HTC Aria, should I avoid? more inside!

[amddude]

Cliffs:
- I'm extremely poor
- I can get the Aria for $30 from my parent's ATT plan
- I want android, enough capacity to use as a decent mp3 player, and wi-fi
- I intend to run the phone without edge/3g (before you say I can't, my wife's 2g iphone has it disabled and att hasn't done anything to us

I know the Aria can't 'sideload' apps. I don't totally know what that means yet since I'm new to android but I'll google it shortly. I also know rooting is a process similar to jailbreaking that I assume lets me install whatever I want on my phone.

For the price of $30 is this phone worth it?

Edit: I might be able to get the iphone 4g from my parent's plan for $200 and sell it on fleabay for ~$650 and buy something else, fwiw.

 

[dougp]

I had the Aria before I went to the Captivate.

The Aria is the second best Android phone on AT&T. Don't let the processor fool you, it's speedy. You'll need to throw in the price of a microSD card if you want to store music on it though, but that's not much. I got an 8gb from NewEgg for $15 with free shipping.

Why would you run the phone with out Edge/3G? What network would you be running it on?

Rooting the device and sideloading apps is a fairly simple and painless process, you can check out XDA for information.

So yes, for $30, you'd be hard pressed to find a better phone.

 

[tatteredpotato]

Cliffs:
I know the Aria can't 'sideload' apps. I don't totally know what that means yet since I'm new to android but I'll google it shortly. I also know rooting is a process similar to jailbreaking that I assume lets me install whatever I want on my phone.

On Android you can optain apps through the market just like you can on an iOS device. Android also lets you download "apk" files from the internet that are akin to ".exe" installers on windows. On the Aria, ATT has disabled the ability to install apps from anywhere but the market.

As for rooting you'll have to research the Aria to see if and what is rooted/unlocked.

 

[amddude]

I had the Aria before I went to the Captivate.

The Aria is the second best Android phone on AT&T. Don't let the processor fool you, it's speedy. You'll need to throw in the price of a microSD card if you want to store music on it though, but that's not much. I got an 8gb from NewEgg for $15 with free shipping.

Why would you run the phone with out Edge/3G? What network would you be running it on?

Rooting the device and sideloading apps is a fairly simple and painless process, you can check out XDA for information.

So yes, for $30, you'd be hard pressed to find a better phone.

Wifi if available, if not, nothing. I'm almost always at home or work with wireless in both places.

I should have held off before posting this thread. The more I think about it, getting the subsidized iphone 4g 16gb and selling for $400 profit on ebay and going with a samsung captivate makes the *most* sense.

 

[sswingle]

Wifi if available, if not, nothing. I'm almost always at home or work with wireless in both places.

I should have held off before posting this thread. The more I think about it, getting the subsidized iphone 4g 16gb and selling for $400 profit on ebay and going with a samsung captivate makes the *most* sense.

Am I missing the reason you can't just get a subsidized captivate?

 

[jdl1681]

If you get a subsidized phone they will tag you with a data plan no matter what. That is written into the contract when you pay the discounted price.

Now if you go buy one without going through AT&T or paying the full AT&T price they can care less if you have the data plan.

Let me guess you wife got her Iphone either handed down or off craigslist. That is why AT&T doesn't care if she has a data plan

 

[dougp]

Am I missing the reason you can't just get a subsidized captivate?

Same cost as the iPhone 4 - but can't resell for that. You can also get it unsubsidized and still pocket money after selling the iPhone 4.

 

[Strk]

Same cost as the iPhone 4 - but can't resell for that. You can also get it unsubsidized and still pocket money after selling the iPhone 4.

With the deals you can find on a Captivate, I don't see the point if you're ultimately going to buy from AT&T to get an unsubsidized phone though (unless there's a company out there selling it for less than $500).

 

[amddude]

With the deals you can find on a Captivate, I don't see the point if you're ultimately going to buy from AT&T to get an unsubsidized phone though (unless there's a company out there selling it for less than $500).

The iphone 4, if you can get it at the super subsidized rate of $200 + implied 2yr extension on contract, will sell for $450 more than that.

My line does not have a data plan.

 

[Bateluer]

Go to American Eagle Outfitters, try on a pair of jeans, and you'll get a free phone.

I'd avoid any locked down phone, Aria included.