Mobile Recommendation

[klikster]

Wife needs a new mobile. She lost her oldish Nokia and now using an even older hand-me-down with DTAC pay as you go.

I'm thinking about a basic smart-phone .. I think. Larger screen, 3G?

Reason for the larger screen and 3G is for testing mobile websites.

Looking for basics, Android?, price, reliability, reasonable monthly fees .

Stereo mp3, mp4 a requirement. A Thai English dictionary feature would be nice.

Thanks

[sotsira]

I would look at the HTC range of smart phones, they are Android phones

and have a good selection of Apps available.

Good quality and well priced too.

[klikster]

Thanks, sotsira.

The more I read the more I realize how ignorant I am about mobile technology. Some things come to mind:

- Would a dual sim phone work better for me since the wife's phone is always on?

- I have broadband internet and wi-fi in the house

Edited April 11, 2013 by klikster

[Shurup]

I don't see how HTC phones are better than any of the other brands, you didn't provide any specific requirements so any large screen phone will do if it's in your price range. Samsung has a Galaxy Grand, it's a newer large screen model and it's fairly cheap due to lower screen resolution (not an HD). As for the dual sims, the selection is a lot more limited, I only know of a couple Samsung models, not sure if HTC or other popular brand companies even make anything like it, I personally however don't see a point of having 2 numbers with the exception of personal and a business number.

P.S. Apps are all the same on all android phones, downloaded from the Google play store so they're not tied to any particular brand. Only exception is a few apps made by phone manufacturers, but they're really just a few apps that I won't even worry about.

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Edited April 11, 2013 by Shurup

[klikster]

So - I assume these android devices have a browser? And that means I can connect to the internet with my wi-fi?

So - I don't really need a dual sim phone?

[Shurup]

Not sure what was that you wanted to do with 2 sims, but yes every smartphone has a browser preinstalled and if you don't like the stock browser for one reason or the other you can install any of the other common browser like chrome, Firefox, opera... all free in the Google play store.

Browsers have nothing to do with phone's ability to connect to internet. I'm sure every smartphone will have a WI-FI so you will have a choice to use that of to use the mobile internet if you turn on the mobile data on your phone (it's recommended to have some sort of data plan for that or its gonna be expensive). If you switch on both mobile and Wi-Fi, the phone will automatically use the later, when the Wi-Fi becomes unavailable, it will switch to the mobile data.

No need for dual sims to use Internet. Mobile data plan can be added to any existing number. I'm for example on AIS and when I need mobile internet, I enter one of the codes depending on my needs, see the screenshot.

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[sotsira]

Thanks, sotsira.

The more I read the more I realize how ignorant I am about mobile technology. Some things come to mind:

- Would a dual sim phone work better for me since the wife's phone is always on?

- I have broadband internet and wi-fi in the house

If you google HTC dual sim or any other brand you may want you can get all the specifications

and then compare which phone suits your needs.

I know the HTC Desire V, SV and VC are all dual sim phones.

For me, physical size (i don't like large phones) and camera qaulity play a big part in phone selection.

[klikster]

Hello Shurup,

As mentioned earlier, I am pretty ignorant about mobile phone technology .. less so about the web and websites. I am assuming that I needed a data plan for browsing the web. I only want to browse the web to test a few new websites designed for mobile.

As the phone is for my wife, who uses DTAC pay-as-you go, having a data plan might get more expensive? Not sure.

Do you think it's possible to connect to my desktop with usb and browse offline?

[Shurup]

No you don't need a data plan to browse the web, it will work fine on the Wi-Fi.

I'm also on the pay as you go but when I need internet I buy a package according to my needs, sometimes just for one day, sometimes for a week. I'm sure DTac has similar plans, check their web site, but as I said already it's only an option, useful if you want to stay connected at all time...

Think of a modern smartphone as of a portable computer, it can do a lot more than making a phone call or sending a SMS as phones of 15 years ago could do.

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Edited April 12, 2013 by Shurup

[Rogue33]

I would recommend the Samsung Galaxy Grand as another member suggested previously :

Large screen 5"

Good specs

Google Play (Android Market) : translation app, Thai-English dictionary

Have an internet browser so you can surf the net using your Wi-Fi connection

Reasonably priced around 11-12 000 baths if I'm right. You can purchase it at Samsung Store/Power Buy....

This is a link for the Samsung Galaxy Grand specs

http://www.samsung.com/th/consumer/mobile-devices/smartphone/android-os/GT-I9082MBATHL

[guzzi850m2]

Why not go for one of the Thai IQ phones, top of the range IQ6 is something like under 9000 bath.

I am having problems with my Samsung Note1 phone and if they can't fix it at Tuk.com I will be

looking into a IQ6 as a replacement.

I am never gonna spend +20K bath on a phone again despite my Note is(was) a very nice piece of kit.

[sumrit]

P.S. Apps are all the same on all android phones, downloaded from the Google play store so they're not tied to any particular brand. Only exception is a few apps made by phone manufacturers, but they're really just a few apps that I won't even worry about.

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Not strictly true. I have an HTC Rhyme and an HTC Wildfire S while my wife has a Samsung Galaxy GT-S5830 and a Galaxy Tab2 while my daughter has a Galaxy Grand. There's a few apps that aren't available on either the Wildfire or Galaxy GT-S that are available on the other three.

Both the Galaxy GT-S and Wildfire were cheaper phones and are about two years old.

I was assuming the reason was because the cheaper phones were running older versions of Android that aren't compatible with some newer apps so other 'cheaper' phones might fall into the same bracket, but when I looked both HTC's are running the same Android 2.35 software versions so now I'm not sure.

I don't know exactly what other apps my wife hasn't been able to download but I do remember one was a particular Thai TV app.

Edited April 23, 2013 by sumrit

[Shurup]

like I said there would be some manufacturer (and model) specific apps that may not be available on Google Play, but there are really just a few of them, most of the apps are available from google play for any android phone. some newer apps like games may not be available to one or another phone but that's due to phone specs (not being fast enough to run a game), also some apps are location specific and may be available in one country but not the other, there are a workaround however.

I think some apps may not be on google play but may be on other sites (like that Thai TV app). it may be available for download from elsewhere and thankfully android will let you install the apps from other sites, not just google play (android 1/ iphone 0 ), this option needs to be enabled in phone options though.

That's the name of that Thai TV app by the way? I'll want to know when my GF switches to Android from her ipoofone

[sumrit]

I think some apps may not be on google play but may be on other sites (like that Thai TV app). it may be available for download from elsewhere and thankfully android will let you install the apps from other sites, not just google play

That's the name of that Thai TV app by the way? I'll want to know when my GF switches to Android from her ipoofone

The Thai TV app was downloaded from Google Play. There's loads of apps available on Google play. I don't know the name of this one. I just searched for Thai TV. It's the second on the list and has a picture of a TV with the Thai flag on it and the word Thai (written in Thai) across it. My wife likes it because it has channel seven as well and most others apparently don't. It's also got several English speaking channels so I can use it while I'm sitting around waiting for her while she's shopping. My daughter says the first one on the list is also very good.