Android recommendations Straight Talk

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PointandClick

Limp Gawd
Joined
Dec 6, 2008
Messages
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My wife and I are considering trying out Straight Talk. $130+ a month for phones just isn't going to work for us. I just got my iPhone this past January. The only reason I decided to bite the bullet is because the plan I'm on with my family is the old Altel plan so I got it for $20/month. Honestly to me that is still too much for internet on a phone, but I digress...

I don't really keep up with phones so I'm looking for some Android recommendations for my wife. She's mainly concerned with having a good camera (so she'll stop stealing mine). Other than that all she'll really do is Facebook and that junk. Something fairly responsive (dual core at least) and decent battery life would help.

I've heard widely varying opinions on ST. Some people love it and some not so much. The 2gb data cap isn't a concern. I rarely use more than a few hundred mb. My only concern is when we're traveling to see family.
 
It's basically prepaid through AT&T or T-Mobile. Find out who's better in your area and go from there...
 
It's not a contract so you have nothing to lose...I know what you mean, I hate paying so much for a phone...it wouldn't be so bad if it were unlimited and had fast speeds but it seems you have to pay out the butt and you only get one of those.

One thing to consider; per my father in law, apparently if you pay Straighttalk in advance your bill is a lot less (supposedly they will take something like $300 for an entire year versus $45 each month).

I don't know what is going to happen to Straighttalk though...it seems to me, all Tmobile or At&T have to do is either raise their rates to make ST go out of business or just deny them the towers anyway...
 
Adionik said:
It's basically prepaid through AT&T or T-Mobile. Find out who's better in your area and go from there...
Click to expand...

Well I already know we need the AT&T version. T-Mobile is pretty much no existent here.

I guess I should have been more clear. What are some AT&T/gsm Android phones I should be looking at. Like I said my wife's usage is pretty basic so she doesn't need the latest and greatest. Just something with a relatively good camera.

One thing to consider; per my father in law, apparently if you pay Straighttalk in advance your bill is a lot less (supposedly they will take something like $300 for an entire year versus $45 each month).
Click to expand...

How did he manage that? Their rates say $495/year which is less than $5 a month off.
 
Do you have a budget for your phone needs? I don't want to recommend something that is $600 if it's out of budget. Might want to consider a pair of Nexus 4s when they are available.
 
Medion said:
Do you have a budget for your phone needs? I don't want to recommend something that is $600 if it's out of budget. Might want to consider a pair of Nexus 4s when they are available.
Click to expand...

Sorry, that would be helpful eh :eek:

I think $300 would be as high as I would like to go. 200 would be better. I know that is going to limit the options quite a bit, but as I said she doesn't need the latest and greatest.

I'm locked into Verizon for another year+ so I'm going to wait and see how ST works out with hers and what Verizon does with the grandfathered plans. If ST works out for us I'll see what I can get for my 4s and jump ship then.
 
PointandClick said:
Sorry, that would be helpful eh :eek:

I think $300 would be as high as I would like to go. 200 would be better. I know that is going to limit the options quite a bit, but as I said she doesn't need the latest and greatest.

I'm locked into Verizon for another year+ so I'm going to wait and see how ST works out with hers and what Verizon does with the grandfathered plans. If ST works out for us I'll see what I can get for my 4s and jump ship then.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, $300 is very limiting. Most people look at the (on-contract) price of a phone and think that that's all they are worth. For example:

http://www.expansys-usa.com/samsung-galaxy-s-ii-android-smartphone-unlocked-16gb-209554/

The Galaxy S II is more than 18 months old, far from the latest and greatest. "Only" $470 contract-free. However, you can find them used around $300 on Ebay. Your best bet will be the LG Nexus 4, whenever Google Play gets them in stock, at $299 for 8GB or $349 for 16GB. A quality dual-core Android device with a decent camera will only be in the $200-$300 range if it's heavily used, banged up, or the seller doesn't know what they have. In this case, you might be able to find some used AT&T branded handsets that fit the bill. Or maybe Nexus 4 availability could drive the second-hand market down. When I was loosely considering the Nexus 4, someone offered me $325 for my Galaxy S II. Glad I didn't take it.
 
Wow really? I was under the impression that Android devices didn't hold their value as well as, say an iPhone. I'm perfectly fine with used, in fact that's what I was assuming since I have no clue where to get a new one in a reasonable price range.

There seem to be some S II's on fleabay in the $2-300 range. If I can get a new Nexus for 300 bucks though I would strongly consider that. I wasn't aware you could get devices through Google still.
 
Yup, at the price, nothing touches the Nexus 4. Unless you need MicroSD or LTE, or you just want to be on contract, it's the best value (when available).

As for used SGS2s, I highly recommend the international model over any carrier-branded versions. Even off contract, they'll be loaded with bloatware and will only get software updates if/when the former carrier approves it. The international model only has Google/Samsung software on it, is easier to remove bundled software without root, and gets better software update support.

Android devices in general don't hold their value as well as the iPhone does, but unbranded devices (like my SGS2) hold value very well. I'd be shocked if I can't still get at least $200 next fall when I do finally upgrade.
 
You can obviously get the Nexus 4 for $299+tax/shipping, or get a used Galaxy Nexus for about $200 in good condition.
 
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