Technology Android

[Flipmo]

HTC Ville shows itself again, now with more detailed specs​

By Daniel Bader on November 25, 2011 at 7:01pm in Mobile News​

The HTC Ville is a next-generation Android device that we know people are going to fall over themselves to buy.
It’s expected to be one of the first to market with the new Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8960 S4 processor clocked at 1.5Ghz, along with 1GB RAM, high-quality 8MP camera and a svelte 8mm unibody aluminum frame to round it off. It’s also expected to have a 4.3″ qHD Super AMOLED display, running Android 4.0 and Sense 4.0.
The only question is why the render still has standard Android capacitive touch buttons below the screen, since Ice Cream Sandwich doesn’t require them. Ville will also ship with Beats Audio and is expected to be launched at Mobile World Congress in February, with shipments beginning in April.
Source: PocketNow

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Might as well post some more HTC news. lol.​

 

[Casey]

I wish they'd release a premium device that runs stock. HTC Sense is shitty.

 

[masta247]

It finally looks nice though. Beats audio are shit on HTCs after all. I've read that you can't turn the equalizer on/off and it comes with waay too much bass and poor mids. I guess it's okay if you're a teenager listening to dubstep but not so good for most HTC buyers.

And I'm looking forward to a decent camera on a HTC phone finally, but poor cameras and battery lives unfortunately have been always guaranteed with any HTC phone so I don't have my hopes high.

 

[Casey]

comes with waay too much bass and poor mids.

Just like all the other Beats by Dre products then.

 

[dilla]

So I've been using my Droid solely as a wireless device since it's CDMA and I'm in GSM nation here. I think the screen finally took a shit on me, probably because of a very light scratch that now makes the screen go funky without me even touching it. I really can not do anything with right now because it keeps flying through screens and opening apps. I can see the scratch and can not clean the screen enough with my shirt to get it to work straight. Even unlocking it is a chore and is just about the only thing I can do.

May have to ask for an unlocked phone for Christmas so I can also use it here as well. Not looking for the latest phones, but even the older ones seem to still be hovering around the $400 mark. Anyone know of any deals out there for unlocked phones?

 

[Casey]

What are you looking for (screen size, processor, qwerty keyboard vs non, etc) and what's your budget?

You can get an unlocked Nexus S for like $350. At least that way you'd be rocking something fully ICS compatible.

 

[dilla]

$350 seems like a reasonable price. I don't care much for screen size and all. Hardware as a whole needs to be somewhat up to date. I was actually looking at the Droid Incredible 2. I believe it's a World Phone, meaning I can use it outside of the US. Would it need to be unlocked or does being a World Phone mean I can just pop a SIM from another carrier in and be good to go without having to get some code from VZW (who sells the phone) or the carrier here, Digicell.

The reason I'm looking at the DInc 2 is so that I can use it on VZW when I get back home but in the meantime can use it here. Also, is the Nexus S supported by CM? Because when I root, I'll be wanting to use their ROMs. Unless stock ROM (straight from Google) with root access is better than CM

 

[masta247]

We just invented world's fastest 8051 SoC here in Poland. Do you know what's awesome? That it achieves quite a punch while running at 300mhz stock and being a 8051 SoC. It's not really related to Android yet but I guess a new topic would be pointless.

http://www.design-reuse.com/news/27876/8051-cpu-ip-core.html

 

[dilla]

Someone please explain to me why the Skyrocket from AT&T seems like a better phone, minus the screen size compared to the Galaxy Nexus?

I was assuming the GN was a global-ready phone but it's CDMA only? Might as well get the AT&T GS2 then and live without the HD screen.

 

[masta247]

I think I'd go for the Galaxy S2. It's going to get ICS too, it has a far suprior camera, it's smaller. Just a more complete phone for me.

As far as Galaxy Nexus is concerned it has a bigger screen and a better design and that's about it for me.

But personally what I would really do is wait for next gen of ICS phones which is about to come out early 2012.

 

[dilla]

Yeah, the thing is I need to buy it while I am at home. I leave home in the first week of January and won't be back until April. Which is fine if my phone's screen wasn't fucked to hell already and barely usable. It actually worked flawlessly last night but again this morning it was going crazy again. Maybe the moisture from the air in the island in contrast with the AC being blasted in my room has lead to some condensation or something inside the screen? I know if I take it out of my freezing room and into 90F weather outside, the screen immediately has condensation once I go outside. But now I leave my phone at home in the cold and I can't see how anything could happen to it.

