Well I am getting my phone tomorrow so I will confirm it with you. I eventually got hit wit a £22 customs charge for this. Mind you the seller has agreed to refund half the customs tax, which they didn't have to
I have recently bought a THL W200 off Amazon. The phone is superb for the money I paid (£139)
I bought off a company called Drakotek and their were no customs charges to pay.
Still got the Cubot GT99 which I bought several months ago, still going strong and has never missed a beat, amazingly the overall battery life doesn't seem to have deteriorated at all, despite being charged - discharged on a daily basis.
I use '3' as my main internet connection (rural area - crap ADSL) so the phone also acts as an always on internet hotspot when i'm at home, which it does, with no issues whatsoever - giving an average of 10mbps.
Well I am getting my phone tomorrow so I will confirm it with you. I eventually got hit wit a £22 customs charge for this. Mind you the seller has agreed to refund half the customs tax, which they didn't have to
I got my phone via the post and there was no customs charge.
I got my phone via the post and there was no customs charge.
I see yours came via Parcel Force.
it did. my first two were delivered by DHL and I got hit for tax, so time I decided to try normal mail, which goes via China post, then parcel force, and again, hit for tax.
it did. my first two were delivered by DHL and I got hit for tax, so time I decided to try normal mail, which goes via China post, then parcel force, and again, hit for tax.
I've had 4 phones sent from abroad and not once been hit with Tax.
Why on earth would you think Samsung or Apple would bother installing spyware on these phones - especially those being shipped abroad - it's a tiny fraction of the number of phones both companies sell worldwide!
This is a very serious concern. If smaller manufacturers are being infiltrated and malware is being shipped in the factory install firmware, then those phones should be avoided like the plague! Certainly, if I owned one, I wouldn't be using it for anything right now.
From the headlines i've read its one manufacturer and one phone, namely a Star N9500 whose original manufacturer, is apparently unknown, or rather, hasn't yet been found, which in itself is not surprising as the name on the phone may not actually be the same as the Factory and the Factory may not have a web presence.
Its hardly breaking news either, as it was being discussed on various Android forums late last summer. It revolves around spyware called UuPAY
I've searched for any similarly named files on my rooted Cubot GT99 and nothing has come up, all of the files in the System/App folder appear to be genuine when the file names are googled. So its perhaps it little premature to believe that all Chinese smart phones are riddled with Spyware.
There is also nothing at the moment to suggest that the Spyware files were loaded by the manufacturer, they could have been loaded at a later date by a Distributor or Vendor at any point between leaving the factory and being shipped out from China, which again may mean that not EVERY Star phone carries the same infection.
You have to put this into some prospective, lots of Chinese smart phones and tablets are sold all over the world and the very fact that there is only really one or two threads about this problem on the various Android forums in the last nine months may not mean that the problem is as widespread as people seem to believe.
I have a rooted ThL W200 and it seems to be spyware free.
Having looked around a bit more, its looking more and more likely that the issue is restricted to Star brand phones, and on the thread below, some people report that they don't have the spyware installed on an identical model as others do either, which again may indicate that not all phones are infected and that the spyware apps are perhaps being added after the Factory by a certain Vendor or Vendors
I see that the Cubot GT99 has been mentioned on this thread. I am wondering is it still a good phone to buy or are there any other models that are just as good.
I can only speak for / offer my own experience with the GT99 as its the only (Chinese) phone that i've owned. But in the almost 12 months that i've owned it now, its worked flawlessly, never missed a beat and never given me any problems whatsoever. Its also on the original battery which came with it, and again the usable time between charges, hasn't deteriorated that much either, which is surprising as the Chinese are not that hot at making decent batteries, and they are normally considered a weak spot on any Far East sourced product.
