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Legendary Silke December 2nd, 2013 6:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elendil (Post 7966146)
So, I'm looking for a smartphone in the 130-150 price range. ATM, I'm going either for an archos 40 titanium, or alcatel pop C5. Both same specs, but the quality is my issue. I tried both, and am leaning to the Archos. Any ideas what else is in that price range that's not the Samsung S Duo? Huwaei Ascend G510 also sounds like a cracking good deal as well.

Do you need dual-SIM support? At that kind of hardware level, I'd suggest Windows Phones first, but no Windows Phone on the market right now have any dual-SIM support. (Keep in mind that you may or may not be able to run all apps you want with that kind of hardware in the unsubsidized price range, Android or Windows Phone - hardware limitations come to mind.)

Cordelia December 2nd, 2013 7:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elendil (Post 7966146)
So, I'm looking for a smartphone in the 130-150 price range. ATM, I'm going either for an archos 40 titanium, or alcatel pop C5. Both same specs, but the quality is my issue. I tried both, and am leaning to the Archos. Any ideas what else is in that price range that's not the Samsung S Duo? Huwaei Ascend G510 also sounds like a cracking good deal as well.

Check out the Moto G. It's a little higher ($175) but it's a damned good phone for the price:

http://www.motorola.com/MotoG

Mark Kamill December 2nd, 2013 7:09 AM

European Market, not available here. And no the Huawei has no dual sim, but the DTS support is a tantalizing point for me. I know that app support at such a level is horrendous, but I want a smartphone, and that price range is all I can afford. And anyway, miniclip's multiplayer pool which I'm addicted to runs buttery smooth on these.

Legendary Silke December 2nd, 2013 7:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elendil (Post 7966206)
European Market, not available here. And no the Huawei has no dual sim, but the DTS support is a tantalizing point for me. I know that app support at such a level is horrendous, but I want a smartphone, and that price range is all I can afford. And anyway, miniclip's multiplayer pool which I'm addicted to runs buttery smooth on these.

DTS support actually isn't too important when your mobile device likely can't output matrix surround, let alone true surround from its audio out. It's more of an audio enhancement thing that you may or may not like.

Hmm, nice. Seeing as you play miniclip games, I think it might be a good idea to stick with Android phones for now unless you don't mind losing these games; then, may I suggest the Nokia Lumia 520? Windows Phone's performance characteristics make it fly even on underpowered, obsolete hardware. It's practically the cheapest Windows Phone 8 hardware you can find, and as long as you don't care much about games, it shouldn't be an issue. (If you feel that you need a file manager, it's coming.)

The best part of the 520 is that the baseline Windows Phones are still relatively beefy - it's priced at the same range of very weak Android handsets, and yet somehow packs a dual-core, relatively modern Qualcomm Snapdragon and an IPS WVGA (800x480) display when most phones pack a QWVGA (400x240) or worse display (the Q here stands for quarter).

Either way, I strongly suggest that you try to look for more similar Android phones before buying that Huawei.

Mark Kamill December 2nd, 2013 7:49 AM

Yeah, app support is a major reason why I don't want the 520, even if I thought about it. And I know this sounds trivial, but the flash on the Huawei and Archos are what really matters. I love snapping things, and even if not the best cameras, a flash for low light situations is vital. Build quality might make the difference between the Nokia and Huawei, but honestly on paper they're identical.
http://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone1=5250&idPhone2=5322

Legendary Silke December 2nd, 2013 8:07 AM

The Huawei does look like a nice phone, though after-sales support is a big question mark.

Mark Kamill December 2nd, 2013 8:17 AM

I'm willing to take that risk. In the end I might even buy something used, like an S3 or Desire 500.

Legendary Silke December 2nd, 2013 8:44 AM

The best thing you can do to yourself right now is probably to test drive an actual phone in person. Nothing beats actually using the device in question. Ask around in stores, carrier or not - they might allow you to try it out.

Tsutarja December 2nd, 2013 8:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CC (Post 7966194)
Check out the Moto G. It's a little higher ($175) but it's a damned good phone for the price:

http://www.motorola.com/MotoG

Wow, that actually looks like a pretty good phone! Too bad though that it has a hefty price tag on it for unlocked status.. but what phone doesn't really?

