Geekzone: technology news, blogs, forums
Guest
Welcome Guest.
You haven't logged in yet. If you don't have an account you can register now.


bananamuffin

23 posts

Geek
Inactive user


#65602 4-Aug-2010 10:49
Send private message

Hi all,

I'm looking to get an inexpensive Android phone to use with my Vodafone prepaid sim, not ready to go for a plan yet. So far the cheapest one I've found and liked is the HTC Tattoo which I would buy from Parallel Imported.  The other one they recommended, which they didn't have in stock, was the HTC Wildfire.  The Tattoo looked pretty decent although it took forever to boot.

Just checking if anyone has any experience using either of these phones with Vodafone?  I know they run Android 1.6 but they're both under NZD500 which is very appealing to me as I'm working with a small budget.

Any feedback?

Create new topic
Handsomedan
7281 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified
Trusted
Subscriber

  #362815 4-Aug-2010 10:53
Send private message

I'd go Wildfire.

same screen, slightly newer technology.




Handsome Dan Has Spoken.
Handsome Dan needs to stop adding three dots to every sentence...

 

Handsome Dan does not currently have a side hustle as the mascot for Yale 

 

 

 

*Gladly accepting donations...




Handsomedan
7281 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified
Trusted
Subscriber

  #362816 4-Aug-2010 10:54
Send private message

There are probably better Samsungs that are upgradeable, too at that price.




Handsome Dan Has Spoken.
Handsome Dan needs to stop adding three dots to every sentence...

 

Handsome Dan does not currently have a side hustle as the mascot for Yale 

 

 

 

*Gladly accepting donations...


bananamuffin

23 posts

Geek
Inactive user


  #362817 4-Aug-2010 10:55
Send private message

Handsomedan: There are probably better Samsungs that are upgradeable, too at that price.


Can you suggest specific ones that I can check out?



Handsomedan
7281 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified
Trusted
Subscriber

  #362841 4-Aug-2010 11:18
Send private message

The Galaxy Spica i5700 is a goodie for the money. Can run 2.2, too.




Handsome Dan Has Spoken.
Handsome Dan needs to stop adding three dots to every sentence...

 

Handsome Dan does not currently have a side hustle as the mascot for Yale 

 

 

 

*Gladly accepting donations...


kyhwana2
2566 posts

Uber Geek


  #362858 4-Aug-2010 11:39
Send private message

The Wildfire is running Android 2.1.

I have a friend who's gf bought the wildfire, while he has a HTC Desire.
He described it as a mini desire, basically..

Clove has it: http://www.clove.co.uk/viewProduct.aspx?Manufacturer=HTC&Item=HTCWildfire&Product=EBC9312F-9F5C-432E...=

Handsomedan
7281 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified
Trusted
Subscriber

  #362860 4-Aug-2010 11:41
Send private message

Min Desire with lower-spec screen.

there's a good review on gsmarena.com




Handsome Dan Has Spoken.
Handsome Dan needs to stop adding three dots to every sentence...

 

Handsome Dan does not currently have a side hustle as the mascot for Yale 

 

 

 

*Gladly accepting donations...


bananamuffin

23 posts

Geek
Inactive user


  #362867 4-Aug-2010 11:47
Send private message

Thanks guys, looks like the Wildfire is a better deal then. Handsomedan, the Galaxy Spica looks good, but it doesn't look like Parallel Imported have ever had it in stock, will ask them.

How does one figure out what the total cost of buying a phone, say on the Clove website and having it delivered to NZ, plus customs, would be? I feel better about walking into a store and purchasing it then because I don't have to guess at what the bottom line will be.

Sorry for all the questions, quite new to NZ so trying to figure all this out :)

 
 
 

Cloud spending continues to surge globally, but most organisations haven’t made the changes necessary to maximise the value and cost-efficiency benefits of their cloud investments. Download the whitepaper From Overspend to Advantage now.
Handsomedan
7281 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified
Trusted
Subscriber

  #362869 4-Aug-2010 11:51
Send private message

THere's a Wildfire in the cabinet in Parallel Imported in Queen Street.

Had a play with it the other day.

Screen isn;t that bad, so not sure why it's deemed to be an issue.




Handsome Dan Has Spoken.
Handsome Dan needs to stop adding three dots to every sentence...

 

Handsome Dan does not currently have a side hustle as the mascot for Yale 

 

 

 

*Gladly accepting donations...


bananamuffin

23 posts

Geek
Inactive user


  #362874 4-Aug-2010 11:56
Send private message

Handsomedan: THere's a Wildfire in the cabinet in Parallel Imported in Queen Street.

Had a play with it the other day.

