, I really don't think I can wait until November because I can't possibly tolerate Sprint anymore and their ridiculous lack of coverage in my area (they told me the towers are being upgraded for the past 7 months).
So my question is this: is there any way to delay my upgraded phone price so that I can use it once these newer phones are released? In other words, can I use another phone or do something else in order to not use that contract upgrade until November, even if I sign up for their service this week? Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Also, if you would just go get the SIII if you were in my position, that's useful input too. I love the phone, I just feel like it will be "dated" in a month. Seems like the worst possible time to buy... I'm in a pickle.
Thoughts?
I don't know the answer to your question but I just switched to Verizon from sprint and got the S3. Waiting on it in the mail now. I don't think u can do what u want but im not sure. Hopefully someone can answer it for sure
Sent from Galaxy SIII
You would have to purchase a phone at full retail price. Then you could get the pro rated price later.
Brian Gove said:
You would have to purchase a phone at full retail price. Then you could get the pro rated price later.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Or he could buy a phone off craigslist and go in there with one already...
fenixnr said:
Or he could buy a phone off craigslist and go in there with one already...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is an interesting idea - so I would need to find a Verizon-capable smartphone on Craigslist as cheap as possible, and then use the "upgrade" later when I want?
Another option would be do the pre paid route until you find a phone you want, then jump on contract.
jaben2 said:
Another option would be do the pre paid route until you find a phone you want, then jump on contract.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had not thought of this option yet, although the thought of going pre-paid doesn't appeal to me for some reason. I doubt my wife would go for it either. I have heard that pre-paid is getting more popular though - any suggestions for going pre-paid if I do explore that route? There's so many options out there now...
PsiPhiDan said:
I had not thought of this option yet, although the thought of going pre-paid doesn't appeal to me for some reason. I doubt my wife would go for it either. I have heard that pre-paid is getting more popular though - any suggestions for going pre-paid if I do explore that route? There's so many options out there now...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Go to the galaxy nexus forum and look at the threads that say prepaid service guides or something similar. One of them says "rule your plan with..." they all talk about the best prepaid plans for the money.
Here is one of the more popular ones http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1455014
Obviously you don't have to do it with a nexus, you can use one of the prepaid ****ty phones. They just talk about the plans there. When I read it a long time ago most of them involved getting the prepaid phone and then switching out the sim card so you could just chill with the original phone until something interesting comes out on Verizon.
jaben2 said:
Another option would be do the pre paid route until you find a phone you want, then jump on contract.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wouldn't that be essentially the same thing as buying a phone and going month to month on Verizon until getting the phone he wants at a pro-rated price and contract?
Brian Gove said:
Wouldn't that be essentially the same thing as buying a phone and going month to month on Verizon until getting the phone he wants at a pro-rated price and contract?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Only difference would be pre-paid may be cheaper, if I'm reading your message correctly.
Also, thanks for the quick replies everyone! I look forward to joining this community soon. Looks like I'll be getting an SIII this week. If it was just me, I'd employ one of these ideas you guys gave me. But since my wife is included... I'm gonna go the simple route and get the SIII, which was equivalent to my current phone anyway (EVO 4G LTE). Seems like it has the dev support to last the two years like my old EVO 4G did (it can run JB now - amazing). Plus the extra RAM future proofs it a bit. I don't game, so I don't need quad core I doubt. The S4 chip is a beast anywho.
Thanks again guys! See you in the forums soon!
Oh one last quick question: any issues I'll have rooting and unlocking this phone? I've only owned HTC and been with Sprint, so I'm unsure of how to do all of this. I hear Verizon is not very friendly about unlocking phones.
Sent from my EVO using xda app-developers app
