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| Look what's coming out of China! (New Androids) | |
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| Topic Started: August 7, 2012, 6:51 am (442 Views) | |
| DoctorM | August 7, 2012, 6:51 am Post #1 |
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What is being offered on ebay and Amazon.com from China are precursors of what might eventually be offered by TracFone, Net10, or Straight Talk. Here are some very intriguing models with Android 4.0 and 5-inch touch screens. Many have FM radio, quad band, and dual sims. Some also say they able to run Java apps as well as Android apps. These are priced from $160 to $240, and might make a really good poor-man's iphone. These came up on an ebay search (android 4.0 cell phone 5" touch screen) 
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| ShadowDancer | August 7, 2012, 6:18 pm Post #2 |
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Doctor M, Interesting. Do you know offhand who the Chinese companies are who are manufacturing these phones? . . Huawei?. . ZTE? ------------------------------------------- A major drawback I can see to having an Android phone on Tracfone, based on what others are posting about the Samsung S425G and the S390G, is the much higher costs for data and picture messaging (MMS), unless you have easy access to a Wi-Fi hotspot. ShadowDancer 
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| DoctorM | August 12, 2012, 10:58 am Post #3 |
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I don't know the manufacturers, or brands (which are probably in Chinese characters, with names like Sun Moon Sky). And and even if they were identified, it probably wouldn't mean anything to me. I strongly suspect that these Chinese manufacturers got their experience and technology from serving as licensed producers for the name brands, and are now knocking off their own items at greatly reduced prices for the Chinese masses and other countries. As far as having a TracFone (as opposed to Net10 or Straight Talk) Android smart phone -- I agree they would of necessity probably be expensive to run data on a per minute plan. But I personally would seldom process data over the cell line. I would, as you say, opt for WiFi whenever possible. But I would want the capability to connect through the cell line, in case I got "lost in the woods" (so to speak) and needed to run the GPS and map to find my way out (assuming I was in range of a cell tower.). I am seriously considering getting one of the Chinese phones.. But I don't want to have to subscribe (prepaid or post paid) to an expensive "unlimited" use plan. Right now I don't see any US service provider that would allow me to sub scribe to a pay by minute plan with a smart phone. If you know of one, or hear of one, let me know. |
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| muddy211 | August 12, 2012, 11:43 am Post #4 |
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http://www.lightinthebox.com/c/android-cell-phones_3309 |
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| DoctorM | August 12, 2012, 12:58 pm Post #5 |
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@ Muddy211 I didn't see any 5" screens at your link. I saw Samsung's Note 5.3" screen at COSTCO. I am hooked. Only a 5+" screen will do now. |
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| muddy211 | August 12, 2012, 4:38 pm Post #6 |
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Hey Doc... www.lightinthebox.com/velvet-3g-android-2-3-smartphone-with-5-0-inch-capacitive-touchscreen-dual-sim-gps-wifi_p290210.html |
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| ShadowDancer | August 12, 2012, 5:23 pm Post #7 |
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Hi Doctor M, I completely agree with you. The phone which you describe would be my ideal phone, too! The Samsung Galaxy Player, which I have, has a 5-inch screen, and it's a perfect size for me... The 7-inch tablets are too big for my needs. While I can set up a VOIP phone on the Player since it uses wi-fi, it would be a big improvement to have a cell line available as an option, especially for GPS and phone calls. In fact, that is why I carry a basic phone --for reliable phone calls. As for the Chinese manufacturers, I'm sure that some of them are subcontractors for the recognized name-brands in the U.S. But, I would really want to investigate any company before I ordered a phone in order to make sure that it was a reputable company that produced a good quality product. After all, not all companies are created equal. Some are good, while others just do produce cheap junk. At the same time, it seems to me that you would need to be very careful to find a phone that would have, for instance, 3g and actually be able to run off of AT&T towers... In addition, you would have to pay strict attention to the features that the phone has because Chinese phones could have older, slower processors, sub-par cameras, and feature low resolution displays... I've also seen postings that complain that Chinese phones cannot access sites such as Google Play, You Tube, etc. But, I don't know if these claims are true or not. . .You are fortunate, however, to reside in a GSM phone area where you could buy a SIM card for an unlocked Chinese phone, if that is the way you decide to go. And, I will be sure to let everyone know if I ever stumble across a U.S. service provider that does offer a pay-by-the- minute smart phone plan. ShadowDancer
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| DoctorM | August 12, 2012, 10:36 pm Post #8 |
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@ ShadowDancer - Thanks for the feedback on Chinese phones. Some of them have 30-day return privilege, and some can be purchased with an add-on warranty from SquareTrade for $37... I agree it is a risk, but pretty much every thing I have bought so far direct from China has been pretty good (as well as really low-cost). I've yet to be burned. In fact, I have a Bluetooth dongle I bought for $2 from Hong Kong three years ago that still works. @ Muddy211 -- That last link didn't work. |
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| mharris127 | August 13, 2012, 9:03 pm Post #9 |
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Hong Kong based Deal Extreme (www.dealextreme.com) has been selling Chinese knock-off phones for years now, including some with dual SIM capability... Some of the phones even have over the air television capability. I can't vouch for the quality of the phones but some of the prices look tempting. If you buy, make sure the phones have 850/1900 capability -- some only have the 900/1800 bands used in the rest of the world. |
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| DoctorM | August 13, 2012, 11:49 pm Post #10 |
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Good point. Some of these I'm looking at are so-called quad band phones -- supposedly working in most parts of the world. I'm really more interested in the quality of the 5-inch screen and the processor than I am of whether they actually work as a phone. Until I could sign on to a pay-per-minute smart phone plan, instead of the unlimited plans, I probably wouldn't use it as a phone - just as an "ipod." |
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| av2012 | August 14, 2012, 1:15 pm Post #11 |
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Found this when searching earlier today for Tracfone info: http://gsmprepaiduser.blogspot.com/ They sent me here for TracFone codes. Has a good writeup on Airvoice, which for $10/month would give you 250 min, and/or data at 33 cents a meg... Something to consider for light use. |
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| annepani | August 14, 2012, 1:51 pm Post #12 |
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I have had my Galaxy S2 on AirVoice for a while now. Works fine. T-Mobile and Boost Mobile both have androids on pay as you go... And also, Boost Mobile and T-Mobile both have Android and iPhone $2 per day unlimited everything, pay only on the days you use it. Boost Mobile also has Blackberry $3 per day unlimited everything. |
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| DoctorM | August 14, 2012, 3:37 pm Post #13 |
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@ av2012 and annepani That's very good information. Thanks for posting it. |
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