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Red Fly integrated keyboard and 8inch 800×480 screen

Check it out:http://tamspalm.tamoggemon.com/2008/01/04/foleo-gets-revived-as-redfly-for-windows-mobile/ It's like the Palm Foleo except for windows mobile users. It uses USB connection to connect to you windows powered device and also charges it. It also has an integrated keyboard and 8 inch screen!
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Interesting.. but $500!?!

At that price point, i'd rather buy an Asus EEE, providing an interface is developed that can take advantage of whole screen "a la redfly".
In windows we have mymobiler and SOTI (dont remember the name of the proggie from SOTI), but that software mantains PDA QVGA native resolution (or just upscales). Apparently Redfly uses its screen native 800*480 resolution increasing that from PDA.
Do we have something in Linux?

The Redfly is currently avaiable for $199, but my question is actually:
Why isn't there software to do this for those of us that already own a notebook PC? If I were to buy this, I'd need to carry two ultra portable notebooks (I've got a convertable tablet PC that I take everywhere) as well as my phone? I can't imagine this technology is much further away then some tweaks to mymobiler? Maybe redfly will sell just the driver and a VM or whatever it is that their system uses?

The best thing about the Redfly is the battery life. About 8 hours. It is also instant on and will connect bluetooth. Just hit power and then bluetooth button and you are ready to go. The other feature I like is you can use other usb devices, like a flash drive. It will show up like an external drive. I think it is well worth the 199 I paid. It can be hooked to an external video source like a monitor or projector also.

So is this an actuall full working laptop?
or it's only used to project images from your phone to a notebook?
I see no specs just screen size.
I wonder really how useful this could be.

meckah said:
So is this an actuall full working laptop?
or it's only used to project images from your phone to a notebook?
I see no specs just screen size.
I wonder really how useful this could be.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Basically it's a Bluetooth keyboard and screen, battery extender, SVGA adapter and (limited) USB hub rolled into one. It's certainly not a laptop.
If you find WM does pretty much all you need while on the road, except you wish it had a bigger screen, proper keyboard, and the battery didn't give out before your working day was over, the Redfly is for you.
It's no good for you if you're in the habit of loading your smartphone and applications with CPU-hogging eye-candy, want to run full full-blown Windows apps, or use it as a games console or video player.
It gains over a laptop, because it's almost instant on. Powering up from cold, establishing the data connection to your phone, and displaying your application on screen, takes around 10 seconds start to finish.
It claims a battery life to dream of - at least 8 hours on time, and it keeps your phone charged up too.
You don't need to sync, copy or update data or apps - there's only one copy, and it's on your phone.
It's secure - because all the data's on your phone, not the Redfly, if the "notebook" falls into the wrong hands there's no personal data to expose, no passwords to crack, no file systems to "recover".
It's low cost of ownership (in time and money) - there are no applications to licence, install, configure, maintain or duplicate over those already on your phone (bar the Redfly driver). Plug your phone in, and it's all there, how you like it.
It doesn't need any anti-virus/spyware/firewall protection to install, update or certify (especially if taking into secure corporate environments).
So far it's working pretty well for me, and I've tried many alternative approaches.
I supplemented my smartphone with an EeePC. I had to turn it off at every opportunity just to get through the day.
But the biggest snag was a creeper- after a few weeks I ended up with duplicate records, files and documents all over the place. The one file I need was usually the one I'd forgotten to sync. Keeping everything in step was a real headache, as it now involved 3 seperate storages - phone, EeePC, main PC. WM just isn't designed for 3 way syncing, after all, it's not that robust at 2. Simple things like maintaining two copies of SplashID became a nightmare (bye bye latest time-expired passwords). And I could never be 100% sure that there wasn't an old copy of some "In Confidence" data lurking unnoticed on one of the machines.
I also had a "do everything" X7500. But that was inappropriately large and conspicous in some locations, was damn hard to use a phone, and the battery was usually on its last legs by lunch. Great in some situations. Totally impractical in others.
Not forgetting the old classic, the Universal. To this day not beaten in many respects, but still cumbersome when all you want is a phone not a mini-laptop.
The Redfly is by no means perfect (e.g. it's no speed daemon, doesn't work with all phones, has difficulty coping with video or graphic "skinned" programs). But it does give me a unique choice over other solutions - big screen and keyboard and hours of battery when I need it, or just the phone in my pocket when I don't - all using a common set of applications and data (with the option to copy/to from a flash drive).
At the "seed" price, if you have that kind of need, then I think it's well worth it. If you have requirements outside the above, then get a Netbook (but don't forget the accessory bag or power cord ...)

Blimey, that sounds awesome!
So, are you saying that its effectivley a dumb terminal for your phone thats connected via BT? Is all the processing done on the phone like a kind of Citrix setup?

scratch that - here is all the info i needed
I checked the official supported phone list and sadly my (in the post) Omnia isn't on it. Anyone tried it with an Omnia?

Paul @ Modaco has it working on an Omnia, albeit with minor issues. See
post #25
http://www.modaco.com/content-page/272947/Array/page/20/

Got Mine Today
I received mine today. The greatest thing is the Instant On and seeing my XV6800 and PALM 700wx with that large screen. Makes working oin a phone a realistic approach.
One WARNING,
The AC Power Cord has an issue with staying inside the Port on the RedFly. It works its way out. Short version, bad design flaw that slipped through the R and D phase. I have seen a few other owners complain about it as well. If the unit is not setting completely still, that cord will probably pop out. A definite hinderance. I have emails into Redfly.
But all in all, down to $199 with another $17.35 off with a Modaco Voucher, was a good move IMHO. EXPANSYS had mine shipped the same day and I had it delivered 2nd day for $12.
My main concern is this really a "Seed Program" like they say is the reason for the $199 price, or they blowing them out and SEE YA LATER RedFly, which means additional drivers for current and future devices will be nill. That is a real possibility. After all, it is a whole nother ball game to announce the concept was a flop and we are blowing them out, enjoy em! And no one can convince me otherwise, unril they are still here this time next year.

