Will we ever see the day that TracFone offers a Android based phone?
It doesn't have to be a full blown Android device (though that would be nice) but Android based, where we could get on the market either over cell or wifi and download apps, something where we could load the GoogleVoice app on to it and it would work for outgoing calls.
You will probably never see this. Because the stock operating system in android is not the same as the tracfone phones. It is very easy to monitor your usage on your cellphone However with android it sends data in the backround almost constantly and that is difficult to manage via syncing and uploading and downloading of content
You will probably never see this. Because the stock operating system in android is not the same as the tracfone phones. It is very easy to monitor your usage on your cellphone However with android it sends data in the backround almost constantly and that is difficult to manage via syncing and uploading and
It would be easy for them to do it on Android. True stock Android has nothing on it to monitor or prevent background data usage but that would not stop TF if they thought it would sell. If you note all of TFs phones software is heavily customised.
They could simply have a setting page that gave options to make all data usage over WiFi only which would eliminate cell data usage all together, or they could have a option that says "this data uses background data, do you want to let it run normally or only on user demand. You select user demand and your done. The WiFi only option would be easier. There are other things they could do, just look at the changes they made to the Samsung Precident from the Prevail on StraightTalk.
There was a bit of customising going on there. A friend of min has the Precedent and his son has the Prevail. on the outside the phones look almost identical, the software is different.
I have the TMobile Exhibit 2 4G, and I would guess like all Tmob phones it has a app on it out of the box that tracks your data usage. I think this is a great idea as it keeps a running total for you and you can see at any time if you are about to go over, you can log in to your acct or call a rep and adjust your package as needed or just hit the power button on your phone when you are not using it to be sure the phone is not using data while it is sitting idle.
It should be just as easy for TF to do this, heck I can DL a free app from the market that counts all data used whether from direct use or apps/widgets running in the back ground.
I really do think TF could sell these if they could get one of the providers to do it. Customers would probably use the data over wifi 99% of the time to save their min but they would at least be able to have access to the many great things through Android. If I could get a TF with Android on it that supported Google voice it would replace my work phone in a heart beat. I just don't use enough min in a month to make even StraightTalks low prices worth it. But I really need the Google Voice app on my phone so that outgoing calls display my GV number rather than the phones actual number.
Other than the cost of the phone having a Android Phone through TF would reduce my cell phone costs by 5. Seriously I could buy a 100 min card and probably make last almost 3 months for work.
TF and the provider would undoubtedly make more money off the sale of the phone than the average service, but I think they would sell more than enough TF Android phones to make it worth their while.
Under the current way TracFone's service operates, probably the only way we can see an Android smartphone in TracFone would be a non-Google licensed device (like the Amazon Kindle Fire) where the software is more closed than usual and you don't have access to the Android Market and other proprietary Google apps.
Yes but since it is an android smartphone 1 could simply root it and install a different rom. That would circumnavigate any apps or settings that tracfone would have installed on me android operating system.
It only took tracfone 10 years to come out with a qwerty phone with 2g internet access. We'll get an 3G android phone when the rest of the world has 7G technology. ;>)
We have nearly full gsm byod on Straight Talk and Net10s respective unlimited plans. Tracfone finally got feature phone touchscreens and qwertys. ST/N10 just got Androids. Who's to say that Tracfone won't get Androids too as the line between low/mid end smartphone and high end feature phones get blurred (Cheap entry level Androids vs. phones like the Nokia Asha series.). I never dreamt there'd be triple minutes for life or touchscreens/qwertys and they all came to pass. It might not happen as soon as one wants, but it is far from impossible.
I mean byod on an America Movil network? Hell froze over twice this week...
It only took tracfone 10 years to come out with a qwerty phone with 2g internet access. We'll get an 3G android phone when the rest of the world has 7G technology. ;>)
LOL Ouch, you are probably right. On the other hand Straight Talk didn't have much to write home about and now look at them, in 1 year they really kicked it up.
Originally Posted by CeluGeek
I'm guessing it won't come without a tightly-locked bootloader to prevent custom ROM's. This is TracFone we are talking about.
I know many would dislike this, but it wouldn't bother me none so long as it was Android and I could run Google Voice on it.
Tracfone devices store their airtime balance on the device. You can be sure there will never be such a device where the company isn't sure that the implementation of that airtime bank is secure from possible tampering by anyone, including the owner. That's why they've started offering BYOD (bring your own device) with StraightTalk and Net10 unlimited - which don't require an airtime bank.
The actual tracking software is on the TF servers, you phone only displays what their servers tell it to. Their servers update you device after you add min, they make adjustments if you talk with CS and it would be absolutely crazy on TFs part to have a critical piece like that on the phone and not in their direct control. If that were true these phones would have been hacked a long time ago and people would either be using TF for free, or TF would be bankrupt by now.
They could easily do the day/min count on a Android phone without issue, TMobile has it on their phones, not exactly the same system that TF uses but it does the same thing.
I believe TF could do this if they could get a provider to agree to it.
And why not? They get to sell more android phones and don't have to worry about people going hogwild on data.
About the special software thing...If I am correct, don't AT&T and T-Mobile offer PayGo service for BYOD phones?
As for the Tracfone Android idea, I imagine that would have a slim chance of happening unless TF offers better/higher data options (like unlimited monthly or daily data). I know, it stinks! :P
Seriously it doesn't need it. They could set Android phones up under the current plans, preferably the triple min for life plan and sell them, say... A LG Thrive, not fancy and not expensive but Android and a good solid phone.
It would be Android on TracFone!!! people would buy it. And since I know what a good phone the LG Thrive is I would for sure buy it. Transfer all my min over to it and give away my other phones.
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Originally Posted by arp734
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