# Orange San Francisco Android smartphone - just £90 in Argos



## editor (Feb 22, 2011)

This Android PAYG handset was already astonishing value for money, but now it's dropped to just £89.99 in Argos. 







The phone has a arge 800 x 480 pixels screen, 3MP camera, modest-but-capable 600MHz*processor and*WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR and GPS onboard, along with 3G+ and an FM radio.

If your budget is tight, this is an absolute bargain!

More info: http://www.wirefresh.com/orange-san-francisco-android-handset-yours-for-just-89-99-at-argos/

Argos: http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Produ...at_14419095|Orange+mobile+phones|14419098.htm


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## yield (Feb 22, 2011)

editor said:


> Argos: http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Produ...at_14419095|Orange+mobile+phones|14419098.htm



from link


> This handset must be purchased with £10 airtime, this will automatically be added to your transaction in store.


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## ovaltina (Feb 22, 2011)

That's £20 cheaper than I paid at the Orange shop. It's a great phone for the money.


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## editor (Feb 22, 2011)

yield: 





> Free £10 airtime voucher applied once this mobile phone is activated. Offer not available online, please add mobile to trolley to reserve for store pick-up. Offer ends 29th July 2011.


http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Produ...Orange+mobile+phones|14419098.htm#promotion_1



ovaltina said:


> That's £20 cheaper than I paid at the Orange shop. It's a great phone for the money.


Indeed. It's fantastic value for money.


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## RaverDrew (Feb 22, 2011)

Despite how they dress it up, Argos make you pay £10 extra for the top up that is applied once you register the Orange sim to the phone. You can also claim another £20 credit if you port a number from another network (ie.from a free or £1 sim from another network ) The orange payg tariffs are a rip off though so I wouldn't bother. Giffgaff and 3 offer the cheapest payg deals especially if you like to use data without worrying too much.

Can't speak highly enough of this phone, it is utterly brilliant in every way. So easy to unlock, root and customise (even for noobs). Also has a great community behind it including the excellent CyanogenMod. It outperforms phones that cost many times the price. It really has the wow factor.


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## editor (Feb 22, 2011)

Yep. It's an outrageously good phone for £90. Or a £100!


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## TruXta (Feb 22, 2011)

Is it tied to Orange? I've got a T-Mobile Pulse, which is all kinds of crap (still running 1.6????!!!?!?!??!), and is giving up the ghost after a year's use. I could really do with a new one, but can't really justify getting a Desire or something proper good.


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## RaverDrew (Feb 22, 2011)

TruXta said:


> Is it tied to Orange? I've got a T-Mobile Pulse, which is all kinds of crap (still running 1.6????!!!?!?!??!), and is giving up the ghost after a year's use. I could really do with a new one, but can't really justify getting a Desire or something proper good.


 
Takes a couple of minutes to unlock and debrand and costs nothing for the priveledge. There's an excellent (noob-friendly) guide here. http://orangesanfrancisco.co.uk/android/how-to-unlock-the-orange-san-francisco-zte-blade-for-free/

I'm running Android 2.2 on mine atm, although there is a stable 2.3 ROM out this week from CyanogenMod which is just having a few niggles ironed out atm. Will be ready to use properly very soon.


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## TruXta (Feb 22, 2011)

That looks laughably easy. Hmmmmmm, might have to look into buying this phone! Cheers RD


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## ovaltina (Feb 22, 2011)

If you're getting one I think the grey version might still come with an oled screen.


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## ernestolynch (Feb 22, 2011)

What's oled? I'm tempted, due to it's customisability.


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## RaverDrew (Feb 22, 2011)

ovaltina said:


> If you're getting one I think the grey version might still come with an oled screen.


 
The OLED stock all disappeared at the end of December/beginning of January. The tft screen is still stunning, really has to be seen.


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Feb 22, 2011)

Isn't it the same deal as on Amazon or is the Amazon one different?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Orange-San-Francisco-Android-Including/dp/B004GCGN5E/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1298393025&sr=8-1-fkmr0


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## RaverDrew (Feb 22, 2011)

Minnie_the_Minx said:


> Isn't it the same deal as on Amazon or is the Amazon one different?
> 
> http://www.amazon.co.uk/Orange-San-Francisco-Android-Including/dp/B004GCGN5E/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1298393025&sr=8-1-fkmr0



Same deal, Argos's stock is patchy however and they go very quickly.


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## rutabowa (Feb 22, 2011)

so right i have an orange sim card where i pay £15 a month for some calls and some texts... if i bought this phone, would i just put that sim in it? would i be able to internet with the phone?


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## RaverDrew (Feb 22, 2011)

rutabowa said:


> so right i have an orange sim card where i pay £15 a month for some calls and some texts... if i bought this phone, would i just put that sim in it? would i be able to internet with the phone?


 
Ring up Orange direct, if you are with them already and top up regularly they'll give you a discount and offer you the phone for £78.99


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## rutabowa (Feb 22, 2011)

cool... i would still be paying £15 a month though wouldn't i? I don't top up, it is just a month on month sim-only thing, i just have a monthly bill for £15 for lots of calls and unlimited texts.


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## Kid_Eternity (Feb 22, 2011)

Nice looking entry phone...


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## ovaltina (Feb 22, 2011)

RaverDrew said:


> The OLED stock all disappeared at the end of December/beginning of January. The tft screen is still stunning, really has to be seen.


 
Ah ok. I think there are going to be lots more smartphones in the £100 price range over the next year or so. The nokia bloke said he wants to release a £100 wp7, and zte have new models in the pipeline.


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## salem (Feb 22, 2011)

This phone is amazing. Honestly, it does everything I've ever asked of it and is slick to use to boot. It outperforms much more expensive phones and I really don't understand why anyone would pay £35/month for 2 years when they could pay £100 for this and a tenner a month with giffgaff and get much the same functionality.


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## Gingerman (Feb 22, 2011)

salem said:


> I really don't understand why anyone would pay £35/month for 2 years when they could pay £100 for this and a tenner a month with giffgaff and get much the same functionality.


Tell me about it


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## RaverDrew (Feb 22, 2011)

rutabowa said:


> cool... i would still be paying £15 a month though wouldn't i? I don't top up, it is just a month on month sim-only thing, i just have a monthly bill for £15 for lots of calls and unlimited texts.


 
You'd have to talk to them, some people have been successful getting the deal some others haven't. Just drop some subtle hints about thinking of leaving the network etc.


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## Cribynkle (Feb 22, 2011)

salem said:


> This phone is amazing. Honestly, it does everything I've ever asked of it and is slick to use to boot. It outperforms much more expensive phones and I really don't understand why anyone would pay £35/month for 2 years when they could pay £100 for this and a tenner a month with giffgaff and get much the same functionality.


What's happening with web browsing on giffgaff after 31st March? Their page says you get:



> Free UK web browsing on your handset until the 31 MAR 2011



What's it going to cost after this?


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## salem (Feb 22, 2011)

I don't know what it'll cost if I'm honest, they keep extending that date. I *think* that browsing will still be included with the more expensive goody bags but I'm not sure.

There's no contract though so easy enough to leave if it does get expensive.


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## Kid_Eternity (Feb 22, 2011)

It looks nice but not as slick as claimed going by the videos I've seen...might get it as a back up phone.


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## Cribynkle (Feb 22, 2011)

salem said:


> I don't know what it'll cost if I'm honest, they keep extending that date. I *think* that browsing will still be included with the more expensive goody bags but I'm not sure.
> 
> There's no contract though so easy enough to leave if it does get expensive.



Cool, I've never heard of them before. Will definitely be looking at going with them when my complete rip off Vodafone contract finishes


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## ovaltina (Feb 22, 2011)

Cribynkle said:


> What's happening with web browsing on giffgaff after 31st March? Their page says you get:
> 
> 
> 
> What's it going to cost after this?


 
I thought they had already finished the free browsing. You get it with a £10 top up anyway, along with 250 minutes to any network and 200 texts.


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## salem (Feb 22, 2011)

They are for now at least very very good. Owned by o2 so the network is fast - support is done by the community which so far has proven a lot more effective then the usual bollocks you get when phoning up a network.

And best of all very very cheap. Exact packages change but I rarely paid more then a tenner and I have previously had bills averaging £30 a month (SIM only with Orange!)


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## editor (Feb 22, 2011)

Kid_Eternity said:


> It looks nice but not as slick as claimed going by the videos I've seen...might get it as a back up phone.


Every time I've had a go with one I've found them to be incredibly slick given the price point. Of course you might come unstuck if you start trying to run ultra-demanding games etc, but for everyday functions, I think they're ace.


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## Kid_Eternity (Feb 22, 2011)

editor said:


> Every time I've had a go with one I've found them to be incredibly slick given the price point. Of course you might come unstuck if you start trying to run ultra-demanding games etc, but for everyday functions, I think they're ace.


 
The web browsing didn't look that slick, given that's a huge amount of what I use a phone for it has to be good.


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## mauvais (Feb 22, 2011)

I put Cyanogen (Android 2.3.2) on our Blades today and it made them very nice. A touch slow like, but tolerable.

It's interesting to see the effect of this thing (and a few others). The feature phone is essentially dead, apart from £10 Nokias, and ZTE are on the way to being a serious manufacturer.


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## lobster (Feb 22, 2011)

salem said:


> I don't know what it'll cost if I'm honest, they keep extending that date. I *think* that browsing will still be included with the more expensive goody bags but I'm not sure.
> 
> There's no contract though so easy enough to leave if it does get expensive.


 

http://community.giffgaff.com/t5/Blog/Data-pricing-update/ba-p/429379



> For those members who have been with giffgaff for a while you will be aware that the technology delivery of the pricing platform for data has been delayed…not once, not twice…ok, so a few times….so it probably won’t come as a surprise that it has been delayed again.  This means that free data will not stop at the end of February but instead free data will be extended until 31st March.  So one more month of free data.  (For a bit of fun, Vincent is going to hold a poll in the Community to see how likely you think us hitting that date is!).
> 
> 
> 
> Data charging will commence from the 1st April and we will send messages to all members to confirm this before the pricing goes live.  We will also let you know how much data you are currently using during a month, so you will be able to see how much it will cost once we charge for data.  To be clear this is specifically regarding data for members who do not have a goodybag or on the £5 goodybag.





> Overall our new proposal was received positively, so our aim is to implement it from 1st April.  So, for members who do not have a goodybag (or are on the £5 goodybag), data will be charged; 20p per MB, charged in kB of use (until 1MB is used), after this, data is free until you use over 20MB, when you will be charged 20p per MB thereafter.
> 
> 
> 
> Put in another way, 20p a day for 20 MB.  If you go over the 20MB, you will pay 20p per MB.  If you use a small amount of data, then don’t worry, there is a ramp up to the 20p, charged in KB.  The aim of this is suit members who do not buy goodybags and either use a little or a lot of data.  The percentage of customers using on average above 20MB per day is 7.6%.  This pricing strikes that balance for the majority of members and is competitive with the PAYG market.



I think its pretty straight forward 

Because they are not paying any money whatsoever for advertising online or offline, users can make money by introducing someone and helping out on the forums plus they give money to charity.


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## lobster (Feb 22, 2011)

editor said:


> Of course you might come unstuck if you start trying to run ultra-demanding games etc, but for everyday functions, I think they're ace.



