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Like many of you, I have been a loyal HTC customer since 2004 when I bought my first HTC product. I have been buying at least one new HTC product each year since then. However, beginning two or so year ago, HTC stopped selling unlocked phones with 3G Radios which worked in Europe and the U.S.
For example, a few years ago when the HTC TyTN came out, we U.S. customers could pay a bit of a premium and buy an unlocked HTC TyTN which had 3G radios which worked in the U.S. and Europe before the the HTC TyTN variant (Cingular 8525) officially came to the U.S. many months later. The same was true of the HTC TyTN II (AT&T Tilt or 8925).
Beginning with the HTC Rafael (AT&T Fuze) a couple years ago, the unlocked phones offered directly from HTC had no 3G radios for the U.S. Next, the HTC HD Blackstone and then the HTC Touch Pro 2 were offered unlocked, but without radios that could work on U.S. 3G networks.
This makes me very angry for several reasons. First, AT&T is undoubtedly the best GSM carrier stateside in terms of 3G coverage. (Hopefully T-Mobile will catch up someday). All U.S. customers (if they want 3G) have to wait for months to get the hot stuff. By the time the new device arrives, it's old news and out of date (the HTC Tilt 2 for example). AT&T will undoubtedly receive all the good stuff last because of its exclusivity with the I-Phone which makes all the other manufacturers want to release their new stuff elsewhere first. (I don't blame them for this.).
Secondly, AT&T's branding is absolutely atrocious. I'd like to get my hands on the idiot at AT&T who keeps screwing up perfectly good QWERTY keyboards with AT&T idiotic silver keys and insane layouts. The silver wears off and makes the keys hard to see in bright light. The layout is insane because they change the masterful HTC layouts and have even changed patters from their previous keyboards. The caps and function keys have been switched. Whoever is in charge of keyboard layout should be fired and not allowed to work in the industry again.
Business people who live in Europe and travel to the U.S. should be equally upset. Their expensive unlocked HTC products won't pick up a U.S. 3G signal.
Am I the only one who doesn't like this trend? I think not. We all need to band together and push HTC to putting a bunch of 3G radios in its products. Personally, I'd like to see some unlocked products which had the following 3G bands - 850/900/1700/1900/2100. Or what about 850/1700/1900/2100 so that it could be used on either AT&T or T-Mobile in the States and also in Europe? No, they cannot do that, the carriers would have to actually compete on quality of service and price rather than on what phone they have.
I suspect that the hardware is not a limitation. If it is the limitation, the manufacturers could make plug in modules that could go from one frequency set to another. I bet that the reason the radios are limited is due to the totally anti-competitive practices of the U.S. carriers.
This is total B.S. Every single HTC customer who travels between the U.S. and Europe should complain to HTC about this. Can we get some kind of joint letter, etc, going?
I'd be interested to hear all responses. I'm frankly fed up.
I'm personally pretty frustrated with this issue. AT&T really f*cks up their keyboards, and adds so much crap to their devices. I'd have thrown my Tilt and Tilt2 out the window if I hadn't learned about cooked ROMs. The keyboard is the absolute worst, though. Whoever at AT&T decides to ruin the otherwise great keyboards on the unlocked devices needs to be shot. And as you said, they decided to change the CAPS and FN key positions, after I already learned to type the opposite way for two years.
However, the antenna hardware is a limitation, in a sense. Meaning, you can't enable the US 3G bands on an unlocked device if they internal hardware antenna doesn't support it. In a podcast with Mobility Digest, one the legendary producers of HardSPL (Olipro) said that he's hacked radios and SPLs to allow all the frequencies to be utilized, and there was no signal, because the antenna hardware was not able to pick up the frequencies.
I think the real problem is the carriers. AT&T doesn't want people to buy an unlocked AT&T compatible phone that I can use without an expensive data plan that I'm locked into for 2 years. They also don't want me to buy a phone that also supports T-Mobile, so I can decide I don't like AT&T and take my phone with me, 3G coverage and all. So what AT&T does is pressure HTC not to release an unlocked version with their 3G frequencies supported. You're absolutely right when you say that quality of service should be the deciding factor in a network, not the phones they sell.
