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I just read that the LG Optimus 2x with dual core is coming out in March, and apparently for Tmobile. It will most likely be 4G also.
This makes my new Nexus S seem outdated already. Man I really like the phone but the fact that it doesnt support 4G was already a big hit for me, but I still got it. I didnt realize how much it really affected me until the other day I was talking with a friend who has an Evo and hes "let's see if this face time app works". I said sure, and connected to the my wifi signal, so we're trying to connect and he's like "man, connect to the 4g signal maybe its faster".
At that moment I couldn't open my mouth to say that my new phone which i dropped over $500 for, couldn't connect to 4g. I just played it off and changed topics.
Anyways that was my small rant, I'm sure others feel the same.
LG OPTIMUS currently has:
TEGRA 2
HDMI Mirroring
4 INCH WVGA Display
8gb Internal
MicroSD Slot
8MP camera
front facing camera
DLNA out of the box
With CES right around the corner, I'm glad I have 30 days to return the Nexus S.
.
I feel the same way as you. Im not going to say its a bad phone but we all had such high expectations. Who knows maybe LG might make the next NEXUS. I switched from my N1 because that was already starting go get me mad. I use to hate my brothers Vibrant because the screen was so amazing. So my Pros overpower the Cons so ill stick to it. Maybe when the new LG comes out ill jump on it, but i HATE branded phones. loaded with a bunch of crap i don't need.
Already threads open about this. Android is also not optimized yet for dual core, so have fun with utilizing only one core.
thepoetvd776 said:
I just read that the LG Optimus 2x with dual core is coming out in March, and apparently for Tmobile. It will most likely be 4G also.
This makes my new Nexus S seem outdated already. Man I really like the phone but the fact that it doesnt support 4G was already a big hit for me, but I still got it. I didnt realize how much it really affected me until the other day I was talking with a friend who has an Evo and hes "let's see if this face time app works". I said sure, and connected to the my wifi signal, so we're trying to connect and he's like "man, connect to the 4g signal maybe its faster".
At that moment I couldn't open my mouth to say that my new phone which i dropped over $500 for, couldn't connect to 4g. I just played it off and changed topics.
Anyways that was my small rant, I'm sure others feel the same.
LG OPTIMUS currently has:
TEGRA 2
HDMI Mirroring
4 INCH WVGA Display
8gb Internal
MicroSD Slot
8MP camera
front facing camera
DLNA out of the box
With CES right around the corner, I'm glad I have 30 days to return the Nexus S.
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Click to collapse
i agree with most but now the negatives.
- no community support " really, who buys an LG phone here? "
- its 2.2, they promised 2.3 which will probably be ****ty just like 2.2 on Galaxy S
- for sure no Android 3.0
- its an LG phone. how many times i have to say it ?
in paper, the Lg 2X is amazing. will i buy one ? probably i will. i think think the nexus S is a disspointment in terms of power
its not a bad phone. its just a galaxy S with better software " no rfs bull**** " and support by google. so android 3.0 is coming
plus. its a 3 months away. you could always buy the nexus S and sell it later if that phone is better. BUT if you already have nexus 1 or newer, then yeah dont spend money on nexus S
tekkitan said:
Already threads open about this. Android is also not optimized yet for dual core, so have fun with utilizing only one core.
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please dont post bull****. thank you and good bye
I suspect the shipped units will have kernels that're set up just fine.
Also just because LG doesn't have a big dev following yet, doesn't mean it wont when this comes out. This could be the thing that starts it off for them.
I seriously thought about waiting for the LG phone, primarily because of the Tegra2 and the 8MP camera. There was one major reason I didn't wait:
Straight Google Experience.
I am sick and tired of waiting for months on end for manufacturers and carriers to update the OS. And I'm tired of wondering if a manufacturer will update an OS for a phone at all.
Sure, the developers here on XDA are amazing, but they still need hardware drivers from the manufacturers to work their magic.
I just wanted to know that I was going to have a phone that Google supported.
Dudes-
It's not like you didn't know the specs before buying the thing. LOL.
Seriously, some of the design decisions on the phone are mind-boggling (no AT&T support like the Vibrant has, no "4G" support, no external sdcard, etc), but we knew these decisions before purchasing.
Personally, I love Galaxy S phones, and this is the best looking, best fitting in my hand of the lot, but I'd been using an i9000 on AT&T and in the areas of Los AngelesI frequent, the AT&T service is better overall than T-Mo. If the phone were 4G, I'd put up with the poorer coverage of T-Mo, but as is, the T-Mo service has me 50/50 on keeping the phone or not.
I have to disagree with the above comment that if you have a Nexus One this upgrade doesn't make sense. The much superior 4" SAMOLED vs. the 3.7" AMOLED screen is reason enough to dump the N1 for the NS, especially if you spend any time in the sunlight. The vastly superior multi-touch touch screen of the NS is also reason enough to switch, IMHO.
To each his own, though.
I wouldn't worry about it cause we all know that t-mobile doesn't have 4g, It's just hspa+. And even though the nexus s doesn't support it, you still can see slightly increased speeds simply because the network backhaul is increased so that the full 7.2Mbps is achieved on the nexus s. Nexus s owners are already reporting actual download speeds near 6Mbps. Don't you think that is fast enough for video calls fast enough to future proof this phone for at least the next year?
4G technology doesn't exist yet period. Not on T-mobile, not on Sprint, not on Verzion.
Is "4G" (HSPA+) even available in your area?
Better specs don't necessarily equate to a better phone, you might feel like it's outdated only a few months later. I say stick with your Nexus S for at least a year and see what's out then
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App
RogerPodacter said:
I wouldn't worry about it cause we all know that t-mobile doesn't have 4g, It's just hspa+. And even though the nexus s doesn't support it, you still can see slightly increased speeds simply because the network backhaul is increased so that the full 7.2Mbps is achieved on the nexus s. Nexus s owners are already reporting actual download speeds near 6Mbps. Don't you think that is fast enough for video calls fast enough to future proof this phone for at least the next year?
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HSPA+, 4G, whatever you want to call it...4G is just a marketing term and geeks can debate what it is and isn't, but that doesn't change the fact that there are two different networks in T-Mo's arsenal now (HSPA and HSPA+) and that one of them is capable of significantly higher speeds than the other. The 4G/not-4G talk is pointless.
I haven't done a lot of testing with the NS and data speeds yet; haven't had a chance with work so busy right now. I think I got around 3000Kb/s the other day, which is respectable.
I'm in Los Angeles, and we have the HSPA+ upgrade in my local area.
Near the Van Nuys airport, where I spend most of my away-from-wifi time, my Nexus One was getting a consistent 4000Kb/s, but I've never seen more than 4400 or so. Pretty impressive, but nowhere near the 6-7.2Mb/s. Also not nearly so impressive when I consider that my iPhone 4 and Galaxy S i9000 both get consistent 3000Kb/s speeds on AT&T.
3000-4000Kb/s really is fast enough for most uses, but when the network's newest phones are offering speeds 50-100% faster and then release a "flagship device" as people are calling the NS, it's a bit disappointing to not be part of the fastest crowd.
As I mentioned above, the lack of HSPA+ isn't a deal breaker for me, but the T-Mo service in general makes this a much less attractive phone for me as my primary device. My N1 had been relegated to wifi-hotspot/tethering-the-laptop duties since last July.
distortedloop said:
HSPA+, 4G, whatever you want to call it...4G is just a marketing term and geeks can debate what it is and isn't, but that doesn't change the fact that there are two different networks in T-Mo's arsenal now (HSPA and HSPA+) and that one of them is capable of significantly higher speeds than the other. The 4G/not-4G talk is pointless.
I haven't done a lot of testing with the NS and data speeds yet; haven't had a chance with work so busy right now. I think I got around 3000Kb/s the other day, which is respectable.
I'm in Los Angeles, and we have the HSPA+ upgrade in my local area.
