[sameerg001]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

Here are some thoughts:
a. Photography is massively dependent on camera app, not just hardware. My chacha took terrible pics with custom ROMs. OEM camera sw results is miles ahead.
b. Use templerun as games benchmark - that is a good game to use as benchmark. that said, someone did mention that the A90 is a well sorted out device that runs well. very close looking to the S2, no?
c. In that budget you get the xPeria U, no? but one V = two A90s, na?

igyaan has done a LOVELY job on the review man.

a- With A90, I expect some decent shots with 8mp camera, Any good camera app in market ? Which can do well with hardware.

b- I've played temple run on funbook pro and it worked flawlessly, I expect it to same with A90 as well. Will see tomorrow, when i see it live.

c- I love big screens, U doesn't fit in that bill. I was getting One V for 15.5k from HS18, A90 is for around 12.5k. Only 3k difference

What A90 have over One v- Bigger and better display ( AMOLED ), 8mp camera, front VGA camera.

Whereas A90 loses on brand value, I also doubt micromax's long term reliability.

It looks identical to S2, when looked from front. Atleast from the video review.

Even benchmark tests shows good results, Even better then optimus 2x and Htc.


Here's the video of benchmark tests :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnQmHZyegLs

Cheers,
Sameer

[kpzen]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

Peer beyond that at phones like the Chacha (my grossest mistake in mobile phones ever),.

U bet ! The worst ever so far for me as well !!
All my previous phones are still in working condition but i doubt this will last even a year.
Nokia 6610
SE W810
Nokia N82

[roy_libran]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

Roy,
Here are some thoughts (sorry no suggestions here!):
a. You should seriously consider the S2 at 25k on tradus though it busts your budget.
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
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?
d. Developer support is often overrated and its a chorus by us S2 / Defy and suchlike fanboys. Peer beyond that at phones like the Chacha (my grossest mistake in mobile phones ever), the ROMs are pathetic and have serious usability issues. It is not bad to buy a phone that has ICS out of the box and keep it stock.

Thanks Hitanshu. Point-wise:
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?
b. How is the Defy +? Does it make any sense?
c. G-Nexus dropped. I had the same concerns that you have reiterated.
d. Somehow I am hooked to trying out new ROMs. I might be able to hold myself back for 2-3 months from trying anything new at Max, but custom ROMs would eventually happen. Trust me, I know me! Rooting is something that will need to happen on Day 1.

Originally Posted by rambo1o1

The galaxy s advance is a good phone, has the specks and features to satisfy you but dont know about the toughness and ROM support... Someone else suggested you to try out the Motorola atrix,since the atrix 2 has a locked bootloader and has very few ROMs available i suggest the Motorola photon 4g(US gsm version), same specks as the atrix 2 but with a official unlocked bootloader and good support on xda developers(please confirm). Available for 17.5k on ebay. Motorolas are known for their tough build so if your open to the idea then have a look, ticks all the above options you mentioned
Hapy to help!

Thanks. S Advance looks very plasticky as I have said earlier, and doesn't have ANY developer support yet. So, not sure whether it fits my bill. The locked bootloader struck off Atrix 2 from my list.

Originally Posted by offroad_maniac

How about Sony Experia GO then?
I think apart from yhe big/ high res screen its kind of rough n tough droid ready for some abuse. Acro S is better but yet to be launched & will be costly

Thanks. I took a good look at the Go but the phone didn't feel good to hold. I know it is built to withstand abuse, but somehow it looks and feels very raw. Just my opinion. But, that is not to say that it is a bad phone. It is indeed built to last.

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

b. Use templerun as games benchmark - that is a good game to use as benchmark.

For the record temple run works effortlessly on the A100, even with a few other background apps, including this app. The A90 should perform even better.

Just for evaluating purposes, throw in a few more apps/games at this phone, will ya. Would like to know where it differs from the 15-20+k range phones. (Apart from screen and other features of course)

And yes, the risk of MMax brand is always there. But any android model having a product life cycle of less than 1-2 years (due to new better upgrades/models coming up constantly) I believe these MM phones are worth the buck.

that said, someone did mention that the A90 is a well sorted out device that runs well. very close looking to the S2, no?

And apparently S3 too. Except for the MM mark on the back, there is no other tag to identify the MM brand. A lot of my colleague's first Q when they say my new phone, was - is that the S3?

