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looking for opinions

Hey everyone. I'm new to the forums so I apologize if this is in the wrong part or if there is already threads about this.
I just got my check Friday but I've been out of town and haven't been able to get around to getting it cashed.
Now I did and I was interested in the Ascend, but i have seen some reviews and opinions that were quite biased and i don't really care looking to media for unbiased opinions on things.

so what I'm asking is what YOU think of the phone.
What are the pros and cons and how is the call quality?
You don't have to go into a whole lot of detail, just a few things that could help me decide if i wanna go and pick it up or wait for the next nice thing to roll by.

I'm not tech savvy in any sense of the word so i wouldn't suggest rooting or anything associated with that if i were you. also, this will my first android phone.
thanks everyone :)
 
Honestly, if you don't plan on actually learning the android system this is not the phone for you.
The call quality is clear and crisp but be warned, the person on the other line can hear EVERY THING when your headset is in. Speaking of headsets, only the stock works correctly.
All in All, if you want to learn modding, this is the phone, for ootb performance however it's not.
It all comes down to getting what you pay for. The optimus m seems more for you though.
 
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Welcome to the forum Scatterbrain, not going to shortin your name like we do with other long name's on the forum, it just wouldn't sound right lol........I love the phone, to me its simple to use and you don't have to be tech savvy to use the phone and the phone works fine just as stock no need to mod if your not into that and the calls are clear I'm with cricket. I believe you would be happy with the ascend :)
 
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This is the only Android I've had and I thank my lucky stars I got it instead of some other el cheapo phone (some more expensive than the Ascend) that I wouldn't have enjoyed as much.

Don't believe the ratings from CNet and places like that. They are very prejudiced. LOL

Read the reviews from the users and you will get a more realistic idea of how good this phone really is.

The Ascend is really very nice, aesthetically....just in case you haven't seen it in the flesh. Contrary to the reviews which say it looks cheap, it does not! It is elegant and sleek. It's about the same size and shape as the iphone. Nice big display of 3.8" The colors are plenty vibrant and can be adjusted to brightness and also changing wallpaper can make a huge difference.

The Ascend is highly customizable, even un-rooted. With 2.1 O/S out of the box, it is fast enough for an entry level user and when rooted or moded can run quite a bit faster. There are unoffical rumors that 2.2 will be out in March but nothing has been confirmed as of yet.

It does everything the high end phones do and is manufactured by the second largest telecom manufacturer in the world: Huawei

They are seriously moving in on the smart phone market here in the U.S. :)

This is why it is such a nice phone for the money. Because Huawei did that on purpose! :D

Now for the Cons:

You have to get used to the sound. It is a bit inferior but can be made better with Power Amp and it's recommended you use blue tooth headset for very nice sound.

The camera has no flash or auto focus but who cares? If I want to take great pics I use my digital camera anyway.

Bottom line:

This is a really great phone for the money! For any money actually. And this is a great community that will help you when you do get it. Check out some of the other entry level phone forums here in Android Forums. They are nowhere near as large or active as the Ascend Forum. That should tell you a lot right there.

We love our Huawei Ascend phones!

Hope this helps!

:)
 
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Honestly, if you don't plan on actually learning the android system this is not the phone for you.
All in All, if you want to learn modding, this is the phone, for ootb performance however it's not.
I'm not saying i won't learn. for me, learning things is easy once i get started. getting started on learning is what's the hardest thing for me to do.
sooner or later i will attempt to learn modding. and what is ootb mean? keep in mind i am a utter n00b when it comes to tech. but i appreciate your response and i will keep all your info in mind.

Welcome to the forum Scatterbrain, not going to shortin your name like we do with other long name's on the forum, it just wouldn't sound right lol........I love the phone, to me its simple to use and you don't have to be tech savvy to use the phone and the phone works fine just as stock no need to mod if your not into that and the calls are clear I'm with cricket. I believe you would be happy with the ascend :)
great! i forgot to mention that cricket is my carrier, I'm sure that would make some difference. so to see someone else that has it and says the call quality is good is very reliable!

