Decent phone for around $200 US - Hardware Hacking General

I'm looking to move on from my old atrix 4g and would like to find a good phone for around $200 give or take that runs CM 10 stable and with all the features working. It seems like it's hard to find one that fits this bill so I'm asking the crowd here to get some ideas.
1. Runs CM JB 10 hopefully / stable / all features work
2. Capable of taking advantage of T-Mobiles US LTE or HSPA+ for fast internet speeds
3. Has internal SD slot
4. Dual Core
5. Hopefully around 8G internal storage.
Thanks!

neal74 said:
I'm looking to move on from my old atrix 4g and would like to find a good phone for around $200 give or take that runs CM 10 stable and with all the features working. It seems like it's hard to find one that fits this bill so I'm asking the crowd here to get some ideas.
1. Runs CM JB 10 hopefully / stable / all features work
2. Capable of taking advantage of T-Mobiles US LTE or HSPA+ for fast internet speeds
3. Has internal SD slot
4. Dual Core
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bought a brand new Galaxy S Blaze 4G which meets all of your above requirements at swappa.com for $215

taodan said:
I bought a brand new Galaxy S Blaze 4G which meets all of your above requirements at swappa.com for $215
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Click to collapse
http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_s_blaze_4g_t769-4420.php ..it does not say HSPA+. What speeds are you getting on your phone and which carrier? I really like this phone but wish it had a little more internal ram and wonder if 4G will be enough for me...I should have put that in the OP.
Which ROM are you running on it, can you post the link so I can read up on the rom?
Thanks for taking the time to post!

neal74 said:
http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_s_blaze_4g_t769-4420.php ..it does not say HSPA+. What speeds are you getting on your phone and which carrier? I really like this phone but wish it had a little more internal ram and wonder if 4G will be enough for me...I should have put that in the OP.
Which ROM are you running on it, can you post the link so I can read up on the rom?
Thanks for taking the time to post!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you read the entire page at gsmarena.com? The speed on that page says "HSDPA 42Mbps, HSUPA". For $200 and you want LTE? You might want to wait a couple years for the price of those phones to come down and then buy. The ROM that I am using is AOKP http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1989825

taodan said:
Did you read the entire page at gsmarena.com? The speed on that page says "HSDPA 42Mbps, HSUPA". For $200 and you want LTE? You might want to wait a couple years for the price of those phones to come down and then buy. The ROM that I am using is AOKP http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1989825
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Click to collapse
Yes I read it which is why I mentioned I did not see the HSPA+. I'm guessing the 42mbps is hspa+? Still new to the whole mobile world so please forgive. Your right ..I think finding a good LTE phone for my price is a little ambitious. My atrix 4g on T-Mobile should be hspa+ capable but running speed test I only get 5-6 mbps down and 1 up so I wonder why it's not much faster when it's capable?
Thanks!

neal74 said:
Yes I read it which is why I mentioned I did not see the HSPA+. I'm guessing the 42mbps is hspa+? Still new to the whole mobile world so please forgive. Your right ..I think finding a good LTE phone for my price is a little ambitious. My atrix 4g on T-Mobile should be hspa+ capable but running speed test I only get 5-6 mbps down and 1 up so I wonder why it's not much faster when it's capable?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Atrix 4G is manufactured for AT&T network and, according to data specs at gsmarena.com
Data GPRS Class 12 (4+1/3+2/2+3/1+4 slots), 32 - 48 kbps
EDGE Class 12
Speed HSDPA, 14.4 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps
WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual-band, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot
Bluetooth Yes, v2.1 with A2DP, EDR
USB Yes, microUSB v2.0
Given the data specs, your phone won't get HSDPA+ and although you can use on a gsm network, the phone's radio (aka modem) is not designed for the t-mobile network and that's why you get slower speeds.

