122 replies to this topic

[TouchyAndalou]

How do you think the ZTE Era will compare to this once it's released?

[i am not a hacker]

http://www.gsmarena....1&idPhone2=4588
Comparison of specs above.
The era has a better processor and gpu. It is tegra 3 with ics available from release.the screen is worse though but overall the era is better and will probably cost around £300

[Josh92]

Thanks for the review, will definitely be interested depending on:
1. Free user way of unlocking (for GiffGaff )
2. Moddable, not convinced I'd like to stay on any standard Orange ROM, even if it is fairly bare.
3. Very interested in the SD card slot, hopefully that'll get somewhere! 16GB is good but would be nice to see it expandable, I'd imagine making backups/modding will be easier with it too. Can't see why they didn't make it usable if they've paid to add it..

TouchyAndalou, on 08 June 2012 - 07:51 PM, said:

How do you think the ZTE Era will compare to this once it's released?

I'd be interested to compare them too, once we know the price anyway. Seems fairly close.

[juno106]

What about ZTE MIMOSA X? Does anyone knows when will MIMOSA X and ERA be release and for what price? There were rumours that they will be released at the end of May beggining of June....but still nothing.I'm waiting to see their prices......But if they don't release them very soon,I might buy HUAWEI G300 or something else.

[pritsey]

Here's a question....  Way back in the sands of time, I had an Orange SPV C500.  I unlocked it using software from this very site and got advice on how to remove the orange logo here too - using a sugarcube!  Have you tried to remove the Orange symbol from the back of the phone at all?  If so - what works?  :-)

[geoff1951]

Last weekend I cracked the screen on my OSF. Not happy, since I'd rooted it a while back and was running Swedish Snow - G'bread 2.3.5.
Near the end of my contract (taken out for a Nokia E-5...) I was already planning to go for something with a 4" screen, saw the OSD a few weeks back on the net, so on Tuesday I went to my local Orange shop and took the only SD they'd received in stock. VERY pleased with it. Put on Smart Keyboard, change the wallpaper, used ringdroid to use my own ringtones, and apart from the residual Orange b'ware and lack of radio it'll do me for quite a while. Half the price of the equivalent S2/HTC/iphone. A bargain.

PS. Pity about the on/off key needing a much firmer prod than the OSF.

PPS. My admiration and thanks to you guys who ferret around inside these things and work out ways to upgrade. I can't understand a fraction of what's posted on those pages.

Edited by geoff1951, 09 June 2012 - 03:28 PM.

[Skeese]

It is out of stock already on the website!

[NeostarNeko]

When will they release the white version

[DarkWanderer]

pritsey, on 08 June 2012 - 10:45 PM, said:

Here's a question....  Way back in the sands of time, I had an Orange SPV C500.  I unlocked it using software from this very site and got advice on how to remove the orange logo here too - using a sugarcube!  Have you tried to remove the Orange symbol from the back of the phone at all?  If so - what works?  :-)

Yes I had one of those too, I believe it was a program called spv-services.exe or similar.  It stopped work quite a while ago since it relied on a remote server to do the work, I think.

  Also since the OSF is able to generate it's own SIM unlock code via a simple app, I wonder if the OSD might work the same trick?

[iam_smithers]

NeostarNeko, on 09 June 2012 - 03:57 PM, said:

When will they release the white version

I wouldn't have thought it was going to come out in white, since it's basically the intel reference design, as is the Lava Xolo. I suspect the black version is going to be the only one available, and I'm not convinced it would look very good in white anyway.

[BLADESMAN1]

The phone looks very nice - at first glance it could be a Sammy [of the US variety].

The only thing I have to say in terms of the review is that you state that this is a good price for a 'low end device' but at a penny short of £200 is this really going to fly of the shelves ?

My point is this, maybe this should be classed as a 'mid range' device or drop the price to £150 as this would make it that bit more affordable to the pre-pay customers ie the school/college kids unable to get a Contract.

However the £15 Contract price IS very reasonable.

[DarkWanderer]

TomByrne94, on 07 June 2012 - 10:51 PM, said:

I could get the San Diego or the SGS2 both at £15.50 a month with the same contract. Which would you recommend? What other phones would you say I should get over the San Diego at the £15.50/pm price point?

tilal6991, on 07 June 2012 - 11:08 PM, said:

Sgs2 all the way. The san Diego is a great phone but no way is it good enough to top the gs2.

