[Athani]

Originally Posted by roy_libran

..

Moto Photon 4G is a Non-Starter for me. Why? Because it has a keyboard! Sorry.

I realized that a 20K budget doesn't yet give me a phone, that will be able to keep me contended for over a year. So, the budget has now been bumped up by another 5K. Of course, I need to work on the Finance ministry approvals later!

Photon 4g does not have a hardware keyboard. It's almost an Atrix 2 clone as far as specs are concerned. It comes with higher internal storage of 16 gigs. So I think you should consider it if you don't mind going the grey market way.

With a budget of 25k, the equation changes a bit. You're in Sensation XE, Evo 3D, xperia P.. territory.

[phamilyman]

Originally Posted by roy_libran

Defy+, Ace2, S Advance are out.

Xperia Go is still in with a chance, though it has it's shortcomings. In spite of it's overall look & feel and some other disadvantages, the one thing that slightly attracts me is that it might be able to handle OTR's better, like a 550-XD, shall we say?

oh hello - Defy+ does everything xperia go does! They are peers and the defy+ has a FAR better screen. Cam i am sure defy will lose!

Originally Posted by naveenroy

The only thing that is a little bit of a bummer is that there are dedicated buttons at the bottom of the screen and other icons above that - taking away valuable screen space. I love an uncluttered "desktop".

You can remove both ICS soft buttons or the launcher "dock" via your ROM/launcher settings.

Originally Posted by Athani

I've had a Defy and I've used the Sony xperia Go. And in any case, I know their specs well. The poster has a reasonably high budget and hence, high expectations - especially when it comes to the modding scene. Hence, my 2 cents worth opinion to him.
PS: What made you assume that I didn't know what I was talking about? :-)

Exactly my doubt - you have pretty much been on the money so far (but had not seen u post about owning the defy!). So please quantify the lack of dev support.
For a locked bootloader device, Defy today has far too many ROMs (not possible without good devs right?) and atleast 7-8 leading hackers, each with their unique ROMs. That's decent by most standards, and definitely better than his erstwhile G-Ace. I agree its not the best thing his money can buy, but it definitely ticks the mod-ability quotient IMO!! Its not S2/S3 level, but it was one of the first devices after them to get a functional Jelly Bean mod. Towards the end of 2011, it was the 2nd/3rd most popular device (by installs) on cyanogenmod. Aur kya bacche ki jaan loge saab?

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by Athani

Hi. Can you please do a little review of the A100. I'm planning to buy it. Do you know if it can be rooted and bootloader unlocked? Dev support and custom rom availability? Thanks.

@Athani,
Do refer to my earlier post on this - gave a bit of initial review on this.

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Just got myself a Micromax A100 yesterday. Till then the time has been spent in throwing everything at the mobile (app/game/etc) - the phone takes it all effortlessly. However there are a few cons - have listed them in my review on flipkart; quoting it verbatim out here.

Apart from this, I'll ask you to hit igyaan's 17 minute review on this phone. Quite a detailed review, and I'll agree to most of their points, leaving a few.
I'll try to put a detailed review on the phone, basically my take of it. If you have any specific queries, do ask.

Do you know if it can be rooted and bootloader unlocked? Dev support and custom rom availability? Thanks.

To be honest, I'm a bit of newbie on rooting aspects. Let me get back to you on that.

Originally Posted by naveenroy

If you can, ninjatalli - can you post a high-res picture screenshot of just a desktop on your A100 phone?

Here you go. Probably a bright background screen would have helped better. Do tell if you need a clearer picture.

[nishantgandhi]

Originally Posted by Athani

Atrix 2: No ICS yet although it's expected by September's end. Totally locked bootloader, so you can forget about Custom ROM's. Root is all you can hope for.

Originally Posted by roy_libran

^^^ I can't see a Thanks button on this thread, else I would have registered my Thanks for your post Athani. That pretty much throws the Atrix 2 out of the fray for me. I really cannot trust manufacturers enough to give me a Rom I may like. I repose that faith only with our Developer friends.
Guys - Anyone using Xolo 900? Specs look damn good and so does the price.

AFAIK, all Motorola phones come with locked Bootloaders. But even then there are custom ROMs (CM leading the pack) for them. There are work arounds, like 2nd-init which enables multi boot and by-passes stock bootloader.

Originally Posted by phamilyman

b. 20k is well over Defy territory. Damn am i stereotyped!! Ask nishant how i relentlessly pushed him for Xperia U. Or maybe I was applying reverse psychology on him

Yeah I agree. And I relentlessly refused to give in Somehow, the smaller capacity battery, lack of dev support and Sony brand name doesn't make me like it.

Originally Posted by phamilyman

c. NO - not the GNexus. You will use the phone in all sorts of situations. No official sale means forget warranty, you won't even get spares (like someone posted). Why?