I leave the phone switched on 24/7, and after work / weekends its used constantly as a wi-fi hotspot at home on '3' as I don't have a landline, so its probably had a bit more hammer and more charges than the average phone. Basically, if for some reason it stopped working tomorrow I would still cheerfully say that I had easily got my £100 worth out of the phone over the last 11 or so months
If you search around Ali-Express you'll find Vendors with 100% product feedback selling this for around £80 - £90
I also recommend getting a case for it, as they are hard to source in the UK. This one fits mine perfectly, and is made of very thick material and for about £4.00 its protected the phone many many times after accidentally falling out of pockets etc.
I can only speak for / offer my own experience with the GT99 as its the only (Chinese) phone that i've owned. But in the almost 12 months that i've owned it now, its worked flawlessly, never missed a beat and never given me any problems whatsoever. Its also on the original battery which came with it, and again the usable time between charges, hasn't deteriorated that much either, which is surprising as the Chinese are not that hot at making decent batteries, and they are normally considered a weak spot on any Far East sourced product.
I leave the phone switched on 24/7, and after work / weekends its used constantly as a wi-fi hotspot at home on '3' as I don't have a landline, so its probably had a bit more hammer and more charges than the average phone. Basically, if for some reason it stopped working tomorrow I would still cheerfully say that I had easily got my £100 worth out of the phone over the last 11 or so months
If you search around Ali-Express you'll find Vendors with 100% product feedback selling this for around £80 - £90
I also recommend getting a case for it, as they are hard to source in the UK. This one fits mine perfectly, and is made of very thick material and for about £4.00 its protected the phone many many times after accidentally falling out of pockets etc.
Can't comment on the Vendor because i've never personally used them. but if that was me, I would try and find one who has a large number of decent reviews and feedback, buying from China is a gamble, and Chinese vendors do vary in quality and integrity and also in the speed in which they actually get things out of the door. So its important to do a little more background research on where you intend to buy from, than if you were buying the same item from the UK / Europe.
I also believe that a lot of Chinese spyware which is rumoured to be floating around, is usually installed by the Vendor or Distributor, rather than the manufacturer, so again, important to get feedback from other people who have bought the same phone from the same place. For this same reason I would avoid the temptation or offer of any Vendor pre-installed APPs or ROM's at purchase stage, as once again the Chinese versions of a lot of popular app's can carry a few unexpected and unwelcome surprises
Instead, download and install these yourself from either the Author's website, or a trusted source.
Comments
http://chinamobilemag.com/1-n3-samsung-galaxy-note-3-clone-review/
Tried the back cover, and indeed, it fits
some pics
http://ukmil.hopto.org/img/n31.jpg
http://ukmil.hopto.org/img/n32.jpg
http://ukmil.hopto.org/img/n33.jpg
http://ukmil.hopto.org/img/n34.jpg
http://ukmil.hopto.org/img/n35.jpg
I bought off a company called Drakotek and their were no customs charges to pay.
Still got the Cubot GT99 which I bought several months ago, still going strong and has never missed a beat, amazingly the overall battery life doesn't seem to have deteriorated at all, despite being charged - discharged on a daily basis.
I use '3' as my main internet connection (rural area - crap ADSL) so the phone also acts as an always on internet hotspot when i'm at home, which it does, with no issues whatsoever - giving an average of 10mbps.
Best £100 that I ever spent
So it actually says "Samsung" on the cover
I got my phone via the post and there was no customs charge.
I see yours came via Parcel Force.
Still very pleased with my Star Note II and can recommend skhuamei2015. It came by post and no customs charges.
Main downside is low internal storage of 1 GB but apps can be stored on an card.
it did. my first two were delivered by DHL and I got hit for tax, so time I decided to try normal mail, which goes via China post, then parcel force, and again, hit for tax.
I've had 4 phones sent from abroad and not once been hit with Tax.
http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showthread.php?p=73259122
Though of course quite plausible for the spyware to have been installed by the manufacturer.
This is a very serious concern. If smaller manufacturers are being infiltrated and malware is being shipped in the factory install firmware, then those phones should be avoided like the plague! Certainly, if I owned one, I wouldn't be using it for anything right now.
