# Cost-effective PAYG phone with useable Interweb / GPS ?



## gentlegreen (Sep 15, 2011)

Since I rarely vanishingly rarely actually use it for calls, my current 4 year old £25 phone with its painfully crap web access is almost dead weight in my bag - since I can no longer USB or Bluetooth photos I've taken off it ...

I'm not interested in blowing money on a Smartphone, but I am becoming interested in accurately logging my cycle rides and having a device that can help me find my way to places as well as actually get me usable web access in my tent.

A device that can take reasonable photos and also store several GB of audio would be a bonus, but I'm guessing that's a given these days. As a guide, my still camera is a Nikon S6

Is there a half way house ?


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## UnderAnOpenSky (Sep 15, 2011)

Is it just cost that's stopping you?

This rebranded ZTE has been getting good reviews and has features normally found on phones hundreds of pounds more. Micro SD cards are cheap as chips.


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## gentlegreen (Sep 15, 2011)

Global Stoner said:


> Is it just cost that's stopping you?
> 
> This rebranded ZTE has been getting good reviews and has features normally found on phones hundreds of pounds more. Micro SD cards are cheap as chips.



That looks very interesting. It would be a case of the features being good enough that I actually use the thing to justify the expense ...


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## UnderAnOpenSky (Sep 15, 2011)

Well it runs android, so you can load memory map onto to it, so you're not relient on a data connection in the hills.

Endomondo is what I use to log my runs, but works with bikes as well and creates a log online.

Edit: You can also flash it to remove the branding and have stock android on it as well.

If you're planning on running it all day as a GPS then you may also want to think about a spare battery.


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## ddraig (Sep 15, 2011)

yeah get a ZTe and a giffgaff sim
they are even bringing one out soon that you are allowed to tether too

i have used it for cycle logging, routes, as a map/gps at home and in france all last week
really didn't use much credit,
Sanfrancisco (Zte blade) phone cost £99 and have only topped up four times since May


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## gentlegreen (Sep 15, 2011)

Sounds like just the ticket - it'll take me a day or two to psyche myself up. 

About time I learned a bit about this sort of technology.


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## wemakeyousoundb (Sep 15, 2011)

how does the monte carlo compare to the san francisco features wise?
am thinking of going the giffgaff route, just still a bit broke at the moment.


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## Throbbing Angel (Sep 15, 2011)

I've been reading on modaco that people are generally finding the Monte Carlo unlockable, which surprised me after the mass unlockery of the SanFrancisco, unless that experience is what drove ZTE & Orange to produce what appears to be an, as yet, unlockable phone

so, please check out if the phone you like is able to be unlocked before getting your wallet/card out


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## gentlegreen (Sep 16, 2011)

Personally I don't care which network I'm on as long as it works. Unlocking phones is not something I know anything about. I'm on T-Mobile at the moment because it was the first phone shop I stumbled upon. Now they DO piss me off constantly texting me about the free texts I didn't use last time ...


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## UnderAnOpenSky (Sep 16, 2011)

If your going to payg route it makes sense to have it unlocked, so that you can test different sims.

The quality of data varies massivly from network to network depending where you live, so it can be worth testing a few.


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## ddraig (Sep 16, 2011)

gentlegreen said:


> Personally I don't care which network I'm on as long as it works. Unlocking phones is not something I know anything about. I'm on T-Mobile at the moment because it was the first phone shop I stumbled upon. Now they DO piss me off constantly texting me about the free texts I didn't use last time ...


it can be a bit of a pain but i worked it out from the guide drew posted 
helps recognise other networks en france too


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## skyscraper101 (Sep 16, 2011)

Throbbing Angel said:


> I've been reading on modaco that people are generally finding the Monte Carlo unlockable, which surprised me after the mass unlockery of the SanFrancisco, unless that experience is what drove ZTE & Orange to produce what appears to be an, as yet, unlockable phone
> 
> so, please check out if the phone you like is able to be unlocked before getting your wallet/card out



Really? Like completely unlockable, or just not simple using a code.

That sucks anyway. I love my San Fran, but only since having a 2.3 ROM installed and a giffgaff sim put in.


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## UnderAnOpenSky (Sep 16, 2011)

Moto were very strict at one point and they were still cracked.

Give cyanogenmod some time.


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## Throbbing Angel (Sep 16, 2011)

skyscraper101 said:


> Really? Like completely unlockable, or just not simple using a code.
> 
> That sucks anyway. I love my San Fran, but only since having a 2.3 ROM installed and a giffgaff sim put in.



That's what I read last month.
A lot of SF users over at modaco were eagerly awaiting the MonteCarlo but this problem of unlocking seems to have stopped a few from buying it
This might have changed in the last three weeks of course
It looked like quite a few were expecting the SF unlock methods to work
There was some comment that Orange were unhappy about the mass unlockery of the SF which could reasonably have proved expensive for them.After all, if people are unlocking their phones on day one and not buying Orange credit after that initial mandatory purchase, they are onto a loser.

If the MC was, or is now, unlockable, I'd buy one


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## Throbbing Angel (Sep 16, 2011)

Global Stoner said:


> Give cyanogenmod some time.


 
aye


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## UnderAnOpenSky (Sep 16, 2011)

How long till we see them as ZTE, they really need to do an HTC and stop branding phones for others.


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## Throbbing Angel (Sep 16, 2011)

I think this Orange 'partnership' is part of their plan to do just that


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## UnderAnOpenSky (Sep 16, 2011)

Aye, HTC were XDA for a long time.


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## skyscraper101 (Sep 16, 2011)

Perhaps if orange offered a competitive PAYG rate and stopped with all the crappy bloatware - people wouldn't feel the need to unlock their phones and shove off to giffgaff.


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## Throbbing Angel (Sep 16, 2011)

not enough money in it is there.

btw, giffgaff have just upped their call & text rates, as did Asda a few months ago, still v.cheap by comparison to the big guys though


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