T-Mobile UK Tinkering - General Topics

So my wife has told me she likes the look of the SE X10 Mini Pro. No problems there.
But I have 2 purchase options as I am currently on an unbeatable deal with T-Mobile.
Firstly I can but a phone sim free and keep me very good deal or I can negotiate a deal with T-Mobile as they will be carrying this handset shortly and save splashing £200 on the handset up front.
But my concern is that carriers have a habit of tinkering with phones and branding them before they ship them. I have seen horror stories of how Orange have actually removed basic features to their own ends and so on.
But what about T-Mobile? Do they tend to tinker with the handsets much or do they tend to leave them well alone (and yes I know I could go via Carphone warehouse and get an unlocked and unmolested one)?
Thanks

From what I have seen Tmo doesn't take anything out of the roms, but they do add useless crap that needs to be removed. Like Blockbuster app, Barnes and Noble app, My Account, etc...

Related

Xperia X1a vs Fuze

Looks like the Xperia X1a is dropping in the U.s. at at least Best Buy for now. I have read good reviews on both devices. Has anyone seen a good head to head comparison of these two devices? It looks like they are in the same league. Thanks
I think it comes down to $299 (+2yr contract) for the Fuze, or $799 (+service you were going to pay for anyway) for a WVGA screen and headphone jack. All other pros/cons seem to vary from one reviewer to another.
The Xperia is metal construction. The Fuze is mostly plastic and high gloss black ( print magnet) The keys are spread out nice on the Xperia, bunched up on the Fuze due to the smaller size. There is a slight tilt on the Xperia and the slide is straight out on the Fuze. I know there are a lot of software differences but just wanted to state the obvious physical differences I compared.
If the Xperia sold for $600 it would be the best deal for a PDA Phone in a long while. $865 from a Sony Style store is just a lot of jack in this economy. ( tax inc )
I have looked at the FUZE and the Touch Pro at Sprint. Something has kept me from buyin either one of them. Yeah I sold the X1a a day later for about the same as what I paid for it. Sonystyle wants 15% restock fee ( ouch )
fhsieh said:
I think it comes down to $299 (+2yr contract) for the Fuze, or $799 (+service you were going to pay for anyway) for a WVGA screen and headphone jack. All other pros/cons seem to vary from one reviewer to another.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
not necessarily , because you can get the fuze for $299 on 2 year contract, unlock it for free, sell it for ~$500 and then use that money to buy the xperia, making it only 2-300 more expensive. still more than it should be, but not as bad as people are making it seem..
omaralt said:
not necessarily , because you can get the fuze for $299 on 2 year contract, unlock it for free, sell it for ~$500 and then use that money to buy the xperia, making it only 2-300 more expensive. still more than it should be, but not as bad as people are making it seem..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay you two are on par, but compare it this way.
No-commitment price = $500
RETAIL PRICE = $849.99
Xprea X1a RETAIL PRICE = $800
It's a hell of a deal. Notice why I put two prices. Because you can only get the $500 deal if you're a customer of AT&T. If you're comparing the retail prices, I suggest you compare the retail prices. Not retail vs no-commitment. The $500 price is retail for AT&T customers only.
i mean, come on, anybody can get a brand new fuze for $500 + tax. If your not an at&t customer, i'm sure you know somebody whos an at&t customer, ask him/her to go buy one for you, no committment. the people who get screwed are our nice neighbors to the north (canadians). none of their gsm carriers have picked up this phone, and i hear the fuze is selling for north of $600 up there..
omaralt said:
