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Flying Fox
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Re: Help me pick a smartphone

Tue Sep 14, 2010 3:29 pm

I think you need to jailbreak to make the iPhone be a hotspot.

Droid IIRC is Verizon specific branding with Motorola. The equivalent for the rest of the world is the Milestone but Telus does not seem to have the latest one yet. The Sony may be too far back from the mainstream Android releases because of their own heavy customizations. The more customizations a vendor decide to put in, the further back they will be in terms of releasing newer versions (the Xperia is 1.6 with plans for 2.x in a few months).
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Skrying
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Re: Help me pick a smartphone

Tue Sep 14, 2010 5:17 pm

If you buy Android you need to buy the latest one. Nothing less than a Droid 2, Droid X or one of the Samsung Galaxy S models. Then there's the iPhone. Or you can wait to see what the Windows Phone 7 models look like. The iPhone and Android are going to have the app markets already.
 
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Re: Help me pick a smartphone

Wed Sep 29, 2010 9:09 pm

Flying Fox wrote:
Droid IIRC is Verizon specific branding with Motorola. The equivalent for the rest of the world is the Milestone but Telus does not seem to have the latest one yet.


It looks like Motorola is going to release a "world-edition" Droid 2 which would be unlocked. Seems like the phone to have if you're outside the U.S. or traveling a lot, and planning on typing much (notes, email, messaging, etc). Otherwise, Samsungs are available unlocked (e.g. on Amazon), as are LG phones (but not the most recent ones).
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Re: Help me pick a smartphone

Fri Oct 01, 2010 9:16 am

I'm not sure if you can get one from any of the Canadian carriers, but I love my HTC EVO.
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Re: Help me pick a smartphone

Fri Oct 01, 2010 9:21 am

Going2 to go with the Galaxy S Captivate in a month when it's released. Thanks guys.
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Re: Help me pick a smartphone

Fri Oct 01, 2010 9:30 am

emorgoch wrote:
Going2 to go with the Galaxy S Captivate in a month when it's released. Thanks guys.


Curious why you've picked that one. (It is available on JR.com unlocked, so you might not have to wait.)
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Flying Fox
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Re: Help me pick a smartphone

Sat Oct 02, 2010 1:29 pm

swampfox wrote:
Flying Fox wrote:
Droid IIRC is Verizon specific branding with Motorola. The equivalent for the rest of the world is the Milestone but Telus does not seem to have the latest one yet.

It looks like Motorola is going to release a "world-edition" Droid 2 which would be unlocked. Seems like the phone to have if you're outside the U.S. or traveling a lot, and planning on typing much (notes, email, messaging, etc). Otherwise, Samsungs are available unlocked (e.g. on Amazon), as are LG phones (but not the most recent ones).
It may still be locked to Verizon that you are going to be billed outrageous $$ for leaving your home place, but we will see.

swampfox wrote:
emorgoch wrote:
Going2 to go with the Galaxy S Captivate in a month when it's released. Thanks guys.

Curious why you've picked that one. (It is available on JR.com unlocked, so you might not have to wait.)
Probably the subsidy by locking into a contract. About that unlocking, do we know how permanent it is? Can you upgrade to newer stock Android releases later? If you get the "official" update will it lock the device back?
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emi25
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Re: Help me pick a smartphone

Sat Oct 02, 2010 1:56 pm

Samsung Galaxy S have the best hardware in this moment:
CPU: 1 GHz ARM Cortex A8 (Hummingbird)
GPU: PowerVR SGX540
It is better than iPhone4.

but, if you wait 3-4 months you will see something with dual core.
See here: http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/07/sams ... ve-all-be/
 
Skrying
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Re: Help me pick a smartphone

Sat Oct 02, 2010 2:29 pm

And if you wait a little longer you'll have triple cores and a little longer 2 Ghz phone processors. It's a phone. The hardware inside plays a very minor role in how good it is. It's the software that runs on top that matters. Any recent high end smartphone is going to be plenty fast.
 
swampfox
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Re: Help me pick a smartphone

Sun Oct 03, 2010 11:23 am

Flying Fox wrote:
swampfox wrote:
Curious why you've picked that one. (It is available on JR.com unlocked, so you might not have to wait.)
Probably the subsidy by locking into a contract. About that unlocking, do we know how permanent it is? Can you upgrade to newer stock Android releases later? If you get the "official" update will it lock the device back?


Well, that's scary. Are the only "safe" "unlocked" phones the ones that are spelled out as International editions, such as the Samsung Galaxy S? I've overseas a lot and would appreciate one I can use lots of places.
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Heiwashin
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Re: Help me pick a smartphone

Sun Oct 03, 2010 2:21 pm

Unlocking is hardware based and permanent.