I'd rather have a smartphone unlocked so that I'm not confined to a contract at all.. right now I just have a basic mobile phone with AT&T's GoPhone service.. at least with an unlocked smartphone, I could still use my GoPhone service and not have to tie into data plans to use it.

Legendary Silke December 2nd, 2013 8:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zach (Post 7966369)
I'd rather have a smartphone unlocked so that I'm not confined to a contract at all.. right now I just have a basic mobile phone with AT&T's GoPhone service.. at least with an unlocked smartphone, I could still use my GoPhone service and not have to tie into data plans to use it.

Do they sell phones unlocked and without being tied to any plans on AT&T GoPhone?

Speaking of contracts, while my phone is under contract, I pay the bare minimum data fees since I paid upfront for my phone. Sometimes, it's just easier to buy a (cheap) phone under a carrier if you're planning to get a data plan anyway.

I was planning for either the Samsung Galaxy S III or the Apple iPhone 4S back then, when I had the choice. Then I realized that I don't really need all the fluff.

Buoysel December 2nd, 2013 8:57 AM

I will vouch for the Lumia. Nokia still makes amazing phones. I have a Lumia 928, and I have beat the crap out of the phone, still works great.

I came from a Nexus device. I loved Android. I got the Lumia for the Camera, but I will not be going back to Android anytime soon. Windows Phone OS runs so smooth and is optimized so well. I don't have to worry about battery life. My phone always last all day. If quality is your thing, then go with Nokia.

Tsutarja December 2nd, 2013 9:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Twiggy (Post 7966374)
Do they sell phones unlocked and without being tied to any plans on AT&T GoPhone?

I'm not sure if GoPhones are unlocked or not, because they do have the AT&T carrier name on them physically and within the welcome message itself, but they do come with SIM card slots since AT&T is a GSM network.

Quote:

Originally Posted by quilzel (Post 7966377)
I will vouch for the Lumia. Nokia still makes amazing phones. I have a Lumia 928, and I have beat the crap out of the phone, still works great.

I came from a Nexus device. I loved Android. I got the Lumia for the Camera, but I will not be going back to Android anytime soon. Windows Phone OS runs so smooth and is optimized so well. I don't have to worry about battery life. My phone always last all day. If quality is your thing, then go with Nokia.

If I could find one that was inexpensive enough and unlocked, I honestly wouldn't mind going for a Windows phone at all. I already have my Nexus 7 2013 tablet which is enough Android for me and I have my iPod Touch as well for iOS.

Legendary Silke December 2nd, 2013 9:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by quilzel (Post 7966377)
I will vouch for the Lumia. Nokia still makes amazing phones. I have a Lumia 928, and I have beat the crap out of the phone, still works great.

I came from a Nexus device. I loved Android. I got the Lumia for the Camera, but I will not be going back to Android anytime soon. Windows Phone OS runs so smooth and is optimized so well. I don't have to worry about battery life. My phone always last all day. If quality is your thing, then go with Nokia.

One of the things I've liked about my Nokia phone is that even though the battery clearly has seen a lot of discharge cycles after one and a half year of use, the battery drains by only about 19% for every 10 hours with full-time push email for my Outlook.com account, pull email every 15 minutes for 5 more IMAP email accounts, full time HSPA+, and all networking, location, and quality-of-life (things like Find My Phone, Xbox Live) services turned on, and tons of background apps being allowed to run (with some essentially running full-time for notifications, like the built-in messaging client, Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, and other apps.)

It's kind of amazing, really.

Zach, a Nokia Lumia 520 should cost about $100 unlocked on the open market.

Mark Kamill December 2nd, 2013 9:20 AM

Yeah, the G510 is from an online retailer, so I'm going in blind. The archos and the nokia I've tried, but not that. However, huawei does have surprisingly good build quality, so I'm not too wary. The lack of flash really kills me in the end for the 520, even if its amazing.

Legendary Silke December 2nd, 2013 9:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elendil (Post 7966407)
Yeah, the G510 is from an online retailer, so I'm going in blind. The archos and the nokia I've tried, but not that. However, huawei does have surprisingly good build quality, so I'm not too wary. The lack of flash really kills me in the end for the 520, even if its amazing.

The LED flash might not be handy for taking photos in the dark (unless it's macro), but it sure comes in handy when you need light for video or just to see things. Dual-LED flashes are quite a lot better with regard to this, seeing as, well, there's two of them.

