Current best value Android Huawei Ascend G300

mp3ireland2

Kazuma wrote: »

Same here, popped up and bought one today - £65. I think it's something like spend £20 or £30 in the shop and you get £15 off any phone.

As a side note, this is my first android phone, anyone mind telling me what I should be doing? Can't help but notice how full of vodafone crap it is, so I'll want to be debranding it pretty soon. Don't know much about custom ROMS on phones, so will be lurking on modaco, but my main question is, should I wait until I have the phone unlocked before I mess with the rom?

Don't suppose anybody has details of this offer? how long it's lasting is it in every store etc! might ring tesco enniskillen over the weekend and check, could be worth the fuel! Or get a mate in London to get one for me or something.

TM

Any use? You might want to read more of the thread than just that post and a lot of it relates to tesco in GB and not necessarily NI.

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.php?p=55828915&postcount=132

mp3ireland2

TM wrote: »

Any use? You might want to read more of the thread than just that post and a lot of it relates to tesco in GB and not necessarily NI.

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.php?p=55828915&postcount=132

thanks, sounds like it's not that straightforward! Varies store to store...So couldn't just get my friend to go searching through tesco stores in London! Might ring a couple of tesco's up north tomorrow... but then there's the time spent getting there and the fuel to consider also! So don't know if it's worth it even if it was £65!

TM

Yeah - from that thread and other UK forums/threads it sounds like it's hit and miss alright. I'm still holding out to see if Vodaone bring it back down to €130 or less. At €130 - €20 (porting a number in) - €12.50 (BeThrifty cashback) I'd probably go for it. I'm too cheap to pay €150 though!

BostonB

A lot of mobiles have dire sound from the headphones for music. But the G300 I find pretty decent. I'm using my own headphones though. Is there any app that will control the radio from the lockscreen. I user Player Pro for music.

Also I tried using it as a GPS in the car but it wasn't fantastic, what is anyone else using apps wise for this?

eamonnq

BostonB wrote: »

Also I tried using it as a GPS in the car but it wasn't fantastic, what is anyone else using apps wise for this?

I thought the GPS was excellent, just using google maps/navigation. Keep meaning to install another sat nav app but have not gotten around to it yet!!

mp3ireland2

TM wrote: »

Yeah - from that thread and other UK forums/threads it sounds like it's hit and miss alright. I'm still holding out to see if Vodaone bring it back down to €130 or less. At €130 - €20 (porting a number in) - €12.50 (BeThrifty cashback) I'd probably go for it. I'm too cheap to pay €150 though!

Yeah i'm too cheap to pay that also! I'll ring Enniskillen this afternoon and tip up if they are in stock and I can get one for £65! One of the lads in work wants one too so afraid i can't offer to get ya one! don't even know if i'll be able to get two!

Offer may end tomorrow by the sounds of things, tesco is open till 11 tonight... If not i'll survive without a power button on the ZTE blade for a while! might try super glueing it to the circuit boards at the side, nothing to loose!

antomorro-sei

BostonB wrote: »

A lot of mobiles have dire sound from the headphones for music. But the G300 I find pretty decent. I'm using my own headphones though. Is there any app that will control the radio from the lockscreen. I user Player Pro for music.

Also I tried using it as a GPS in the car but it wasn't fantastic, what is anyone else using apps wise for this?

eamonnq wrote: »

I thought the GPS was excellent, just using google maps/navigation. Keep meaning to install another sat nav app but have not gotten around to it yet!!

I used Google's Navigation a few times and thought it was great, for a free app. It worked flawlessly even when I was in remote areas of Tipperary and Cork.

Also used "MapMyRide+" for when I'm out on the bike. Really like that too.

TM

mp3ireland2 wrote: »

Yeah i'm too cheap to pay that also! I'll ring Enniskillen this afternoon and tip up if they are in stock and I can get one for £65! One of the lads in work wants one too so afraid i can't offer to get ya one! don't even know if i'll be able to get two!

Offer may end tomorrow by the sounds of things, tesco is open till 11 tonight... If not i'll survive without a power button on the ZTE blade for a while! might try super glueing it to the circuit boards at the side, nothing to loose!

Thanks for even considering getting me one! Might ask my NI colleague if he'll be up North in Tesco over the weekend.

mp3ireland2

TM wrote: »

Thanks for even considering getting me one! Might ask my NI colleague if he'll be up North in Tesco over the weekend.

There's none in Tesco Enniskillen I've found out...so think I'll just hold out for another while!

loyatemu

BostonB wrote: »

A lot of mobiles have dire sound from the headphones for music. But the G300 I find pretty decent. I'm using my own headphones though.

my G300 the sound isn't great - quite a lot of hiss through the headphones (others have reported similar on Modaco). The OSF was even worse, cheap phones, cheap components I reckon. Now back to using my 7 year old Creative Zen which has vastly superior sound...

BostonB

I don't use the stock phones.

But you made me curious and I tried a few of my phones. I do get hiss, but only with phones with Impedance: 16 ohms. The ones with 32 ohms I have no hiss.

