No Contract Phones as Audio Players

[DuckieTigger]

Originally Posted by kacir

Here in Europe contracts and "free" phones work a little bit differently than in USA where, IMHO, providers are more aggressive in the lock-in.
Last time I bought such phone on contract for my daughter, I have inserted a pre-paid, very cheap SIM from competing provider and the phone just worked. And my wife (who signed the extension of the contract) continued to use her old clunker with her old provider.

There is no doubt differences. Here in the USA the phone is usually locked in to the provider - I believe even the pre-paid phones. So it seems a lot better in Europe, but the lockin still applies to the contract itself even if the phone is free and clear. The most freedom you would have with unlocked no-contract phones - no strings attached at all.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by booklover6

I am happy to report that the battery life on the unactivated LG Volt is terrific! I can listen for hours with no noticeable depreciation of the battery. (Wifi is off).

It has a huge 3,000 mAh battery in it. For contrast, here some other battery sizes:

• Fire HD 7 = 4,400 mAh
• Fire HD 6 = 3,400 mAh
• Nexus 6 = 3,220 mAh
• G Note 4 = 3,220 mAh
• LG Volt = 3,000 mAh
• LG G3 = 3,000 mAh
• iPhn 6 Plus = 2,915 mAh
• Galaxy S5 = 2,800 mAh
• HTC 1 M8 = 2,600 mAh
• Fire Phone = 2,400 mAh
• Nexus 5 = 2,300 mAh
• Moto X2 = 2,300 mAh
• Moto X1 = 2,200 mAh
• Nexus 4 = 2,100 mAh
• Moto G2 = 2,070 mAh
• Moto G1 = 2,070 mAh
• Moto E = 1,970 mAh
• iPhone 6 = 1,810 mAh
• iPhone 5S = 1,560 mAh

[tuesday630]

Originally Posted by paulak39

Received my Volt yesterday evening, and was able to install Overdrive, Audible, and Oneclickdigital. Is there any way to eliminate the reminders to activate service by unchecking a box or doing something else, as this is a little annoying?
Aside from this, it is really a nice device, and I'm pleased that the speaker is loud and clear. Also, does anyone have a recommendation for a cheap case? Thanks.

I also picked up the LG Volt from this threads recommendation. I've read that if you root the phone, you can turn off the activation nag. However, I've tried Towelroot and Stumproot to root the LG Volt, and both report that the phone is not supported with their root methods. The Android version on my LG Volt reports as 4.4.2.

Has anyone else tried rooting their new LG Volt?

[tubemonkey]

My Volt is here. Man, what a cheap build compared to the Fire Phone. It's a good thing I'm only using it as an audio player. With only 3.9GB of internal storage, I'd run out of space setting it up as a multimedia device.

Once I get it set up, I'll give my impressions.

[paulak39]

Originally Posted by booklover6

I haven't seen it, but I haven't powered it off, either. I do turn wifi on and off without seeing it.

Tried not powering off, just connecting or unconnecting to wifi, and the message doesn't appear. From now on, that's what I'll do. Thanks for responding.

[tubemonkey]

How to Play FM Radio on the LG Volt

I enjoy listening to FM radio and do so on a daily basis. So while setting up my Volt, I decided to check out its FM radio, but couldn't find it. The Volt has a built-in FM radio tuner, but it isn't readily apparent. So I googled to see what was going on and found out that you needed to download an app called NextRadio.

Listen to your favorite local radio stations with NextRadio – FM radio on your smartphone! Tune in to any FM frequency in your area and listen to the radio without the buffering and cost of streaming music. Participating radio stations show you song information and artwork as you listen, so you can buy your favorite music, give feedback on the songs you like, and share what you're listening to on Facebook or Twitter. NextRadio’s Live Guide lets you SEE what's playing on stations in your area so you can choose a station based on the artist or program currently playing on-air. NextRadio is radio like you’ve never SEEN before!

To set it up, you must have an internet connection. After the app has determined the FM stations for your zip code, you can disconnect the net. From this point on, it works like your car's FM.