You may continue your discussion here if you wish:
[Discussion] What's your next smartphone / What should I buy
:good:

Related

T-Mobile Lights Up NYC With HSPA+

Any way that the G1 can pull in this bandwidth?
http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2010/05/tmobile_lights.html
"T-Mobile said that portions of New York City, New Jersey and suburban Washington, D.C., now have access to the faster 3.5G network, which will permit for faster downloads and uploads of data over the wireless network."
"HSPA+ is capable of pushing data downstream at 21Mbps, which is far and above what some of the current 3G networks are capable of."
No, nothing but (T-Mobile sanctioned) usb devices can at the moment.
The first phones that can are going to hit sometime in the third quarter.
I take it that its a specific chip that picks up that signals and not something that can be upgraded via firmware or modded radio then?
The G1 / HTC Dream will work, BUT the device is limitied to 7.2mbps, so while you will not see speeds of 21mbps you will see a general increase in speed in HSPA+ areas.
tep065 said:
I take it that its a specific chip that picks up that signals and not something that can be upgraded via firmware or modded radio then?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, you need a new phone for hspa+.
The Nexus one can't even do it...
SiXiam said:
Yep, you need a new phone for hspa+.
The Nexus one can't even do it...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Nexus One can, just only up to about 7.2 Mbps. Looks like the radio might support faster though, so we may see HSDPA+ or faster HSDPA support in a future update.
I'd be happy to go above 700kbps : )
nexus5894 said:
The Nexus One can, just only up to about 7.2 Mbps. Looks like the radio might support faster though, so we may see HSDPA+ or faster HSDPA support in a future update.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
7.2 is HSPA max
21 is HSPA+ max
The Nexus One doesn't have the hardware to do 21 Megabits per second, a radio or other software update won't help.
what about ping latency? i have exelent 3g coverege in new york but the ping hits in the midd hundred 165-182ms ping to be exact .... no good for playing xbox online the data transfers fast =no lags but finding a game lobby or staying in a game can be verry difficult !
@djm25
really? xbox live on a tmobile connection and you're complaining? lol.
I know and realize that we're all paying for the bandwith and that it's lovely and all that we can do amazing things because of Android but sometimes people need to realize these devices just weren't made to be used as your primary broadband provider.
/rant.
note: i'm not saying don't do it. by all means, push the envelope, just don't expect me not to headshot you. =P
dud i didnt say i hate it i just wish there was a way to inprove the ping i dont lag i play fine and nat is no probleme but looking for a game to join take 3-4 min tops
.... ex; mw2 team teath match ... looking for a lobby to join

HTC LEO/HD2 4G Fast!

He everyone.
I just read that T-Mobile US now has 4G "HSPA+ Coverage" available in the new G2 being released later this month.
I'm not very knowledgeable in this but I thought it would be super amazing if we could be able to somehow tap into 4G with our Leo/Hd2 through the amazing stuff all you Developers and other do here.
What do you think?
Without 4G hardwrare capable, nobody can do nothing about it, but you can replace 3G icon with 4G, that can fools some.
Yep, it's all in the hardware, so 4G will never happen on the HD2.
T-Mobile is not offering real 4G. So some handsets hat have HSPA already have HSPA+ support. see this link:
http://forums.t-mobile.com/t5/Cover...obile-Now-Broadly-Available-in-the/m-p/378994
But htere is still no list of actual compatible phones.
It is also being discussed in this thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=679752
You have full HSPA (HSDPA and HSUPA) on the HD2:
Up to 7.2 Mbps download speed
Up to 2 Mbps upload speed
You won't get more than that. I don't know about the US but here in France we're just starting to have 3.6 - 7.2 HSDPA bearers activated on some SIM cards and HSUPA 2Mbps is limited also to some expensive plans.
So I'd say the HD2 is still more advanced than the networks it uses here.
If T-MO really has HSPA+, then be happy, at least you're going to have a network that lets you finally use your HD2 to the best of its capacity. And trust me, plain HSPA like what is in the HD2 is already really fast ! Better than DSL broadband in some cases...
edit: the "4G" term as used nowadays is bull**** marketing, as the 2.75G, 3G, 3.5,G, 3G+... this is all to lure ignorant people into thinking you got something better than the competitors and it's just plain ridiculous
Actual testing of your network availability, responsiveness, RTT, throughput: that is the way to go !
Your device is not the bottleneck now, and my guess is it won't be for the next 2 years.

[Q] Will our N1s be able to run on at&t's new hspa+ network?

