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Being a skinflint I want a Smartphone on a budget. I'm currently with Orange and put on a tenner credit every two months or so. I've narrowed it down to these two (unless you can recommend a third) but can't decide which.
The LG seems to have more features but is "crippled" with Android 1.6. There are rumours of 2.0 sometime soon but nothing is confirmed.
Hi Gibbo..........
Just seen this, and thought I'd put my two-penneth in!!!
I cannot tell you about the San Fran, but the GT540 is deffo in my sphere!!!
I've had this phone for nearly a month, and I certainly don't look on it as "crippled" by 1.6. I actually LOVE my phone, and there is hardly a day goes by when I don't have my missus saying something along the lines of "Put that bleeding thing down, and do something constructive"!!!
She doesn't take well to my answer that I AM doing something constructive!!
Back to the OP....2.1 (Eclair) is supposed to be being released in the VERY near future for the 540, and apart from the improvements colour-wise, I cannot see how they can improve the OS. The phone runs quickly, battery life has settled down, and all in all I am very very happy with the LG.
I would hope that a San Fran owner comes forward, in the interests of balance, but as a first smartphone, I think it's hard to beat the LG, on a budget!
Mind you, I should also qualify this all by saying............
I have no idea what the Orange plans are like, but with O2 I have Text and Web.....
As long as I top up £10 a month, I get 300 texts and unlimited web access.....
Oh, and the Orange branding is supposed to be quite invasive on the LG and the San Fran.....But, you pays your money, you takes your choice!!
One last post, that may help...........
The first one is a review of the San Fran....the second is the forum for GT540...........
See what people are saying about BOTH before you make any decisions!!!
I just picked up my San Francisco! Findings as I go in here... - Android @ MoDaCo
LG GT540 Optimus - GT540.MoDaCo.com - Android @ MoDaCo
Thanks for that! I'm liking the look of that forum - looks like lots of support there. My brother says that battery life improves if you upgrade from 1.6 to 2.0+
The Orange phone looks nicer - slimmer and larger for one. But if you look on their own website, they don't seem to big it up as much as the LG:
San Francisco Specs:
* 3-megapixel camera
* 3G+
* Android v2.1
* WiFi
* touch screen
* MP3 player
* music player
* Bluetooth®
* FM radio
* tri band
* USB compatible
* SatNav
* Video Messaging
* external memory up to 32GB microSD
* internal memory 150MB
* IMAP4
* POP3
* camera
LG Specs:
* 3-inch touch screen
* Android™ operating system
* 3.15-megapixel camera
* WiFi 802.11 b/g
* Bluetooth®
* FM radio RDS
* A-GPS support
* MP3 player
* speakerphone
* 3.5 mm audio jack
* internal memory 130MB
* external memory up to 32GB microSD
* GPRS
* EDGE
* HSDPA
* 3G
* WiFi
* USB compatible
* vibrating alert
* accelerometer
* autofocus
* geo-tagging
* FM radio
* built-in games
* GPS
* touch control
* camera
* music player
* MMS
* multimedia
* Contacts Backup
LG GT540 is NOW Android 2.1 !!!!
I have just installed the new OS, and it runs like a dream!
Buy LG....you won't be disappointed!!!
I bought the Orange after all that. The reviews on that forum from former LG owners swayed me.
It works like a dream, I can highly recommend it. Plus I got 20% off for working in the public sector.
Gibbo, I think you should do a full review on it!
After reading the reviews on the site, I wish it had come out a month earlier, and on O2!!!
Wouldn't mind having it myself!!! Good choice, fella!
If you've got a few mins, you could look here:
HotUKDeals - Orange San Francisco - Android 2.1 WVGA OLED Capacitive FM SatNav £109
People are getting the Orange San Francisco for as little as £79.99 including £10 credit.
~$3 to unlock
and get over to News for v3 of modified ROM.
I have to say.....
I still LOVE my GT540....especially since I got the 2.1 upgrade. The San Fran looks a really decent piece of kit, and had I been looking NOW for a phone, I would deffo go for it. As it stands, I'm not gonna be swapping, but I'll look again in a year or so's time!
As long as Gibbo is happy with it, then that is excellent news!
Gibbo, what plan did you go for? I'm in a similar position to you and when I saw the Orange San Francisco thought it might be what I wanted. I'm just not sure on the internet usage. I was looking at their £10 per month PAYG deals but capped 100MB of internet use I'm not sure how much that means. I've never had an internet phone (or not that was worth using anyway) so dont know how much useage this means in every day useage. At the moment, the only thing that is stopping me getting this is the deals that are offered.
I'm already an Orange customer on Dolphin (I put on a tenner every couple of months).
The only thing to worry about is whether any apps start downloading content when you're off the wireless and on the 3G signal. I downloaded the BBC News app Saturday night and found three news items in it's "inbox" Sunday morning.
I can't recommend this site enough for help and advice: ZTE Blade - Blade.MoDaCo.com - Android @ MoDaCo
I've just got mine unlocked today through Ebay by seller imei_unlock. The whole process was done in less than ten minutes for just 99p. So now I'll probably move providers and take my number with me.
I'd take a chance. If you don't like it you can easily get over £120 by listing it on Ebay - the phone is currently UK only and Europeans are crying out for it. I'm thinking of buying a few myself, unlocking them for 99p and selling them on!
Quote:
Originally Posted by penfold
You could buy the San Fran....get it unlocked....and then join O2 text and web PAYG! That is unlimited web + 300 texts.
That's good for me, as I hardly use the actual phone bit, but like surfing the net...and I don't get the shock of watching my credit disappear!
Or you could buy the GT540 on O2 and do the same!!!
(Can you tell i have the 540???)
LOL!!!
I was tempted with this from Tesco (500 mins, 3000 text & 500MB) as it is a rolling monthly contract for £10 a month, but as I was looking for a new phone I saw the san fran, but need to get it unlocked.
Thanks for the feedback.