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Tmobile UK - Touch Pro poor phone use

My new HTC Touch Pro appears to have far worse phone reception compared to my HTC TyTN II for the Tmobile UK network.
Touch Pro Radio: 1.02.25.19
TyTN II Radio: 1.27.12.11
I've set my phone band to GSM to save battery.
Ot has been tweaked in no other way yet.
a) At home, I nearly always got a usable signal on the TyTN II with some drop outs. With the Touch Pro - its the other way round - mostly searching with occasional usable signal.
b) Travvelling from Leeds to Harrogate. The TyTN II would mostly hold a good signal with only a few drop outs. The Touch Pro was "Searching" most of the way.
c) Central Leeds, both phones have good signal.
d) Sat at my desk in Harrogate. The TyTN II has a usable signal where the Touch Pro only occassionally has a usable signal.
I love the device, but am very dissappointed with the phone signal performance. So much so, I am considering returning the device. I hope there's an new Radio ROM very soon.
I would be interested to hear other TMobileUK users experiences.
Thanks
Mike

Soory, this has already been discussed in several topics:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=417335
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=417163
Does seem to be a common TmobileUK problem!

There do seem to be a lot of comments about poor signal strength.
Personally my signal is the same as ever, but I think I may pinch my wife's T-Mobile SIM sometime over the weekend, just out of curiosity... Her MDA Touch has terrible signal in our house, so I'll have to see if the Raphael is any better or worse.

I am also tempted to buy the touch pro, and am with t-mobile due to their unrivalled web'n'walk data packages. I don't want to wait till t-mobile get their act together with the vario IV (they might include a updated version of the radio which works better with their network).
Is there anyone who is getting good coverage on t-mobile with this phone and if so where are you located in th u.k?

I'm in the Middlesex area, not very far at all from Heathrow airport.
Signal strength at home for me is pretty good, it varies between 2 and 5 bars depending on where I am in the house but I nearly always have a H at the top rather than a G! (anyone else other than me think that the Touch Pro's G icon is ugly? lol)
When I'm out and about away from home I've noticed much weaker signals though, never lost the network completely yet mind you. Thankfully I'm on a "Solo" sim only contract with T-mobile and my 30 day contract is already passed so I can now change it. Other people's comments about the network on here have scared me, so I've already got a porting authorisation code from them (I even told the T-Mobile customer service person I spoke to about everyone's comments on this forum, he seemed quite surprised to say the least) and I will be moving to Vodafone in a couple of days!
Vodafone Sim only deals are very similar to T-Mobile's prices (even better at the £20 level thanks to a limited time offer from Vodafone that's currently running) and although mobile internet use with Vodafone is more expensive than T-Mobile on a daily basis, they both do the £7.50/month for unlimited internet so I'll definitely be adding that!

Also has anyone tried these signal boosting sticky pads to improve reception? (I don't have any experience with these so don't know whether these things have any merit or are just a con)

tbh I wouldnt worry about it at the moment, the stock shipped radio version in my Hermes (1.06.00.10, or something like) was crap for me but remember people we get radio updates quite often even now for older devices so lets see , when the vario IV ROM emerges, how good the updated radios are?
Its all part of the game.
Perhaps once the issues for flashing diamond radios have been sorted then we could see if a daimond radio might remedy the issues?
Just out of interest has anyone here got a Touch Pro and is using it on Orange UK?? Since they both operate on GSM1800 and UMTS2100 any problems with the device should really occur for them also?
O2-UK and Vodafone UK (GSM900) stats would also be helpfull?

mrvanx said:
tbh I wouldnt worry about it at the moment, the stock shipped radio version in my Hermes (1.06.00.10, or something like) was crap for me but remember people we get radio updates quite often even now for older devices so lets see , when the vario IV ROM emerges, how good the updated radios are?
Its all part of the game.
Perhaps once the issues for flashing diamond radios have been sorted then we could see if a daimond radio might remedy the issues?
Just out of interest has anyone here got a Touch Pro and is using it on Orange UK?? Since they both operate on GSM1800 and UMTS2100 any problems with the device should really occur for them also?
O2-UK and Vodafone UK (GSM900) stats would also be helpfull?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am not sure I understand the "game" appeal of a £500 purchase on which people seem to be experiencing poor reception on.