I have played Asphalt 5 without any issues, ive seen NFS shift play too.  Both games are with custom froyo roms which have hardware acceleration enabled.


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## ViolentPanda (Feb 22, 2011)

TruXta said:


> That looks laughably easy. Hmmmmmm, might have to look into buying this phone! Cheers RD


 
It *is* "laughably easy" to unlock the phone, and almost as easy to root it and flash a ROM onto it. I managed it with absolutely no sweat, and I'd never dabbled with a smartphone previously.


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## ViolentPanda (Feb 22, 2011)

lobster said:


> http://community.giffgaff.com/t5/Blog/Data-pricing-update/ba-p/429379
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
I took this to mean that the £10+ goodybags will still have free data allowances, but am willing to be corrected.


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## ViolentPanda (Feb 22, 2011)

Finally managed to find a supplier of original ZTE Blade batteries too (on ebay, after seeing the seller recommended on Modaco), and bought myself a spare. A bit more expensive (£14.00 inc. postage) than the compatibles I've seen, but not too bad.


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## mauvais (Feb 23, 2011)

Giffgaff are just a nicer sounding front for O2 - not that O2 are especially evil or anything. Their data costs are structured differently but it's not that different to O2 - I pay (as you go) £10 a month for 500MB, but if I forget to top up then data costs me £1 a day.


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## Bob_the_lost (Feb 23, 2011)

I love my san frqncisco. Not quiye as cool as my colleagues desire but far far better value for money an quite a nice phone in general.

Now all i need to do is work out how to flash it with 2.2


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## cliche guevara (Feb 23, 2011)

ovaltina said:


> I thought they had already finished the free browsing. You get it with a £10 top up anyway, along with 250 minutes to any network and 200 texts.



250 minutes, unlimited texts and unlimited web on the £10 goodybag.



mauvais said:


> I put Cyanogen (Android 2.3.2) on our Blades today and it made them very nice. A touch slow like, but tolerable.
> 
> It's interesting to see the effect of this thing (and a few others). The feature phone is essentially dead, apart from £10 Nokias, and ZTE are on the way to being a serious manufacturer.



I tried CM7 over the weekend, and while it was very slick it's stilla bit buggy for everyday use, I had a couple of force closes and random reboots. I'm running the FLB-G2 ROM (Froyo) at the minute and it's awesome, got buckets of juice out of it and runs every game I've tried without a hitch.

I'm lsuting after a new phone, but finding it hard to justify it when the SF is doing me so well. It's hard to notice any difference in performance between this and the Desire once you've sorted out the right ROM. I might stick with the SF for a year or so and spend the money on a nice Honeycomb tablet instead.


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## cliche guevara (Feb 23, 2011)

Bob_the_lost said:


> I love my san frqncisco. Not quiye as cool as my colleagues desire but far far better value for money an quite a nice phone in general.
> 
> Now all i need to do is work out how to flash it with 2.2


 If you're already rooted then boot into recovery, backup, wipe, then flash this ROM: http://android.modaco.com/content/z...3154/rom-oled-tft-flb-froyo-g2-for-zte-blade/


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## Oswaldtwistle (Feb 23, 2011)

ovaltina said:


> I thought they had already finished the free browsing. You get it with a £10 top up anyway, along with 250 minutes to any network and 200 texts.


 
Extended to 31st March. 20p a day thereafter.

http://community.giffgaff.com/t5/Blog/Data-pricing-update/ba-p/429379


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## cliche guevara (Feb 23, 2011)

Oswaldtwistle said:


> Extended to 31st March. 20p a day thereafter.
> 
> http://community.giffgaff.com/t5/Blog/Data-pricing-update/ba-p/429379


 
There's been a lot of confusion and misinformation about this, so can we make it clear that *Goodybags* (except the £5 one) *are unaffected* and continue to get unlimited data.


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## Bob_the_lost (Feb 23, 2011)

Not rooted yet, took about five mins to unlock but that stumped me for a bit. Think i will wait for my new micro sd card then do it


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## ViolentPanda (Feb 24, 2011)

Bob_the_lost said:


> Not rooted yet, took about five mins to unlock but that stumped me for a bit. Think i will wait for my new micro sd card then do it



Good call, or you end up arsing about like I did, copying everything on your sd card to your pc, installing the new sd card, and then copying everything back to the phone. 

What are you putting in? I went for a 16gb, mainly because after reading through Modaco's OSF-specific pages, it seems like a lot of people have trouble with 32gb cards unless they're Sandisk.


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## ViolentPanda (Feb 24, 2011)

cliche guevara said:


> There's been a lot of confusion and misinformation about this, so can we make it clear that *Goodybags* (except the £5 one) *are unaffected* and continue to get unlimited data.


 
That's how I read it, too.


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## ViolentPanda (Feb 24, 2011)

BTW, I've tried out the ZTE-branded Blade replacement battery I got, doing the advised 16-hour first charge and it's fine. I may well buy one of the cheapo (£7) compatible batteries too and see how they compare.


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## London_Calling (Feb 24, 2011)

The SF has been £90 in Argos for a month or more, they just haven't had any in stock. What's more pertinent is that the phone is also now available in Orange shops for the same price and they do have stock - £20 top up though.

Just the naffest name of any phone ever.


eta. Oh I see, the thread is really about linkage and recycling old news.


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## Santino (Mar 3, 2011)

I've got myself one of these. I fancy getting rid of the Orange branding but I'm a total n00b at Android and ROMs and recovery and all that. Should I dive in or at least get used to the phone first, or what?


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## fen_boy (Mar 3, 2011)

Dive in, it's a piece of piss.


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## UnderAnOpenSky (Mar 3, 2011)

London_Calling said:


> Just the naffest name of any phone ever.



I don't know...I saw the Samsung Corby in a shop yesterday.


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## Santino (Mar 3, 2011)

I've broken it!


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## Santino (Mar 3, 2011)

There's a load of guides out there, but they all seem to recommend different recovery things, different versions of Android... it's all a bit baffling.


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## hiccup (Mar 3, 2011)

I'd just use it as is for a few days, then decide if you want to go down the rooting/roming route.


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## cliche guevara (Mar 3, 2011)

hiccup said:


> I'd just use it as is for a few days, then decide if you want to go down the rooting/roming route.


I dunno, the Orange firmware was utter toilet, enough to put anyone off Android. Rooting and installing one of the optimised 2.2 ROMs (I'd recommend the FLB-Froyo G2 ROM at the minute) makes a whole world of difference.


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## cliche guevara (Mar 3, 2011)

Santino said:


> There's a load of guides out there, but they all seem to recommend different recovery things, different versions of Android... it's all a bit baffling.


 
Check out this guide and this ROM. The forums at modaco are great if you get stuck, but use the search feature before asking a question.


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## Bob_the_lost (Mar 4, 2011)

ViolentPanda said:


> Good call, or you end up arsing about like I did, copying everything on your sd card to your pc, installing the new sd card, and then copying everything back to the phone.
> 
> What are you putting in? I went for a 16gb, mainly because after reading through Modaco's OSF-specific pages, it seems like a lot of people have trouble with 32gb cards unless they're Sandisk.


 
I put in a 16gb, i've got an 8gb MP3 player so I know i can get by completely happy on a limited size card, just wanted to try it out.

Mine is now rooted and flashed. Only thing that mine now lacks compared to stock is a radio and it drops all the orange bullshit. I'm very pleased with it, battery life is a bit short if you use it as an mp3 player though.


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## RaverDrew (Mar 4, 2011)

Santino said:


> There's a load of guides out there, but they all seem to recommend different recovery things, different versions of Android... it's all a bit baffling.


 
You really won't get a simpler and more noob friendly guide than this. http://orangesanfrancisco.co.uk/android/how-to-unlock-the-orange-san-francisco-zte-blade-for-free/

I'd also recommend the FLB-Froyo G2 ROM - The Cynogenmod 2.3 ROM just isn't quite ready for everyday use yet


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## Santino (Mar 4, 2011)

I've unlocked it. It's the next bit where I need to start 'fastbooting Froyo to the SD card' or something that's got me confused.


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## RaverDrew (Mar 4, 2011)

Check through parts 2,3 and 4 of the guide I posted, it takes you through it step by step. As long as you follow the instructions to the letter, there's no risk of bricking it.


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## Santino (Mar 4, 2011)

RaverDrew said:


> Check through parts 2,3 and 4 of the guide I posted, it takes you through it step by step. As long as you follow the instructions to the letter, there's no risk of bricking it.


 
Er... what guide?


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## RaverDrew (Mar 4, 2011)

http://orangesanfrancisco.co.uk/android/how-to-root-the-orange-san-francisco-zte-blade/


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## Santino (Mar 4, 2011)

Cool, that all seems reasonably straight-forward.


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## ViolentPanda (Mar 4, 2011)

Bob_the_lost said:


> I put in a 16gb, i've got an 8gb MP3 player so I know i can get by completely happy on a limited size card, just wanted to try it out.
> 
> Mine is now rooted and flashed. Only thing that mine now lacks compared to stock is a radio and it drops all the orange bullshit. I'm very pleased with it, battery life is a bit short if you use it as an mp3 player though.


 
That's pretty much why I bought a spare battery - so that I can while away long journeys listening to my music without having to worry about flat-lining the power supply.


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## fen_boy (Mar 4, 2011)

RaverDrew said:


> http://orangesanfrancisco.co.uk/android/how-to-root-the-orange-san-francisco-zte-blade/


 
That's the guide I used. Piece of piss.


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## Santino (Mar 4, 2011)

Done it!


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## ovaltina (Mar 7, 2011)

I've got 2.3 cyanogen rom running on mine now, seems happy enough even if it's a bit laggy.


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## cliche guevara (Mar 7, 2011)

Shut my SF in the car door tonight and broke the screen 

Have ordered another. Will have to put off a new phone until next year now I reckon.


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## Bob_the_lost (Mar 10, 2011)

Nooooo, mine has died! The touch screen no longer responds. So far my reading tells me to take it back and get a new one. Bah, Bah a thousand times Bah!


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## tarannau (Mar 10, 2011)

These phones seem to fall apart remarkably easily. A few friends have been in a seeming competition to return their SFs as often as possible


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## fen_boy (Mar 10, 2011)

It's a good phone, but the build quality is rubbish.


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## Bob_the_lost (Mar 10, 2011)

This one just sort of gave up, i was surfing the web happy as can be, then the touch screen starts registering my responses at the other side of the screen. I shut it down and turn it back on, intermittent response then dead, turn off and on again, dead. Totally dead. I'm going to swap it friday.


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## Oswaldtwistle (Mar 10, 2011)

tarannau said:


> These phones seem to fall apart remarkably easily. A few friends have been in a seeming competition to return their SFs as often as possible


 


fen_boy said:


> It's a good phone, but the build quality is rubbish.


 
Thanks for the heads up. Meanwhile my five year old K750i rumbles on....


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## editor (Mar 10, 2011)

tarannau said:


> These phones seem to fall apart remarkably easily. A few friends have been in a seeming competition to return their SFs as often as possible


It costs £90. What do you expect? With that kind of low cost manufacturing, there's bound to be a few duff ones. 

That said, there's an awful lot of people out there very satisfied with their purchase. It's an_ incredible _phone for the money.


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## RaverDrew (Mar 10, 2011)

Mine's survived several hefty drops already with no ill effects, build quality seems fine to me  Far better than the N95 I had before.


