I had the ZTE Awe recently coming from a Kyocera Rise. I need a phone I can COUNT on, to wit:
(1) No "lagging" with basic tasks (Kyocera Rise)
(2) No flaky GPS (Reverb after Jellybean, Motorola Triumph), get a lock within 10 seconds of when I first ask for one, even with me leaving GPS off all the time until I need it
(3) No "loop rebooting" (ZTE Awe)
(4) Battery life must last, and I mean LAST (my Rise often-times was dead by lunch)
(5) Removable battery and microSD
(6) No scenarios of "it ran great until the recent OTA update now it lags" (Reverb getting JB, S3 getting 4.3)
(7) If possible, don't download megabytes of updates from the start making Google Play take forever before I can start installing apps
I don't do hard-gore caming, just the very occasional Angry Birds, I run apps like Opera Mini, Dolphin Mini, Fast for Facebook, ColorNotes. But my experiences have been this:
(1) My Rise initially is okay, but after awhile lags with EVERYTHING, so much so that when someone calls I am unable to answer because it takes that long for the phone icons to populate. I have a short fuse (more on that later) and have whipped that thing against the wall numerous times when it lags, but that cheap little hard-shell case on it apparently is better than it looks, because the phone still isn't cracked at all, not even after THROWING it against trees, concrete or brick walls.
(2) I got a second-hand Samsung Galaxy Reverb, not aware of the ZTE Awe special, and it updated to Jellybean (I wasn't aware of that issue). It seemed to run fine with no problem until I tried out the GPS, 10 minutes later with it aimed straight at the sky it STILL couldn't find me. I have a short fuse, and turned it into splinters.
(3) I got the ZTE Awe for $20 at Target, got 2 of them, and the 1st one fell out of my shirt pocket straight onto the concrete. Okay, great that I got a 2nd one. That didn't list long--it would "loop reboot" as in once the battery went below 30% it would start freaking out and get stuck in a nearly infinite loop of endless rebooting. I got mad--I have a short fuse--and turned it into splinters before I could root it & see if that made it better. (I had ordered a hard-shell case, but it still hasn't arrived.) It was too bad, because it did great up until then--no lag, no lock-ups, battery lasted longer vs my Kyocera Rise, and the GPS locked on immediately and worked great.
My initial reaction was to get another ZTE Awe, but WAIT until the protective case came in, and not switch over to it yet--but rather set-it up in the house over Wi-Fi, root it & everything, give it a while to make sure it doesn't give me any issues, and make sure--unlike before with the $20 Target purchased ZTE Awe--to KEEP UP with the receipt & papers and in fact to MAKE SURE that the store will take it back if I am dis-satisfied with it.
Then I turn around & see that the LG Optimus F3 is on sale at Radio Shack at $70. It seems to be comparable to the ZTE Awe.
Are there any "gotchas" with this phone? If I fire up Google Maps after having installed the other apps, will it lock-on QUICKLY and then HOLD ON to that lock? Are there any issues with loop rebooting, or it acting worse and lagging after an OS update, or battery life giving up quickly (I've heard it has GREAT battery life)? I've read its call quality is not all that great, people heard me OK on the other phones, that's my main concern. I assume its battery is removable & it accepts microSD cards? Does it work ok as is or do I need to put it on the operating table & root it?
I appreciate any help, because with 3 broken phones since Friday, I'm really getting tired of this. I want something that WORKS, and without having to do--well--so much WORK to it in order for it to do so.
(1) No "lagging" with basic tasks (Kyocera Rise)
(2) No flaky GPS (Reverb after Jellybean, Motorola Triumph), get a lock within 10 seconds of when I first ask for one, even with me leaving GPS off all the time until I need it
(3) No "loop rebooting" (ZTE Awe)
(4) Battery life must last, and I mean LAST (my Rise often-times was dead by lunch)
(5) Removable battery and microSD
(6) No scenarios of "it ran great until the recent OTA update now it lags" (Reverb getting JB, S3 getting 4.3)
(7) If possible, don't download megabytes of updates from the start making Google Play take forever before I can start installing apps
I don't do hard-gore caming, just the very occasional Angry Birds, I run apps like Opera Mini, Dolphin Mini, Fast for Facebook, ColorNotes. But my experiences have been this:
(1) My Rise initially is okay, but after awhile lags with EVERYTHING, so much so that when someone calls I am unable to answer because it takes that long for the phone icons to populate. I have a short fuse (more on that later) and have whipped that thing against the wall numerous times when it lags, but that cheap little hard-shell case on it apparently is better than it looks, because the phone still isn't cracked at all, not even after THROWING it against trees, concrete or brick walls.
(2) I got a second-hand Samsung Galaxy Reverb, not aware of the ZTE Awe special, and it updated to Jellybean (I wasn't aware of that issue). It seemed to run fine with no problem until I tried out the GPS, 10 minutes later with it aimed straight at the sky it STILL couldn't find me. I have a short fuse, and turned it into splinters.
(3) I got the ZTE Awe for $20 at Target, got 2 of them, and the 1st one fell out of my shirt pocket straight onto the concrete. Okay, great that I got a 2nd one. That didn't list long--it would "loop reboot" as in once the battery went below 30% it would start freaking out and get stuck in a nearly infinite loop of endless rebooting. I got mad--I have a short fuse--and turned it into splinters before I could root it & see if that made it better. (I had ordered a hard-shell case, but it still hasn't arrived.) It was too bad, because it did great up until then--no lag, no lock-ups, battery lasted longer vs my Kyocera Rise, and the GPS locked on immediately and worked great.
My initial reaction was to get another ZTE Awe, but WAIT until the protective case came in, and not switch over to it yet--but rather set-it up in the house over Wi-Fi, root it & everything, give it a while to make sure it doesn't give me any issues, and make sure--unlike before with the $20 Target purchased ZTE Awe--to KEEP UP with the receipt & papers and in fact to MAKE SURE that the store will take it back if I am dis-satisfied with it.
Then I turn around & see that the LG Optimus F3 is on sale at Radio Shack at $70. It seems to be comparable to the ZTE Awe.
Are there any "gotchas" with this phone? If I fire up Google Maps after having installed the other apps, will it lock-on QUICKLY and then HOLD ON to that lock? Are there any issues with loop rebooting, or it acting worse and lagging after an OS update, or battery life giving up quickly (I've heard it has GREAT battery life)? I've read its call quality is not all that great, people heard me OK on the other phones, that's my main concern. I assume its battery is removable & it accepts microSD cards? Does it work ok as is or do I need to put it on the operating table & root it?
I appreciate any help, because with 3 broken phones since Friday, I'm really getting tired of this. I want something that WORKS, and without having to do--well--so much WORK to it in order for it to do so.