IBORGUK said:
I am not sure I understand the "game" appeal of a £500 purchase on which people seem to be experiencing poor reception on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No different to any other area of technology, the fact is that if you live on the cutting edge and get the newest of the new and the best of the best, there will be issues, and rough edges to iron out. At least with HTC phones 95% of the problems will be resolved in a few months with ROM/radio updates and the wonders pulled off by the chefs here.
For those wanting a safe stable and mature platform from day one with yesterday's-but-still-ok tech, there's the Kaiser or Hermes. Or just wait a few months before getting a Touch Pro.

Best of the best for a phone which has poorer reception on my network than the previous iteration (TYTN II) ? I don't think the logic in that statement stands up somehow.

i've got same issue with t-mobile sim and pro. same spot kaiser has full 3g reception pro none

So mine's gone back due to lousy reception on T-Mobile UK in my house (my Hermes and my other half's Kaiser have no such problem).
Gutted, 'cos compared to my current Vario II it was a Rolls Royce.
So what do I do now? Risk trying another or wait till a version with new radio is out?

finisterre said:
So mine's gone back due to lousy reception on T-Mobile UK in my house (my Hermes and my other half's Kaiser have no such problem).
Gutted, 'cos compared to my current Vario II it was a Rolls Royce.
So what do I do now? Risk trying another or wait till a version with new radio is out?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd say go again when TMobile release theirs, at least then it's all their problem if you want to send it back (again!).

finisterre said:
So mine's gone back due to lousy reception on T-Mobile UK in my house (my Hermes and my other half's Kaiser have no such problem).
Gutted, 'cos compared to my current Vario II it was a Rolls Royce.
So what do I do now? Risk trying another or wait till a version with new radio is out?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Or maybe wait for the SE Xperia X1. I'll skip the Touch Pro because of the reception issue. As the Diamond has the same problem since the beginning, I don't believe in a software fix for this problem.

Newbie question, sorry . I havent even fully worked out what the "radio" is! Is it the same as a new ROM?
My Touch Pro will arrive today or tomorrow. How likely is it that the signal performance of this phone will improve if a new Radio can be developed? I will have 10 days to return the phone if necessary, and change to another provider/contract, which is a shame as TMobile have arguably the best (data) contracts.
Stick or twist?

If you have this problem, make sure you report it to HTC like I did.
The more who do - the more chance of a fix.

Digger. said:
Newbie question, sorry . I havent even fully worked out what the "radio" is! Is it the same as a new ROM?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A new ROM can contain various components. Official HTC or Carrier ROM's generally contain the OS (~100Mb), the Radio (~20Mb), the Splash Screens (~1Mb?), and the Bootloader (also small, but I can't remember how small). So they're fully loaded. Sometimes official Radio-Only updates are released, but from what I remember they're not that common.
Cooked ROMs around here are generally just the OS (and sometimes a compatible Radio if the OS actually relies on a specific Radio). The OS is all that you'd really notice much of a difference in, for day to day purposes, as it's the bit that contains "Windows Mobile".
It is possible to flash any one of the components seperately. For the purposes of solving signal issues, it should only be necessary to update the Radio component. If you do this, then all your settings, programs, etc would be untouched, 'cause it's just the bit of code that controls the "Phone" part of your device, rather than the "Windows Mobile" part.
If you get a Touch Pro now, and it's got bad T-Mobile 3G reception, you can either put up with 2G signals until a Radio update is released (officially or otherwise), or send it back. Personally, I'd do the former, as I can't see it taking more than a couple of weeks for the T-Mobile ROM to show it's face, and that'll have the T-Mobile optimised radio in it, which you'll be able to upgrade to...

Thanks for your reply sub69. Very helpful and much appreciated .

sub69 said:
If you get a Touch Pro now, and it's got bad T-Mobile 3G reception, you can either put up with 2G signals until a Radio update is released (officially or otherwise), or send it back.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With mine, it wasn't that it was dropping from 3G to 2G. It was losing the signal totally. So I would have been missing voice calls too.

