Yotaphone 2 Usage, Tips & Hints

[jj2me]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

First impression, it feels like a nice phone (not that I'll be using it as a phone )

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

I'm tempted to buy another one

I would be in the same situation of not using it as a phone, as my cell phone carriers don't support it. So I'm curious why you like it so much as to buy a second one. In other words, can you push this already-tempted one over the edge and share some of your reasons? Do you just like it so much compared to a 5" or 6" e-Ink device? I'm afraid that I might be just falling into the "it's a bargain!" trap.

[DarkCookie]

I got mine since two days (kitkat only version), reflashed to lollipop, rooted, and xposed installed. All runs fine so far. I very like AMOLED low brightness (so dark compared to LCD). One of the best features not mentioned here is TV-out, very rare among phones from China.

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by jj2me

I would be in the same situation of not using it as a phone, as my cell phone carriers don't support it. So I'm curious why you like it so much as to buy a second one. In other words, can you push this already-tempted one over the edge and share some of your reasons? Do you just like it so much compared to a 5" or 6" e-Ink device? I'm afraid that I might be just falling into the "it's a bargain!" trap.

Because I'm tempted to flash it to a new version of Android. But I'm afraid to brick it

I don't use it as a phone, as I prefer my 5.5" Lumia 950XL. I never really liked Android, except as a plaything. I didn't buy it because of the e-ink screen per se, it was rather one of the plusses. I was already looking for a second-hand phone for my heat camera (you plug that into the usb port and it uses the processor of the phone to make pictures), but those are also expensive (and I needed some decent specs for that camera) and you never know how the original owner used the phone. So, when somebody mentioned this one a few weeks ago, I knew I had to get it. It was what I was looking for price wise and spec wise. And it has a very gadget level, with the e-ink screen on the back. Add to that the wireless charging (which I've been using ever since I got my Lumia 920 and won't do without anymore), and I knew I had to buy one.

I also finally found a very nice launcher for it, that makes Android useable to me:

SquareHome 2 - Win 10 style

What can I say? I rather liked Windows Phone from 7.5 onwards

[jj2me]

Thanks for your reasons for buying the Yotaphone 2.

Because the Yotaphone 2 prices seem to be stabilizing at under US$130 at five different sellers, as opposed to those low prices being a special one-time sale, you might want to try flashing your phone now, and only buy another if you brick it.

I've been updating the Yotaphone 2 pricing post on page 4 (post #58) of this thread since I originally made that post, and the five sellers are all selling for less than US$130. Gearbest ended their $120 sale when the last of the allotted units was sold, and the price went up to $157 for a day or two, but now it's back to $120.

P.S. I bought one also.

[Rbneader]

Picked one up, it should arrive soon! I'm looking forward to playing with it and having a relatively modern phone as a backup instead of my old 2011 4.2 phone.

[trocchietto]

Originally Posted by jj2me

I would be in the same situation of not using it as a phone, as my cell phone carriers don't support it. So I'm curious why you like it so much as to buy a second one. In other words, can you push this already-tempted one over the edge and share some of your reasons? Do you just like it so much compared to a 5" or 6" e-Ink device? I'm afraid that I might be just falling into the "it's a bargain!" trap.

Imagine using your tablet to read a book, scrolling pages really fast, adding notes, close it and check another book going trough the collection without any waiting time but unconsciously thinking "pity is not an eink, so relaxing for the eyes, so visible outside, so long lasting battery, leaving the cover of the book in memory when you stop to read as a real book".

This is Yotaphone

not convinced? imagine to use a phone, google maps and the battery is lefting you in the middle of nowhere without map anymore! would not be cool continuing to see the directions without any hurry, like expensive eink GPS that cost 500 euro?

This is Yotaphone

And what about using your phone under the sun, writing emails on the beach, outside a nice sunny cafe without seing your face reflected, but perfectly clear as on a piece of paper, without working for angles

This is Yotaphone

not convinced still? well try to find a superamoled screen ONLY without considering all the rest for that bargain price, add a free ereader( faster than whatever really expensive kindle voyage with dozens and dozens of settings more), and for the same price an always on notification screen, with the hour, the email received, the weather and a lot more, to put on your desk

[pdurrant]

At 00:53 this morning, my Yotaphone decided to call my wife's phone. Unsurprisingly, this woke us up. My phone was sitting on my bedside table charging at the time.

And a few minutes later, it decided to call my younger son's phone. (These were the first two numbers in my favourites list.)

Checking online, it seems that this is not an unknown problem with malware on Android phones. But installing various well-reviewed malware apps from the google play store shows nothing in the scans.

Any recommendations for the best free anti-virus to leave installed. Would upgrading to the 5.0 firmware help, do you think?

[trocchietto]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

At 00:53 this morning, my Yotaphone decided to call my wife's phone. Unsurprisingly, this woke us up. My phone was sitting on my bedside table charging at the time.

And a few minutes later, it decided to call my younger son's phone. (These were the first two numbers in my favourites list.)

