Slashdot Mirror


$30 Unlocked Android Smartphones To Launch in India This Month (factordaily.com)

Several Indian smartphone manufacturers including Micromax, Intex and Lava plan to unveil a slew of Android smartphones priced around $30 in the coming weeks, Indian news outlet FactorDaily reported on Tuesday. These handsets would run Android Oreo Go, a lite version of Google's mobile operating system first unveiled last year. The report sheds light on India's smartphone market: With cheap smartphones, Google and the phone vendors hope to ride the wave of mass scale internet access on mobile phones in India. From a monthly consumption of 20 crore (200 million) GB of data about 16 months ago, Indians now consume over 150 crore (1.5 billion) GB a month making the country No. 1 among mobile data consuming countries. Much of this change is credited to aggressive data pricing plans by Reliance Jio, which launched services in September 2016.

82 comments

  1. Re:And it's considered a premium phone by Joce640k · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Don't worry, you'll still be able to gloat from your parent-provided basement.

    --
    No sig today...
  2. 500 million yahoo account hacker CAUGHT!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Heads up. You will hear this soon, maybe make this a HEADLINE on /. ? or fuck your thread burying bullshit.
    https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/cyber/igor-anatolyevich-sushchin

    1. Re:500 million yahoo account hacker CAUGHT!!! by bazmail · · Score: 1

      Last years news, TODAY!!!


      Thanks for that slick.

    2. Re:500 million yahoo account hacker CAUGHT!!! by jfdavis668 · · Score: 1

      This is slashdot. Sometimes it's a little slow.

  3. The West is so fucked by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    2018 and I'm still worrying about not exceeding my (already expensive) mobile data plan. Entrenched monopolies and state protectionism in Western countries mean we're not getting enough affordable connectivity for the next decades. Tech is going to migrate to countries like India where affordable infrastructure is being built.

    1. Re:The West is so fucked by bazmail · · Score: 5, Informative

      Nope, not "The West". It's only in the US where people get fisted like that. I pay 30 bucks a month for unlimited data/calls. If I dont like the service I can get a similar deal with 4 other carriers. It's called competition.

    2. Re:The West is so fucked by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, not only "The US". I pay 50 Euros for 6 GB of Data.
      Americans equaling the US with 'The West' is just as bad as anybody else equaling their state of being as 'Everybody except the US'.

    3. Re: The West is so fucked by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Mobile data is pauperâ(TM)s data: the Obamaphone phenomenon does not create new tech innovations. Mobile data is bread-and-circuses tier consumption and consumerism. Creating new tech takes a keyboard at the very least.

    4. Re: The West is so fucked by easyTree · · Score: 1

      Mobile data is paupers" data: the Obamaphone phenomenon does not create new tech innovations. Mobile data is bread-and-circuses tier consumption and consumerism. Creating new tech takes a keyboard at the very least.

      Someone should invent tethering then your comment would be little more than a disguised cultural slur from a position of weakness, using a metric of outcome-quality-per-dollar-spent.

    5. Re:The West is so fucked by e70838 · · Score: 2

      I am french paying 10€ for 20GB.

    6. Re:The West is so fucked by 110010001000 · · Score: 3, Informative

      In the US you also can pay around $45 US for unlimited from multiple providers. So I don't know what he is complaining about.

    7. Re:The West is so fucked by maybe111 · · Score: 1

      If you have Comcast as a cable company, you can get free unlimited text/voice and 100mb data for up to 5 phones ... with xfinity mobile: http://xfinitymobile.com/ ... then pay for extra data...

    8. Re:The West is so fucked by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      We're not 100% fucked. We have MVNOs that sometimes have better deals for single lines (the major carrier plans usually beat them for group/family plans, though). H2O Wireless has unlimited plans for $20-$30, but they get throttled at some point.

      Christ, I wish a virtual ISP model would apply to Comcast and other ISPs. That could improve things quite a bit.

  4. Global mobile standard. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Why canâ(TM)t we have this? Why must there be so many different standards?

    1. Re:Global mobile standard. by bazmail · · Score: 2

      Try UTF-8.