Perhaps I wasnt as clear as i intended in my last post here but, as a member has already said the reception issues are most likely down to the radio stack rather than a poor device, this was an issue with the Hermes when it was first released (August 2006) and it was remedied about a month later with a radio update, im surprised people are sending thiers back so hastily!?!?
The thing i would HIGHLY recommend is (once we have HardSPL and etc...) to flash the radio stack which accompanies the Vario IV ROM once it is released /leaked. This radio version (if different) would have the TmobileUK tweaks in it if they still do such a thing?!
Im yet to see if anyone on orange UK has the same issues?? (same bands as tmobile).

ATT Fuze ROM Questions

All,
I currently have an unbranded/unlocked HTC Tilt that I imported from the UK when they first came out about a year ago, well before ATT started selling their version of the Tilt. Mine has the front camera, etc.
As I understand it, ATT must have made some sort of deal with HTC on the Raphael (Fuze) because the Touch Pro I bought (and have since returned) would not support all of the 3G bands here in the states. I could only get EDGE.
I really want to get the new Fuze, but I am concerned about the limitations ATT is going to introduce on the ROM of this device, and I wouldn't buy the ATT version if there was another way to get the device with the appropriate US 3G band support.
So, my questions are:
1. Proxy Server settings: Is this available on the Fuze ROM? The Tilt I have now allows me to uncheck the "use proxy server" on my MediaNet connection profile. This is an important setting for me to have, as without it I can't get my Slingbox client and Newsbreak to work properly if it is enabled or not available to disable.
2. Internet sharing: Are the rumors of this being removed true? I hear that they pulled it. ATT is starting to look like Verizon with their ROM limitations. If they did pull the internet sharing app, can you copy it from another device or will applications like PDANet or WMWiFiRouter work in it's absence?
I think that is all I need to know for now. Thanks in advance for any assistance!
-Rob

robroy90 said:
All,
I currently have an unbranded/unlocked HTC Tilt that I imported from the UK when they first came out about a year ago, well before ATT started selling their version of the Tilt. Mine has the front camera, etc.
As I understand it, ATT must have made some sort of deal with HTC on the Raphael (Fuze) because the Touch Pro I bought (and have since returned) would not support all of the 3G bands here in the states. I could only get EDGE.
I really want to get the new Fuze, but I am concerned about the limitations ATT is going to introduce on the ROM of this device, and I wouldn't buy the ATT version if there was another way to get the device with the appropriate US 3G band support.
So, my questions are:
1. Proxy Server settings: Is this available on the Fuze ROM? The Tilt I have now allows me to uncheck the "use proxy server" on my MediaNet connection profile. This is an important setting for me to have, as without it I can't get my Slingbox client and Newsbreak to work properly if it is enabled or not available to disable.
2. Internet sharing: Are the rumors of this being removed true? I hear that they pulled it. ATT is starting to look like Verizon with their ROM limitations. If they did pull the internet sharing app, can you copy it from another device or will applications like PDANet or WMWiFiRouter work in it's absence?
I think that is all I need to know for now. Thanks in advance for any assistance!
-Rob
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
why dont you just flash a new rom to it?
internet sharing is there you just have to open from file explorer
and the NA touch pro will be available after the fuze with 3G

I thought about that...
Ok, I had considered that, but if I do flash a ROM, which one?
If I flash it, will it have the appropriate application/registry entries to support the bands for proper 3G operation here in the States?
GRRRRR.... why do they pull this crap? Apparently it is too much to ask to get a true "world" phone with all the bands in hardware and software!
-Rob

well i work for at&t and i was given the fuze as a demo device about a month ago and have since decided to keep it (kind of a nice thing). you can do what i just did to mine. I flashed it with HTC firmware, then flashed the at&t radio's onto it. I was also given a link to a cab file that switches the keyboard to the at&t layout (my only gripe change).
The onlything i see intresting is the Fuze's we got in last week, when i booted one up and played with it for a customer, i noticed they have a 1.95 SPL they are shipping with. wonder if that will effect flashing to the unsigned spl. And i will say, They didnt trim much out from original software, however they gave it the good ole' at&t bloatware.

