Related
I'm thinking about possibly gambling that the Elite Team gets 3G working for U.S. frequencies on the existing Touch Pro's.
A quick Google Shopping search yields a lot of prices way to low to be legit. What are they going for legit, and any good recommendations for U.S. based sellers?
the cheapest i've seen it from a reputable seller is from plemix. they have it for $787. here is the direct link:
http://www.plemix.com/phone-htc-touchpro-phone
I bought 2 units from an ebay seller. Perfect transactions, with next day air optional. He's not the cheapest, but answers email and is a pleasure to deal with. He has been locked in as the only seller I will deal with in the US. He even carries (and has in stock) the Advantage and Shift.
Seller's store is located here (smart-mobile-gadgets' store)
At this moment...he has 94 available here in the US, and at a list price of $200 less than my unit, and $150 less than my wife's. Guess that's what I get for my lack of patience!
I don't know about this seller specifically, but found this looking for Gtab stuff at Aliexpress. I also don't fully understand their "escrow" process, but it looks like they don't release the funds to him until you confirm delivery. His lack of feedback bothers me some.
URL REMOVED TO PROTECT EVERYONE
Less than $300 for a lot of two is an amzingly great deal, I just wish I had an extra $300 laying around. Hell, if I had a few grand I would probably buy him out and undersell everybody on ebay with them!
nunjabusiness said:
I don't know about this seller specifically, but found this looking for Gtab stuff at Aliexpress. I also don't fully understand their "escrow" process, but it looks like they don't release the funds to him until you confirm delivery. His lack of feedback bothers me some.
http://www.aliexpress.com/product-fm/409421093-Viewsonic-G-Tablet-with-10-Multi-Touch-LCD-Screen-Android-OS-2-2-wholesalers.html
Less than $300 for a lot of two is an amzingly great deal, I just wish I had an extra $300 laying around. Hell, if I had a few grand I would probably buy him out and undersell everybody on ebay with them!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea but if you look BEFORE he 'cut n paste' the Viewsonic Page he has this...
Screen Size:
10"
Products Status:
Stock
Graphics Card Type:
Integrated Card
Processor Type:
Intel Atom
Processor Brand:
Intel
Type:
Netbook,Tablet PC,UMPC
Hard Drive Capacity:
120GB
Memory Capacity:
512MB
Seems awfully fishy??? Not to mention this seller has NO feedback from what I could find...
It looks like you need to buy two or more to get this pricing.
Viewsonic G-Tablet with 10" Multi-Touch LCD Screen, Android OS 2.2
Unit Price:US $242.11 - 263.16 / lot
2 pieces / lot, $121.06 - 131.58 / piece
Min. Order: 1lot .
it2steve said:
Yea but if you look BEFORE he 'cut n paste' the Viewsonic Page he has this...
Screen Size:
10"
Products Status:
Stock
Graphics Card Type:
Integrated Card
Processor Type:
Intel Atom
Processor Brand:
Intel
Type:
Netbook,Tablet PC,UMPC
Hard Drive Capacity:
120GB
Memory Capacity:
512MB
Seems awfully fishy??? Not to mention this seller has NO feedback from what I could find...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, exactly why I hesitate. It does show some purchases though, so I will be monitoring it for feedback from them.
I try to stay away from aliexpress. Heard too many horror stories of people never getting their items, or what they received was not what the ordered, or it just broken.
On top of that the specs advertised are wrong. A good indication to stay away from a seller. Usually it means the seller has no idea what the product they are selling is. You could wind up with a Viewpad.
Customs
Are these things going to get stuck at customs? IT2STEVE, you have some importing experience (docks/cases/adapters)... how easy/painful is the process? And what should we expect to pay in taxes/duty/fees?
There is no feedback, but there is a large order history, so maybe something will pop up there soon. The order screen does say that this store is 7.8% above average for orders completed (tho it doesn't say what the average is!)
