I prefer android, because it's open, and most of the applications are free; au contraire, Iphone is just like monopoly, applications are expensive too even it is a good idea, but no change from Iphone 4 - Iphone 4s, the upgrade seems stupid to me. Nokia is just crap, it's dying.

android in China and Anywhere else blackBerry

Nokia forever, no reason, the classic is the classic.

Android for me, from windows to iphone to android and would never go back.

me too, I support google who is creative and open. Iphone is cool too if there were less people who use it or if there were more models.

downside of android. if you really want to use its full features, need a vpn still. android market is sometimes or often blocked in china, and the alternatives to it are shit.

still love my android phone anyway, a mad open beast....

I hear in general women prefer iphone and men prefer android. I think it is also a bit like a apple vs pc thing. but where the PC is linux also. Android is taking up Microsofts old place in OSs, but with actual good programming. PCs connect more to a wider array people and more deeply into business.

nokia and blackberry may be out of business soon enough, or bought up by microsoft. Can't have brand loyalty in the modern world, that is insane. Things change. (I hated microsoft before, but i am oddly rooting for them to make a big comeback)

Josh sir, for market, downgrade the version to the basic market and use titanium backup, to block its update back to the current shitty "China don't like it" version. Since I did that I have never had any problem connection to marketplace or indeed goggles/translator etc. Before I agree it was a nightmare.

There are some Chinese versions of marketplace, peapod and some other stuff, software here is generally full of malware so as Josh says NO.

Josh... depends really on what you need the phone for... my work is 90% emails, therefore blackberry is number one on my list.... but for functionality, applications, etc... android mobiles.... hands down....

Chris, i'm new to android, can you refer me to a site for how-to "downgrade" "titanium backup" and all the good stuff... its a drag not being able to use the phone how its meant to be used...

Chris. thanks for the advice. I personally didn't have that problem. A friend of mine does, and I was thinking she was just an idiot until I looked at her phone. I have a taiwan version of my phone. Has all this bloatware from taiwan.

I was thinking the only way to fix it would be to do a custom rom. i did that for one of my friends. Made the phone rather sick looking. But i am reluctant to void anyones warranty doing that. his phone already had a root.

How do you downgrade a version? (and you may want to just do a full redo of the rom and flash memory yourself....so you can get the newest OS. You phone is already rooted....so no loss. and a fun day of trying to do something that is easy, but seems really crazy hard and takes way too many hours. Though I did it on a computer all in russian,,,that made it extra fun!!! )

Mahmoud. as to blackberry I would agree. but still a dying company. I think it would be cool if all the best features of Nokia, Blackberry and Microsoft, got all put in one phone. That would be rather impressive, and also a very real possibility. Microsoft has piles of money to invest, sees the success of WM as a live or die situation, blackberry and Nokia are cheap, and there are corporate culture match-ups that can make it work (like actually caring about business people and IT departments. and the ceo of Nokia being a former Microsoft executive in its most profitable division.).

In some ways, for business, Apple and Android are truly horrible. They are just not focused on that market at all. Employees just want iPhones so bad, that companies are caving in, but with real alternatives, I don't think they would buy them at all.

downgrade only works on a few programs like flash and marketplace, just go to manage apps and select market place then uninstall, it will take u back to the small older file.

If you download titanium backup before that, when you have downgraded marketplace, you can run Titanium and select marketplace in the program,it will give a load of options one is "detatch from market" just do that and do the same for market updater and ur golden, it will stay with the old patch and access to marketplace.

As for roots.. do it!

If your phone is new it will have the latests goodies on it, anything after that just take it to a shop and get it blasted, you can add anything anytime then.

I'm not very tech savvy so hope my directions are easy enough to follow.

I was rather upset to buy an android phone with no market installed. Rooted using Universal Root, Backed Up using Titanium and then installed a custom mod CM7 and I'm now like a young teen finding his first love.[br] [br] Not saying I didn't black out my phone once or twice and thought it was completely dead but the help was on lots of websites to get it running again but the result was most definitely worth it.[br] [br] I don't get all this hype about everything apple

my phione gets all the new stuff. no need for a root. but if ice-cream sandwich doesn't come to my phone, I will root it and do a custom rom

and chris, you may really want to do a custom rom.....will be happier. there are many many options, some have all the best stuff from all the different companies.

