The Android Thread

[chopsticks]

That sounds reasonable - maybe I won't wait.

That will work out at about £182 for one year...50p a day. You are almost there with the cost. Do you have to be tied into a contract for that?
if it were me I would buy one. I am with 3 mobile which means that other members in the family who have 3 also get free calls. I pay £15 a month for an add on package with them, I have never run out. Also if you are going to Thailand BB you must consider what network you will use there.
I am not sure who has the best deals...I have only used Happy.

It's only really worthwhile for occasional day use, no contract required but doesn't carry over to the next day. For regular users a month by month contract (SIM only) are better value. Many variations but typically 500 + free minutes and 1GB per month for under £10.

[BaaBaa.]

14000 baht still sounds cheap, S2 is £430 in UK.

I bought it last May, so may still be the same price. I think I got about £20 tax back in the airport. As you say they are over £400 in the UK. I use skype all the time with it.
I have a skype "Unlimited world" subscription which means I can phone Thailand etc for unlimited calls, chat for as long as you like.

Are you sure it's an S2 Siani? They weren't even released in Thailand until July and you got it 10'000 baht cheaper than the release price.

[Siani]

14000 baht still sounds cheap, S2 is £430 in UK.

I bought it last May, so may still be the same price. I think I got about £20 tax back in the airport. As you say they are over £400 in the UK. I use skype all the time with it.
I have a skype "Unlimited world" subscription which means I can phone Thailand etc for unlimited calls, chat for as long as you like.

Are you sure it's an S2 Siani? They weren't even released in Thailand until July and you got it 10'000 baht cheaper than the release price.

Well now I think not, Baa Baa I have just got the box out and checked it. It says Samsung Galaxy S 16GB GT-19000.
So maybe mine is the cheaper one. My son bought the Samsung nexus, he wishes he bought mine now.
Still I am very happy with it, it does everything I need. Sorry for the confusion

[BaaBaa.]

Yours is the Original Galaxy, I've never used one but apparently a great phone.

Your Sons is Googles phone, made by Samsung, it's got the latest Android (icecream sandwich) and an HD and larger screen, but S2 beats it in other specs.

Glad we cleared that up (thought it was bloody cheap ) but all good phones.

[hhfarang]

Uh oh, BaaBaa; soon time to buy a new phone as yours will be old technology...

"Samsung Galaxy S III to feature 4.8-inch display and ceramic back with simultaneous global launch"

Samsung still isn’t done trotting out new variants of the Galaxy S line, but the big one is coming. Samsung publicly stated that we wouldn’t see the Samsung Galaxy S III announced at Mobile World Congress this year, and one of the major reasons was an effort to shorten the gap between announcing the flagship smartphone and launching it around the world. This time around, we’ve heard from a trusted source that Samsung is going to launch the Samsung Galaxy S III in over 50 “markets or cities” simultaneously. The real news, however, is the fact that we’ll be seeing a supersized display (and you know how we feel about those) that will measure 4.8-inches. We weren’t told the type of display, though other rumors talked about something ridiculous like a Super AMOLED Plus HD screen. Also, instead of cheap, glossy plastic, we’re told the entire back of the smartphone will be ceramic — a pretty interesting choice of materials. Other previously rumored specs include a quad-core processor, Android 4.0, 4G LTE, great cameras and other competitive specifications. We’ll keep our ears to the ground, so stay tuned for more!

Source: http://www.bgr.com/2012/02/25/samsung-g ... e-hero1-11

[hhfarang]

And another I Phone contender...

"T-Mobile Unveils HTC One S With Android 4.0"

The super-thin HTC One S smartphone will run Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) out of the box, and packs a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor, and an advanced 8-megapixel camera.

T-Mobile has announced the HTC One S, the first in a new flagship line of smartphones from HTC that could inspire envy even in the most die-hard of iPhone fans. The One S measures just 7.95mm (0.31 inches) thick. Despite that slim design, the One S packs in fast HSPA+ 42 data speeds and a 4.3-inch qHD (960-by-540-pixel) Super AMOLED display.