waterhurley said:
well i work for at&t and i was given the fuze as a demo device about a month ago and have since decided to keep it (kind of a nice thing). you can do what i just did to mine. I flashed it with HTC firmware, then flashed the at&t radio's onto it. I was also given a link to a cab file that switches the keyboard to the at&t layout (my only gripe change).
The onlything i see intresting is the Fuze's we got in last week, when i booted one up and played with it for a customer, i noticed they have a 1.95 SPL they are shipping with. wonder if that will effect flashing to the unsigned spl. And i will say, They didnt trim much out from original software, however they gave it the good ole' at&t bloatware.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
your store got multiple fuzes in??
and heres a question about bloatware on the fuze
with my 8525 whenever i hard reset i let it do the first customization to set the device up but i soft reset when it begins the 2nd since that is when att crap is loaded. does the fuze have a similar setup? or all at once

lbhocky19 said:
your store got multiple fuzes in??
and heres a question about bloatware on the fuze
with my 8525 whenever i hard reset i let it do the first customization to set the device up but i soft reset when it begins the 2nd since that is when att crap is loaded. does the fuze have a similar setup? or all at once
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All the configuration is done during one customization screen. A soft reset to kill the bloat must be done before you see the "3...2...1..." countdown.

NotATreoFan said:
All the configuration is done during one customization screen. A soft reset to kill the bloat must be done before you see the "3...2...1..." countdown.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thank you
now with my 8525 i found if i cancelled the first one it messed up stuff and the phone didnt work right
if i cancel it on the fuze does everything still work and simply get rid of the att crap?

robroy90 said:
All,
I currently have an unbranded/unlocked HTC Tilt that I imported from the UK when they first came out about a year ago, well before ATT started selling their version of the Tilt. Mine has the front camera, etc.
As I understand it, ATT must have made some sort of deal with HTC on the Raphael (Fuze) because the Touch Pro I bought (and have since returned) would not support all of the 3G bands here in the states. I could only get EDGE.
I really want to get the new Fuze, but I am concerned about the limitations ATT is going to introduce on the ROM of this device, and I wouldn't buy the ATT version if there was another way to get the device with the appropriate US 3G band support.
So, my questions are:
1. Proxy Server settings: Is this available on the Fuze ROM? The Tilt I have now allows me to uncheck the "use proxy server" on my MediaNet connection profile. This is an important setting for me to have, as without it I can't get my Slingbox client and Newsbreak to work properly if it is enabled or not available to disable.
2. Internet sharing: Are the rumors of this being removed true? I hear that they pulled it. ATT is starting to look like Verizon with their ROM limitations. If they did pull the internet sharing app, can you copy it from another device or will applications like PDANet or WMWiFiRouter work in it's absence?
I think that is all I need to know for now. Thanks in advance for any assistance!
-Rob
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Rob-
I bought my Fuze off eBay so I can't swear that it is the same version as what will ship but I'm pretty sure that it is.
On mine, you can check or uncheck "use proxy server" in the Media Net settings just like on your Tilt. Also, mine DOES include the Internet Sharing. I haven't had a chance to test it out yet, but since it's there I'm guessing it works.

Internet Sharing is in the official AT&T ROM. As a matter of fact, when you connect the USB cable, you get 2 choices: Activesync or Internet Sharing. No Wireless Modem crap on the Fuze.

lbhocky19 said:
why dont you just flash a new rom to it?
internet sharing is there you just have to open from file explorer
and the NA touch pro will be available after the fuze with 3G
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where did you find out that there will be a NA Touch Pro after the Fuze is released?