Its hardly breaking news either, as it was being discussed on various Android forums late last summer. It revolves around spyware called UuPAY
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2395007
In fact there is even a blog thread dating back to 2012, which contains comments regarding another Star phone and its "suspicious" files content.
http://colonelzap.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/star-w007-aka-m100-google-4s-phone.html
If you can root your phone, then you should be able to remove it. Information can be found here
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2782537
http://www.chinaphonearena.com/forum/Thread-Is-this-a-virus?pid=22353
I've searched for any similarly named files on my rooted Cubot GT99 and nothing has come up, all of the files in the System/App folder appear to be genuine when the file names are googled. So its perhaps it little premature to believe that all Chinese smart phones are riddled with Spyware.
There is also nothing at the moment to suggest that the Spyware files were loaded by the manufacturer, they could have been loaded at a later date by a Distributor or Vendor at any point between leaving the factory and being shipped out from China, which again may mean that not EVERY Star phone carries the same infection.
You have to put this into some prospective, lots of Chinese smart phones and tablets are sold all over the world and the very fact that there is only really one or two threads about this problem on the various Android forums in the last nine months may not mean that the problem is as widespread as people seem to believe.
Having looked around a bit more, its looking more and more likely that the issue is restricted to Star brand phones, and on the thread below, some people report that they don't have the spyware installed on an identical model as others do either, which again may indicate that not all phones are infected and that the spyware apps are perhaps being added after the Factory by a certain Vendor or Vendors
http://www.avforums.com/threads/star-n9500-s4-clone-thoughts.1779630/page-6
Oh dear
I am wondering is it still a good phone to buy or are there any other models that are just as good.
I cannot afford much, but this phone is inside my budget of about £120.
I can only speak for / offer my own experience with the GT99 as its the only (Chinese) phone that i've owned. But in the almost 12 months that i've owned it now, its worked flawlessly, never missed a beat and never given me any problems whatsoever. Its also on the original battery which came with it, and again the usable time between charges, hasn't deteriorated that much either, which is surprising as the Chinese are not that hot at making decent batteries, and they are normally considered a weak spot on any Far East sourced product.
I leave the phone switched on 24/7, and after work / weekends its used constantly as a wi-fi hotspot at home on '3' as I don't have a landline, so its probably had a bit more hammer and more charges than the average phone. Basically, if for some reason it stopped working tomorrow I would still cheerfully say that I had easily got my £100 worth out of the phone over the last 11 or so months
If you search around Ali-Express you'll find Vendors with 100% product feedback selling this for around £80 - £90
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/cubot-gt99-4-5-1280X720-HD-screen-MTK6589-Smart-Phone-android-4-2-quad-core-8/1150925824.html
I also recommend getting a case for it, as they are hard to source in the UK. This one fits mine perfectly, and is made of very thick material and for about £4.00 its protected the phone many many times after accidentally falling out of pockets etc.
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Unique-Wallet-for-Cubot-gt99-LG-E960-case-PU-leather-flip-cover-with-card-holder-4/1343703330.html
Another plus for the GT99 is doesn't seem to come bundled with the hidden Chinese Bloat / Spyware which seems to haunt some other Chinese phones.
Thank you for a positive answer..
Thought about getting one from this company...
http://www.etotalk.com/cubot-gt99_p5675.html
Can't comment on the Vendor because i've never personally used them.
I also believe that a lot of Chinese spyware which is rumoured to be floating around, is usually installed by the Vendor or Distributor, rather than the manufacturer, so again, important to get feedback from other people who have bought the same phone from the same place. For this same reason I would avoid the temptation or offer of any Vendor pre-installed APPs or ROM's at purchase stage, as once again the Chinese versions of a lot of popular app's can carry a few unexpected and unwelcome surprises
Instead, download and install these yourself from either the Author's website, or a trusted source.