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I'm about to attempt a plan with https://www.good2gomobile.com because apparently they're a T-Mo / AT&T MVNO and they have a $5/month plan that slows to 128kbps after the first gig. But my phone has two sim slots so it seems like a great backup to have two dialup modems worth of unlimited data for such short money. Only one way to find out!
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Mar 24, 2025 23:20
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also 6a crew and looking to movie on. think I've narrowed it down between the pixel 8 and the A36. any specific strengths and weaknesses? any obvious choice?
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Mar 29, 2025 05:56
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i say swears online posted:also 6a crew and looking to movie on. think I've narrowed it down between the pixel 8 and the A36. any specific strengths and weaknesses? any obvious choice? If you were happy with your 6a then I think going to the Pixel 8 would be almost a transparent upgrade. Like, the same phone, just better. I have migrated my phone from Pixel 6 to Pixel 8 Pro to Pixel 8, and it's like having different versions of the same phone. The Samsung is probably going to be a competent phone, and you probably want to rely on reviews or wait for other people to chime in on it. Personally, I like the Pixels - my work phone is a Samsung and I just don't care for their spin on things. CaptainSarcastic fucked around with this message at 06:50 on Mar 29, 2025 |
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Mar 29, 2025 06:46
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rip pixel 8 deal, i waited too long after liberation day
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Apr 3, 2025 16:23
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Zero VGS posted:I'm about to attempt a plan with https://www.good2gomobile.com because apparently they're a T-Mo / AT&T MVNO and they have a $5/month plan that slows to 128kbps after the first gig. But my phone has two sim slots so it seems like a great backup to have two dialup modems worth of unlimited data for such short money. Only one way to find out! Trip report: Good2GoMobile is uh, "interesting". I got their AT&T MVNO sim because they were out of T-Mobile MVNO sims, they said I can switch for free when they get the T-Mobile sims in. $5 a month for unlimited talk/text, and 1GB data before they throttle it to, according to the guy on the phone, "between 128 and 256 kbps". I wanted to see just how bad the throttle would be, so I watched 3 mins of an 8K youtube video to eat up the 1 GB. It throttled right on time, and my speed tests were coming in around 0.6-0.12 Mbps download (60-120 Kbps) and a more consistent 0.11-0.13 Mbps upload (110-130 Kbps). That speed turns out to be enough to browse to YouTube (which took like 30 seconds to load), and play a 144p Dunkey video without interruption. Then it autoplayed a long John Oliver and I set that to 240p and it also played the whole thing without interruption. 360p is when it starts buffering midstream on the John Oliver, but maybe another stream with more stuff happening has a higher bitrate. So then I tried an action movie trailer and it buffered a second here and there at 240p, and was fine going back to 144p. YouTube is surprisingly usable in other words. Soundcloud: struggles getting though a song, which is weird because I have no subscription, and the "normal quality" is allegedly 64 Kbps OPUS. But closing all apps and running SoundCloud, my menu bar is showing it is trying to pull 120+ Kbps nonstop when playing a track, and having multi-second buffers dozens of times per song, so maybe they turned the bitrate up at some point or switched off Opus. Also funny is it tries to play video ads, and after about 3 seconds goes "ehh on second thought I'll attempt the next song" Spotify: Plays a song without interruption and according to my data meter it seems to have the entire song loaded up about half of the way through a song, and the data goes to 0b/second as it wraps up. I was wondering what on earth would be that effective and still sound fine. Looking it up, it seems to be "24 Kbps HE-AACv2", so there you have it. A setting in Spotify revealed that it is aware when Android has Data Saver toggled on which seems to force it to that bitrate. Google Maps: Pre-downloaded maps and directions are fine, going out of cached area is a shitshow. Awful App: Sometimes takes 15 seconds to load a page with images and embeds off, text only? Weird. Clicking "show image" and having it load downwards like I'm on 56K again is thrilling VoIP call with Google Voice: Works fine, I called a number that lets me record a message and play it back, sounded perfect. Magic the Gathering Arena: Cannot make it to the main menu, gets stuck on "loading initial scene" and "waiting for server", which is weird because older MTG online games ran fine on dialup on this netcode shouldn't be much different. There's a Walmart thing called MobileX that gives 10GB for a month then throttles to 512 Kbps, for the suspicious price of $14.88, and apparently my phone isn't authorized but there's a trick to activate the sim on a different phone and swap it in, so I might test that one out next.