Tilt vs G1

I have recently switched from AT&T to T-Mobile... I have a Tilt w/ HardSpl 3.29. It is Sim and CID unlocked and I have flashed a few different ROMs and currently have Dutty's 3.5 on it. The only problem is that AT&T uses 2100 mhz and T-Mobile uses 2100mhz and 1700Mhz so i can only use edge for data. Does anyone have any opinions on the G1 and how it would stack up against this Tilt. I like WinMO and feel like i am getting more proficient with modding it. Is there going to be alot of things that the Tilt will do that the G1 will not be capable of? or vice versa?... Thanx for any thoughts... 1st Post so bear with me....
Phone: AT&T Tilt
Carrier: T-Mobile
Sim-CID unlocked
HardSpl 3.29
Rom: Dutty's 3.5

JaceNSteale said:
I have recently switched from AT&T to T-Mobile... I have a Tilt w/ HardSpl 3.29. It is Sim and CID unlocked and I have flashed a few different ROMs and currently have Dutty's 3.5 on it. The only problem is that AT&T uses 2100 mhz and T-Mobile uses 2100mhz and 1700Mhz so i can only use edge for data. Does anyone have any opinions on the G1 and how it would stack up against this Tilt. I like WinMO and feel like i am getting more proficient with modding it. Is there going to be alot of things that the Tilt will do that the G1 will not be capable of? or vice versa?... Thanx for any thoughts... 1st Post so bear with me....
Phone: AT&T Tilt
Carrier: T-Mobile
Sim-CID unlocked
HardSpl 3.29
Rom: Dutty's 3.5
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Welcome to the forum
My vote goes for Tilt because WM is a more mature OS than Android, perhaps in the future will be a good OS but by now I´ll stick to WM

Hands down the Tilt with WM, but no 3G. I find the tmob edge speeds & battery usage very good. I'm looking at the TP2 w/3G when it comes to tmob usa Jul 22nd!

btw what is soooooooooooooo good about andriod other than it is not by MS? heee

I've used the tilt, and by now I have to say I like the G1 a lot more. There's no lag that accompanies WM, and it's just been a great experience with Android. Especially now with all the great ROMs being cooked, plenty of apps to choose from in Market, and overall awesomeness + ease of use.

Thanx for the input so far.... its not that android is so good just that Tmobile doesn't have any other PPc's from HTC that run on win mo and i thought i would get a lot better speed with the 3g... I hadn't considered the Battery!!! I tried a Touch Pro w/Sprint for a few weeks before going to tmobile but it was impossible to lock the screen... it would wake up for every voice, text, or email message or if the key board was opened even a little... the phone ended up have many apps running all the time and it killed the battery... i had to charge it 3,4 times a day... HTC told me the HTC branded phone didn't do it.... the Sprint and verizon version both have this flaw... Sprint repair center told nothing they could do.... i had one the first week they came out.... i don't know if they have jumped on that yet...

I'd go with the Tilt, but it's close.
I've got a Tilt, and my son got a G1 about 2 months ago.
His hardware seems snappier to launch apps and in screen transitions. The integration of apps on Android is pretty cool as well. Infomation from one app is easily shared with other apps in the platform. There are WM apps that do this, Live search, and SPBMS3 come to mind, but in Android it feels seamless. the Google maps experience of street view on the G1 is also quite cool and uniquie to that device.
What WM (Tilt) has over Android, and someone above mentioned as well, is maturity and breadth of app (and mod) availability. With mostly free apps, my Tilt can do just about every cool thing the G1 can do, and more. If you like the Android look, Throttle Launcher can give that to you. The availability of apps for WM is many multiples of what is out there for Android (so far).
I will say that network speed definitly pushes me toward the Tilt. That is one area that he and I have done head to head comparisons. I'm on att, and my HSDPA, available even at my rural home, blows Tmob edge out of the water. If I had to go back to that, I'd be a lot less happy with any device.
I hope this helps

almost just for the face of 3g i would go with the G1 , my girlfriend has one and from experience i can say its a pretty great phone !

GPS in Europe

I've searched and searched most of the Android forums along with the Eris forums as well but I can't find anyone who has gotten this to work. The best I could find was someone in Puerto Rico with a Eris that even with a 1x connection wasn't able to get a GPS sync.
Has anyone traveled to Europe with a CDMA Hero and been able to get a GPS lock?
Were you able to use co-pilot or something similar with offline maps to be able to navigate around?
I tested putting the phone in airplane mode and turning on GPS and using GPS Logger to see if I get a sync and I do here in the US. In the settings I only had "Use GPS satellites" checked and not "use wireless networks". This leads me to believe it should work but I have to wonder if the last sync was cached which allowed it to work in testing.
So if anyone has and real life experience with this please let me know, otherwise I may have to drag out the old Mogul with a BT GPS dongle.