Originally Posted by sameerg001

a- With A90, I expect some decent shots with 8mp camera, Any good camera app in market ? Which can do well with hardware.

b- I've played temple run on funbook pro and it worked flawlessly, I expect it to same with A90 as well. Will see tomorrow, when i see it live.

c- I love big screens, U doesn't fit in that bill. I was getting One V for 15.5k from HS18, A90 is for around 12.5k. Only 3k difference

What A90 have over One v- Bigger and better display ( AMOLED ), 8mp camera, front VGA camera.

Whereas A90 loses on brand value, I also doubt micromax's long term reliability.

It looks identical to S2, when looked from front. Atleast from the video review.

Even benchmark tests shows good results, Even better then optimus 2x and Htc.


Here's the video of benchmark tests : http://www.Youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=FnQmHZyegLs

Cheers,
Sameer

+1 to this.

As I remarked earlier, the benchmarks results are better than a lot of phones in the 15-20k range. The build quality of these phones are quite good, much better than MM's earlier models. Throw any doubts at me if you have any. Although it's the A100 I got, still you'll get an idea considering the A90 would perform marginally better.


Edit: The assumption of 1-2 years life cycle is my own, based on what I have seen people around me, changing phones in that time-frame. Kindly take it with a pinch of salt, will ya

[srishiva]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Made up story? There exists such a phone, and it was reviewed also by many sites. Due to a technicality(date of filing etc.,) they were not allowed to present that as evidence.
As for HTC etc., samsung was the biggest competitor, so Apple went after that. Using this judgement, they will go after others.
I suggest you look at the actual design patent
http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/ga.../889patent.pdf

And then see how many smartphones infringe. Samsung is not the only one, they are just the ones with deepest pockets

The phone exists but it surely does not predate Apple's. Apple has shown prototypes that were more than 2 years before they introduced the phone to the market. Such a thing does not exist with Samsung. You can google the phone and see some Android community itself debunking the myth about it predating Apple's.

By the way, as I mentioned prior art does not depend on filing date. You just have to show its existence. Next March onwards, it will change and everything WILL depend on filing date.

I am not taking Apple's side. I had mentioned in another post about my shopping for a Android phone and how slavishly Samsung copied the looks of Apple and how they all look alike. I settled for Experia arc S.

Its another matter that manufacturer's like Samsung are not entirely at fault. To some extent Google should take the responsibility and it doesn't indemnify the users. You cant blame the system when it doesnt work for you. They plan to do the same thing and hence bought Motorola.

[Athani]

Originally Posted by roy_libran

Thanks Hitanshu. Point-wise:
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?
b. How is the Defy +? Does it make any sense?
c. G-Nexus dropped. I had the same concerns that you have reiterated.
d. Somehow I am hooked to trying out new ROMs. I might be able to hold myself back for 2-3 months from trying anything new at Max, but custom ROMs would eventually happen. Trust me, I know me! Rooting is something that will need to happen on Day 1.

Thanks. S Advance looks very plasticky as I have said earlier, and doesn't have ANY developer support yet. So, not sure whether it fits my bill. The locked bootloader struck off Atrix 2 from my list.

Thanks. I took a good look at the Go but the phone didn't feel good to hold. I know it is built to withstand abuse, but somehow it looks and feels very raw. Just my opinion. But, that is not to say that it is a bad phone. It is indeed built to last.

I think S2 comes in 2 variants in US. One gsm and the other cdma.

I think the Defy+ and xperia Go will disappoint you. They're decent phones but not great. Also, developer support is not great.

You could try to get the GNex from an official source in the US. See if it comes with international warranty.

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.

[d_himan]

I've been spammed by Timtara off late with some super sounding offers for S2, S3.

Avoid this website like the plague. I won't be surprised if the premises is found locked one fine morning.

[Samir Taheer]

Originally Posted by HydroFuel

I connected to PC my SE Xperia Pro and a new version of software is available 4.1.b.0.587. Has anybody Sony owners or any other tried this.
I am still on Gingerbread 2.3.4. Have not upgraded to ICS.
Shall i have to backup all my downloaded APPS before upgrading?
Thanks Sanjay.

I updated my Xperia S a few months ago. The update process will backup anything it requires. I didn't have have to do anything special to update - Plug it in and let the software do its bit.

[OHCVtec]

Originally Posted by Athani

I think the Defy+ and xperia Go will disappoint you. They're decent phones but not great. Also, developer support is not great.

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

[Athani]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

For the record temple run works effortlessly on the A100, even with a few other background apps, including this app. The A90 should perform even better.

...