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## editor (Mar 10, 2011)

RaverDrew said:


> Mine's survived several hefty drops already with no ill effects, build quality seems fine to me  Far better than the N95 I had before.


The few I've played on have seem pretty well built to me too.


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## ovaltina (Mar 10, 2011)

The cyanogenmod has got some great stuff, including the ability to programme the lockscreen so that when you enter a letter or pattern it goes straight to a task, such as texting or calling somebody. Too many bugs for daily use for now but hopefully they'll be ironed out in time.


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## cliche guevara (Mar 10, 2011)

My first one survived several knocks and drops, it only broke because it got slammed in the car door.

new one arrived yesterday, within twenty minutes of the box being open it was unlocked, rooted, running 2.2 and had all my contacts and apps restored. Best thing about Android for sure!


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## ovaltina (Mar 11, 2011)

cliche guevara said:


> new one arrived yesterday, within twenty minutes of the box being open it was unlocked, rooted, running 2.2 and had all my contacts and apps restored. Best thing about Android for sure!


 
It's so much easier having your contacts on gmail - no more of that palava where you have to get the numbers onto the sim card or sync with outlook and the nokia suite or whatever.

I found a very cheap power backup solution at Poundland a few days ago - they've got a little gadget that takes 4x AAA batteries and has a usb out, for £1. Rechargeable batteries are £1 for two. So for £3 you've got an emergency backup.


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## RubyToogood (Mar 21, 2011)

Am enjoying this so far, now I've got my head round it. Although a bit pointless till my giffgaff sim arrives. But anyway...

What keyboard layout do people find the easiest? I'm not used to all this mullarkey.


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## UnderAnOpenSky (Mar 21, 2011)

RubyToogood said:


> Am enjoying this so far, now I've got my head round it. Although a bit pointless till my giffgaff sim arrives. But anyway...
> 
> What keyboard layout do people find the easiest? I'm not used to all this mullarkey.


 
Swiftkey


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## RubyToogood (Mar 23, 2011)

Looks complicated.

Also, anyone else have trouble with the calendar? I've set up my own but it won't let me add a second gmail account to it. It takes me to the "add calendar" screen but it's greyed out. Plus, it let me put one event in with the repetition as "monthly, every 4 weeks" but when I tried to do a similar event it gives me entirely different options for things like "first Tuesday of the month", none of which are what I want.


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## skyscraper101 (Mar 28, 2011)

The volume is ridiculously quiet on this phone.

When listening to Spotify on max it isn't a patch on my ipod. I can't find anything that will make the volume louder. Has anyone?


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## editor (Mar 28, 2011)

skyscraper101 said:


> The volume is ridiculously quiet on this phone.
> 
> When listening to Spotify on max it isn't a patch on my ipod. I can't find anything that will make the volume louder. Has anyone?


Some music players let you boost the volume output, as will using more efficient earphones.


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## RaverDrew (Mar 28, 2011)

There's a thread with various solutions here


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## skyscraper101 (Mar 29, 2011)

editor said:


> Some music players let you boost the volume output, as will using more efficient earphones.



I'm using a pair of Sony MDR-W24 headphones which are pretty good (much better than the supplied ones anyway). The problem is I don't really want to play music stored on the phone. I mainly want to listen to live streaming radio and spotify and make the most of the limitless data allowance from giffgaff. However, I've found both the TuneIn app, and Spotify both seriously lacking in volume. I've tried downloading apps which run in the background to boost volume but haven't found one that works yet.

Perhaps an Earphone Volume booster is the only way?


----------



## RaverDrew (Mar 29, 2011)

Are you using the stock ROM ?


----------



## skyscraper101 (Mar 29, 2011)

RaverDrew said:


> Are you using the stock ROM ?


 
No, upgraded to Android 2.2 'Japanese Jellyfish' ROM.


----------



## ovaltina (Mar 29, 2011)

I'm using a nokia handsfree set and volume is fine with Winamp but a bit too low with the Fm radio


----------



## RaverDrew (Mar 29, 2011)

skyscraper101 said:


> No, upgraded to Android 2.2 'Japanese Jellyfish' ROM.


 
I'm using the FLB G2 Rom which iirc has the sound pre-boosted somehow, although I don't remember the sound being much quieter with JJ tbh. Unfortunately (anecdotally) I think it affects certain batches of handsets worse than others. When comparing the max volume with a mate's SF the other day there was a noticeable difference.


----------



## skyscraper101 (Mar 29, 2011)

Arses. I don't particularly want to go through the rigmarole of putting in another ROM again. I just want to be able to hear music at the same volume as my ipod


----------



## RaverDrew (Mar 29, 2011)

Have you tried the solution from post #26 on the thread I linked to above ? http://android.modaco.com/index.php?s=&showtopic=318822&view=findpost&p=1451685


----------



## ovaltina (Apr 2, 2011)

I'm back on cyanogenmod, which seems pretty stable, apart from half an hour last night when the phone randomly went into airplane mode. It's so much nicer than froyo... I think I'm going to stick with it.


----------



## Shippou-Sensei (Apr 2, 2011)

it's a bit shitty for video  but everything else is good

it's really sold me on android  and i'm considering getting a more powerfull one at some point


----------



## ovaltina (Apr 2, 2011)

Dp!


----------



## skyscraper101 (Apr 2, 2011)

RaverDrew said:


> Have you tried the solution from post #26 on the thread I linked to above ? http://android.modaco.com/index.php?s=&showtopic=318822&view=findpost&p=1451685


 
I'm getting a bit confused as to what I need to do. It says download and 'flash through clockwork recovery' - how do I do this? What is clockwork recovery? It's venturing into levels of geekdom I hoped I would'n't have to get into. I just about managed to figure out how to upgrade to 2.2. through the step by step walkthrough on orangesanfrancisco.co.uk 

Is there any easy to understand way to get audio_boost on my phone?


----------



## Bob_the_lost (Apr 2, 2011)

edit: nevermind


----------



## ovaltina (Apr 2, 2011)

skyscraper101 said:


> I'm getting a bit confused as to what I need to do. It says download and 'flash through clockwork recovery' - how do I do this? What is clockwork recovery? It's venturing into levels of geekdom I hoped I would'n't have to get into. I just about managed to figure out how to upgrade to 2.2. through the step by step walkthrough on orangesanfrancisco.co.uk
> 
> Is there any easy to understand way to get audio_boost on my phone?



If you've already rooted and flashed your phone you can do this in a couple of minutes.

* Download the zip and save it to root on your SD card.

* Power off and take out the battery, then start with the volume down key pressed. It will boot into Clockwork recovery.

* choose install zip from SD and find the zip file on your SD card. Then reboot the phone and it'll be installed.

If you haven't already rooted and flashed, then follow the guides on doing so. It's a bit of a faff but worth it.


----------



## skyscraper101 (Apr 2, 2011)

ovaltina said:


> If you've already rooted and flashed your phone you can do this in a couple of minutes...


 
OK Cheers. Will try. *crosses fingers*


----------



## skyscraper101 (Apr 2, 2011)

OK there seems to be a problem with this now I get to 'Apply update from .zip file on SD card' and start to install audio boost and I get the following message:

-- Installing: /sdcard/audio_boost.zip
Finding update package...
Opening update package...
Installing update...
Amend scripting (update-script) is no longer supported
Amend scripting was deprecated by Google in Android 1.5
It was necessary to remove it when upgrading to the ClockworkMod 3.0 Gingerbread based recovery. Please switch to Edify scripting (updater-script and update binary) to create working update zip package.
Installation aborted

Can anyone translate what that means?


----------



## ovaltina (Apr 3, 2011)

Weird, I got the same message... there's another post layer in the thread where someone has tried to fix it: "
I have changed the script to Edify scripting
language. Try it from here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?5a2oi7vadfherax "


----------



## skyscraper101 (Apr 3, 2011)

ovaltina said:


> Weird, I got the same message... there's another post layer in the thread where someone has tried to fix it: "
> I have changed the script to Edify scripting
> language. Try it from here:
> http://www.mediafire.com/?5a2oi7vadfherax "



Cheers. I downloaded this version and it seemed to install ok. However, I can't see it in the app list and I can't be sure its actually running. I fired up Spotify nonetheless and I can't tell much of an increase in volume. Am I supposed to see that it's running?


----------



## tufty79 (Apr 3, 2011)

for those unable to afford even a cheap smartphone, but who want to be able to do basic email and forums and stuff (mine works on opera mini), i managed to get a samsung gt-e2121b from phones4 for a tenner (plus a tenner's top up on o2). it's got a camera, video, mp3, radio, bluetooth - most of which i still haven't worked out, and the option to programme in an 'sos' text - pre-written message to up to four pre-designated people, which will automatically send if you press a certain combination of keys, even if the keypad's locked  i swear it's designed for me.. 
anyways, just thought i'd share the bargain (and the excitement - i've never had such a 'swish' phone before ). and i wasn't sure where else to post this on here. ahem.
*swift exit from techie forum*


----------



## London_Calling (Apr 8, 2011)

I'm kind of hiding this post at the bottom of this thread because I've got a pretty embarrassing q . . . so I've only ripped in a limited way - using the Windows Media Player - and the SF doesn't seem to recognise the default windows MP3 format . . . what would Jesus do?


*cringes*


----------



## skyscraper101 (Apr 8, 2011)

London_Calling said:


> I'm kind of hiding this post at the bottom of this thread because I've got a pretty embarrassing q . . . so I've only ripped in a limited way - using the Windows Media Player - and the SF doesn't seem to recognise the default windows MP3 format . . . what would Jesus do?


 
Is it definitelty MP3 format (i.e. not WMA) - if not, then change to MP3. There should be a way to do it in WMP. If not winamp or bloatware iTunes will do it.


----------



## skyscraper101 (Apr 8, 2011)

While I'm here...

Seeing as Iplayer doesn't work for the san fran, and beebplayer is only good for TV. Is there an app which does listen again to BBC radio shows?

I've got the TuneIn Radio app but I've found it to be really unreliable for connecting to streams (in central London too FFS!) and probably THE most annoying thing about it is when it loses connection to a listen again podcast, you can restart it from the point where it lost connection. Instead you have to start again from the beginning. Very annoying.


----------



## ovaltina (Apr 8, 2011)

skyscraper101 said:


> Cheers. I downloaded this version and it seemed to install ok. However, I can't see it in the app list and I can't be sure its actually running. I fired up Spotify nonetheless and I can't tell much of an increase in volume. Am I supposed to see that it's running?


 
Just saw this - I think it's a firmware update rather than an app, so you wouldn't see it running. Doesn't sound like it's up to much anyway


----------



## skyscraper101 (Apr 8, 2011)

ovaltina said:


> Just saw this - I think it's a firmware update rather than an app, so you wouldn't see it running. Doesn't sound like it's up to much anyway



oh


----------



## cliche guevara (Apr 11, 2011)

For those of you who are interested, CyanogenMod 7 has now been officially released. Download here: http://mirror.cyanogenmod.com/

I'll be flashing this tonight


----------



## skyscraper101 (Apr 11, 2011)

will this be better than JJ? should I follow all the same instructions for flashing again on orangesanfrancisco.co.uk ?


----------



## cliche guevara (Apr 11, 2011)

The main difference is that CM is based on Gingerbread. There's a reason that CM rules the crazy world of Android ROMs. Once I've had a good play with it I'll report back here.


