buying a used R800?
- Thread starter cdoublejj
- Start date
I'm pretty sure you can look on eBay for Plays. The R800x's sell for steroids 60 and below.
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R800x are dirt cheap on eBay, you can get it for even less than $60. It's a lot easier top unlock them the R800a version too.
Don't listen to the guy in second post. Not even sure why you're in a forum of the same device you're telling others to not buy. So what if there are no more updates, doesn't mean the device is useless. Besides it's incorrect to say there are n I devs working on it.
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Don't listen to the guy in second post. Not even sure why you're in a forum of the same device you're telling others to not buy. So what if there are no more updates, doesn't mean the device is useless. Besides it's incorrect to say there are n I devs working on it.
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im on this device because i made a mistake
i didnt buy galaxy s2 when i could and now i have to deal with my phone (now the touchscreen is broken and im going to move to nexus 5 soon)
i only told him my experience
when he can buy an arc with the same price what can cause him to buy xperia play?
being much heavier or the old 2.3 android or its ancient kernel?
i didnt buy galaxy s2 when i could and now i have to deal with my phone (now the touchscreen is broken and im going to move to nexus 5 soon)
i only told him my experience
when he can buy an arc with the same price what can cause him to buy xperia play?
being much heavier or the old 2.3 android or its ancient kernel?
I thought more. Developers would work on this amazing device .
Dont blame it on the devs, blame it on sony for not releasing sources
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Be happy that there are devs even making roms for it, you aren't self entitled to any of it.
This phone work fine if you know how to customise it. Unlock the bootloader and install NXT rom, it work great if you don't mind sticking with Gingerbread.
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This phone work fine if you know how to customise it. Unlock the bootloader and install NXT rom, it work great if you don't mind sticking with Gingerbread.
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... i don't.... you realise the arc has no physical controls and will suck for playing games and emulators right?
I do need the AT&T version to work with my sim.
i was looking at this one but, wasn't sure if it was stole and or could even be re used.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/att-sony-er...D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557
friend said if it was stolen it could be blocked form the AT&T network.
Also what features do the modded roms provide? overclocking? are they lighter? support newer apps?
You have to be careful buying from ebay. There are scenario where you can get a device that work now, then 2months later gets blocked by the carrier because the owner stopped paying his bills.
It's better if its a retailer with good feedbacks and accept returns. If it's possible, ask the person for the imei number so you can check it background, or ask him to check it and post a screenshot. You can check imei and esn numbers via these sites:
http://sndeep.info/en
http://checkesnfree.com
Also if you buy from swappa.com, they auto check imei number for all devices, however, again, it doesn't prevent the phone from being blacklisted if the owner of the phone is still in a contract and stopped paying.
You will want to get the R800a version since the R800i version will not work with 3G for ATT. I have owned all 3 versions, last I check, you can only unlock bootloader from Sony website for the R800i and R800x, not R800a. However, this website can unlock both sim and bootloader for the R800a I believe: http://www.wotanserver.com/en/sony-ericsson/xperia-play-r800/unlock-tool/debranding-flash
You basically get improved performance and more software features with custom roms. From my experience using Gingerbread custom roms like NXT gives best performance. Because lack of support from Sony and Qualcomm, ICS and JB roms aren't as fast.
You can check these guides for all the instruction with unlocking and installing rom: http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1836530
You need to unlock bootloader, flash a custom kernel which will have ClockworkMod recovery integrated, boot into CWM recovery and flash the rom. Make sure the kernel you're using is compatible with that rom for it to boot.
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you say that as if it might be difficult or impossible to unlock the boot loader unless i pay some one? also are you saying all the aftermarket roms are slower than the stock rom? does it even mater since it can be overclocked with 3rd party rom?
To unlock the bootloader of a R800a there is a unlock code that needed to be purchased from Sony themselves, that is why the service cost money. You either have to go through Sony or pay a third party service, those are the only options.
That is not what I am saying, I'm saying GB run faster on this device from my experience only, compared to ICS and newer. There were never any official ICS release for the Play except a beta ICS version which ran poorly, the phone was stop being updated with Gingerbread. Sony and Qualcomm doesn't release some of the required hardware drivers for ICS/JB which is why its hard to make those version run fast.
You should have researched this device a little more before buying.
Thank you for the information and the clarification. This sort of is my research. Half of the research was know what phone i'd want and one that works with AT&T. a side from androids with slide out keyboards this is the only option with physical controls and the only one that has controls good for gaming. that and the fact it has single core and can play games is all i really know about it. i figured it wasp popular enough to have some roms for it but, that's it.
i'll take a look at the cost of the unlock service assuming i don't have to mail it to the UK (live in US). i'll consider the unlock price and try to find a cheap r800a/r800at.
Your info has been REALLY helpful aside from my current crap Pantec P8000 my last serious smart phone was the 2006 Black Jack. Suffice to say iv'e been out of the phone game for a while.
You won't have to mail in the device, I didn't use the WotanServer service, but other members have tried with success, it should be something you can do using their software.
The only difficult part is getting the drivers recognized by your PC. I was not able to get the drivers recognized with Windows 8, you might have to use Windows 7 or older. The unlocking software will have the drivers included though. But if you read through the flashing guides I linked it should show you how to install the necessary drivers.
Personally I don't use the Play as my daily driver, but as a back up. A lot of apps I use required Android 4+, and I only feel Android 2.x is fast enough on this device for me, but others might disagree. It's not fast enough to play many of the newer graphic demanding games smoothly, but for 2D and not too demanding games it's a winner.
There are several hardware issues that can occur with this phone like the 'flex cable' going bad, which is the cable that connect between to two halves of the phone. But honestly I've never had that issue from the 5 Play that I used. It's actually one of the more durable smartphone I've used even with the sliding mechanism. If you get protection accessories for it and be careful each time you side out the gamepad it should last. It have one of the most durable microUSB port for an Android phone I think.