I went through and other frustrations with HTC and at one point I swore I'd never buy another HTC phone again. Then I went and bought an iPhone. Problem is, while the iPhone is a pretty sweet phone, AT&T is still the same scumbag company regardless of what phone you own and Apple is even WORSE than HTC. Unless you jailbreak the iPhone, you can't do anything interesting with it and you're totally at the mercy of Apple and AT&T as far as apps and what you can do with them. Take Slingplayer, for example. It works over wifi, period. I can get it to work over 3G if I jailbreak the phone and install a utility that makes it think it's using wifi, but how much longer is jailbreaking going to be available? Apple is going to great lengths to put an end to jailbreaking thought patching the exploits that allow it to work and legally by trying to make it illegal to jailbreak it. You can't use your own sounds for message notification, you can't customize the screen, you can't do a lot of things. So Apple and AT&T take a nice phone and totally f**k it up. And that's why I'm back to using an HTC phone. In the grand scheme of things, HTC and Microsoft are, by a wide margin, the lesser of the two evils when put against Apple and AT&T.
I understand that HTC has limited the hardware so that even with the right software, the phones won't pick up frequencies for which they don't have hardware or antennas. It cannot be a big deal.
Always the optimist, I believe that if everyone who used this forum wrote HTC a letter demanding that they start putting the hardware in their phones to operate on multiple 3G networks, something positive might happen.
HTC has it in their power to make and sell unlocked phones. Five years ago, you never saw HTC's name on the phones. It was always, Cingular, T-Mobile, Siemens, Audiovox, etc. Now you see HTC doing direct advertising in the U.S. However, I don't think it will have any effect. The ignorant masses are so I-Phone crazy. The name HTC doesn't mean thing to them.
Soon that I-Phone will be sold on all the U.S. networks. HTC could advertise directly and sell tons of phones if the phones were unlocked and worked on multiple 3G networks. This is one of the principles of "Net Neutrality". People hate to be tied to any certain network. This idea of locking the customer into a two year contact to get a stinking phone is outrageous. Sure, the initial outlay for the phone is small, but the carrier more than makes it back with high than needed data connection fees. In the end, the consumer gets the shaft.
If HTC offered an unlocked phones with U.S. & Europe 3G, I'd buy a new one every few months if the phones were any good. I want an HTC HD2 right now. I'd also like to try an HTC Hero in a GSM 3G too. But I'll have to wait several months and hope my carrier gets it.
Let's not sit back and let this sorry situation continue. Let's spread the word and go after the HTC and get the message out there.
I'm not Dissatisfied with htc in regards to travel. But I am Dissatisfied with htc in regards to OS Updates. I dont think that HTC should allow the updates to be Choosen by the carrieer.
Example: HTC Touch Pro some carrieers are updateing to 6.5 and others are not.. and what pisses me off is HTC Touch Pro was designed for 7 then MS decided to push the release date back. so ALL Touch Pros should get the 6.5 update and when 7 comes out they should also get the 7 update aswell..
I'm so tired of this.. yes XDA is a good place to go for the updates but I should not have to rely on xda to give me the update.
I sware my next phone is going to be the apple iPhone.
radio stacks as far as I see it is not something htc are making a range of
they make one for each device and then make newer versions to tweek or fix issues with the first ones
the newest should in general be applied
about 3g frequencies diff between usa and the rest of the world is hardware differences not radio stack differences
Rudegar said:
radio stacks as far as I see it is not something htc are making a range of
they make one for each device and then make newer versions to tweek or fix issues with the first ones
the newest should in general be applied
about 3g frequencies diff between usa and the rest of the world is hardware differences not radio stack differences
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The radio software is not the problem. It's the hardware. The hardware is deliberately made so that it only works on certain networks. I'm sure that cost and design are not the problem.
HTC needs to get back to devices that are true 3G 'world' phones! They have already lost a lot of the business folks!! Bring on the petition!!!
Agreed
I totally share your frustration. Similarly, due to heavy use I tend to buy a new phone yearly, Starting with Cingular 8150. I have many times purchased the same phone more than once, since no new devices were available when I needed a new phone. I am completely frustrated with being part of the largest consumer market in the world, yet only getting the latest technology more than a year after the rest of this planet. HTC has already lost an opportunity, by failing to fully and effectively advertise its products to Joe public, who was dazzled with the Iphone when it was first released. The fact remains that when we watched these Iphone adds, none of us was ever impressed with these features since they have been available to us for a long time with our HTC phones.
