There was a magic time 3 years ago when Google bought a Cell Phone Manufacturer named Motorola and actually co-designed a whole generation of cell phones.

Original Moto X, Moto G and Moto E to be specific.    Built right here in America, believe it or not.

Ran the best most integrated mobile processor out there at the time, used the various Qualcomm Snapdragons in all the various levels.   Processors are still current, even today.

Ran straight Android 4.4 had no bloatware at all on the phone, acted like the phone and OS were built for each other.   (they were)   Gave two day battery life in an era when folks struggled to get through the day with the current crop of superphones.

Trick was Google BALANCED the phone -- it is quicker than a Samsung of the same time frame but it uses a lesser processor and a smaller battery -- Google Magic again, all over the place.

Google was attempting to guide the market into a better pathway by showing them an example of better AND more reasonable on the price tag.....  same thing they did with the Nexus Phones they used to direct sell in previous years.

So, built in America phones that cost HUNDREDS of dollars less than the competition at the time, that were built with superior integration and had a feature set that was complete but not all covered up with Touch Whizz or whatever else the oriental phone guys call their layers of private customization that are always fouling up on you all the time.  

(yeah, talking about you Samsung)

Phones were so well built that the MOTO G got the moniker as "the Immortal Phone" and the video guys on YouTube had contests between them to see what you could actually do to a Moto G before you killed it.   Throw it in water, drive over it with a car, that sort of stuff.

People were flat amazed at Moto G for the value Google was selling for right at $200.


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Fast forward 1 year after Lenovo bought Motorola from Google.   Phone prices go up over $150 and the extreme ruggedness seems to have diminished with the newer re-designs.   Lenovo is a Chinese company and now the new ones look a little more like a Chinese standard phone and who knows where they are actually built any more.   The magic has sure diminished a bunch with the new Lenovo varieties.


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So, if you are in the market for a good used phone, go look at your particular carrier on E-Bay and see if they ever had an original Google built Moto G or a Moto X in their line.

There are worse choices out there for a cheap phone, believe me.

Phones have all gotten a good bit larger, with a 5" phone being the most common size now days.   Pick up a Moto G and your hand instantly says "YES" -- it is the right size and it fits in your hand.   Current phones feel awkward in comparison.

There is a difference between BETTER and more common - more modern.

I can buy one like mine used for $135-$155 and the price is going down all the time -- I'd buy another and just keep the busted screen one for parts.

Wife tears hers up more than I do (I keep mine in a hard case and she has a minimum edge gripper thin case so hers gets more licks when she drops it).

Moto G can be bought as a maxed spec 3G phone or a mid spec 4G LTE phone -- mine are max spec'd 3-G phones that had the Republic Wireless system rewritten specifically for them.  

Specs all match up, as do the feature drivers.   Works pretty slick in such a neat little package.

Did I mention I only pay Republic Wireless only $10 a month per phone for anywhere unlimited talk & unlimited text and if I am within reach of an open or known wifi source I get unlimited data (really really unlimited data that is faster than 4G LTE data) ???

Tips and tricks YouTubes for Moto G are abundant and you can easily put the phone in developer mode and tune out all the animation delays, etc and make the phone actually to be a good bit FASTER acting than $600 state of the art phones that are carrier locked.    

Yep, same stuff we do to a Savage .....  
Modding and tuning helps phones, just like modding and tuning helps Savages.

I find that kinda sorta amusing to do that to people who are soooo proud of their brand new expensive superphones .....           kinda like riding a Savage against a Hurley up on the Parkway.  

Here is a guy whupping up on MUCH more expensive phones using a well tuned Moto E

      (Moto E:  the Ninja 250 of the cell phone world)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6A35DcClk8

OK Justin, time to fess up -- what do  you pay per month for that phone that you DO have ???

Bet it is more than $10, ain't it?

Mine rides in my pocket and can talk to you from anywhere and go on line (if I have wifi nearby) and do all sorts of wonderful little tricks like watch a movie or play a game if I am stuck somewhere and am planning to be bored enough to remember to download and preload the stuff on it.

It can also READ ME A BOOK, which is pretty neat if I am at work and have to look like I am busy.   It can sing me a song too.

I have been working through Angry Birds Series as my steady always there type game -- the Angry Birds seem to last a pretty long time when you only pull it up when you need something to do real bad.    Them birds can make a hour or two slip on by when you need it ....

Ya.... I have an old HTC Thunderbolt, dang good phone.... except the 3.5mm jack is jacked up... but it has Bluetooth so it don't matter.

It is the one i'm playing around with the gps programs.. So far it seems to be working.

I changed to a mini droid last year, but I still carry the Thunderbolt with me for pics and videos because it has a higher pixilation (10mp).

I also use it for a Wi-Fi device instead of my mini droid whenever I go out, because it has a slightly bigger screen.

It doubles as my music player in the truck (my stereo in the truck is capable of blue toothing to the phones) when I don't want to listen to the radio static on long trips, or just want to here MY songs and not some of the stuff they play on the radio.

Now all I got to do is download that Wi-Fi phone thingie you are talking about... well... I would have to find a phone number to use...

I have a Vonage account that uses my internet connection as a land line. It costs about $458 per year. I need this because I live in a canyon and my cell services barely works unless I'm on my roof standing on my tippy toes.

I'm thinking I could replace that service with Republic Wireless at $120/year plus the $150 for the Moto G. This would serve as my home phone.

Also, for my cell service, I'm using Virgin Mobile at $420 per year. I really don't talk on the phone much, mostly text. I have a cell phone because they hid all the pay phones (and drinking fountains).

So, with R.W., I could kick Virgin and Vonage to the curb ($878 per year), and get by with the moto G from R.W. ($120/year + $150). I'll assume the phones will need to be replaced every two years, so lets say $195 per year.

Now, what if I wanted to add a cordless phone extensions to an R.W. phone? Is there some add on (bluetooth, USB) that I could use to pass dialtone to an extension in the house?