Vodafone V845

[Timken]

I thought I would post my biast review on the Vodafone V845.

I got the phone 7 days ago, and so far, it is the best toy I have had in a long time.

Currently the best buy I have found is from GAME for R999 cash.

I will start off with the bad:

*Camera is very medicore, and to make matters worse, the camera lens protrudes from the case, so it scratches very easy.
*Screen is very medicore quality, makes fine print very difficult to do.
*Screen is a huge fingerprint / smear magnet

Other than that, I do not have any massive flaws that deter me from the phone. As things change, I will update.

I have rooted the phone, that took a good 3 hours, since a lot of the files donwloaded work, but someone forgot to add flash in the command line to start things off.

The main specs of the phone are:
*Screen Size 240*320 256k colors 2.8 Inches
*Acceleratormeter
*528Mhz Processor (some people says 600Mhz, but that is with a Malaysian Hack)
*128MB RAM
*512MB Internal Storage
*SD Card Slot (Up to 16GB)
*WiFi, GPS, Bluetooth, HSDPA (3.6Mbps)
*3MP Camera

Most important apps I have found to date are:
Arc media (divx playback)
Opera mini 5
Shake2mute
Fancy widget
Handcent sms
Advanced task killer
Google maps
Ringdroid

The battery is an issue on the phone, but as long as I disable sync, switch off all the unnecessary functions, and kill the apps once I am done using the phone, 2-3 days standby is possible with some minor usage. (1-2 hours app browsing :) )

Pls share if you have gotten any tips and hints for this phone, I have found it to be an awesome buy for under R1k.

[kotesh]

Does the phone support HSDPA on 900 Mhz?

[Timken]

The guys at GSM Arena seem to think so.

3G Network HSDPA 900 / 2100

http://www.gsmarena.com/vodafone_845-3212.php

[jxharding]

@Timken , please please tell us how you rooted this phone. i want to get one asap, but will only get it if i can use it with my cell c simcard.
what software do we need to get to root?
do you have a link of how to root a phone exactly?
do you need cables to root it / can you do it via bluetooth?

please please please!!!!

[Timken]

Hey

U can download ROMs from this link:

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=741643

The ROM I am using is the 1.9.5, didnt like the V2.0.1 very much

They also explain to you how to do it, or you can watch the video on how it is done after you downloaded the new files:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFFt0KB2ghA

U need to change one of the files that you down load (edit it with notepad). The batch files should both have a flash command in them, I was stuck on this for an hour before I managed to root my phone.

[Timken]

Also picked up another 2 problems with the phone, 1 might be directly linked to the phone, 1 might be linked to android:

1. Volume through headphones is very soft, so it is useless as a walkman / media player. (Possibly a phone problem, sometimes it solves itself if u plug the headphones out and back in)

2. My location services dont seem to want to work over 3G, unless u switch the GPS on. (Android problem? I read a lot of peeps are having issues with this)

[jxharding]

Hey


U need to change one of the files that you down load (edit it with notepad). The batch files should both have a flash command in them, I was stuck on this for an hour before I managed to root my phone.

1) please help us by stating which file needs to be edited
2) could you dump the contents of the file pls

[Timken]

I will see if I can find a place to upload and share the files for u, the two that worked for me, but only later today, mornings are a bit busy and then off to work...

Cant remember which one was the one that I have updated off by hand, since they are both saying the same thing now.

[jxharding]

thanks man

[Timken]

Ok to flash ur V845 u are going to need 3 files. You can download them from the XDA forums in the link I have provided above.

1. Superboot
2. AmonRA
3. ROM (I am using MR ROM V1.9.5, didnt like his new version, felt a bit slow and some stuff didnt work)

Edit the batch file of Superboot (superboot-windows.bat), to include the FLASH command. U can use notepad to edit the file. The line should read as follows, "fastboot-windows.exe flash boot boot.superboot.img"

Watch the video I have linked, and use the files you have downloaded before hand.
All together it should take you 5-10 mins to flash and root your phone.

[jxharding]

thanks timken!!

[SUPERMAN89]

Was thinking about buying this phone for Christmas, either this or that nokia with free gps for the same price

[seedat77]

I heard that the phone is locked to the Vodacom network, can someone please confirm this?

[Timken]

Cant comment if it is locked. Both the wife and i r with vodacom. Contracts only expire in feb, i got this to see what android is all about. And in honest opinion, i will b taking the bb contract from feb. Free on device internet. My android goes through about 500 mb per month. Working out to b a bit much. Love the system thou.

Sent from my Vodafone 845 using MyBroadband Android App

[Ockie]

I heard that the phone is locked to the Vodacom network, can someone please confirm this?