Good question! I am going to Japan for 2 weeks and was wondering the same thing.

It should work I think, cause GPS is supposed to locate you anywhere. Its just the maps but google maps has the whole world.

zeezey said:
It should work I think, cause GPS is supposed to locate you anywhere. Its just the maps but google maps has the whole world.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Only thing is, Maps requires a data connection to display the maps!
You'd probably have to get a europe navigation program for android (if one exists?)

lordofokra said:
Only thing is, Maps requires a data connection to display the maps!
You'd probably have to get a europe navigation program for android (if one exists?)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, it's called CoPilet Live Navigation Europe, but its f***ing expensive lol
like $75 USD
Better pleasure me at the same time as navigating for that price

lordofokra said:
Only thing is, Maps requires a data connection to display the maps!
You'd probably have to get a europe navigation program for android (if one exists?)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is a hacked GMaps that works outside the USA...

I'm starting to think no one has any real world experience with this. I have a feeling my upcoming travel I will end up being a guinea pig.

gu1dry said:
There is a hacked GMaps that works outside the USA...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wouldn't he still need data to use it? Europe doesn't use our CDMA and he wouldn't have signal.

I found a navigation app that doesn't need an interenet connection. It relies on OpenStreetMap so I am not sure how good that data is in Europe
http://www.andnav.org/
I also found this app which lets you download an area while you have an internet connection
http://bigplanetmaps.wordpress.com/
but it seems buggy.
There is also this one but it doesn't look like it has a navigation option
http://www.mapdroyd.com/
All the notable gps navigation apps that have mappacks cost $50 or more.
Another problem is that your phone uses the cell network as a "cheat" to get your initial location. So whenever you boot up a GPS nav app without cell towers it is going to take several minutes to get your location so just be aware it will take awhile to get your location. That fact is true for any GPS unit you start for the first time. This is why the newer units will ask for the city you are in so it can try to get a lock faster.

I was in Europe earlier this month and none of the pictures I took with the phone had any of the GPS data in it.
Hope your results are different.

ymsc said:
I was in Europe earlier this month and none of the pictures I took with the phone had any of the GPS data in it.
Hope your results are different.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
y doesn't someone ask someone from Europe?

regaw_leinad said:
y doesn't someone ask someone from Europe?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They do not have the CDMA Hero in Europe

ymsc said:
They do not have the CDMA Hero in Europe
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol wow I don't even remember asking that last night ?? what a dumb question haha

I think a good way to test if it will work is to do a complete wipe and as soon as the phone boots throw it in airplane mode. Then disable the network location by celltower. Disable Mobile network. Take it out of airplane mode and activate only the GPS(not the mobile network location... make sure that is off before you come out of airplane mode)
Then put one of those program on your phone (I am liking andnav) and see if it finds your location after several minutes.
You need to wipe it so your phone never gets your current location. This will be a similar situation to when you go overseas.
The big question here is does the Hero need that initial location from the towers or will it do like other GPS units and search until it find the location(which can take many minutes!)

I just tried that andnav2 and it properly won't work for you.
Even if you download the mappacks you will still need to cache and area you are visiting while you have a data connection. Then you can't plan routes there unless you have a data connection. You can however pre-load routes and then don't need a data connection but you have to pre-plan stuff.
I am sorry to say but I think your best bet is to get a dedicated unit. The paid apps for the android might do the job for you if you want to save on how many electronics you carry around but they are so expensive that I say by then just buy a separate unit.
If you have or want to buy a TomTom then I can tell you how to get maps for your areas you are visiting but you will need to PM me. Not only am I not allowed to post but that would be way off topic since it has nothing to do with the Hero. I took a TomTom One when I went to Germany a couple months ago and it worked like a charm.