I'm in a similar situation, the SGs2 doesn't have NFC though, surely it would be better to get a device with the latest technologies in? Since in my case I'd likely be using the phone for the duration of a 24 month contract. By which time NFC might be in wider use?  Is there  an ICS update for the SGs2 coming too, we know the the OSD is getting one in the not too distant future.

[NeostarNeko]

erm... £15 for 2 years is NOT reasonable, look at the contracts O2 offers and you'll see what I mean

@DarkWanderer
ICS was released for the SGS2 a while ago...in April I think

Edited by NeostarNeko, 10 June 2012 - 01:22 PM.

[fradleyp]

I loved the review and mine is being delivered on Tuesday. Basically a free phone for me as I'm paying £20 a month on my san fran anyway. No doubt it will last me 24months

here's to all you clever guys who are going to bring me ICS early, if not I'm happy to wait until the official

It'sa winner either way

[DarkWanderer]

NeostarNeko, on 10 June 2012 - 01:20 PM, said:

erm... £15 for 2 years is NOT reasonable, look at the contracts O2 offers and you'll see what I mean

@DarkWanderer
ICS was released for the SGS2 a while ago...in April I think

Thanks Neo re ICS.  Unfortunately I have to use either Orange or TMo since there's pretty much no O2 signal here.  I know prices aren't the best, but if there's no signal it doesn't matter how cheap it is   It would also be an "Early Upgrade" for me so I don't have the bargaining chip of an upcoming ending contract.

[probals]

flibblesan, on 07 June 2012 - 10:14 AM, said:

No. The Xolo X900 is identified as a different device to the San Diego in terms of ROMs so it would most likely need it's own forum somewhere.

I'm sure you guys will find a workaround. :-) The community is my most imp criteria for choosing a phone. So if the OSD ROMs dont work on the Xolo, it's a deal breaker for me. Guess I'll wait and watch. Thanks fibblesan and rem1x.

[Rem1x]

probals, on 10 June 2012 - 08:19 PM, said:

I'm sure you guys will find a workaround. :-) The community is my most imp criteria for choosing a phone. So if the OSD ROMs dont work on the Xolo, it's a deal breaker for me. Guess I'll wait and watch. Thanks fibblesan and rem1x.

Hey, thank fibble, not me ;P  But I think what he meant was, while they won't work directly, the littlest of work would need to be done to get ROMs to work on each other.  AFAIK.

[UnbelievablyScrewed]

Oh great now I'm getting seriously confused on what to get. Not too long ago the G300 came out and now this. My OSF is refusing to charge and I need a replacement! This phone looks ridiculously sexy with all that glossy front and hard-ish plastic back... and curved edges.

Ahhh.. curved edges.

What do you reckon, I go for this or buy the LG Optimus 3D which came out last year? Would it perform better than that? To be fair last year everyone was saying "Faster than ever" ... and now they're pretty slow

[aidanj]

UnbelievablyScrewed, on 11 June 2012 - 10:06 AM, said:

Oh great now I'm getting seriously confused on what to get. Not too long ago the G300 came out and now this. My OSF is refusing to charge and I need a replacement! This phone looks ridiculously sexy with all that glossy front and hard-ish plastic back... and curved edges.

Ahhh.. curved edges.

What do you reckon, I go for this or buy the LG Optimus 3D which came out last year? Would it perform better than that? To be fair last year everyone was saying "Faster than ever" ... and now they're pretty slow

i would go for the san diego personally (i have had one since the 6th). whilst the screen is smaller, it has a higher resolution - i personally could not go back to 800 x 480 after using the sd. it depends on your needs really - i would imagine the optimus3d can be rooted - if that is important to you, then it seems the 3d is the logical choice. th sd is lighter and smaller - although the 3d's screen is .3" bigger than the sd, you may find it harder to reach the top of the screen.

the sd fits nicely in the hand. oh, and if 16gb is not enough storage for you - then the 3d may be the way to go, if the sd's microsd's slot cannot be 'activated'. also, i would imagie battery life to be better on the sd than the 3d. if you do not plan on making use of the 3d's 3d screen/camera, then ... and if you do, i would imagine the novelty would wear off quickly. remember - cores are not everything.

[tilal6991]

G300 if you want to mod. SD if you don't mind and you can afford it.