Near the Van Nuys airport, where I spend most of my away-from-wifi time, my Nexus One was getting a consistent 4000Kb/s, but I've never seen more than 4400 or so. Pretty impressive, but nowhere near the 6-7.2Mb/s. Also not nearly so impressive when I consider that my iPhone 4 and Galaxy S i9000 both get consistent 3000Kb/s speeds on AT&T.
3000-4000Kb/s really is fast enough for most uses, but when the network's newest phones are offering speeds 50-100% faster and then release a "flagship device" as people are calling the NS, it's a bit disappointing to not be part of the fastest crowd.
As I mentioned above, the lack of HSPA+ isn't a deal breaker for me, but the T-Mo service in general makes this a much less attractive phone for me as my primary device. My N1 had been relegated to wifi-hotspot/tethering-the-laptop duties since last July.
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I second that. And pple keep talking about this tegra 2 crap what really are you gonna use dual core for? I mean lets be senseful here? With Gingerbread this phone is already fast and and pretty much polished. Tegra 2 is probably gonna be a battery hog. And this phone is gonna be full of LG/TMO bloatware, and no support at all its gonna be atuck at 2.3 for ever. That's 'IF' it even releases on 2.3. Anf Honestly who wants an LG phone c'mon now. Return your phone and you shall regret. Trust me the Nexus S is sold out pretty much everywhere when u return it and try to change ur mind to get it again its gonna be gone.. And I know thats gonna happen
rashad1 said:
4G technology doesn't exist yet period. Not on T-mobile, not on Sprint, not on Verzion.
Is "4G" (HSPA+) even available in your area?
Better specs don't necessarily equate to a better phone, you might feel like it's outdated only a few months later. I say stick with your Nexus S for at least a year and see what's out then
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App
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I live 10 mins away from NYC so 4G is in my area. I understand completely what everyone else here is saying but I'm just thinking that with all these potential dual core devices coming out, that makes the Nexus S not future proof regardless of Google's support or not. This will also make the resale value drop gradually compared to the original Nexus which was a BEAST of a phone when it came out, and still hangs with the best now.
thepoetvd776 said:
I live 10 mins away from NYC so 4G is in my area. I understand completely what everyone else here is saying but I'm just thinking that with all these potential dual core devices coming out, that makes the Nexus S not future proof regardless of Google's support or not. This will also make the resale value drop gradually compared to the original Nexus which was a BEAST of a phone when it came out, and still hangs with the best now.
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So let me ask you something. Are dual core phones gonna drop the iPhone 4 value as well? I mean its gonna be single core for a while chances are the next one will STILL be single core.
thepoetvd776 said:
.. Man I really like the phone but the fact that it doesnt support 4G was already a big hit for me, but I still got it. I didnt realize how much it really affected me until the other day I was talking with a friend who has an Evo and hes "let's see if this face time app works". I said sure, and connected to the my wifi signal, so we're trying to connect and he's like "man, connect to the 4g signal maybe its faster"...
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Oooo the great "4G" lol
Haven't people watch the dogfight of Nexus S vs MyTouch 4G where they compare speed test side by side in a HSPA+ coverage area? And guess what, the greatest "4G" came slower than the out of date "slower" 3G, not only once but all three consecutive tests.
10:45 http://www.phonedog.com/videos/google-nexus-s-vs-mytouch-4g-dogfight-pt-2/
So whats the big deal everyone is dying for 4G? This reminds me of the Iphone4 vs HTC Evo video lol http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FL7yD-0pqZg
I hardly even get 2 megabits where I live.If you're area had HSPA+ its capped at what 6.5 isnt that enough for video chat?Also he had sprint maybe better coverage where you were and had nothing to do with 4g
sstang2006 said:
Oooo the great "4G" lol
Haven't people watch the dogfight of Nexus S vs MyTouch 4G where they compare speed test side by side in a HSPA+ coverage area? And guess what, the greatest "4G" came slower than the out of date "slower" 3G, not only once but all three consecutive tests.
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One guy's results, in one location, really don't make the NS the clear winner. On top of that, they're hardly conclusive...less than 100Kb/s difference on 2/3, only 2Kb/s on one of them. LOL
All cellular/wireless experiences are just like real estate...location, location, location is all that matters. The guy even says he's not getting full HSPA+ service for some reason in his location for the last few days.
Take both phones to a confirmed working HSPA+ location and test again, multiple times at different times of the day and against different servers if you really want to prove/disprove the theory here.
The problem is this; there will be a newer and more powerful handset released every X number of months.
The Nexus S is a great phone that has pros and cons just like all the other leading Android phones.
If you fall into upgrading/swapping for every newer piece of hardware that drops you will be spending a great deal of cash and will never truly be content.
It's always give and take. I will give up "4G" and a dual core CPU for quicker updates and a pure Android experience. The hardware is still top notch.
csmall said:
The problem is this; there will be a newer and more powerful handset released every X number of months.
The Nexus S is a great phone that has pros and cons just like all the other leading Android phones.
If you fall into upgrading/swapping for every newer piece of hardware that drops you will be spending a great deal of cash and will never truly be content.
It's always give and take. I will give up "4G" and a dual core CPU for quicker updates and a pure Android experience. The hardware is still top notch.
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EXACTLY.....& T-MOBILE 3G coverage is not even everywhere yet so what makes them think 4G will be everywhere in the next few months??
Might as well never get a phone then, since new phones come out every month or two, you'll end up waiting forever.
distortedloop said:
One guy's results, in one location, really don't make the NS the clear winner. On top of that, they're hardly conclusive...less than 100Kb/s difference on 2/3, only 2Kb/s on one of them. LOL
All cellular/wireless experiences are just like real estate...location, location, location is all that matters. The guy even says he's not getting full HSPA+ service for some reason in his location for the last few days.
Take both phones to a confirmed working HSPA+ location and test again, multiple times at different times of the day and against different servers if you really want to prove/disprove the theory here.
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- I can tell you for sure 80% of cities with HSPA+ you will get the same speed on a non HSPA+ device. If the OP is not even getting a good 3G how can he get a good HSPA+.
- That will be 2 guys test. The second one is me. I had the G2 ("4G") and I tested its speed in Miami, FL (definitely HSPA+ area) and there was no difference at ALL, different times, different locations.
- I'm sure there are places where HSPA+ is a lot faster but thats the minority. If HSPA+ in my were was much faster, sure I will mind, but it is not.
I know that some topics touched upon this a briefly but I wanted to know from the experts what they think. I'm about to purchase the international Note because of the better processor it has but it doesn't have LTE. Is LTE worth it to get the AT&T version? I'm on a tier plan so... does it even matter?
My choices are get the international version now without LTE or wait for the AT&T version with slower processor but with LTE.
It's such a hard decision...why can't the AT&T have better processor and this wouldn't even matter then, I would just get the AT&T version.
So... I guess it boils down to if one wants either faster processor or faster data speed. Which one would I benefit more from?
ckyllr said:
I know that some topics touched upon this a briefly but I wanted to know from the experts what they think. I'm about to purchase the international Note because of the better processor it has but it doesn't have LTE. Is LTE worth it to get the AT&T version? I'm on a tier plan so... does it even matter?
My choices are get the international version now without LTE or wait for the AT&T version with slower processor but with LTE.
It's such a hard decision...why can't the AT&T have better processor and this wouldn't even matter then, I would just get the AT&T version.
So... I guess it boils down to if one wants either faster processor or faster data speed. Which one would I benefit more from?
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I would suggest reading my thread over in the general forum about buying subsidized vs unlocked devices. There's a lot more at play than LTE or processor used. But in the end it's your money!
Thanks for the link Jade Eyed Wolf. I thought you looked familiar... you were always in the galaxy tab forums...haha... just like me. I agree with 100% about buying unlocked phones but they are always higher price. Since, I don't have a choice in carriers, I'm always sort of locked to AT&T so I don't mind signing up a contract with them.
Anyway, back to topic for me is the trade off here... processor speed vs data speed... what benefits you more?