    2. Re:Global mobile standard. by jellomizer · · Score: 1

      Every country is different.
      If India were to follow the US standards it would be too expensive for them to operate. If the US follows India's standards, we may be missing quality, or the consumer protections that we demand.

      --
      If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
  5. What's with the stupid units? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    1 crore appears to be 10 million, i.e. 10^7. It's a number superstition thing, isn't it?

    1. Re:What's with the stupid units? by _merlin · · Score: 2

      It comes from the traditional Indian names for powers of ten. We follow the French system which goes "thousand" (10^3), "million" (10^6), etc. on powers of 10^3 In India, the first major division happens at 10^5, the "lakh", and it's every 10^2 from there onwards - 10^7 is the "crore", 10^9 is the "arab", then the next ones with special names are 10^15 the "padma" and 10^17 the "shankh". So when you're doing digit grouping, you group every two digits past 10^5, e.g. 1,23,45,678 (yeah, the asymmetry with the last three digits is a bit weird). It's nothing to do with superstition, just different traditional names for powers of ten. There's some info at Wikipedia. Note that India isn't the only country that doesn't think in powers of 10^3 - in Japan, the first major division happens at 10^4 (the "man").

  6. translating for the rest of the world.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    their current data usage is 1.4 exabytes per month

    1. Re:translating for the rest of the world.. by easyTree · · Score: 1

      their current data usage is 1.4 exabytes per month

      each? I've got a way to go before before I get such value from my unlimited mobile data plan!

      /me goes to YouTube...

  7. Re:Why I am so fucked by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Could be worse, comrade. Your destination needs paved roads, trains with adequate seating inside - not on top - and rivers without dead bodies floating down them.

    https://www.chinasmack.com/fil...

  8. news next month: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    production in india down 10%, people getting run over up 50%

  9. Why can't we have these in the US? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    There is definitely a market for cheap handsets here. Not everyone lives in LA, SF, NYC, or Austin, and has the dosh to buy a new iPhone X or whatever Apple is selling on release date. In fact, most of the country is barely getting by, with the best times in memory all behind them.

    It isn't like phone tech is improving by leaps and bounds anyway. Any phone made recently has a decent front and back camera, and Android makers have decent fingerprint scanners. Hell, Android has had FaceID since around 2013, with the ability for the phone to ask the person to blink, which is a security technique that hasn't been gotten around yet.

    As for CPUs, if apps didn't continue to be such bloated pigs, there wouldn't be a need for octocores on up, with bigger devices needed for more surface area for cooling.

    As for storage, 16-32 gig internal, then a MicroSD card slot. This way, if someone wants 400 gigs of storage, that is easily accomplished.

    None of this is rocket science here. The only thing that really is an obstacle is selling the devices in the US is the fact that companies think every Tom, Dick, and Harry can blow quad digits for a phone... which is not true.

    1. Re:Why can't we have these in the US? by Salgak1 · · Score: 3, Interesting

      . . .which is why I use old tech. My current phone is a refurbed Samsung Galaxy S5. With a 64 GB SD card. It does more than I ask it to do, so it's fine. I still really don't understand people who ***insist*** on paying the Bleeding Edge Tax. . .

    2. Re:Why can't we have these in the US? by Nidi62 · · Score: 1

      There is definitely a market for cheap handsets here. Not everyone lives in LA, SF, NYC, or Austin, and has the dosh to buy a new iPhone X or whatever Apple is selling on release date. In fact, most of the country is barely getting by, with the best times in memory all behind them.....None of this is rocket science here. The only thing that really is an obstacle is selling the devices in the US is the fact that companies think every Tom, Dick, and Harry can blow quad digits for a phone... which is not true.

      Here you go. Unlocked phones for as little as $40. Sorry to spoil your rant.

      --
      The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for it to be pitted against a slightly greater evil
    3. Re:Why can't we have these in the US? by amalcolm · · Score: 2

      I agree. I bought a second-hand S6 edge about 6 months ago for around £200 from Amazon. It was unlocked and I found a 128GB internal model as not all apps will install to an external SD card (I have LOTS of apps installed, still have ~80GB free). Together with a Virgin unlimited data plan for which I pay £11 a month, I get all I need from a mobile (phone)/computer for limited outlay.