Add to this the fact that there is a noticeable scratch that isn't deep, but it is about an inch long across the screen....and I don't know anymore.

Why is the Galaxy Nexus so different from its GS2 family? And what is the Skyrocket?

 

[dilla]

Also, I forgot to include the link I was originally babbling about two posts ago.

http://www.droid-life.com/2011/11/2...y-nexus-as-a-phone-with-no-oem-customization/

Look at the comparison table.

 

[masta247]

Skyrocket is simply like the American version of SGS2 but with 4G/LTE and because of that it packs a Dual Core 1,5ghz Snapdragon, which is a bit slower than Exynos.

Here's the review:
http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_s2_skyrocket-review-677.php

I'm not sure how American networks lock their phones though, I'm not too familiar with that but definitely you will at least need to have it unlocked.

The choice between that phone and Galaxy Nexus to me would come down mainly to camera vs screen size. Also, phone size and weight and the fact that Galaxy Nexus will get more updates in the future if you plan to keep it for a longer time.

 

[dilla]

Oh of course. I know whatever phone I get needs to be unlocked. Over here, there is no 3G, it's just EDGE. So that means I can buy any GSM phone released today and not have to worry about the bands, right? Because quadband just covers everything?

 

[ARon]

I dropped my phone in water once and pulled everything out and let it dry overnight tried to turn it on and my screen did what yours is doin coonie. I put it in a bowl of rice for a day and all was well afterwards.

 

[dilla]

I don't know. It's an OG Droid. Is it really worth salvaging at this point?

I talked to my parents about getting a GS2 (it needs to be a GSM phone for where I'm at now) and I'm not sure I got a clear-cut answer. I mentioned it to my sister too if she wanted to get it for me for Christmas. We'll see.

Does it matter which one I buy? I was on Amazon looking for unlocked ones and I see an "international" version as well. Would it work in the US alright? Maybe "international" is used to mean it works anywhere but the US because the US carriers try and block out people from importing it. I dunno, AT&T does something similar with unlocking its iPhones to work everywhere but the US GSM networks.

Say I get the AT&T version of the GS2, but no plan (and it's unlocked). Say I buy this type of phone from Amazon. When I come back home, how will I uses that phone on a US carrier (assuming it's still AT&T)? Will I have to buy a SIM?

 

[masta247]

Oh of course. I know whatever phone I get needs to be unlocked. Over here, there is no 3G, it's just EDGE. So that means I can buy any GSM phone released today and not have to worry about the bands, right? Because quadband just covers everything?

Yeah, if you have a quadband phone that accepts sim cards it's all good there. You might need to change network settings and check network type as gsm and that's about it.

If you have a plan with an American network that uses Sim cards you should be able to just place it there and use it. They don't really have any means to prevent it from working if the phone is unlocked.
But I've heard that there are carriers that don't use Sim cards and since I'm not really familiar with American carriers I guess someone else should confirm that.

 

[dilla]

Yeah, if you have a quadband phone that accepts sim cards it's all good there. You might need to change network settings and check network type as gsm and that's about it.

If you have a plan with an American network that uses Sim cards you should be able to just place it there and use it. They don't really have any means to prevent it from working if the phone is unlocked.
But I've heard that there are carriers that don't use Sim cards and since I'm not really familiar with American carriers I guess someone else should confirm that.

Yeah, Verizon and Sprint do not use SIM cards are CDMA only. I am with Verizon now but I plan on finishing the contract when I get back and just leaving them completely. Then buying the GS2 from Amazon, unlocked, and then using it here with the GSM carriers here. I think I have seen a girl with a GS2 and another guy told me had one before he lost it a week ago. So I guess it should work. Blackberries and iPhone 4s are all everyone has here, and they work fine with voice/text as well as EDGE. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing something. That just because a phone was unlocked, I didn't need to go buy a code for something. I dunno. I'm ignorant as shit on GSM hardware.

 

[masta247]

GSM is the easiest out there. If you have a sim card that works with your phone it will also work in whichever unlocked phone with a sim slot out there that you place it in.

 

[Casey]

With the Galaxy S2, you can actually SIM unlock it yourself if you have root. There's a simple app in the market that does it. That's for the i9100 - the international version which is what I have.

Also - yeah, the Nexus S is the most supported phone for CyanogenMod. So much so, that they already have CM9 ICS for it with most everything working.