By the way, that's what happened to me.. I had the AT&T galaxy tab.. couldn't use it as a phone so I flashed to custom rom to use it and then had to switch to tier plan since I couldn't use my grandfathered unlimited plan. I wish I could have not done that but it's too late to reverse it. I figured out how to change my IMEI number but damage has already been done. Should have kept my unlimited plan.
I am in the same boat. For me to get the international version I would need to get the iPhone on contract and sell it via eBay and hope not to get scammed. Then buy the international version with that money. I would also have to worry about any type of defects requiring an exchange or repair. I heard its a pain to deal with. With Samsung products its hard to have confidence that something wont go wrong with the device.
So is it worth it?
ckyllr said:
Thanks for the link Jade Eyed Wolf. I thought you looked familiar... you were always in the galaxy tab forums...haha... just like me. I agree with 100% about buying unlocked phones but they are always higher price. Since, I don't have a choice in carriers, I'm always sort of locked to AT&T so I don't mind signing up a contract with them.
Anyway, back to topic for me is the trade off here... processor speed vs data speed... what benefits you more?
By the way, that's what happened to me.. I had the AT&T galaxy tab.. couldn't use it as a phone so I flashed to custom rom to use it and then had to switch to tier plan since I couldn't use my grandfathered unlimited plan. I wish I could have not done that but it's too late to reverse it. I figured out how to change my IMEI number but damage has already been done. Should have kept my unlimited plan.
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The bigger my name becomes on XDA, the better! I may not be a developer (yet), but that doesn't mean I won't help people when and where I can!
Actually, I think there's still a loophole where if you can get your hands on an original 1st generation iPhone, you can register it with an unlimited data account, and once you have that you can go back to using whatever "appropriate" unlimited data plan you need! I would Google that!
Also, even if I were in your shoes, I would still buy unlocked anyway for things like absence of carrier bloat and AT&T's specific hardware customization's (you'll have WAY better community support and development if you get the international version).
Anyway, on the topic of data speed vs processor speed, here's my logic:
With regard to mobile data, you said you're on a tiered data plan. So that means you have (I'm assuming) 4GB of data per month before you start running into $10/GB territory. Another user in another thread argued that the bandwidth doesn't affect how much actual data they were actually using in a given period, just how quickly they were getting to their content.
Theoretically, I can see the point of this argument. However, unless you're extremely data-conscious of your usage, being on LTE will make it VERY easy to go through a LOT of data very quickly. Streaming HD video and music, downloading big files, pictures, tethering, etc.
Personally I think that LTE on a tiered plan is a complete waste. I have used the slow car/fast car analogy before, but I think a more appropriate analogy would be like comparing a car to a full sized tractor trailer, both going the same speed. Both can carry 4GB of stuff in one trip. The car might be just about filled up to the brim at 4GB, but it gets the job done. If you need to spend a little extra to make another trip, ok fine.
On the other hand, with the truck, you're still paying for that same 4GB of stuff, but it's only taking up a small little corner of its trailer, with all that wasted capacity just being empty air. Oh you can still use it up to capacity, but you'll pay through the nose for it, even though the truck is still making that one trip.
Hence, as it is, LTE is a complete waste, unless they start offering like 250GB/month tiered plans, or something similar to what you'd pay for cable or FiOS or DSL (because the speeds are basically on par with those now).
Now, as for CPU performance, I can't speak for the S3 chipset based on any personal experience, because I haven't really had any. I can, however, say that the Exynos chip is a BEAST! Especially for things like 3D gaming and HD video. Seriously. It'll chew through high bitrate 1080p like is was nothing!
Either way though, your mileage may vary.
I would still recommend getting unlocked for all the reasons mentioned in the other thread.
Depends on what you use you phone for. Processor or data? Gaming, multitasking, video editing etc the processor is key. If you are streaming, browsing, tethering, etc then LTE.
Without unlimited data, LTE could be expensive if you say screw wifi, my LTE is faster so I won't use wifi. I have unlimited but have not gone over 2.5 GB because wifi is everywhere. LTE is indeed fast and the signal penetration is better. With my GNote on hspa+ I do not find myself wishing for LTE again because of wifi everywhere.
The processor difference with the SGSII and skyrocket was minimal. With a 1.4 GHz exynos and a HD screen, it will be interesting to see if the snapdragon can keep up with the demands of the GNote vs the SGSII.
Of course if you are up for an upgrade it is an easier decision. I know many people are pushing unlocked etc on this issue but in reality 95% of people are going for what is less expensive period. The only time the unlocked versus locked matters is if you are buying with ATT off contract.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using XDA App
planoman said:
Of course if you are up for an upgrade it is an easier decision. I know many people are pushing unlocked etc on this issue but in reality 95% of people are going for what is less expensive period. The only time the unlocked versus locked matters is if you are buying with ATT off contract.
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Exactly... I'm very price conscience and if AT&T did offer the Note for say $199 (highly unlikely..more like $299)...then the price between this and uncontract note is like $400 to $500 (closer to $500 since the price has been steadily going up in the last few days! yikes... better buy soon if I want the uncontract Note) and that makes a big difference especially if you were going to stay with AT&T regardless.
Or like the earlier poster said that you could get the iphone 4 or 4S to sell it and say it to recoup some of the cost for the international Note....hmmm...decisions decisions... I am leaning towards the international Note since I don't stream much and I'm on a tier plan so... that extra processor speed for games and HD movie watching can come in handy.
Regardless... thanks everyone for chiming in. I will make a decision by end of the day.... (Luckily I locked a Note on Amazon for $698 which hasn't shipped yet but can cancel anytime.)
i will trade my intl note for att note when it comes out in case anyone is interested.
If money were not an object, I would prefer the better processor just because the screen is so large.
ckyllr said:
Exactly... I'm very price conscience and if AT&T did offer the Note for say $199 (highly unlikely..more like $299)...then the price between this and uncontract note is like $400 to $500 (closer to $500 since the price has been steadily going up in the last few days! yikes... better buy soon if I want the uncontract Note) and that makes a big difference especially if you were going to stay with AT&T regardless.
Or like the earlier poster said that you could get the iphone 4 or 4S to sell it and say it to recoup some of the cost for the international Note....hmmm...decisions decisions... I am leaning towards the international Note since I don't stream much and I'm on a tier plan so... that extra processor speed for games and HD movie watching can come in handy.
Regardless... thanks everyone for chiming in. I will make a decision by end of the day.... (Luckily I locked a Note on Amazon for $698 which hasn't shipped yet but can cancel anytime.)
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So do you think it is worth going through the trouble of importing the note and selling the iPhone?
I also think battery life is going to be a huge deal here as well. They did not increase the battery size for lte, that was disappointing. We could be looking at quite adifference in battery life with lte. I don't want another phone that is tethered to a charger like my current inspire.
Corriewf said:
So do you think it is worth going through the trouble of importing the note and selling the iPhone?
I also think battery life is going to be a huge deal here as well. They did not increase the battery size for lte, that was disappointing. We could be looking at quite adifference in battery life with lte. I don't want another phone that is tethered to a charger like my current inspire.
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I will say that the APQ8060 is more power efficient in general than Exynos, before you factor in whatever LTE connectivity will cost your battery life.
I had and returned a Rogers galaxy s2 lte (same as skyrocket). It was not as smooth as my note. And you have to take into account that the note has 3 times as many pixels to push out compared to gs2.
Also, I had the captivate, which is Rogers/att's version of original galaxy s. While there was and still is decent dev support, it paled in comparison to the international version.
Sent from my GT-N7000
Corriewf said:
So do you think it is worth going through the trouble of importing the note and selling the iPhone?
I also think battery life is going to be a huge deal here as well. They did not increase the battery size for lte, that was disappointing. We could be looking at quite adifference in battery life with lte. I don't want another phone that is tethered to a charger like my current inspire.
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No good thing in life comes for free. If you want something good, you have to work to get it!
Buying/selling an iPhone as a means of obtaining something more desired may be a hassle to some, but well worth the reward to others.