Screen isn;t that bad, so not sure why it's deemed to be an issue.


Was at that store on Queen St. yesterday evening and the Wildfire was gone, sold earlier in the day, they only had the tattoo at that price range Frown

Not sure when they'll get the Wildfire again. Bah.  Just reading reviews over at gsmarena.com now, thanks for the link

kyhwana2
2566 posts

Uber Geek


  #362877 4-Aug-2010 11:58
Send private message

Easy, you add shipping (24gbp) to the price of the phone, convert from gbp to nz, and then multiple that by 1.125 (or 1.15 if you wait till october).

There is a chance you'll get it through customs without having to pay GST. Apparently the royal mail option (rather than fedex) has more of a chance of getting through..

ie, 195+24gbp == 219gbp, convert to NZ is $475 * 1.125 == $534.

bananamuffin

23 posts

Geek
Inactive user


  #362878 4-Aug-2010 11:59
Send private message

kyhwana2: Easy, you add shipping (24gbp) to the price of the phone, convert from gbp to nz, and then multiple that by 1.125 (or 1.15 if you wait till october).

There is a chance you'll get it through customs without having to pay GST. Apparently the royal mail option (rather than fedex) has more of a chance of getting through..

ie, 195+24gbp == 219gbp, convert to NZ is $475 * 1.125 == $534.


Thanks much! That's very helpful.

lokhor
2858 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

  #362907 4-Aug-2010 12:55
Send private message

I'd go for the Galaxy Spica as it has a higher res screen than the wildfire. You will probably find it very difficult to browse the web on a 240x320 screen. If you want a great phone for ~$500 and aren't too fussed about the OS you could go with the Samsung Wave S8500, it's pretty awesome for the price and runs Samsung's new Bada OS.

http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_s8500_wave-3146.php




All comments are my own opinion, and not that of my employer unless explicitly stated.


Handsomedan
7281 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified
Trusted
Subscriber

  #362927 4-Aug-2010 13:17
Send private message

If you want to check either of them out in the flesh, it would appear that Cool Mobile (in the Imax centre in Akl City) have them.

http://coolmobile.net.nz/product_display.php?id=1064

http://coolmobile.net.nz/product_display.php?id=1019





Handsome Dan Has Spoken.
Handsome Dan needs to stop adding three dots to every sentence...

 

Handsome Dan does not currently have a side hustle as the mascot for Yale 

 

 

 

*Gladly accepting donations...


bananamuffin

23 posts

Geek
Inactive user


  #362972 4-Aug-2010 13:41
Send private message

Handsomedan: If you want to check either of them out in the flesh, it would appear that Cool Mobile (in the Imax centre in Akl City) have them.

http://coolmobile.net.nz/product_display.php?id=1064

http://coolmobile.net.nz/product_display.php?id=1019



Awesome! Will take a stroll over there and have a look.  Thanks Handsomedan for all your help.

Create new topic





News and reviews »

Air New Zealand Starts AI adoption with OpenAI
Posted 24-Jul-2025 16:00


eero Pro 7 Review
Posted 23-Jul-2025 12:07


BeeStation Plus Review
Posted 21-Jul-2025 14:21


eero Unveils New Wi-Fi 7 Products in New Zealand
Posted 21-Jul-2025 00:01


WiZ Introduces HDMI Sync Box and other Light Devices
Posted 20-Jul-2025 17:32


RedShield Enhances DDoS and Bot Attack Protection
Posted 20-Jul-2025 17:26


Seagate Ships 30TB Drives
Posted 17-Jul-2025 11:24


Oclean AirPump A10 Water Flosser Review
Posted 13-Jul-2025 11:05


Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7: Raising the Bar for Smartphones
Posted 10-Jul-2025 02:01


Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7 Brings New Edge-To-Edge FlexWindow
Posted 10-Jul-2025 02:01


Epson Launches New AM-C550Z WorkForce Enterprise printer
Posted 9-Jul-2025 18:22


Samsung Releases Smart Monitor M9
Posted 9-Jul-2025 17:46


Nearly Half of Older Kiwis Still Write their Passwords on Paper
Posted 9-Jul-2025 08:42


D-Link 4G+ Cat6 Wi-Fi 6 DWR-933M Mobile Hotspot Review
Posted 1-Jul-2025 11:34


Oppo A5 Series Launches With New Levels of Durability
Posted 30-Jun-2025 10:15









Geekzone Live »

Try automatic live updates from Geekzone directly in your browser, without refreshing the page, with Geekzone Live now.



Are you subscribed to our RSS feed? You can download the latest headlines and summaries from our stories directly to your computer or smartphone by using a feed reader.