Do we have to upgrade our phones to a 4g phone if we want hspa+?
I ask, because t-mobile customers seems to have 4g speeds on their n1s.
No, it doesnt have the necessary radio inside it to do hspa +. T-mobile nexus cant do hspa +. You still might see a speed boost though.
I get 5.2mbps on my Nexus One in Canada. This is still 3G.
T-mobile customers have just experienced a placebo effect (or T-Mobile simutaneously updated both HSPA and HSPA+)
That sounds nice... maybe us att users will at least get a speed boost
You will benefit form HSPA+ on a non HSPA+ device because the backend is upgraded as well.
You're limit is your hardware. The radio on the phone can only get up to 7.2, so you'll benefit from HSPA+ all the way to 7.2.
You hit the nail on the head. With T-Mobile in a very strong HSPA+ area and my N1 is getting DL speeds over 6.5MB, my UL speeds are a very solid 1.5MB. I bought the MyTouch 4G and my speeds are on average 9 to 11 MB on DL and the same UL 1.5MB. I still find myself using my N1, with those DL speeds the N1 is a bad ass phone. Nothing feels as good as the N1 in your hand, maybe it's just me.
PS I still want a Tegra powered device, those phones look hot.
JCopernicus said:
You will benefit form HSPA+ on a non HSPA+ device because the backend is upgraded as well.
You're limit is your hardware. The radio on the phone can only get up to 7.2, so you'll benefit from HSPA+ all the way to 7.2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great info, I learn something everyday on here.
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App

[Q] Can I get 3G+ on ATT Focus?

I've done the whole diagnosis tweaking (release 6) and pretty much all of the other tweaks I've found in these very helpful threads.
But my download and upload speeds are atrocious. 80-150 kbs mostly. I ALWAYS have a 3g signal. I'm located in Boston and before this I had a Tilt2, which data speeds avg. 2000 - 3500 kbs.
Could it be my sim card? it is like 3-4 years old. Just a thought, because really i have no idea.
I am a novice when it comes to this type of tweaking. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thx
The specs indicate that the Focus is only capable of HSPA (HSDPA and HSUPA), not HSPA+.
Michael.
ouch, that hurts....8(
Thanks for the quick reply...much appreciated
But your Focus should still be able to match the speed of your Tilt2 which is HSPA as well (but with HSUPA disabled). The real world experience really depends where you are and how many AT&T customers are on the same tower as you. I routinely get about 100kbps speed (download) on my various 3G smart phones as well here in nation's capital.
On the other hand, a lot of ppl who bought the new '4G' HSPA+ AT&T phones (Inspire 4G and Atrix 4G) are also rarely ever get HSPA+ speed at all. Those so called 4G phones also comes with HSUPA disabled.
So, in the end, it is the same crappy AT&T network that limits your connection speed, really doesn't matter what phone you have. I'll be happy if I can reach the full 3G speed (2 to 3 mbps down, 1mbps up) in next few years. And refuse to play the AT&T '4G' game.
You should get a new sim card considering it is 3-4 years old that will affect connectivity to 3g and hspa network..
Boston network shouldn't be a problem.
Samsung Focus At&t USA
I had the same problem when I had an old SIM card in my att fuze when trying to connect to 3g and hspa speed networks...rule of thumb is buy a new SIM when switching to a new phone....it also depends on what network your on...are you at&t?
Samsung Focus At&t USA
Yes, I am currently on Att network. Which I must say was really reliable and fast, up until the last few months...
And I will get a new sim card after work today or early tomorrow. I will let you know if that helps at all.
Thanks peeps 8)
Jcavz said:
I've done the whole diagnosis tweaking (release 6) and pretty much all of the other tweaks I've found in these very helpful threads.
But my download and upload speeds are atrocious. 80-150 kbs mostly. I ALWAYS have a 3g signal. I'm located in Boston and before this I had a Tilt2, which data speeds avg. 2000 - 3500 kbs.
Could it be my sim card? it is like 3-4 years old. Just a thought, because really i have no idea.
I am a novice when it comes to this type of tweaking. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thx
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Samsung Focus unlocked I get 3G+ in EU, if that helps. Seemed pretty fast, but I haven't done a speed test, though.
Usually I unlock my phone as soon as I get it home. With a bunch of unknowns with the Focus, I'm waiting it out right now before I do anything
So My phone is still locked 8)
Thanks for the help
I got 3G+ icoon with Rogers ROM, but not with AT&T ROM. And there's tool which can enable 3G+ icon, so I think it's just a registry issue.
3g+
I also get 3G+ with a Rogers sim card in my Focus, same card in the BB only 3G.
Is it possible to check whether this is just graphic, or there is a real difference in d/u speeds? I am using AT&T Focus in Europe.
You can check real speed with speediest.net to differentiate whether its gfx only or real network.
rrmcco said:
I also get 3G+ with a Rogers sim card in my Focus, same card in the BB only 3G.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd love to hear what results you get if you test out the download/upload speeds. Like others have said you can use speedtest.net or there's a pretty good app called Bandwidth that I use.
Sent from my SGH-i917 using XDA Windows Phone 7 App
I'm getting a Focus and will unlock it to use on T-Mobile. What's the highest speed I can get? Thanks.
ikingblack said:
I'm getting a Focus and will unlock it to use on T-Mobile. What's the highest speed I can get? Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
7.2 mbps download
siralex241 said:
7.2 mbps download
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
tmobile's edge network is that fast?
minori_aoi said:
I got 3G+ icoon with Rogers ROM, but not with AT&T ROM. And there's tool which can enable 3G+ icon, so I think it's just a registry issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you have a link to the tool that enables the 3G+ icon
baritoneguy said:
Do you have a link to the tool that enables the 3G+ icon
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Click to collapse
minori_aoi said:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Connectivity\CellularUx\DataConnectionIcon
1XHSDPA = "3G+"
You can basically change it into anything (3 chars max.). And I prefer "H", instead of "3G+".
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My original post http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=17018543&postcount=6