Ineedtoys said:
Paul @ Modaco has it working on an Omnia, albeit with minor issues. See
post #25
http://www.modaco.com/content-page/272947/Array/page/20/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Indeed he has, he answered another post of mine regarding this question. That Paul guy is a genius....

wyreless said:
I received mine today. The greatest thing is the Instant On and seeing my XV6800 and PALM 700wx with that large screen. Makes working oin a phone a realistic approach.
One WARNING,
The AC Power Cord has an issue with staying inside the Port on the RedFly. It works its way out. Short version, bad design flaw that slipped through the R and D phase. I have seen a few other owners complain about it as well. If the unit is not setting completely still, that cord will probably pop out. A definite hinderance. I have emails into Redfly.
But all in all, down to $199 with another $17.35 off with a Modaco Voucher, was a good move IMHO. EXPANSYS had mine shipped the same day and I had it delivered 2nd day for $12.
My main concern is this really a "Seed Program" like they say is the reason for the $199 price, or they blowing them out and SEE YA LATER RedFly, which means additional drivers for current and future devices will be nill. That is a real possibility. After all, it is a whole nother ball game to announce the concept was a flop and we are blowing them out, enjoy em! And no one can convince me otherwise, unril they are still here this time next year.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So long as they chuck out the driver code SDK I wouldn't be that unhappy .... it is such a useful device for being on the road/train that I will tolerate its "individualities" e.g. the dog's breakfast of a charger with 2 adapters to work on UK plug sockets!!
I like it
Mal

One WARNING,
The AC Power Cord has an issue with staying inside the Port on the RedFly. It works its way out. Short version, bad design flaw that slipped through the R and D phase. I have seen a few other owners complain about it as well. If the unit is not setting completely still, that cord will probably pop out. A definite hinderance. I have emails into Redfly.
Make sure you have it plugged in all the way the socket is really tight.

badersk said:
One WARNING,
The AC Power Cord has an issue with staying inside the Port on the RedFly. It works its way out. Short version, bad design flaw that slipped through the R and D phase. I have seen a few other owners complain about it as well. If the unit is not setting completely still, that cord will probably pop out. A definite hinderance. I have emails into Redfly.
Make sure you have it plugged in all the way the socket is really tight.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thread reading skills for the win

[Amateur Editorial] Next Generation of Phones will be the last for many

It is hard to argue that phones have not plateaued in terms of functionality. The iPhone 4S is simply an incremental upgrade to the iPhone 4. The next generation of Android phones are pushing pocket-able screen sizes to the limit. There is only so much you can do with a certain form factor, and this upcoming generation of phones is it. Applications run entirely smoothly, batteries are lasting entire days of moderate to heavy use, everything from a TV to a Vacuum Cleaner can interact with your phone through it's plethora of radios. And screens are so crisp that the human eye cannot even detect the pixels, perfect for watching full length, high definition movies on-the-go.
Two-year contracts sound like an eternity since the rapidly improving operating systems of Apple, Android, and Windows. However, there is an exponential decline of innovation between iterations of firmware. Donut to Eclair. HUGE. Eclair to Froyo. Big. Froyo to Gingerbread. Bug fixes and optimizations. Gingerbread to ICS. Superficial. What could possibly be next for a phone? Two years will surprisingly be too short for all but the nerdiest and niche interest groups. It's already been more than a year and a half with my Samsung Vibrant and other than tech-lust, there is no genuine reason for me to upgrade.
The next step for phones really isn't about phones at all. The next step is to systematically destroy every other gadget you currently own. The first to go? Laptops. The Atrix began this process, but it was for the most part a broken and overpriced experience. That will change as phones are becoming exponentially more powerful. One could argue that gaming laptops will still exist. Sure, for a couple more years. Kal-El, Wayne, Logan, Stark, Nvidia's superhero line-up of gpu/cpu chips. Stark being 100x more powerful than Tegra 2! One Hundred. These are theoretical, but the potential is staggering. Compounded with cloud-assisted browsing from Amazon Silk or Opera Mobile? Laptops are dead. Long Live Laptop Docks.
Next to go are dedicated tablets. Operating systems such as Android's Ice Cream Sandwich will unify the tablet and phone experience. ASUS wants to capitalize on this with their Padfone. Why buy a full price phone and tablet when you can buy just a phone and the tablet as an accessory for half the price? For myself, I would come home and plop my phone into the tablet. When I go out, I remove it. No more syncing. It's all consolidated. Not to mention when my tablet husk is home, it'll be charging all day. I won't even have to charge my phone or change my battery before I couch surf. Ah, laziness.
Last to go are game consoles. In fact, casual gaming is already on the horizon of being completely overrun by mobile devices. Portable gaming devices such as the Vita and 3DS are probably near the last of their kind. Nvidia's Stark will most certainly be able to support Full Stereoscopic HD output, if a processor before it cannot. This is my most speculative moment, but I can picture a future where your phone gets plugged into an HDMI/HDD Dock connected to your TV and you download most of the data for rented video games and stream the more volatile aspects such as sound effects, textures, and geometry. Discs will still exist due to their practicality, ownership, and offline use. Services like On-live will also become more prevalent as bandwidth costs decline. Okay, maybe consoles will be around for quite some time still, but their days are numbered.
In the meantime, phones will even make the phone part obsolete. Minute plans will be optional since not only is VoIP much cheaper, it's so much more clear and crisp. T-Mobile and Walmart are already headed down this direction. GPSs? Already dead. External webcams? Gone. Digital Cameras? Nope. External Hard drives? Cloud and SDXC will cover the masses.
Unless you are an IT or Content Creation professional, this next generation of phone will literally handle anything that you will ever need or want in a stand-alone phone device. For most of you, this is it. If you want a social networking, casual gaming, high quality photo-taking, VoIP/Webcam chatting, Global positioning, Netflix streaming, Hulu watching, cloud storing/syncing Super-phone, the wait is finally over. This is your year. This is not to say that phones will continue improving in performance and incremental updates, but there is literally NO more room for groundbreaking innovation within this particular form factor, only the hybridization and replacing of every other gadget that you own.
Oh, except for one feature I want. Built in noise-canceling support for headphones, like the Sony X-Series.

While this might be true, never forget that the platforms you use and love evolve. And that might get users to upgrade after all!
Take facebook for example. Right now, video calling is only available via Desktop operating systems. But I'm pretty sure that over the next few years this will come to mobile, meaning that your handset must be strong enough to handle it smoothly.
I don't think that even the average consumers will last with their 2011/12 handsets "forever".

This was a very good editorial.
I must say, that before every generation of new phones, people think "this is it, this will replace my pc/psp/etc...". While I do believe, that huge things are coming, I don't think this is THE generation yet.
We're getting more power, more apps, better screens, but we still lack (in my opinion) a solid OS that could replace Windows in every day use, and - perhaps more importantly - the average consumer lacks the mentality, that everything he wants done, can be done on his smartphone.
Also, to your list of killed devices, I would add "MP3 players"

good post and interesting read.
But isn't the next upgrade in generation of phones always been about replacing some other technology?
cameras, mp3 player, pda, operating system (android, ios) etc..
And all the while replacing these other things, the cell phone gets more efficient at it.