Also you can buy an unlock code for practically any phone for something like 30$
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Flying Fox
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Re: Help me pick a smartphone

Sun Oct 03, 2010 7:14 pm

Heiwashin wrote:
Unlocking is hardware based and permanent.

Also you can buy an unlock code for practically any phone for something like 30$

That kind of unlock is usually the carrier lock. What about the ability to flash stock Android builds without bricking the device or people on xda-devs guinea pig them? This is where the Nexus One was supposed to be the sanctioned device for that kind of stuff. I am just not sure how safe it is to do that to say, AT&T's Captivate. :-?
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Heiwashin
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Re: Help me pick a smartphone

Sun Oct 03, 2010 7:21 pm

I don't think i get what you're talking about. Do you mean rooting the phone or\and doing custom updates?
Looking for Knowledge wrote:
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Flying Fox
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Re: Help me pick a smartphone

Sun Oct 03, 2010 7:23 pm

Heiwashin wrote:
I don't think i get what you're talking about. Do you mean rooting the phone or\and doing custom updates?

That is probably it.
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Heiwashin
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Re: Help me pick a smartphone

Sun Oct 03, 2010 7:27 pm

Both of those are generally considered safe, even if only due to the fact that the android boot loader and manual update handler are separate from the software so even problems can be recovered from. There are people who have attempted to cause their device to brick because they were bored or whatever, and couldn't succeed. The exceptions are phones with built in hardware that will brick the phone for you if you try anything like that.
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swampfox
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Re: Help me pick a smartphone

Sun Oct 03, 2010 9:01 pm

Heiwashin wrote:
Unlocking is hardware based and permanent.

Also you can buy an unlock code for practically any phone for something like 30$


So if a phone is a quad-band, I should be able to buy one in the U.S. and get an unlock code (do you have a link where I can find them? googling takes me a a list of random forum conversations) and not have a problem overseas. Or alternatively, there are lots of International Galaxy S's floating around, and unlocked HTC Desires too (e.g. Amazon). Will I be able to get updates while overseas (e.g. if HTC releases an update, can I get it via WiFi)?
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Re: Help me pick a smartphone

Sun Oct 03, 2010 9:12 pm

swampfox wrote:
So if a phone is a quad-band, I should be able to buy one in the U.S. and get an unlock code (do you have a link where I can find them? googling takes me a a list of random forum conversations) and not have a problem overseas. Or alternatively, there are lots of International Galaxy S's floating around, and unlocked HTC Desires too (e.g. Amazon). Will I be able to get updates while overseas (e.g. if HTC releases an update, can I get it via WiFi)?


If you buy the phone through an American cell phone company, you can call them and ask them about the unlocking it for overseas use. After that I think you'd just have to pick up a SIM from the cell provider overseas.
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Re: Help me pick a smartphone

Sun Oct 03, 2010 9:24 pm

Yes to the overseas but the primary thing you need to be aware of when using an unlocked phone on an unoriginal carrier is all providers do not use the same 3g bands and they don't make phones that use them all for some reason. Even if you buy an unlocked phone with no branding on it, it'll still have the hardware for a specific carrier's 3g network.

As for calling them to get the unlock, i've ready of many problems/delays/runarounds that 30$'s is worth fixing as far as i'm concerned.

My carrier makes the files for updates available online before the air release. If you have access to a laptop you should be able to either download the file from their site, or at least download it from another site from someone who posted the files themselves online.
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DancinJack
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Re: Help me pick a smartphone

Sun Oct 03, 2010 9:35 pm

Heiwashin wrote:
Yes to the overseas but the primary thing you need to be aware of when using an unlocked phone on an unoriginal carrier is all providers do not use the same 3g bands and they don't make phones that use them all for some reason. Even if you buy an unlocked phone with no branding on it, it'll still have the hardware for a specific carrier's 3g network.


You're right, they do use different bands in different counties. A lot of smartphones now a days do have all four GSM bands though, as long as you're using GSM. USA is 850/1900 but most the rest of the world is 900/1800. The Galaxy S line of phones have all four bands so using them in another country shouldn't be a problem.
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stryker47
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Re: Help me pick a smartphone

Sun Oct 03, 2010 9:36 pm

Not saying it is this simple, but Gizmodo's chart this week has proved true for myself and a couple friends.

http://gizmodo.com/5651182/how-to-pick- ... smartphone
 
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Re: Help me pick a smartphone

Sun Oct 03, 2010 10:19 pm

DancinJack wrote:
Heiwashin wrote:
Yes to the overseas but the primary thing you need to be aware of when using an unlocked phone on an unoriginal carrier is all providers do not use the same 3g bands and they don't make phones that use them all for some reason. Even if you buy an unlocked phone with no branding on it, it'll still have the hardware for a specific carrier's 3g network.