Galaxy Note 2 for $659!!!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/300788604613
Wow! It dropped nearly $90 dollars in just 24 hours!
He ships worldwide too!
JoJo2211 said:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/300788604613
Wow! It dropped nearly $90 dollars in just 24 hours!
He ships worldwide too!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No LTE, no care.
antiochasylum said:
No LTE, no care.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What is the use of LTE when you're limited to 3GB only?
I'd rather have UNLIMITED HSPA+ instead. And thats what I'll have when I pop my AT&T sim in it.
JoJo2211 said:
What is the use of LTE when you're limited to 3GB only?
I'd rather have UNLIMITED HSPA+ instead. And thats what I'll have when I pop my AT&T sim in it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have yet to even go over 2.5gb on LTE. Everyone gets limited either LTE or HSPA. 3GB on HSPA and 5GB on LTE.
Unlimited data customers with a 3G or 4G smartphone will be slowed down if they use more than 3GB of data or more in a billing cycle. Those with next-generation 4G LTE phones can use up to 5GB before speeds slow down.
Nothing is unlimited anymore. Not even the grandfather plans. Better research
Enjoy your slow HSPA, I'll enjoy 60+ meg download speeds.
Edit: People who think LTE doesn't matter, haven't been on LTE.
antiochasylum said:
I have yet to even go over 2.5gb on LTE. Everyone gets limited either LTE or HSPA. 3GB on HSPA and 5GB on LTE.
Unlimited data customers with a 3G or 4G smartphone will be slowed down if they use more than 3GB of data or more in a billing cycle. Those with next-generation 4G LTE phones can use up to 5GB before speeds slow down.
Nothing is unlimited anymore. Not even the grandfather plans. Better research
Enjoy your slow HSPA, I'll enjoy 60+ meg download speeds.
Edit: People who think LTE doesn't matter, haven't been on LTE.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Um... I'm on WIFI and thats FASTER than LTE. When I'm at home and work I'm on wifi, and when I'm out i'm on HSPA+ (I rarely even spend any time on my phone when I'm out having fun so there really is no need for me to have super fast speeds... I can do everything I do when i'm on wifi on my HSPA+, which is streaming live music, auto upload photos videos to drop-box etc... So really LTE is pretty much unnecessary for people like me. If you don't have access to wifi at all times, then I can understand your craving.
I didn't go through the whole ad, but it did say this on the spec sheet
HSDPA, HSPA+, HSUPA, LTE
JoJo2211 said:
Wow! It dropped nearly $90 dollars in just 24 hours!
He ships worldwide too!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ooow ..... imagine 5 or 6 month later ...... mybe about 500$
:silly:
What has this got to do with N7000 forum?
chasmodo said:
What has this got to do with N7000 forum?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I figure most N7000'ners will want to upgrade to this new beast. But I see your desire to stick to your archaic note 1.
JoJo2211 said:
Um... I'm on WIFI and thats FASTER than LTE. When I'm at home and work I'm on wifi, and when I'm out i'm on HSPA+ (I rarely even spend any time on my phone when I'm out having fun so there really is no need for me to have super fast speeds... I can do everything I do when i'm on wifi on my HSPA+, which is streaming live music, auto upload photos videos to drop-box etc... So really LTE is pretty much unnecessary for people like me. If you don't have access to wifi at all times, then I can understand your craving.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please screenshot your WiFi speed tests cause I haven't seen any phones doing 20Mb over WiFi while I have seen phones do that on lte, your home internet must be amazing
Blayz said:
Please screenshot your WiFi speed tests cause I haven't seen any phones doing 20Mb over WiFi while I have seen phones do that on lte, your home internet must be amazing
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Click to collapse
?? You are kidding right? My phone pulls the same speed on wifi that my home computer does. That's about 35-40Mbps Down and 3Mbps Up.
Oh and it's priced at $722.97 today.
$699.99 w/ Free Shipping from Newegg!
this was done on my galaxy nexus..
http://www.speedtest.net/android/261772849.png
dunno why speedtest picked UT server, so with a server closer to where i live, should get ~50Mb over WiFi.
Blayz said:
Please screenshot your WiFi speed tests cause I haven't seen any phones doing 20Mb over WiFi while I have seen phones do that on lte, your home internet must be amazing
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Baldilocks said:
?? You are kidding right? My phone pulls the same speed on wifi that my home computer does. That's about 35-40Mbps Down and 3Mbps Up.
Oh and it's priced at $722.97 today.
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Click to collapse
Lte did feel faster than wifi in my experience when I was in korea
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
just looking at that page tells me that the seller has some attitude...doesnt seem very friendly to be honest
Edit: never mind, found my answer and ordered from newegg. Thanks!
Quick question. I am confused about how the specs are presented. Newegg and the ebay auction listed in the OP say 3G. If it has the appropriate bands, will it get "HSPA+" on AT&T?
print.logic said:
Edit: never mind, found my answer and ordered from newegg. Thanks!
Quick question. I am confused about how the specs are presented. Newegg and the ebay auction listed in the OP say 3G. If it has the appropriate bands, will it get "HSPA+" on AT&T?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes. It has the appropriate bands for AT&T HSPA+.
JoJo2211 said:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/300788604613
Wow! It dropped nearly $90 dollars in just 24 hours!
He ships worldwide too!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
waiting for ATT cuz I get 4g, biach
awesomehacker said:
waiting for ATT cuz I get 4g, biach
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Click to collapse
That's nice. But a lot of us don't run servers from our phones. HSPA+ is fast enough and the $10 Unlimited MediaNet Data makes it attractive as well.
Blayz said:
Please screenshot your WiFi speed tests cause I haven't seen any phones doing 20Mb over WiFi while I have seen phones do that on lte, your home internet must be amazing
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just did a test and I was getting around 19Mbps down and 6Mbps up on my home wifi. But why does this even matter unless you're downloading LARGE files ON your phone? who downloads large files on their phones? Honestly, 1Mbps is MORE THAN ENOUGH for usual day to day email checking and for web browsing and I'm pretty sure 99% of people do just that instead of downloading large files on their CELL network. And its funny, because even if you downloaded LARGE files using uTorrent on your phone using LTE you would run out of your monthly limit and AT&T would charge you another 30 for 3GB data... lol. So not only is LTE a BIG gimmick, but its stupid to be downloading stuff using your LTE network. I mean whats the point of having LIMITED LTE on your phone when you can get UNLIMITED HSPA+? On my AT&T UNLIMITED HSPA+ i get 10Mbps down... its is WAY more than what I need and if i wanted to download something using uTorrent on my phone I can do that WITHOUT worrying I would get charged for going over since there is no limit!! My brother also uses unlimited HSPA+ on his galaxy note and downloads 13gb of data every month and he's been doing it for over 6 months now. I doubt he's 'missing' out on LTE.

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