----------



## London_Calling (Apr 12, 2011)

Not having much success with Giffgaff, ordered twice, two confirmation emails arrived but nothing in the post - anyone else unfavoured


----------



## Santino (Apr 12, 2011)

Mine came very quickly with a free £50 note and some chocolates.


----------



## London_Calling (Apr 12, 2011)

What about Giffgaff?


----------



## Greebozz (Apr 12, 2011)

Don't rule it out the old Crap screened htc wildfire.   not so good for games and graphics, but a real solid productivity tool. bult like a tank.


----------



## Throbbing Angel (Apr 12, 2011)

London_Calling said:


> Not having much success with Giffgaff, ordered twice, two confirmation emails arrived but nothing in the post - anyone else unfavoured


 
nope - all mine arrived sooner than I expected (SIM for me and more for mates, family etc)

This was a couple of months ago btw


----------



## RubyToogood (Apr 12, 2011)

I had the same problem, London_Calling, and consequently I now have a spare giffgaff sim if you want it.


----------



## Badgers (Apr 14, 2011)

This phone is available from Orange for £79.99 including a free £10 top-up and delivery at the moment. 
Pretty fucking good price for a contract free smart phone. 
Sales - 0800 079 2000

Unlocking details - http://orangesanfrancisco.co.uk/android/how-to-unlock-the-orange-san-francisco-zte-blade-for-free/


----------



## Throbbing Angel (Apr 14, 2011)

do you *have *to phone for that badgers or what? Still £95 on the main website


----------



## Badgers (Apr 15, 2011)

Throbbing Angel said:


> do you *have *to phone for that badgers or what? Still £95 on the main website


 
Phone and ask


----------



## editor (Apr 15, 2011)

Badgers said:


> This phone is available from Orange for £79.99 including a free £10 top-up and delivery at the moment.
> Pretty fucking good price for a contract free smart phone.
> Sales - 0800 079 2000
> 
> Unlocking details - http://orangesanfrancisco.co.uk/android/how-to-unlock-the-orange-san-francisco-zte-blade-for-free/


It's an outrageously good price!


----------



## London_Calling (Apr 19, 2011)

RubyToogood said:


> I had the same problem, London_Calling, and consequently I now have a spare giffgaff sim if you want it.


 
Holy shit, only just caought this. Thanks. Will drop you a PM!


----------



## fen_boy (Apr 19, 2011)

The mother-in-law has officially given up on the phone. She just can't use it. Can't be persuaded otherwise. It's a shame as I really like it, might buy it off her.


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Apr 20, 2011)

What's put her off it?


----------



## Badgers (Apr 21, 2011)

This one won't suit eveyone as you need to have been an existing Orange PAYG customer for 3 months to get this offer: 

It seems that the Orange San Francisco can be got for £67.99 (with £10 credit) 
Price quoted is £74.99 with the £10 Credit on the phone
Ask for another 4 SIM cards to be included and Orange give you another £7 discount bring total to £67.99
Number - 0800 079 2000

This thread will keep going until Orange pay you to take the San Francisco off their hands


----------



## rover07 (Apr 21, 2011)

Im thinking of getting one of these.

Is it possible to have 2 numbers (work and private) on the one phone?


----------



## cliche guevara (Apr 21, 2011)

Under £70.00 is a ridiculous price for this handset, which is really not that far off the performance of the Desire.


----------



## Badgers (Apr 21, 2011)

rover07 said:


> Im thinking of getting one of these.
> 
> Is it possible to have 2 numbers (work and private) on the one phone?


 
I don't think so but someone here will know for sure. 
Of course you can have two SIM cards and switch them over but running two at once is unlikely.


----------



## fen_boy (Apr 24, 2011)

Kid_Eternity said:


> What's put her off it?



Sorry, only just seen this. She can't type on it, she can't see the screen in daylight. She keeps randomly moving apps. She basically can't work it out at all.


----------



## cliche guevara (Apr 25, 2011)

fen_boy said:


> Sorry, only just seen this. She can't type on it, she can't see the screen in daylight. She keeps randomly moving apps. She basically can't work it out at all.


 
The auto brightness setting would take care of the seeing the screen in daylight problem.


----------



## fen_boy (Apr 25, 2011)

cliche guevara said:


> The auto brightness setting would take care of the seeing the screen in daylight problem.


 
No, tried that.


----------



## cliche guevara (Apr 26, 2011)

Well it works fine for me. I was reading it in bright sunlight today with no problems at all.


----------



## Obnoxiousness (Apr 26, 2011)

We tested this phone using "Angry Birds" and it wasn't as fast as an iPod, running the same game. It just wasn't as smooth... with almost staccato movements, as apposed to the smooth Apple graphics.


----------



## fen_boy (Apr 26, 2011)

cliche guevara said:


> Well it works fine for me. I was reading it in bright sunlight today with no problems at all.



You're not a grumpy 70 year old woman. I can see it fine too.


----------



## cliche guevara (Apr 26, 2011)

Obnoxiousness said:


> We tested this phone using "Angry Birds" and it wasn't as fast as an iPod, running the same game. It just wasn't as smooth... with almost staccato movements, as apposed to the smooth Apple graphics.


 
It's a seventy quid phone, of course it's not as fast.


----------



## Maggot (Apr 30, 2011)

Badgers said:


> This one won't suit eveyone as you need to have been an existing Orange PAYG customer for 3 months to get this offer:
> 
> It seems that the Orange San Francisco can be got for £67.99 (with £10 credit)
> Price quoted is £74.99 with the £10 Credit on the phone
> ...


 

It's now £110 in Argos   


Is there anywhere where non-orange customers can get this phone for under £100 still?


----------



## Chz (May 3, 2011)

Heck, Orange was sold out when I tried them. So even Orange customers are stuffed for the moment. My missus really wanted one, but wasn't prepared to spend much.


----------



## Part 2 (May 4, 2011)

They're on the Orange site now at £69.99 plus £10 top up. Thinking it might be the price point to make me interested in a Smartphone, or one for my Mrs for an end of uni present.

You can get a further £12 knocked off by going through a cashback site, topcashback or quidco.


----------



## Maggot (May 5, 2011)

Thanks Chip Barm - just bought one!


----------



## skyscraper101 (May 5, 2011)

I'm really not getting on with this phone. It has such a poor battery life I'm forced to take the charger everywhere. The volume is ridiculously quiet that I'm now just going to cancel my Spotify Premium because its not worth listening to (and it drains the battery even more).

The screen is so unresponsive it takes me 5 minutes to write a text message which would've taken me 10 seconds on an old school phone with buttons (have tried Swype and Swiftykey so far and both suck) and some of the apps are just rubbish. It can't handle iPlayer, Tweetdeck continually fails to send tweets, TuneIn Radio often fails to connect to web radio (even in central London) and if you're listening to a podcast and it fails, there's no way to go back to the bit where it stopped. You have to listen again from the begining mad Skype cannot be used for a conversation unless on speakerphone which is ridiculous so I'm forced to use my minutes to connect to Skype To Go if I want to have a conversation on via Skype with someone. I'm really feeling like I want to sell it now and get a better phone.


----------



## editor (May 5, 2011)

skyscraper101 said:


> I'm really not getting on with this phone. It has such a poor battery life I'm forced to take the charger everywhere. The volume is ridiculously quiet that I'm now just going to cancel my Spotify Premium because its not worth listening to (and it drains the battery even more).
> 
> The screen is so unresponsive it takes me 5 minutes to write a text message which would've taken me 10 seconds on an old school phone with buttons (have tried Swype and Swiftykey so far and both suck) and some of the apps are just rubbish. It can't handle iPlayer, Tweetdeck continually fails to send tweets, TuneIn Radio often fails to connect to web radio (even in central London) and if you're listening to a podcast and it fails, there's no way to go back to the bit where it stopped. You have to listen again from the begining mad Skype cannot be used for a conversation unless on speakerphone which is ridiculous so I'm forced to use my minutes to connect to Skype To Go if I want to have a conversation on via Skype with someone. I'm really feeling like I want to sell it now and get a better phone.


Some music apps let you boost the volume or you could get more efficient headphones. There's podcasting apps that give you more control over playback. 

Have you tried rebooting the phone - it really shouldn't be that laggy.


----------



## skyscraper101 (May 5, 2011)

editor said:


> Some music apps let you boost the volume or you could get more efficient headphones. There's podcasting apps that give you more control over playback.
> 
> Have you tried rebooting the phone - it really shouldn't be that laggy.



I have, and it's been rooted to remove all the orange bloatware and run Android 2.2. Re: volume, I use Sony Vertical In-The-Ear Headphones (MDR-W24V) which I also use with my FM radio walkman and iPod classic with no problem so I know they're not the issue.  I appreciate that a £90 phone won't have such a powerful processor and the sound won't be perhaps as good as an iPod but the lagging screen, fast-draining battery, and the continual failure of apps like tweetdeck and TuneIn radio to run properly just makes it a pain to use. The touch screen may be a preference thing too. I just can't get on with them based on this experience. I need a physical keyboard I think. The Skype thing is perhaps the biggest pain of all as I need to call abroad a lot.


----------



## London_Calling (May 5, 2011)

I use the standard-issue ear pieces with little joy - not sure it's all about the volume for me as those ear pieces don't fit well. Best result is if I grin manically - the volume is much better then,  but it causes consternation on the tube.

Going to get proper dustbin lid headphones I think.


----------



## skyscraper101 (May 5, 2011)

I've tried both. I've used proper DJ standard Sony MDR V500DJ cans, and the supplied in-ear phones (which is the only way to have a private conversation on Skype). The sound is really poor - plus I've tried all those volume boosting apps and so on, not one of them works. Most seem to be custom designed for HTC or Samsung Android devices.


----------



## RaverDrew (May 5, 2011)

There clearly must be something very wrong with your handset. I use Skype everyday and have never once had any speakerphone problem ?  

edit: had a google and there's a thread here that should help fix your skype problem http://android.modaco.com/content/zte-blade-blade-modaco-com/331808/skype-speaker-fix/

I'm with 3 and use their custom skype build which is prob why I haven't experienced the problem.

Again with the volume, absolutely no problems at all, if I have the volume on full it's practically unbearable (and I'm partially deaf too). 

Sound level fix here though for those that are suffering from it http://android.modaco.com/content/zte-blade-blade-modaco-com/338538/san-fran-not-loud-enough/

One of the first things a desire-owning mate commented on was how responsive the San Fran's screen was compared to his phone, but tbh when I had a go on his phone it was clogged up with a hella shit. 

The only time I've had problems with battery life is since I've moved to Cyanogenmod 7 Android 2.3.3. which is a known issue atm that's being fixed. However when I was using the 2.2 ROMS (particularly the FLB ones) The battery was more than good enough to last a day and a half. The only difference I can potentially see in our usage is that I rarely use it for listening to music (pointless when I have a separate mp3 player) Although I'm one of these annoying people that gets their phone out to browse the net or play angry birds at every spare moment of the day.


