Post Your Mobile Devices!

[mkreku]

Oh, and I ditched my Motorola Defy back in May and bought this:

 

 

Xiaomi MI2S. Same size as iPhone 5, but with a Snapdragon 600 (4 cores, 1,7 GHz), Krait 320 GPU, 2 GB RAM, 1280x720 IPS screen, 8MP superfast camera with 28mm, 2.0F wide-angle (records movies with 90 fps in 1280x720) and an interface based on Android 4.1.2 called MIUI. It's really excellent. Huuuge leap forward over my smelly Defy.

 

It cost me $400, imported directly from China. Amazing value. It's actually faster than Galaxy S4 and HTC One in tests (they have the same innards), but mainly because of the smaller screen. Still!

[Malcador]

How is the quality of the phone calls ?

[mkreku]

If I hold it normally, normal. If I pinch it between my head and my shoulder: lousy. Same if I try to talk in it while lying in my bed while resting it on my pillow. I think it has something to do with the noise cancellation. It uses two mics to reduce noise and somehow I manage to cover one of them (never found the other one).

[sorophx]

I'd love to have a smartphone with a decent screen for internet browsing, reading and mp3. would really help those boring lectures go faster. but these things are so expensive, and in my town there aren't any companies that offer good deals on phones with contracts (an iPhone with a contract still costs 700$, just like an iPhone without one...). so my only option would be a used one... I hate small towns. well, at least it's still 20 degrees here in November 

[sorophx]

sorry about the double-post, can't edit in quotes

 

It cost me $400, imported directly from China. Amazing value. It's actually faster than Galaxy S4 and HTC One in tests (they have the same innards), but mainly because of the smaller screen. Still!

where do you people get such good deals? the only one I could find online here is a used Mi2A for 450$

[mkreku]

sorry about the double-post, can't edit in quotes

 

It cost me $400, imported directly from China. Amazing value. It's actually faster than Galaxy S4 and HTC One in tests (they have the same innards), but mainly because of the smaller screen. Still!

where do you people get such good deals? the only one I could find online here is a used Mi2A for 450$

 

I bought mine here:

 

http://www.dhgate.com/product/original-xiaomi-mi2s-snapdragon-600-quad/167395514.html#s1-2-1|1875440434

 

$397,46 with shipping to Sweden. Probably the same shipping price to Finland.

 

It wasn't that exact seller, but through DHgate. DHgate is a proxy, meaning that you send the money to DHgate, the seller sends the phone to you. When you confirm that you have gotten the phone and everything is OK, then DHgate releases the money to the seller. Makes it relatively fraud safe.

[sorophx]

this system is very prone to abuse, though. I personally had items removed from parcels by postal workers right at my local post office. what happens then with my money I'm not entirely sure

 

ha! and the proxy seems to know about it. just looked at that link. even though I'm a lot closer to China than Sweden, shipping alone is 160$ 

 

tried to check out, and it nullified all shipping costs... wth is going on? seems shipping is free if you use DHL, and to my region DHL is the only option.

Edited November 5, 2013 by sorophx

[mkreku]

this system is very prone to abuse, though. I personally had items removed from parcels by postal workers right at my local post office. what happens then with my money I'm not entirely sure

 

Then you report that you didn't get your phone and they return your money.

[Keyrock]

ZTE Awe:

 

 

 

Nothing special, nowhere near top of the line.  Dual core 1.2 GHz Snapdragon, 4 GB internal, 32 GB SDHC.  Runs Android 4.1.  Plenty good enough for me.  Enough battery life I can go about 2 days of my regular use without charging (note: I don't use it much).  It makes phone calls, it can run a GPS app, it lets me play Final Fantasy V.  I'm happy.

Edited November 5, 2013 by Keyrock

[sorophx]

ugh, but how do I prove I didn't get it, if at DHL it will say postal workers handed me the parcel? as soon as I take it from the postal worker I'm responsible for its content's safety. we don't even sign for parcels at delivery, there zero accountability

[mkreku]

Try getting a package from DHL without signing for it. I dare you.

[AwesomeOcelot]

Just got a Nexus 5, it's got a 1080x1920 screen, pretty fast, I'm happy with it.

[sorophx]

Try getting a package from DHL without signing for it. I dare you.

 

actually, I've read up on Xiaomi, and they look very good from the outside I'm now really interested in their products

[mkreku]

My Xiaomi is easily the best phone I've owned so far. Also the only phone where complete strangers have actually come up to me to ask what kind of phone I have. Which would be a lot cooler if it was ever cute girls, but nooo.. always men.

[Humanoid]

Today I bought myself a (rather stupidly named) Samsung ATIV Smart PC Pro XE700T1C-A01AU. I.... don't really like it, but am perhaps surprisingly okay with that.