PsiPhiDan said:
Oh one last quick question: any issues I'll have rooting and unlocking this phone? I've only owned HTC and been with Sprint, so I'm unsure of how to do all of this. I hear Verizon is not very friendly about unlocking phones.
Sent from my EVO using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It was just a pain in the ass to get it unlocked to begin with. Since it's been figured out it's simple. Bookmark the guide in my sig, Droidstyle did a good job about laying it all out.
PsiPhiDan said:
Only difference would be pre-paid may be cheaper, if I'm reading your message correctly.
Also, thanks for the quick replies everyone! I look forward to joining this community soon. Looks like I'll be getting an SIII this week. If it was just me, I'd employ one of these ideas you guys gave me. But since my wife is included... I'm gonna go the simple route and get the SIII, which was equivalent to my current phone anyway (EVO 4G LTE). Seems like it has the dev support to last the two years like my old EVO 4G did (it can run JB now - amazing). Plus the extra RAM future proofs it a bit. I don't game, so I don't need quad core I doubt. The S4 chip is a beast anywho.
Thanks again guys! See you in the forums soon!
Oh one last quick question: any issues I'll have rooting and unlocking this phone? I've only owned HTC and been with Sprint, so I'm unsure of how to do all of this. I hear Verizon is not very friendly about unlocking phones.
Sent from my EVO using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The bootloader can be unlocked easily, obtaining root is a simple one-click affair, and VZW has never been friendly about anything but your open wallet. Congrats on the new phone and carrier switch.
Brian Gove said:
It was just a pain in the ass to get it unlocked to begin with. Since it's been figured out it's simple. Bookmark the guide in my sig, Droidstyle did a good job about laying it all out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay that sounds good, thank you!
I was concerned mostly because with my phone, only the non-updated ones can be rooted and unlocked right now. Since I had mine since launch day, my original bootloader was able to be hacked and exploited. New phones bought today have different bootloaders that have patched the explored holes. HTC can be evil that way. I know Samsung is more dev friendly, but I wanted to make sure there were no stipulations like with my phone where I would be screwed if I bought a new one now.
Sent from my EVO using xda app-developers app
PsiPhiDan said:
Hello everyone, I'm a longtime Sprint user, and am looking forward to my switch to Verizon very soon! I currently own an EVO 4G LTE, and am taking a look at what phones I should get when I switch companies. The best available phone right now appears to undoubtedly be the SIII.
I have heard that there are some pretty awesome phones on the horizon, and I would love to get them (HTC's apparent phablet, Razr Maxx HD, etc.). However, I really don't think I can wait until November because I can't possibly tolerate Sprint anymore and their ridiculous lack of coverage in my area (they told me the towers are being upgraded for the past 7 months).
So my question is this: is there any way to delay my upgraded phone price so that I can use it once these newer phones are released? In other words, can I use another phone or do something else in order to not use that contract upgrade until November, even if I sign up for their service this week? Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Also, if you would just go get the SIII if you were in my position, that's useful input too. I love the phone, I just feel like it will be "dated" in a month. Seems like the worst possible time to buy... I'm in a pickle.
Thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you are going to wait 3 weeks you might as well wait for the note 2. Just my two cents.
Sent from my big red Samsung Galaxy S3 using XDA Premium.
There's still no release date on the Note 2 is there?
Plus I'm not sure a phone that large is for me. I'm getting the Note 10.1 soon, so do I need a phone that's a tablet too? I'm not sure. Plus I won't pay over 200 for a phone. I'm guessing the Note 2 will go for 300 or more.
Sent from my EVO using xda app-developers app
When I switched to Verizon from T-Mobile in December I went month to month on an OG Droid I owned until the GNex came out and then I upgraded
PsiPhiDan said:
This is an interesting idea - so I would need to find a Verizon-capable smartphone on Craigslist as cheap as possible, and then use the "upgrade" later when I want?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It wouldn't have to be a smart phone. Buy a cheap flip phone or something. However there is always something Coming soon so you may find yourself with that cheap phone for a long time