      --
      Time for bed, said Zebedee - boing
    4. Re:Why can't we have these in the US? by Dan+East · · Score: 2

      There is definitely a market for cheap handsets here.

      None of this is rocket science here. The only thing that really is an obstacle is selling the devices in the US is the fact that companies think every Tom, Dick, and Harry can blow quad digits for a phone... which is not true.

      What? Have you never visited the prepaid phone section in Walmart or any other dollar store?

      https://www.walmart.com/c/kp/p...

      --
      Better known as 318230.
    5. Re:Why can't we have these in the US? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Check out the Nokia 2: it's $90, not quite as cheap, but on the other hand it's premium build quality, reputable and serious manufacturer, and guaranteed OS and security updates.

    6. Re:Why can't we have these in the US? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What? Have you never visited the prepaid phone section in Walmart or any other dollar store?

      I don't know about the original poster, but I can count on two fingers (using binary) the number of times I've been to a WallyWorld. I need three fingers if I include ASDA.

      For one, the closest is at least 30 minutes away. For another, I have no interest in their Made-in-China-Loss-Leader-Lure-The-Suckers-Into-The-Store-Then-Upsell-Everything-Else-At-Higher-Prices-Than-Everywhere-Else product mix.

      The fat, pajama-wearing fuck that almost ran me over in the mall parking lot just so she could ask me where the nearest WallyWorld was (ten miles that-a-way) didn't exactly add to my impression of WallyWorld either.

    7. Re:Why can't we have these in the US? by Oswald+McWeany · · Score: 1

      There is definitely a market for cheap handsets here. Not everyone lives in LA, SF, NYC, or Austin, and has the dosh to buy a new iPhone X or whatever Apple is selling on release date. In fact, most of the country is barely getting by, with the best times in memory all behind them.....None of this is rocket science here. The only thing that really is an obstacle is selling the devices in the US is the fact that companies think every Tom, Dick, and Harry can blow quad digits for a phone... which is not true.

      Here you go. Unlocked phones for as little as $40. Sorry to spoil your rant.

      I got my kids $30 phones from cricket when we signed up. Capable little phones too, LGs, nothing breath-taking, but I didn't want them having powerful phones.

      --
      "That's the way to do it" - Punch
    8. Re:Why can't we have these in the US? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Fail. You cared enough to respond to my post.

    9. Re:Why can't we have these in the US? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This is why I buy Xiaomi tech directly from China. They offer premium phones at a much better price. I'm getting nearly two of days battery life out of my Redmi 4x. Meanwhile my friends and family are having to plug into those stupid external chargin bricks after a just few hours away from their charging point.

    10. Re:Why can't we have these in the US? by Actually,+I+do+RTFA · · Score: 1

      I still really don't understand people who ***insist*** on paying the Bleeding Edge Tax. . .

      I don't understand them, but I'm thankful for them defraying R&D costs so I don't have to.

      --
      Your ad here. Ask me how!
    11. Re:Why can't we have these in the US? by 110010001000 · · Score: 1

      Amazingly there is this new invention called a website where you don't need to travel to the store.

    12. Re:Why can't we have these in the US? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      respond != care

    13. Re:Why can't we have these in the US? by 110010001000 · · Score: 2

      Amazingly, you can get products shipped to the US from other countries! Go to Aliexpress and get a $35 Android smartphone delivered to your door. There are tons to choose from. Even more amazing is you can go to exotic stores in the US like "Best Buy" and get $50 unlocked phones! I know. Amazing.

    14. Re:Why can't we have these in the US? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      What? Have you never visited the prepaid phone section in Walmart or any other dollar store?

      I don't know about the original poster, but I can count on two fingers (using binary) the number of times I've been to a WallyWorld.

      You are of course free to not go to WalMart. If that is your choice, then don't complain that phone plans cost a fortune. They cost a fortune for you because you refuse to go to the places that sell them for a low price.

      The fat, pajama-wearing fuck that almost ran me over in the mall parking lot just so she could ask me where the nearest WallyWorld was (ten miles that-a-way) didn't exactly add to my impression of WallyWorld either.

      I used to dislike WalMart. Then I had to listen to coworkers talk like you do. The and smug sense of superiority some people have just because they don't shop at WalMart is far more disgusting to me than anything WalMart does.