I suppose the degree of work one decides to go through to get what they want is an indicator of sorts for how lazy/apathetic they are. Like an AT&T iPhone. If you don't want to jump through any hoops to get one unlocked, and you just don't care enough about possibly making it better, then it's well suited to you. As for an unlocked Android, sure it may not be perfect right our of the box, but with a little bit of effort and care, it can potentially be even more perfect than the iPhone! It's all about what you're willing to work for.
American consumers are (mostly) too lazy and/or apathetic when it comes to our demands, our expectations, and what we're willing to do to meet those. That's why our subsidized devices suck compared to the rest of the world. That's why our rate plans are gouging us through the eyeballs for every little thing. Because not enough of us care to push back against the giants when they start screwing us over, because that'd be too much of a "hassle." We'd rather just roll over and put up with the higher costs for less service.
Buy hey, we get cheaper phones up front! They may not be as good, sure, but they're cheaper today!
Yeah we may be making up for the overall cost later on, but hey, they're cheaper today!
Sure, the carrier is loading CIQ, and other bloat onto my device that I can't (easily) remove... But it's cheaper!
I know I'm paying $80 or $100 or even more than that a month, when I really could be getting the same, or better level of service for ~$40 a month instead... BUT I GOT MY PHONE FOR SO MUCH LESS!!!!
*sigh* This sucks...
It is about your needs, about your pockets ($$$$) and about your local conditions.
Are you a bandwidth fanatic and are able to pay for it, or do you want a faster processor and 21 MBPS is enough for you?
Do not expect that your carrier gives you LTE for the same price as 3G.
Usually they ask more, much more for LTE speeds.
So do you need LTE and can you pay for LTE?
And what about LTE coverage in your area? Not all areas have LTE coverage or they have LTE coverage but it is not good. And how crowded is your LTE area?
If your local LTE network has too many users, the speed is slow as 3G.
Mobile bandwidth is always a shared bandwidth you share with everyone in your area.
And do you need very very fast internet on the move? Or do you need very very fast Internet only at home? If you want it at home it is cheaper and more reliable to take very fast cable internet, not LTE.
If you have no high speed internet options except LTE, and you do not need it on the move, it is smarter to get a LTE/Wifi router that takes the LTE and gives it to your Note as Wifi. In that case it is better to take the Note international version even if you want to use LTE, because you are not moving.
If you are a pirate that is downloading blu-rays from the net and are able to pay a lte contract and are constantly moving to escape the FBI and there is good LTE coverage in your area, take the Note i717.
If you are going to use the net just to surf and/or you can not pay for an expensive LTE contract and/or the LTE coverage in your area sucks and/or you do not need high internet speed on the move, buy the international version.
In Korea they are pissed off because most can not pay for LTE contracts, have 3G, but Samsung will not sell the non-LTE Exynos version there.
So they have to buy the LTE version but do not use LTE.
For most people, the international version is better. Faster machine with fast internet. Who needs 100000 kbps on his phone, on the move?
Is your life so short that you can not wait 5 minutes for a download to finish?
And you never really reach those high LTE speeds, they are theoretical max speeds that you usually do not reach in real life on the internet of today.
Internet speed is based on the speed of the weakest link. So if your connection to the local link is very fast but between you and the computer you want to reach there is a slower link (the normal situation today), your maximum speed will be the speed of that slow link.
Some will buy the LTE version because they think like this they are more "future proof". In other words their Note will still be valuable in some years when everyone uses only LTE.
That is not a good idea. In some years, when everyone uses LTE, your Note will suck because of AMOLED burn in and because Smartphones will be 10 times faster then today. So do not expect to use the Note for too long.
I know it is a long answer, but there are many variables as you see.
LTE is a big deal to those of us who are grand fathered into unlimited data and pay the same $30 per months for LTE. It's really nice for streaming music at work.
Unlocked phones are always better. That's understandable.
However, for some, even if money is not an issue, it's simply a question of whether it's worth it.
You're paying $600 ~ 700 for the phone. Your monthly phone rate doesn't change drastically. It's not like your plan is going to drop by $30 a month for using an unlocked phone.
I can get either the Amaze 4G or the SGS2 for free on T-Mobile. Getting it unlocked would cost me at least 4 ~ 5 benjamins. No matter how you spin it, after 2 years, even after denying the insurance, it's still more expensive to purchase an unlocked version of these phones.
So unless if using a carrier unlocked phone results in my monthly bill being substantially lower, unlocked phones will always be more expensive within the USA.
Your rationale as posted in the other general section only applies to countries where companies only provide the service and customers must obtain their own cellphones. I don't see this ever changing in the USA.
Moral of the story? Buy an unlocked cellphone if and only if you are really into cellphones. If you're just a casual user but enjoy using smartphones, there is very little significant pragmatic difference between a carrier branded and unlocked cellphone for all practical purpose in your life.
Lastly, you said it yourself. Don't expect to use your Note for too long. Then why pay more money over X phones that a user keeps switching to? Doesn't make any good economic sense to me.
legion1911 said:
It is about your needs, about your pockets ($$$$) and about your local conditions.
Are you a bandwidth fanatic and are able to pay for it, or do you want a faster processor and 21 MBPS is enough for you?
Do not expect that your carrier gives you LTE for the same price as 3G.
Usually they ask more, much more for LTE speeds.
So do you need LTE and can you pay for LTE?
And what about LTE coverage in your area? Not all areas have LTE coverage or they have LTE coverage but it is not good. And how crowded is your LTE area?
If your local LTE network has too many users, the speed is slow as 3G.
Mobile bandwidth is always a shared bandwidth you share with everyone in your area.
And do you need very very fast internet on the move? Or do you need very very fast Internet only at home? If you want it at home it is cheaper and more reliable to take very fast cable internet, not LTE.
If you have no high speed internet options except LTE, and you do not need it on the move, it is smarter to get a LTE/Wifi router that takes the LTE and gives it to your Note as Wifi. In that case it is better to take the Note international version even if you want to use LTE, because you are not moving.
If you are a pirate that is downloading blu-rays from the net and are able to pay a lte contract and are constantly moving to escape the FBI and there is good LTE coverage in your area, take the Note i717.
If you are going to use the net just to surf and/or you can not pay for an expensive LTE contract and/or the LTE coverage in your area sucks and/or you do not need high internet speed on the move, buy the international version.
In Korea they are pissed off because most can not pay for LTE contracts, have 3G, but Samsung will not sell the non-LTE Exynos version there.
So they have to buy the LTE version but do not use LTE.
For most people, the international version is better. Faster machine with fast internet. Who needs 100000 kbps on his phone, on the move?
Is your life so short that you can not wait 5 minutes for a download to finish?
And you never really reach those high LTE speeds, they are theoretical max speeds that you usually do not reach in real life on the internet of today.
Internet speed is based on the speed of the weakest link. So if your connection to the local link is very fast but between you and the computer you want to reach there is a slower link (the normal situation today), your maximum speed will be the speed of that slow link.
Some will buy the LTE version because they think like this they are more "future proof". In other words their Note will still be valuable in some years when everyone uses only LTE.
That is not a good idea. In some years, when everyone uses LTE, your Note will suck because of AMOLED burn in and because Smartphones will be 10 times faster then today. So do not expect to use the Note for too long.
I know it is a long answer, but there are many variables as you see.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Jade Eyed Wolf said:
No good thing in life comes for free. If you want something good, you have to work to get it!
Buying/selling an iPhone as a means of obtaining something more desired may be a hassle to some, but well worth the reward to others.
I suppose the degree of work one decides to go through to get what they want is an indicator of sorts for how lazy/apathetic they are. Like an AT&T iPhone. If you don't want to jump through any hoops to get one unlocked, and you just don't care enough about possibly making it better, then it's well suited to you. As for an unlocked Android, sure it may not be perfect right our of the box, but with a little bit of effort and care, it can potentially be even more perfect than the iPhone! It's all about what you're willing to work for.