Rambo, I would like to encourage you to make a petition, as few of us are able to articulate this issue as well as you can and I would invite everyone to sign it, as a consumer block numbering in the thousands we can have our voices heard.
galaxys said:
HTC needs to get back to devices that are true 3G 'world' phones! They have already lost a lot of the business folks!! Bring on the petition!!!
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petition? just dont buy their garbage!
i havnt bought another htc since the htc tytn, that is like 4 years ago?
my previous phones, Imate 6150, Imate 9500, Eten X800, Sony X1, Acer F900, and now Acer neotouch S200, just preorder Acer Liquid, and soon Sony X10. what does all these phones have in common? they all works on ATT USA 3G! HTC can take their junks and stick it u know where! haha
netnerd said:
petition? just dont buy their garbage!
i havnt bought another htc since the htc tytn, that is like 4 years ago?
my previous phones, Imate 6150, Imate 9500, Eten X800, Sony X1, Acer F900, and now Acer neotouch S200, just preorder Acer Liquid, and soon Sony X10. what does all these phones have in common? they all works on ATT USA 3G! HTC can take their junks and stick it u know where! haha
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The only reason to petition HTC is because their hardware is not junk. It's very high quality stuff. They just need to make a few important changes.
dont be a pushy! haha
be a man!
it' like eatting at resturant, you are not allow to eat until everyone is finished eatting! that is just a insult to USA users! i wouldnt be begging them to let you eat at the same time as every1 else. i go elsewhere! haha
Thanks for using the Roman 'U' / sarcasm
3G Radios
yep, fully agree. I buy a new phone per year, due to heavy usage, they are generally ready for the scrap heap. I live in USA, but have operations in EU, and Japan / South Korea and I only want one phone and one number, and push around large amounts of data. I have to have 2100 mghz for voice and data in Japan and Korea, 850/1900 in USA and while in EU, need the 1800/900 and now 2100 for 3G access there. As I said, I only want one device and one number to keep updated and ready.
Big pain that HTC and Nokia have decided not to blend the 3G radios in the same way we have quad band GSM services. The extra frequencies on the radios are minor costs, which I would gladly pay.
ATT also keeps HTC from adding the 3.5 mm audio out jack, due to their exclusive deal with Apple on the Iphone, which is ridiculous. These cheap little dongles are a pain to use and keep up with, since I use my tilt 2 as an MP3 player while flying, I have to keep up with another piece. I strongly prefer one device to have to carry chargers for while traveling, so my phone is my MP3 player, email device, voice device, and mobile gps device. I want ONE DEVICE that works everywhere and not be dependant on AT&T to decide what and when I will get what.
HTC has to be tied to these carriers by some contract or agreement and is likely lacking marketing infastructure to take their phones to market globally and feel some ties to these major carriers. Otherwise it makes no sense to cripple these new devices as they are doing.
My 3 cents worth.
MWS
ms0529 said:
Big pain that HTC and Nokia have decided not to blend the 3G radios in the same way we have quad band GSM services. The extra frequencies on the radios are minor costs, which I would gladly pay.
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sony ericsson, and acer have no problems including USA 3g and EU 2100umts on their phone! retarded htc just dont want to! it like watching the new movie New Moon, you not allow to watch it until 6 months later! do u still get excited about New Moon 6 months later while every1 else already watched it? and Samsung is starting to wake up too! their lastest phone Omina II got USA 3g and 2100umts! (900/1900/2100umts)
netnerd said:
sony ericsson, and acer have no problems including USA 3g and EU 2100umts on their phone! retarded htc just dont want to! it like watching the new movie New Moon, you not allow to watch it until 6 months later! do u still get excited about New Moon 6 months later while every1 else already watched it? and Samsung is starting to wake up too! their lastest phone Omina II got USA 3g and 2100umts! (900/1900/2100umts)
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i second that..asus p835 also have us3g band
HTC exists to sell phones and make money.
