Comments for Best Unlocked Phone

Comment on Samsung Dart Prepaid Android Phone (T-Mobile) by jokah

jokah — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 23:23:09 +0000

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

Decent entry-level no-contract smartphone, August 25, 2011

jokah (Houston, TX USA) -

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: Samsung Dart Prepaid Android Phone (T-Mobile) (Wireless Phone Accessory)

I purchased the Dart on sale for $100 directly from T-Mobile and have had this phone for over a month.

Battery life, as with most Android phones, is average. With regular usage, I need to charge daily (I keep the charging USB cable in the office and the AC charger at home). The camera isn't particularly good, but I don't mind since I have a dedicated point-and-shoot for doing serious photography. If you are looking for 4G support, also note that this supports 3G only. That said, I am using the Dart without a data plan, relying solely on wi-fi, which works great.

The screen size on the Dart is smaller than most, but keep in mind that this phone has a very small footprint (see photo). Having carried an LG Env2 previously, I opted for the Dart specifically because of its small size (see picture) as I wanted something that would fit comfortably in my pocket. The downside of this, however, is that some applications (e.g. Words with Friends, AnyStop) are not supported by the Dart.

I thought I would miss having a physical keyboard, but Swype works great for texting, and speech-to-text works reasonably well, too.

PROS: small size
CONS: average battery life, not-so-great camera

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Comment on Samsung Dart Prepaid Android Phone (T-Mobile) by Barnegat Bay

Barnegat Bay — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 22:56:17 +0000

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

Wow! Pleasantly Surprised, July 21, 2011

Barnegat Bay (Barnegat, NJ) -

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: Samsung Dart Prepaid Android Phone (T-Mobile) (Wireless Phone Accessory)

I've read many reviews prior to my decision to buy the Dart. I was skeptical to say the least, as many reviews pooh-poohed the Dart. As a pay-as you-go T-Mobile customer and owning a simple cell phone, I felt the need to step up and purchase a more versatile phone. I didn't want to be so outdated. The Dart being an "entry level" android smart phone at a very reasonable price seemed like a no-brainer.

As a newbie in the world of smart phones, I was pleasantly surprised. I'm sure most of the reviewers I've read own a far more superior smart phone than the Dart. This may be the reason they were downplaying the Dart. For $149, the screen resolution is better than expected. The feel of the phone is nice. The touch screen is wonderful. The volume is very good. The day pass to the web is $1.49 for 40MB of download at 3G speed. After that it's 2G. I don't need the web for business or any function other than occasional use, so the $1.49/3G/2G is fine with me. The call quality is very good. The QWERTY keyboard is very functionable, and I haven't tried the Swype function yet.

I upped the 2GB microSD card to 8GB so I can upload my MP3s, and photos, + other files from my computer.

I can see why people get hooked on smart phones. They are almost addictive. I can't seem to put mine down.

After I use the web, and other applications, and I think I have them closed, I see that my battery drains very fast. One of the many useful shortcuts I added to my home page is "Task Manager". I open this shortcut often and close all active applications. My battery lasts much longer.

Pros - Just about everything for the $149 in a "pay as you go" plan.

Cons - The camera is somewhat adequate and video camera leaves much to be desired. You need a steady and slow panning hand. Quality - Eh!

I recommend this phone.

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Comment on Samsung Dart Prepaid Android Phone (T-Mobile) by Christian J. Fobian

Christian J. Fobian — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 22:30:15 +0000

70 of 72 people found the following review helpful:

Amazing Smart Phone, July 5, 2011

Christian J. Fobian (WA USA) -

This review is from: Samsung Dart Prepaid Android Phone (T-Mobile) (Wireless Phone Accessory)