American consumers are (mostly) too lazy and/or apathetic when it comes to our demands, our expectations, and what we're willing to do to meet those. That's why our subsidized devices suck compared to the rest of the world. That's why our rate plans are gouging us through the eyeballs for every little thing. Because not enough of us care to push back against the giants when they start screwing us over, because that'd be too much of a "hassle." We'd rather just roll over and put up with the higher costs for less service.
Buy hey, we get cheaper phones up front! They may not be as good, sure, but they're cheaper today!
Yeah we may be making up for the overall cost later on, but hey, they're cheaper today!
Sure, the carrier is loading CIQ, and other bloat onto my device that I can't (easily) remove... But it's cheaper!
I know I'm paying $80 or $100 or even more than that a month, when I really could be getting the same, or better level of service for ~$40 a month instead... BUT I GOT MY PHONE FOR SO MUCH LESS!!!!
*sigh* This sucks...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What?!?! Maybe I need to sell what you're smoking and buy both versions. There is a difference between being lazy and being practical ok! I'm looking at leg work and fees to sell items. I'm also looking at a lack of warranty or one that is less practical. Its Samsung, their quality control is not great.
I should have also mentioned price as well. $199-$299 vs. $700 to $1000... Amazon just raised their price from $708 to $899 which I believe is retail. Obviously they don't have any in stock but that shows you that for some reason there is a greater demand for these right now.
I'm with AT&T for awhile so contract price or uncontract price means nothing to me. But at least I can get the iphone 4 (or 4s) and sell it to cover the difference above even though that would require more work on my part.
I think I'm going to take a chance and keep my order for the international Note.
Here are the reasons why:
1) I can have it now! versus whenever AT&T decides to release theirs.
2) Faster processor speed for my HD movies and games
3) Physical home button. I have the Captivate and I hate the capacitance buttons.
4) I don't need LTE speeds since I only use data to surf the web and email purposes since I don't stream movies or music. HSPA+ should suffice.
5) Bragging rights and showing off to friends before the AT&T version comes out since it will loose its appeal once it's available here in the states.
6) I can enjoy without bloatware crap and also faster updates as well. (My Captivate just got GB update...WTF? year and half later?)
7) Bigger dev community for custom roms and such and support from XDA.
8) This is speculations only but maybe better battery life? I hope AT&T and their LTE version will have sucky battery life and we can all laugh at their inferior Note.
The only thing I saw that was relevant was point 7).
Everything else seemed like self-justification rationale to me to have it now. Lawl.
ckyllr said:
I should have also mentioned price as well. $199-$299 vs. $700 to $1000... Amazon just raised their price from $708 to $899 which I believe is retail. Obviously they don't have any in stock but that shows you that for some reason there is a greater demand for these right now.
I'm with AT&T for awhile so contract price or uncontract price means nothing to me. But at least I can get the iphone 4 (or 4s) and sell it to cover the difference above even though that would require more work on my part.
I think I'm going to take a chance and keep my order for the international order.
Here are the reasons why:
1) I can have it now! versus whenever AT&T decides to release theirs.
2) Faster processor speed for my HD movies and games
3) Physical home button. I have the Captivate and I hate the capacitance buttons.
4) I don't need LTE speeds since I only use data to surf the web and email purposes since I don't stream movies or music. HSPA+ should suffice.
5) Bragging rights and showing off to friends before the AT&T version comes out since it will loose its appeal once it's available here in the states.
6) I can enjoy without bloatware crap and also faster updates as well. (My Captivate just got GB update...WTF? year and half later?)
7) Bigger dev community for custom roms and such and support from XDA.
8) This is speculations only but maybe better battery life? I hope AT&T and their LTE version will have sucky battery life and we can all laugh at their inferior Note.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I want to direct you to another thread that has some very good info
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1434845&page=12
It has some good links to Anandtech with CPU comparisons, that I will link below.
Keep in mind the comparisons were done with a GS2 clocked at 1.2ghz not 1.4ghz.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4686/samsung-galaxy-s-2-international-review-the-best-redefined/14
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4686/samsung-galaxy-s-2-international-review-the-best-redefined/17
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/505?vs=489
Hope this helps!
Update: After reading through one of the articles I saw this regarding the low triangle/geometry test scores for the Mali-400. "Luckily for ARM however, most mobile games aren't geometry bound - what we really need here is pixel processing power and that's something Mali-400 does deliver quite well."
I'm planning on doing some hiking and camping this summer, and am considering replacing my pocketphone with something strapped to my wrist - less fumbling to get at a camera, less weight, longer battery, and so on. I'm hoping that some of the fine folks here can offer advice and suggestions before I decide to plunk down my all-too-limited money for a lemon of a wrist-computer.
So far, the factors that have occurred to me as being important to consider include:
* Battery life: 24 hour standby seems a bare minimum, 48 hour seems almost as important, and the longer the better. (I do have a small solar panel with battery-stick I can hang on my backpack, for longer trips.)
* GPS. A large part of the whole point.
* SD card with enough room to hold, say, an offline copy of Wikipedia and all sorts of offline maps, with enough room for lots of pictures. 16GB? 32GB?
* Software that can apply GPS readings to said offline maps, Wikipedia, and whatever other apps seem likely - planetarium, calculator, weather, dictation, symptom checker, etc.
* Presumably wifi, to download said apps, Wikipedia, and so forth.
* Camera. Preferably a couple of megapixels.
* Phone, in case I break my leg while in range of a cell tower. GSM 850/1900 appears to be what's compatible with the carrier I have in mind.
* Moderate price. The more I spend on the phone, the less I can spend on camping food and other such things. $200 is nigh-certainly too much; $150 is pushing it, especially if I still have to buy a 32GB SD as well.
* Extra bonuses that would be nice: Waterproofing; FM radio (for weather reports); a non-silly-looking case.
From what I've been able to dig up, not counting the price, the stats advertised for the "IK" with a 1.54" touch screen, or the Zgpax S6 seem to come reasonably close to what I'm looking for - though I have no idea how to figure out if the Kiwix reader would run on either of them, nor do I know if there are better choices, or even what sites would provide the best prices for shipping to Canada.
Do you have any comments, criticism, or advice?
Unfortunately, the ZGPAX is 2G only in N. America. There's not many watch phones that offer the 3G/1900mhz capability, SD card slot, and full Android 4.1+.
Right now... the US version of the Omate TrueSmart, AI Watch and the Neptune Pine offer NA 3G frequencies. All of which are higher than your budget. However, I have seen many go on eBay for less... but you have to be really careful about whom you get one from and, for some, manufacturing date is critical.
Waterproofing is a real crap shoot. Many vendors state that their devices are water resistant/proof. However, this is has become a real issue with OEM claims and actually real world use. For example, the Omate was advertised as waterproof...but actually turned out to be more resistant to water. Many people wore their watch in the shower, and quickly became a paperweight. Plus, if you decide to open the watch and upgrade the 8GB SD with a 32GB...you just voided your warranty. Crazy, huh?
The best thing to do is research the user experiences. Not the OEM's advertised claims.
If you go to Alibaba, smart phone-watches are everywhere. However, very few will meet your needs, not to mention quality standards.
I wish you luck! Feel free to PM if you have questions about any watch you're considering. I'll do my best to help guide you through this difficult tech segment.
mghtymse007 said:
Unfortunately, the ZGPAX is 2G only in N. America.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't expect to use significant amounts of data through the phone system. If it helps, the provider I'm looking at mentions the frequencies at www . speakout7eleven.ca /support/prepaid-phone-questions#gsm-phone-with-wireless .
There's not many watch phones that offer the 3G/1900mhz capability, SD card slot, and full Android 4.1+.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is there any reason I should focus on Android 4.1+, and rule out any watches running 4.0?
DataPacRat said:
I don't expect to use significant amounts of data through the phone system. If it helps, the provider I'm looking at mentions the frequencies at www . speakout7eleven.ca /support/prepaid-phone-questions#gsm-phone-with-wireless .
Is there any reason I should focus on Android 4.1+, and rule out any watches running 4.0?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My contacts inside the NA telecom industry have all either mentioned or heavily hinted more and more about the shut down of most 2G towers to make way for the more powerful 3G/4G/LTE towers.