I would still stand by my word. Having owned the phone, I can tell you it is miles ahead of the current offerings in the market. After all, it's your money and anyone would want more bang for the buck.

Recently there was an Ebay deal whereby the seller was offering 1 year warranty through a 3rd-party outsourced multi-brand service center. People lapped it up like hot cakes. Logically, when many other brands also operate through 3rd-party service centers, I don't see why you cannot use the same route for an imported phone? Think about that. The only price you'll be paying is upfront AMC cost, which is neglible if you look at what you are buying in the first place.

(FYI - for computer peripherals like hard disk/optical drives, which have the highest failure rate, the typical business model is to have an outsourced RMA/service center)

And even if there are company owned service centers, I really have not heard any great success stories of happy customers (except Nokia and BB).

I don't know about other cities, but in Mumbai old timers still swear by the King of Grey Market - Alfa and are buying the GNex in hordes.

Originally Posted by roy_libran

a. S2 is now in consideration. I heard there are two variants of this phone. Can someone tell me more about this, and which one to prefer?

I thought India had just one model initially? And when they milked the market dry, they launched the G variant (the one that's selling now)?

Originally Posted by roy_libran

b. How is the Defy +? Does it make any sense?

Not if you are purely looking for dual core. But from a dev support point of view, definitely yes.

Originally Posted by roy_libran

The locked bootloader struck off Atrix 2 from my list.

Are you sure/have you done enough research that this is a deal breaker? And btw now Motorola has officially launched a website to unlock BL. I posted the link a few pages back.

Btw which Moto phone in India comes with an unlocked bootloader?

Originally Posted by Athani

Somebody suggested Motorola Photon 4g. It's very similar in specs to Atrix 2. It has an officially unlock able bootloader. But not launched in India so you will have to buy grey market.

On one hand, he is being dissuaded from buying GNex due to lack of official Indian warranty, but on the other you are suggesting him to buy Photon 4g from grey? Bad boy.

Originally Posted by OHCVtec

I disagree here, Defy+ has one of the best developers working on it. Phone is good, but the camera is below average.

I agree. Now if only someone would make Super One Click work on 2.3.6/DFP 231/BL7. Otherwise I have to wipe my phone to root

[naveenroy]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

You can remove both ICS soft buttons or the launcher "dock" via your ROM/launcher settings.

Thanks for that. Hopefully this option has not been "removed" on the A90.

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Here you go. Probably a bright background screen would have helped better. Do tell if you need a clearer picture.

Thanks for the pic. Display is very good.

[Siddy]

Just bought a Samsung galaxy S advance based on gingerbread with a 1ghz processor.
Satisfies my basic requirements of a 4 inch screen & dual core 1 ghz processor!

Very happy with the new buy. Anyone else using this smartphone?

[clevermax]

Originally Posted by mempheS.D

There goes mine too! I finally compared a one x and razr maxx in flesh. Although the one x behaves and delivers a better bang for buck, I decided and fell head over heels for the razr maxx's impressive battery life (its selling point) and sturdy build quality.

Heck! flipkart and sahoil all have it out of stock now. In fact, none of the shops have it. Any idea what's happening? Are they bringing in an ICS upgrade version? AFAIK, the ICS has been a failure on the razr maxx.

I heard Motorola isn't planning to continue the party in India for too long. Better stay away from the temptation, as I did Also heard that the service & support is very poor.

I am still considering the One X. I can't find any other phone better than that at the moment.

[Athani]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

...

Exactly my doubt - you have pretty much been on the money so far (but had not seen u post about owning the defy!). So please quantify the lack of dev support.
For a locked bootloader device, Defy today has far too many ROMs (not possible without good devs right?) and atleast 7-8 leading hackers, each with their unique ROMs. That's decent by most standards, and definitely better than his erstwhile G-Ace. I agree its not the best thing his money can buy, but it definitely ticks the mod-ability quotient IMO!! Its not S2/S3 level, but it was one of the first devices after them to get a functional Jelly Bean mod. Towards the end of 2011, it was the 2nd/3rd most popular device (by installs) on cyanogenmod. Aur kya bacche ki jaan loge saab?

Arre...bas kya saab. Aap Senior log ho. Gustakhi maaf :-)

[sameerg001]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

For the record temple run works effortlessly on the A100......................even with a few other background apps, including this app.

Thanks for the help

BTW how's the camera quality ?

Can you please post some clicked pics from your phone and How old is your phone, Any issues faced till date ?

How's the build quality ?

too many questions, I guess

Originally Posted by naveenroy

Yup, I want a nice large screen too. I am using my friend's HTC Desire and love the screen compared to my LG P500. How does the A90 compare to the displays of HTC? Clarity?