I decided to take the plunge and purchase a smartphone. After a lot of research I decided to go with T-Mobile's Samsung Dart and I must say, it is worth the price. Not only does this phone work as a contract phone, it works with prepaid plans. Since it runs on Droid software you have access to all the Droid apps. The wifi ability is simply amazing. Anywhere I go that has a wifi connection the phone will automatically use my wifi connection so that I don't use the data from my data plan, not to mention it's faster. I can also make calls through my wifi! The resolution is excellent, the sound quality is very clear, although I must admit that the iPod/iPhone does have a slightly better sound. The camera is a 3.1 megapixel camera which takes very clear and crisp photos. The GPS is just as good as my Garmin that I purchased last year. The phone comes with software to open pdf's and the Microsoft suite file types. The Swype keyboard software makes typing and texting FAST on a little digital keyboard, simply drag your finger from letter to letter and it will automatically figure out the words and throw in spaces for you.

It's about time a good phone came out for us prepaid folk.

Regardless weather your prepaid or contract, I highly recommend buying this phone if your looking for a smartphone to check email, Facebook, carry documents, listen to music, access the internet etc....

UPDATE - 11/6/2011 (subtracting 1 star from rating)

After owning this phone for almost 5 months I thought I would throw in an update that I felt people should know about. I love this phone, however, after owning it for awhile I did come across 1 issue that bugs me. The screen size is just a hair different than most smartphones. This makes a number of apps in the Android Market incompatible with this phone. Although there are not many apps that are incompatible, it is frustrating if you come across one.

I would actually steer you towards the LG Optimus T if you want a prepaid/contract smartphone, as it does everything this phone does but is compatible with all the apps this phone can't handle. Other than that the phones are almost identical.

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Comment on Samsung i897 Captivate Android smartphone Galaxy S (Unlocked) by Jonny Rodriguez

Jonny Rodriguez — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 03:20:43 +0000

24 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

Samsung el mejor telefono android que he tenido, May 4, 2011

Jonny Rodriguez -

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: Samsung i897 Captivate Android smartphone Galaxy S (Unlocked) (Unlocked Phone)

Al recibir el samsung captivate me lleve una grata sorpresa, la pantalla amoled se ve muy bien, el teléfono luce muy bien, me gusto el touch wiz con el que viene, no me gusto el que at&t desabilitara la posibilidad de instalar aplicaciones fuera del market, pero esto quedo solucionado una vez que instale el rom de cyanogenmod 7, ahora uso el android 2.3.4, el teléfono funciona muy bien, definitivamente me ha gustado este teléfono samsung en especial la posibilidad de actualizar el teléfono es algo que estaba buscando, después de tener 2 teléfonos motorola android, me queda claro que no volveré a comprar un teléfono motorola mas nunca, aunque los teléfonos son buenos, motorola tiene una política especialmente mala en relación a la actualización de los teléfonos.

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Comment on Samsung i897 Captivate Android smartphone Galaxy S (Unlocked) by Paul B

Paul B — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 03:11:57 +0000

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

Read comments on apps/upgrades, September 12, 2011

Paul B -

This review is from: Samsung i897 Captivate Android smartphone Galaxy S (Unlocked) (Unlocked Phone)

After shopping around, I decided to go with the Captivate. I'm very glad I did. This phone is intelligently designed, versatile, has a lot of memory, and very few cons. The display is big, bright and crystal clear. I have froyo (2.2) which seems to have resolved a number of problems earlier versions had.
One bit of advice: before you download any app or upgrade, read the customer comments. They will usually tell you better than anything else whether that particular app or upgrade is a good one. Some upgrades only install more advertising. It's also a good idea to read permissions.
A lot of people have battery drain issues with this phone. Disabling Background Data under Settings/Accounts and sync seems to help with this problem.

