It looks like the Motorola xt701 (Sholes tablet) is being sold "unlocked" at amazon and newegg ($449 at newegg) and supports AT&T 3G bands. I had always thought this was a Chinese only device, and many people on AT&T were looking for a decent Android device, but this one kind of slipped under the radar. Maybe a good alternative, if the Captivate isn't cutting it for some? My hesitation with the Captivate is the lack of a flash (light), and somewhat low call volume levels. Newegg.com - Motorola XT701 Black Unlocked Smart Phone with Android OS http://androidforums.com/motorola-sholes-tablet/86064-got-my-xt701.html
I had problems with low call levels to until I lowered the phone a bit to my ear. Problem fixed. I'm not saying this happened to you but it could be. Dumb on my part.
I'm thinking of this too because its much cheaper and has a flash. My worries are: a) screen seems really shiny / reflective b) will it get Froyo?
5 Things against it: 1) $449 2) 256M RAM 3) 600mHz 4) 30 days warranty 5) Motorola (good luck w/ OS upgrades for anything NOT Droid... ask Cliq/Backflip owners...) Wouldn't even CROSS my mind... T
Hi, I believe my grey market price for xt701 is around $380. 256 RAM is a lot more than my 1st gen iPhone I'm using now. I don't believe CPU speed is an issue for most things. In China, I would get a year warrantee...if I bought on regular market. BUT, whether regular market or not, I don't have confidence in OS upgrades.
Meh, $449 is not bad given that I can keep my $15/mo unlimited data plan. The $15/mo I save over 2 years is $360, so it would be like buying a subsidized phone for $89. This might be a decent stop-gap until something more compelling comes along for AT&T. If the Motorola Sage photos/specs that are floating around are true, then I'll pass on that.
