BLU Studio 5.3 Unlocked Phone/Tablet Written and Video review

**dragon2knight** · 03-02-2012, 08:56 AM

Actually,it isnt Windows that isnt recognizing it,its your Android phone. Heres how you get your phone to work in Windows:
1. Attach it to your computer and wait for your phone to put a little symbol in the pull down top bar. It looks like a little Android next to a usb symbol.
2. Pull down the top bar and click on "usb connected",it brings you to a screen that say"USB connected"(DUH,lol). Press the "Turn on USB storage" button.It will ask if want to turn on USB storage,click "ok".
Thats it,your Studio will be recognized by Windows now

Remember to turn USB storage off on the phone before you disconnect from the computer,it allows for a cleaner disconnect. Hope this helped

**Christeph** · 03-02-2012, 09:14 AM

Great help indeed! Was transfering the data via bluetooth...
Anyway thank you very much!!!

**dragon2knight** · 03-02-2012, 07:17 PM

Originally Posted by Christeph

Great help indeed! Was transfering the data via bluetooth...
Anyway thank you very much!!!

Your welcome,glad it helped

**JohnRoger** · 03-05-2012, 10:53 PM

Very nice review! Thanks! I received my new Blu Studio last week, I have tried every video chat program I can find on the web and can't get even one of them to work..

It's extremely frustrating. On your video you said that skype works great... Any guidance you can offer would be awesome, gtalk video, skype, yahoo messenger.. can you help me get any of these to work?

My experience with skype- tried several different versions of skype, including a couple different mod ones, they work fine for sending messages but once I enable video in the settings skype immediately turns off and won't sign on again; some of the versions keep trying to sign on without any success.

Yahoo messenger- updated it and got the plugin, could see my front facing webcam initiate while call was going to connect, this happened 1 or 2 times and call would not connect, then every time I try to press the video chat button, nothing happens, its as if I'm not pressing any button at all.

I've read that people got gvideo to work but with rooting and some other programs.

Tried oovoo, Im+, and tango.. I may have tried others but have lost track.

Another question I had- Is there anyway to get Hulu+ to work (a blu user somewhere had said they got this to work)? and I was able to get the netflix app but it doesn't seem to be working either.

Thanks for any info you can pass my way!! This is an awesome phone! I want to make it work

**dragon2knight** · 03-06-2012, 09:26 AM

The Studio isnt a steller video chatting phone,Im afraid. I got skype chat to work fine,not video chat(sorry if that is what you thought I meant in the video).The only video chat app I got working,and it wasnt all that great,was Yahoo. I got the video to work after rooting with GingerBreak(on the XDA forums).I honestly havent tried with any other video chat apps,as it isnt too important to me. As long as I can chat with others,video isnt a concern of mine. I dont have a Hulu account,but would gladly get one if getting Hulu+ working on this is possible...but there arent too many phones I've actually seen it work on at all,so this would be a nice thing if it actually worked. As for Netflix,nope cant get it to work either...but new versions are coming out all the time,so it might only be a matter of time before it does work. Apparently,streaming video isnt this phones forte(at least out of the box),but that dosent make this a bad phone...not at all. Not all phones work with all apps,unless they are bleeding edge and cost a fortune...remember what you paid for this,and act accordingly

**tinleyiltom** · 03-06-2012, 10:00 AM

Dragon, Thanks for putting up your review and video. I, as well, received my BLU studio last week. I was never really interested in Android (having Nokia Symbian the last few years, but being semi-frustrated, looked at options..) gave it a try.
All my experience for the first 7 days, this is friggin awesome !
Positives are many, even if all the haters talk about screen resolution. My few concerns are
--A2DP volume is way unacceptably low. Have to use plug-in headphones.
Ive DL a few apps for BT volume, dont help at all.
--The 3.5 jack does not readily accept any style jack. The port is so slender, I had to buy a belken 3.5 extension from Walmart to fit, now I can use headphones or AUX jack in the car
--Hope someone comes up with a holster. I know, what kinda belt holster u going to wear ?? Well, this is in my back pocket, which does fit, but really want a mag holster, not a man purse.
Now positives..
All about screen size. !! Yes, use this every day for my first week, can't believe Ive been on a 3.5" for this long.
Google Android gingerbread UI is intuitive enough, apps plenty, works better than awesome.
Using as phone.....great....using as web surf device.....great...music player...great
Battery life has been very good. All day use gets me to 60%. Thats plenty of battery in my book.Enough said
Construction is more than fine. Rubber back is nice and the metal ring around the screen that transitions and the screen is definately high quality.
Camera quality is definately better than acceptable for casual pics. If I need a better pic, Ill bring my Nokia N8, enough said.
Speaker is, again, better than fine. Plug into headphones, etc for a better audio experience.
Would I recommend, absolutely yes.
How is my transition from Symbian S60 to android?? easier than I thought.
Thanks dragon, went with expansys, no problems with them either. Very fast shipping with FedEx.
If i can figure out how to get the A2DP volume back to crankin, then Ill be good.