Just bumping this in case anyone has any further insight or has tried this.
I still planning on trying it myself. I'll have the old mogul with a bluetooth gps dongle as a backup.
Actually here is a question. Has anyone gotten a bluetooth gps dongle to work with their phones. I know the last time I was in europe my mogul would not pick up a gps signal with the internal chip but as soon as I fired up the bluetooth everything was good.

watzone69 said:
Good question! I am going to Japan for 2 weeks and was wondering the same thing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
japan uses cdma. you'll probably have a nice strong roaming signal over there

feld said:
japan uses cdma. you'll probably have a nice strong roaming signal over there
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, I'm in Japan right now. As soon as I took my phone out of airplane mode I got a roaming notification for $1.99/minute. No thanks! I disabled mobile network and have just been using the camera and music functions.
I'm posting this from my father-in-law's computer. He lives in a small town outside of Tokyo and I haven't found a wifi hotspot yet. I'm going in to Tokyo tomorrow so I will try to find a free one somewhere and maybe download some maps.
Earlier today I tried getting a GPS lock w/google maps and it seems like it found my location (no map, of course) but now it says "your location is temporarily unavailable". Maybe the initial lock was cached data? I may try the wipe/airplane mode method that centron posted.
BTW, I have seen ads for WIMAX here. Hopefully next time I'm here I'll have the EVO.

Based on my experience traveling around Europe with my Sprint Mogul you will need to have a CDMA signal even if your phone has a dedicated GPS chip. Even TomTom wouldn't work without it. Granted this is a different phone running WM6, but I believe the result will be the same.
Please write us back when you test it out across the pond and let us know.

I'll try to remember in the am. I'm in the UK right now. I tried the other day, but was having issues getting a dhcp addresses from the wifi ....

Olinex Hard-spl : the good, the bad...

First off, this is a complaint post. I truley grateful for you cooks, and programmers at this site. The following is just my observations (for better and for worse) on how this hard-spl affected me. The rhodium is my fourth smartphone that ive owned and unlocked from this site, so i slightly experineced with the unlock proccess (the mda, g1, and the kaiser). Although with this device, however the results of this hspl crack is most intriguing.
Lets start with..
The Good - For the most part its free. This means the gift of being able to try out other peoples roms is something anyone can enjoy. This is what xda is all about, or atleast this is what we cherish the most.
The Bad - Right after I installed oplix hspl and flashed my new rom, the camera doesnt want to load. It either the "data frame" message or the "driver" error. I trying everything except "relock" the hspl (flashed stock rom, stock radio, hard resets, that mitty wipe, camera cabs, registry edits,) . Im no expert, but some thing tells me its that Olinix. Does anybody know if this could be one of those "know issues" that sometimes happen with the verizon version?
The Ugly? -
Well, uglys not really the best word... atleast not yet. You see I realized just today, every since I sim-unlocked my phone (although not CID unlock) I discovered the most suprising thing, Free Data access! And no im not refering to Opera mini, im talkin about pocket twitter, facebook, youtube (low quality only), opera mobile, PIE, htc weather, the whole enchilada.
Now for all you people thinking this sounds too good to be true, well your right. There is one major flaw with the data stream, which i will get to later. First let me describe my exact circumstance to achive this oddity.
My rhodium is verizon. Its sim unlocked (but not security unlocked!), and im using a Tmobile prepaid sim with the sidekick plan. There is a balance of 0$ on my account, and it hasnt been active for a couple months. I have oplix hspl and a Mighty Rom installed. I deleted the verizon apn from connection settings and made a new one with the T-mobile apn, but i still named it Verizon anyways cuz im weird like that... After experimentation, i found out that it only works with the radio in Global mode. Good thing with a US sim inserted, the phone always defaults to GSM mode anyways... or atleast it does for me Under these conditions, I still get data access despite the fact that the sidekick plan doesnt include data access, and also the fact that THERES NO MONEY in my prepaid account.
Ok now to the ugly: The Catch. As i said before there is a catch to the "free data". That is its nowhere near 3g speeds, even for tmobile standards. Its like 8mbs/hr download speeds (using IE, not Opera mini). I know that seems horrid but theres a lot of things on you phone that requires a data plan (if no wifi available) thats very low bandwitdh. That social app updates, email sync, weather update, casual browsing, low quality youtube stream if desperate enough. Lets face it, we cant be surrounded by wifi all the time; so even getting dail-up_ish data access for free could be use be nice.
Just for the heck of it, heres my theroy why the bandwitdh is so slow. It seems to me that its due to constant interruption. For expamle when i go to google from IE, the web page seems to load a bit then stop 1/3 of the way. This Tmobiles server restricting access, and usually the browser would just quit after a couple of seconds. But for some reason it looks like the phones radio "reboots" just before the browser would normally time-out, and therefore able to "steal" another 1/3 of web page from the apn again and again. This play between APN and radio isnt too obvious and some may just pass it off as just a really low bandwitdh service.
This is very freaky behavior. Ever since Tmobile "secured" their sidekick prepaid data access to only sidekicks, i have not been able (with the exception of opera mini) access data from tmobiles hiptop APN. I wonder what make this device so special? Is because its a world phone? or are the newer radio patches able to reconnect faster? Well anyways am i the only one who noticed this, or am I losing it?