Don't believe the ratings from CNet and places like that. They are very prejudiced. LOL
The Ascend is really very nice, aesthetically....just in case you haven't seen it in the flesh. Contrary to the reviews which say it looks cheap, it does not! It is elegant and sleek. It's about the same size and shape as the iphone. Nice big display of 3.8" The colors are plenty vibrant and can be adjusted to brightness and also changing wallpaper can make a huge difference.

The Ascend is highly customizable, even un-rooted. With 2.1 O/S out of the box, it is fast enough for an entry level user and when rooted or moded can run quite a bit faster. There are unoffical rumors that 2.2 will be out in March but nothing has been confirmed as of yet.

Now for the Cons:

You have to get used to the sound. It is a bit inferior but can be made better with Power Amp and it's recommended you use blue tooth headset for very nice sound.

The camera has no flash or auto focus but who cares? If I want to take great pics I use my digital camera anyway.

Bottom line:

This is a really great phone for the money! For any money actually. And this is a great community that will help you when you do get it. Check out some of the other entry level phone forums here in Android Forums. They are nowhere near as large or active as the Ascend Forum. That should tell you a lot right there.

We love our Huawei Ascend phones!

Hope this helps!

:)
hahah CNET was the site i first visited and saw the ridiculously biased review! it was rubbish. hence, i don't like big media names for these kinds of things. they get spoiled by the likes of HTC and such and everything below is just no good.

i was actually lucky enough to get a hands on preview of a fully working Ascend through an employee there. i was very surprised and pleased with the aesthetics of the phone. the phone opperated smoothly and i believe it was unrooted. which is why i am not in a huge hurry to root it.

as long as it's good unrooted and functions properly without the excessive hiccups i am happy.

i am on the go alot and driving is a main part of my life; the bluetooth headset is with me 24/7 and i usually go hands free over talking on the handset. so that will benefit me greatly. i was just curious for when i am home and using it where bluetooth isn't a priority.
and as far as camera goes as long as it takes decent pictures for when i don't have my digital on me that's fine.


thank you all, very much.
all these replies seem quite unbiased and reliable!
 
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This is my review of the phone I wrote like a month after I got the phone:

"Great Phone Great Price, Great Call Quality and Data!!!"
on October 30, 2010 by Lennatron (4 reviews)
Pros: It has a nice screen, 9 home screens, good build, data speeds are really fast, data and talk at the same time, Sturdy build, I like the solid buttons, responsive touch screen, not missing the physical keyboard.

Cons: 2.5mm Headphone jack.

Summary: I love this phone!!! It has a really nice screen, it?s really bright, and clear, the touch screens really responsive and I haven't needed to calibrate it yet. It has 9 customizable home screens and you have control over all the shortcuts. The phone has a sturdy build, the solid buttons have a nice feel to them, and seem as though they will last a long time. The trackball is very nice but it seems a little lose at times. It has a button just for the camera which is always nice when you need a camera and quick. It has a button to lock the screen and if you hold it in you can put the phone on Silent Mode, Airplane Mode, Power off, and recent applications. If the phone is turned off you also use that button to turn it back on. The one thing I do not like about the phone itself is the way the Mini usb charger and the 2.5mm headphone jack is all under the same cover. When you open the cover I am always afraid I'm going to pull it out where it is attached. The other covers are fine, I just don't like this one because the charger and headphone jack share a cover. I heard other people saying that the back cover feels plasticy but it is sturdy plastic that does not seem likely to crack.

Android 2.1 is very good and reliable. You can run several apps at once without a problem. At first I was a little worried about the absence of a physical keyboard, but the phone has Swype which is very accurate and easy to use, which makes text input a breeze.

So far with Cricket Wireless I have not lost coverage yet. I totally disagree with the Cnet editor who wrote the review about the call quality being "terrible" That statement is not at all true. I was actually rather impressed with the call quality. The data speeds are so fast. It downloads a 5 megabyte song in about 35 seconds. If you are watching a YouTube video you don't even have to wait for it to load. It loads faster enough that there is no waiting.

