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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

#191

Post by RyanZAG »

gcb1 wrote: post #93
glesica wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is actually why I've got a Moto G on order. This will be my first smart phone. Before I heard about the Moto G I always assumed my first smart phone would be a Nexus device, because I refuse to sign a carrier contract and I would rather have a dumb phone than carry around something that cost $600 in my pocket every day. But with the Moto G, I get a cheap-ish device with all the features that actually matter to m…

hope you don't plan to travel. nexus 5 would work on most network. also get ready to be disappointed with the camera. even the motoX gets owned by old nokia phones. the sad thing about google/moto only churning out low end phones, is that we now will have to give in to weird rooting/unlocking if we want basic features, like a simple sd card or removable battery. i dread the day i have to abandon my old nexus and star…

Odin is certainly not stolen code - it's simply the tool Samsung distributes to partners to update firmware on their devices.

Also if you have a problem with Odin for whatever reason, you can use the OSS Heimdall - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=755265

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

#192

Post by InclinedPlane »

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…

Thin margins are great. Innovation typically happens more when margins are thinner. When profit is easy it's easy to be lasy, which we've seen. It'll be nice to see the market tighten up more and people actually have to earn money by servicing the customer.

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

#193

Post by berkut »

notdrunkatall wrote: post #137
berkut wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This. I've just bought a Lumia 520 as a play phone / replacement while I send my HTC One back to be repaired (due to it continually rebooting / crashing - I'm otherwise generally very happy with it). I had an iPhone 3GS and 4S as well before the HTC One, so I've tried the three main platforms. Windows Phone is actually very nice for the basics of webbrowsing, sending texts, calling, etc. It has its faults (limited ap…

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 parts, meaning it's very tedious try to fix incorrectly-typed URLs... I guess the answer is get it right first time...

I wish there was a way to make "Open in new link" tabs open in the background like on Android as well, but as far as I remember iOS had that annoyance too.

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

#194

Post by minalecs »

naner wrote: post #9
justin66 wrote: post #5

If Google's plan is to leave the high-end of smartphones to its Android "partners" and stake out the low end with Motorola, that seems pretty smart. Its partners get to keep the high-margin hardware business that Google doesn't need anyway, Google puts a floor on how bad the low-end phones can be and still make it to market. And yeah, Google isn't in the position of competing with companies that it needs.

The Moto X and Google's own Nexus series appear to be pretty high end. I don't think this is their plan at all.

the moto x and Nexus line has always been considered mid tier, not the latest everything and many compromises made but not low end.

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

#195

Post by berkut »

numo16 wrote: post #141
berkut wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This. I've just bought a Lumia 520 as a play phone / replacement while I send my HTC One back to be repaired (due to it continually rebooting / crashing - I'm otherwise generally very happy with it). I had an iPhone 3GS and 4S as well before the HTC One, so I've tried the three main platforms. Windows Phone is actually very nice for the basics of webbrowsing, sending texts, calling, etc. It has its faults (limited ap…

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 lot like CityMapper, and the best guitar tuner app I've found on iOS or Android: Cleartune.

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

#196

Post by oskee80 »

mattgmg1900 wrote: post #126
aarkling wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not 4G though... If you want 4G, it's at least $50, $60 or more for more data.

Not true, I have the $30 plan with a Nexus 5 I bought from the Google Play store. I get 4G LTE speeds no problem.

I'm on the verge of doing the exact same thing. On that plan are you able to use any of that data for tethering or mobile hotspot? A customer service rep said you can use all of your "up to 5GB" 4G data for tethering if you want, but I found that a little hard to believe.

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

#197

Post by kllrnohj »

throwaway2048 wrote: post #168
kllrnohj wrote: post #114

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> default android phone sends your location to google, as well as your contacts, app list, app usage, calendars, todo list and some other things. By default it does none of those things. You have to hit "yes" to enable the location reporting which defaults to off but which you are asked to enable the first time you add a Google account. The rest isn't done at all unless you are using the Google services to sync that…

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.

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

#198

Post by MichaelMoser123 »

kombine wrote: post #38

My Lenovo P780 was only $80 more expensive, but its battery has the highest capacity on the market, 4000 mAh. The phone holds the charge for >2 days of quite intensive use. I had Samsung Galaxy Note before this one, but now don't understand why anyone would choose top end phones from the brands like Samsung or Apple, if half of the cost of a phone goes to profit their shareholders.

I bought a Lenovo A820 for my daughter; it's a great phone for the price, can only recommend it.

another point is build quality - the Lenovo phone comes in a metal case, not some plastic.

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

#199

Post by socillion »

oskee80 wrote: post #196
mattgmg1900 wrote: post #126

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not true, I have the $30 plan with a Nexus 5 I bought from the Google Play store. I get 4G LTE speeds no problem.

I'm on the verge of doing the exact same thing. On that plan are you able to use any of that data for tethering or mobile hotspot? A customer service rep said you can use all of your "up to 5GB" 4G data for tethering if you want, but I found that a little hard to believe.

Tethering is not officially allowed, you have to spend another $15/month for it.

It's possible to tether anyway, but YMMV - it's through workarounds like using only HTTPS, setting up a VPN, or changing your desktop user agent.

http://i.imgur.com/tKZMSAK.png

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

#200

Post by atomi »

sliverstorm wrote: post #125
coldtea wrote: post #116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Seems like you are confused. This is a tech site in which we're discussing technology, pros/cons of devices, etc. Not some religious forum promoting humbleness and gratitude.

My parent clearly has an axe to grind, and was not simply dispassionately discussing pros/cons.

I for one appreciate knowing what features suffer at this price point on the device. You could not be more wrong and in my opinion you are stifling discussion.
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