In order to get clear reception, you must have an antenna of some kind. That's accomplished by plugging in headphones, speakers or a headphone extension cord. If you go to the settings, you can direct the sound to go through headphones/speakers or the Volt's built-in speakers.

I like to stick the Volt in my shirt pocket and use the built-in speakers with an extension cord plugged into the headphone jack. Whenever I can, I avoid headphones.

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

I ordered one of these from Amazon to use with the devices I have that don't have decent built-in speakers (LG Volt, Fire Phone, Fire HD 6, etc). Would go great with our new audio players. Great price and highly rated. Thinking about getting a second one.

• Kinivo ZX100 Mini Portable Speaker --> $13.99

This is on sale today for $12.99. Not much of a savings, but ...

[jj2me]

Android media apps I use:

Free podcast app: Podcast Republic. Have had no issues with this. Takes a bit of playing around to find out where all the functions are.

Free video player: MX Player. Best I've tried. May ask you to download codecs. Of course, you need to provide the videos. The podcast app above can play it's own podcast videos.

Free music player: jetAudio. From Cowon, known for their high fidelity MP3 players. (I upgraded to the Pro version for skipping x seconds ahead, and for user-customizable speed control, so I have no need for the free MortPlayer Audio Books [sic]. Though I do have the free OverDrive app installed for checking out, reading, and playing public library content.)

For radio, I use the pro version of this free TuneIn Radio app, which removes ads, and adds recording; I got it free from Amazon. And also Bloomberg Radio+ (there's also a new Bloomberg TV+ app which I haven't tried). If you want recording but don't want to pay for TuneIn Radio Pro, you can try Audials Radio.

For book reading and news, most have their own preferences.

[tamborine]

Originally Posted by paulak39

Received my Volt yesterday evening, and was able to install Overdrive, Audible, and Oneclickdigital. Is there any way to eliminate the reminders to activate service by unchecking a box or doing something else, as this is a little annoying?

Put it in Airplane Mode, then turn wifi back on; this eliminates those prompts, at least until you turn the device off and on again.

[Alohamora]

I just got a Tracfone LG Fuel L34C, it runs Android 4.4. They're going for about $30 on ebay. The screen is only 3.5 inches, and ho-hum resolution, but clear enough for simple things like checking email. I was able to put Audible, Prime music, Calibre companion and some other apps on it with no difficulty. This will more than replace the Sansa Clip+ that I recently lost. I put in a 16gb microSD card and have started loading up my music files.

It's snappy enough that navigating around and running apps is a breeze.

Yeah, I already have a Fire phone, so I didn't need this, but sometimes it's nice to have something smaller and lighter just for audio.

[conan50]

Thinking about picking up one of these Moto e phones:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Cricket-Mo...phone/40712746
I actually may sign up with Cricket at the end of the year, but I'm wondering, will the phone work at all if you don't sign it up with Cricket right away? I'm thinking I could use it for media but not sure if there is a screen to keep me from using it, or if I need to remove the sim card or something. Any thoughts?

[booklover6]

Originally Posted by conan50

Thinking about picking up one of these Moto e phones:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Cricket-Mo...phone/40712746
I actually may sign up with Cricket at the end of the year, but I'm wondering, will the phone work at all if you don't sign it up with Cricket right away? I'm thinking I could use it for media but not sure if there is a screen to keep me from using it, or if I need to remove the sim card or something. Any thoughts?

I think all phones can be used as media devices and not as phones. I just got a phone that doesn't even have a sim card in it, and it works fine as a media device. I've not had the brand you are referring to, but I have other brands.

[conan50]

I actually decided to pick up another LG Fuel. It makes such a good music player. They were going for $30 on Amazon.

[booklover6]

That's great! I paid $28 for an LG Volt for my daughter. I want to get another one, but hubby said "quit spending money on stuff we don't need!" Hah. Who says we don't need it? My son wants one. But since I have a Kobo Glo HD on order that DH doesn't know about, I guess I'd better hold off.

[conan50]

Gadgetitis is a difficult malady to overcome :-)