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Comment on Samsung i897 Captivate Android smartphone Galaxy S (Unlocked) by The Black Knight

The Black Knight — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 02:36:45 +0000

45 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

Unlocked!, June 16, 2011

The Black Knight (Miami) -

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: Samsung i897 Captivate Android smartphone Galaxy S (Unlocked) (Unlocked Phone)

I bought this phone unlocked because i live in Costa Rica, so i needed a phone which works with the local carrier, and this phone turn to be the best purchase i could do, it works with the 850mhz 3G network of the ICE(Costa Rica s goverment carrier) and the android 2.2 Froyo installed works perfect, with a brilliant 4inch amoled and the fast 1ghz processor. I recomend to buy also an Otterbox Box Case for this device, which fits great. I bought it at $374.99 and is the best deal i could find for a phone with this technical details.

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Comment on LG Esteem 4G Prepaid Android Phone (MetroPCS) by matter0ni

matter0ni — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 04:49:49 +0000

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

very pleased with this phone!, December 26, 2011

matter0ni -

This review is from: LG Esteem 4G Prepaid Android Phone (MetroPCS) (Wireless Phone Accessory)

I got this phone at a metro store in November and I am so happy with it. I will run down the pros and cons for you guys:

Pros:
Nice camera.
Camera flash!
4G LTE. Super fast data speeds.
Very large screen. Even though I am 6'4", I wouldn't want the screen to be any larger because then I would need two hands to press buttons in the corners (lol).

Cons:
Currently there is no root for the recent ZVC update (which fixes some peoples random rebooting), and currently no ROMs, however this will change very VERY soon since a working CWM (clockwork mod) has been built for it.
Without the ZVC update, you may get random reboots. I, however, have only had it happen twice in two months.
My music playlists randomly disappear. May be fixed with cm7 or ICS custom ROMs when they appear within the first 2-3 weeks of 2012.

Overall I really love this camera and when it's rooted and all the MetroPCS bloatware is removed and it's overclocked (it can run at 1.7 GHz stable isntead of the stock 1 GHz speed) it's extremely powerful and snappy. My battery lasts about 16 hours of medium usage before it needs to be charged again with the stock battery, but you can always buy the extended battery.

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Comment on LG Esteem 4G Prepaid Android Phone (MetroPCS) by C. Lee

C. Lee — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 03:57:34 +0000

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

The best fone from Metro PCS, December 27, 2011

C. Lee -

This review is from: LG Esteem 4G Prepaid Android Phone (MetroPCS) (Wireless Phone Accessory)

This is the best Metro PCS phone out there. It has a very large Amoled screen, colors are so vibrant it totally blew my mind. It has fast download at 4G speed at locations that provide 4G speed (at my office no less). Touch is very responsive, although sometimes a bit too sensitive which caused me to text to wrong person lol. The camera quality is very good; even the front cam, with 3x zoom and flash. I don't bring my pocket camera out anymore after I have this baby. The battery life after I installed battery saver app it lasted longer and as expected with all smart phones. This is the best prepaid android phone out there and I am still in love with it after 3 months of usage.

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Comment on Sprint HTC Evo 4g Android Cell Phone by Stephanie Marie Kelly

Stephanie Marie Kelly — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 07:56:00 +0000

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

Misleading, January 12, 2012

Stephanie Marie Kelly -

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: Sprint HTC Evo 4g Android Cell Phone (Wireless Phone Accessory)

I bought this phone right before christmas and over all the phone works really good. But the post is misleading because it says this is a new phone. This phone is not new, it is referbished and the reason why i am upset isnt because it is refurbished. I am upset because a refurbished evo 4g is $100 cheaper then this phone is. I paid 280 thinking this was a new phone and another seller was selling "refurbished evo 4g's" for 160!!!!! I am very upset because of this. Another thing is that the battery was bad. They sent me a bad used battery. Luckily i have insurance and sprint gave me a new battery for free, which would have been 40 if they didnt replace it for me, but i am very upset with this company. I love the phone but the company is HORRIBLE!