If they wanted to sell phones that aren't carrier locked, it would have to be at full retail price ($500-600) and as a result MUCH less people would buy it. Plus HTC would have to open their own stores and such, or sell it only online.
The other option is to sell it through a carrier, but when you do that you're at the carriers mercy. And american carriers are scumbags when it comes to that.
For example, when the rest of the world uses the higher frequency that allows more users on the same tower and better speeds. America is still stuck with using ancient towers on ****ty frequencies...because carriers like AT&T are too cheap to upgrade it.
At the end of the day what do you think matters more to HTC (as a business), you deciding not to buy another phone from them (which would cost them very little, if anything, as it would be the carrier that sustains the loss) or them losing a multi-million dollar contract.
Razorfold said:
HTC exists to sell phones and make money.
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so is any other cell phones makers. sony, acer, asus, and now samsung (with their latest omini II got USA 3G and 2100umts. you bought ATT iphone, you also get 2100umts, i believe LG Expo with 1G cpu also has usa 3g and 2100umts!
but if you bought a HTC garbage phone, it either 900/2100 or USA 3G only, no 2100umts !
update: maybe "garbage" is not the correct word, it' OLD JUNKS! but the time it get to usa, phone is already 6months old! would you want to see New moon in 6 months while every1 is watching it now? would you rather eat after every1 is finished eatting? you just eatting the left-over!
netnerd said:
so is any other cell phones makers. sony, acer, asus, and now samsung (with their latest omini II got USA 3G and 2100umts. you bought ATT iphone, you also get 2100umts, i believe LG Expo with 1G cpu also has usa 3g and 2100umts!
but if you bought a HTC garbage phone, it either 900/2100 or USA 3G only, no 2100umts !
update: maybe "garbage" is not the correct word, it' OLD JUNKS! but the time it get to usa, phone is already 6months old! would you want to see New moon in 6 months while every1 is watching it now? would you rather eat after every1 is finished eatting? you just eatting the left-over!
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What don't you understand about it not having anything to do with HTC?
HTC signs contracts with t-mobile, AT&T, verizon, sprint etc, which allows them to rebrand the phone and sell it ON THEIR SCHEDULE with the features/radios THEY WANT. As almost everyone in America is locked onto 2 year contracts, most will be unwilling to buy to a new phone at full retail price until their contract is over. Hence carriers will wait to stock up on new phones till a time when the majority of their subscribers will be nearing their time to upgrade.
This CAN affect their other phones as well, just depends on whats written on those contracts.
AT&T doesn't want you buying a phone and switching over to t-mobile. So they lock out the t-mobile 3G frequencies.
T-mobile doesn't want you buying a phone and switching over to AT&T. So they lock out the AT&T frequencies.
Verizon/Sprint, don't want you buying a global phone and switching to T-mobile/AT&T, so they lock out both those bands.
If carriers aren't giving a certain phone the 2100 frequency, it's probably because they sell a similar more expensive phone that is "global ready" and want you to buy that instead if you travel. (Like for example, the ATT touch diamond doesn't have the 2100 band. The ATT Touch Pro 2 DOES)
Sony Ericcson, and Acer don't sell their phones in America through a carrier so naturally they don't have to lock out the radios and can do whatever the hell they want.
What is so hard to get about this?
Yes HTC can make a new contract, but I highly doubt carriers will sign it.
And btw I wouldn't want to see new moon, because it's gotta be the worst movie ever and nor am I a 13 year old girl with no common sense.
Razorfold said:
AT&T doesn't want you buying a phone and switching over to t-mobile. So they lock out the t-mobile 3G frequencies.
T-mobile doesn't want you buying a phone and switching over to AT&T. So they lock out the AT&T frequencies.
Verizon/Sprint, don't want you buying a global phone and switching to T-mobile/AT&T, so they lock out both those bands.
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i dont want a ATT or Tmobile branded htc old junk! i'm talking about HTC unlocked phone that they purposely left out USA 3G on it!
New Guy here. First post.
OK, so here's my issue. I've been a Nextel customer(moved over to Sprint awhile back) for about 10 years. My contract is about up and I'm going to get a Smartphone finally after all these years of using my Axim and cell phone separate.
