Time for a new SmartPhone

[Randy W]

Just wrong about American phones and networks being weird and not standard. I've travelled with Samsung, HiSense, and iPhone from China to India to U.S., swapping SIMs and not had a problem.

 

Guess the Oppo vendor is putting Google Play store on the phone, leaving it to the government to actually block google? As you said, it takes more than an app .. trying to remember, the google package to get the store to work was a little more complicated.

 

 

Yes - exactly. It's no problem to install a Google Play app on ANY Android phone, but to actually connect to the Play Store requires the Google Services also.

 

If I remember correctly, there are FOUR different frequencies in use world wide. The U.S. uses TWO different bands than are in use elsewhere, so even a tri-band phone from China may not work. But a FOUR band phone will.

 

But if a tri-band phone covers the right band for a particular American carrier, no problem!

[danb]

Hello everyone. Just got done talking to AT&T. I decided to order a Galaxy S9 Plus thru them. I think I got a good price thru them. For a 2 year concomitant and $424.00. I had talked to them in the past month several times. They were going to give me a good price on a Galaxy S-8 phone. They quoted a price of $299 and a two year contract. The last time i called them, for the heck of it I asked them what a Galaxy S9 plus would cost. They told me $424. I told them that I would take one. It is a more money than I was originally planning on spending but it was much much less than the $800 that I thought I might have to spend. I think I got a good deal. Thanks for all your suggestions and ideas. Danb

 

PS. I went to ATT&T last week. They have a deal that I can get a tablet from them. And that I can use it for either $10-20 a month to surf the net. I want to look into that.

Edited March 16, 2018 by danb (see edit history)

[Allon]

I have a Galaxy S7 Android and have had zero problems with it. I own it outright, both for me and the wife. (She thinks Apple is better but she goes along with the herd of other Chinese friends she has.) I have an Apple for work and it is so small I have dropped it several times. To its credit, it took the punishment.

 

I use T-Mobile and again no problems. I get a good rate because I worked for their sister company T-Systems.

 

Verizon is used on the Apple and I may switch to them since I worked for them as well and get a small but healthy discount.

 

I am a big Samsung fan of practically anything electronic. Their monitors are supreme.

[True Blue]

I am of the buy it and own it outright, so for the past 6 years or so have bought various refurbished Apple iPhones that were of the prior generation, my current phone an iPhone SE I actually bought new directly from Apple, when shopping for refurbished iPhone SE phones the refurbished ones were at the same price as new.

 

I chose the SE last fall because I prefer the smaller size of my prior phone an iPhone 5, the SE is the shell of a 5 with the tech, cam, processor, and speed of the newer iPhone 7 generation.

 

I have invested in many iPhone apps so am not much interested in making a switch to some other platform, and my prior experience with android was the Motorola droid and it was not good.

 

My service provider is Straight Talk which uses AT&T service and provides unlimited voice, text and data, though with data they do throttle it if you exceed a certain amount in a month, also if you tend to use the phone as a hotspot Straight Talk does not allow this mode.

 

https://shop.straighttalk.com/shop/en/straighttalk/phones/st-iphone-se-32gb-grey-reconditioned-item?gclid=COmGibu_ltkCFYJOgQodtYkODw&gclsrc=ds (IPhone SE $99 Refurbished no contract)

I'm guessing you have the 2 GB $34 auto-refill plan.

 

We have a 1 GB $32.50 no contract auto-refill plan from AT&T because my wife keeps the data off unless she is at home (then pulls Wifi) or if she has to look something up while we are out. The unused data rolls to the next month so we effectively have 2 GB if we ever need it. But my wife says "we doan need no stinking data plan Gringo" (Mexican accent required) so I just say "yes ma'am" and nod my head in agreement.

 

We used to pay $35 to be on some Chinese lady's family plan in Maryland who recruited Florida Chinese to join. But when my wife found out she could save $2.50 a month, we didn't renew with her. Hahaha.

 

We have the iPhone SE as well because wife thinks it's good bang for the buck and thinks the world rises and sets with Apple. We don't have the Samsung phone, but do have Samsung Refrigerator, washer and Dryer so I know they produce high quality stuff. I work at a University and word from the young techies in our IT dept is the new Samsung 9 is significantly better than the IPhone 10. Disclaimer: I don't have a cell phone so I have no dog in the fight.

 

I have my wife's old iPad and a Windows 10 pc and my take is the apple software is good for talking to other Apple products but no USB port locks you into their very expensive memory or cloud storage prices. I use the iPad to write emails and surf the web and the Windows pic for any real work and to listen to music.