you're blaming the wrong people, t-mobile and at&t run on different gsm bands here in the states. you'll get 3g speeds in any country but not north america.

Not a single one of your complaints has anything to do with the Hard SPL. The camera access is determined by the software drivers in the ROM. Ask about it in the thread of whatever ROM you are using.
The 3G access for T-Mobile(1700/2100) is on a completely different frequency than your Verizon(800/1900) device. This is defined by the hardware, not the software. There is no "radio patch" to allow such a thing. You will never get more than EDGE speeds on the Verizon TP2 on T-Mobile's network. Just enjoy your free data access.

cajunflavoredbob said:
Not a single one of your complaints has anything to do with the Hard SPL. The camera access is determined by the software drivers in the ROM. Ask about it in the thread of whatever ROM you are using.
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Im not too sure about that because I havent been able to get the camera working with ANY rom - and i tried a dozen already, even stock. I guess the only way for me to rule out my theroy, would be to take out hspl and reload official rom and radio. Im a little hesitant about that since you only get one free unlock from olinex, so im on the fence still.
cajunflavoredbob said:
The 3G access for T-Mobile(1700/2100) is on a completely different frequency than your Verizon(800/1900) device. This is defined by the hardware, not the software. There is no "radio patch" to allow such a thing. You will never get more than EDGE speeds on the Verizon TP2 on T-Mobile's network. Just enjoy your free data access.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, the icon at top is "E" symbol which i assume is for edge, because while commuting it would change to the "G" which i presume is a step below edge. Is this just a glitch in the WM OS?

maxinf said:
Im not too sure about that because I havent been able to get the camera working with ANY rom - and i tried a dozen already, even stock. I guess the only way for me to rule out my theroy, would be to take out hspl and reload official rom and radio. Im a little hesitant about that since you only get one free unlock from olinex, so im on the fence still.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If it isn't working on the stock ROM, then you've very likely got a defective device. Hard SPL has nothing to do with the camera. Set it back to stock everything and do a warranty exchange/repair if you still have time. Check with HTC to see when it will expire if it hasn't already. You normally get 15 months from HTC on a brand new device.
Well, the icon at top is "E" symbol which i assume is for edge, because while commuting it would change to the "G" which i presume is a step below edge. Is this just a glitch in the WM OS?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why would that be a glitch? The service is determined by whatever the tower has. If the tower you're connected to has EDGE service, it will say EDGE. If it has only GPRS, then it will say GPRS. You will never be able to 3G from T-Mobile on the Verizon model. The hardware does not have the capability.

cajunflavoredbob said:
Not a single one of your complaints has anything to do with the Hard SPL. The camera access is determined by the software drivers in the ROM. Ask about it in the thread of whatever ROM you are using.
The 3G access for T-Mobile(1700/2100) is on a completely different frequency than your Verizon(800/1900) device. This is defined by the hardware, not the software. There is no "radio patch" to allow such a thing. You will never get more than EDGE speeds on the Verizon TP2 on T-Mobile's network. Just enjoy your free data access.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agh, I cant take it anymore. Im gotta rule out the possiblity once and for all. Im going to revert hspl, radio, rom back to stock. Ill report back with the results... crossing my fingers!