This article is mainly about the US, but the same is happening across all of NA:
http://www.telogis.com/2g-sunset-ad...JBJlOVZjgbsiW2CSYY09a1iB6-NCe_7uPIaAq108P8HAQ
As you can see, this is happening now...not just in the works. Plus many GPS apps use the data channel for various purposes in addition to location.
First of all, I've personally owned and used most of the mainstream and highly rated standalone watches. A few of those are the ZGPAX S5, TrueSmart, Neptune Pine(more of a mini phone than watch), and now the Gear S.
I mention Jelly Bean or higher due to the vast improvements in areas that were made from ICS. A standalone smartwatch benefits greatly from these improvements. Here's a brief article comparing the two.
http://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-android-4-0-and-vs-4-1/
With only 1.54” of screen real estate, 4.1+'s interface is more precise... an important factor with so little room to navigate. There's many other articles you can research and see why watch-phones benefit from the upgraded OS. When I got the TS, the difference between that and the S5 was substantial. From that day, the TS became my daily driver.
Also, you mentioned in your OP that you were hoping for a watch that will last 48hrs...minimum 24. Never have I gotten more than 24hrs on a single charge, regardless of the OEM's claims and recommendations. The solar charger will be a very important gadget to have on your trip.
mghtymse007 said:
First of all, I've personally owned and used most of the mainstream and highly rated standalone watches. A few of those are the ZGPAX S5, TrueSmart, Neptune Pine(more of a mini phone than watch), and now the Gear S.
I mention Jelly Bean or higher due to the vast improvements in areas that were made from ICS. A standalone smartwatch benefits greatly from these improvements. Here's a brief article comparing the two.
With only 1.54” of screen real estate, 4.1+'s interface is more precise... an important factor with so little room to navigate. There's many other articles you can research and see why watch-phones benefit from the upgraded OS. When I got the TS, the difference between that and the S5 was substantial. From that day, the TS became my daily driver.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After looking further through DX's site, I've found mention of two watches that seem to come within shouting distance of my needs, and which have at least Android 4.1: an iMacWear M7, which other discussion seems to claim is a clone of the TS; and the Zgpax S8. I'm a tad leery of the first as the price is bumping against my budget, and I think I ignored the latter the first time because its listed "standby time" was only 24 hours. Does anyone reading this thread have any thoughts on either of them, in terms of camping gear?
Also, you mentioned in your OP that you were hoping for a watch that will last 48hrs...minimum 24. Never have I gotten more than 24hrs on a single charge, regardless of the OEM's claims and recommendations. The solar charger will be a very important gadget to have on your trip.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll make a further note to myself, to make sure that I start out with my external battery-stick fully-charged, in case of cloudy days.
Keep in mind the iMacWear's and S8's Frequencies are 2G: GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz, 3G: WCDMA 2100MHz , which isn't enough for 3G in the US.
Look at on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cellular_frequencies. I would suggest looking closer at used US 3G smartwatch devices via ebay, which might push more popular brands in your price range.
Apokriphos said:
Keep in mind the iMacWear's and S8's Frequencies are 2G: GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz, 3G: WCDMA 2100MHz , which isn't enough for 3G in the US.
Look at on Cellular_frequencies. I would suggest looking closer at used US 3G smartwatch devices via ebay, which might push more popular brands in your price range.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Going by my current provider, according to www .fido.ca /web/content/phonewarranty/configure_unlocked_device_guide , the frequencies I seem to need to watch for are:
Fido said:
Your device must be compatible with the Fido network, which uses GSM, UMTS, HSPA and HSPA+ at 850 MHz and 1900 MHz. To access LTE network, the phone must be compatible with:
700 MHz on Band 17;
1700/2100 MHz on Band 4;
2600 MHz on Band 7.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
However, I know that an iPhone 4 can connect to 3G on that network, and according to Wikipedia, the frequencies it can handle are
Wikipedia said:
quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE
(800, 850, 900, 1,800, 1,900 MHz)
Quad-band UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA
(800, 850, 900, 1,900, 2,100 MHz) (800 MHz is not yet officially supported by Apple)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
... of which the only 3G frequency overlapping appears to be 2100 MHz. Do I really need to look for phones that can handle 700 and 2600 MHz, as well?
I'm going to definitively rule out the S8; it turns out its 8GB memory is hardwired, and it doesn't have an actual SD slot.
DataPacRat said:
... of which the only 3G frequency overlapping appears to be 2100 MHz. Do I really need to look for phones that can handle 700 and 2600 MHz, as well?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Assuming that I only have to worry about 2100 MHz, I get an interesting assortment of smartwatches at www .dx.com /s/2100?category=529&PriceSort=up , from the S6 on the low end to the iMacWear M7's just at the extreme top of my price range (and likely beyond it, counting adding a 32 GB SD card).
Relatedly, I find myself in possession of a Bluetooth v3.0 keyboard. Does anyone have any information on whether or not any of the watches in the above link can accept external text input via Bluetooth?
Unless you live in Europe (which works with just 2100), you need either 850, 1700&2100, or 1900 to receive 3G in the US. There is a 2G 850 frequency you might be getting confused with the 3G version.
DataPacRat said:
I'm going to definitively rule out the S8; it turns out its 8GB memory is hardwired, and it doesn't have an actual SD slot.
Assuming that I only have to worry about 2100 MHz, I get an interesting assortment of smartwatches at www .dx.com /s/2100?category=529&PriceSort=up , from the S6 on the low end to the iMacWear M7's just at the extreme top of my price range (and likely beyond it, counting adding a 32 GB SD card).
Relatedly, I find myself in possession of a Bluetooth v3.0 keyboard. Does anyone have any information on whether or not any of the watches in the above link can accept external text input via Bluetooth?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Apokriphos said:
Unless you live in Europe (which works with just 2100), you need either 850, 1700&2100, or 1900 to receive 3G in the US. There is a 2G 850 frequency you might be getting confused with the 3G version.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's entirely possible I'm confused - I'm still quite new to the whole shebang.
Looking through that list at DX, only a scant few mention all the 3G frequencies in question as 3G frequencies: the Zgpax S6, the iradish i6S, and a few above CDN$200. Of those two, I'm leaning towards the S6; it's $50 cheaper, and the camera placement is better for taking pictures of things rather than my own face.
DataPacRat said:
I'm going to definitively rule out the S8; it turns out its 8GB memory is hardwired, and it doesn't have an actual SD slot.
Assuming that I only have to worry about 2100 MHz, I get an interesting assortment of smartwatches at www .dx.com /s/2100?category=529&PriceSort=up , from the S6 on the low end to the iMacWear M7's just at the extreme top of my price range (and likely beyond it, counting adding a 32 GB SD card).
Relatedly, I find myself in possession of a Bluetooth v3.0 keyboard. Does anyone have any information on whether or not any of the watches in the above link can accept external text input via Bluetooth?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Zgpax S8 will allow you to use a bluetooth keyboard and does have a removable SD card. (it is tucked under the battery and two cables...the job isn't difficult but is NOT for the non-tech savvy person) I have a Galaxy Gear 1 running NULL and decided to buy the S8 as well. (it was a close call for me...the M7 has a better design IMO plus a larger battery BUT the S8 has much more community support plus a working TWRP recovery)
So I was almost ready to buy the Gear S AT&T (refurb) for $145 off e-bay, then decided to check out XDA and been looking at different watches for the past few hours and am kinda lost.
I'm looking for a watch that has a fairly large face (6 feet tall, & like bigger watches) 2G/3G capable, Bluetooth, long battery life, easy to buy charging cradle separately, waterproof (not gonna shower with it or anything, but needs to be able to wear it when washing hands & in the rain & stuff), I'd need an app to push missed calls & SMS's to my android devices & preferably Chrome extension somehow for notification under windows 10 ( I currently use pushbullet & LOVE it).