i mean, come on, anybody can get a brand new fuze for $500 + tax. If your not an at&t customer, i'm sure you know somebody whos an at&t customer, ask him/her to go buy one for you, no committment. the people who get screwed are our nice neighbors to the north (canadians). none of their gsm carriers have picked up this phone, and i hear the fuze is selling for north of $600 up there..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True. But I was comparing the real retail price. Not how cheap you can get it for. I mean I bet someone could get it for free if they stole it. Or $100 if they worked for Sony or whatever. You know what I meant.
My reasons: PHAIL = bad; WIN = good
NO G-SENSOR! PHAIL!
Embedded screen! PHAIL!
Screen res. WIN!/PHAIL! (depending on pov. To install apps - fail; beauty - win)
TF3D and Panels! WIN!
No tv-out! PHAIL!
Metal casing. WIN!
Roomy buttons. WIN!
Price. UBER PHAIL! (I ain't paying that much for a device. IDK if you people like buying every phone for $1000+ as some of you have.)
Sony camera. WIN!
Kraize said:
True. But I was comparing the real retail price. Not how cheap you can get it for. I mean I bet someone could get it for free if they stole it. Or $100 if they worked for Sony or whatever. You know what I meant.
My reasons: PHAIL = bad; WIN = good
NO G-SENSOR! PHAIL!
Embedded screen! PHAIL!
Screen res. WIN!/PHAIL! (depending on pov. To install apps - fail; beauty - win)
TF3D and Panels! WIN!
No tv-out! PHAIL!
Metal casing. WIN!
Roomy buttons. WIN!
Price. UBER PHAIL! (I ain't paying that much for a device. IDK if you people like buying every phone for $1000+ as some of you have.)
Sony camera. WIN!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But I'd guess most in the US eying on an xperia are already with att, or at least considering it. After all, xperia has the att 3g band, not tmo.
As a side note, I think x1 wins in terms of form factor and battery life as well. But even if the two were the same price, I would have gotten a touch pro. I am very, VERY happy with its keyboard.
What's with this "No commitment price"? I went to Fry's Electronics (big box store like Best Buy), and bought the phone for $475+tax (This was Saturday). While my wife drove, I called up AT&T and asked them for the unlock code. They asked for the IMEA number, I gave them that... and they gave me the unlock code. Phone was up and working on the T-Mobile system before we got home 10 minutes later.
Sure, I don't have 3G... but I like my $15/month unlimited data plan with tethering and free Hotspot calling. AT&T wants $60 for that plan. At 156K/s vs 500k/s... that's just not worth it! (And no, I don't think most people could get the plan I have with T-Mobile... had an account with them since they were called VoiceStream...)
All that being said - I owned an X1i for 5 days. It was hands down the faster phone (all that AT&T garbage probably slows the Fuze down... I'll flash it after I figure out what I really want to do with it). But the screen just didn't do it for me. The Fuze screen is flush with the face of the phone and I think that is a clear win over the X1 (think about how beat up that screen is going to look after a few months). The keyboards are 6 of 1, 1/2 dozen of the other in use. I could use both keyboards just fine. The X1i seemed to have this issue, however, where the software keyboard would launch any time input was required ... even if the keyboard was out. Very annoying. The Fuze let's me choose.
The X1 never locked up on me, and I did a ton of installs and had lots of apps open. The Fuze has locked up almost daily for me. Again, I think it is the AT&T bloatware, but I'm not sure.
So my review is also a little mixed. In the end I made a deal with my wife that if I didn't like the Fuze after a month or so, I'd give it to her and get the X1a (since I figure the price will have dropped by then).
Right now, at a price of $475 vs $799.99 it isn't a contest. When neither phone is a clear winner in any category I would say let value decide - and the Fuze is clearly the better value right now.
@Ghallo
Really I have no idea. Yes, it's true that you can get it for $500 anywhere. But if you call AT&T cs. They'll tell you that retail pricing is for those that don't have Aee Tee & Tee and no-commitment (retail for customers) is the no-contract price for Aee Tee & Tee customers.