----------



## skyscraper101 (May 5, 2011)

RaverDrew said:


> There clearly must be something very wrong with your handset. I use Skype everyday and have never once had any speakerphone problem ?
> 
> edit: had a google and there's a thread here that should help fix your skype problem http://android.modaco.com/content/zte-blade-blade-modaco-com/331808/skype-speaker-fix/



I've had a read of it and it looks like a proper faff. Plus there are issues with this 'fix' 




			
				saxen08 said:
			
		

> If i make a call on skype *all the sounds will be routed to the earpiece* even after the call
> but everything will be rerouted to normal if you recieve a regular call after the skype call or
> making a normal call to someone.



So you basically have to make a regular call every time after you use Skype just to set it back to normal. It's annoying when all I expect is for one of the most popular apps to work properly.

Regarding the audio boost app, I've tried it and it doesn't have any effect. It's just another app running in the background and wasting precious battery life. All music is drowned out by passing traffic and I can't hear any songs properly. My ipod is three times louder.


----------



## uk benzo (May 5, 2011)

Hey RaverDrew, I have a FLB rom. In your opinion, will I see a qualitative difference if I change to a cyanogenmod?


----------



## RaverDrew (May 5, 2011)

IME you'll only really see a considerable improvement in gaming performance. There's still a few very irritating bugs in CM7 on the Blade (9 times out of ten the phone will switch offf while charging for instance) and battery life is also very hit and miss. It's not really worth sacrificing a good set up for the extra features of CM7 yet imo. It's nearly there though, the next stable build due in the next few days may change things.


----------



## editor (May 5, 2011)

skyscraper101 said:


> Regarding the audio boost app, I've tried it and it doesn't have any effect. It's just another app running in the background and wasting precious battery life. All music is drowned out by passing traffic and I can't hear any songs properly. My ipod is three times louder.


Have you tried other headphones?

Here's a fix otherwise:
"LOUD! This combined with PowerAMP seriously rocks the headphones, and no distortion! Thanks."
http://android.modaco.com/content-page/318822/how-can-we-make-the-music-louder/page/20/#entry1451685


----------



## RaverDrew (May 5, 2011)

skyscraper101 said:


> I've had a read of it and it looks like a proper faff. Plus there are issues with this 'fix'
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
If you read the thread I posted, it links you to a patched Skype.apk located here https://jira.skype.com/browse/JSA-81


----------



## skyscraper101 (May 5, 2011)

editor said:


> Have you tried other headphones?
> 
> Here's a fix otherwise:
> "LOUD! This combined with PowerAMP seriously rocks the headphones, and no distortion! Thanks."
> http://android.modaco.com/content-page/318822/how-can-we-make-the-music-louder/page/20/#entry1451685


 
Yeah, I've tried other headphones. I know its not a headphone thing though because they're the same headphones I use with no problem on three separate devices. I've also tried audio boost, it really does nothing for it. To be honest, given the poor battery life it's better I don't use it for Spotify anyway. The less I use it for music, the more hours I can get from the phone.

To put into context how the battery is. I unplugged it fully charged around 9:30am this morning. It's now about 5:30pm and I've used tweetdeck for about 5 minutes and it's been inactive nearly all day - no calls, no texts. I've used Shazam once only to identify a song on the radio and that's it. It's now down to 50% battery. Which suggests that in another 8 hours it will run out. So it will see me to the end of the day on a bare minimum of use. 

Had I been making calls, or playing games, or tweeting/web surfing a bit, or listening to spotify (and running an audio boost app),  the battery would simply be dead by now. It's really not on, and carrying around a charger all day is just a pain.


----------



## skyscraper101 (May 5, 2011)

RaverDrew said:


> If you read the thread I posted, it links you to a patched Skype.apk located here https://jira.skype.com/browse/JSA-81


 
OK I'll try it. But I was reading the comments from the link you posted and that guy saxen08 said it wasn't quite perfect and you had to call or receive a call to reset the audio back to normal. I'll give it a shot though.


----------



## editor (May 5, 2011)

skyscraper101 said:


> To put into context how the battery is. I unplugged it fully charged around 9:30am this morning. It's now about 5:30pm and I've used tweetdeck for about 5 minutes and it's been inactive nearly all day - no calls, no texts. I've used Shazam once only to identify a song on the radio and that's it. It's now down to 50% battery. Which suggests that in another 8 hours it will run out. So it will see me to the end of the day on a bare minimum of use.
> 
> Had I been making calls, or playing games, or tweeting/web surfing a bit, or listening to spotify (and running an audio boost app),  the battery would simply be dead by now. It's really not on, and carrying around a charger all day is just a pain.


Have you set Tweetdeck not to update regularly (it does that be default). Have you checked there's no other apps pulling data? Are you in an area with poor reception? Have you tried turning 3G off?

Oh, and if you've got 50 per cent after eight hours you're not that far off what you might expect with any smartphone, least of all an incredibly cheap one.


----------



## RaverDrew (May 5, 2011)

skyscraper101 said:


> Yeah, I've tried other headphones. I know its not a headphone thing though because they're the same headphones I use with no problem on three separate devices. I've also tried audio boost, it really does nothing for it. To be honest, given the poor battery life it's better I don't use it for Spotify anyway. The less I use it for music, the more hours I can get from the phone.
> 
> To put into context how the battery is. I unplugged it fully charged around 9:30am this morning. It's now about 5:30pm and I've used tweetdeck for about 5 minutes and it's been inactive nearly all day - no calls, no texts. I've used Shazam once only to identify a song on the radio and that's it. It's now down to 50% battery. Which suggests that in another 8 hours it will run out. So it will see me to the end of the day on a bare minimum of use.
> 
> Had I been making calls, or playing games, or tweeting/web surfing a bit, or listening to spotify (and running an audio boost app),  the battery would simply be dead by now. It's really not on, and carrying around a charger all day is just a pain.


 
Something really doesn't sound right there at all, which ROM are you using atm ? If you go to "settings >>> about phone >>> battery use" you may get a better idea of what is consuming the power. Do you have wifi and A-GPS on much ? 

tbh there should never be any need to turn your 3g off, mine easily does a day and a half with being on and used almost constantly.


----------



## skyscraper101 (May 5, 2011)

Battery use suggests:

Cell standby: 33%
Wi-Fi: 33%
Phone idle: 32%

Should I be turning off wi-fi perhaps?


----------



## skyscraper101 (May 5, 2011)

I'll try turning tweetdeck down to less regular updates too. Hopefully it will help.


----------



## ViolentPanda (May 5, 2011)

My solution to the battery issue is the same as with any other power-hungry electronics - I buy a spare battery so that I always have the means to NOT have to carry a charger around with me, I can leave the charger(s) at home.


----------



## ViolentPanda (May 5, 2011)

skyscraper101 said:


> Battery use suggests:
> 
> Cell standby: 33%
> Wi-Fi: 33%
> ...


 
I have wi-fi turned off almost permanently, except for switching it on when I'm somewhere with free wi-fi access, otherwise it's active and sniffing all the time.


----------



## skyscraper101 (May 5, 2011)

What a faff. Having to charge two batteries and carry the spare round just to make it between sleeps.

I'm gonna try turning wi-fi off. I have unlimited giffgaff data anyway.


----------



## Chz (May 5, 2011)

Bugger. Deal's over.


----------



## RaverDrew (May 5, 2011)

skyscraper101 said:


> Battery use suggests:
> 
> Cell standby: 33%
> Wi-Fi: 33%
> ...


 
I would deffo keep it switched off unless you really need it. I mainly use 3g which is more than quick enough for general browsing and fb etc. I only ever switch wifi on to download large files in a hurry, which is not often.


----------



## ViolentPanda (May 5, 2011)

skyscraper101 said:


> What a faff. Having to charge two batteries and carry the spare round just to make it between sleeps.



Less faff than carrying around a charger, *and* it means you're never caught short.



> I'm gonna try turning wi-fi off. I have unlimited giffgaff data anyway.


 
Same here.


----------



## skyscraper101 (May 5, 2011)

OK I've turned wi-fi off and I'm gonna see how it is at 5:30 tomorrow. Hopefully there'll be more juice left in it.


----------



## Chz (May 6, 2011)

I don't have an SF, but for the Desire it's the case that having wifi on will decrease battery drain _only if you're signed into the wifi network_/. It seems wifi data is easier on the juice than 3G data. In all other cases, leaving wifi on is purely a drain.


----------



## skyscraper101 (May 6, 2011)

OK so (slightly after) 5:30pm report. I've had wi-fi off all day and the battery has improved a little. I'm pretty sure it would make it to bedtime and I even had Spotify on a bit earlier and was doing some webbing, twittering etc. This is a good thing.


----------



## skyscraper101 (May 6, 2011)

RaverDrew said:


> If you read the thread I posted, it links you to a patched Skype.apk located here https://jira.skype.com/browse/JSA-81


 
I downloaded this Skype APK but it fails to install every time. It  says:

Replace Application: The application you are installing will replace another application.
All Previous user data will be saved.
[OK] or [CANCEL]

I hit [OK] and it gives another warning 'Do you want to install this application?
Allow this application to:
etc etc

I hit [INSTALL] and it says [Installing...]

then after about25 seconds it says:
!Application not installed


----------



## RaverDrew (May 6, 2011)

I think your best bet tbh (before you completely give up on the San Fran) would be to try another custom ROM. "FLB r11b" and "Swedish Spring RLS5" are both said to have the best battery life for the Blade, and also contain many fixes for issues that may be causing you problems. 

Get a copy of Titanium backup to save and restore any paid apps, txts, game high-scores etc.

Then do a complete wipe of everything through clockworkmod, and install the new ROM.

It's honestly not as daunting as it sounds, and if you need any help or guidance with it give us a shout.


----------



## ddraig (May 6, 2011)

Chip Barm said:


> They're on the Orange site now at £69.99 plus £10 top up. Thinking it might be the price point to make me interested in a Smartphone, or one for my Mrs for an end of uni present.
> 
> You can get a further £12 knocked off by going through a cashback site, topcashback or quidco.


  £99 atm
http://shop.orange.co.uk/mobile-phones/san-francisco-from-orange-in-grey


----------



## Kid_Eternity (May 6, 2011)

Yeah I was puzzled about that too...


----------



## RaverDrew (May 6, 2011)

Offer only lasted a day. The price goes up and down more frequently than a whore's knickers, expect it to be reduced again at some point within the next fortnight.


----------



## ddraig (May 6, 2011)

cheers
will keep eye on it, anyone know if they do same price in the orange shops?
plan to get one next payday
and i got £27 phonefund on my current payg


----------



## skyscraper101 (May 7, 2011)

Just to report that since turning off wifi my battery has doubled it's efficiency. I still have half a full battery and it's been 15 hours since changing.


----------



## ddraig (May 15, 2011)

got one for £99 + £20 credit from an orange shop, had £28 phone fund to take off so not too bad
on charge for 6hrs atm so doing a RTFM


----------



## ddraig (May 15, 2011)

is it 6h or 16hr first charge? 
ta


----------



## Part 2 (Jul 2, 2011)

Anyone recommend a good, cheap cover/case for this phone?

I managed to get one yesterday for £84.99 (inc £10 top up) by ringing Orange if anyone else is looking to buy one.


----------



## London_Calling (Jul 2, 2011)

The gell casing as seen on ebay seems to be the winner - check it out else, iirc,  RaverDrew is the man with that link.


----------



## ddraig (Jul 2, 2011)

not sure whether i got this info from this thread or no


> I put a 3M "Vikuiti" screen protector on mine (£7.50 on ebay)
> 
> £3.50!
> http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ZTE-Blade-Ora..._MobilePhonesCasesPouches&hash=item2c5b68dd6e
> ...


