When will the cheap Android/Linux phones appear?

rockofclay · 20th January 2010, 12:37 AM

Linux and android are free. Chinese phones are cheap. Why have the two never met?

I've been waiting forever for Chinese manufacturers to get on the android bandwagon. I'm really surprised it hasn't happened yet. They'll still go to the effort of producing proprietary firmware, yet they can't be bothered porting linux/android. It seems like they just don't want to release a device that's "hackable".

The same could be said about mp3 players.

Any thoughts?

Imitation · 20th January 2010, 2:52 AM

Dunno.. I've been of the same thought for a while now.

http://www.businessweek.com/technolo...018_508266.htm

Anyhow I'm sure a lot of us have seen these on ebay a million times:
http://mysciphone.com/
http://home.comcast.net/~plutarch/Sciphone-N12.html
http://modmygphone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6131
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/New-Wifi-Drea...item2c51779fed

Yes of course they're not in the same league as GNO.. not even comparable to Magic or G1. Slow processors, resistive touch screens, questionable build quality / warranty and support, high radiation output (?), bad signal quality (?), bad call quality (?), no 3G, etc.

But they're there. Maybe late 2011 / early 2012 we will have something from the Chinese we would all not be ashamed to own eg. better than Magic but not as good as GNO / Droid. 18 months from now, volumes will be up and prices will be down.. so anything's possible.

Anyway it better not happen soon cause I just ordered my Nexus One

figrin · 20th January 2010, 8:24 AM

China just started with 3G migration late last year. I would expect smartphone penetration to increase from now on, and you should see cheap knockoff starting soon.

BuuBox · 21st January 2010, 1:09 AM

China has their own 3G standard so they don't have to pay patent fees.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TD-SCDMA

fyrestorm · 21st January 2010, 4:05 PM

How cheap is cheap enough? There should be quite a few G1s and Magics on e-bay as people upgrade to the nexus one - 250 outright for a magic is not bad at all, or you could get one new on contract with 3 for $30 a month if you use a plan at all.

mikehol · 21st January 2010, 4:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Imitation

Anyhow I'm sure a lot of us have seen these on ebay a million times:
http://mysciphone.com/...
Yes of course they're not in the same league as GNO..

Only $119 delivered! Unfortunately they are not even real Android. Its a fake mock-up of the UI. Worthless junk.
Yes they run google apps, but so does a 3G phone that you can buy here for $99.

Imitation · 21st January 2010, 9:40 PM

N21

This is real. Same phones but with different badging. But again, it's resistive touch.

Moby Disc · 24th January 2010, 7:43 PM

I'm going to Hong Kong next month and perhaps China too. I'm currently using an older Nokia phone as my funny Chinese phone died. It was a freeby that my wife was given to her by a friend.

I'm keen to get another Chinese phone as they are different. I don't want an iPhone as everyone has one and they are too common.

So are there any Chinese phones someone can recommend?

BuuBox · 24th January 2010, 8:10 PM

The biggest problem I have with the generic Chinese mobiles is the lack of any SAR certification. Something to keep in mind.

Moby Disc · 27th January 2010, 6:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BuuBox

The biggest problem I have with the generic Chinese mobiles is the lack of any SAR certification. Something to keep in mind.

I just did a quick google search and SAR appears to be about radio emissions. Does certification really matter?

BuuBox · 27th January 2010, 10:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moby Disc

I just did a quick google search and SAR appears to be about radio emissions. Does certification really matter?

Every handset you purchase from a major manufacturer comes with SAR information and is tested to conform to U.S. and European specifications for safe radio emissions.

I've never seen such information at least readily available for generic Chinese handsets. As such, it's anyones guess as to how high (or low) their SAR output is.

Imitation · 28th January 2010, 12:30 AM

Yeah I'd rather not irradiate my head if I can help it.