Upgrading from a Kaiser soon

And I'm not sure I want to stay in the HTC family if they haven't released graphic driver software that can actually make their phones usable.
The phone I'm looking to upgrade to is the HTC Touch Pro 2. So I'm wondering, does anyone have this phone? If so, does it have the appropriate 2D and 3D drivers it should (10fps for video is f**king insanity)?
Finally, if not, what would be a good upgrade from the Kaiser (and don't say the Touch Pro, because it was also released without it's drivers)?
Regarding Touch Pro 2
Have a look on it´s proper section, you can read experiences and recommendations from several users
http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=479
I am in the same boat - I can renew my contract at at&t and get a cheap new phone.
I really dislike HTC for the stunts they pulled with the Kaiser drivers.
I am actually eyeing the iphone. If they had it with a 1 year contract, I would jump on it in a sec (even if it was $100 more to buy).
The iphone is a fascinating device indeed. I would love to have one, specially one of the recent 3GS with 32GB memory.
It comes full with functionality, there is plenty of software for it and above all, it has a great user interface and design. It is great to use.
But, there is a major inconvinience: it costs a fortune!
I mean 600 Euro or more for an unlocked iphone, or the equivalent level for plans is very expensive.
Add to that the vulnerabily of the device (never ever drop it, scratch it and take care to not grease the glass all the time), it is a headache to own one.
HTC devices, on the other hand, have two appealing characteristics: they can be obtained cheap (because they do have a long lifetime, so they end up cheap on ebay for a good value price) and they can be hacked, modded and expanded at your hearts will.
Conclusion:
1) If you have the money.
2) If you prefer to USE the device instead of HACKING it.
Get yourself the iphone. You will be happy with it.
Otherwise, just get the HTC one you fancy and live with its limitation, enjoying all the stuff you can do with it (new firmware, cooked firmware, lots of applications, customizations, etc.).
Cheers,
vma
vma said:
The iphone is a fascinating device indeed. I would love to have one, specially one of the recent 3GS with 32GB memory.
It comes full with functionality, there is plenty of software for it and above all, it has a great user interface and design. It is great to use.
But, there is a major inconvinience: it costs a fortune!
I mean 600 Euro or more for an unlocked iphone, or the equivalent level for plans is very expensive.
Add to that the vulnerabily of the device (never ever drop it, scratch it and take care to not grease the glass all the time), it is a headache to own one.
HTC devices, on the other hand, have two appealing characteristics: they can be obtained cheap (because they do have a long lifetime, so they end up cheap on ebay for a good value price) and they can be hacked, modded and expanded at your hearts will.
Conclusion:
1) If you have the money.
2) If you prefer to USE the device instead of HACKING it.
Get yourself the iphone. You will be happy with it.
Otherwise, just get the HTC one you fancy and live with its limitation, enjoying all the stuff you can do with it (new firmware, cooked firmware, lots of applications, customizations, etc.).
Cheers,
vma
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am in the same boat as the original poster. I am looking for a new phone since my iphone 2g has the dreaded dead strip which is common for the iphone.
At first when it happened I instantly wanted to replace the iphone with another one however on craiglist the 2g were still going for around $150 to $200. However again these were used and most likely were going to start crapping out just like my current. On mine the volume buttons began get stuck and eventually from trying to plug them out ended up coming off. Then I explored the option of a newer 3g since it is better phone overall of the 2g with better form factor and speakerphone. However they were going for $250 to $300 but then again with no warranty. Also since I am taking it to tmobile it would be without 3g.
So yeah the iphone is expensive choice for me since the same plan I have now on ATT would cost me $65 more a month which is $780 more a year. If I decide to take with tmobile then I am paying $300 for an iphone that does not have a warranty. The one year warranty is ridiculous for a phone that retails for $600.
get the touch pro 2 on tmobile 8/12 and be very happy

[Q] Does mazuma require phone to have orginal rom

Hi,
I am just about to send off a few htc phones that I had lying about the house, it just occurred to me that I have custom roms on 3 of them.
The phones are fully working, turn on and off etc. and it doesn't mention anything about custom roms on their terms and conditions page but I was hoping someone might have the answer to this.
I can't really be bothered having to start searching for stock roms for each of the phones. I'm hoping I don't need to.
Thanks
it shouldn't make a difference but they might return it if its not stock.
Depending on what phones they are and how old they are you might get a better price if you sell them on here or ebay.
mazuma give really low prices.
they offered me £60 for a £110 brand new phone.
if they are old htcs and are in good condition there might be people on here that might be interested in them.
Hope this helps!
Or try Computer Exchange
I had a handful of old HTC phones (Hurricane, Hermes Virgin lobster tv) and Mazuma offered me just £35 for the lot
I had completely forgot about CEX as I hadn't seen them for years but I happened to stumble across one in Birmingham city center and they offered me £80 cash!! for the same phones and £105 for exchange!!
Dont bother with any of the ones on tv and if they are in good/mint condition and you still have the boxes, manuals, cables etc then you will get even more.