As for the specs... the right specs are in the article below the summary. That sort of thing happens on EBay all the time. He probably posted the other tablet first (the Intel Atom/Win7 one in his store) then started from that ad to make the GTab one.
this is very good, that would be true
I do not believe
buy, then we Tell
1. "No feedback received for this supplier over the past 6 months"
2. "AliExpress Supplier Since: 05 Jan 2011"
Imho if it sounds too good to be true.... it is.
I can afford to risk buying these, but is it too much of a risk? I wouldn't mind getting atom based tablets, because it would be easier to then install a real OS, like Ubuntu. I've been waiting for one to turn up at a local Sears Oulet store. My g-tablet runs great with the stock + updates, so I would use a used one to experiment with.
aver2one said:
Imho if it sounds too good to be true.... it is.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was thinking the same thing. He doesn't have any feedback yet, maybe because he just joined AliExpress on January 5th. I found these comments about the seller. Not too good:
http://ask.alibaba.com/Q/802132883-...PRESS-as-SIMON-HAN-without-me-responding.html
I want to pull the trigger on this, but I'm not a dumb-ass. I need to drink some beer first, then I will become a dumb-ass, and may purchase them!
wasserkapf said:
I can afford to risk buying these, but is it too much of a risk? I wouldn't mind getting atom based tablets, because it would be easier to then install a real OS, like Ubuntu. I've been waiting for one to turn up at a local Sears Oulet store. My g-tablet runs great with the stock + updates, so I would use a used one to experiment with.
I was thinking the same thing. He doesn't have any feedback yet, maybe because he just joined AliExpress on January 5th. I found these comments about the seller. Not too good:
http://ask.alibaba.com/Q/802132883-...PRESS-as-SIMON-HAN-without-me-responding.html
I want to pull the trigger on this, but I'm not a dumb-ass. I need to drink some beer first, then I will become a dumb-ass, and may purchase them!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL, Scotch for me - but I would do it right now if I had the extra simoleons. I've wasted larger amounts of cash on riskier things!
Those reviews were not good! I'll stay away from this one... or at least I won't be first
nunjabusiness said:
LOL, Scotch for me - but I would do it right now if I had the extra simoleons. I've wasted larger amounts of cash on riskier things!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I do have a bottle of this:
http://www.greatlakesdistillery.com/pumpkin.htm
Don't be fooled by the name. It is a whiskey!
There's no way this is legit. The same seller is also selling a 9.7" atom tablet with a 16Gb SSD and 3G with Windows 7/ Windows XP / Linux (ALL THREE INSTALLED!) on it for $115 for each tablet when you buy two.
Yeah right!!!!! LOL.
http://www.aliexpress.com/fm-store/...5-Win7-WIFI-3G-MID-Tablet-PC.html#tabbed-pane
Please don't get yourself scammed. Nobody is going to be able to offer a new G Tab for less than $300.
The parts cost for a G Tablet is probably about $170 (Galaxy Tab was about $205 in estimated parts cost according to the breakdowns I've seen, you can back into costs for a G Tablet pretty easily), assembled and packaged, figure $180-$190 for a G Tablet. And companies have shipping, overhead, fixed costs, and returns to cover.
I'm guessing that in 1000 unit lots, Sears et. al. paid something like $250 per unit, and they dumped the returns at slightly over cost (maybe even at their cost?) from Sears outlet when they were selling returned units for $279.
rcgabriel said:
Please don't get yourself scammed. Nobody is going to be able to offer a new G Tab for less than $300.
The parts cost for a G Tablet is probably about $170 (Galaxy Tab was about $205 in estimated parts cost according to the breakdowns I've seen, you can back into costs for a G Tablet pretty easily), assembled and packaged, figure $180-$190 for a G Tablet. And companies have shipping, overhead, fixed costs, and returns to cover.
I'm guessing that in 1000 unit lots, Sears et. al. paid something like $250 per unit, and they dumped the returns at slightly over cost (maybe even at their cost?) from Sears outlet when they were selling returned units for $279.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are forgetting that the manufacturing is in China. Different processes and different laws governing this. I used to be a purchasing agent for IBM and bought many millions of dollars worth of parts for manufacturing so I am pretty confident that the Gtab could be had for well under $200US.
However, after a little more research - I now agree with ALL of the naysayers.