You're right, they do use different bands in different counties. A lot of smartphones now a days do have all four GSM bands though, as long as you're using GSM. USA is 850/1900 but most the rest of the world is 900/1800. The Galaxy S line of phones have all four bands so using them in another country shouldn't be a problem.


The phone works, but the 3g will likely not. 3g is not a part of the quad bands that are accounted for in being an international phone. It is an entirely separate band. 4g is subject to the same conditions where carriers have bought their own personal spectrums for the purposes of internet or whatever.
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Heiwashin
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Re: Help me pick a smartphone

Sun Oct 03, 2010 10:21 pm

stryker47 wrote:
Not saying it is this simple, but Gizmodo's chart this week has proved true for myself and a couple friends.

http://gizmodo.com/5651182/how-to-pick- ... smartphone


Well that is true if you can afford the highest end models which is what all those are.
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Flying Fox
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Re: Help me pick a smartphone

Sun Oct 03, 2010 10:23 pm

Heiwashin wrote:
stryker47 wrote:
Not saying it is this simple, but Gizmodo's chart this week has proved true for myself and a couple friends.

http://gizmodo.com/5651182/how-to-pick- ... smartphone


Well that is true if you can afford the highest end models which is what all those are.

Unfortunately there is no more path where one can have almost no carrier shackles. :-?
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swampfox
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Re: Help me pick a smartphone

Mon Oct 04, 2010 12:30 am

Flying Fox wrote:
Heiwashin wrote:
stryker47 wrote:
Not saying it is this simple, but Gizmodo's chart this week has proved true for myself and a couple friends.

http://gizmodo.com/5651182/how-to-pick- ... smartphone


Well that is true if you can afford the highest end models which is what all those are.

Unfortunately there is no more path where one can have almost no carrier shackles. :-?


Yeah, I saw this last week and thought, "Where's the carrier-free option?

Heiwashin wrote:
The phone works, but the 3g will likely not. 3g is not a part of the quad bands that are accounted for in being an international phone. It is an entirely separate band. 4g is subject to the same conditions where carriers have bought their own personal spectrums for the purposes of internet or whatever.


If a phone says it has 3G, how many different options are there? Where I've spent time recently (Central Asia), we've got EDGE and GPRS. As long as, for example, EDGE is listed as capable with the phone, there shouldn't be any problems with a sim card from a company that has an EDGE network? (Aside from being dreadfully slow!) There aren't multiple kinds of EDGE or GPRS also, are there?

I guess at this point I'm leaning toward one of the new HTC Desire phones coming out in Europe. Rumor has it the Desire Z will be in the States as well, which might save me $100 over Amazon.de prices.
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Heiwashin
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Re: Help me pick a smartphone

Mon Oct 04, 2010 8:08 am

Most phones should use 3g on the 1900 band and all that do should work. I don't know how many don't but i know that here tmobile is the oddball using 2100 and something else.
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Flying Fox
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Re: Help me pick a smartphone

Mon Oct 04, 2010 11:35 am

Heiwashin wrote:
Most phones should use 3g on the 1900 band and all that do should work. I don't know how many don't but i know that here tmobile is the oddball using 2100 and something else.
T-mobile USA is 1700/2100 for 3G. The problem with just 1900 is that some areas may be 850 only or only uses 1900 for one direction of traffic (not sure about this 2nd part I may be smoking something). Bottom line is 3G/HSDPA may not work if you only have just 1 band used by the carrier.

swampfox wrote:
Yeah, I saw this last week and thought, "Where's the carrier-free option?
That pretty much died with the demise of the Nexus One. I blame this on the ignorant masses not knowing/caring the true cost of a phone. If you don't need North American 3G then there are plenty of carrier-free options everywhere else, but you still need to deal with customizations like Sense and TouchWiz (may not be a bad thing for some).

In terms of better compatibility with different carriers, the new Nokias are crazy with 5 (!) bands of 3/3.5G, including that odd ball 1700. :o
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Heiwashin
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Re: Help me pick a smartphone

Mon Oct 04, 2010 3:59 pm

I wonder if nokia will be around in 10 years.
Looking for Knowledge wrote:
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swampfox
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Re: Help me pick a smartphone

Fri Oct 08, 2010 10:28 am

Any reason a Samsung Galaxy S (international edition - unlocked) won't work in the Russian Federation and around the countries of the former USSR? I've been looking at GSM maps - don't see any problems; been researching internet connections (I see EDGE and GPRS in most places). Anything I'm missing?

Thanks!
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sid1089
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Re: Help me pick a smartphone

Fri Oct 08, 2010 2:23 pm

Should really wait for windows phone.
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emi25
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Re: Help me pick a smartphone

Tue Oct 12, 2010 12:41 pm

sid1089 wrote:
Should really wait for windows phone.

Hmm, Do not forget to pay an antivirus company. [/sarcasm]

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