@smirny stuff like facebook specific video calling i would consider as incremental and non-essential. with upcoming generation, google talk is a viable option for video chat, plus there are many services such a Qik and Fring. I doubt (hope) that people aren't holding out on their phone purchase for facebook video. I couldn't imagine video chatting with an acquaintance from high school. All of your closest (video worthy) friends probably have another way of contacting you than facebook. I know that was just an example, but with quad-core devices on the horizon, video chat is covered.
@darktori i think that any OS that could replace Windows entirely would have to be on a different form factor than a phone. there will never be a way for a smartphone to do a better job creating a document than a laptop. that's where the hybridization comes in. my article discusses this is the end of the stand-alone smartphone road in terms of innovation. anything meant to replace windows in everyday use will break the phone form factor, whether it is tablet hybrids or laptop docks. those who want a smartphone, this is the year, because the only reason in the future to upgrade is to get this extra functionality. and yes, i did forget mp3 players
@dpmace yes it is. however, the phone has reached it's limit in its own form factor. everything from here on out will need a different form factor. to replace laptops, they need a dock, to replace game consoles, they need a controller built in (xperia play), to replace tablets, they need to become one. Phones themselves are maxxed out in terms what the can do as stand-alone devices. So this upcoming generation, the generation right before the mass hybridization of devices is the best time to buy a stand-alone smartphone for a long period of time. the upgrades afterwards will be superflous to those who don't need a laptop or tablet. their phones are already fast and capable of handling everything they need them to. they have an 8MP camera, why do they need a 16? they have a good phone GPS, why do they need a phone with a better one? they have a good GPU, why do they need a stronger one if they don't plan on outputting it to a TV? etc

Very nice and well thought out editorial piece. I'd have to disagree though, there's no way this is the best we're getting.
Regarding the iPhone 4S: Apple have always used incremental updates to get the most money possible from their users, and have mostly gotten away with it until now, because the earlier iPhones were missing really basic features. The iPhone 3G was big because it had 3G (what phone didn't even then?). The 3GS mostly upgraded the camera and I think the processor? The 4 was the only one that fundamentally changed anything in my honest opinion.
Software I'll mostly agree on, but I think ICS serves a great purpose of making android look better to the masses, standing out, and doing a much better job with multi-tasking.
Hardware is the big one. They still have a long way to go, in many ways.
Cameras are never likely to replace a dedicated camera, for the simple fact of space. A camera only gets so much space within the phone, and for every advance made in cameras that gets used on a phone, that same advance could be used on dedicated cameras, as well as extra ones that require more space.
Batteries are a big one, it's the reason you'll see so many posts on every phone's section of these forums, asking about battery life, and with kernels and mods aimed at giving extra battery life. It's why "battery extenders"can be downloaded so much in the market. If a phone came out next year, or the year after, where they concentrated their efforts on a great battery, and gave significantly more battery life, I'd definitely buy it.
I'll admit that the phones are reaching limits on what they've been concentrating on for now (screen size and processor/RAM) but they'll just expand in other ways. There's no way the phone manufacturers are just going to pump out similar phones and hope the customer prefers theirs to the one next to it on the shelf because of brand. There's still plenty of new ideas coming out every day, and they can add to the phone's functionality, not just superficially (like 3D). There's NFC, flexible screens (which on its own could bring about a lot of new ideas), added durability, and I'm sure a lot of things we haven't heard of.

Did you ever hear the quote that says "Technology has advanced more in the past thirty years than in the previous two thousand..."? That is 100% true and there is no sign of slowing down. Things that you can't imagine today can be possible within years. So I just can't agree to the fact that you are basically stating that besides a few tweaks and improvements, technology has come to a complete halt.

Excellent editorial. Love all your points except with gaming consoles becoming extinct. I find this to be untrue and impossible in the sense that phones, computers, Hard drives, or whatever, the concept of them storing your games, e.g. PS3 games which are at most 50gb (note gaming data size will grow too since it is proportional to graphics), is impractical. In the sense that you can only "hold so much", and our "so much" capacity isn't nearly close to our desire capacity. So gaming consoles will stay.
Unless you are suggesting we develop a different evolutionary storage medium or sort of micro usb which stores the game and the phone simply reads off the device and plays. Now that is plausible. The only problem there is will the phones withstand the heat exerted? As we all know in proportional to the graphic intensity of the game so will the amount of power demanded by the GPU or porcessor, which in turn will be expended as heat. So considering it will take a lot of power, it will give a "lot" of heat. Story short, our phones will not withstand the heat and melt.

Kailkti said:
Excellent editorial. Love all your points except with gaming consoles becoming extinct. I find this to be untrue and impossible in the sense that phones, computers, Hard drives, or whatever, the concept of them storing your games, e.g. PS3 games which are at most 50gb (note gaming data size will grow too since it is proportional to graphics), is impractical. In the sense that you can only "hold so much", and our "so much" capacity isn't nearly close to our desire capacity. So gaming consoles will stay.
Unless you are suggesting we develop a different evolutionary storage medium or sort of micro usb which stores the game and the phone simply reads off the device and plays. Now that is plausible. The only problem there is will the phones withstand the heat exerted? As we all know in proportional to the graphic intensity of the game so will the amount of power demanded by the GPU or porcessor, which in turn will be expended as heat. So considering it will take a lot of power, it will give a "lot" of heat. Story short, our phones will not withstand the heat and melt.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The future of gaming lies with Onlive. Your device will just be a thin client, awaiting video from the Onlive servers that will do the heavy lifting for you. I envision a gaming world where you use a bluetooth controller to play a game that's streamed to your TV in HD resolution via your smartphone.
We have the technology to do this already, it's just not the kind of gaming experience hardcore gamers will accept, but give the technology a couple more years to develop.

Oh right. Forgot about OnLive, prolly cuz i haven't heard about it since the release. But you are right it is a promising feature. the only problem is it requires a steady data connection, which sadly, we know not everyone is blessed with. But soon enough the entire world will modernize to have data being able to flow to every where so that won't be a problem, the problem will be in the case of system failure, both data provider and server, which I am sure happens a lot.

Have you not seen Iron Man 2? I want a phone that is just a sheet of glass and is fully integrate-able with everything around it on the fly. When that comes out, I think the innovation has ceased.
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If any of you guys play Shadowrun 4th edition, you'll know that the ultimate is a display in your glasses, goggles, contact lenses, or even cybernetic implants in your eyes.
Pocketability be gone!

vadyr56 said:
Have you not seen Iron Man 2? I want a phone that is just a sheet of glass and is fully integrate-able with everything around it on the fly. When that comes out, I think the innovation has ceased.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
or remember when he was designing the suit, everything was virtual and he could touch it.
One day we shall have that!! Then maybe screen sizes will be obsolete.

vadyr56 said:
Have you not seen Iron Man 2? I want a phone that is just a sheet of glass and is fully integrate-able with everything around it on the fly. When that comes out, I think the innovation has ceased.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Un What about graphene tech? Samsungs going to be releasing foldable and bendable phones. The first one using this tech is apparently due next year.

hungry81 said:
Un What about graphene tech? Samsungs going to be releasing foldable and bendable phones. The first one using this tech is apparently due next year.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That would be cool too, how about a phone that can be used in a "normal" size mode (say around 4.5") and then can unfold into a 20" tablet!