This guy is definitely a scammer and is not to be trusted.
doctorisin said:
Are these things going to get stuck at customs? IT2STEVE, you have some importing experience (docks/cases/adapters)... how easy/painful is the process? And what should we expect to pay in taxes/duty/fees?
.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the VERY FIRST dock and first lot I ordered took a while. I have it going with a vendor now that it 'seems' I'm getting things about three days after he ships. For the most part when I'm getting a tracking number it's being delivered on time. I've even seen the 'notice' where customs has opened and inspected it.
I had my ZT-180 tablet seized by the local U.S.Customs office. It was seized because it did not have a sticker saying the wireless was FCC approved, and/or the proper documents regarding this. I had to come up with the forms and documents, AND pay a $100 fee.
The only reason I even considered this offer was because the g-tablet is marked as being FCC approved.
I just placed an order for 1 lot with aliexpress. Only way to tell if it is O.K. is to try, have fingers crossed.
Wish you the best of luck Roy. Personally, I was about to order this G-TAB from aliexpress a week ago, but Thanks to God I stumbled upon this website . Have to be cautious from now on.
Secondly, I have seen Simon Hans other products (except the G-tab and Intel atom 10'' Tablet pc .. which are going awfully cheap), to be sold at their normal prices and with a good transaction history. I have also dropped an email to him but no reply yet. That said, Aliexpress is by far the most reliable chinese trade marketplace, better than Dhgate and globalsources.
Perhaps he's selling it off cheap when shackles pulled the G-TAB off their shelves due to early software issue or rejection issues and somehow VS sold their g-tabs to China due to rejection and to cover its break-up cost.
Anyways, I am more concerned that you and hope you get your G-TAB
Since they hold payment in escrow untill I"m in receipt of tablets not to concerned. Just disappointed that it did not work. But thats life, just wait for another good deal around the corner. If this turns out alright and I did not try I would be more disappointed in myself for missing it.
Roy
So, as someone living and working in China, I've been super excited following up on the Xiaomi Phone. When they released the price as 2000 RMB (about $310 USD), I knew it had to be fake, or there was some serious funny business. The numbers just don't add up.
Engadget recently had a review of the Xiaomi phone and had it benchmarking near the Galaxy S 2 in several tests, so I think it makes sense to compare these two:
SGS 2 Advantages: Super AMOLED screen; 4.3 inch screen (vs 4 inch); forward facing camera; 1080p video recording (vs 720p); onboard storage (16 GB vs 4 GB); slightly smaller footprint.
Xiaomi Advantages: Price; processor speed (1.5 Ghz vs 1.2); battery (1930 mAh vs 1650); GLONASS and GPS tracking; highly customizable UI out of the box.
In China, the SGS2 retails for about 4300 RMB (about $670 USD). So how does a phone which is in the SGS2's ballpark retail for less than half the price?
It gets even more peculiar. Here are some questions Xiaomi hasn't cleared up(or at least I haven't seen their responses yet):
1) Xiaomi uses a Qualcomm processor and a LCD screen from Sharp (Japanese import). So they can't be using local parts to save costs, how are they able to offer the phone at only $310?
2) Local competitors like Huawei and ZTE who have much more experience in manufacturing (and much more leverage with suppliers) have yet to produce a phone remotely like this. Also, their closest local competition in terms of specs is something like the Huawei Honor, a single core phone that retails for about $400. Yet Xiaomi, which has never produced hardware before is getting better deals than these guys on components? Samsung also does component development in-house, but Xiaomi is getting better pricing than Samsung?
3) Xiaomi was originally a software developer. How did they pull a piece of impressive hardware like this out of nowhere?
4) Why retail for $310? They could sell it for $500 and it would still be way cheaper than an SGS2. Hell, I paid more than 2000 RMB for the crappy 2 year old Nokia I'm still using over here.