 

Why? Well I guess I could say that from the outset that it was an experiment. It's a device I neither particularly wanted, nor really needed. But for $599, it's a fully-fledged ULV Ivy Bridge machine, Windows 8 of course (which I've never used before today). Convertible 11.6" tablet-slash-ultrabook in that it comes with a 'dumb' keyboard dock.

 

The good:

- Lovely 1080p PLS display, at 11.6" this resolution obviously looks very sharp indeed. And of course, the usual perks of PLS/IPS in superior colour reproduction and viewing angles.

- Didn't expect to get one at this price point, but there is indeed an included stylus. I have no idea how to use it properly, but still, it'll be interesting to experiment with it in the coming days.

 

The bad:

- With keyboard dock attached in notebook mode, the device only opens to about 120 degrees, somewhat squandering the wider viewing angles of the display.

- Being a PC essentially fully enclosed behind the screen, it's ridiculously top-heavy in notebook mode, and will tip over backwards at the slightest provocation. I guess this partly explains the restriction in the previous point.

- A 64GB eMMC device is the primary storage on this version (there's an upgraded version with a 128GB mSATA SSD as primary available). I came into this eyes open so I'm fully aware of the limitations this imposes, but if it isn't obvious: with Windows and system software fully updated, there's about, oh, 10GB available at best for user data. At least there's a microSD slot available for some breathing room. It is upgradable at least, though apparently the process is pretty finicky.

 

Neutral:

- RAM is unsurprisingly soldered in, so the 4GB you get is all you'll ever get. But I'm fine with that.

- The somewhat plasticky build shows the machine has been built to a price. A fine decision for the price I got it for, but for the $1300 RRP, it'd have been a big disappointment.

- Connectivity is moderate, one USB port on the tablet section, and attaching the keyboard dock adds a further two. No adaptor for the mini-HDMI output means sourcing a third-party one, which isn't easy given the standard is far from common.

- Front and rear cameras. A common tablet thing, I guess it makes it a bonus in terms of notebooks. But it's a feature I ignore.

- Keyboard is a typical chiclet type thing with flat keys and obviously limited travel. I despise chiclet type keyboards, but given that it's standard on 95%+ of current notebooks, it's just one of those things.

[Humanoid]

I kind of missed the point I was trying to make there. My original plan was to buy something a bit more serious - and by that I mean larger and bulkier. Something like a Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro, Lenovo Thinkpad Yoga, or a Dell XPS 12 (in about that order). They're 13.3", 12.5" and 12.5" respectively and are more 'traditional' convertibles in the sense that they're notebooks first and foremost - the opposite of the machine I'm typing this on. Each is a traditional chassis with the guts in the lower half, and none have any detachable bits. (The Lenovo machines feature 360-degree hinges, while the Dell has a flippable screen. This means the former two will have the keyboard exposed on the flip-side when in tablet mode, whereas the Dell will have the keys hidden away. The Thinkpad Yoga at least locks the keys rigid when in tablet mode, however.)

 

Anyway, now armed with some idea of what a more tablet-skewed device is like, I'm probably going to press ahead with my original plan sometime early next year. This device I will likely relegate as a toy I can leave at the office, or I might give it to my sister.

 

A tangential dilemma is that I'm also in the market for a traditional 14-15" notebook, but I want to try to avoid buying the same brand as the convertible. Which is tricky because I rather like the look of the Thinkpad T440s (or even T440/p and T540p). The alternative here would probably be the Dell XPS 15 with its interesting 3k display.

[sorophx]

I need a 10'' netbook, but decent reviews of more recent models are hard to come by for some reason... I'd welcome any advice, because so far I'm using this as my guide:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/netbook-10-inch-performance,2751-3.html

[Humanoid]

I'd look at the new Bay Trail Atom-based ones, they're a significant improvement over the last gen efforts. Asus' T100 Book comes to mind. Or for something technically not a netbook, the Kabini-based subnotebooks look to be interesting, such as the Lenovo E145. http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Lenovo-ThinkPad-Edge-E145-Notebook.103235.0.html And something I've only recently noticed, the Dell Inspiron 3000 11" looks promising too with a Haswell-derived Pentium CPU.

