[kaushik_s]

Recently bought LG Optimus G after a long search for the right phone for my budget. Have been dilly-dallying between Nexus 4 and Sony Xperia ZR. I wanted the Nexus 4 but the 16Gb memory inbuilt with no SD card has been stopping me from buying it. I wanted bit more memory. Almost pulled the trigger on Sony ZR but somehow I was not very impressed with the screen of ZR. Also read news about the fact that Sony doesn't honour warranty if water gets in. So much for a water-proof/resistant phone. Didn't want to buy a Samsung as I had really horrible experience with my Samsung Galaxy S. Then a friend suggested LG Optimus G, and when I checked this phone out I felt that this was nothing but the Nexus 4 on steroids. Basically the same phone as Nexus 4 but with sweeteners like 32GB memory, LTE and FM radio. There is a 13mp camera too, but which I don't think is something worth talking about, specially in low-light. But what struck me most is the recent reduction on price which has put this phone at the same pricing as Nexus 4 i.e. around 26k. I'm sure now it might even go down more but for that price this phone is a killer deal. So after a few online research and reviews, bought this phone from a store in Bangalore. Have been using this phone for last one week and till now things are running pretty smooth. Battery life is decent. Call quality is pretty nice and clear. No lag at all so far, doesn't matter what or how many apps are running. The Quick Memo and Q-slide are nice functionalities, specially the Quick Memo.
I'm not sure about LG service but I didn't had any great experience with Samsung service too. And I actually ended up fixing problems myself on my previous phone. So I guess I won't be worrying much about the service backup.
All in all, for the price of around 25k+, I don't think if there is anything better than LG Optimus G at this moment. Obviously, Nexus 4 is there but both actually the same phone with different names and slightly different specs (and LG Optimus G does have better specs). Nexus 4, being Google phone will be getting all the updates on time and LG is notoriously lagging behind in terms of OS upgrade. But again the interface of pure Android doesn't have the abundance of features as in a customized UI (but everyone has their own preference here). Sony Xperia ZR is slightly costly with similar specs but with much less inbuilt memory at 8GB. And as far as online report goes, the call quality of ZR is not that good.
Another good thing about the LG Optimus G is the music player. The audio thru the Headphone/earphone is pretty nice compared to quite a few other phones. But the inbuilt speaker is not very good and that's one drawback I can think about the music player. Playing HD movies is not a problem and tested with a 1080p file and it played the movie quite smoothly without any jerk/lag.
Regards,

[kash_pegasus]

Originally Posted by Top-Gear

Google, for reasons best known to them, doesn't sell the Nexus 4 in India.

It is available on online retailer stores. And LG who is the manufacturer is also selling them in their showrooms. Why worry about Google selling them in their play store!!??

[Gandhi]

Originally Posted by honeybee

No kidding. The activities are put on hold if phone is on standby. That's not true multitasking.

That's the iOS does it, not Android. Android lets activities continue in background as long as there's memory available.

[Top-Gear]

Originally Posted by kash_pegasus

It is available on online retailer stores. And LG who is the manufacturer is also selling them in their showrooms. Why worry about Google selling them in their play store!!??

Yes, it is available now. Not last year when I was determined to buy it and tried all the tricks I described to buy from Google. Ultimately, asked my bro to buy and get it for me from the US.

[bhp_maniac]

Originally Posted by hemanth.anand

Got a call on thursday evening that the phone is ready and I took my phone back on Friday evening.
bhp_maniac, you were right, the micro-usb female port was the problem...it was replaced.
There was another component named sub-PAB (I don't know what exactly that is) that was also replaced.
When I got my phone, he took the repair acknowledgement from me and others, went inside and brought back three Notes together and guess what all three had the same problem

The problem has not surfaced again till now.

Yes, the USB port of these devices seem to be a weak point. In fact its not as sturdy as a blackberry or a sony.

Originally Posted by honeybee

No kidding. The activities are put on hold if phone is on standby. That's not true multitasking.

Multitasking is not running activities while standby, but the ability to process multiple applications side by side which Android does for ages I think. Standby is the time when a device can go to an ultra low power state which is similar to OFF state. During standby also, all your applications with background services will be running, or else how will your push notifications and email deliveries works? They does this by sending wake requests in between and getting the device out of standby. If an app still actively runs when on standby, I don't think that OS is smart enough for a smartphone

[kash_pegasus]

Originally Posted by Top-Gear

Yes, it is available now. Not last year when I was determined to buy it and tried all the tricks I described to buy from Google. Ultimately, asked my bro to buy and get it for me from the US.