----------



## editor (Jul 2, 2011)

There's a swanky similarly cheapo phone coming up, the Monte Carlo:

http://www.wirefresh.com/orange-monte-carlo-budget-smartphone-serves-up-4-3-of-android-love/


----------



## London_Calling (Jul 2, 2011)

The Monte Carlo model is old but obv. this is an updated spec, with Gingerbread.


----------



## editor (Jul 2, 2011)

It's a rebranded ZTE Skate. The San Fran was also a rebranded phone by the same manufacturer.
Specs: http://www.gsmarena.com/zte_skate-3784.php


----------



## Oswaldtwistle (Jul 2, 2011)

still no camera flash?


----------



## London_Calling (Jul 2, 2011)

You know the only thing about this phone that bugs me even slightly is...... the two words 'San Francisco'. It's a small thing but ... it is properly naff.

You can cover up the stupid Orange logo on the back easily enough, but that 'San Francisco'.... any ideas?


----------



## Chz (Jul 3, 2011)

My mrs tried to see if that deal was still running yesterday. They only offered £99 plus a top-up.


----------



## Part 2 (Jul 3, 2011)

Chz said:


> My mrs tried to see if that deal was still running yesterday. They only offered £99 plus a top-up.



Does she have an Orange number already? I didn't say that's what's needed in my previous post. I had an old Orange SIM I used for work. 

The first bloke I spoke to knew nothing about it but I rang back and the second couldn't wait to sell it to me.


----------



## Chz (Jul 3, 2011)

She's been with Orange for... 15 years? I'll have her try again. Dude only wanted to sell her a contract.


----------



## RaverDrew (Jul 3, 2011)

Chip Barm said:


> Anyone recommend a good, cheap cover/case for this phone?


 
http://www.sofiz.co.uk/promote/



London_Calling said:


> You know the only thing about this phone that bugs me even slightly is...... the two words 'San Francisco'. It's a small thing but ... it is properly naff.
> 
> You can cover up the stupid Orange logo on the back easily enough, but that 'San Francisco'.... any ideas?


 
http://sohogopher.com/sofiz_overlay/


----------



## Part 2 (Jul 3, 2011)

Ah I got a case sorted now, cheers though


----------



## London_Calling (Jul 3, 2011)

RaverDrew said:


> http://www.sofiz.co.uk/promote/
> 
> 
> 
> http://sohogopher.com/sofiz_overlay/


Cheers. It's an idea... For those who don't keep world exchange rates in their  head:

http://www.x-rates.com/d/HKD/GBP/graph120.html

Best I can work out, a pack of 3 (wha-hey!) of those covers plus a 'Sofiz jelly case' will knock you back a touch under £8


----------



## MBV (Jul 3, 2011)

Is the SF better than a HTC Hero?


----------



## cliche guevara (Jul 3, 2011)

dfm said:


> Is the SF better than a HTC Hero?


 
With the exception of the camera and build quality, yes. The SF is more powerful and faster.


----------



## Part 2 (Jul 5, 2011)

Phone just arrived, unlocked with the info on the first page, will do a bit of reading before the debranding etc


----------



## Part 2 (Jul 5, 2011)

this isn't going well.

Won't connect to my home wifi, just says 'obtaining address' forever despite saying signal strength is good, it does work as I've been out and managed to connect to an open network.

Trying to connect by GSM but haven't a clue where to start with APN/VPN settings


----------



## ddraig (Jul 5, 2011)

there is an app to help with apn settings that drew kindly posted for me on this thread last month
http://www.appbrain.com/app/apn-on-off-widget/net.maicas.android.apnoo


----------



## ddraig (Jul 5, 2011)

my wifi seems to get stuck now and again and i just do it through settings on the home screen instead of the signal icon 2 screens to the right


----------



## Part 2 (Jul 5, 2011)

I found the APN settings now. I assume the app shop is run by Orange which is why I can't access that now I've got a Virgin SIM in it. 

I want to get started by running the ask Mr Pigfish app to see whether it's G1 or G2? How do I do that?

My Mrs will be giving me this phone within no time if it's all like this


----------



## RaverDrew (Jul 5, 2011)

Chip Barm said:


> I found the APN settings now. I assume the app shop is run by Orange which is why I can't access that now I've got a Virgin SIM in it.
> 
> I want to get started by running the ask Mr Pigfish app to see whether it's G1 or G2? How do I do that?
> 
> My Mrs will be giving me this phone within no time if it's all like this


 
First things first, get rid of the stock rom, it's really that bad. Follow this guide step by step and you can't go wrong.


----------



## Part 2 (Jul 5, 2011)

Thats what I'm following, the first step says to run Mr Pigfish to determine whether it's a G1 or G2?

should I assume it's a G2 because it's new?


----------



## RaverDrew (Jul 5, 2011)

Are you able to log-in to the web market and install from there ? https://market.android.com/details?id=com.apedroid.pigfish&feature=search_result


----------



## Part 2 (Jul 5, 2011)

I tried setting up an account with a normal email but it wasn't having it so currently setting up a gmail account


----------



## RaverDrew (Jul 5, 2011)

From memory though you should already have Android Market app on your phone.

I wouldn't assume it's a G2 just because it's new either, getting it wrong could cause you a major headache later on.


----------



## RaverDrew (Jul 5, 2011)

Yep you'll definitely need a gmail account first.


----------



## cliche guevara (Jul 5, 2011)

Found out today that my colleague who bought one of these six weeks ago has yet to get a gmail account! He's been using it without access to the marketplace, email... WTF? He's only twenty five as well... I don't understand some people.


----------



## Part 2 (Jul 5, 2011)

problems downloading the app...it says there are no phones associated with this account but I've synced it as far as I can see

e2a: no I've seen the problem there


----------



## London_Calling (Jul 5, 2011)

Chill out and try tomorrow. Phone is fine - God knows how many here have bought and modded it.


----------



## Part 2 (Jul 5, 2011)

I'm so close though!


----------



## RaverDrew (Jul 5, 2011)

Go to... 

Settings >>> Accounts & Sync

Check that the boxes on the gmail account are ticked.

Reboot the phone.

Then go to the market on the web, make sure you are logged into the correct gmail account. Check under "My Market Account" and look under settings to see if your phone is listed in "My Devices"


----------



## Part 2 (Jul 5, 2011)

no, it's not showing


----------



## RaverDrew (Jul 5, 2011)

Have you accessed the Android Market from your phone yet ?


----------



## Part 2 (Jul 5, 2011)

It's pissing me off now

think LC is right, I should go to bed.


----------



## Part 2 (Jul 6, 2011)

Fucking hell, at last. Saw the android store icon and went through that rather than online....it's a G1


----------



## mwgdrwg (Jul 6, 2011)

Two colleagues of mine have never been on Gmail yet they have no problems with the marketplace. So, no - you don't need a gmail account for access to the Android Marketplace.


----------



## cliche guevara (Jul 6, 2011)

mwgdrwg said:


> Two colleagues of mine have never been on Gmail yet they have no problems with the marketplace. So, no - you don't need a gmail account for access to the Android Marketplace.


 
You do need a gmail account. They will have signed up for one when they got their phones.


----------



## mwgdrwg (Jul 6, 2011)

cliche guevara said:


> You do need a gmail account. They will have signed up for one when they got their phones.



Hmm. I shall question them about it tomorrow.


----------



## Bob_the_lost (Jul 6, 2011)

My incoming voice call quality has dropped to being unusable. Time to re-install a new distro I think.


----------



## RaverDrew (Jul 6, 2011)

I can happily recommend the "Ginger Stir Fry Lite" ROM - Great battery life along with all the Gingerbread goodness. 

ps. Anyone want Flash player on their San Francisco ? http://androidcampus.blogspot.com/2011/07/app-working-adobe-flash-player-for.html


----------



## Kid_Eternity (Jul 9, 2011)

Any good deals going on this at the moment?


----------



## Part 2 (Jul 9, 2011)

Kid_Eternity said:


> Any good deals going on this at the moment?



Best is by ringing Orange £85 including a tenner top up, just need an Orange sim card to quote them a number or ask around yer mates see if they're on Orange.

I should say, thanks to those who helped out with my unlocking etc, it really is easy.  My Mrs just came in the kitchen saying "I love my phone", so I'm well in the good books


----------



## Oswaldtwistle (Jul 11, 2011)

the wildfire is now down to 95  in car phone warehouse. the sub ton smart phone wars are hoting up.


----------



## skyscraper101 (Jul 11, 2011)

RaverDrew said:


> I can happily recommend the "Ginger Stir Fry Lite" ROM - Great battery life along with all the Gingerbread goodness.
> 
> ps. Anyone want Flash player on their San Francisco ? http://androidcampus.blogspot.com/2011/07/app-working-adobe-flash-player-for.html


 
If I was to upgrade (currently on 2.2 japanese jellyfish), is it worth it? Would I lose all my apps/contacts etc... or would they all download again? Do I need to back anything up? I don't have any music / photos or anything of note otherwise.


----------



## Throbbing Angel (Jul 11, 2011)

There are new Android handsets coming out soon on Orange 

ZTE Skate re-badged as the Monte Carlo
and the barcelona and stockholm

It'll probably affect the Sf's pricing I imagine


----------



## RaverDrew (Jul 11, 2011)

skyscraper101 said:


> If I was to upgrade (currently on 2.2 japanese jellyfish), is it worth it? Would I lose all my apps/contacts etc... or would they all download again? Do I need to back anything up? I don't have any music / photos or anything of note otherwise.


 
Titanium backup for your apps.

SMS backup and restore for your messages.

Google contacts should already backup your contacts, check first though that they're saved there rather than on your sim.


----------



## Chz (Jul 19, 2011)

Chip Barm said:


> Best is by ringing Orange £85 including a tenner top up, just need an Orange sim card to quote them a number or ask around yer mates see if they're on Orange.
> 
> I should say, thanks to those who helped out with my unlocking etc, it really is easy.  My Mrs just came in the kitchen saying "I love my phone", so I'm well in the good books


Only managed to get £89 with the top up in it, but that's better than the £99 they kept telling my wife it would cost (no top-up included). You really do have to talk to the right people there it seems!

Should arrive today. Does one root the phone immediately? Or do you need to transfer your number first and unlock it?


----------



## ddraig (Jul 19, 2011)

i unlocked it and then rooted it iirc

http://sanfranciscoandroid.co.uk/android/an-introduction-to-the-orange-san-francisco-zte-blade/

just follow the steps on drew's link


----------



## Chz (Jul 20, 2011)

Seems to be working well. Is the Swedish one still the best ROM to use? Preferring stability to all else? Too late, I guess.


----------



## 100% masahiko (Jul 20, 2011)

Does the phone have a Chinese option? Thinking of getting for me dad but he don't read English well.


----------



## RaverDrew (Jul 20, 2011)

ZTE are a Chinese firm, so I'm pretty sure there will be some compatible Chinese ROMs knocking about even if you get an English Orange branded version. I'll have a check for you


----------



## 100% masahiko (Jul 20, 2011)

RaverDrew said:


> ZTE are a Chinese firm, so I'm pretty sure there will be some compatible Chinese ROMs knocking about even if you get an English Orange branded version. I'll have a check for you


 
Thank you, that'd be well cool!