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Apr 5, 2025 11:11
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Man, I both appreciate you testing that, but also 30 seconds for YouTube to load feels like going back to 2009.
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Apr 5, 2025 12:51
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I can get a Galaxy 24 FE for 250 or a Galaxy 25 for 450. Witch of these is the better deal? Or is there a comparable Pixel phone out there?
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Apr 5, 2025 18:26
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Nissin Cup Nudist posted:I can get a Galaxy 24 FE for 250 or a Galaxy 25 for 450. Witch of these is the better deal? FE is fine, but For a one time $200 I would get the 25. Better processor, refresh rate, camera , etc. The pixel 8 or 9 would be comparable, but only if you can also get it in that price range.
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Apr 5, 2025 19:03
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Country/Provider: USA/Google Fi Budget: <$500.00 Features I know I want: something indestructible. I'm currently on a Pixel 8 pro and I'm a big fan of it, but based on prior experience, I'm afraid I'll drop it and break it unexpectedly at some point, so I want to go ahead and buy a backup phone before tariffs make everything more expensive. Is there a smartphone on the market that can last ~5 years? A flip phone would probably be the safest bet, right? Anderson Koopa posted:I just got a "CAT S22 rugged flip phone" as an adjunct to my other PDA. So far I can't complain, but I wouldn't recommend it as your only option. It is well made, inexpensive, and functional. The cons are that the typing is miserable, battery is only so so (but can be replaced), and the screen isn't the greatest. For a "new" phone to do all of that, I can't complain. I've had this phone on an Amazon wishlist since 2023, probably after reading the above post. Is this a solid choice?
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Apr 9, 2025 13:10
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YoursTruly posted:Country/Provider: USA/Google Fi I mean, the phone you have is already fine and will last 5 years (hopefully). I get tariffs, but I don’t think spending money for no reason now works out that well. Also, there’s always the option to repair the phone is you break it. Who knows how tariffs affect that, but in theory still a better backup than just spending a few hundred bucks for no current need. But if you must get one, see if you can get the re launched Nokia Banana phone. I am not actually recommending this, but it is a cool phone. https://www.hmd.com/en_int/nokia-8110-4g
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Apr 9, 2025 13:14
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So I currently have an assurance wireless USA government free plan that runs on the T-mobile network. The phone is the Hot Pepper Panca and, as expected, is completely trash. I see two options: - Upgrade phone and move sim over -Get new plan and phone, keep Hot Pepper for backup My budget for a phone (new/used) I would like to be around $300 but could go up to $500 if thats really required. The plan would need at least 5GB of data on any network but I would like to have an unlimited or at least the ability to upgrade to unlimited. What phone would be better, a used/refirb flagship or a new not flagship phone? I had the samsung A54 recently and was happy with it. My requirements on the phone are no Apple products.
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Apr 9, 2025 16:20
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If I convert my SIM to an eSIM, can I revert that change at will to go back to using the original SIM? Right now I have a dual-sim phone with a data-only plan (T-Mo) and a voice plan (T-Mo MVNO). My backup phone is a Pixel 5A which has one sim slot and can take one eSIM, hence the question. Can I change the pair between phones without some lengthy customer service call every time?
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Apr 10, 2025 17:46
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YoursTruly posted:Country/Provider: USA/Google Fi The Pixel 9a just launched on the Google store with $100 off codes for existing Pixel users and $100 in store credit and has 7 years of support, so you can get a phone that lasts 7 years plus a $100 google gift card for $400. Only worth it if you'd otherwise spend that hundred on the Google store, imo.
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Apr 10, 2025 17:56
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Zero VGS posted:If I convert my SIM to an eSIM, can I revert that change at will to go back to using the original SIM? There’s a chance it’s a call to switch each time. The switch is probably not hard but the re programming probably is.