20th January 2010, 12:37 AM	#1
rockofclay Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Melbourne, 3056 Posts: 1,139	When will the cheap Android/Linux phones appear? Linux and android are free. Chinese phones are cheap. Why have the two never met? I've been waiting forever for Chinese manufacturers to get on the android bandwagon. I'm really surprised it hasn't happened yet. They'll still go to the effort of producing proprietary firmware, yet they can't be bothered porting linux/android. It seems like they just don't want to release a device that's "hackable". The same could be said about mp3 players. Any thoughts?

21st January 2010, 1:09 AM	#4
BuuBox Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: Melbourne Posts: 6,424	China has their own 3G standard so they don't have to pay patent fees. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TD-SCDMA __________________ Desktop: Intel i7-3770K, ASRock Z77 Extreme6, Sapphire Radeon HD7970, 16GB DDR3, Plextor M5 Pro 256GB SSD, Seagate 2TB HDD, Antec 750W, LG 24" L246WHX Secondary PC: AMD Athlon XP 3200+, 2GB DDR1, ATI 1950 Pro 256MB, 150GB Raptor, Xubuntu 12.04 Trades: Too many to list. Hundreds. Atomic trusted trader: http://forums.atomicmpc.com.au/index...15&#entry12015

24th January 2010, 8:10 PM	#9
BuuBox Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: Melbourne Posts: 6,424	The biggest problem I have with the generic Chinese mobiles is the lack of any SAR certification. Something to keep in mind. __________________ Desktop: Intel i7-3770K, ASRock Z77 Extreme6, Sapphire Radeon HD7970, 16GB DDR3, Plextor M5 Pro 256GB SSD, Seagate 2TB HDD, Antec 750W, LG 24" L246WHX Secondary PC: AMD Athlon XP 3200+, 2GB DDR1, ATI 1950 Pro 256MB, 150GB Raptor, Xubuntu 12.04 Trades: Too many to list. Hundreds. Atomic trusted trader: http://forums.atomicmpc.com.au/index...15&#entry12015

20th January 2010, 2:52 AM	#2
Imitation Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Posts: 2,839	Dunno.. I've been of the same thought for a while now. http://www.businessweek.com/technolo...018_508266.htm Anyhow I'm sure a lot of us have seen these on ebay a million times: http://mysciphone.com/ http://home.comcast.net/~plutarch/Sciphone-N12.html http://modmygphone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6131 http://cgi.ebay.com.au/New-Wifi-Drea...item2c51779fed Yes of course they're not in the same league as GNO.. not even comparable to Magic or G1. Slow processors, resistive touch screens, questionable build quality / warranty and support, high radiation output (?), bad signal quality (?), bad call quality (?), no 3G, etc. But they're there. Maybe late 2011 / early 2012 we will have something from the Chinese we would all not be ashamed to own eg. better than Magic but not as good as GNO / Droid. 18 months from now, volumes will be up and prices will be down.. so anything's possible. Anyway it better not happen soon cause I just ordered my Nexus One

20th January 2010, 8:24 AM	#3
figrin Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Sydney Posts: 2,963	China just started with 3G migration late last year. I would expect smartphone penetration to increase from now on, and you should see cheap knockoff starting soon.

21st January 2010, 4:05 PM	#5
fyrestorm Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Beautiful Adeladie Posts: 588	How cheap is cheap enough? There should be quite a few G1s and Magics on e-bay as people upgrade to the nexus one - 250 outright for a magic is not bad at all, or you could get one new on contract with 3 for $30 a month if you use a plan at all.

21st January 2010, 9:40 PM	#7
Imitation Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Posts: 2,839	N21 This is real. Same phones but with different badging. But again, it's resistive touch.

24th January 2010, 7:43 PM	#8
Moby Disc Member Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: My home Posts: 1,910	I'm going to Hong Kong next month and perhaps China too. I'm currently using an older Nokia phone as my funny Chinese phone died. It was a freeby that my wife was given to her by a friend. I'm keen to get another Chinese phone as they are different. I don't want an iPhone as everyone has one and they are too common. So are there any Chinese phones someone can recommend?

28th January 2010, 12:30 AM	#12
Imitation Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Posts: 2,839	Yeah I'd rather not irradiate my head if I can help it.