In a product briefing ahead of the announcement, T-Mobile senior product manager Desmond Smith told PCMag that the phone will run Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) out of the box, which is very welcome news. In addition, the HTC One S will feature HTC Sense 4.0, a new, lighter version of the company's venerable UI overlay and sync service that's designed to integrate with the feature and security benefits of Ice Cream Sandwich. For example, HTC Sense 4.0 works tightly with the new menus and supports Face Lock, among other things. In addition, HTC Sense 4.0 improves on Android's Microsoft Exchange integration by adding a new task sync feature.

Aside from the thin design and Android 4.0 OS, the camera may be the HTC One S's best feature. It sports an 8-megapixel sensor with an f-stop of 2.0 for improved low light performance, plus a dedicated image processing chip to aid with image stabilization and speed up image capture. It also promises 1080p high-definition video recording at a blistering 60 frames per second, and includes a slow-mo playback mode to highlight important moments during sporting events or your kid's birthday party.

MWC LogoOn the music side, the HTC One S comes preloaded with Google Music, plus the latest version of Beats Audio, which integrates with every sound the HTC One S produces—even while gaming or watching movies. Expect heavy emphasis on bass response and vocal reproduction, as is typical for Beats Audio products, along with an appropriately beefy sounding set of earphones.

Under the hood, we don't know a whole lot yet, other than that a fast 1.5GHz, dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor will be running the proceedings.

There's no firm price or release date as of now, although Smith told us we can expect the phone sometime during the Spring, and at a price that's "in line with other T-Mobile smartphones." Stay tuned.

Source: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2400708,00.asp

[BaaBaa.]

I'll be hanging on to mine for another year, these will be barely any better.

I'm still waiting to try ics though.

[hhfarang]

I don't know, that Samsung S III looks pretty tempting... I don't know if you'll be able to resist it.

[hhfarang]

The ultimate gadget from Asus? A smart phone that can slip inside a tablet computer that can be attached to a keyboard so that you have a phone, tablet (with phone capability), laptop (with phone capability) all in one or separately when desired.

Phone that slides inside tablet shown in Barcelona



February 27, 2012 — BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — It's a smartphone that slides inside a tablet for a bigger screen and more battery life. Slip the tablet into a keyboard, and it's a laptop that works as a phone.

Taiwan's AsusTek Inc. will roll out its "PadFone" in April, and offered a peek at the three-in-one device at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the world's biggest cell phone show. AsusTek didn't reveal the cost on Monday, but said the phone will have a 4.3-inch at the diagonal screen. The tablet is 10.1 inches at the diagonal. The company says it provides five times more phone battery life.

Company chairman Jonney Shih says the "time has finally arrived when every screen in your lives could transcend into a portal with real time access into your digital world."

Source: http://i2.mailcdn.com/236/1089236,h=425,pd=1,w=620.jpg

[STEVE G]

The ultimate gadget from Asus? A smart phone that can slip inside a tablet computer that can be attached to a keyboard so that you have a phone, tablet (with phone capability), laptop (with phone capability) all in one or separately when desired.

That actually sounds a lot more useful than most of these type of devices. I already quite like the idea of the Transformer from Asus which is a tablet/laptop combination.

[BaaBaa.]

I think I'm going to have a go at rooting later and then install icecream sandwich.

A trip into the unknown.........

[pharvey]

I think I'm going to have a go at rooting later

...... Often in my thoughts, unfortunately to no avail

Let us know how it goes with Icecream Sandwich though

[Pleng]

Rooting is pretty easy on most phones with super one click. Personally I would be weary of installing a newer version of Android unless you have a particularly fast phone. Is there anything you particularly want or need from ICS? Or do you just want to have it on there 'because you can'?

[BaaBaa.]

I want its lovely blue hue and general awesomeness.

S2 can eat ics for breakfast, no problems there, it's getting ics officially but it looks virtually the same as Gingerbread once Samsung have put touchwiz on, I want the vanilla google version.

I hadn't heard of super one click but I'll look into it, cheers.

[STEVE G]

I think I'm going to have a go at rooting later and then install icecream sandwich....

I did have a look at a couple of Android tablets last weekend but I think I'll give it a miss if you have to learn to speak another language to use them.