Good first try. Not everyone willing to put down their thoughts in a form of long article.
However there are some fundamental flaw:
bdroc said:
The next step for phones really isn't about phones at all. The next step is to systematically destroy every other gadget you currently own. .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure you understand the word "systematically" and "destroy". I simply don't see phones "destroying" EVERY other gadget, especially the following few you mentioned.
bdroc said:
The first to go? Laptops.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, at least for a good decade. People been saying this to desktops when laptops became very popular. Now? Desktops are still being made and sold. Nowhere near "been destroyed".
And this paragraph gets ridiculous when you say cellphone SoC can replace dedicated GPU. You are saying essentially play Crysis (PC Game, 2008) on a cellphone, which is NEVER going to happen.
Once you understand how powerful a dedicated GPU is, you will realize how stupid it is to make such claim.
bdroc said:
Next to go are dedicated tablets.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is purely based on user habits. My cousins have both iphones and ipads. I have a G2x and a laptop. Unless you can make sure a 4 inch phone screen does not exhaust your eyes with extended use, then you can never make such claim.
bdroc said:
Last to go are game consoles.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is getting more ridiculous. Also mentioned above the "power of a dedicated GPU", cellphones are NEVER to replace game consoles.
I personally still prefer those gadgets you mentioned as separate gadgets and I am not a minority.
So let's calm down with the Android fanboyish hardware craze, and face the reality.

I don't think it's safe to say that phones have reached feature-completeness, although i agree that developers are going to have to start thinking in dimensions other than "what can we do without having to make any serious changes to the system".
When i look at the Android platform, especially, i see huge amounts of possibility. For example, your phone could basically obsolete a huge amount of what we encounter in our daily lives. Bus/train pass? Nope, NFC with a phone app. (These will still exist, of course, but for those with phones there won't be any interaction with them.) Credit cards, likewise, will be gone. Ultimately we'll be going to all-data, eliminating the phone/text/etc nonsense. Or at least, someone will. Probably not the US. That will become more useful in the long term, though.
But i think there's going to be more than just replacing other things with a more unified device.
For example, in the future your phone could ping your home PC and wake it up even if it was sleeping. Then you would be able to "log in" just like a normal user and get your full PC desktop on your phone. This isn't replacing your PC, it's using your phone as an additional way to access it--much like your mouse/keyboard/monitor! You could, for example, do an "OnLive" sort of thing but with your phone. This is actually already possible, but it's a pain to set up and we don't have phones that are strong enough/batteries that last long enough/data connections big enough to truly make it happen.
Or for another possibility, Google Goggles is something that already exists... but in the future it will operate in real time. Hold your phone up and you'll get all the information from Goggles overlaid on top of the image from the camera. You could take it a step further, too, and have a digital "message board" or comment system, where people can write things and attach them to real world objects which will then be displayed for others. (As someone suggested: really you want this sort of tech in your glasses, or something like that, but it will likely go through phones first.)
Heck, you could set that as your phone's wallpaper and not even have to open an app.
The "Tony Stark phone" could be a reality, although not at those precise dimensions. You could have a phone with no "UI" (although Stark's phone has a pretty interesting-looking UI on it if you examine it) but just have the Goggles-enhanced real world overlay on it. To interact with it you could issue voice commands--or touch it to bring up a UI.
Your phone could control your car in a tremendously "what the 1950s thought the future would look like" sort of way: get into the car, pull the phone out, then say "Car, take me to my house". Then sit back and relax, because the car will drive itself there. (Technically you don't even need the phone for that, but hey...)
This is all sort of crazy dreaming, but it's still not even "lateral thinking"--it's just extending things your phone can already do.

Buy Sony Smartwatch or wait for the real deal?

I've been thinking about buying a smartwatch after I heard about the Pebble. I've been looking at the different smartwatches available today but none of them can really pursuade me into buying it. The Pebble does not sport a color screen, instead it has just a black and white e-paper screen.
Then we have the metawatch which has the same kind of screen. We also have the cuckoo, which doesn't even deserve the 'smart watch' label in my opinion. It's way too simple. There's also the I'm watch. This is a really nice watch that I would actually buy... if it wasn't that expensive. The cheapest one starts at $400.
There are also a countless amount of 'watch phones' available from websites like DealExtreme.com but I looked at them all but their displays all suck. But that is what you can expect from Chinese products. Besides, they're really phones and not just an extension of your existing phone which I'm actually looking for. I don't want to carry around two phones and have two different phone numbers.
The only watch which I would actually buy today is the Sony Smartwatch, but after reading a lot of reviews, I'm left with mixed feelings. I think it is a great watch; you can install tons of applications for it because people are actively developing apps for the watch (there's calculators, Google Maps navigation, games, custom watchface apps, notetaking apps and whatnot) and it has a really nice color screen. It also looks quite awesome. But the Internet apparently has another opinion about the watch. According to the Internet, it's just a $150 gimmick. A review from The Verge for example destroys the watch completely.
Coincidentally, I also read some news articles today about the fact that Samsung and Google will possibly release smartwatches too in the future. I have a feeling that a smartwatch from those two could possible blow away every smartwatch currently in existence. If Google comes up with something, it's meant to be big and most of the time, products from Google aren't that expensive either.
So now I'm wondering what the best option would be; should I just go for the Sony Smartwatch (and possible risk regretting it when Samsung or Google comes up with something thrice as good a year or a half later) or should I just wait and see what Google and Samsung will come up with?