Precisely what I did too. I was in the same situation and I know the struggle. All manufacturers ignore India though it is one of the biggest markets for smart phones and over that- nexus 4 being such VFM would definitely have made a huge impact in the market. I yes it was perhaps more to do with their inability to forecast the storming demand which it caused! Wish that it improves in future!

[Gandhi]

New Android version 4.4 (codenamed KitKat) announced.

http://www.android.com/kitkat/

[Top-Gear]

http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/3/469...5-kitkat-video

Look at the device the (I guess Indian origin) Googler is holding in his hand for shooting the event - it looks like the Nexus 5 - and the article suggests it's by LG.

[sagarpadaki]

Guys, a friend of mine wants to gift his mother a phone on her birthday which is nearing. His requirements are as below . please suggest phones that meet the requirements.

1. Max budget of 7k
2. Dual Sim
3. camera which takes decent quality pics . Five to six mega pixel
4. Smartphone with full touch

Thanks in advance

[carboy]

I have some question about Whatsapp - I have avoided installing stuff which I see no use for. However, someone I know who is abroad wants to use it for contacting me and is forcing me to install it. So my questions are

- What the hell is Whatsapp & what can it do which Skype or other things cannot.
- Is it possible to make Whatsapp not allow anyone to contact me except this one guy?
- How much battery does it drain?
- Is it possible to limit how much digging around Whatsapp does on my phone?
- Is it possible to install it on my laptop instead just to keep this guy satisfied?

[ramzsys]

- What the hell is Whatsapp & what can it do which Skype or other things cannot.

Same as Gtalk. Chat, share pictures, videos. Now with voice exchange too! Skype is a bit heavier on resources. Whatsapp has a lighter interface. Easy to use.

- Is it possible to make Whatsapp not allow anyone to contact me except this one guy?
Yes you can.

- How much battery does it drain?
It stays online, but doesn't take much of data. If a light user, 2G is enough. Not much of a battery/CPU drain. Maybe 1-2 hour less battery life.

- Is it possible to limit how much digging around Whatsapp does on my phone?

- Is it possible to install it on my laptop instead just to keep this guy satisfied?

No.

[HappyRoadie]

Guys my sister is planning to buy a new phone. Her budget is maximum 22k. Not more than that. I have suggested her Sony Xperia SP. Is it a good phone? If there is some other phone then please let me know.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by ramzsys

- What the hell is Whatsapp & what can it do which Skype or other things cannot.

I think the fundamental difference is Skype/Gtalk etc need a separate login and are meant for both mobile and desktop platorms. They came first on compute platforms and then expanded to mobile. So I think they still follow a desktop/laptop/computer centric approach

While Whatsapp/Viber are targeted primarily for mobile only. Your cell number is your ID. You dont need separate one. Of course both use data networks. So I dont know conclusively whats the advantage of one versus the other.

For example what what extra does whatsapp provide which skype mobile could not and which resulted in whatsapp taking away the market.

[dZired]

Many of your questions have already been answered. So I would answer the remaining one.

Originally Posted by carboy

- Is it possible to install it on my laptop instead just to keep this guy satisfied?

Yes you can. There is a software named "BlueStacks" which can be installed on your laptop through which whatsapp can be used. But be ready to encounter slow laptop speeds.

Samsung has launched their prestigious Note 3 yesterday. Initial cost would be 45K. (Guess)
This one is completly different from their regular phones, which come with plastic back cover.

They Launched it with Leather back cover.

US versions.
2.23 Ghz snapdragon CPU with 3B Ram
Other versions
Exynos 5 Octa with 1.9 Ghz & 3GB ram.

It was announced that, LTE markets will get Note3 with Snapdragon chips.
And Non LTE markets will get Exynos with 3G.

Would some one please tell me why Non LTE markets will get Exynos 5 octa? If this is true, then how come Xperia Z ultra could support LTE and 3G, HSPA, etc... ?
Also, will there be a significant difference to manufacturing cost if they opt out LTE?

Another Stupid launch from Samsung... Galaxy gear (Watch) with 25Hrs of battery life, costing 300$ ~ 20K INR. I dont understand why they need to launch a watch with 24 hrs battery life. Nowadays, charging one's phone itself has become difficult and people are opting for bigger battery devices.