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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

#171

Post by girvo »

techsupporter wrote: post #109
SifJar wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

HTC and Sony both allow their devices bootloaders to be unlocked via simple procedures involving fastboot, a generic (& simple to use) Android tool supplied with the Android SDK (and AFAIK, open source). Both manufacture high quality, high end devices. As for Samsung devices, there is Heimdall, an open source, cross platform alternative to Odin. Of course, whether via official means for HTC & Sony, or unofficial for…

> unlocking the bootloader will void your warranty (just as on Nexus devices) Unlocking the bootloader on Nexus devices doesn't void the warranty on the hardware; it just removes support for the software. I had a Samsung Galaxy Nexus with a failed USB port. When troubleshooting clearly revealed it to be a hardware problem, Samsung replaced my device even though it was running CyanogenMod and very obviously had the un…

I used to sell and repair phones, for a number of years. Honestly it's a case-by-case basis, sometimes you'll be fine and they'll fix it no issues (like your example, I've seen that plenty of times, and I'd expect the Nexus line to have that happen more often)... but sometimes the vendors will just refuse. That's why the unlock screen says "may void your warranty". So, it's not completely cut-and-dried, but you'll have a much better chance of it with the Nexus line, in my experience (and yours!).

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

#172

Post by thaumasiotes »

lostlogin wrote: post #164
thaumasiotes wrote: post #155

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your problem is that you believe sensible plans are offered in the American market at all. Look at all the love people express for t-mobile's $30 / month plan. That's because it is leaps and bounds ahead of anything else you can get. In China, I pay about US$15 every 3-4 months for a level of texting and voice talk that would easily cost $30 / month by itself in the US. (I don't have a data plan.) I've tried going pr…

The irony of capitalism working better in China the the US is strong. What failed in the US? Under or over regulated? Or is it the lobbyists thing?

The market for phone voice service isn't exactly the entirety of each country. "What failed in the US", if we want to compare only the situation in the US with that in China, could easily be that people in the US have so much more money that phone service prices are nine times higher.

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

#173

Post by girvo »

Touche wrote: post #144
katemcintyre wrote: post #139

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> And yeah, Google isn't in the position of competing with companies that it needs. Why not? Motorola's Moto X is pretty high end and Google is spending $500M on just advertising it this year[1], beating Samsung's and Apple's ad spending. In watching a couple of hours of primetime TV in the US, I usually see 3 to 4 Moto X ads, and almost the same number of Windows 8/Surface ads. However, sales seem to be quite sluggi…

The Lumia phones are not fast. Fast scrolling, sure, but apps take 3-4 seconds to open and don't stay in memory very long.

It's user interface is responsive, but it's not a powerful handset. That's the best way of describing them, and to be honest for a lot of first-smartphone buyers, that's more than good enough in my experience.

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

#174

Post by girvo »

aphexairlines wrote: post #152
skelsey wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They don't need to. You can get an unlimited data + 100 minute no contract plan from t-mobile for $30/month.

Unlimited 2G data. LTE is limited to 5GB per month. I've hit their throttle before, and while it's nice that you don't go dark, it's not for normal use.

5Gb on a handset without tethering isn't "normal" use, even with LTE...

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

#176

Post by hrjet »

linux_devil wrote: post #22

Right move to target market in India and China , its way affordable than Iphone 5C and comes with the brand name too.

Yes, India might be a target, though by the time it goes through customs, it won't be $179 anymore. It will be more like $250 - 300. At that price range there are many other good alternatives available here (especially rebranded Chinese ones, that work quite well).

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

#177

Post by ngokevin »

mortehu wrote: post #115
skelsey wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They don't need to. You can get an unlimited data + 100 minute no contract plan from t-mobile for $30/month.

Where's that? I can only find $50, $60 and $70 plans: http://www.t-mobile.com/cell-phone-plans/individual.html

I wrote about how to get it.

http://ngokevin.com/blog/tmobile/

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

#178

Post by a3n »

TrainedMonkey wrote: post #124
nicholassmith wrote: post #80

It looks great, but as I've mentioned here before, I have some concerns about the cost. It's a great short term boon to consumers getting a device of this high quality at this price point, but the margins have to be razor thing on it, so how do they make money for R&D? What about Company X? What do they do, slice prices to match to keep market share or hope they retain a profit share? If they slash where do they get…

Google is not in business of making money with selling hardware like Apple and Samsung. Google is selling a platform, and then makes money from people using it.

And then makes money from people using the people that use the platform.

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

#179

Post by lostlogin »

thaumasiotes wrote: post #172
lostlogin wrote: post #164

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The irony of capitalism working better in China the the US is strong. What failed in the US? Under or over regulated? Or is it the lobbyists thing?

The market for phone voice service isn't exactly the entirety of each country. "What failed in the US", if we want to compare only the situation in the US with that in China, could easily be that people in the US have so much more money that phone service prices are nine times higher.

I didn't mean to imply entirety with my comment, but it does read that way, apologies. Another issue could be the artificially low value of the Yaun?
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