I currently live in the USA, I have 2 sim cards, metro pcs + international sim that roams on AT&T towers (no data, just use it for calls & SMS). I'll be using the international sim in the watch for the occasional call + sms, instead of finding the right phone that supports dual sim + mSD card (F u samsung S7 edge, but I read there's a hack; oh well).
Thank you.
Via PM
zolo111 said:
I've been doing nothing but reading tons of forum posts, but can't seem to find what I'm looking for; could you please read my thread and help me out?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/smartwatch/other-smartwatches/help-picking-3g-watch-please-t3329759
Every smart watch I read about doesn't seem to support 3G 1900Mhz for AT&T.
Thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Proper 1900mhz 3G support is rare. Most smartwatch makers don't even bother to support it. Reading your requirements in your thread limits your choice to something like a 3 year old Omate TrueSmart U.S. version and not much else as you want features that would require it run Android.
Thank for the info, I have to have 2 sim cards (international sim that roams on AT&T towers+ metro pcs), so I thought I could buy a 3G sim capable watch, this way I can buy a single sim phone. I guess I'll continue researching for a proper dual sim phone.
I'm on my 2nd cheap Chinese watch, and still looking.
I want a phonewatch, it doesn't have to be smart, just able to do phone calls, notifications, and stream audio, without being tethered to a smartphone. Apparently that's asking too much, because all I can find that meet those needs, are Chinese watches. They look ok on paper: providing maximum flexibility by running full Android. The problem is poor execution.
My first watch stopped working when water splashed on it when I was washing my hands. Learning my lesson, I replaced it with one that claimed water resistance. It has wcdma 850/2100 so its missing 1900 which means data is very slow in my area. When streaming audio, it overheats. And it cannot get through the whole day the way I use it: as a standalone device, handling all phone calls and messages.
The only Chinese watch I've found so far with all the 3G frequencies used on AT&T (I haven't found any with T-Mobile's 1700+2100) is the Doogee S1. Its just been released and I haven't found any reviews online that weren't from the manufacturer.
The Gear S and S2 are not quite standalone devices, but they are the closest to it that any major manufacturer designing for US networks, has come thus far. I think the Omate TrueSmart has wcdma 1900 or 2100 but lacks 850. The LG Urbane 2 seemed promising, but was pulled from the market. I've seen write-ups on soon to be released watches, so maybe 2016 will be the year...
afblangley said:
.....The LG Urbane 2 seemed promising, but was pulled from the market. I've seen write-ups on soon to be released watches, so maybe 2016 will be the year...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you haven't already seen, the LG Urbane 2 is taking pre-orders from AT&T and Verizon and will hit the market next week. Full price is $360 on AT&T and $499 on Verizon.
Sent from my ASUS_Z00AD using XDA Free mobile app
mward1995 said:
If you haven't already seen, the LG Urbane 2 is taking pre-orders from AT&T and Verizon and will hit the market next week. Full price is $360 on AT&T and $499 on Verizon.
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Click to collapse
I'm waiting to hear reports on it. The first edition of the 2nd Edition had a major flaw: bluetooth headsets didn't work with phone calls. I hope they've fixed that. If so, it (or the Doogee S1) may be my next watch.
afblangley said:
I'm waiting to hear reports on it. The first edition of the 2nd Edition had a major flaw: bluetooth headsets didn't work with phone calls. I hope they've fixed that. If so, it (or the Doogee S1) may be my next watch.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the original release and you are correct, I can't make calls through the headset. However, I believe this is an Android Wear 1.4 issue and not a watch issue. https://support.google.com/androidwear/answer/6321349?hl=en
I know 1.4 has been released for other watches now. Has anyone confirmed use of a headset to make calls? I know "calls over bluetooth" posts can get confused because the watch is paired over bluetooth but I haven't specifically seen anyone mention calls using a headset.
Bluetooth does work great for music and I use the audio feedback option in the settings to have texts dictated to me when I'm running.
mward1995 said:
I know 1.4 has been released for other watches now. Has anyone confirmed use of a headset to make calls?
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Click to collapse
Nobody wants to be limited to speakerphone only. If it's an OS issue, Google needs to fix it ASAP. There are no other Android Wear watches to test this. The U2 is the only one that uses a SIM, so it has a phone number to make/receive calls from. All the other watches are bluetooth tethered to a smartphone.
Yeah I agree. I'm hoping they do fix it soon. I would definitely be more inclined to make calls with it if I could use the headset. For now, I can still use it as an emergency phone when I leave the phone behind. Maybe the new release will have an updated AW version, hopefully.
Hey mward, besides calls and texts, what other functions of the LG can be operated standalone (ie. with smartphone off)? For example, can it stream audio (ie. Pandora, podcasts)?
afblangley said:
Hey mward, besides calls and texts, what other functions of the LG can be operated standalone (ie. with smartphone off)? For example, can it stream audio (ie. Pandora, podcasts)?
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I haven't found an app that installs on AW that will allow streaming in standalone. I haven't searched too hard though. I used Wear Media to transfer 1 GB of music to the watch so I'm usually listening to my music or transferred podcasts through Wear Media when I'm running and the phone is in the car. My phone is always on though so I am always paired through cell data to receive notifications/texts from my phone. My main use when away from the phone is tracking runs with GPS, listening to music through BT, responding to texts paired through cell. It's also my emergency phone, but I don't make too many calls with it. I have 'web browser for Android Wear' installed so I can browse the web in standalone if needed.
Thanks!
I'm trying to move some activities currently handled by my smartphone to a smartwatch. Ideally, all phone calls, notifications, and audio streaming. Basically, I want the watch to be my primary phone, with capabilities comparable to a feature phone. Then my smartphone becomes a secondary phone and doesn't always have to be with me.
Thanks for tips, but I ended up ordering the Contixo Smart Watch W3 from amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Contixo-W3-An...&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00
It's advertised as HSPA 850/1900/2100 capable, but turned out it's just a K8 watch. I figured that Amazon won't let me down if I wanted to return it. This watch supports 850/2100 3G only, no 1900 (based on K8 specs).
fun to play with (my first watch). I changed the settings so it connects to HSPA only, and it seems to work fine under 850Mhz ( I live in S. Jersey). Don't need DATA, just voice calls a few times a week.
But I'd prefer a larger screen though, +2" would be better.
The Doogee S1 screen has less resolution (240X240), but supports 850/1900, would I really need 1900 for voice calls only? Can't seem to find any detailed map that shows AT&T 3G coverage, which area covered by which band, or are all towers have both 850 & 1900?
The LG urbane 2 LTE has even a smaller screen.
Why does it have to be so hard!
1G (GSM) = Plain old voice and texting
2G and 3G (EDGE and HPSA)= Data (can be as fast as 7-15Mbps on HSPA)
So if I only want to use my sim card for phone calls/ SMS only, what bands/ tech do I need on AT&T network (Roaming)?
What you're saying is that I shouldn't be worried about 2G networks shutting down by the end of the year?
zolo111 said:
So if I only want to use my sim card for phone calls/ SMS only, what bands/ tech do I need on AT&T network (Roaming)?
What you're saying is that I shouldn't be worried about 2G networks shutting down by the end of the year?
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AT&T would have a better idea about the voice text bands, but you should be good.
As long as you have 850 and 1900 support on the watch, the 2G shut down shouldn't be an issue. That will give you voice/text and data when you need it.
Yep, it's a K8, albeit overpriced. I have one, which I referred to in post #5.
No one has confirmed that the Doggee S1 has UMTS 1900 band. This is needed for voice or data on T-Mobile's network and in some places for AT&T. The only map delineated by band that I could find was last updated in 2008:
http://www.cellularmaps.com/att_850_1900.shtml
Your described usage is not very demanding, the LG U2 is capable of handling those tasks, and should deliver a quality user experience. The only question is whether that's worth $360 to you. The Samsung Gear S (older but still sold by AT&T) would also work and is $200. Another option is to stick with a cheap watch for now and look for a replacement later this year.
Based on my disappointing experience with cheap Chinese watches and the belief that better watches coming out in the next few months, I wouldn't pay more than $100 for any off brand watch at this time.