Tom

**dragon2knight** · 03-07-2012, 08:47 AM

Originally Posted by tinleyiltom

Dragon, Thanks for putting up your review and video. I, as well, received my BLU studio last week. I was never really interested in Android (having Nokia Symbian the last few years, but being semi-frustrated, looked at options..) gave it a try.
All my experience for the first 7 days, this is friggin awesome !
Positives are many, even if all the haters talk about screen resolution. My few concerns are
--A2DP volume is way unacceptably low. Have to use plug-in headphones.
Ive DL a few apps for BT volume, dont help at all.
--The 3.5 jack does not readily accept any style jack. The port is so slender, I had to buy a belken 3.5 extension from Walmart to fit, now I can use headphones or AUX jack in the car
--Hope someone comes up with a holster. I know, what kinda belt holster u going to wear ?? Well, this is in my back pocket, which does fit, but really want a mag holster, not a man purse.
Now positives..
All about screen size. !! Yes, use this every day for my first week, can't believe Ive been on a 3.5" for this long.
Google Android gingerbread UI is intuitive enough, apps plenty, works better than awesome.
Using as phone.....great....using as web surf device.....great...music player...great
Battery life has been very good. All day use gets me to 60%. Thats plenty of battery in my book.Enough said
Construction is more than fine. Rubber back is nice and the metal ring around the screen that transitions and the screen is definately high quality.
Camera quality is definately better than acceptable for casual pics. If I need a better pic, Ill bring my Nokia N8, enough said.
Speaker is, again, better than fine. Plug into headphones, etc for a better audio experience.
Would I recommend, absolutely yes.
How is my transition from Symbian S60 to android?? easier than I thought.
Thanks dragon, went with expansys, no problems with them either. Very fast shipping with FedEx.
If i can figure out how to get the A2DP volume back to crankin, then Ill be good.

Tom

Nice review! Glad I could help with the decision

Have you tried a different headset/device for A2DP? I had an earpiece that didnt work too well with that,and switched to another brand(Jabra)and all was right with the world.
I found angled plugs on my headphones didnt sit to well in the jack,but straight plugs fit perfectly(at least with my headsets). Good luck on the holster,maybe one designed for the Samsung Note or the LG VUE(both 5" plus phones)would work...just a thought.

**tinleyiltom** · 03-16-2012, 08:07 AM

HoFo group, after a few weeks with the phone, I felt the need to post a follow-up. I went to the AT+T store and drooled over the Galaxy note then bought the BLU studio 5.3 and have no regrets. I know the screen resolution isn't the same, but works for me !! Android gingerbread ecosystem is great, multiple homescreens, tons of apps, widgets, shortcuts....alot of flexability. Camera quality is definately better than average for outdoor photos. Haven't done any indoors yet, but what Ive taken is more than adequate for the casual snapper ! Battery life is amazing. I haven't really done any tweaking of settings yet (BT off,data off, screen brightness lowered, etc) and Im getting 2 days from this beast. Now, if that isn't impressive enough, battery life is important and this device does not disappoint. Using BLU studio to tether to my laptop, not a problem either.I DL the tiki cart racing game like on dragons video review, pretty cool. Smooth play and looks great on a big screen.Construction still feels solid, no creaking, no loose pieces, all buttons feel solid. The build quality is showing they did a great job putting out a quality device. The onboard speaker is loud enough and sounds great. Audiophiles need not rant, what they squeezed-in works more than enough. Phone quality has been solid as well. Loud earpiece, no issue with backround noise, all callers mentioned that I sounded normal, no difference. A2DP set up with my voyager pro earpiece was easy. Now for web surf, I use opera mini and works like a charm. Slacker radio app for on-the-go non stop online music works great. MP3 playback and using the BLU as a part time music player works great as well. Once you get accustomed to the 5.3" screen, it is really hard to put down or go back to 3.5" screen phones. If you are looking for an alternative phone, watch Dragon's you tube video and buy one today !!