I am extremely satisfied with this phone and would recommend it to anyone!!!

Updated on Nov 19, 2010

I'm still loving this phone. It works great!!! \

None of the covers for the micro SD Card Slot or, USB Charger/ Headphone Jack have broken off. I am very surprised because at the time they felt so loose and they still do but they must be attached well.

I just payed my bill today and it was very easy and convenient.

I highly recommend this phone!!!

Updated on Dec 20, 2010

Okay I have now had this phone for nearly 2 months and I still really enjoy it, but the battery life isn't at all good. However I am very impressed with Cricket's coverage and data speeds.

Updated on Jan 16, 2011

I am still waiting for Huawei to release the Android 2.2 update for this phone. We were told by a Huawei Staff Member that we will be getting the upgrade in the 1st Quarter of 2011 so hopefully we'll get it soon.

Updated on Jan 16, 2011

I forgot to mention that the Voice Dialer App that came with the phone didn't work when I got the phone and it still doesn't. However this not a big deal since there are plenty of free Voice Dialer Apps in Android Market to choose from.

Now that I've had it since I wrote this review a few things changed.

We are still waiting for the Android 2.2 upgrade. It will bring more features then Android 2.1 has.

The battery life is poor. If you leave the phone idle the battery will still drain.

The back cover now does seem likely to crack.

The camera is the worst I've ever seen.

Having a 2.5mm headphone jack instead of 3.5mm is really annoying.
Games do not run well because the Ascend does not have a dedicated graphics unit.

The Cnet editor said that "poor call quality sours the Ascend" That is just false. The call quality is pretty good.

I still do highly recommend this phone. Its only $99. Its not intended to be/ expected to be a high end phone. For the price its a great phone.
 
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great review Lennatron.
thanks for your response! the cons you listed i was eh about while reading up on specs but they were definitely not gonna make me decide not to buy it.
glad to see that you think the call quality doesn't bring it down either.

as far as the headset jack goes i am sure i can find a converter jack or whatever they're called. if not, I'll just keep my ipod by me.
and battery... well if I'm home i can charge it and use it. no big deal there and when I'm on the go, i know alot of people in different places. if i need a place to rest and charge my phone i can always take up on their welcomeness.

thanks for your help and opinions everyone.
this has helped me WAY more than any other "professional" reviews have.
 
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I really like the standard feature it comes with. The one most phones USED to have but, Don't anymore. The simple call and hang up buttons.

I also like the trackball, It can be very useful when viewing webpages and such. You can click on links when you feel your fingers too big/or links are too close to one another.

I only dislike one thing. It's doesn't have flash. Though this may be solved in the upgrade we are all hoping to receive.

This phone is very easy to use and it's so hard to mess up. I've explored things with it I never thought I'd dare to even try. I also very rarely see people talk about them "Bricking their Ascends". Though if you read other phone forums..You'll see people bricking more often...
 
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Oh, note on build quality.
I am an arborist by trade and use my ascend to listen to music (go power amp). I constantly.have small metal objects in my pocket as well a constant flow of saw dust. My screen hasn't cracked and the "cheap" plastic back is intact, albeit scratched. I have a trimmed down iPod privacy screen guard too, works perfect.
 
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I want to add a couple things that I haven't seen mentioned yet. I'm on Metro and when my phone is idle the battery doesn't drain much. While using data the battery usage is high but while talking it is really great. I was on the phone for almost 3 hours the other night and it only used about 30%. I've got friends overseas and we don't get the same time off much. Metro doesn't have 3G but if you have access to wi-fi that shouldn't be too big of a deal.
It's a great phone for the money. I'm happy with mine ootb (out of the box) but I'm enjoying making it better too. If you decide to get it you'll get a lot of help here. Best wishes on whatever phone you decide to buy! :)
Almost forgot when I bought the phone I got the rubber case and the screen protectors for it and I'm glad I bought both. I'm a field service electronics tech so my phone takes some abuse.
 
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