Which Android phone?

[Col]

Well I've said before on here that I want a new phone, and now I have been made aware of a couple of Android phones below £100, which are the Vodafone 845 and the Samsung Galaxy Europa.

I'm just wondering if anyone here would recommend any other Android phones below £100? Because I'm an Android newb - never used it before.

Requirements:
Vodafone
Pay As You Go
Under £100
That's about it really.

[Aaron]

Have you thought about the Orange San Fransisco? I think Mr Strawberry just got one. They are pretty easy to unlock too, apparently, but read into it. Good phone for the money!

[Col]

It does look epic awesome. I've never unlocked a phone before but I'm sure Google will hold my hand.

Orange is really not great for coverage in my area. I have a friend in North Walsham who is always losing signal.

[Aaron]

Have a look for the unlocking guide for either the orange branded phone, or the ZTE Blade.. They're the same thing. Or look on ebay for an unlocked one possibly if you are happy doing that!

[Col]

Does anyone have any idea how the San Francisco compares to the Vodafone 845? I've looked on a few review and comparison sites. Looking for battery life mostly, because feature-wise, the San Fran seems to be better.

[Mr. Grapes]

I don't know how it compares but the san francisco is the easiest phone I've ever unlocked.
Order unlock code (loads on ebay for like a quid) then put in the voda sim. The phone then prompts you for the unlock code. enter it in and voila. you're unlocked :)

[Pancake]

Its unlocked once its rooted and flashed with a custom rom?

[Mr. Grapes]

nah it seems only froyo customs unlock as well, and there isn't a stable one yet

[Tainted]

You should check into the lg optimus too. Apparently they're fairly good for the money.

[A Ginger Sheep]

my mate got the san francisco, unlocked it in no time and i must admit its a damm good phone, easily just as good as my htc wildfire

[Col]

Well I went into Norwich yesterday. Transport was atrocious! The streets were busier than normal but not crowded. I wasn't going to drive in because I didn't think there'd be any parking spaces, but the public transport system was a fail yesterday.

My local bus service said they'd be operating a Sunday service for yesterday, but couldn't provide a timetable so I had no idea when the buses would be arriving, and Natyional Express neglected to tell customers that trains are running every two hours instead of every hour, so I had a bit of a wait when I arrived at the train station. Also, the Park and Ride was closed.

Anyway, I eventually got into Norwich by train. Headed straight for Phones 4 U on Gentleman's Walk to have a play with the phones mentioned above, as well as the LG Optimus and the Samsung Galaxy Europa. The Optimus won that bout but it wasn't over yet. I said I'd come back after trying a few other phones, depending on which ones I prefer.

Went to the Orange Store on Gentleman's Walk and walked straight out - too crowded!

Headed up to the Castle Mall and into the Vodafone Store to try out the 845, then over to the Orange Store also in the mall to try the San Francisco. They were both very similar, but that might be because they both run on Android! The San Francisco was a nicer size, was more comfy to hold and seemed to have better features, so yes I got the San Francisco.

I'll be trying it out today. It's been charging up until now. I think the first thing I'll do is change the theme and then I'll start fiddling with settings and stuff to get everything working.

Note to self: RTFM!

[Mr. Grapes]

Nice. Once you get used to it and ensure it's not a duffer, Head over to modaco forums to find out what you can really do with it.