Tegra II Gtab users...who is getting a Motorla Atrix?

I love my gtab but i can see how it might get semi-replaced right off the bat with this Motorla Atrix. Similiar specs and the ports that include laptop key board style usability combined with one for Media outputs will be readily available and easy to find....
My Iphone 3gs contract is up and i am seriously considering this device.
I know there is probably a seperate forum for this phone already but i wanted to see what GTAB users thought about it.
Here is a link fort those in the dark.
It has the Tegra processor, a laptop style doc, a multimedia style doc, and a car doc. Android 2.2.
http://www.att.com/shop/wireless/devices/motorola-atrix.jsp#fbid=Pz0w4Bi9BCz
I wont be getting any locked devices. If Motorola locks the bootloader then I'll wait for something else
I will be getting the Atrix and the docks, this is going to be one bad-azz phone. I am tired of my Iphone after using the Gtab, I have seen the light...
Then again, after reading around about Motorola philosophy of lock down "buy elsewhere" attitude...i may get the Samsung Infuse instead.
Honestly....if i wanted the locked down "buy elsewhere" attitude, why the frack wouldnt i just get the iphone 4 or iphone 5...that attitude kinda DEFEATS the WHOLE purpose of andorid..
No thanks. I'll pass for these reasons:
1. It's a phone, and I have one of those already. I also like to cost of the data plan I'm tied to at the moment.
2. Screen size - I got the G-tablet because I wanted the 10" screen for book/web/whatever reading.
3. If it's going to be locked down like Motorola says it will be, no thanks.
4. AT&T. Plain and simple - I've had way too many bad experiences with them to make me EVER go back.
It's an interesting concept, and if an open alternative which follows that model (specialized docks, etc.) is developed in the future, I may consider moving when I am ready to boot my phone. But at this moment, I'm not seeing anything that's giving me that "I have to have it" wow factor.
BigJohn
BigJohn89 said:
No thanks. I'll pass for these reasons:
1. It's a phone, and I have one of those already. I also like to cost of the data plan I'm tied to at the moment.
2. Screen size - I got the G-tablet because I wanted the 10" screen for book/web/whatever reading.
3. If it's going to be locked down like Motorola says it will be, no thanks.
4. AT&T. Plain and simple - I've had way too many bad experiences with them to make me EVER go back.
It's an interesting concept, and if an open alternative which follows that model (specialized docks, etc.) is developed in the future, I may consider moving when I am ready to boot my phone. But at this moment, I'm not seeing anything that's giving me that "I have to have it" wow factor.
BigJohn
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Like large?
Try this!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyZohb7yhDw&feature=related
To each his own. My experiences with Verizon will make me NEVER go back...EVER.
Years ago i bought a phone with a shared line family plan for me and my wife with verizon...each month the second phone was billed outside of the plan, each month Verizon admitted their mistake, said they would correct the issue and apologized, then the next month..SAME THING ALL OVER AGAIN. After 8 months of that i told them to f*k off and have NEVER been back since.
AT&T on the other hand..i go over my minutes, i call them ask for a new plan...they up the plan and then TAKE OFF THE EXTRA CHARGES...EVERY TIME. Want to drop a line a few months early? No problem...done..no early cancellation fee. They shipped me a bad phone once..no problem..new one sent and old one mailed back, no charge. Battery died a little early once..no problem, service girl in store gave me a free one swapped out of a demo unit..NO CHARGE...the list goes on forever like this. Seriously, their customer service is Five star...its good enough that i am willing to accept the dead zones on I20 in a 4 mile area between augusta and atlanta and one in mid columbia thats about 2 miles long...
Just saying..for every "i hate AT&T" story....i have ones about how Verizon has the WORST customer service in the HISTORY of cell phones when it comes to needing something done. (and not come back the VERY next month..until you LOSE IT and go PSYCHO after 2/3rds of a year...)
OH and coverage? We have all seen the commercials right..the maps? I have traveled with my AT&T to cincinatti, NYC, Richmond, Charlotte, Winston Salem, Columbia, Greensboro, Atlanta, Valdosta, Northen LA, Asheville, Pigeon Forge, Gatlinberg, Savanna, Chaleston, Myrtle beach, Hilton Head, DC, Va Beach, North Kentucky, etc...
Zero problems..
My sister and mothers house in Pleasant Graden NC...NO VERIZON coverage...AT&T phone works fine there..no problems.
Maybe i just have bizzaro luck..or maybe the commercials about Verizons coverage are over-hyped??
