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Google’s $179 Moto G puts every single cheap Android phone to shame

arstechnica.com

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Re: Google’s $179 Moto G puts every single cheap Android phone to shame

#201

Post by rokhayakebe »

TrainedMonkey wrote: post #2

Google is making a big play on smartphone for everyone model. Now if they could get carriers to agree to cheaper data model, their hand would be really strong. To some extent this favors T-Mobile and other no-discount/cheaper plans carriers.

Google's play is to bypass the carrier altogether, which they will do as soon they get broadband in many homes and use their own souped up wifi routers to create a network that will allow you to be forever internet-connected. And when you are not, they will roam.

Re: Google’s $179 Moto G puts every single cheap Android phone to shame

#202

Post by glogla »

mpg33 wrote: post #6
martinald wrote: post #3

This is getting really interesting. Between this, the Nexus 5 and the various Lumia's a $649 iPhone is starting to look very, very expensive. Smartphones at the moment seem to have got 'good enough'.

macs are also a premium price compared to PC's....not sure how comparably this is

I don't really think so.

For iMac, this is pretty much true, you can get computer equivalent to 27" iMac (except for Mac OS and all-in-one construction), for a lot less money than 21" iMac.

But with laptops, you would be hard pressed to find something as good or better and at the same time less expensive than rMBP 13. With 15", the prices are about comparable, but looking at our local eshops, for the price of 13", you get thinkpad or elitebook with 1600*900 TN panel and rotary storage. That sucks.

Re: Google’s $179 Moto G puts every single cheap Android phone to shame

#203

Post by glogla »

kllrnohj wrote: post #197
throwaway2048 wrote: post #168

Earlier quoted context omitted.

ever try to use an Android phone without a Google account? know anybody that does?

Sure, it's not that hard. Sideload Amazon Store or F-Droid to get your non-Google app store fix, and the rest is pretty straightforward.

It's pretty nice, and as a bonus the apps from F-Droid don't do stuff like "flashlight app that sends you contacts somewhere".

It sucks for some apps, like bank-specific mobile banking apps, that aren't possible to get outside of Play store.

Re: Google’s $179 Moto G puts every single cheap Android phone to shame

#204

Post by glogla »

contingencies wrote: post #167

Half price Firefox OS phones like the ZTE Open are more impressive and better for your freedom. Google want your communications, thinking, location, habits... this is worse than Mastercard or Xperian issuing you a phone. It's fundamentally evil, regardless of how they dress it up. Support Mozilla FirefoxOS and internet freedom.

While Firefox OS is indeed impressive and good for freedom, for someone used to better screen the 320*480 screen of ZTE Open is pretty terrible to use.

I hope that soon we can get something like Moto G with FxOS.

Re: Google’s $179 Moto G puts every single cheap Android phone to shame

#205

Post by superuser2 »

Negitivefrags wrote: post #106
superuser2 wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

iPhones are not intended to be purchased for $649 except by the very impatient (or people who break/lose their uninsured phones). If you wait your 2 years, it's $100 or $200 on-contract. Of course it's different in emerging markets where contracts aren't the norm, but smartphone prices in the US are pretty damn close in terms of 2-year TCO.

I don't understand why people in America are so keen to pay for expensive monthly plans. I pay $5-$10 dollars per month on average for my cellphone on prepay. It doesn't make sense all to buy a phone on plan.

Have you found a prepaid carrier in the US with adequate roaming coverage? Prepaid coverage maps are typically (always?) much, much weaker than contract coverage maps.

Re: Google’s $179 Moto G puts every single cheap Android phone to shame

#206

Post by vidarh »

pisarzp wrote: post #184
vidarh wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You are jumping to (wrong) conclusions. My $200 phone was without contract. . Here's a few examples of current Chinese phones in the Moto G's price range or below: 2GB RAM, Quad Core MTK CPU, 5" screen, 12.8 megapixel camera down to $121: http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Full-1-1-i9500-MTK6589-S4-Pho... MTK based Galaxy S4 clone for http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Mtk6589t-S4-1-1-Perfect-Galax... Note 3 clone for ~$190:…

The issue is that you don't get any support with this phones, while with Moto G they will just replace your device with a new one If something happens. To many average customers this factor is enough to deter them from buying phones you mentioned.

Sure you do - warranty replacements is no problem with the dealers I've dealt with for these types of devices.

Re: Google’s $179 Moto G puts every single cheap Android phone to shame

#207

Post by alykhalid »

berkut wrote: post #193
notdrunkatall wrote: post #137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wow, $70 for that phone? I've been using an old Nokia E71 with a straight talk plan for a couple of years now because I didn't want to spend a few hundred on a phone. Looks like it might be time for an upgrade. How's the browser on it?

Ignoring the font hinting (the font is barely readable when fully zoomed out - in contrast to on iOS and Android, although with the 4S and HTC One I had retina screens, so maybe it's not a fair comparison), the only thing really annoying me with the browser is more a general Windows Phone issue - in text boxes, I haven't worked out how to move the text caret position in the URL - by default it seems to autoselect par…

>the only thing really annoying me with the browser is more a general Windows Phone issue - in text boxes, I haven't worked out how to move the text caret position in the URL

If you want to place your cursor in the middle of some text you've already written, tap and hold the screen near the text you want to change until a cursor appears, then drag your finger to move the cursor exactly where you want it.

If you feel that the default browser is not customizable enough, try UCBrowser[1], it provides an option to open new links in background.

[1]http://www.windowsphone.com/en-us/store/app/uc-browser/6cda5...

Re: Google’s $179 Moto G puts every single cheap Android phone to shame

#208

Post by alykhalid »

berkut wrote: post #195
numo16 wrote: post #141

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a daily Windows Phone user, android user, and former iOS user, I'm curious to hear what apps you think are missing? I moved from my iPhone to Lumia and am only missing a google hangouts app (due to google choosing not to support the platform).

There's no "decent" Weather apps - that's obviously subjective, but WeatherPro for iOS and Android I really liked. I still miss iOS's weather app really, the built-in one on the HTC One (don't know if it's Android's default) is a bit crap - made worse by the fact that different screens of the Android interface seem to think they're in different geographic locations. Also there's no port of certain apps I rely on a lo…

Have a look at this link[1], you can find reviews for ton of weather apps. Every week a new weather app is released on WP, i am sure you find the one you like.

[1]http://www.wpcentral.com/tags/weather

Re: Google’s $179 Moto G puts every single cheap Android phone to shame

#209

Post by alykhalid »

Touche wrote: post #146
numo16 wrote: post #141

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a daily Windows Phone user, android user, and former iOS user, I'm curious to hear what apps you think are missing? I moved from my iPhone to Lumia and am only missing a google hangouts app (due to google choosing not to support the platform).

Last time I used it there were no podcast apps that would update/download in the background. That's an entire category.

I am currently using PODCASTER[1]. It downloads new episodes over wifi when I connect the phone to charge.

[1]http://www.windowsphone.com/en-gb/store/app/podcaster/f5a125...

Re: Google’s $179 Moto G puts every single cheap Android phone to shame

#210

Post by lotyrin »

mortehu wrote: post #138
skelsey wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Go here: http://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/sim-card . Check your device, and once you know which SIM type you need, click the "Add to Cart" under "Phone". I literally just did this, so the timing of this post is nice. Even more nice is that they are waiving the $10 SIM card fee right now. You buy the actual plan after you get the SIM and activate it. I don't know what they charge for activation, if at all.

So it's not available to current T-Mobile customers unless you want to change your number, then?

Port out to another prepaid, then back in.
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