And yes, the risk of MMax brand is always there. But any android model having a product life cycle of less than 1-2 years (due to new better upgrades/models coming up constantly) I believe these MM phones are worth the buck.

And apparently S3 too. Except for the MM mark on the back, there is no other tag to identify the MM brand. A lot of my colleague's first Q when they say my new phone, was - is that the S3?

+1 to this.

As I remarked earlier, the benchmarks results are better than a lot of phones in the 15-20k range. The build quality of these phones are quite good, much better than MM's earlier models. Throw any doubts at me if you have any. Although it's the A100 I got, still you'll get an idea considering the A90 would perform marginally better.

...

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.

[phamilyman]

Originally Posted by kpzen

U bet ! The worst ever so far for me as well !!
All my previous phones are still in working condition but i doubt this will last even a year

Yes, the worst in my exp - the touchscreen is completely wonky at the moment. Half of the time it doesnt unlock. Maybe its a bad piece but i've not had a bad piece in all my purchases till date (10+ phones IIRC)

Originally Posted by roy_libran

Thanks Hitanshu. Point-wise:
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?
b. How is the Defy +? Does it make any sense?
c. G-Nexus dropped. I had the same concerns that you have reiterated.
d. Somehow I am hooked to trying out new ROMs. I might be able to hold myself back for 2-3 months from trying anything new at Max, but custom ROMs would eventually happen. Trust me, I know me! Rooting is something that will need to happen on Day 1.

a. i9100 (FK) vs i9100G (infibeam/others). i9100G has diff proc etc so much less mod support.
b. Brilliant for a 13k budget (rugged as hell - plus Daksh's all weather teether )
d. Take more responsibility of your kid!!

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

As I remarked earlier, the benchmarks results are better than a lot of phones in the 15-20k range.

Disagree. the A90 (?) quadrant score was 2500 or so. The Defy used to get 2400 with CM7.1 - ask khan_sultan

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 am not sure of that too. As I have seen on chacha, the app makes a world of difference.

Originally Posted by d_himan

I've been spammed by Timtara off late with some super sounding offers for S2, S3.

They are in trouble, and I have read a few reviews where conf calls with Noida SHO resulted in product despatch after 25 odd days.

Originally Posted by Athani

I think the Defy+ and xperia Go will disappoint you. They're decent phones but not great. Also, developer support is not great.

You could try to get the GNex from an official source in the US. See if it comes with international warranty.

Sir, pls let defy/+ users answer for itself, no? and yes, GNex doesnt come with intl warranty. else my wife would've been showing one off by now!!

[Athani]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

...
...

Sir, pls let defy/+ users answer for itself, no? and yes, GNex doesnt come with intl warranty. else my wife would've been showing one off by now!!

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.

Thanks for confirming that GNex does not come with international warranty. Still, it does come with warranty unlike grey market devices. If convenient, poster can send defective device to US for warranty claims.

PS: What made you assume that I didn't know what I was talking about? :-)

[mempheS.D]

Originally Posted by clevermax

I asked someone working in Motorola and came to know that the Ambassador program stands discontinued until further communication. Plus, they would be keeping only a handful of models in Indian market, going forward.

There goes my dream of owning a Razr maxx for 26K!

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.

[naveenroy]

Originally Posted by sameerg001

c- I love big screens, U doesn't fit in that bill. I was getting One V for 15.5k from HS18, A90 is for around 12.5k. Only 3k difference

What A90 have over One v- Bigger and better display ( AMOLED ), 8mp camera, front VGA camera.

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?

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

And yes, the risk of MMax brand is always there. But any android model having a product life cycle of less than 1-2 years (due to new better upgrades/models coming up constantly) I believe these MM phones are worth the buck.

As I remarked earlier, the benchmarks results are better than a lot of phones in the 15-20k range. The build quality of these phones are quite good, much better than MM's earlier models. Throw any doubts at me if you have any. Although it's the A100 I got, still you'll get an idea considering the A90 would perform marginally better.

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 screenshot of just a desktop on your A100 phone?

[roy_libran]

Originally Posted by Athani

I think S2 comes in 2 variants in US. One gsm and the other cdma.

I think the Defy+ and xperia Go will disappoint you. They're decent phones but not great. Also, developer support is not great.

You could try to get the GNex from an official source in the US. See if it comes with international warranty.

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.

Since Phamilyman suggested looking at the S2, I have also brought One S into the equation. Personally, I like the fact that the HOS seems to have a better camera and faster processor than the S2, so it might all come down to price.

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?

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!