Yup, I agree about the 1-2 year cycle. I am not a big fan of benchmarks etc. I loved the P500 since XDA kept it alive. I have even installed CM9 on it now and runs well.

The only thing that is a little bit of a bummer is that there are dedicated buttons at the bottom of the screen and other icons above that - taking away valuable screen space. I love an uncluttered "desktop".

If you can, ninjatalli - can you post a high-res picture screen and desktop on your A100 phone?

A90 has Super AMOLED screen with 256k colors though, It is the by far best screen you can get in 15-17k range phones.

Plus, The front end of A90 looks identical to S2. No keys and all, looks upmarket.

I am going in the evening to check out A90 and A100, Will update my experience with them.

I might pick A90, But if i don't, then it'll be either Neo L or One v or a L7.

Let's see.

Cheers,
Sameer

[Athani]

Originally Posted by nishantgandhi

AFAIK, all Motorola phones come with locked Bootloaders. But even then there are custom ROMs (CM leading the pack) for them. There are work arounds, like 2nd-init which enables multi boot and by-passes stock bootloader.

I'm aware of 2nd-init but I would not consider such work-arounds to be satisfactory.

...

Recently there was an Ebay deal whereby the seller was offering 1 year warranty through a 3rd-party outsourced multi-brand service center. People lapped it up like hot cakes. Logically, when many other brands also operate through 3rd-party service centers, I don't see why you cannot use the same route for an imported phone? Think about that. The only price you'll be paying is upfront AMC cost, which is neglible if you look at what you are buying in the first place.

(FYI - for computer peripherals like hard disk/optical drives, which have the highest failure rate, the typical business model is to have an outsourced RMA/service center)


And even if there are company owned service centers, I really have not heard any great success stories of happy customers (except Nokia and BB).

I don't know about other cities, but in Mumbai old timers still swear by the King of Grey Market - Alfa and are buying the GNex in hordes.
I thought India had just one model initially? And when they milked the market dry, they launched the G variant (the one that's selling now)?

That's a sensible suggestion.

Not if you are purely looking for dual core. But from a dev support point of view, definitely yes.

I really don't know. I mean considering his budget, I don't think he'll be satisfied. He appears to be looking for something reasonable high-end.

Are you sure/have you done enough research that this is a deal breaker? And btw now Motorola has officially launched a website to unlock BL. I posted the link a few pages back.

Btw which Moto phone in India comes with an unlocked bootloader?

The official bootloader unlock only supports Photon 4g. They're unlikely to allow unlocking for the A2.

On one hand, he is being dissuaded from buying GNex due to lack of official Indian warranty, but on the other you are suggesting him to buy Photon 4g from grey? Bad boy.

I put a huge caveat there. ...."if you don't mind going the grey market way".

...

Response in bold inline. Sorry, didn't know any other way.

[nishantgandhi]

Originally Posted by Athani

I'm aware of 2nd-init but I would not consider such work-arounds to be satisfactory

Err, to each his own, but technically, that's the ONLY way. Considering that Defy (and probably other Moto models too) currently have a great dev support/custom ROMs, and all of it built around 2nd-init, I wouldn't really call it a workaround, but more like a core/foundation module.

[roy_libran]

Thanks to you all, and the plethora of options thrown out, I am thoroughly confused now. I guess I will take a Time-out and think it over with a cool head.

I am currently using an old standby phone, and that is making me desperate to jump back into bed with a nice, slim and sexy smartphone.

Anyone with experience of HOS here? How is it? Looks good on paper.

[rishie]

Originally Posted by roy_libran

Moto Photon 4G is a Non-Starter for me. Why? Because it has a keyboard! Sorry.

Photon 4G doesnot have a keyboard, but Photon Q 4G LTE has!

I am using Photon 4g for almost a year now and its an excellent phone except for small niggles, which I can live with. Jellybean runs BUTTER smooth even without official drivers.

[mempheS.D]

Originally Posted by clevermax

I heard Motorola isn't planning to continue the party in India for too long. Better stay away from the temptation, as I did Also heard that the service & support is very poor.

I am still considering the One X. I can't find any other phone better than that at the moment.

That is bad news in case it's true. It's sad to see people overlook quality for some cosmetic make-up that competitors come up with. First it was BB, and now Moto follows suit huh?

Thanks for your comment. Considering the battery life, I think the only other option for me is the NOTE. Unfortunately a Sammy. That's just my personal opinion so don't put me on the guillotine for it yall.

[phamilyman]

Originally Posted by clevermax

I heard Motorola isn't planning to continue the party in India for too long. Better stay away from the temptation, as I did Also heard that the service & support is very poor.

I have been hearing both canards for over an year. They are still here, last I heard.

The service is great - ask current owners who have used the service, no? If nothing else, no queues

@Athani - almost 200k Defy/+ owners have used 2nd-init. Its the only way out