 

Not an iTunes fan at all. I use a wonderful free very flexible Windows music player called MusicBee. Has 15 band customizable equalizer, sound enhancers, can pull in album pictures, lyrics, all the track tags, whatever you want and really sounds great through headphones, earbuds, laptop speakers or output to larger speakers and amps. Plus it plays anything, doesn't force to to buy stuff or hit you with ads and most important to me -----Won't delete your music library like Itunes will (fortunately I had a backup on my external back up disk drive).

 

TB out

Edited March 17, 2018 by True Blue (see edit history)

[Randy W]

 

Here is a video by Serpentza on 2018 Chinese smartphones:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPs18m0n5GU

 

 

I have yet to see ANY Chinese phone last longer than 2 years before BREAKING.

 

On a side note, Jiaying dropped her Oppo R11 with gorilla glass screen AND a screen protector, thanks to another kid at school. It showed about 5 or 8 lines that I'd swear were broken glass - it turned out to be the screen protector that broke. No problem!

 

Buy your phone in Hong Kong, NOT China.

 

 

 

I posted a question on SerpentZA's unboxing video about the Google Play, and got a response from SOMEONE - not sure who, but my guess is that he's a phone vendor who knows how to install Google Play. I think this link gets you there - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfiZdUGVgd8&lc=UgxUnioSU0MHR-28X7x4AaABAg

 

MrHadeke

Randy W Getting the app store on the phones is a no brainer. Where is a demand there is a solution. We do this regularly. There are certain different types of phones and ROM available to the sellers. The cheapest ones make money by installing adware, and other backdoors. If you know the source you get one without and also the possibility to install GAPPS. Google testing actually costs money and you have one two trials until you have to insert money again, therefore the cheap producers defer from installing Google.

 

 

So, apparently, it's POSSIBLE to get Google Play on a Chinese phone, if you're fortunate enough to find a vendor who will do that for you.

[Randy W]

Here are the instructions for installing GAPPS (Google Apps) - IF you have the confidence in doing it, or in getting THEM to do it. Like I've said, I'll be buying MY phones in Hong Kong.

 

Note that the phone must be rooted - I assume some or ALL Chinese-made phones come pre-rooted. Not so for the foreign makes.

 

https://www.xda-developers.com/download-google-apps-gapps/

Edited March 17, 2018 by Randy W (see edit history)

[Greg.D.]

You basically rely on the kindness of strangers to create a ROM to flash the one in your phone. It has to be an exact match and this was why I could not move forward with my Chinese Edge. Beautiful phone, though. Certainly getting the phone in Hong Kong or elsewhere is time saving.

[Randy W]

You basically rely on the kindness of strangers to create a ROM to flash the one in your phone. It has to be an exact match and this was why I could not move forward with my Chinese Edge. Beautiful phone, though. Certainly getting the phone in Hong Kong or elsewhere is time saving.

 

 

'Rooting' a phone doesn't change the software - it simply allows access to the root, or superuser account. The Google 'GAPPS' software, of course, comes from Google. So nothing comes from a stranger, unless you flash a new Android ROM.

 

A Chinese phone MAY allow root access from the factory - I'm not sure how many do this. But if you root a foreign phone, e.g. Samsung, you void the warranty and they will block any updates, since the phone has been tampered with.

 

I like my Hong Kong S8 - it just WORKS, and has none of the Chinese clutter!

[Randy W]

(tongue in cheek, here)

 

Don't forget the * * * * * BLOCKCHAIN * * * * *

 

Lenovo unveils a blockchain phone (but doesn’t explain what that means)

Netizens baffled by Lenovo's S5

Lenovo's Vice President Chang Cheng said at an event in Beijing that their new S5 is “the first blockchain phone”, where blockchain technology is used to improve payment safety. But they didn’t explain how that worked, and said that they couldn’t reveal more.

 

 

[Randy W]

Get * * * * * BLOCKCHAIN * * * * *on your toothbrush!

 

 

 

One Chinese startup wants to build a blockchain toothbrush to mine coins while you clean your teeth

The next addition to the blockchain bandwagon

IBM says the inherent security of blockchain can be used to keep devices in the Internet of Things safe. And the distributed ledger means data from smart sensors is less likely to be faked or altered.

But that’s not how the toothbrush uses blockchain. Instead, 32Teeth says it records how you well you brush your teeth, uses an algorithm to mine, then rewards you with “teeth loving” coins. You can use these coins to exchange them for other 32Teeth products, including… more toothbrushes.

 

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