LG Optimus Bright on DoCoMo

[patrixl]

Anybody interested? Doesn't seem to be getting much attention.

There's an event right now about this phone right in front of Shibuya 109. I got a feeling lots of girls will buy it suddenly, surely seems more marketed at women judging by the replaceable back panel with color options (black, white, pink/purple, cyan/blue) and Kara being used in the promotion materials...

It's very very light too, and has a bright screen. Interface looks a lot like samsung's Touchwiz. That's all I know about this phone at the moment lol

[yamanote]

Looks like it's basically the same as the international Optimus Black.

From what I've seen it's fairly unimpressive, the only standout feature being the (admittedly extremely bright) 700nit NOVA display.

Meh.

[patrixl]

Looks like it's basically the same as the international Optimus Black.

From what I've seen it's fairly unimpressive, the only standout feature being the (admittedly extremely bright) 700nit NOVA display.

Meh.

Dont' forget the swappable back plate in different colors, and the Kara CMs!!!!! Lol

[yamanote]

The Kara cm's are only in Japan, and international Black users will have to make do with spray paint

Sent from my GT-I9100

[douglerner]

I was looking for an inexpensive Android for development. These seem to be up for auction, new, at low prices now here in Japan. I'm having trouble finding any real reviews on them. Did they never become popular? They were just released in June. The prices are all pretty low - in the $100 to $120 range, new. Any opinions from anyone?

Thanks,

doug

[yamanote]

I was looking for an inexpensive Android for development. These seem to be up for auction, new, at low prices now here in Japan. I'm having trouble finding any real reviews on them. Did they never become popular? They were just released in June. The prices are all pretty low - in the $100 to $120 range, new. Any opinions from anyone?

Thanks,

doug

Fairly low-spec and lacks many features that the Japanese expect (1seg, NFC, etc) -> low price in the used market.

Plenty of reviews of the international model (Optimus Black). Here's just one of many reviews: http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/11/l...-black-review/

[douglerner]

Thanks for your reply. The ones at Yahoo auction are going for around 10,000 yen for new models. Maybe that's not so bad. I just want to use it with wi-fi for testing web apps.

I guess this model never became popular.

Did DoCoMo start selling these unlocked yet? Or are they still locked to NTT only?

I looked at a couple of reviews of the Optimus Black international model. It seems VERY close, but a bit different. For example, the Optimus Black review mentions a front-facing camera, and I think the Optimus Bright L-07C doesn't have a front camera, right?

I definitely don't need 1-seg. I have that on my old AU phone if I want to watch TV on a cell phone. For a keitai saifu I actually have a View card in my saifu!

I might go for this if I win the auction at a low price. But are there any other good bargains you can recommend?

Thanks!

doug

[patrixl]

Thanks for your reply. The ones at Yahoo auction are going for around 10,000 yen for new models. Maybe that's not so bad. I just want to use it with wi-fi for testing web apps.

I guess this model never became popular.

Wasn't popular anywhere in the world lol

Did DoCoMo start selling these unlocked yet? Or are they still locked to NTT only?

They were released after April 1, 2011 = they can be unlocked at DoCoMo shops for 3150 yen.

I looked at a couple of reviews of the Optimus Black international model. It seems VERY close, but a bit different. For example, the Optimus Black review mentions a front-facing camera, and I think the Optimus Bright L-07C doesn't have a front camera, right?

Correct. As usual, different carriers customize the phone, sometimes removing the front camera sometimes removing the camera's flash (as on some Galaxy S models).

[douglerner]

Thanks for the extra info, Patrixi.

I'm actually enjoying the phone a lot. It turns out there are even some things nicer about the Android than the iPhone - I posted about them on my blog.

Thanks for the unlock tip. If I am don't have any other alternative before my next U.S. trip, maybe I'll go over to the neighborhood NTT store and unlock it. Right now I'm using it without any SIM card, without any kind of contract, just over wi-fi for app testing. I just walk in and say, "Please unlock this for me - here's 3,150 yen?"

Except for the battery not lasting very long it seems to be quite a nice little phone. Especially since I wasn't expecting much from the reviews.

Thanks,

doug

[patrixl]

Thanks for the unlock tip. If I am don't have any other alternative before my next U.S. trip, maybe I'll go over to the neighborhood NTT store and unlock it. Right now I'm using it without any SIM card, without any kind of contract, just over wi-fi for app testing. I just walk in and say, "Please unlock this for me - here's 3,150 yen?"

Sure, "shimu lokku kaijo de kudasai".. Then they'll ask for your Alien Registration Card, or your Japanese ID card if you're Japanese... That's the big problem with unlocking, can't do it unless you're a resident of some sorts.

Cool that you're enjoying it

Patrix.

[yamanote]

Thanks for the extra info, Patrixi.

I'm actually enjoying the phone a lot. It turns out there are even some things nicer about the Android than the iPhone - I posted about them on my blog.

Thanks for the unlock tip. If I am don't have any other alternative before my next U.S. trip, maybe I'll go over to the neighborhood NTT store and unlock it. Right now I'm using it without any SIM card, without any kind of contract, just over wi-fi for app testing. I just walk in and say, "Please unlock this for me - here's 3,150 yen?"

Except for the battery not lasting very long it seems to be quite a nice little phone. Especially since I wasn't expecting much from the reviews.

Thanks,

doug

You'll need to have a Japanese ID- sounds like you're a resident you should have no issues unlocking it

I wonder if flashing a ROM from a Black and purchasing an IMEI based code will work.

[douglerner]

Thanks, people. Yes, I a permanent resident of Japan.

I don't know about flashing a ROM from a Black and purchasing an IMEI based code will work or not, but that wouldn't be much less expensive than the 3150 for the official NTT SIM unlock would it?

Thanks!


doug

[yamanote]

Thanks, people. Yes, I a permanent resident of Japan.

I don't know about flashing a ROM from a Black and purchasing an IMEI based code will work or not, but that wouldn't be much less expensive than the 3150 for the official NTT SIM unlock would it?

Thanks!


doug

Nope, if anything it might be even more expensive. Go with the official unlock.

That was the only option back when docomo hadn't started unlocking their phones though.

[douglerner]

I spoke on my non-contract LG Optimus Bright for the first time today. Via Skype over my home wi-fi network. It dowloaded from the Android Market and installed just fine.

Anyway, it sounds fine.

I was wondering - does anybody know what the final OS version was for this device? It came installed with Android 2.3.3.

I understand there were later 2.3.x versions, but Software Upgrade doesn't seem to work. If I go to Settings > About Phone > Software Update > Start the Software Update > Yes then I get the following error message:

"Failed to start update. Due to no network of roaming."

Of course there is no 3G network, or SIM card installed, but the wi-fi network is turned on. Does it need more than that to check for updates?

Thanks,

doug

[yamanote]

I spoke on my non-contract LG Optimus Bright for the first time today. Via Skype over my home wi-fi network. It dowloaded from the Android Market and installed just fine.

Anyway, it sounds fine.

I was wondering - does anybody know what the final OS version was for this device? It came installed with Android 2.3.3.

I understand there were later 2.3.x versions, but Software Upgrade doesn't seem to work. If I go to Settings > About Phone > Software Update > Start the Software Update > Yes then I get the following error message:

"Failed to start update. Due to no network of roaming."

Of course there is no 3G network, or SIM card installed, but the wi-fi network is turned on. Does it need more than that to check for updates?

Thanks,

doug

Yes, you need a docomo sim inserted. Then you can use WiFi to check/download the update.