I dont know...personal experience versus commercials..im going to go with my actual experience
Nuff said.
The G-tab has a 10" screen. These are two completely different products. There's no way I would consider going smaller unless it is as a complimentary device, not a replacement.
1. AT&T Fail
2. Not 10" screen
3. Not a tablet
4. Better products will be out soon enough
I won't be buying it.
At&t 3G coverage as terrible unless in larger city areas. Not as bad as Tmo, but neither are in the same league for 3G as VZW.
Bionic seems interesting, but no buy if the bootloader is locked. I may be keeping my Inc a LOT longer than planned
It works great with gTablet for tethering, so okay with me
BTW, 4.3" seems big (for a phone it is), but try a 4.3" display for about 15 minutes and then try the gTablet. The 4.3" is functionally no better than than a 3.7" in comparison.
I believe a phone that docks into everything is that future, but the atrix isn't quite there yet.
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App
sanvara said:
The G-tab has a 10" screen. These are two completely different products. There's no way I would consider going smaller unless it is as a complimentary device, not a replacement.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well regarding the Atrix it has a VERY small screen...but the orginal post was referring to the ability to use a keyboard 15inch screen laptop as a PORT!
Complimentary device maybe...but with the right phone i might use the gtab...less than i do now.
The iphone is DEFINATELY going...
What new phone style products are coming that might be better options?
rushless said:
BTW, 4.3" seems big (for a phone it is), but try a 4.3" display for about 15 minutes and then try the gTablet. The 4.3" is functionally no better than than a 3.7" in comparison.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The infuse has a 4.5 inch screen..that thing almost seems like a small tablet compared the years i have spent surfing o my 3GS.
Regarding AT&Ts service..you might be on to somehting there. 99% of my travel is to LARGE cities. For the last 4 years namely its been NYC and Atlanta. When i go home though..in the TINY city of lexington SC from my home....3G service works great. At my girl friends home in Augusta GA, 3G service works great. Usually when i am in a small town though, i am at someones house who has wi-fi hooked up (including mine).
To each his own but Verizons customer serivce is so horrible..i wouldnt care if they had 10G service i would not use them. I might feel different if my luck with always having a 3G or wi-fi signal wasnt so good all the time though.
My gtab mainly does duty as a light alternative to my lap top for when im in the bed surfing the net or want to watch a movie on something in bed or on an airplane etc. I use it as a newsreader from a book stand on my desk at work also through out the day and it makes a great orginizer from same position. I have COMPLETELY stopped using it to type on or try to create any content though...couldnt handle the touch screen keyboard, its worse than using both the lap top and the iphone. It also works great to watch movies on long car trips and for quick "let me check on that" type of internet tasks from home when i am too inpatient to wait for the lap top to boot up.
Truthfully all these devices have their role but i initially posted about the Atrix as it seemed possibly capable of crossing into multiple roles.
One more thing to consider regarding carriers and then i will drop it.
This is a HUGE one.
AT&T has grandfathered all of its users who had smart phones prior to June of 2010 in so that they will continue to get UNLIMITED data for $29.00 a month regardless of how many times they renew or change phones.
Verizon may offer that for one time only introductory rate only, but everyone else (and when your contract is up) you will be locked into only getting 2G per month at a rate only $5.00 cheaper a month.
Now in 2013 rolls around ill be able to get 5G or more in data a month using the SAME technology verizon has, for probably HALF the cost (verizon charges I think $20 extra per G over the 2G) while retaining superior customer service.
Math:
5G from Verizon=$25+$20+$20=$65.00
5G from AT&T grandfathered customers=$29.00
This will be the reality by the time i get around to my next cell phone contract (after the one im about to start) as AT&T will have its LTE network up by then in the larger cities..
So there is that...
Allenfx said:
Like large?
Try this!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyZohb7yhDw&feature=related
To each his own. My experiences with Verizon will make me NEVER go back...EVER.
(Excess text of AT&T vs Verizon rant removed by BJ89)
My sister and mothers house in Pleasant Graden NC...NO VERIZON coverage...AT&T phone works fine there..no problems.