I've kinda nearly decided on the Touch Pro 2 and they are both available from Sprint and Verizon. Sprint only offers the TP2 with the older OS and can't give me any idea of when they will update it if ever. Also, they want $350 for it. Verizon has it with the newest OS for $200.
Is there any reason I should stay with Sprint or should I be looking at Verizon? Other than if you have a bias for or against a particular carrier, is there a benefit of one over the other?
Thanks
JTMcD.
The new verizon OS has been a real pain for me so far.
I may be looking to switch to a cooked rom if I can't get e few things working.
I do NOT use the TF3D (or Sensui) interface, I use the normal today screen. If you use the TF3D interface, the new rom looks like it may be better for you.
If that doesn't matter, then it has more to do with the cost and coverage. Where I need my phone to work, VZW has better coverage.
I would consider these things (in no particular order):
1. Which carrier has the best coverage in my area?
2. What plans are available, and which plan suits my needs best?
3. Which carrier has the best customer service?
4. How much will equipment and accessories cost?
5. Which carrier has the most up to date software (for PDA's)?
I had AT&T for 5 years, and just recently switched to Verizon. I was considering Sprint, but when I considered the things listed above, Verizon was a better choice for me. I'm not telling you to switch to Verizon by any means. I'm just giving you some things to think about. Switching carriers can be a hassle up front, so don't expect the transition to be smooth if you do switch.
I've been reading a lot about the Touch Pro2, and it sounds to me like the Sprint and Verizon versions are pretty similar. Personally, I'm sticking with Sprint, but one advantage to the Verizon version is that, although it comes locked, apparently if you can get Vz to unlock the GSM portion of the phone, it will work with US carrier SIM cards. Not so with the Sprint version, which is unlocked by default for overseas carriers but will not work on GSM bands in the US at all (unless you hack the thing).
In terms of phone cost, I think it would be helpful to just compare your overall two year cost of ownership (e.g., including monthly plan payments) rather than just the out-the-door phone price. Also, I think it's basically a certainty that Sprint will be upgrading their Touch Pro2 to WM6.5, by the way.
That's where I'm at right now. I can say that I've had great coverage and utility from Nextel/Sprint over the past years. Talking to others though I am the minority and not the majority. My wife says it was the first carrier she had that allowed her to get a signal in class at the local college.
At the same time, People here who have Verizon swear by them.
I am leaning more toward Verizon at this point since. I figure, we have 30 days in order to switch back if we find we don't get as good of coverage.
I just wonder if Sprint is actually faster than Verizon as far as 3G/4G goes. I find it odd though that Sprint seems to be on again, off again when advertising a 4G network.
eh.... i wouldn't base your decision on what the stock rom is.... there are several good cooked roms, i have sprint and i managed to use the stock rom for about a week before i started flashing roms over... and i haven't looked back since
and sprint has some good things going for their service plans... any mobile any time. and i dont have any roaming charges, so i really dont care if sprint has good service as i get service anywhere anyone else does now....
I'm not comfortable enough to use a cooked ROM on a device I rely on. After I make the switch over to a smartphone I'll start playing with those on my Axim x51v and then maybe eventually start hacking my phone. Right now, I don't want to run the risk of bricking my new phone. I need the PDA for work as I am a trauma Nurse and use alot of different programs and if I loose my PDA, it could very well cost a life. Not just an inconvenience, it kinda is a necessity on my part.
If it wasn't for that, I'd hack it in a heartbeat.
then i would go with the one with the most stable os. personally i am sprint and have been for years but with the great rates and coverage i haven't really had a need to look elsewhere. from the above post it sounds like there are some issues to sort out with the vzw 6.5 rom and i can tell you first hand that the sprint 6.1 is very solid, fast, and stable. thus far it's been the best stock rom that i have come across. personally i just don't like 6.1 anymore or i would probably be running stock. it is a little higher in price (ok a lot higher), but it bsaically pays for itself with the cheaper plans compared to vzw.
I have had both Sprint and Verizon. I went with Verizon because everybody I know has VZW and I could basically call/text anybody I know without using any minutes or texts so it allowed me to put a super low minutes/text plan on my phone. As far as service Sprint and VZW have been pretty much equal in my book. They both kick the crap out of ATT that's for sure.