Aye , I have that desire one on atm, gonna get the ICS as soon as possible tho, looks boss.

good point. which free Message APP do you guys use? Kik? KaKaotalk or weixin in China?

this free messaging you speak of - is it free sms messaging or online QQ style?

Kakao here , its kinda like skype or QQ not actual SMS but most of my friends and family are using it so works fine for me.

would you guys who like android have a test on an app which my company developped, it is now just a BETA version, there are surely a lot of things to be fixed, our site is mobietalkie.kenesphone.com/en/, you can get the apk from the site, it would be better if your local language is not chinese 'cause there are differences........thans a lot.

any advice on a VPN for android that would open up facebook and youtube apps?

For anyone buying an android phone here in China, one piece of advice I would give is to shop around and see what apps are pre-installed on the phone. The exact same phone can come with whole different range of uninstallable apps, depending on who who buy if from.

I bought a HTC phone here last week, but it came with over a hundred Chinese apps, none of which I wanted. After finding out that it was impossible to uninstall any of the apps without rooting the phone, I brought it back and bought the same model from a different supplier, minus the bloated software.

And ditto to Sam's question....any recommended mobile VPN for android?

v7.inkillwall.com, our company use this one, and i tried it on my I9000, i can connect to facebook at least, but i didnt try youtube.

@ Peter

I had a similar experience when I bought my phone. I was actually comparing two identical phones with different software loaded in. I got one for the taiwan market. minimal bloatware, and more set up to my liking. I though could have easily bought some messed up phone made for the chinese market. More lucky really. I picked the one with the best language options, which luckily got me the non-mainland model.

In general it is good to not get phones that are for the mainland. HK and europe models are better. and the actual hardware can be different, even though it is the same phone. Which is the case with any OEM style manufacturing.

Luckily I went with chinese friend that knows phones, got me all set up right. This crazy bastard changes phone every 1-2 months. always gets the latest and best.

Yes Josh, gotta be careful with what we buy here. Glad to hear you got sorted with what you wanted.

Anyone here using Skype for Android? It's not available to download via the Android market, and the following message is on the Skype website: "Skype for Android is not available in China and Japan at this moment"

well peter. 4 options.

1. I have a vpn on my phone. if I turn that on, then the android market goes to the US market.
2. use a VPN on your computer, and go to the android market online. You can install apps from there. Just have your phone on wifi, so you don't eat data charges
3. The most reliable. Just download the skype apk online. then transfer to your phones sd card directly. then allow for non market apps to run, in your options, then open the skype file with any file management program. and if my explanation is not good enough. go online and look up how to install apps.
4. What I do for friends with your problem. I bluetooth over the file to them from my phone. , so just find a friend with android and the newest skype on their phone.

thanks Joshua, will try steps 2 or 3, and if they don't work will get it from you via bluetooth if thats ok :-)

i have the .apk file if you need it, send me an address I can mail it to you, its like 7.5mb i think

...

Hahahaha ... this looks like a place as good as any ...

Just got my China-brand Android MiOne yesterday ... when I inserted a blank microSD this morning, it (kind of) did an auto-format, and put the things I downloaded yesterday onto the card, and that's fine ...

However, when I pulled the card out, and tried to link it to a PC (so that I can put MP3 and other files onto it), it said something like "insert the card", which meant to me that it cannot read it ... I then put it back into the phone, and it was OK ...

By the way, the 8GB microSD in my wife's Android K-Touch works fine on PC, and it seems that this new 16GB microSD (bought from Taobao.com) is also working fine with the phone, so how come the PC cannot read it? and/or what do I need to do?

funny how skype is blocked in china for download. but it just work ok on the phone and is one of the most popular downloads in china.....bizzare.

I find the bluetooth option to be one I use often with friends. just yesterday.

another option, a friend with a dropbox lync!

Samsung Invites have gone out for the launch of the Galaxy S3, May 3rd is the showcase and release is May 22nd.

Supposed to be a more global affair this time, but any news on a China release? hopefully the phone shops can get hold of some before the end of May.

Will still be a minefield of rogue traders trying to fuck you up the arse with altered S2's. What I wouldn't give for the slightest bit of honesty and basic human dignity in a phone reseller.

If anyone knows of such a store please share, though I fear it may be a rare as rocking horse shit in China.

I am a Windows Phone 7 User. simple and snappy. also different. that is why i use it

the S3.....mad drool!!!!

I know right! Everything I have seen so far says 22nd May release. I'll keep checking back and post here if I see or hear any different

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