    15. Re:Why can't we have these in the US? by tsqr · · Score: 2

      I agree. I bought a second-hand S6 edge about 6 months ago for around £200 from Amazon. It was unlocked and I found a 128GB internal model as not all apps will install to an external SD card

      Interesting, but irrelevant. None of the S6 models can accommodate an SD card.

    16. Re:Why can't we have these in the US? by Urinal+Pube · · Score: 1

      Your phone actually does everything and more than the majority of 2017 flagship phones.

    17. Re:Why can't we have these in the US? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There is definitely a market for cheap handsets here. Not everyone lives in LA, SF, NYC, or Austin, and has the dosh to buy a new iPhone X or whatever Apple is selling on release date.

      I'm in America and one of the bigger cities, though not on the list. I just bought a Blue R2 LTE to replace an older motorola with a cracked screen. It has the newest Android and oddly excellent battery life, but is a bit slow. Also doesn't have gorilla glass, though the glass is curved. (That is all I can find in the description.) I started to buy an R1 and noticed the newer model and got the R2, without checking the glass.

      At any rate, it may have spyware, but it is not likely US spyware, so that is something. It was also, only $109. Furthermore the 5.2" screen still results in something you can easily pocket.

      Basically I can deal with the slight slowness. I just wish they stuck with gorilla glass, well that and made a protective case with QI charging built in cleanly.

    18. Re:Why can't we have these in the US? by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 1

      That's amazing! You wouldn't happen to have a list of stores which sell those so-called "websites" by any chance?

      --
      #DeleteFacebook
  10. Re:Core? by ChunderDownunder · · Score: 2

    Well let *us* not. But remember it's an article written by Indians about Indians for an Indian audience that just happened to be picked up by Slashdot. And it seems crore is culturally a unit predating the colonial dissemination of English in that region.

  11. Smart move by Google by Ayano · · Score: 1

    They're getting smartphones to those who couldn't otherwise afford it. As India grows, they'll have a smart phone preference. I equate this to free cigs for soldiers in WWII except in this case it isn't free, but cheap and affordable; for some this could be a week's pay, and within reach.

    You can say a bunch of things about google, but getting these handsets to the cheapness of $30 opens a lot of windows for those who had none before.

    --
    I don't read AC
    1. Re:Smart move by Google by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You can say a bunch of things about google, but getting these handsets to the cheapness of $30 opens a lot of windows for those who had none before.

      In the same way Facebook opened the internet up for the developing world with internet.org? Do you really think this is altruism?

    2. Re:Smart move by Google by darthsilun · · Score: 1

      but getting these handsets to the cheapness of $30 opens a lot of windows for those who had none before.

      Opening what kind of windows though? This isn't the same as One Laptop Per Child sort of goodness. (And look at how little that has accomplished.) This is purely about getting data-consuming devices into more hands.

    3. Re:Smart move by Google by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This is purely about getting data-consuming devices into more hands.

      because poor people don't really count as people. You deserve only the best, but people that you don't know are just greedy assholes out to steal your video game console

    4. Re:Smart move by Google by Ayano · · Score: 1

      Well one-laptop-per-child was attempting make the power of a laptop affordable, but a laptop needs more power to do useful work than a smart phone does to do its primary function.

      Now I assume that they already have some kind of old cheap flip-phones, but a basic smart phone has a few more features, and increased portability. The ability for instance to take a photo with an affordable hand-held device that you would normally have on you (phone vs dedicated camera) can make a world of difference in rural areas to document some abuses.

      --
      I don't read AC
    5. Re:Smart move by Google by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 1

      getting these handsets to the cheapness of $30 opens a lot of windows

      What's the point of buying a $30 smartphone if the browser doesn't have a pop-up blocker?

      --
      #DeleteFacebook
    6. Re:Smart move by Google by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      the cheapness of $30 opens a lot of windows for those who had none before

      On a $30 device, they probably can't open "a lot" of windows. Sure, one or two maybe.

    7. Re:Smart move by Google by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      But other people will be able to I bet.....