One thing NOT to worry about is the up-front cost of the phone. Considering the difference in cost for the plan over a 2 year contract, the phone's price is minor.
I just switched from Sprint to Verizon. I had two branded TP2's with Sprint and I have two branded TP2's with Verizon. I was with Sprint for 8 years prior to the switch and have had the Mogul, TP, and TP2. I've been flashing ROM's on all my Sprint phones since the Mogul.
For me personally, Verizon has the best coverage for the area where I work and live. The Verizon TP2 just "feels" better and more solid in my hand than Sprints.
As far as coverage, I was on 1x or Roaming with Sprint inside my workplace. With Verizon I have 3G. The Sprint battery would last about 12 hours at best, since my phone was constantly looking for a tower. With Verizon I get 20.5 hours of average use. Plus Verizon has Rhodium500 which is newer.
I've found the Verizon phone is faster out of the box. I just finished upgrading the phone to the newest official 6.5 build and I'm mildly impressed. But I will be on a custom rom by the end of the week.
The newest build has some touchflo GUI enhancements which is pretty slick, plus visual voicemail.
htcfan78 is right, check on coverage. I live in Florida. Verizon built backup generators at all their towers. So if another hurricane comes thru and knocks out power, I'll still have cell coverage. Can't say the same for Sprint.
Having been with Sprint for 8 years, I'm really impressed with Verizon, both the phone and customer service. But in the end its all relative to your own individual experience.
sprint would be cheaper monthly just upfront is where verizon wins.
Verizon or Sprint
Here are a few things to consider
A while back Sprint and Verizon got into bed together
Verizon wanted a fast dependable data network without paying to develop it so they actually pay sprint to use there data network, part of the agreement was that Sprint would get to use all of verizon's voice service for sprint roaming at no cost to there customers. So as far as usage they are the same network.
Verizon charges there customers for every little thing they do., and until the other day did not have a affordable everything plan. also sprint and HTC have an accord that (even though most carriers have released the final version of the phone) all the other cariers would be beta testers for the touch pro 2 .
other than that the phones are virtually identical.
oh btw sprint customer care sucks.
thanks for all the input. Keep it coming.
I'm beginning to lean a little toward the Sprint again now. I discovered that a friend of mine via a totally different website is a Sprint Tech who works on the infrastructure and tech side of things. He's provided me a little more insight on the overall costs and benefits compared to Verizon and even AT&T.
I went through the Hurricanes a few years back and remember our EMS services here in Polk swithing over to Verizon, from Sprint, after and most have more issues now than before. One of the Captians says he can be sitting in his office with a tower within visual sight and still not have a signal. I know, doesn't mean it's a Verizon tower but still....
Everyone I know on the civilian side that has Verizon has nothing but good to say about it. I think my wife and I are about the only people who have Nextel/Sprint that doesn't have a problem with cell service. From what I've read and what I've been told by some in the know, there will be a update on the Sprint Phone, just not until it is stable and as bug free as possible. This weekend, the wife and I will be out shopping and going to some of the service centers to see what kind of deals we can get. I onlt just learned about the Premiere customer service from Sprint adn apparently I more than qualify for it. Also, I think I may even get a small discount for working at the Hospital. I know Verizon has a 18 or 19% discount. Why not 20%, I don't know. ALso, I'll call and speak to Customer care at Sprint to see what they are willing to offer to keep me a a customer. Then it ultimately comes down to what Sprints plan and price is compared to Verizons plan and price and how much it costs with any addons. I read a coupld of sites over the last couple days that show where Sprint is $20 cheaper at minimum for the same services. That alone would make up the difference in phone cost. Especially over the lifetime of the phone as I don't upgrade often.
Heck, I'm still using the same Axim x51v that I bought back in 2005 and the same ic902 that I got back in 2006-7 and have been hapy with both ever since. I'm just tired of carrying both around all the time.
Thanks for all the input. Please keep it coming.