I have the Sony and I don't know how I ever survived without it. The convenience a smartwatch provides is simply extraordinary. I carry the Note II (along with 2 iPhone 5s, an HTC 8x). I now don't have to pull out my phone to check when I get a notification alert. For someone who receives 100+ legitimate e-mails, and dozens sms, plus Twitter/Facebook alerts, it was insane to have to look at my phones that often. Now the watch just vibrates politely, i would glance at it quickly and decide which alert warrants my response. You would not believe how much money I've spent on apps that attempted to filter and prioritize my e-mails and sms, and notify me accordingly. They all have their shortcomings and I have rules and exceptions that these apps could not overcome. At least now with the watch, I can choose to answer certain emails when convenient. Like you wrote, many reviews I read were not positive. However, I got the watch at Verizon for $90, I thought it was worth trying. It's much nicer than the Pebble, classier, dressier, and does not look like a $5 party favor. I installed a black leather strap and it looks nice. Some of the reviewers just didn't know how to utilize this device. I have it configured to buzz for gmail, Touchdown corporate mails, Exchange emails, USA Today alerts, Google Maps, weather, Twitter, Facebook, calendar, etc. It hasn't failed me yet...... Now there's one aspect that does suck about this watch: It's difficult to view outdoors under bright sun light.
Hope that helps.

buy if you are fairly yechnical and want a challenge. it took me a week of research until i figured how to make mine useful

keversap said:
(...) and possible risk regretting it when Samsung or Google comes up with something thrice as good a year or a half later (...)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In a world where new suplerlative technologies are presented in an annual cycle, this will happen to whatever you buy.
If you want the whole freedom you get with Android, you should wait for Google's IO and their possible smart watch.

would yall happen to know how to connect it with a vzw galaxy note 2?

vzw_note2 said:
would yall happen to know how to connect it with a vzw galaxy note 2?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not to sound sarcastic but did you download the smart connect app? and did you hold down the button on the watch so you get the rotating arrow? also is your phone rooted and are you currently able to connect to other bluetooth devices?

I hope to get one in the near future. I have similar feelings as the OP. Despite the fact that better stuff may come out from Google, that's still a ways off.
Right now Sony is selling them brand new for $99 with two (white/black) watchbands. Imo that's a great price for what you get.
If something better comes out later in the year this can easily be sold if needed.
I wouldn't advice anyone to rely on theVerge's review. After reading multiple reviews of the pros and cons of this watch, I came to the conclusion that whoever wrote the review on theVerge is a noob.
Sent from my SGH-I777 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
---------- Post added at 05:12 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:09 PM ----------
Haha didn't realize this post was so old
Sent from my SGH-I777 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

I had a Sony SmartWatch and sold it on eBay after using it for 1 day. I am interested in the Pebble though.

NeuroCrashJS said:
I had a Sony SmartWatch and sold it on eBay after using it for 1 day. I am interested in the Pebble though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm happy for you!
If you told us why that would be a better post.

keversap said:
I've been thinking about buying a smartwatch after I heard about the Pebble. I've been looking at the different smartwatches available today but none of them can really pursuade me into buying it. The Pebble does not sport a color screen, instead it has just a black and white e-paper screen.
Then we have the metawatch which has the same kind of screen. We also have the cuckoo, which doesn't even deserve the 'smart watch' label in my opinion. It's way too simple. There's also the I'm watch. This is a really nice watch that I would actually buy... if it wasn't that expensive. The cheapest one starts at $400.
There are also a countless amount of 'watch phones' available from websites like DealExtreme.com but I looked at them all but their displays all suck. But that is what you can expect from Chinese products. Besides, they're really phones and not just an extension of your existing phone which I'm actually looking for. I don't want to carry around two phones and have two different phone numbers.
The only watch which I would actually buy today is the Sony Smartwatch, but after reading a lot of reviews, I'm left with mixed feelings. I think it is a great watch; you can install tons of applications for it because people are actively developing apps for the watch (there's calculators, Google Maps navigation, games, custom watchface apps, notetaking apps and whatnot) and it has a really nice color screen. It also looks quite awesome. But the Internet apparently has another opinion about the watch. According to the Internet, it's just a $150 gimmick. A review from The Verge for example destroys the watch completely.
Coincidentally, I also read some news articles today about the fact that Samsung and Google will possibly release smartwatches too in the future. I have a feeling that a smartwatch from those two could possible blow away every smartwatch currently in existence. If Google comes up with something, it's meant to be big and most of the time, products from Google aren't that expensive either.
So now I'm wondering what the best option would be; should I just go for the Sony Smartwatch (and possible risk regretting it when Samsung or Google comes up with something thrice as good a year or a half later) or should I just wait and see what Google and Samsung will come up with?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol, i bet you typed all that up on a Chinese product.
Sent via LG E970 with houstonn aokp 4.2.2

vzw_note2 said:
would yall happen to know how to connect it with a vzw galaxy note 2?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a note 2 and everything works perfect. Do you install these apps?
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sonyericsson.extras.smartwatch
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sonyericsson.extras.liveware
Also you need to connect and sync via Bluetooth.
Enviado desde mi GT-N7100 usando Tapatalk 2

I was eying a friends smart watch. I wouldn't buy one now, but the idea is fairly interesting. Especially for meetings etc where a stealthy gadget let's you know what's going on without alienating the speaker / room. I'm actually drooling over putting some custom roms on it now that Sony opened up the platform.

Well its likely for an updated Sony smartwatch to come out at the end of this month
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app