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Apr 10, 2025 17:58
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Is the 9a enough of an upgrade over the 6a to switch? Looks like I can get it for just over $200 with current offer and trade in. Seems like a good deal to get a 3 year newer phone.
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Apr 10, 2025 18:56
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take me you ANIMAL posted:Is the 9a enough of an upgrade over the 6a to switch? Looks like I can get it for just over $200 with current offer and trade in. Seems like a good deal to get a 3 year newer phone. Honestly? Not at all. I'd keep using the 6a until it breaks. My boyfriend and parents are all on the 6a. Unless you're spooked by the tariffs or something. Hitting the price point on the 9a required some embarrassing poo poo like 128GB storage and 8GB ram, CPU is on a three year old process, etc.
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Apr 10, 2025 19:40
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Don't tell me that, I just bought one to replace my 6a (with a cracked screen)
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Apr 11, 2025 08:52
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ihop posted:Don't tell me that, I just bought one to replace my 6a (with a cracked screen) Like I said, until it breaks. All the Pixels punch above their specs because of software, and there's nothing inherently bad about the 9a in this economy, it just don't blow away 6a and newer Pixels enough to ditch one that's working fine.
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Apr 11, 2025 10:21
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Country/Provider: USA / Visible Current contract status: N/A Budget (phone/plan): $500 / $50, less is better. Currently paying $25/mo for Visible and I have no problems staying there but don't mind changing to another Verizon or AT&T MVNO (no T-Mobile, terrible reception here) Features I know I want: I primarily use this for email / Discord / Youtube, I just want something that will have enough life on it to get through the next 4 years as far as battery and software updates. I've currently got an SE 2020 but the battery is going downhill and the charging port is getting finicky. I'm thinking about a refurb iPhone 15, but IDK what else would be an option. I want to buy something before the tariff prices hit. I'd prefer a phone on the smaller side, and want a case because I'm very clumsy and have broken multiple screens over the past 10 years. I also want a suggestion of a sturdy case, I'm currently using an Otterbox Defender but I have heard they have gone downhill and there's better options now.
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Apr 11, 2025 15:03
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Country/Provider: USA (southeast) / AT&T Current phones: (2) iPhone 11 Current plan:  Looking to upgrade to the iPhone 16 or 16e. Do I care that our current plan doesn't have 5G? I have never once felt like I'm limited by the data rate on my phone, nor have we ever gone over our shared 6GB of data. Is my current plan fine in terms of features and price?
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Apr 11, 2025 15:55
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22 Eargesplitten posted:Country/Provider: USA / Visible Pixel 9a review just dropped. Most budget android users should get it. https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/04/google-pixel-9a-review-all-the-phone-you-need/ You’re probably fine with Visible. Easychair Bootson posted:Country/Provider: USA (southeast) / AT&T I would call ATT and see if they can offer you an unlimited plan for the same price or cheaper. General fyi: right now Verizon will offer unlimited for $95 a month for two lines. Thats before tax , probably $105-110 after tax. But you would get 2 iPhone 16s free over 3 year contract. Disclaimer: that unlimited plan does not have mobile hotspot, and at times of busy towers you can see slower data speeds. I’m betting neither matters based on usage. Carriers are still in a pricing war, so I would see where the best option of monthly plan plus discount on phone is. ATT may offer a similar promo if you go to an unlimited plan, which again only makes sense if the monthly bill is right. Edit: general fyi, if you want help with a Verizon setup, I can have a co worker call. Don’t feel in any way obligated on this. Duckman2008 fucked around with this message at 14:34 on Apr 12, 2025 |
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Apr 12, 2025 14:27
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Country/Provider: Australia/ Vodafone Prepaid Current contract status: N/A Budget (phone/plan): $5-700 wanting to get a new unlocked phone to replace my mums ailing Galaxy S8, preferably another Galaxy since shes used to their android version
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Apr 18, 2025 12:01
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Acoustic Radiation posted:Country/Provider: Australia/ Vodafone Prepaid I don’t know what around, but it sounds like any Samsung would work fine. If you want to be safe get the medium one, which is the Samsung A53 (we’re either on 52 or 53).
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Apr 18, 2025 13:09
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thank you duckman
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Apr 21, 2025 11:22
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