My Chinese is OK so I've been trying to read more on the Xiaomi forums, but I haven't really gotten any new information, other than there's something like 300,000 preorders already. I figure there's got to be some serious funny business going on. Probably:
a) ridiculous free loans and/or development assistance from the government to built up national prestige; or
b) copying another phone's internals verbatim; or
c) fake components of some kind
It looked really smooth in the Engadget video, so I'm inclined to be believe it's option A. Good for consumers I guess, but probably lousy if you're a Chinese taxpayer. Any ideas on why the price is so low?
Smaller companies tend to do these kind of things.
However I'm interested as well.
I believe that it's one part 'a' and another that generally huawei and zte have primarily been marketed for export (to SE Asia, India, EU) but the government is really trying to subsidize local start ups to fight imports (like HTC, Sony, etc...) and get Chinese to spend their money on Chinese things. But if a Chinese phone were 3000 RMB and a Korean or Japanese phone was also 3000 RMB, no one would get the Chinese phone for obvious reasons.
so basically you just made up a thread without any evidence and full of speculation accusing Xiaomi not being legit.
india are making ARM Cortex 9 phones with 4 GB for only $35
if they can do it, so can china
lol
Mmmhmm .
I don't why people have so much comments , no offence though .
Forever living in my Galaxy Ace using XDA App
I support you , and do your know meizu'M9 or MX?
hehe
it is good for everyone. thank you!
AllGamer said:
india are making ARM Cortex 9 phones with 4 GB for only $35
if they can do it, so can china
lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Seriously?
cdesai said:
Seriously?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes, there is a post with the pictures and spec here in the forum
aprox 5 days old
it's made for the india school system
Hi it's my first post and I have no exact figures to support this other than a simple comparison to another industry.
I remember hearing from someone that the mark up on mobile phones (this was a while ago) was a few hundred percent. Remember that it doesn't cost 800 dollars to make a phone and the people that usually make it in third world manufacturing companies or places with poor working conditions only get paid a few dollars an hour to make your 800 dollar phones.
our
My comparison industry is optometry. The following information comes from someone I know who is an optometrist:
"Frames like Gucci and Prada cost $3 per frame to make. In the stores you pay $500 dollars to buy them. That is an insane mark up. However they can't retail it cheaper because of an agreement in place to prevent the devaluation of the brand."
I am sure the same thing happens in the cell phone industry.
Just thought that this might put the legitimacy of the phone in perspective.
Thanks for your time.
andao79 said:
So, as someone living and working in China, I've been super excited following up on the Xiaomi Phone. When they released the price as 2000 RMB (about $310 USD), I knew it had to be fake, or there was some serious funny business. The numbers just don't add up.
Engadget recently had a review of the Xiaomi phone and had it benchmarking near the Galaxy S 2 in several tests, so I think it makes sense to compare these two:
SGS 2 Advantages: Super AMOLED screen; 4.3 inch screen (vs 4 inch); forward facing camera; 1080p video recording (vs 720p); onboard storage (16 GB vs 4 GB); slightly smaller footprint.
Xiaomi Advantages: Price; processor speed (1.5 Ghz vs 1.2); battery (1930 mAh vs 1650); GLONASS and GPS tracking; highly customizable UI out of the box.
In China, the SGS2 retails for about 4300 RMB (about $670 USD). So how does a phone which is in the SGS2's ballpark retail for less than half the price?
It gets even more peculiar. Here are some questions Xiaomi hasn't cleared up(or at least I haven't seen their responses yet):
1) Xiaomi uses a Qualcomm processor and a LCD screen from Sharp (Japanese import). So they can't be using local parts to save costs, how are they able to offer the phone at only $310?
2) Local competitors like Huawei and ZTE who have much more experience in manufacturing (and much more leverage with suppliers) have yet to produce a phone remotely like this. Also, their closest local competition in terms of specs is something like the Huawei Honor, a single core phone that retails for about $400. Yet Xiaomi, which has never produced hardware before is getting better deals than these guys on components? Samsung also does component development in-house, but Xiaomi is getting better pricing than Samsung?
3) Xiaomi was originally a software developer. How did they pull a piece of impressive hardware like this out of nowhere?
4) Why retail for $310? They could sell it for $500 and it would still be way cheaper than an SGS2. Hell, I paid more than 2000 RMB for the crappy 2 year old Nokia I'm still using over here.