Thanks fo the info, I ended up returning the watch to the amazon seller; seeing that the LG U2 has a smaller screen, I don't think I'll like that + the high price, agh.
I guess I'll wait and see what will be released in the next few months.
Didn't know if it had the necessary Hardware and might be possible with a new SIM card.
No.
Lol
Thought I read somewhere that the V20 won't be exactly compatible with 5G, but will get a slight speed boost when in 5G markets. Thoughts?
baldybill said:
Thought I read somewhere that the V20 won't be exactly compatible with 5G, but will get a slight speed boost when in 5G markets. Thoughts?
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The only way if you are still using v20 when 5g fully rolls out is when majority of lte users move onto 5g. Thereby freeing up bandwidth space for the now legacy lte for you to use so it will be faster.
joaovictorsouza said:
Lol
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Fantastic contribution
darkknight200 said:
The only way if you are still using v20 when 5g fully rolls out is when majority of lte users move onto 5g. Thereby freeing up bandwidth space for the now legacy lte for you to use so it will be faster.
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Most insightful comment I have read in a while.
That is exactly what happened when they rolled out LTE. I stayed on HSPA+ and got great speeds because everyone else was jumping on the LTE bandwagon.
Once LTE was fully deployed, and you couldn't buy a phone anymore without LTE support, things were much better -- 120mbits average for the area I am in.
Once T-Mobile fully deploys band 71 (600Mhz) with 5g, then I will bite the bullet and buy the least sucky flagship phone that is available and supports it (I think I will have my V20s for many years yet )
-- Brian
runningnak3d said:
Most insightful comment I have read in a while.
That is exactly what happened when they rolled out LTE. I stayed on HSPA+ and got great speeds because everyone else was jumping on the LTE bandwagon.
Once LTE was fully deployed, and you couldn't buy a phone anymore without LTE support, things were much better -- 120mbits average for the area I am in.
Once T-Mobile fully deploys band 71 (600Mhz) with 5g, then I will bite the bullet and buy the least sucky flagship phone that is available and supports it (I think I will have my V20s for many years yet )
-- Brian
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I like to hear that! . Still Loving my v20 also. Guess I am a little bit old school and like the Legacy device
runningnak3d said:
Once T-Mobile fully deploys band 71 (600Mhz) with 5g, then I will bite the bullet and buy the least sucky flagship phone that is available and supports it (I think I will have my V20s for many years yet )
-- Brian
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This is mainly what I'm waiting on for a new phone. My next phone I would definitely want that band to have as future proofing but since I'm in a rather low populated part, I don't think I will be seeing this band on a tower in my area for quite a few years at least.
Thanks for the replies and information everybody. Hope you're all having an awesome weekend. Or soon-to-be weekend that is
It is not possible as the radio inside the phone would need to be changed. So 5g compatibility is something on the hardware level that needs to be available not something able to be turned on with software.
Unfortunately the v20 seems as if it will be the last phone to have removable battery everyone has since moved to the glass laminate design apple uses.
mirrin said:
It is not possible as the radio inside the phone would need to be changed. So 5g compatibility is something on the hardware level that needs to be available not something able to be turned on with software.
Unfortunately the v20 seems as if it will be the last phone to have removable battery everyone has since moved to the glass laminate design apple uses.
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I am hoping that when 5G fully rolls out that a manufacturer releases one more smartphone with a removable battery. As long as the specs are ok, and by ok I mean a minimum of 4 GB of RAM and a 4K (or greater) display resolution and of course Micro SD card support then it would be up for my consideration.
I recently purchased a brand new LG V20 H918 (the Unlocked T-Mobile variant) phone. The very first purchase that I did was getting the PowerBear extended battery on Amazon, with the 2 day prime shipping that's what I got much sooner than the actual phone since the phone I also got it brand new but on Ebay since there it was significantly cheaper ($150) compared to any price I was seeing for a new phone for any variant on Amazon, you could only get a "renewed" (another way of Amazon saying "refurbished" I guess) for the same price I got my new phone on Ebay. (I guess the price inflation could be another way of Amazon getting back their 5% cash back they pay their Amazon Chase Visa card holders).
The V20 replaces my Samsung Galaxy S5 that also had an extended battery (the iPossible battery) and then it dropped onto a hard porcelain floor facing down, and while the screen didn't crack, it started zooming and unzooming erratically at random times and it would only reset back to normal if I power off the screen and turn it back on. Faced with having to purchase a new LCD screen and having to do the repair something that I know how to do since I have done it many times to other users I took the opportunity to search for a newer phone with a removable battery since I didn't have the time to dedicate to perform this repair with my super busy schedule, replacing an LCD screen off any smartphone is a tedious task, I just didn't wanted to bother this time. So after 3 days of hard research I finally discovered that the LG V20 is the latest smartphone to actually support a removable battery and then my next research turned on to determine what variant should I exactly go for: I had many options, I could have gone with Sprint's variant (the LS995) the Verizon's variant (VS995) or the T-Mobile's variant (H918). The Sprint's unlocked variant seemed very promising, being compatible with most networks here in the USA, except that it didn't support one of T-Mobile newer LTE Band 66 but other than that it supported every LTE band the Galaxy S5 supported and I guess it could have been a great compromise giving me the future option to go with Sprint or any of their MVNO's, except that when I checked if that phone was rootable I was dissapointed to hear that if my phone came with a certain firmware version or greater then it was unrootable and there has been more than 1 year without a method being discovered yet, um I need to be able to root, certain producttivity apps that I use depends on rooting, including the use of Titanium backup that allows me to import all of my Google Authenticator keys that aren't backed up in any other ways. Next to my list: the verizon's variant: it was a good choice except it didn't support all of Sprint's LTE bands which would mean a spotty Sprint coverage shall I go with Sprint in the future, and no Band 12 support for T-mobile either, that automatically was a no-go. At the end, I just went with the T-Mobile's unlocked variant and T-Mobile is my actual carrier too. In my area I used to get 25 Mbps speed test on my old Galaxy S5 phone that lacked Band 66 support, on this new phone with B66 support I got 100 Mbps. I got surprised when I saw that speed and I was only able to get that speed after I changed the Access Point Name from the default IPv6 only configuration into IPv4 only, under IPv6 I only got 35 Mbps don't exactly know why IPv4 outperformed IPv6 by a factor greater than 3 but those were my results here in the city of New York.
Overall, I am very happy with this phone. Its a super fast performing phone for a phone that was introduced in 2016 and by the looks of it, this phone can continue being relevant for many years to come.
Once again, I really hope to see another phone with removable battery being introduced somewhere in the future that actually supports 5G.
kaluna00 said:
Didn't know if it had the necessary Hardware and might be possible with a new SIM card.
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this is a fuzzy answer and not one many would tackle due to the efforts gained. the V20 series can NOT handle the data (think volume) rates of 5G , BUT...
i have no doubts the physical device would work on a 5G network. 5G is a VERY short wave, but the V20 is unique because the antennas are easy access with room to spare. ( top/bottom cases)
so with time , a 30,000.00$ -S2-test set- network analyzer, YES its quite simple. but no matter what is done, the core of the device is only capable of the original design for MAX 4G speeds (100-300megs/sec?) PLUS i cant say how the device would hold up to the MAX rates 100% of the time. would be a cool experiment, but this is far out for a 2016 spec phone. T-mobile network would be the best bet for easy tune, but again, how will hardware handle
i wouldn't know where to start for the software side, but tuning an antenna isn't too bad.
Speeds are often be more down to what your network provider is capable of giving you rather than your fones capability.
3G working at full speed as advertised can be absolutely fine for streaming video.
4G+ is more than good enough for me, not all the time but most of the time. Don't care less I don't have 5g on my V20, my fave fone ever.
kaluna00 said:
Didn't know if it had the necessary Hardware and might be possible with a new SIM card.
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No, as that would require changes on the SoC level and I don't think any of us have the hardware or qualifications to do stuff like that.