Budget Android Review

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nitrotech

733 posts

Ultimate Geek

Topic # 73856 24-Dec-2010 11:10
So I lined up all of the budget androids (sub $300) and compare them: Conclusion: Vodafone 845 - If your budget is under $200 then it's a good starter device Huawei Ideos - Nice device - seems slower than the samsung galaxy 5 but a nice looking device packed with features - better camera than samsung and 2.2 standard Samsung Galaxy 5 - Nice style, good features, upgrade path to 2.2, comes with 2gb sd card, comes with swype keyboard

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870 posts

Ultimate Geek

Reply # 421298 24-Dec-2010 11:35
You mention that the Samsung has Swype. Is this true as I was under the impression that there was no QVGA support for it??

nitrotech

733 posts

Ultimate Geek

Reply # 421303 24-Dec-2010 11:45
Yep swype comes standard on both the 2.1 and 2.2 roms for the samsung

tomgeeknz

870 posts

Ultimate Geek

Reply # 421307 24-Dec-2010 12:06
Maybe there is hope it will one day be available for the IDEOS then!!!

sustel

2 posts

Wannabe Geek

Reply # 421335 24-Dec-2010 14:06
does the samsung galaxy 5 work on 2 degrees? hopefully i can buy it with the $150 topup from 2 degrees from dse so i only pay around $80 for the phone.

tomgeeknz

870 posts

Ultimate Geek

Reply # 421352 24-Dec-2010 15:21
It is 2degrees branded/sold handsets only, so no you will not be able to buy it and get the money off.....

Ragnor

6891 posts

Uber Geek

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Reply # 421388 24-Dec-2010 17:24
SlideIT alternative to Swype http://www.appbrain.com/app/slideit-keyboard/com.dasur.slideit Also FYI how to pronouce Huawei http://inogolo.com/pronunciation/Huawei

DarkShadow

102 posts

Master Geek

Reply # 421902 27-Dec-2010 17:57
All three of these are 2.8" only. The 845 is resistive. You might want to consider a second hand HTC Magic. It's under $300 on ebay. You get a 3.2" screen. More importantly, there's a large community so you are pretty much guaranteed to get 2.3 soon. OTOH, you do get $200 Vodafone credit when you buy the $199 845...

nitrotech

733 posts

Ultimate Geek

Reply # 421916 27-Dec-2010 18:41
DarkShadow: All three of these are 2.8" only. The 845 is resistive. You might want to consider a second hand HTC Magic. It's under $300 on ebay. You get a 3.2" screen. More importantly, there's a large community so you are pretty much guaranteed to get 2.3 soon. OTOH, you do get $200 Vodafone credit when you buy the $199 845... The VF845 is $140 at the moment at DSE with $200 credit The Samsung Galaxy 5 at DSE $191 with free sim Ideos at DSE $227 with $150 top up on 2degrees Great deals everywhere (well for a few days at least) The Magic looks like a good device but again you can go down to dick smith and get an LG Optimus one for $327 and get a $150 2degrees credit - plus it's got a car cradle for sat nav and comes with a 2gb micro sd card. It all comes down to budget and network.

eXDee

2807 posts

Uber Geek

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Reply # 422038 28-Dec-2010 10:00
tomgeeknz: Maybe there is hope it will one day be available for the IDEOS then!!! PM Me.

old3eyes

4111 posts

Uber Geek

Subscriber

Reply # 422147 28-Dec-2010 16:00
nitrotech: [ The Samsung Galaxy 5 at DSE $191 with free sim . Now out of stock.. Regards, Old3eyes

dman

722 posts

Ultimate Geek

Reply # 422306 29-Dec-2010 03:54
You can probably put your name down and deposit, then when it is in stock next still get one at that price. Is what I did with the IDEOS, hopefully in stock tomorrow! Who I am: multi time Ironman finisher, University of Auckland graduate, Freelancer (mainly focused on website development, message me for work). twitter.com/TersoIT

samo

11 posts

Geek

Reply # 425590 10-Jan-2011 00:43
the 845 is a terrible phone compared to the other two

Wify

27 posts

Geek

Reply # 426099 11-Jan-2011 13:08
I own a Huawei Ideos since I got it cheap with 2degrees. It is AWESOME! I however have small fingers. The screen is small and I do type in mistakes a lot, but it is still faster than typing on my old phone. Its not very powerful, so people shouldn't be expecting it to play video files that aren't compressed properly for the phone. The battery lasts a day for me, 2 days if I use it in very very small amounts.

Linuxluver

2486 posts

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Reply # 426241 11-Jan-2011 18:47
tomgeeknz: Maybe there is hope it will one day be available for the IDEOS then!!! Buy "SlideIt" swipe keyboard. I prefer it to Swype, having used both extensively. Yes...you have to buy it. Cry a river..... :-) If you're not curious, your brain is already dying...if not dead. My blogs: Eyes Wide Open /Android Luver / 3D Luver / Truth Seeker Handhelds: LG Optimus 3D Max / LG Optimus 3D / HTC Sensation / VFNZ 845 / Samsung Galaxy Tab / Lenovo IdeaPad K1 32GB / iPod Touch PCs: Home made Linux boxen from parts mainly from PB Tech.

Linuxluver

2486 posts

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Reply # 426243 11-Jan-2011 18:49
samo: the 845 is a terrible phone compared to the other two It's a fullblown smart phone for super cheap....so yeah....it will suck compared to a better phone. But for the $168 it might cost you, it's 2 buckets of awesome. My daughter now has my VF 845 and she loves it to bits. She has the SlideIt (swipe) keyboard on it and uses a piece of knitting needle as a stylus...and can type hellish fast that way. If you're not curious, your brain is already dying...if not dead. My blogs: Eyes Wide Open /Android Luver / 3D Luver / Truth Seeker Handhelds: LG Optimus 3D Max / LG Optimus 3D / HTC Sensation / VFNZ 845 / Samsung Galaxy Tab / Lenovo IdeaPad K1 32GB / iPod Touch PCs: Home made Linux boxen from parts mainly from PB Tech.

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