Tom

**dragon2knight** · 03-17-2012, 08:18 AM

Awesome review,tinleyiltom! I'm seeing alot of folks grab this phone now,it really is a great bargain in a land of overpriced basement dwelling phones. The only thing folks are having any problems with is Skype. Not every app is going to work flawlessly on every phone...it aint a perfect world ya know

Video wont work on Skype...but every other function in Skype(calling,chat) DOES work. For the price,I have yet to see a phone that can match the Studio...and it now has a pretty white one out for the fashionistas out there

,its a really nice looking version of the Studio,check it out

**xpy1999** · 03-21-2012, 04:02 PM

Could you please check if it has build-in Chinese language interface? Thanks.

**dragon2knight** · 03-22-2012, 07:50 AM

Originally Posted by xpy1999

Could you please check if it has build-in Chinese language interface? Thanks.

As it is made in China,Chinese is fully supported out of the box :-)

**chuckly** · 03-30-2012, 12:03 AM

If anyone is looking to get one of these they should hold off, they announced that they'd be releasing a 800mhz one at the end of March.

**Justin8152000** · 03-31-2012, 12:10 PM

Big thanks to dragon2night for the great review! I just got my phone Thursday and I love it. I joined today just so I could add to the original thread where I found out about the phone.

First, my first Android device was the Hero then the Evo "4g" and my most recent phone was the Evo 3D. I have always tried to have the best phone because I do use it for work so much but I am a tech guy so I love all of the extras. That being said I will share my experience so far.

I am a new Walmart Family Mobile customer. I thought I could down grade to a older windows phone and save money since I was paying $140 for 2phones from Sprint. Thought I could have a cheap phone and still be happy. After about 2 months I couldnt take it anymore. The 2007 windows phone was slow and I was missing the stupid android games and camera and all of that stuff I thought I could live without. I was about to take the plunge and sign up with ATT so I could get the new Samsung Note then I saw Dragons post.... I watched it over and over. Sounded too good to be true. I would rather spend $260 and not have a contract then spend $300 and be in a 2yr contract with the devil. (Att)

Right out of the box I was in love. It is gorgeous. I have also owned cheap china knock off phones in the past. This one feels like a contract phone for lack of a better term. My EVO 3d was junk. I had more problems with that then any other phone I ever had and I referred to my EVO 4G as bullet proof because no mater how many times I loaded new roms on it or flashed it or whatever I did it always worked great. This phone feels like my EVO in the sense that screen and speed is about what I remembered it being. I have noticed some little lag with it with the newest Angry Birds Space but it is pretty minor. Camera is fine, and so is the Video. I would not trust it to record my wedding but all of the random stupid stuff I find myself recording it works great. As of today 2 days into this phone I have no complaints or anything negative to say about this phone.
I am unsure if the Walmart Family Mobile Plan is true 3g or not but for $45 a month to have a phone like this and to have unlimited everything.... its awesome! I would buy another BLU product again without a doubt.

Justin

**Justin8152000** · 03-31-2012, 02:55 PM

Oh yeah, there is one thing that does not work like it has worked in the past. I LOVE to use the mic and use the text to speech feature. SMS, Navi, Email I used it a ton. It worked on both previous Evo's but it is very off and has a hard time trying to figure out what I am saying even in a very quiet room. Find that odd.... I dont know if there is a update I can do or not.

AND as of 5mins ago I am Rooted now. I do have root access but I cant find a overclock app that will work.

**tinleyiltom** · 03-31-2012, 07:28 PM

Justin, Im not too familiar with rooting android and whatever that does. If you have a BT headset, see if there is additional functionality to keep the phone or media volume 'cranked'. I understand the corporate responsibility to auto lower the input volume, this is kinda ridiculous. With all my Sony Ericssons and Nokias, the BT volume came right through full blast. They left the user to use the volume button.Maybe I need to root the beast and crank it up....Let me know Tom