keversap said:
I've been thinking about buying a smartwatch after I heard about the Pebble. I've been looking at the different smartwatches available today but none of them can really pursuade me into buying it. The Pebble does not sport a color screen, instead it has just a black and white e-paper screen.
Then we have the metawatch which has the same kind of screen. We also have the cuckoo, which doesn't even deserve the 'smart watch' label in my opinion. It's way too simple. There's also the I'm watch. This is a really nice watch that I would actually buy... if it wasn't that expensive. The cheapest one starts at $400.
There are also a countless amount of 'watch phones' available from websites like DealExtreme.com but I looked at them all but their displays all suck. But that is what you can expect from Chinese products. Besides, they're really phones and not just an extension of your existing phone which I'm actually looking for. I don't want to carry around two phones and have two different phone numbers.
The only watch which I would actually buy today is the Sony Smartwatch, but after reading a lot of reviews, I'm left with mixed feelings. I think it is a great watch; you can install tons of applications for it because people are actively developing apps for the watch (there's calculators, Google Maps navigation, games, custom watchface apps, notetaking apps and whatnot) and it has a really nice color screen. It also looks quite awesome. But the Internet apparently has another opinion about the watch. According to the Internet, it's just a $150 gimmick. A review from The Verge for example destroys the watch completely.
Coincidentally, I also read some news articles today about the fact that Samsung and Google will possibly release smartwatches too in the future. I have a feeling that a smartwatch from those two could possible blow away every smartwatch currently in existence. If Google comes up with something, it's meant to be big and most of the time, products from Google aren't that expensive either.
So now I'm wondering what the best option would be; should I just go for the Sony Smartwatch (and possible risk regretting it when Samsung or Google comes up with something thrice as good a year or a half later) or should I just wait and see what Google and Samsung will come up with?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've had smart watches for a while, and I must say my current Sony Smartwatch (going on a year now) has been the best one so far. That doesn't say much for the competitors, but overall I don't know how I lived without it.
The good:
-Pretty nice display, white on black text is readable even outdoors on a sunny day.
-Tons of great plug ins to do just about anything, both from Sony and third parties. Everything from any alerts from your phone, to custom DIY widgets, to calculator, remote viewfinder for camera, and even gps maps.
-Good battery life. Even receiving hundreds of alerts a day I only need to charge once every 2-3 days.
-Touch screen navigation through menus is pretty snappy, and watch still tells time even when disconnected from phone.
-Custom watchbands: first thing I did was go to the jeweler to get a 20mm stainless steel band. Fit like a charm, and now my watch actually looks classy enough to wear when going out to dinner with my wife, or a business meeting. I still get asked occasionally why I have a small Sony television on wrist, but all in all it's a good blend of style and functionality.
The bad:
-Telling time. It is surprisingly inconvenient to have to double-tap (pretty hard) the watch face, or press a tiny button on the side, just to see the time. Sony's latest firmware introduces new watch faces that allow motion detection to turn on clock display, but this feature rarely works in my experience. Takes a bit of getting used to having a watch that at a glance will give you email and alerts, but requires tapping and pressing to simply show the time.
-Finicky connection. Randomly disconnects from my Note II about once a day on average, but alnost always reconnects automatically within a few seconds. Also, about once a week it refuses to reconnect after a charge until I unpair and repair. Minor annoyance but after two major firmware updates I expect more.
Bottom line: the Smartwatch could be better, and should be, and hopefully the next one will be, but all in all it is a truly useful product (not a gimmick). I find it extremely useful in everyday life, both in and out of work, and find myself not needing to pull out my smartphone every 5 minutes to see who emailed me. Glad I got one, and for the $100 I paid a year ago, I would have paid double and still be happy.
I believe the Sony Smartwatch is an underrated product, and had Apple or Samsung released the same product today with its name on it, the biased tech media would be singing its praises. Heck they already are and Apple hasn't even announced a watch or even shown a concept sketch. Pebble got similar treatment, and it looks like one of those watches you found in your cereal box as a kid. Granted Sony had more than enough time to fix all the bugs, and they haven't, but mostly they are minor annoyances.
Hope that helped.
Sent from my SPH-L900 using xda app-developers app

supersonic64126 said:
.
The bad:
-Telling time. It is surprisingly inconvenient to have to double-tap (pretty hard) the watch face, or press a tiny button on the side, just to see the time. Sony's latest firmware introduces new watch faces that allow motion detection to turn on clock display, but this feature rarely works in my experience. Takes a bit of getting used to having a watch that at a glance will give you email and alerts, but requires tapping and pressing to simply show the time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are watchfaces that stay on without going into screensaver mode btw
edit: woops, didn't realise you were talking about the latest firmware (which I was not aware of >.<)
Sent from my LT29i using xda premium

depth ispoph
like.!!!

I have the first gen the Sony Ericsson LiveView. It works to a fashion, problem is you have either take the phone to the toilet with you or detach the LiveView from the mounting on the strap as it drops the bluetooth connection as soon as you move to another room.
I'm considering the Sony Smartwatch as the price has dropped to just £79gbp. I would like the Pebble as I like the idea of the e-ink screen that you can view in broad daylight, however it's taking 7 months to ship from 1st order, and I would imagine the delivery charge would be nearly £50gbp.
Sony are working on the 3rd generation smartwatch which is due to be announced this week.
What is the bluetooth like on the Smartwatch?

i prefer buy sony smartwatch
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is the sw2 aging well?

How long has it been out? What's it's future look like? How does it compete with the competition? How much has it evolved? Are things gonna keep looking better or worse?

the SW2 was released late september, 2013
i don't expect a very bright future, to be honest
even though it evolved to a very useable smartwatch, thanks to firmware updates, i think the next batch of smartwatches will be much more popular
several google wear watches are expected to be announced during google i/o, one of them the Moto 360, which might just be the smartwatch a lot of people have been waiting for because of it's looks (watches ARE considered juwelry, so why not have something good looking)
compared to watches currently released, the SW2 still has an edge i think, thanks to:
-transflective display, sure it's cool to have a high-res display, but if you can't read it outside...
-extensions, giving you all kind of extra functionality notifications
-watch face editor, i think they really hit the mark there
-battery life, 3-4 days
but the watch is showing it's age
i don't know if it's because Sony added the watch face widgets so long after releasing the watch, or that the watch simply isn't that popular, but somehow i expected an explosion of watchface widgets, which simply hasn't happened
and i don't think it will happen
don't get me wrong, i'm a very happy user, thanks to the last update, watchface widgets and notifications (too bad Sony won't listen and give me (us?) a selectable screen timeout), if i leave my watch at home i miss it all day long
but the Moto 360 does look amazing...

Had mine 2 days & I love it but, yeah, ^ what he said.

JarlSX said:
the SW2 was released late september, 2013
i don't expect a very bright future, to be honest
even though it evolved to a very useable smartwatch, thanks to firmware updates, i think the next batch of smartwatches will be much more popular
several google wear watches are expected to be announced during google i/o, one of them the Moto 360, which might just be the smartwatch a lot of people have been waiting for because of it's looks (watches ARE considered juwelry, so why not have something good looking)
compared to watches currently released, the SW2 still has an edge i think, thanks to:
-transflective display, sure it's cool to have a high-res display, but if you can't read it outside...
-extensions, giving you all kind of extra functionality notifications
-watch face editor, i think they really hit the mark there
-battery life, 3-4 days
but the watch is showing it's age
i don't know if it's because Sony added the watch face widgets so long after releasing the watch, or that the watch simply isn't that popular, but somehow i expected an explosion of watchface widgets, which simply hasn't happened
and i don't think it will happen
don't get me wrong, i'm a very happy user, thanks to the last update, watchface widgets and notifications (too bad Sony won't listen and give me (us?) a selectable screen timeout), if i leave my watch at home i miss it all day long
but the Moto 360 does look amazing...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think a lot of People don't even know that there are Smartwatches from other Manufactures, here in Switzerland (where I live), the only official selled Smartwatches are the Samsung ones...The most People here don't know that Sony made Smartwatches too.
Except from that, a lot of People don't see why they should need a Smartwatch, they're always on the Phone, so why should they buy an Accessory which hasn't any use for them?
And then, there's the look of these things. The most Smartwatches are in a rectangular shape...How many People have you seen wearing a "normal" Watch with a rectangular design? Maybe a few, but not much. People like their watches with circular design - and that's where the Moto 360 comes in.
The Sony Smartwatch 2 will probably get a replacement soon with the same (or slightly upgraded) firmware of the SW2, but it hasn't any chance to sell as good as Android Wear devices will, for that, Sony has to deliver more than one Watch, Maybe a circular and rectangular, and a few color options sure won't hurt, and they have to advert this thing! I have never seen any Ad for the SW2 here in Switzerland (The Gear Ad is running almost 24/7 on TV - well , not as much, but it feels like), and there are posters everywhere with the Gear on it! You even get the Gear for free if you buy a new Samsung- Phone here...
Sony should get the marketing right for the upcoming SW3, otherwise they will loose the fight.

i actually don't know anyone (friends, family, co-workers) who has a smartwatch
people respond amazed when they see i get email/facebook/twitter/etc notifications on my watch (or if someone calls me), but that didn't result in anyone wanting one as well
maybe that will change when they see a more fashionable watch like the Moto 360...