Note 10.1 user jumping ship???

There sure is a lot of used Galaxy note's (10.1) black and white for sale on ebay.
You wonder why they are jumping ship??????????
Is there a new tablet coming soon??????
Just don't get it because I love mine.
.
Actually, if you narrow your search to used units it's only 129 units and that number includes some mis-chacterized accessories only, like cases. Search on used iPads and the search pulls up over 7, 000 items, including over 400 of the newer iPad minis.
kkretch said:
There sure is a lot of used Galaxy note's (10.1) black and white for sale on ebay.
You wonder why they are jumping ship??????????
Is there a new tablet coming soon??????
Just don't get it because I love mine.
.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed. Got my 4G a month ago and have no plans to let this thing go anytime in the near future.
:highfive:
I wouldn't jump ship unless they release a 13+ inch wacom-enabled tablet.. And even then, why would I sell this one off?
I was looking to jump ship bout its was from a wifi ship to a 3g ship.
When I got my unit I was told the 3G was not in the uk, instead of mi doing wat I normal Do which is ignore the sales person and investigate I just bought the wifi and skipped home happy like a bunny with a bags of easter eggs.
I do wish I looked around more and got the Note 3g in grey. I feel the grey looks much better.
Sent from my GT-N8010 using xda app-developers app
hygradeb said:
I was looking to jump ship bout its was from a wifi ship to a 3g ship.
When I got my unit I was told the 3G was not in the uk, instead of mi doing wat I normal Do which is ignore the sales person and investigate I just bought the wifi and skipped home happy like a bunny with a bags of easter eggs.
I do wish I looked around more and got the Note 3g in grey. I feel the grey looks much better.
Sent from my GT-N8010 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why spend 100€ more on the 3g version?
I've got a 3g Hotspot for 19€, put in on my jacket and have nice net on the N8010, N7000 and laptop, all the times, everywhere!
Just my 2 cents...
Regards
Nuno
More to the point - why would this matter anyway?
I didn't buy my Note to be one of the crowd - I bought it because it was exactly what I needed. When someone else makes an Android tablet with a Wacom pen let me know..
The reason is I have been travelling a lot and would be useful too have a 3g note.
Yes the option of a 3g pocket would be gud and your 2 cents is worth it Nuno, but I was looking at the extras of 3g plus 32gb base memory.
I don't care what others have and never will since others dont make me money unless being hired by them 4 private work. So I don't know were u are coming from since I never said I was a crowd follower werewolf.
So yes wolf it would matter to me having 3G plus 32gig (24gig after pre installed apps etc) basic instead of 10gig plus 32, 64 or 128gig sdcard
I dont play games but carry a lot of data for satellite setup and codes, tv repair, computer networking and builds plus electrician house plans and 17th edition updates.
So I hope that clear things for you wolf.
Sent from my GT-N8010 using xda app-developers app
TheWerewolf said:
More to the point - why would this matter anyway?
I didn't buy my Note to be one of the crowd - I bought it because it was exactly what I needed. When someone else makes an Android tablet with a Wacom pen let me know..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly. If and when something comes along, of similar size and equal stylus accuracy, I'll take a look. For the time being I'm more than pleased with my Note 10.1, even more so now that I've finally bought a small keyboard to use too.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app

Where / How Do You Folks Upgrade?

Currently I'm rolling with AT&T and am starting to get on that new device train, you know, get the new tech (phone or tablet) when it comes out. Thing is, I don't have a ton of disposable income. College is not kind to you. I do however, have an upgrade from AT&T.
Point of this thread is to get some insight from you guys as to how you move up in the phone game. Do you use your upgrades? Where do you go to buy the phone? Do you keep or sell the previous device?
Thanks for the help!!
I TRY to upgrade every 2.5 years max. And I like to keep the phone. But there's not many choices of phones to buy in my country so this slow down the process. Also devices are very expensive here so I need to gather all the money I need before buying one
Sent from my Galaxy Note II using Tapatalk 4
sebtorres82 said:
I TRY to upgrade every 2.5 years max. And I like to keep the phone. But there's not many choices of phones to buy in my country so this slow down the process. Also devices are very expensive here so I need to gather all the money I need before buying one
Sent from my Galaxy Note II using Tapatalk 4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Alright! You buy from a carrier or used from a person?
Carrier
Sent from my Galaxy Note II using Tapatalk 4
I wait till i have an upgrade, then use it. I always keep one old device as a backup, and sell any others on Craigslist (to avoid ebay fees)
Sent from my XT912 using xda app-developers app

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