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Comment on Sprint HTC Evo 4g Android Cell Phone by 35-year Technology Consumer "8-tracks to 802.11"

35-year Technology Consumer "8-tracks to 802.11" — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 07:37:05 +0000

59 of 62 people found the following review helpful:

Smart choice in a dense smart phone market; great features, functionality, February 17, 2011

35-year Technology Consumer "8-tracks to 802.11" (Mid Atlantic, USA) -

This review is from: Sprint HTC Evo 4g Android Cell Phone (Wireless Phone Accessory)

Before addressing the hardware and functionality of this phone, let's address quickly the five-part equation that makes up your overall smart phone user experience:
(1) the hardware...the phone itself
(2) operating system software
(3) installed applications
(4) the network (overall, and where you happen to be using the phone at a particular time)
(5) the service provider

In some cases, there are serial dependencies on the factors above, as many phones are tied to specific operating systems or service providers. Or perhaps you spend a lot of time in an area without 4G service. Just remember that even if you make a great phone choice, deficiencies in the other areas can diminish your overall user experience.

Don't move to a smart phone without some research into these choices. Which provider? Which mobile operating system? Who can offer me the best service, or the best combination of value and service? The rest of this review assumes you've already figured out why a phone with the Android operating system might be a better choice for you than an iPhone, a Blackberry or a Windows-based smart phone solution...

Bottom line for the HTC EVO 4G: feature loaded, user-friendly and a hard choice to go wrong with in a crowded smart phone market.

The phone ships with an impressive array of capability and apps, and finding and installing new ones from the Android marketplace is easy even for non-techies.

Two very strong performers in the pre-installed applications are Google-powered Voice Search and Navigate: both are eerily good at delivering search results and driving/walking directions. This phone's voice-to-text interface is also very good, and can be used for both composing text messages and delivering search results without typing. Surprisingly, a voice-based dialing app that is part of the operating system's collection of widgets seldom gets one right. The Evo's on-screen keyboard is adaptive to your compositions over time, and will suggest auto-completes for words you frequently type.

The phone includes two cameras: an outward facing high resolution (8 megapixel) still/video camera, and a front facing 1.3 megapixel camera for video applications. It ships with an 8 GB microSD card. One surprising oversight of this phone is the placement of the microSD card inside the battery compartment. Although you can move files to an from it via the USB port, this phone would be improved if the card were accessible without removing the back cover.

In addition to the USB port, the phone has a 3.5mm aux audio jack and an HDMI port.

The rear of the phone includes a "kickstand", allowing you to stand the phone on a horizontal surface when viewing the display in landscape mode (great for using the speakerphone or watching videos).

Customization of the scrolling display screens is intuitive. In our house, even less technically savvy users were re-arranging icons and applications in no time.

Each of phone, video and still image quality are satisfactory.

The overall finish of this phone is --literally-- quite slick. It can go sliding easily on leather car seat, and both the screen and frame will attract and display fingerprints. Whether or not you opted in to the damage/loss insurance that most providers offer, I'd strongly recommend both a screen protector and some case or holster to offer a modicum of protection to the phone.

Mnay options exist for protection, but for our multiple Evo phones we've found the following to provide a good mix of protection and price:
--"Fishbone" protective case (red linked here; other colors are available)
--SGP STEINHEIL Anti FingerprintSprint Screen Protector (Anti Fingerprint)

Let these protective devices soak up the wear and tear instead of your phone and display.

Other reviews have discussed battery life, and it's worth addressing. This phone has five separate radio transmit/receive devices:
-the standard cellular (3G/CDMA) transceiver
-the 4G transceiver
-Bluetooth (for short-range use of hands-free devices and data exchange)
-GPS receiver
-Wifi transceiver
Each of these devices will exert its own demand on the battery. Selectively turning them off when not needed, along with setting a shorter time to turn off the display (2 minutes or 1 minute) will go a long way to mitigate the battery issue. Additionally, there are extended life aftermarket batteries (usually with an accompanying modified case cover to accommodate their their additional... Read more

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