Same here! Got SW1, 2 and a Pebble and everyone is astonished but never saw another smartwatch in the wild...
Envoyé depuis mon SM-N9005

at homedepot
I'm a cashier and I see probably around 30% OF WATCHES ARE SQUARR. ITV WAS OBVIOUSLY COMMON IN OLDER DESIGNS

In my opinion - no, it is not aging well when compared with the Android Wear devices on the horizon. On it's own the SW2 is not a bad device and I have enjoyed using mine over the last few months but I have now sold it in anticipation of the new Android Wear products and I shall be picking up a Moto 360 or LG G Watch.

Why's everyone buying into the Android Wear hype? It's basically a screen for your Google Now notifications. With a microphone built in. And batteries 10 times the size of the SW2 but with less lifetime.

ngoonee said:
Why's everyone buying into the Android Wear hype? It's basically a screen for your Google Now notifications. With a microphone built in. And batteries 10 times the size of the SW2 but with less lifetime.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because Google supports it natively meaning app devs will be able to easily adapt their apps to utilize it. No hacks and third party apps needed in order to function on the watch. Obviously there are many things still unknown like battery life and general functionality but it's likely to be better supported.
Sent from my XT1080 using XDA Free mobile app

Gahh! Having a bit of headache over this question too. Will android wear kill the SW2? Reason is I´m planning to get a smartwatch for a gift to an event this weekend. The SW2 and Pebble is out here in Sweden, but there´s no word on release for the Android wear watches (we´re not one of the contries google announced the other day).
And I really want to hand over a real, physical device. Not a gift certificate saying "you´ll get a cool device sometimes in the future".
Was really set on getting the SW2 for this gift but now I don´t know...

Leagoo lead 7 Unboxing and Hands on review-- 5inch HD JDI IPS screen and 4500mAh smar

Leagoo is a new brand for most customers as one of China famous smartphones' supplier, but in the past year, Leagoo has developed fast and swiftly with various products, competitive price and superior service. Since the great success of Leagoo Lead 3, Leagoo lead 1, Leagoo has acquired the powerful encouragement to continue to make every effort to produce better products. Now, this time, Leagoo
brings a flagship smartphone, Leagoo Lead 7, it's well-known for the large capacity battery with 4500mAh. I have got this smartphone, and would like to share my experience about this smartphone.
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First amazing feature: 4500mAh battery
As a professional user, a large capacity battery is very inevitable and vital to have a good experience of a smartphone. It's built in 4500mAh battery, and it can support up to 450hours standby time after one-time charging, and i can talk in one day without stop. This is the charm of leagoo lead 7. I would like to let you know the power of this smartphone. Meanwhile, i can listen to the music and watch movies without stop.
Second wonderful feature: MTK6582 Quad core 1.3GHZ Processor
It may be not outstanding that it is powered by mtk6582 quad core 1.3ghz processor, becauase nowadays, 64bit processor mtk6732 or mtk6752 has become popular and hot, that's ok about the mtk6582 quad core cpu, especially 4G LTE has not been in common, i don't need to 4G LTE network, therefore, quad core smartphone is good enough for me to play games, and search the Internet.
No. 3 feature: 5.0 Inch 1280 * 720 HD JDI IPS Screen
I prefer to the 5inch screen size when i choose a smartphone. Due to the hand feel, and the size of my palm, and i can put in my pocket freely. Meanwhile, it uses HD JDI IPS screen with 1280*720p screen resolution. Although it's not FHD IPS screen, i should be disappointed in this smartphone, but when i watch TV plays, play games or do other tasks. The screen playing quality and clearity are very high and vivid. That's the one highlight that i like most.
No.4 feature: 13.0MP Master camera and 8.0MP Front camera
The other function that i propose most is the dual camera with 13.0MP back and 8.0MP front camera. Most smartphones don't have the main camera with 13.0MP. That is to say, Leagoo lead 7 has made big progress that it has made the camera to support 13.0MP. The higher pixels the camera is, the clear-cut the photos taken are. I try to take pictures in the day and at night. There is no bad picture quality shooting in the day, but it may be a little dark taking pictures at night. But the light can be adjusted according to the smartphone. It's awesome about the dual camera.
No.5 feature: OTG, 3G, Google play store, multi-language
Other practical features like OTG function, google play store and multi-language and so on. It supports OTG function which lets i charge my smartphone and other smartphone freely because of the large capacity battery. And i can download trendy and hot apps for free in google play store. About multi-language, it brings me much convenience to set up in my local language. Much stronger users' experience have made me excited.
In conclusion, leagoo lead 7 has 4500mAh large capaticy battery which is the most satisfied feature i think. Currently, a large capacity smartphone is not as many as it can produce, including those big brand such as Apple, Samsung and so on. As for Chinese smartphone, Elephone P5000 is said to have more than 5000mAh battery, and thl has released THL 5000 with 5000mAh battery, and thl 4400mAh battery, and others don't manufacture like them. Whether like it or not, just have a try. Miracle can happen in our real life.

@cdd3111: stop posting cheap china-phone shop marketing and tell us the real stuff for xda: is there a Custom ROM for MTK6582 or has MediaTek released hardware sources for KitKat or Lollipop???