Maybe i just have bizzaro luck..or maybe the commercials about Verizons coverage are over-hyped??
I dont know...personal experience versus commercials..im going to go with my actual experience
Nuff said.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, I find it quite funny about how you totally ignored the meaning of my post and turned the whole thing into an evangelism for AT&T - all while assuming I use Verizon.
The purpose of my post was to state that I bought the G-tab because I wanted a large-screened tablet for reading/web surfing/similar tasks. I already have a phone with a data plan, and I do not want another. I also didn't go with an iPad or a Galaxy tab for the same reason - to get one at a price point similar to the G-tab, I would have to go with one that is subsidized by a carrier. Which means another data plan to pay for.
BTW, comparing the Atrix and the G-Tab is a waste of time as most people will treat them as two separate products with different purposes.
The Samsung phone you linked to was nice, but you glossed over the fact that I said that I didn't want another phone at this time - or in the near future.
Regarding the whole AT&T vs Verizon thing - I have had bad experiences with AT&T for quite a long time; even going as far back to before AT&T took over Cingular. It wasn't a one-time incident, and eventually I gave up dealing with them. It's my choice not to deal with them as much as it's your choice to use them.
I know there are plenty of people that have had bad customer service issues with my carrier of choice as well - which, by the way, is Sprint and not Verizon.
BigJohn
Various blogs have reported that Motorola is leaving the bootloader unlocked.
I read the reviews and it seams the laptop dock is pretty much just a gimmick and not all that useful. Sweet phone though. If I was going to spend a ton of cash on a phone and or a new plan anyways I might consider it. Happy with my gTab and HD2 for now though.
I'm def. not.
599/499 for a phone and a dock with a screen? I think not. It's essentially still just a phone. Some people change their phones every year or 2. So you're either locking yourself into an expensive short term investment or willing to hold on to older tech for longer, in which case maybe it would be worth it. You're also locked into a data contract for 2 years - inflating the cost of the package drastically.
Option 2 is a tablet for 379/399, a $40 wireless mouse/kb bundle from logitech or ms and a $50 hdmi dock, then hook it up to your LCD TV or monitor and voila, similar effect albeit not as mobile as the atrix lapdock, but if you're willing to carry that around in a bag, why not just buy a more powerful netbook or laptop for $300 upfront and let that be that? It just doesn't make much sense at the current price point.
It's a gimmick, imho.
If the entire dock were maybe $100-150 then it might pass as worthwhile. That would essentially give you a phone and 'netbook' transformer for $350 which is around the cost of a netbook/laptop/tablet. At 299/399 with/without a rebate for the dock alone and that's not including the cost of being locked into a contract for 2 years....whereas the VS is 399 off the bat, no catch, it's not really for me. To each his own though. I'm sure there are reasons to get it.

[Q] advice on selling a new upgrade for profit?

I've found bits and pieces of info, but nothing really direct, so here's my situation.
I'm up for an upgrade with tmobile. There's some good black friday deals coming up, the s3 for $50, for instance (with new contract, not sure if thats an upgrade price as well). I don't really want the s3, so I'm considering buying any hot phone and flipping it so I can get what I want, maybe even buy a used mid-range smartphone and pocket some cash. I know many people have done this, but I'm worried about potential problems that can occur.
What are the chances of being caught by tmobile and being suspended? If I receive my upgrade by mail (which is most likely), do I need to worry about activating/deactivating it before I switch phones and sell it? I don't really care about opening the package, probably will in any case to remove the sim. Is there any way I can get the retail store to unlock it? Tell them I'm going to use it overseas or something? Any other issues anybody knows of?
The biggest risk is probably buying a used phone off ebay or craigslist, which, even if everything is clean and straightforward, I know can end up badly. Ideally, I would just buy one from a retailer, giving me peace of mind and a warranty. But, if the difference is spending $200 vs. pocketing $200 plus an upgraded phone (I'm still using the G1 by the way), then I would seriously consider doing any work necessary.
Anyone have some experience?

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