No South African network is allowed to lock devices to their network anymore. It is not allowed by ICASA.

[kingrob]

Cant comment if it is locked. Both the wife and i r with vodacom. Contracts only expire in feb, i got this to see what android is all about. And in honest opinion, i will b taking the bb contract from feb. Free on device internet. My android goes through about 500 mb per month. Working out to b a bit much. Love the system thou.

Sent from my Vodafone 845 using MyBroadband Android App

Is it fair to form an opinion about Android with the cheapest Android phone available? I was thinking the HTC Wildfire would have been better for entry level/first time users.

*If you see the funky stuff that's coming with Android 2.3 and 3.0 (Honeycomb), I would definitely give the BB a skip.

[Ockie]

Is it fair to form an opinion about Android with the cheapest Android phone available? I was thinking the HTC Wildfire would have been better for entry level/first time users.

*If you see the funky stuff that's coming with Android 2.3 and 3.0 (Honeycomb), I would definitely give the BB a skip.

STOPPIT! I am watching you meneer! :mad:

[Timken]

Oh no. Dont get me wrong. The phone does everything and more. Doesnt matter it is the cheapest. Bought the cheapest in case i break it. Currently it is running custom overclocked ROM at 600Mhz.

I m going to take the BB for the free on device data usage. Cant afford the android data. So more of a financial choice. And vodacom can take the 30Mb per month data promo and shove it. That is enough only to sync ur weather widget a couple times a day.

Sent from my Vodafone 845 using MyBroadband Android App

[ost]

I want to get one for that Android Dyno Application.

It requires GPS and the accelerometer to work.

Have you checked how well the GPS works on the phone?

Which version of Android does it come with?

I don't supposed you can download the dyno app and check if it works on your phone :D

[Timken]

Gps works fairly well. Takes a while to catch the sat, but after that, on google maps it is spot on.

Gimmie a name off the app, will gladly try it.

Biggest dissapointment is the screen rez, there is programs that wont run on it. And the battery, with wifi, gps etc u lucky to get a day. With light usage u get just under 2 days.

Also the sound on the headphones is way way soft. Then again i been spoilt, always had a walk man phone.

The phone comes out with 2.1 It has a nice tethering software to let u use it as a modem too. I lost thst when i upgraded my rom. Phone wont run higher android than 2.1 due to cpu limitations. If someone manages to force it thou, it wont run 100% of the new features.

Overall it is a nice starter phone to get a taste for android, and u get a tad more phone than what u actually pay for.

Sent from my Vodafone 845 using MyBroadband Android App

[ost]

It sounds like great value for money.

The app is called aDyno

Very cool app, used it on the HTC Dream. Want to check if it works on the 845 before I get one.

Thanks

[Timken]

Tried it. It installed. Didnt calibrate for the car thou. Pitch is off. App thinks i drive 130 in town. Will see if i can get the calibration right, then test again. Any tips on what test is nice to try? Dont see how a dyno would work, dont see the phone reading my revs.

Sent from my Vodafone 845 using MyBroadband Android App

[ost]

The best thing I've found is the Timed Run

Once the orientation is correct, click start and wait for it say - Drive when ready.

This will give you 0-100, 100-0, 1km sprint, quarter mile etc.

You can get more support on the app here: http://www.adyno.net/ (http://www.adyno.net/)

It seems very accurate on the timed run, measured a Golf 5 Gti - It timed 0-100 in 7.9sec which is close to claimed figures.

Thanks.

[Draconia2]

Was thinking about buying this phone for Christmas, either this or that nokia with free gps for the same price

dont waste cash on a limited nokia market dude , just get this phone , get navdroyd free and download all the south african maps via pc and save it to your sd card .... free gps and no internet required !

<3 v845 rooted lightningred 1.1

[Ockie]

Hurry though. :-)

[Timken]

Just a quick update.

1st off, for those that suffer with battery life ( I noticed it isnt phone specific, but more of an Android thing).

Turn OFF Active Sync, GPS, WiFi etc.
Turn OFF "Enable always mobile data"
Turn ON "Use 2G Networks"
Dim your screen to medium (via widget is fine)

I found the above settings to extend my batter by about 150%. Bit of a hassle to get things going once u need access to stuff (internet, facebook etc as you need to enable mobile data and deselect 2G), but well worth it.

On another note, I have rooted my phone with Mr Rom edition 1.9.5.
As of yesterday, it launcher pro gave me 5 days to upgrade, so I looked around for a new ROM. I never liked Mr Rom V2 and up, so I decided to try out The Celestial Teapot.

Guys those of you running this phone and not tried Celectial Teapot, I urge you to do it. Best Rom I have found to date.