My Chinese is OK so I've been trying to read more on the Xiaomi forums, but I haven't really gotten any new information, other than there's something like 300,000 preorders already. I figure there's got to be some serious funny business going on. Probably:
a) ridiculous free loans and/or development assistance from the government to built up national prestige; or
b) copying another phone's internals verbatim; or
c) fake components of some kind
It looked really smooth in the Engadget video, so I'm inclined to be believe it's option A. Good for consumers I guess, but probably lousy if you're a Chinese taxpayer. Any ideas on why the price is so low?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd get the M9 or M9x ( or something.. Quad Core? HELLOOOOO )
I don't see why someone would get a device ONLY for Miui, most phones out there have a build of MIUI.
You really think that $600 phone costs $600 to make?
The markup on electrical goods from brand names can be over 200%
My point is not really related to the idea of a markup, I KNOW all cell phones have a dramatic markup, and I read not long ago an iPhone 4 costs about $180 to make, while they retail for something like $600 out of contract.
I'm more interested in a) How did this company come out of nowhere with this sort of hardware? and b) They don't NEED to sell it for 2000 RMB for it to be a hit. They could have sold it for $400-450 and it would have still been a hell of a lot cheaper than a Galaxy S 2.
That, coupled with the fact that the big guns in China (Meizu, Huawei, ZTE) are not even in the same ballpark with specs or price, is really weird.
If i can demo one and it works well, i'll definitely pick one up, but there must be some serious funny business behind the scenes.
Why must there be funny business?
Well, you can build a cheap phone if you want.
The question is: can you sell it cheap?
Operating costs, brand advertisement etc. They have no problem there, they just build a phone having no ad space on western media.They can do it, they are smart enough.Plus: we enthusiasts are their advertisement plan, we buy it for cheap, all our friends will buy it.
It's a win win scenario.My 2 eurocents.
andao79 said:
My point is not really related to the idea of a markup, I KNOW all cell phones have a dramatic markup, and I read not long ago an iPhone 4 costs about $180 to make, while they retail for something like $600 out of contract.
I'm more interested in a) How did this company come out of nowhere with this sort of hardware? and b) They don't NEED to sell it for 2000 RMB for it to be a hit. They could have sold it for $400-450 and it would have still been a hell of a lot cheaper than a Galaxy S 2.
That, coupled with the fact that the big guns in China (Meizu, Huawei, ZTE) are not even in the same ballpark with specs or price, is really weird.
If i can demo one and it works well, i'll definitely pick one up, but there must be some serious funny business behind the scenes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The issue is risk. Do you risk spending $300 on a new unknown brand or do you spend $450 on a noname brand when you can get a well known brand for $600?
There is obviously going to be a greater curve of buyers the lower the price you go and finding the balance is where your marketers need mettle. I think the current price is going to be very good to get users into buying the phone. Obviously, if they can become the new HTC, their markup is going to increase hugely.
My concern is going to be: at ~$300, what is the customer service going to be like? HTC's is mediocre here in the UK, but if Vodafone, Orange et al resell this phone, it's going to be VERY attractive to us as the carriers are held responsible until end of warranty.
russ18uk said:
The issue is risk. Do you risk spending $300 on a new unknown brand or do you spend $450 on a noname brand when you can get a well known brand for $600?
There is obviously going to be a greater curve of buyers the lower the price you go and finding the balance is where your marketers need mettle. I think the current price is going to be very good to get users into buying the phone. Obviously, if they can become the new HTC, their markup is going to increase hugely.
My concern is going to be: at ~$300, what is the customer service going to be like? HTC's is mediocre here in the UK, but if Vodafone, Orange et al resell this phone, it's going to be VERY attractive to us as the carriers are held responsible until end of warranty.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just to clarify, the retailer is responsible until you have had a reasonable amount of use out of it irrespective of warranty
The law doesn't care about warranties, they're in the best case an agreement that the device will be repaired without the need to take legal action, and in the worst case used to illegally convince consumers they have no rights.