Bit unfair comparing a cheap ass phone with a dedicated MP3 player that cost maybe twice the price if not more. Some of the older Zens are known for have particularly good sound quality.

BostonB

I don't use the stock phones.

But you made me curious and I tried a few of my phones. I do get hiss, but only with phones with Impedance: 16 ohms. The ones with 32 ohms I have no hiss.

Bit unfair comparing a cheap ass phone with a dedicated MP3 player that cost maybe twice the price if not more. Some of the older Zens are known for have particularly good sound quality.

Discodog

I find the music quality good. I use Poweramp, a pair of Sennheisers & a Boosteroo!

mcpaddington

mp3ireland2 wrote: »

There's none in Tesco Enniskillen I've found out...so think I'll just hold out for another while!

Yea I'm pretty sure I got the last one there :P

mp3ireland2

mcpaddington wrote: »

Yea I'm pretty sure I got the last one there :P

how much was it? £65 i suppose to rub salt in my wounds! when'd you get it?

loyatemu

BostonB wrote: »

Bit unfair comparing a cheap ass phone with a dedicated MP3 player that cost maybe twice the price if not more.

just making the point - these chinese phones are great value, but audio quality is one area they fall down in. That said, I've never owned a "brand" smartphone like a Samsung or iPhone, so don't know if they're any better.

Yugioh

Yeah my Ascend's audio via headphones sounds amazingly echoy. Even a spoken word podcast sounds like it's coming from a huge auditorium. Disappointing!

Adyx

Yugioh wrote: »

Yeah my Ascend's audio via headphones sounds amazingly echoy. Even a spoken word podcast sounds like it's coming from a huge auditorium. Disappointing!

Disable DTS mode under Sound Settings. I don't know why it keeps getting included, it sounds shít.

Yugioh

Cheers!

BostonB

loyatemu wrote: »

just making the point - these chinese phones are great value, but audio quality is one area they fall down in. That said, I've never owned a "brand" smartphone like a Samsung or iPhone, so don't know if they're any better.

Probably all these phones (and MP3 players) are made in china so I don't get you point about chinese phones. Probably 80% of the stuff we get these days is made in China.

The real issue is what components were were used. And surprising a lot of phones even the first few generation of iPhones and iPod had very poor sound quality. Even Creative Zen's started out great but then got worse as they made them cheaper. I think the manufacturers are walking up to this partly because some sites like GSM Arena now to proper audio tests. Rather than some tone deaf basshead reviewer giving their own half assed opinion.

Even when you do get something with decent SQ you need to have decent set of earphones. A €400 phone isn't going to get past a road block of €20 earphones.

BostonB

Adyx wrote: »

Disable DTS mode under Sound Settings. I don't know why it keeps getting included, it sounds shít.

Is this not on the stock rom because its not on my phone? I'm on the stock VF firmware.

Adyx

BostonB wrote: »

Adyx wrote: »

Disable DTS mode under Sound Settings. I don't know why it keeps getting included, it sounds shít.

Is this not on the stock rom because its not on my phone? I'm on the stock VF firmware.

It's been on every ICS rom I've used so far. We're up to B940 on that btw (official Ukrainian release) and still no sign of it here.

clonadlad

I'm having a problem with the long press feature on the phone. Every time I long press anything it comes up screen locked in the top left of the screen, but it doesn't actually lock anything. So now I can't change some of the settings I want to.

I'm on AtomicMod. Anyone else have this problem?

mcpaddington

mp3ireland2 wrote: »

how much was it? £65 i suppose to rub salt in my wounds! when'd you get it?

I picked it up on Tuesday the 11th I think it was and yea it was £65, it's worth calling to see if they'll get more and if they do they'll hold onto it for you.

Richard Dower

There is a new build of the Infusion ROM out, dated today: http://www.modaco.com/topic/355994-rom-ics-infusion-b05-new-update-17092012/

Getronicle

Recently the top left corner of the front panel on my G300 started to come up slightly, as if the glue bond had broken (it has only risen less than 1mm though).

Soon after, I pressed the raised part down a bit and it activated the bottom right corner of the screen as if I had touched that part.

Now the capacitive buttons are going crazy at random times and it's all to do with the raised digitizer because it stops when it's pushed in. The phone is becoming really unusable so if I brought it into a Vodafone shop what are my chances of getting it replaced? I'm fairly certain the problem didn't come about through misuse.

TM

If it's faulty then they're obliged under consumer law to refund, replace or repair it for you. If you are not using the stock Vodafone firmware then you may need to restore that before bring it back as I'd expect them to disclaim all responsbility if you've rooted and installed custom firmware.

M cebee

when is the ics update due for this anyone?

thanks

Getronicle

TM wrote: »

If it's faulty then they're obliged under consumer law to refund, replace or repair it for you. If you are not using the stock Vodafone firmware then you may need to restore that before bring it back as I'd expect them to disclaim all responsbility if you've rooted and installed custom firmware.

Thanks, good thing I'm still on stock.