----------



## skyscraper101 (Jul 21, 2011)

I'm currently trying to backup all my apps and system data using Titanium Backup to install the Ginger Stir Fry which will hopefully solve battery/sound issues but Titanium backup keeps freezing mid-backup


----------



## RaverDrew (Jul 21, 2011)

Are you trying to do a batch backup ? Try them individually.

Also trying to backup system apps (ie. apps that were already pre-installed with that ROM) may cause issues. With these back up just the data rather than app + data.


----------



## skyscraper101 (Jul 21, 2011)

Yeah trying batch backup.OK will try individually. I just want the main apps, including those I've paid for, and my emails to be running really.


----------



## RaverDrew (Jul 21, 2011)

100% masahiko said:


> Thank you, that'd be well cool!


 
http://android.modaco.com/topic/318977-blade-22-chinese-rom-dump/

chinese rom available here

any luck skyscraper101 ?


----------



## skyscraper101 (Jul 21, 2011)

yeah. I've been backing up individually.. I'm not sure about some of the things I should be backing up and not. I've done all the obvious downloaded aps. I'd like to keep my email settings (linked to my work) intact so I've backed up 'Email 2.2' but maybe I shouldn't? I'm guessing 2.2 refers to the ROM so perhaps I should leave it and re-do all the settings after?

There are other things too which I'm not sure about 'market updater 1.0'? 'my uploads' 'omaDownloadProvider' 'SetupWizard' etc.. I presume these are all just system things right? 

I'll tackle the Ginger Stir Fry Rom when I'm home later and I have more time to play.


----------



## skyscraper101 (Jul 21, 2011)

RaverDrew said:


> any luck skyscraper101 ?



I'm having problems 

So I've downloaded Ginger Stir Fry Beta14 released 18/07/11 and followed the instructions on san francisco android just like I did the first time but when I got to the point of rebooting, it just kept cycling the green android logo over and over without booting up.

Then I read:



> This rom is for 'Gen2' ZTE Blades only. If you have a Gen1 phone (sold with Android 2.1 Eclair), then you'll need to use the TPT install below to upgrade your radio firmware to 'Gen2'.



So then I download the Ginger Stir Fry B13 Gen1 to Gen2 Upgrade TPT but the instructions are baffling me?



> To install: Unzip the file to the root of your sdcard, it will create an 'image' folder. Check the integrity of the files using AFV (available from android market) to find the nandroid.md5 file in the image directory, then long press on it & verify nandroid backup. Turn off your phone, leave it for at least 30 seconds, then hold menu & volume + when you power it on. You should see some green text (may be just a blank screen) then it should reboot & you should see a big android while it is performing it's first boot (this will take a while). Once it has successfully started up don't forget to delete the image folder on your sd card, to prevent any accidents.



So now it's telling me to unzip the file onto the SD card which I did, then locate the nandroid.md5 file in the image directory, then long press on it (?)  & verify nandroid backup. And I have to use an app which I was supposed to have gotten from the android marketplace called AFV to locate it? This is getting way too complex. I just want a ROM that works properly, now I have a brick.


----------



## ddraig (Jul 21, 2011)

long press just means keeping your thumb /finger down on the icon


----------



## Artaxerxes (Jul 21, 2011)

What are the benefits of this phone over say the Stockholm?


----------



## skyscraper101 (Jul 21, 2011)

ddraig said:


> long press just means keeping your thumb /finger down on the icon


 
which means I'll have to re-install the old ROM, to get to the icon and do it...pft. oh well. here goes.


----------



## skyscraper101 (Jul 22, 2011)

ok I'm properly beat now... I've been trying for over 4 hours to make this work and still cannot. I've re-installed the original 2.2 Rom I had, downloaded AFP, and done the veryfy backup on nandroid.md5 - then went through the instruction of turning the phone off, waiting for 30 seconds, and then turning on holding 'volume + and MENU' (which did nothing btw) then I downloaded the Ginger Stir Fry Beta 13 and tried to install following every instruction on the how to guide.

Every time I do this though the phone just gets stuck in boot loop. The only ROm which will work is the original 2.2 one


----------



## Chz (Jul 22, 2011)

Artaxerxes said:


> What are the benefits of this phone over say the Stockholm?


The Stockholm is the same as a Vodafone Smart. Its benefits are being slightly cheaper and if you refuse to root the phone and update the OS it comes with a more recent version of Android.

Other than that, the SF is faster, has more RAM, and has a larger, higher-res screen. It's superior in all ways other than the Orange version of the OS being more recent on the Stockholm, size, and perhaps battery life given the dismal specs of the Stockholm.


----------



## RaverDrew (Jul 22, 2011)

Download the TPT image of Ginger Stir Fry Beta 15

http://www.filesonic.com/file/1500234961/gsf-blade-b15-tpt.zip

*Unzip* the file to the root of your sdcard, it will create an 'image' folder. Click yes if it asks whether you want to overwrite any files.

Pull the battery from your phone and replace.

Then hold menu & volume + when you power it on. 

You should see some green text (may be just a blank screen) then it should reboot & you should see a big android while it is performing it's first boot (this will take a while).

That should do it.


----------



## 100% masahiko (Jul 22, 2011)

RaverDrew said:


> http://android.modaco.com/topic/318977-blade-22-chinese-rom-dump/
> 
> chinese rom available here



Fantastico


----------



## skyscraper101 (Jul 22, 2011)

RaverDrew said:


> Download the TPT image of Ginger Stir Fry Beta 15
> 
> http://www.filesonic.com/file/1500234961/gsf-blade-b15-tpt.zip
> 
> ...



Do I need to wipe cache / reset factory settings before going all that?


----------



## RaverDrew (Jul 22, 2011)

Shouldn't do, but it won't do any harm.


----------



## skyscraper101 (Jul 22, 2011)

OK this is still not working. I did everything you said, I copied the gsf-blade-b15-tpt.zip file to the SD card root folder, I unzipped it there.

I then did a cache wipe, and a factory reset. I then took out the battery, replaced it, turned on the phone holding 'volume+' and 'menu' together - this did nothing. In fact it just booted into the existing 2.2 Japanese Jellyfish Rom which I originally had on there.

So then I tried booting with 'volume-' and did the cache wipe, factory reset, and install of the gsf-blade-b15-tpt.zip file from the phone,. I then get the message:

---Installing: /sdcard/gsf-blade-b15-tpt.zip
Finding update package...
Installing update...
Installation aborted...

What else can I try?


----------



## RaverDrew (Jul 22, 2011)

Don't copy the gsf-blade-b15-tpt.zip file to the SD card

Unzip files into the root of the SD card

It should have created a folder named "image"

If you have a folder called image there already then delete it and try the process again.

Make sure you are holding down together menu and volume+, keep them held down and then hit the power button, keep those buttons held down until you see some green writing scroll past.


----------



## skyscraper101 (Jul 22, 2011)

OK I'm gonna try again. I will remove the zip file, boot into clockwork, wipe cache, wipe data/factory reset

The files have already been upzipped there so the image folder is all there. And as usual I will hold down volume+ and menu together. Lets see...


----------



## skyscraper101 (Jul 22, 2011)

OK well removing the zip file did nothing. I wiped the cache and factory reset it, removed the battery etc and I'm pressing menu and volume+ together and holding them down as I power on. But it continues to boot into my old 2.2 ROM


----------



## skyscraper101 (Jul 22, 2011)

RaverDrew said:


> Don't copy the gsf-blade-b15-tpt.zip file to the SD card
> 
> Unzip files into the root of the SD card
> 
> ...


 
Can I check, should the unzipped files be all on the root of the SD card? Because at the moment they are unzipping to their own folder called 'gsf-blade-b15.tpt' and the image folder is in there.

Should I move the image folder itself to the root of the SD card?


----------



## RaverDrew (Jul 22, 2011)

So you are not getting any green text scrolling after you switch on ?

Try holding just volume+ when you power on, ie. not pressing menu as well.


----------



## RaverDrew (Jul 22, 2011)

skyscraper101 said:


> Can I check, should the unzipped files be all on the root of the SD card? Because at the moment they are unzipping to their own folder called 'gsf-blade-b15.tpt' and the image folder is in there.
> 
> Should I move the image folder itself to the root of the SD card?


 
Yes this will be why.


----------



## skyscraper101 (Jul 22, 2011)

Wait hold on... I sussed it, I needed to move the 'image' folder to the root. As it was I unzipped the zip file to the root but it created its own containing folder for the 'image' folder. I moved it out and then I got the green text, and it looks like its booting up properly

*crosses fingers*


----------



## RaverDrew (Jul 22, 2011)

Nice one


----------



## skyscraper101 (Jul 22, 2011)

Drew I owe you one, finally installed and working. And the volume is finally loud enough to listen to on Spotify. Huzzah!

What other kinds of goodness can I expect from 2.3? Anything extra worth downloading now?


----------



## RaverDrew (Jul 22, 2011)

Improved battery life (after your battery has recalibrated itself through a few charges/discharges)
Improved gaming performance
Move apps to SD 
Improved general performance - The UI seems much more responsive, especially with launcher pro installed

In particular, you may be interested in DSP manager for further sound enhancements.
Power widget - a home screen widget very useful for quickly switching on/off wifi, bluetooth, 3g etc

Plus a whole load more themes and mods available from here


----------



## Maggot (Jul 24, 2011)

This thread should be called Dr Drew's problem Page. 


Hey Drew,

I have recently managed to link my phone to my home wi-fi, which is useful as my reception isn't good at home.  Whilst my phone says I'm connected to the wi-fi, the internet pages won't load. Any Ideas?


----------



## skyscraper101 (Jul 24, 2011)

Drew is the source of all wisdom on this phone


----------



## Maggot (Jul 24, 2011)

Maggot said:


> This thread should be called Dr Drew's problem Page.
> 
> 
> Hey Drew,
> ...


 
Don't worry about this.  I forgot to plug something into my wifi.


----------



## Part 2 (Jul 29, 2011)

My mrs is trying to ring somewhere where you have to press 1 for this 2 for that etc

How do you do this on a touch screen phone?


----------



## editor (Jul 29, 2011)

Chip Barm said:


> My mrs is trying to ring somewhere where you have to press 1 for this 2 for that etc
> 
> How do you do this on a touch screen phone?


There's an icon to bring up the keypad on the screen.


----------



## Part 2 (Jul 29, 2011)

editor said:


> There's an icon to bring up the keypad on the screen.



We've found that, does it make the sound as it would with a normal phone so the recognition thing can...... er recognise what number is being pressed? 

It doesn't seem to do anything


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## skyscraper101 (Jul 30, 2011)

There should be an option where you can hear the tones you press. It's in Sound settings, there should be a tick box 'Audible touch tones' to select.

If you do this during a call it will only make a sound through the earpiece, unless you select speakerphone, then you'll get tones through the phone.


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## Part 2 (Jul 30, 2011)

sorted


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## London_Calling (Jul 30, 2011)

ffs don't introduce her to Google Calendar....


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## tommers (Jul 30, 2011)

I've just ordered one off orange.  £15 a month for 18 months.  Was going to go down the giffgaff route but this way I spread the cost of the phone and less hassle.

I take it I just follow the instructions here? What's the advantages of modding it?


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## skyscraper101 (Jul 30, 2011)

tommers said:


> I take it I just follow the instructions here? What's the advantages of modding it?


