Smartphones

my chinese bought samsung phone worked fine when I brought it back to Ireland and swapped the sim card, but I've heard stories of people buying smartphones abroad then not being able to use them in China, something to do with mobile company restrictions and sim card size. this might only apply to apple.

I don't know enough about this, can somebody else chime in?

I just bought an iPhone 4s in america and have no problem using it in china. If you are starting out with a new phone number and service and everything you can buy a "microsim" that fits the iPhone. If you want to keep using your old sim card, like me, virtually any mobile phone shop has a sim cutter made expressly for this purpose. It cuts the plastic in the card down to the proper size, and doesn't touch the electrical part so all you info stays intact.

It's quite easy!

When you buy a phone, make sure it has what you need. I just discovered that the somewhat pricey Samsung I bought does not come with the Google Play App or some such dohicky and therefore I cannot install Pleco...buggerbuggerbugger...guess I will have to get one of those iPhone things...damn and dash it all...

Eric, you can also buy and install Pleco direct from the maker's website:

http://www.pleco.com/androidordering.html

http://www.pleco.com/androidextfiles.html

ETR I guess that the phone you bought was NOT a samsung Galaxy S but a lesser beast.Cos I know for a fact that the galaxy does allow you to install Pleco but I just want to know from a saloonie that it works okay. (my friend installed it to show me that it can be done but is not a sinophile)

I can't install CPOD app on my samsung galaxy because it says my version of android is too old - this from a phone that was bought this spring!

Questions:

A - how can I update android

B - is this because I fecked around and rooted (semi-rooted? I'm not sure she actually even felt anything) my phone back in the spring?

I'm a simple man. All I want is my PLECO and my CPOD and I'll be happy, pappy.

I can't install CPOD app on my samsung galaxy because it says my version of android is too old - this from a phone that was bought this spring!

Questions:

A - how can I update android

Download a ROM.

B - is this because I fecked around and rooted (semi-rooted? I'm not sure she actually even felt anything) my phone back in the spring?

No.

I'm a simple man. All I want is my PLECO and my CPOD and I'll be happy, pappy.

As in "ChinesePod4_v3.0.3.apk"?

That's the latest CPOD apk and I assume the "4" means Android 4.x.

Are you running Android 4.x or 2.x?

Sorry, my mistake...it is an HTC I have, not a Samsung...and it is crap...crapcrapcrap...

ah so I am now relieved -wanna buy the Samsung

yes, so, seems I'm running an android version 2.3.6 - why's it so old if I only got the phone this year?

now, as for updating a ROM... how do I do that (when I click on software update in 'about phone' it says 'this country not supported'

2.3.6 isn't old. Android is up to 4.1.1 now, but Android 4 is officially less than a year old and before October, 2011, 2.3.7 was as high as Android went for phones. (Android 3.x was more a tablet OS.) So if the app installer is saying your version is too old, imma guess that means the app you're trying to install requires Android 4. I can't find documentation asserting that requirement though, so I don't know for sure. You'd think they'd make the app backwards compatible, but maybe they didn't.

There are official Android 4 updates for the Samsung Galaxy S2 out there. They'll take the phone up to 4.0 (which is what you want, 4.1 is still experimental, I think), but official availability of these things is at mobile service carrier behest. Dunno if they're available in China yet. Seemingly not. But... your phone's rooted... you could update it yourself .

It's probably better to wait though and see what others say. Does the app require Android 4? Is an earlier version of the app good enough for your needs? An S2 can run Android 4.0, but that's a lot of work and angst for an app...

I dunno. I don't use the app. Others had better chime in.

*sigh*

Googling produces download links for a CPOD app version 2.1.6, released apparently early this year. Specs say it's for Android 2.1 and higher. For example, tada and voila.

But the Chinesepod mobile apps page yields a link to a version 3.0.3, presumably better, yet tagged as "4_v3.0.3"... what is that mystery "4"? A reference to an Android requirement that isn't otherwise referenced anywhere else?

You be the judge.

thanks for that digging C'lach, what I'll do is ask your questions to the tech support guys who sent me the link that I can't use in the first place... 

alright C'lach (I'm not going to even bother addressing this to the hive-mind)

CPOD guy says:

'Yes, unfortunately the new application is only supported by Android version 3.0 and above.

I have attached an .apk file of the old application which should work on your phone, however, please note that this application is outdated and lacks many of the improvements made in the new version.'

what do you think, use old .apk or update to android 4?

(and if update - how? will it be a massive hassle? will I lose existing apps?)

In your situation I'd just install the old app. Play with it long enough to find out if it works for you. Then sometime later decide if you want to upgrade the whole phone.

Upgrading would be a moderate hassle. You'd have find the rom, download it, find out what's the procedure for installing over an existing install, and your phone has to be rooted already. I'd be expecting most if not all of your apps to keep working. And you'd probably want to find out how to back up your existing installation first, and not just the data but also the actual OS...

I have experimented briefly with Android 4 on my HTC Desire, but I'm sticking with 2.3.7 because basically my phone doesn't have the grunt to support the software (and the current roms for the Desire are too unfinished to be properly useable). If I had an S2, though.... There's an official Android 4 update for that phone, meaning presumably all the bells and whistles are present and the hardware is actually capable of running them, and even maybe the official rom can be found online somewhere for download to install by yourself. I'd do it to see how it worked. But that kind of thing is fun for me.

So, short answer: see what the old app looks like. It might end up being good enough for your purposes.

In your situation I'd just install the old app. Play with it long enough to find out if it works for you. Then sometime later decide if you want to upgrade the whole phone.

Upgrading would be a moderate hassle. You'd have find the rom, download it, find out what's the procedure for installing over an existing install, and your phone has to be rooted already. I'd be expecting most if not all of your apps to keep working. And you'd probably want to find out how to back up your existing installation first, and not just the data but also the actual OS...

I have experimented briefly with Android 4 on my HTC Desire, but I'm sticking with 2.3.7 because basically my phone doesn't have the grunt to support the software (and the current roms for the Desire are too unfinished to be properly useable). If I had an S2, though.... There's an official Android 4 update for that phone, meaning presumably all the bells and whistles are present and the hardware is actually capable of running them, and even maybe the official rom can be found online somewhere for download to install by yourself. I'd do it to see how it worked. But that kind of thing is fun for me.

So, short answer: see what the old app looks like. It might end up being good enough for your purposes.

Ta.