Take my Sensation, afaik it has a 12month warranty.
Say the screen dies after 18 months, I'll be demanding O2 repair or replace it otherwise I'll be contacting trading standards as being a phone provided on a 24 month contract I should be able to expect it to last at least 24 months and more especially considering the price when new.
I love being a consumer in the UK
Xiaomo said:
I support you , and do your know meizu'M9 or MX?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes~ Meizu much better than xiaomi
kerwin_pig said:
yes~ Meizu much better than xiaomi
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
WHY DID YOU DIG UP OLD THREADS
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
Samsung really ought to thank Barns & Nobles and Amazon. Lots of people bought these devices for the holiday, realized they're poor excuses for tablets, and returned them.
And now the more expensive galaxy tab, only 100 or so more saltier than the above craplets, is a viable choice. I wouldn't have paid 400 for one, but now with the cheaper price at best buy, it's only a hundred dollar jump from the nook tab. Especially, if you opt to pick it up from a store in a tax free state.
Has anyone found a better (lower than $350) price, or even the same price at somewhere other than Best Buy? They are sold out in literally a 50 mile radius around from where I live. I would hate to see the price go back to $400 before I get my grubby mitts on one.
Hey, it's a good sign, no? The more popular the device, the greater liklihood of great and diverse dev support, right?
Duely blundered from my thunderdolt
Amazon has them for 349.99. No tax in most states.. Very easy return if you have a problem with it.
Got my GT7+ brand new for $299 (before tax) at CompUSA. But that's because it was an unadvertised store special on Black Friday.
I'm sure they are back to the usual $399. Still, my belief is that everything is negotiable. Ask to talk with a manager and try to swing a deal, say a lower price on the tablet as long as you purchase a memory card with it or a case or some other accessory. Can't hurt to ask.
Hi, so my girlfriend wants a phone with a good camera, above the average really, for this kind of price, between 500 and 600 bucks.
phones in Brazil are usually pretty expensive, so she wants to buy one during our stay in los angeles next month, but shopping for unlocked phones in the US is surprisingly difficult.
my first choice for her was the oneplus 6, which is around that price and is a great bang for the buck, problem is we can't ship it to the airbnb we're staying, and they don't sell it anywhere else other than their website. an amazon locker would be an option but someone is selling oneplus 6 on amazon for like $100 more than the msrp, which is a no-no
so that excludes pretty much most of the chinese phones. then I suggested her a galaxy s9 which is a little above her budget but has a top camera, and sells on stores like best buy, but I've been collecting testimonials from people that had samsung's infamous curved screen phones, and not one single person managed to keep the screen intact for more than 6 months. apparently it breaks as soon as you grab the phone, regardless of cases and screen protectors.
this budget range is like a gap, there are a million phones for less than $400, and a gazillion for more than $700.
I wanted something that didn't have:
-thick last generation top and bottom borders, (notches and thin borders are fine)
-huge screens (small ones like the s9 are great, could go a little bigger than that)
-curved screens (this doesn't bother me as much as I'd think, but people say it breaks instantly so it got me worried)
-glass back (ok this is a tough one, everything has glass backs these days, so I guess I won't be able to avoid this one)
I know it's quite specific, but really I just want a good phone with a good camera that doesn't have major design flaws, costs around 500-600 and is sold in physical stores (or maybe on amazon, assuming it's not overpriced).
why is this so hard?
any suggestions?
fael097 said:
Hi, so my girlfriend wants a phone with a good camera, above the average really, for this kind of price, between 500 and 600 bucks.
phones in Brazil are usually pretty expensive, so she wants to buy one during our stay in los angeles next month, but shopping for unlocked phones in the US is surprisingly difficult.
my first choice for her was the oneplus 6, which is around that price and is a great bang for the buck, problem is we can't ship it to the airbnb we're staying, and they don't sell it anywhere else other than their website. an amazon locker would be an option but someone is selling oneplus 6 on amazon for like $100 more than the msrp, which is a no-no
...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's a thread for that :
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1620179
Copy your thread and post in the appropriate thread to have proper guidance
that being said ^^^ thread closed