  12. Cheapest Android smartphone is $20 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The cheapest Android smartphone I can find on Alibaba is $17 wholesale. But spend a few dollars more and you can get a passable 1GbRAM, MTK6735WM Quad Core Cortex A7 model with a passable 5 inch screen for $20.

    http://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Cheapest-Smartphone-4g-Free-Shipping-LEAGOO_60643252407.html?spm=a2700.7724838.2017115.1.106dab681KIJ2S

    So PRICE is not the issue for Android phones, they usually give me one free with the data plan. It's the ongoing data plan cost thats the obstacle.

    If you wanted a smartphone would you buy a refurbishes Samsung S3 or this phone that doesn't even run a full Android? But heck, another flop and perhaps Pichai will get the boot, and we can finally get a decent version of Android, instead of his endless attempts to cripple it in favor of ChromeOS.

  13. Re:Why I am so fucked by rahulkaitian · · Score: 1

    Could be worse, comrade. Your destination needs paved roads, trains with adequate seating inside - not on top - and rivers without dead bodies floating down them.

    https://www.chinasmack.com/fil...

    That's a good deliberate attempt to malign India's image. Images are not untrue. But that percentage is low. We have beautiful cities and sceneries too. Search for Leh ladakh and Kerala in google and see yourself. I will not give any link to mark my words. Try searching "Incredible India" or "Beutiful India". In India- you get what you search+ few more .

  14. The important question by rundgong · · Score: 1

    The important question is, why can't we have this on high-end devices?

    I'm sure a lot of people would prefer a simple OS over the normal "bloat edition", even if they have good hardware.

    1. Re:The important question by 140Mandak262Jamuna · · Score: 1

      Of course you can have this. Get a phone from Google, not from other manufacturers who load the bloat. Install just one or two really important Apps, like WhatsApp and Duck-Duck-Go privacy enhanced browser, and nothing else. Turn off all the google assist and other random things pushed by Google. Your phone will be great and long battery life.

      --
      sed -e 's/Chuck Norris/Rajnikant/g' joke > fact
    2. Re:The important question by Actually,+I+do+RTFA · · Score: 2

      Your suggestion for a minimal install includes Facebook software?

      --
      Your ad here. Ask me how!
  15. Re: And it's considered a premium phone by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Still makes more sense than launching a Tesla.

  16. Re:Why I am so fucked by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    And I thought Detroit was bad. This place you call home is a sewer, a cemetary, and things I can't put into words because it is too unreal.

    How can it be that none of you can see it today, never mind that last few thousand years?

  17. Re:Core? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    That's C_r_ore. Too bad there's no way to look things up from your smart phone.

    That'll be 2£ 10s 6d, but for you we'll make it an even $20.

  18. Re:Core? by Oswald+McWeany · · Score: 1

    Please let's not start using new or obscure unitz of measurement that provid no significant improvement over currently popular units.

    In this case, one could say Crore is probable better than Billion as a unit because it can be expressed as a clean number "150" that is short an concise without needing decimal places. Also, 1/6th of the world's population use the term "Crore" that hardly makes it obscure. That's a higher percentage of the world than uses terms such as "miles" or "pounds (weight)" or "feet" or "furloughs per cubic quart".

    --
    "That's the way to do it" - Punch
  19. still profitable at 30$ by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    considering an ARM chip is a few bucks to make , i'm not surprised , the big phone manuf. have been gouging big time following apple , and this is why i dumped samsung for a huawei at half the price for better handset.

  20. Intex already do a $25 phone by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "but getting these handsets to the cheapness of $30", they're already under $30. e.g. Intex will discount you a phone for 1600 rupees (i.e. $25) as long as you top up with $30 worth of data over the next 18 months. This is slightly cheaper than Jio's plan (mentioned above) that works out to about $30/year +$30 for the phone... except Intex's phone runs full Android 7 and comes with 1GB or RAM, so its a more attractive product than a cut down Android version. There's no price saving here, Ram is a mask printed onto silicon, 512MB, 1GB, it's all the same cost.

    Those who forget "Windows for emerging markets" are deemed to repeat its stupidity.

  21. Re:Core? by Edward+Nardella · · Score: 0

    This is what I get for posting while I am barely awake.