Edited November 14, 2013 by Humanoid

[sorophx]

hmmm, that Lenovo E145 does look very tempting. I'll keep an eye out for one of these, thanks

[Bokishi]

Just updated my Nexus 7 to Android 4.4 Kit Kat. Also hacked in the Nexus 5 launcher for the cool transparent nav-bars

 

[Humanoid]

So here in Australia, some vendors have banded together and tried to create a sort of lame version of the US's Black Friday sales. Generally there's nothing too interesting on, but Lenovo have joined in the fun, with an impressive 35% off the newly released T440s, which I'd been looking desirously for a while. Unfortunately the discount only applies to their top-spec version, which no doubt has higher margins, but it nonetheless takes that top spec to a full $200 cheaper than the entry level spec. Obviously I couldn't resist, so I've just placed an order for:

 

i7-4600U, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, 1080p IPS display, for $1800 (down from $2450); as opposed to:

 

i5-4300U, 4GB RAM, 500GB HDD, 900p TN display, for $2000. (I know that's a ridiculously inflated price for those specs, but this is Australia we're talking about)

 

 

Yeah, no brainer. Even with the pointless CPU upgrade, which is normally a $300+ option which I wouldn't even pretend to consider (Indeed I'd downgrade immediately to the 4300U for a $200 cut if it were possible). Added a few things to the former spec which bumped the price a little - digitiser, backlit keyboard, wireless-ac; but it still comes under the 2k mark. That and they also have a $1 Android tablet promo (which I will be giving away). It's a pretty ordinary dual-core tablet, but hey, it's one buck.

 

The only competition to the machine I was considering was the Dell XPS15, but that's had mixed early feedback and while Dell are participating in this sale event, the model is not included. Happy to not have to think about it in the end.

Edited November 19, 2013 by Humanoid

[Humanoid]

It creates a secondary dilemma for me though. The other machine that I want is, as stated previously, a ~12-13" convertible. The brand-new Thinkpad Yoga is available on sale, $200 off, but only on the anemic base model: from $1300 to $1100. That's with a non-turbo CPU (fine with me), 768p display (unacceptable, but at least it's IPS still), 4GB RAM (ehh) and a 500GB spindle drive (ridiculous).

 

Speccing it up to acceptable levels would cost an extra $500, or $400 should I opt to go without the factory SSD and install one myself from a third party (and end up with a spare 2.5" HDD to use for ...something). The result would be a machine that costs about the same as the $1550 mid-spec, but with 4GB more RAM and a doubling of SSD space to 256GB. I could forgo the turbo CPU upgrade and save $100, but I think it's probably worth it.

 

Proposed spec: i5-4200, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, 1080p IPS display. ~$1600. Nowhere near a straightforward decision. One competitor is Lenovo's own IdeaPad Yoga 2 Pro, which is not yet available locally but comes with an interesting 13.3" 3k display and should be marginally cheaper though less solidly built.

 

The other is Dell's XPS 12, which happens to be on sale now, for the same price and essentially the same or slightly better spec: i7-4500U as compared to the i5-4200U, same 12.5" display (likely literally the same), same RAM, same SSD capacity.

 

Based on the machines themselves, I'd probably go the Thinkpad as the more robust device, plus it has a WACOM digitiser. But besides the CPU bump, the Dell also has in support of it a better support experience (Lenovo's support is notoriously iffy here). Dell's keyboard is inferior, but is hidden away in tablet mode, which makes it a bit of a wash in that regard. And on a personal note, it's probably sensible not to put all my eggs in one basket and opt for alternative vendors for my two machines. Gaaa, this is confusing.

 

Same price, $1600 each, which to get?

 

Thinkpad Yoga

+ Better build quality

+ Better keyboard feel (plus Trackpoint)

+ Wacom digitiser stylus

- 360-degree hinge means keyboard exposed at back of machine when in tablet mode, though keys are locked and immobile

- I might prefer the larger and higher-res Yoga 2 Pro display if it ever gets a local release

 

Dell XPS 12

+ Upgraded CPU

+ Screen hinge hides keyboard internally in tablet mode

+ Better local warranty support

+ Different vendor to my other machine

- I might prefer the larger and higher-res Yoga 2 Pro display if it ever gets a local release

[sorophx]

went ahead and bought this thing (Xenium W6500):

 

looked good on paper for the price (250$), so I figured it was probably the best offer I'd see in a while. so far I've been fully satisfied with its performance. will have to dive deeper into this whole Android thing eventually to uncover its full potential...

Edited December 6, 2013 by sorophx

[Humanoid]

Something altogether more low-tech, been using this Nokia 515 for a week. Had to import it from Germany as it's not presently available locally - picked the white one. Why this? I'd become unsatisfied with the battery of my older dumbphone, a Nokia 6300, which used to reliably last a week, but now manages a bit over half that. This? Well I didn't even fully charge this when I got it a full week ago, where the battery was showing three bars. Now it's showing two bars.

 

 

Objectively, it's bloody overpriced for what it is, being about double the price of the next model down. But I'm happy with the purchase because no one else is doing this sort of thing.

[Bokishi]

Got the Nvidia Shield for Xmas, I never really thought much of it until I tried streaming all my pc games to it myself, and just wow there is no lag at all (unlike tablet remote desktops), it feels very next gen, like I'm playing on a futuristic gameboy