A real user posting about the Lead 7
I purchased a Lead 7 phone from Geekbuying. It's a Chinese Marketplace. I paid with PayPal (to provide some level of protection) and had it shipped DHL. Just to add more believability (besides the fact that I type in American English) my DHL tracking number was 2723845025. I don't know how long it can be tracked, but at least it gives you something to verify if you happen across this soon.
I bought this phone because I wanted a decent camera on my phone, I was hoping that the battery life was what they are claiming it would be, and I am planning on spending some time in Africa where having two SIM cards is a plus. In short I am satisfied with the camera, but I am not satisfied with the battery life.
I am a casual phone user and I am very cheap, so take all of this through that filter. I am also an electrical engineer, so I have some technical ability, though my expertise is in embedded electronics. I am moving up from a Sony Xperia Tipo Duo (yeah... I know).
I have no complaints about the shipping or packaging. The phone itself is a nice size and a nice build. It doesn't feel cheap. The screen is beautiful, very bright, very wide viewing angle. I am very happy with the camera. I am not a photography expert, I just want good pictures of my kids and family from my phone. It has touch to focus. Actually both front facing (8MP) and back facing (13MP) cameras take nice pictures, as a casual user I am very satisfied.
The UI is ok. I don't particularly like their audio app or their photo app/ window that is permanently one of the windows you slide to, but I can live with it. I was able to get root using Kingo Root. Though I can't update the binaries for SuperSU. I have tried both normal mode and TWRP but wasn't successful (Installing the .zip failed in TWRP). I haven't messed with it much further to figure that out (any suggestions to save me some time would be appreciated).
Now the biggest issue. The battery capacity seems too good to be true, I knew that purchasing it, but still it was worth a try. This is one thing that I can talk completely competently about. I was not satisfied with what I was getting run time wise out of the phone (About 26hrs. of moderate use before needing to charge). Nothing near what the mfg. was claiming. I checked usage some with Better Battery Stats. The hardware does seem to quickly suck juice. Well, I decided to do a battery test outside the phone. See attached picture and chart. Basically, the battery is performing more like at 3500mAHrs. They are lying about the 4500mAHrs. Not to surprised, but still disappointed. If they see this and want to send me a new battery that is up to specs I would be glad to check it out for them. But I doubt that's going to happen. I am sending a e-mail about it, but expect to get Chinese technical support, which means the run-around.
Hope this is helpful to someone out there. I'll try to respond to questions as I am able if you have any.
AW

Battery recharge
I forgot one more thing. They claim the battery will recharge to 80% in one hour. That also appears to be a lie. My battery was at 51% after recharging for exactly 1 hour, this was after my battery drain test that is attached to the above post.

Pic samples? Front/back?

Voiceferous: I did not post pics of the phone because the pictures in the first post adequately show the phone. My phone looks exactly like those pics.

leagoo lead 7
hello, just bought this phone 3 days ago, the phone can't access media in my sd card, can't move app to sd card.. i search for solution i later realize its the way google designed kitkkat.. now i have installed nextapp sdfix, and phone can now access media in my external sd card but still cant move app to sd card and my HD games can't read data and obb on external card but when i move them into internal storage, the game will play well..
please anyone know how to fix this? i love this phone. thanks

Proximity sensor seems glitchy.
I have lived with this phone for close to a month now. Overall I still like it, though I don't know that I would purchase it again if I had a "do over" opportunity. The main thing that has annoyed me is that when I am talking on the phone the screen turns on. I don't think the proximity sensor is working correctly. While I am talking on the phone (holding the phone up to my ear) the screen keeps turning on. If I remove the phone from my ear for a moment, and then put it back up to my ear the screen turns back off, but soon after (sometimes 5 seconds, sometimes more like 20 seconds, it varies) the screen turns on again.
I have been able to help the battery life through removing a few wakelocks. There was an item that was keeping it from going into deep sleep. So when I am not using it much it is great on battery power (for example, overnight it will only use 2-3%) However, once the screen is on it drops much quicker. You can see my battery graph in the attachment to get an idea. I have been getting 40-50% per day with my normal usage. Not what I was originally hoping for in battery life, but it is usable.
I was able to switch the launcher. Again I didn't hate their default launcher, but I found the audio player window and photograph window useless to me. I like having an app drawer too, which they did not have.
There is only one other annoying thing, but I am not sure if it is phone related or app related. I use Yahoo mail. Mainly because I have used that account for 18 years. My yahoo mail app doesn't seem to pick up new mail notifications with this phone as well as my last phone. I only use data over Wi-Fi, but I am definitely in range of connected Wi-Fi networks when I have missed notifications. Wi-Fi optimization is on in Advanced Wi-Fi settings, I don't know if that could be effecting it? I don't know exactly what that setting does other than what it says about minimizing battery usage.
Again, I hope this info is helpful to someone.
AW

ChriMo said:
@cdd3111: stop posting cheap china-phone shop marketing and tell us the real stuff for xda: is there a Custom ROM for MTK6582 or has MediaTek released hardware sources for KitKat or Lollipop???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this is the mtk6582 ROM tips, http://goo.gl/BGnJGE, you can check it, and i bought from Chinese store 1949deal,it runs quite well to play3d games. i just want to share my review with others to make wise choice.

thanks for sharing with me, i also face the same problem about the battery, but i am still very sastified with it, because i got the big coupon from 1949deal, i will consider getting a battery backup from them. :laugh:

ibrash600 said:
hello, just bought this phone 3 days ago, the phone can't access media in my sd card, can't move app to sd card.. i search for solution i later realize its the way google designed kitkkat.. now i have installed nextapp sdfix, and phone can now access media in my external sd card but still cant move app to sd card and my HD games can't read data and obb on external card but when i move them into internal storage, the game will play well..
please anyone know how to fix this? i love this phone. thanks
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I believe you should get the ROM from them to flash your phone, but you need to do it with much experience. :good:

cdd3111 said:
this is the mtk6582 ROM tips, http://goo.gl/BGnJGE, you can check it, and i bought from Chinese store 1949deal,it runs quite well to play3d games. i just want to share my review with others to make wise choice.
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Sorry, but IMHO a Custom ROM is one build by xda developers or someone else from public hardware source-code and not connected to hardware sellers. So this is not what I have asked for...

a_wolfie said:
...Well, I decided to do a battery test outside the phone. See attached picture and chart. Basically, the battery is performing more like at 3500mAHrs. They are lying about the 4500mAHrs. Not to surprised, but still disappointed. ...
AW
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Awesome work. I would love to see that test conducted on many more phones like the THL5000.

audio calls
Hello, I have a Leagoo Lead 7 and i feel very satisfaced with this phone, the screen is good, the battery last two days, the cameras are only ok, but the only bad thing is the audio when I in a call, I mean the voice of the other person that I hear in a phone call. Someone who has happened this too? Or is the top speaker that sound "mettalic"?
Thanks!!!

Official ROM and internal memory
Hello everyone I'm looking for the official ROM of Leagoo Lead 7 and the way to resize the internal memory. If anyone could give me a hand, I will appreciate it. Thanks.

leocampos77 said:
Hello, I have a Leagoo Lead 7 and i feel very satisfaced with this phone, the screen is good, the battery last two days, the cameras are only ok, but the only bad thing is the audio when I in a call, I mean the voice of the other person that I hear in a phone call. Someone who has happened this too? Or is the top speaker that sound "mettalic"?
Thanks!!!
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I've had issues with the audio too. The loudspeaker tends to buzz at high volume, and the microphone makes me sound like I'm talking into a tin can.