    --
    My sig doesn't address Anons, sigs aren't visible to them.
  22. What I want... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    A $30 phone that makes phone calls, and can send and receive text messages. It should also have a display with a clock so I can use it as a pocket watch. Also make it look like a Star Trek (The Original Series) communicator. Then offer an unlimited call and texting plan for $10-15 a month.

    I bet there are tons of people that would buy something like this.

    1. Re:What I want... by 110010001000 · · Score: 1

      I could only find $10 ones: https://www.aliexpress.com/cat...

  23. Re:Core? by wed128 · · Score: 1

    but...a quart is a unit of volume. why would I need to cube it?

  24. Re:Why I am so fucked by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Still a shithole.

  25. That makes no sense. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It is just bits, ones and zeros. Why the world cannot coalesce on common transmission standards for common communications is mind boggling.

    1. Re:That makes no sense. by jellomizer · · Score: 1

      Actually it is an analog single simulating the abstract concepts of bits. Which can degrade, get lost and how such changes and differences approaches to dealing with the issues can be well open to debate.
      If you want cheap then if the bits get lost then the get lost. If you want expensive you have the bits being processed differently.

      --
      If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
  26. Re:Core? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Yes, indian sources often use crore. and lakh, too.

  27. Re:Why I am so fucked by ncc74656 · · Score: 1

    Just make sure you stay away from the designated shitting streets, which are apparently a thing. :-P

    --
    20 January 2017: the End of an Error.
  28. Re:Core? by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 1

    Funny, I'm 65 and I've never seen any volume knob labelled in quarts.

    --
    #DeleteFacebook
  29. Android Phones costs 18 dollar on aliexpress by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    After a quick search on aliexpress I found Samsung Galaxy Ace S5830 for $18 including shipping

    https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Unlock-S5830i-Samsung-Galaxy-Ace-S5830-Original-Android-5MP-WIFI-GPS-Unlocked-Mobile-Phone-Free-Shipping/32833661825.html

    1. Re:Android Phones costs 18 dollar on aliexpress by ChunderDownunder · · Score: 1

      A 7 year old phone running Gingerbread?

      Be serious.

  30. Re: Why I am so fucked by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Try searching for âoeKerala slums.â
    The images are not untrue because most of India lives in appalling poverty resulting from socially-accepted, systematic corruption and misgovernment. Cheating is deeply ingrained in every aspect of Indian society: cheating in school, cheating on taxes, cheating in any way possible. A sociey without integrity and honor will never rise above the filth in which it rolls.

  31. the most desperate person in the whole world by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Fail. You cared enough to respond to my post.

    This is your idea of "care"? You must be the most lonely loser on the whole planet

  32. $30USD to $100USD by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Most of them are chinese brand phones, and would need jailbreaking/exploits to actually be secure/not spy on you, but there are phones for sale out there in that price range.

    The problem however is you need the right tech stores to supply them.

    Fry's Electronics and Microcenter often carry these. Some Walmarts *MIGHT* carry these, but the majority of the phones are NOT on the major provider's services. They are on SimpleTouch, MetroPCS, etc. The irony of the matter is, most of these phones are similiar cpu/memory specs to the 100+ dollar big brand phones, the only weak facets being the cameras or display, neither of which are low enough resolution to not still beat out half of the 100-200 dollar phones from even a couple years ago.

    Look around and you CAN find them, although the more rural the town, the fewer choices you have, which might result in needing to leverage a friend in another town to hit that pricepoint.

    Maybe it is time to start two way supply chains between rural America and urban america. Help get cheap tech out to the rural areas while helping get cheap chemicals, food, etc back to the urban populace, without all the middlemen fixing prices.

  33. Note to Americans by aliquis · · Score: 1

    If you buy a phone which haven't been locked down then it's not an unlocked phone. It's a phone without any locks. Or just a phone.

    Only locked down phones can be unlocked.

  34. Re:And it's considered a premium phone by lsatenstein · · Score: 1

    He is providing the 5mhz service at a fraction of the cost and at a better bandwidth than any American ISP (Put your top 10 names here).

    Pretty soon, he will do the same in the USA, buying infrastructure from the top 10, and then wam bam bang, he will offer a service coast to coast to compete with V,C,A,G and whoever else.

    --
    Leslie Satenstein Montreal Quebec Canada