Also it have excellent stereo speaker. The R800i/R800a version have pretty decent GPS signal, since it also support GLONASS. The R800x do not support GLONASS and have poorer signal.
My preferred idea is still to buy a cheap Verizon R800x for $60 or less, which bootloader can be unlocked from Sony website. Then buy a better daily driver phone. One thing you should know about the R800x is that it can run any of the GSM (R800i/R800a) Gingerbread roms and most kernels, you lose calling ability with GSM roms but you won't be using Verizon anyway. For ICS/JB/KitKat roms, there are usually CDMA version for it as well. It's pretty hard to brick to this device, you can always use Flashtool to restore factory stock image. I feel the R800x version is fastest since it actually use stock Android, compared to the R800i/a which uses Sony UI overlay. It's "fast" even with stock rom and stock kernel, just rooting and deleting bloatwares are enough. You don't need unlocked bootloader to root.
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well if i was gonna carry 2 devices i'd just get a used PSP (possibly for free).
it isn't too bad performance wise i've seen it play crazy taxi and GTA III and jetset radio which are them sot demanding android games i want. i've also seen it play Need for Speed 3 on the PS1 emulator. also you can overclock on the custom roms.
it's also said it has long battery life, i may have read that in this thread 9o've had a long evening). I've replaced a flex cable in A* phone before so it breaks i'm not be SOL.
My newly obstacle is getting it on the cheap.
the only thing i'm un sure about is the on screen keyboard. i have a low resolution device and tend to the use physical keyboard more than the screen. i know R800 is higher resolution than the device i have now so maybe i will be able to cope. not a bad trade off consider all the other pluses and pro vs the cons.
EDIT: too bad they never made the PSP phone 2.
it isn't too bad performance wise i've seen it play crazy taxi and GTA III and jetset radio which are them sot demanding android games i want. i've also seen it play Need for Speed 3 on the PS1 emulator. also you can overclock on the custom roms.
it's also said it has long battery life, i may have read that in this thread 9o've had a long evening). I've replaced a flex cable in A* phone before so it breaks i'm not be SOL.
My newly obstacle is getting it on the cheap.
the only thing i'm un sure about is the on screen keyboard. i have a low resolution device and tend to the use physical keyboard more than the screen. i know R800 is higher resolution than the device i have now so maybe i will be able to cope. not a bad trade off consider all the other pluses and pro vs the cons.
EDIT: too bad they never made the PSP phone 2.
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The R800i/a stock keyboards have gesture typing, but its not very good. But you can buy Swype keyboard which is pretty good, maybe Swiftkey support Gingerbread as well. A lot of Play and other Sony devices have a layer of screen protector installed by the manufacturer, removing it can help with the touch sensitivity and sometimes viewing angle.
This device does have decent battery life, but you should get a new battery.
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To unlock the bootloader of a R800a there is a unlock code that needed to be purchased from Sony themselves, that is why the service cost money. You either have to go through Sony or pay a third party service, those are the only options.
That is not what I am saying, I'm saying GB run faster on this device from my experience only, compared to ICS and newer. There were never any official ICS release for the Play except a beta ICS version which ran poorly, the phone was stop being updated with Gingerbread. Sony and Qualcomm doesn't release some of the required hardware drivers for ICS/JB which is why its hard to make those version run fast.
You should have researched this device a little more before buying.1
You won't have to mail in the device, I didn't use the WotanServer service, but other members have tried with success, it should be something you can do using their software.
The only difficult part is getting the drivers recognized by your PC. I was not able to get the drivers recognized with Windows 8, you might have to use Windows 7 or older. The unlocking software will have the drivers included though. But if you read through the flashing guides I linked it should show you how to install the necessary drivers.
Personally I don't use the Play as my daily driver, but as a back up. A lot of apps I use required Android 4+, and I only feel Android 2.x is fast enough on this device for me, but others might disagree. It's not fast enough to play many of the newer graphic demanding games smoothly, but for 2D and not too demanding games it's a winner.
There are several hardware issues that can occur with this phone like the 'flex cable' going bad, which is the cable that connect between to two halves of the phone. But honestly I've never had that issue from the 5 Play that I used. It's actually one of the more durable smartphone I've used even with the sliding mechanism. If you get protection accessories for it and be careful each time you side out the gamepad it should last. It have one of the most durable microUSB port for an Android phone I think.
Also it have excellent stereo speaker. The R800i/R800a version have pretty decent GPS signal, since it also support GLONASS. The R800x do not support GLONASS and have poorer signal.
My preferred idea is still to buy a cheap Verizon R800x for $60 or less, which bootloader can be unlocked from Sony website. Then buy a better daily driver phone. One thing you should know about the R800x is that it can run any of the GSM (R800i/R800a) Gingerbread roms and most kernels, you lose calling ability with GSM roms but you won't be using Verizon anyway. For ICS/JB/KitKat roms, there are usually CDMA version for it as well. It's pretty hard to brick to this device, you can always use Flashtool to restore factory stock image. I feel the R800x version is fastest since it actually use stock Android, compared to the R800i/a which uses Sony UI overlay. It's "fast" even with stock rom and stock kernel, just rooting and deleting bloatwares are enough. You don't need unlocked bootloader to root.1
The R800i/a stock keyboards have gesture typing, but its not very good. But you can buy Swype keyboard which is pretty good, maybe Swiftkey support Gingerbread as well. A lot of Play and other Sony devices have a layer of screen protector installed by the manufacturer, removing it can help with the touch sensitivity and sometimes viewing angle.
This device does have decent battery life, but you should get a new battery.
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