Checking online, it seems that this is not an unknown problem with malware on Android phones. But installing various well-reviewed malware apps from the google play store shows nothing in the scans.

Any recommendations for the best free anti-virus to leave installed. Would upgrading to the 5.0 firmware help, do you think?

to be sure
do an hard reset, going back to manufacturer installation.(like you receive the new phone), then install the apps you trust
of course save books, documents, music you need in advance

Is the most widespread operative system in the world, is normal these things can happen.

you could even try download some malware, anti virus from google play, but I would go for an hard reset to be on the safe side/
you pdurant really unlucky, before crashed the phone, then viruses!

[jj2me]

Thanks, tocchietto, for your coaxings. I already bought it, got it delivered yesterday, today it's on 5.0 HK firmware with CN radio. I'm a bit afraid to install the RU firmware because of a couple of reports on page 2 of the upgrade thread of the e-ink screen misbehaving after installing the RU firmware. Has anyone here experienced that?

What a nice phone for US$120!

[kacir]

Originally Posted by jj2me

Thanks, tocchietto, for your coaxings. I already bought it, got it delivered yesterday, today it's on 5.0 HK firmware with CN radio. I'm a bit afraid to install the RU firmware because of a couple of reports on page 2 of the upgrade thread of the e-ink screen misbehaving after installing the RU firmware. Has anyone here experienced that?

What a nice phone for US$120!

You will not get anything by installing Russian Firmware. Except perhaps Aeroflot (Russian state airline) app installed by default.

The only reason I have installed a better firmware was, that my 4.4 was way too old and would not update itself automatically. With anything newer than 4.4 you do not need to run PC updater. I have used Russian firmware, because that is the default one, but after updating to 5.0 the phone updated itself to an even newer version.

[jj2me]

Thanks much, kacir. I'm not really keen to fly on Aeroflot! Nor to to risk harming the beautiful e-ink screen.

[trocchietto]

Originally Posted by jj2me

Thanks much, kacir. I'm not really keen to fly on Aeroflot! Nor to to risk harming the beautiful e-ink screen.

I left him with custom features, only important thing you should manage some optimization, that the get calls are too aggressive with android.

[DarkCookie]

Android 6.0 Marshmallow is officially coming to YotaPhone 2. Beta testing has already started in Russia.

[Rbneader]

Mine just arrived today! It is quite nice, I'm impressed.

I've got to winnow my device stash since I don't think I've ever thrown out a working piece of electronics, but after that I may pick up another one to use as a development and flashing tool. The lack of an SD card slot means this is never going to be a primary device, though.

ETA: Pretty impressed by the included stuff. They come with a whole bunch of earbud covers! The earbud cords are also pretty and seem difficult to tangle. It's a great little package with nice accessories. I definitely wouldn't have paid full price new for this, but for $120 it's an awesome phone if the GSM bands are supported by your carrier, and still a nice piece of tech regardless. It's also much lighter and easier to use one-handed than my current ereader.

[crimsonsnow]

Hello,

Reporting that mine's arrived on time last Monday. So far I enjoyed doing everything I usually do on my phone on the always-on screen. I get HSDPA with my provider (I use Three in UK), I guess that's pretty good then. The reading experience is not as crisp as it's in my Aura, but with all the pluses, I'm very satisfied. I haven't thought of updating to Lollipop yet, but I will try to root when I feel like it.

My notes (TL;DR so I bold some in case anything interest you guys):
- I mostly read on FBReader previously, mostly because of the TTS+ integration. Don't know why I can't make the TTS+ work (can anyone with FBReader have a try?). So far I managed with Voice Aloud, but I couldn't easily move straight back to reading after TTS, unlike in FBReader, so will prefer my old setting back. Yotareader is actually nice to read from, but now I'm mostly reading interchangeably between TTS-reader, so not exactly my ideal setup.
- Pocket is working perfectly which is nice
- The music player widget recognises TTPod, which is a rather obscure Chinese music player, a nice surprise
- The always on-screen doesn't have front light, I guess you could just flip the screen, but if you have USB OTG, you can also plug in a USB reading light
- I use Inoreader on News+ for RSS and Opera Mini for browsing, I think you can only scroll on these apps, will be nice to have flipping-instead-of-scrolling options for when I mirror, do anyone knows whether these apps can be set up to flip long articles or if there's any RSS reader or browser which can do this? Saving the articles to Pocket is a way to do this, but 'll be preferable to do it in less steps.

I also bought a silicone case for mine. With that case it's actually can fit rather snugly inside the silicone case of my faux-leather flip cover for my previous phone (Galaxy Grand Duos). I'm a big fan of flip covers, but I don't think there's one designed with Yotaphone 2 (with flips for both sides) in mind. I'm thinking of either holing hole on this flip cover for the always-on screen or screwing the silicone case to something to make a flip-like cover. As for now, this goes.

Update: Have successfully flashed the latest RU firmware and rooted the device, I'm glad.