Black Friday 2014

[tubemonkey]

Amazon Deal of the Day -- exp 09 Dec

• Moto G 2nd Gen GSM Unlocked ($180) -- $150

The Moto G2 is similar to the LG Volt ($30~$40 during BF), but with newer OS (5.0), better resolution and more available storage. Pluses for the Volt include LTE, and a battery that's substantially larger and removable.


Shared Features

• CPU ------> Snapdragon 400/ quad-core/ 1.2 GHz
• RAM -----> 1.0 GB
• other ----> mSD, FM radio

Moto G2 Advantage vs LG Volt

• Carrier ------> unlocked/ any GSM ----- no contract/ Boost or Virgin
• Android ---> Lollipop 5.0 ----- KitKat 4.4
• Display ---> 5.0"/ 1280x720/ 294 ppi ----- 4.7"/ 960x540/ 234 ppi
• ROM -----> 8 GB/ 5.5 GB avail ----- 8 GB/ 3.9 GB avail

LG Volt Advantage vs Moto G2

• Price ----> $150 ----- $30~$40
• LTE ------> no LTE ----- LTE
• Battery --> 2,070 mAh/ non-removable ----- 3,000 mAh/ removable

.

[Blossom]

Those who ordered the Fire Phone on Cyber Monday and are waiting like me. It looks like the next batch is about to ship just got a email from Amazon saying it was shipping soon and should be here Thursday!

[booklover6]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Amazon Deal of the Day -- exp 09 Dec

• Moto G 2nd Gen GSM Unlocked ($180) -- $150

The Moto G2 is similar to the LG Volt ($30~$40 during BF), but with better resolution and available storage. Whereas the Volt's battery is substantially larger and removable.

I'm thinking of getting one for my oldest son.
Never mind, DH says no.

[Shane R]

Originally Posted by booklover6

I'm thinking of getting one for my oldest son.
Never mind, DH says no.

Beware if you plan to use it as a phone. It only does the slower 3G data, and not the modern LTE. There's a reason it's priced at <$200.

Fantastic deal if that doesn't matter to you.

[Purple Lady]

Originally Posted by Shane R

Beware if you plan to use it as a phone. It only does the slower 3G data, and not the modern LTE. There's a reason it's priced at <$200.

Fantastic deal if that doesn't matter to you.

Since it's only 3G it's overpriced.

[Shane R]

Originally Posted by Purple Lady

If it's only 3G it's overpriced.

It's only 3G.

[Purple Lady]

Originally Posted by Shane R

It's only 3G.

I guess I didn't phrase that well - I should have said since it's only 3G.

[tubemonkey]

The Moto G2 also runs Android 5.0 - Lollipop.

[KentE]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

I wouldn't automatically rule out most phones (a few I would). We all have different needs and uses and something that wouldn't work for one person could easily work for another. I'm just expressing concern when too many red flags (512MB RAM, 4GB ROM, older CPU, older OS) pop up on one phone.

I think we're sometimes too focused on specs, and less focused on what works for the intended use.
I'm using a several-year old Kyocera Rise (android 4.1, I think) as an on-hand ereader, music player, "toolbox" apps, a few games, document reader/writer, etc. 512mB, 4gB, single core. It works fine for all this, but I'm not really focused on video player use. It's got better Wifi reception than our Nexus 7, and loads internet pages just a fraction slower (partially due to choosing a browser that's much leaner than Chrome). I'm not close to running out of internal storage. 4.1 allows transferring more apps to the uSD card than KitKat (4.4) does. 4.1 works with Flash video online. No upgrades to the OS are available, and I wouldn't update it past the point where Flash isn't broken even if I could.
I recently read an article by an Android expert that claimed we're too focused on RAM in Android devices. Assuming that a particular app isn't really RAM-hungry, Android is designed to constantly operate on the edge of running out of RAM, no matter how much you have, and to release RAM on demand as needed for new use. Android doesn't use RAM in the same way that we're trained to expect from PCs. The expert's claim was that number of cores and core speed was significantly more important than the amount of RAM-- but just like a PC, if you aren't using apps that are processor intensive, that doesn't matter much either.
I'd certainly buy a low-spec phone for this type of use at $10. If I felt like spending 30-50, I'd expect a lot more phone...
.... and if I needed a PHONE instead of a little tablet, I'd worry more about the phone part first. BearMountainBooks, your Tracfone solution is nearly ideal for the type of use you're talking about for an occasional phone if all you need is a phone. You can select GSM or CDMA carrier, the phone will roam between carriers as needed in weak-coverage areas (which a lot of pre-paid phones won't, and Tracfone Androids won't), and it's dirt cheap to add time for the type of use you describe. I do exactly this with a Tracfone dumb phone, and carry an un-activated android phone/mini-tablet for the non-phone stuff.

KentE

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by Blossom

Those who ordered the Fire Phone on Cyber Monday and are waiting like me. It looks like the next batch is about to ship just got a email from Amazon saying it was shipping soon and should be here Thursday!

Amazon shipped it and seeing I paid extra for overnight it will be here today not Thursday! I am so excited! I paid $1.09 for a nano sim kit from Straight Talk with free overnight shipping. The Free overnight shipping deal is good till the 14th I think? This allows me to use the Fire phone on Straight Talk through AT&T's towers. I also bought a Poetic Revolution Case for $7.95 which will be here Friday. I think I'm all set now! This is awesome I set out to get a new cheap phone for $100 and somehow got a top of the line phone for just that. This just may be the best deal I have gotten before on anything.

[JoHunt]

Originally Posted by Blossom

This is awesome I set out to get a new cheap phone for $100 and somehow got a top of the line phone for just that. This just may be the best deal I have gotten before on anything.

Congrats on the great score

[gabby98]

Darn...I just found out I missed getting a Microsoft/ATT Lumia 635 for $39 (no contract). while I have NO interest in a Windows Phone for personal use, it would have been great to pick up this deal for specials as well as testing for work and school

[BearMountainBooks]

New B&N deal for tomorrow:

Friends & Family Sale! For four days only, your customers can take 25% off a single item when they enter code BNFAMILY at checkout! Offer valid December 11th–14th.

[DreamWriter]

Speaking of Microsoft...

12 Days of Deals

Three Xbox One bundles are discounted today. Tomorrow's deal is the ASUS Transformer Book T100TAF-B1- MS Signature Edition 2-in-1 PC for $249 (regular price $329).

[gabby98]

Originally Posted by DreamWriter

Speaking of Microsoft...

12 Days of Deals

Three Xbox One bundles are discounted today. Tomorrow's deal is the ASUS Transformer Book T100TAF-B1- MS Signature Edition 2-in-1 PC for $249 (regular price $329).

I'll keep an eye on that page...maybe something comparable will come up