Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

UPDATE 12/5/12: This phone has officially retired for me. I upgraded to the Samsung Galaxy SII from T-Mobile. Here are a few final points on this phone. It has gained its own section in the xda-developers forum, so go check it out if you're new to this phone and are interested in customizing it. Check out the updated review below for more information. ==================================================================================================== -------------------------From a regular user's point of view------------------------- I love this phone! I picked it up at Wal-Mart because of their exclusive $30 monthly plan with 100 talk minutes, unlimited text, and unlimited web (first 5GB at 4G speed per month, rest of the month slows down to EDGE). I'll tell you, I have never reached my 5GB limit, and I'm a heavy Internet user! T-Mobile's 4G HSPA+ network is really good, considering the price. Of course it's spotty in some places with T-Mobile being the way it is, but not most places that I've been to. The phone is sleek, and is loaded with features. Of course, being an Android phone, it is capable of doing many things that cannot be done on common feature phones. The 3.2 megapixel camera is quite good; it's not digital SLR quality, but it gets the job done when you need quick snapshots. The screen is nice and bright, very detailed and unpixelated because Samsung did a smart move by fitting a whole lot of pixels in a 3.7 inch screen. The 1GHz processor really hits the spot! Everything I do on it is fast! There's barely any freezing with the exception of browsing complicated webpages with more than 5 windows open. Personally, I think this phone beats the iPhone 4. For those who don't know the truth, the iPhone 4 costs $650 unsubsidized when it first came out. So to those saying "meh you can just get an iPhone for the same price", keep in mind that this phone does not require a contract, so you aren't forced to pay $100+ for cellphone bill every month. If you do simple math, you'll find that you'd actually save money in the long run with this phone compared to the iPhone locked into a contract. This phone showed me so much I've been missing out with iOS! It has pretty much the same features of iOS, and then some. You'll find that this phone is highly customizable due to Android OS's capabilities. It should be relatively easy to use for those new to smartphones. The phone has many pre-installed apps, which can be either good or bad depending on your preference. The apps are supposed to help you access T-Mobile stuff easier, but they are of no use to me. I rooted my phone and have since flashed many custom firmwares/ROMs to make the phone fit my needs. I really have nothing much to say to regular users. If you're new to Android, you should probably hit up YouTube and see what it's capable of. I can't explain how to do everything in this review. If you're looking for a bit more information, check out the section of review below! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------From a geek/power-user's point of view------------------------- Now, let's talk about the performance-price ratio. When you first get the phone, it may be a little 'meh', but many great developers came out and started pimpin' this phone. There are many custom ROMs available; Gingerbread ROMs for those with performance in mind, and Ice Cream Sandwich/Jellybean ROMs for those that want a little taste of unofficial upgrade. There's also a custom kernel floating around that allows the seemingly weak processor to overclock to 1.8GHz! That's about an 80% increase in processing power! Think about that, a 1.8GHz phone for $200. Now keep in mind that this isn't a dual-core processor, but it still performs like a champion. This phone can very easily outperform similar competitions at this price range, thanks to the great developers over at the xda-developers forum for taking the phone's hardware to its limit. At one point, users were able to score a little under 7000 points in AnTuTu Benchmark, which is double of the usual 3500 points that you'll usually see with the stock ROM. There are many ROMs to choose from. Whether it's Gingerbread-based ROMs or Ice Cream Sandwich-based ROMs, or Jellybean-based ROMs, you can't go wrong with this phone. Developers are always porting ROMs such as CyanogenMod, AOKP, MIUI, Paranoid Android, PAC, etc. You'll probably step into the day where you have nothing left to customize! I'm actually looking back from my Galaxy SII with a bit of envy, seeing how this phone has stepped up so much from its start. This phone is perfect for people who wants a mid-end experience at a low-end price. Seriously, this phone is very powerful with a few tweaks here and there. For $200, you definitely can't beat the phone for what it's capable of. It's no Galaxy Nexus, but I think that it can be its little brother. And computer geeks, I know how much you want a device that's affordable and highly customizable! ;) All information regarding rooting, custom ROMs, and software modifications are available on the xda-developers forum. Specifications: * CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon S2 - 1GHz single core (overclockable to 1.8GHz with custom kernel) * GPU: Adreno 205 * RAM: 512MB (356MB allocated to stock ROM; 364MB allocated to most ICS/JB ROMs) * Display: 3.7" TFT LCD touch-screen (800 x 480 resolution) * Cameras: 3.2MP rear-facing camera with LED flash; VGA front-facing camera * Cellular Network Technologies: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 + HSDPA 850/1700/1900/2100 capable of up to 14.4Mbps on an HSPA+ network * OS: Android 2.3.6 (up to 4.1.2 with custom ROMs) * Storage: ~2.5GB total internally, up to 32GB externally via microSD card ==================================================================================================== Here are some of the accessories I've gotten for this phone. I bought some of these to upgrade over another, so make sure to choose one from each section to your liking. I have reviewed all of these, so be sure to check the reviews before digging in. ;) Memory cards: - ADATA 32 GB Micro SDHC Card Class 10 with SD Adaptor AUSDH32GCL10-RA1 - SanDisk microSDHC 32GB Flash Memory Card (Retail Packaging) SDSDQM-032G-B35,Black ************************************************** Cases: - BW TPU Sleeve Gel Cover Skin Case for T-Mobile Samsung Exhibit II 4G T679 -Black - T-MOBILE SAMSUNG T679 EXHIBIT II 4G SMOKE BLACK TPU GEL SKIN CASE, IN QUBITS RETAIL PACKAGING ************************************************** External power/battery: - Anker® Astro3 10000mAh Dual 2A USB Output External Battery Backup and Charger for iPhone 4S / 4 / 3GS, iPod, iPad, iPad 2, the New iPad (iPad 3); Most Android Phones (Samsung Galaxy S / S2 / S3, HTC One X One S Sensation EVO, Motorola Droid, LG Optimus,... - ATC Power Bank 5000mAh Li-ion External Battery Pack and Charger with LED lights for Motorola Charm MB502, Grasp WX404, Rambler WX400, Bali WX415, Droid 2 A955, I1, Cliq XT, Quench, i890, Backflip, Devour, A555, Brute i680, Quantico V840, V845, i410, Crush - Hyperion T-Mobile Samsung Exhibit II 4G 2 x 1600mAh Battery + Charger