 
Yes, all the instructions are here. The main advantages are firstly to get rid of the horrible pre-installed bloatware from Orange. Second, as I've now discovered having upgraded the ROM twice, you'll get much better performance in terms of volume, responsiveness, stability, and battery life. The ROM du jour is the Android 2.3 'Ginger Stir Fry ROM' which is the best one I've had. 

RaverDrew is your man for all other advice on this phone


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## London_Calling (Jul 30, 2011)

When I looked into it, Orange were rubbish on monthly deals - you're  happpy with the data useage limits, etc?

Having total flexibility on providers and useage deals is pretty good.


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## tommers (Jul 30, 2011)

Ok, cool. Thanks. I look forward to spending hours swearing at it.


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## tommers (Jul 30, 2011)

London_Calling said:


> When I looked into it, Orange were rubbish on monthly deals - you're  happpy with the data useage limits, etc?
> 
> Having total flexibility on providers and useage deals is pretty good.


 
Yeah. I was going to cancel and go to giffgaff and buy the phone but they gave me my current deal plus 500mb a month for a fiver less. That's pretty much what I wanted so I thought I'd save myself the hassle of switching...


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## London_Calling (Jul 30, 2011)

Hmm, I have no idea how much data I get through so can't comment on 500mb. 250 mins, plus unlimited texts and data for a tenner is handy though...


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## tommers (Jul 30, 2011)

Yeah, it was certainly very tempting. At the minute I only have 80mb and I cope, I just turn everything off, so I'll keep an eye out once I start using it a bit more.


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## Part 2 (Jul 30, 2011)

London_Calling said:


> ffs don't introduce her to Google Calendar....


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## Throbbing Angel (Jul 30, 2011)

skyscraper101 said:


> Yes, all the instructions are here. The main advantages are firstly to get rid of the horrible pre-installed bloatware from Orange. Second, as I've now discovered having upgraded the ROM twice, you'll get much better performance in terms of volume, responsiveness, stability, and battery life. The ROM du jour is the Android 2.3 'Ginger Stir Fry ROM' which is the best one I've had.
> 
> RaverDrew is your man for all other advice on this phone


 
What is the battery life like using the ROM du jour?

The stated standard battery life was one of the main things that put me off this phone


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## skyscraper101 (Jul 30, 2011)

I've only just updated the ROM but the battery life for me is now getting me through 24hrs of use (including wifi on). Before, I was taking the charger to work to keep enough juice to last me until bedtime. This one has dramatically improved the battery life.


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## tommers (Jul 30, 2011)

Do you use that juice defender? Might help. I didn't like it cos it kept turning my WiFi back on.


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## skyscraper101 (Jul 30, 2011)

No, I haven't installed that. I've just got PowerWidget for turning on wifi/blutooth etc


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## Chz (Jul 31, 2011)

Using the Swedish 2.2 ROM, my wife's SF gets _significantly_ better battery life than my Desire. Admittedly she doesn't use it all that much, but it has no trouble stretching to 2 days.


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## RubyToogood (Jul 31, 2011)

Interesting. Mine generally lasts 2 days and I've not changed the operating system at all.


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## Throbbing Angel (Jul 31, 2011)

do you go on the web much using 3g or wifi Ruby?

I'm assuming that this is what kills battery life more than anything


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## stupid kid (Jul 31, 2011)

Throbbing Angel said:


> do you go on the web much using 3g or wifi Ruby?
> 
> I'm assuming that this is what kills battery life more than anything


 
I can't use skype or gchat for more than 2-3 hours as the battery will just die, so I find it handy to always keep my charger on me. This is IM I'm talking about, not voice chat. Also, the voice chat on the default skype app goes to loudspeaker, which is annoying for the other person because for me to hear it well enough they can usually also hear themselves - anyone got solutions? 

As for battery life when web browsing, it doesn't seem to cane it so badly compared to skype/gchat although perhaps I just don't do that so intensively.


My main problem at the minute is that my GPS is fucked. In fact google maps is fucked. It can never, ever retrieve my location. Anyone have any experience of this? Because I'm considering doing a factory reset. I'm using the rom that was in the guide posted on either this thread or the other one.


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## tommers (Aug 2, 2011)

Right, I've rooted it and I'm at the "choosing a ROM stage".

http://sanfranciscoandroid.co.uk/android/how-to-choose-and-install-a-rom/

I want that ROM that skyscraper recommended...

http://android.modaco.com/topic/342009-romgen2zte-gingerbread-ginger-stir-fry/

BUT... it says it's for Gen2, and my phone is Gen1 (I checked right at the start) so what do I do?

Can I use that "Gen1 to Gen2 all in one" thing... cos the instructions are completely different to the guide....

Or do I need to do something with that little file at the top of the page "gsf.png"?

help!


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## Part 2 (Aug 2, 2011)

If anyone has Tesco clubcard vouchers you can get a San Fran for £55 worth at the moment


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## tommers (Aug 2, 2011)

It's alright, I think I've done it....  phew...


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## skyscraper101 (Aug 3, 2011)

tommers said:


> It's alright, I think I've done it....  phew...


 
Nice one. Yes I did do the Gen1 to Gen2 thing. It was a bit complicated to figure out too.


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## Hassan I Sabha (Aug 11, 2011)

Hi

I just took delivery of one of these for my wife paid for by using tesco vouchers! I am going to let her use it for a few days before I have a go at changing the ROM, but can anyone tell me if it is possible to change the default text size for SMS messages and the text under the icons please? It is a little too small for her.


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## cliche guevara (Aug 17, 2011)

I've just updated to the Ginger Stir Fry ROM which is so much faster than my previous one, it's given my handset a new lease of life. The only thing I don't like is the transparent notification tray, anyone know how to change this?


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## ovaltina (Aug 24, 2011)

Is anyone else having problems charging this phoned up? I sent the last one back because it stopped charging when I plugged in the USB, and now the replacement is doing the same thing. Orange says it will send a replacement but I'm guessing the same thing will happen. Might sell the replacement on amazon and get something with lower specs but a better build quality.


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## ViolentPanda (Aug 24, 2011)

I don't like the cable/slot interface. They're pretty fragile, so I bought a ZTE battery and battery charger combo (about £15 on ebay), and just swap the charged battery in for the drained one when necessary. That way I'm not constantly pissing about trying to get the cable to go in the slot. Okay, I have to boot up every time I've changed the battery, but it's not exactly a big deal to wait a minute while that happens.


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## ViolentPanda (Aug 24, 2011)

Right, anyone _au fait_ with changing sd cards? The only time I've done so, so far, was before I actually put the Froyo rom on to get rid of the Orange crap-O-roma. Is there any hoodoo involved, copying stuff from one sd to another?


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## Bob_the_lost (Aug 24, 2011)

Shouldn't be if you have a card reader. my spaeker hasdied, i am going to wipe thephone back to stock and if that doesn't fix it i am buying a monte carlo.


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## ViolentPanda (Aug 25, 2011)

Bob_the_lost said:


> Shouldn't be if you have a card reader. my spaeker hasdied, i am going to wipe thephone back to stock and if that doesn't fix it i am buying a monte carlo.


Cool, so just take old card out, use card reader to copy contents to empty file on my lappy, copy file contents to new card, install new card, then?


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## ovaltina (Aug 25, 2011)

ViolentPanda said:


> I don't like the cable/slot interface. They're pretty fragile, so I bought a ZTE battery and battery charger combo (about £15 on ebay), and just swap the charged battery in for the drained one when necessary. That way I'm not constantly pissing about trying to get the cable to go in the slot. Okay, I have to boot up every time I've changed the battery, but it's not exactly a big deal to wait a minute while that happens.


Could do that, I'm just wary of spending more money on it incase something else goes wrong. I've already got a load of old batteries and chargers in a cupboard that are no use to man or beast! If only it were a little bit better made...


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## Bob_the_lost (Aug 25, 2011)

vp : yes


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## ViolentPanda (Aug 26, 2011)

Bob_the_lost said:


> vp : yes



Cheers, always nice to have someone else to blame besides myself if things go wrong!


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## ovaltina (Sep 3, 2011)

I've sold mine... I got £80 for it on amazon, so £25 less than I paid just under a year ago. Sad to see it go because it was perfect for my needs, but two failures in six months is too much. I want something that will last a good few years, rather than a couple of months. Worryingly mazuma is only offering £8 for working handsets. I've got a Sony Eric x10 to replace it. Off to the sorting office in a bit to pick it up. I'll miss the screen resolution and I don't think the sony can be flashed as easily, but I'm hoping I'll get at least a couple of years out of it.

Edit: it's an x8 not an x10, have got it up and running now and it's fine. Much smaller than the San Fran but it feels better built so I'm happy. Not sure what sort of android it runs but it seems quick enough form basic stuff.


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## ovaltina (Sep 6, 2011)

I went through a world of pain to do it, but I've rooted and upgraded the x8 to ginger bread, cyanogenmod 7. Still a bit slow and nasty compared to the san Francisco  but it'll do for now, and for£80 its a bargain.


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## tommers (Sep 8, 2011)

I have a problem.  I've downloaded viber and a spreadsheet thing.  I now can't put a shortcut up from the menu you get when you hold your finger on a blank space (but I can by bringing up the main menu and holding my finger on the app I want to shortcut.)

More importantly I can't access the settings menu (so I can't delete both of those apps to make it work again.)

I'm using that gingerbread thing.

Anybody got any ideas (and yes, I've turned it off and on again.)?


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## tommers (Sep 8, 2011)

I've managed to uninstall viber and the spreadsheet from Market but still can't access the settings menu...

I think I'll have to do a factory reset.


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## skyscraper101 (Jan 13, 2012)

I have a problem. Viber routes all sound to the damn loudspeaker, and not the earpiece. Impossible for having a decent conversation on.

I tried a workaround fix where someone on another forum mentioned rebooting the phone, starting up FM radio, quitting it (though theres no exit app option on my FM radio app) then starting viber, but no joy  does anyone elase have a suggestion?


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## Artaxerxes (Feb 3, 2012)

In general I'm happy with this phone I think, does what it needs to, only problem is texting tends to be a bit laggy and I'm shit at typing (I miss keys)

Last few days though been having trouble using the internet on the thing though, have a fuckton of credit so its not that and still got 70% of my monthly allowance. Sites seem to only barely load, seems related to javascript or something to do with settings.

Anyone got suggestions for an alternate browser for this phone?


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## editor (Feb 3, 2012)

Artaxerxes said:


> Anyone got suggestions for an alternate browser for this phone?


Dolphin HD is ace.


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## skyscraper101 (Mar 15, 2012)

I've upgraded to a Galaxy Nexus for every day phone duties but still thought I'd come back to rave about my Orange San Fran. It actually has a louder speaker than the Nexus so I've taken to using it as my internet radio when I'm in the US, and I take it out to the kitchen and the garden to use as a carry round internet radio too.

As the Nexus is usually left plugged into the TV too, the san fran is back to being my bedside alarm clock, and night time radio


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## Hassan I Sabha (Mar 20, 2012)

I took the plunge and have installed Swedish Snow on my wife's SF but there is now a problem, the phone screen locks when you make a call and the only way to resolve is to pull the battery - any ideas?


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## Hassan I Sabha (Mar 21, 2012)

OK, sorted the above issue. The proximity settings had gone to pot, a recalibration sorted this out.


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