Nothing beats a real xenon flash which can freeze things in place, but you can find them only on dedicated cameras and the highest-end camera phones (these days, that leaves only the Nokia Lumia 1020 and 928).

Mark Kamill December 2nd, 2013 9:59 AM

I agree completely, no argument in that department. Until 2010 I always had c-line SE phones which were unbeatable. But for me its a real cut and dry "I need to have flash because well just because damn it!" Its just I'm new to the android market. :p

Tsutarja December 2nd, 2013 10:57 AM

Okay, now I think I'm really settled on the Lumia 520... Amazon has one for AT&T GoPhones at a sale price of $69.99 now (original price $99.99).. will tell my parents about this one tonight for sure.

All I want is a phone that can take pictures, call, and just browse the web on wifi only. I don't really need apps with my phone.

Mark Kamill December 2nd, 2013 11:30 AM

If you did need apps though, the 525 is coming soon. Only it has a crappier body. Shiny plastic compared to the classier matte finish.

Legendary Silke December 2nd, 2013 12:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elendil (Post 7966569)
If you did need apps though, the 525 is coming soon. Only it has a crappier body. Shiny plastic compared to the classier matte finish.

The Nokia Lumia 525 is not coming to North American markets.

Most Windows Phone apps should run well on 512 MB of RAM. For the rare few that don't, they usually will get it fixed within weeks, if not days.

Also, don't be afraid of Internet Explorer. Who knows, maybe you'll have a different opinion of it after trying it with a touch screen device.

Looks like we'll have to keep dreaming about file managers in the meantime (though having to use one to manage files is probably a design fault in the first place in my honest opinion).

Buoysel December 2nd, 2013 9:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Twiggy (Post 7966654)
Also, don't be afraid of Internet Explorer. Who knows, maybe you'll have a different opinion of it after trying it with a touch screen device.

IE isn't as bad as it used to be. It still doesn't handle JavaScript as well as chrome, but others things it works just as well.
Quote:

Looks like we'll have to keep dreaming about file managers in the meantime (though having to use one to manage files is probably a design fault in the first place in my honest opinion).
OMG yes, but I understand why. People are stupid when it comes to technology. Windows Phones are simple to use, which is what makes them end user friendly. I got my dad an android phone and it confuses him. He can pick up my Lumia though and was able to figure it out. I'm going to get him a Windows Phone for Christmas.

Mark Kamill December 3rd, 2013 12:11 AM

Decided to go for the Huawei! Although the UI has some lag, I've tried it before on other models, and I was always impressed with it. No app draw and just home screens is friking ace imo, and the phone covers my needs either way. Will post impressions when it comes.

Legendary Silke December 3rd, 2013 2:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elendil (Post 7967689)
Decided to go for the Huawei! Although the UI has some lag, I've tried it before on other models, and I was always impressed with it. No app draw and just home screens is friking ace imo, and the phone covers my needs either way. Will post impressions when it comes.

An Android phone with no app drawer? That certainly is a bit strange.

I particularly like how Windows Phone handles the home screen and the app "drawer". If you want to, you could certainly rock the phone with no home screen, with only the application list to deal with. You can do it Android-style with Live Tiles acting as widgets. Or you could icon up the Start screen if you want to.

Tsutarja December 3rd, 2013 4:19 AM

I've decided myself to get a Lumia 520 unlocked, now waiting for my parents to approve before they begin Christmas shopping for me.

Legendary Silke December 3rd, 2013 4:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zach (Post 7967906)
I've decided myself to get a Lumia 520 unlocked, now waiting for my parents to approve before they begin Christmas shopping for me.

If you get the 520, you might want to pay a visit to AT&T and request a Micro SIM (if AT&T's store doesn't automatically give you one). If you also plan to switch between the 520 and your old phone, you might also want to get a SIM adapter.

Tsutarja December 3rd, 2013 4:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Twiggy (Post 7967916)
If you get the 520, you might want to pay a visit to AT&T and request a Micro SIM (if AT&T's store doesn't automatically give you one). If you also plan to switch between the 520 and your old phone, you might also want to get a SIM adapter.

I was thinking of getting it on Amazon, so is that going to be a problem? From past experience, AT&T usually issues SIM cards to new GoPhones, but whenever I've gotten a new phone, I just usually keep my old SIM and put it into the new phone. My SIM card is already the full-sized version, so would that be a problem?


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