I'll chime in for Sprint. It depends on how much you talk and who you talk to, but Sprint's plans are pretty cheap. My wife and I pay ~$120 a month for unlimited messaging and data for both of us, meaning even extra premium services like GPS, TV, radio, etc. We admittedly don't have the most minutes, but Sprint lets you call any cell phone, regardless of carrier, without using minutes. We mostly just call people on their cells and call parents and the like on weekends, so the small number of minutes we get is never even closed to being exhausted. They also don't roll-over, but if we never come close to going over, who cares? I've found Sprint's coverage to be excellent where I live in Utah, and quite comparable to Verizon in the high Rockies in Colorado when we visit my parents.
There will always be good and bad stories of customer service, but I like the reps at our local Sprint store and they actually know quite a bit about the hardware they're selling (I will never forget when I was exchanging a bad Tilt (Kaiser, not the Rhodium) and I asked the AT&T rep if he had any suggestions for ROM's or software. He told me he didn't really know about any of that, but he had watched a movie on his once and thought that was cool, haha).
I have sprint.. I have the everything data plan which comes with ANY CELL ANY TIME so I can call my friends on any cell service.. I also get UNLIMITED DATA and UNLIMITED TEXT/MMS.. also 1500 minutes...
the stock rom is not good at all.. I use mighty rom and its made my phone 10000000 times better
Well, I stayed with Sprint. Took the TP2 and the wife opted for a Blackberry 8350 or something like that. She got it becasue it was Purple.....
To make things even better, Since I'm an RN and with teh Trauma team for my local hospital(probably employee discount they all get), I got an additional 23% discount on my plan so my $129 plan is closer to $100. Verizon was only giving 18% off their price so it was even a greater savings for me. So I'll more than make up the difference in price of the phone over the next year.
Thanks for all the input. As you can probably already see, I'm playing with the new phone and already have questioins.
This is directly from TMoNews but I'm curious to see how the results will compare with theirs. I figure that TMoNews just might be... a little biased. You think?
So I wanted to post a poll on here where there are a variety of people that would share their opinions. Some of you are with AT&T... some might be with T-Mobile... others... well... why do you even care anyway?
Right... so on with it.
So unless you’ve been sleeping for the past month you likely know AT&T is purchasing T-Mobile. Understandably so, there is a population of readers up in arms and want T-Mobile to stay T-Mobile and those who see the benefits of an AT&T deal. Here is your chance to sound off, T-Mobile reads this blog every day so they’ll see your vote. Will it affect anything, probably not. However, it is a chance to make your voice known as to how you feel regarding this shocking news. Vote away! (quoted from TMoNews)
WARNING!
By the way, keep this ON TOPIC! If it strays from topic I will close it without hesitation. This will not be used to raise your post count, this will not be used for flaming, this will not be a troll fest. If I see ANY of this, the posts will be removed, the member(s) will receive an infraction and the thread will be closed!
I'm not sure what to make of it, even if it does succeed. I prefer T-Mobile to AT&T for better data speeds and cell service where I am. But AT&T has decent cell service, too. Their data speeds aren't as good as T-Mobile's. Regardless of whatever happens with the acquisition, T-Mobile would be wise to market quad band 3G data phones because just the idea of AT&T buying them will severely hamper any sales of phones. If people know their brand new T-Mobile smartphones will continue to work with AT&T, then they will continue to buy. But if T-Mobile doesn't take steps to ensure the continued operation of their phones with AT&T, even if the acquisition fails, then sales will plummet.
MartyLK said:
...T-Mobile would be wise to market quad band 3G data phones because just the idea of AT&T buying them will severely hamper any sales of phones. If people know their brand new T-Mobile smartphones will continue to work with AT&T, then they will continue to buy. But if T-Mobile doesn't take steps to ensure the continued operation of their phones with AT&T, even if the acquisition fails, then sales will plummet.
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I agree. Some T-Mobile devices already support AT&T 3G. To my understanding the Vibrant does already. Although I haven't tried it for myself. They are also releasing several new phones in the near future that got me all excited such as the HTC Sensation. I love pretty much everything about that phone and I can't wait until it's release this summer! BUT! If I can't use it on AT&T's 3G network... then what would be the point of buying it? Unless AT&T adopts T-Mobiles 3G spectrum which is also a possiblity. But honestly, I am having second thoughts now about upgrading to a new phone because what if this merger DOES go through and worse case scenerio DOES happen? I'm on a T-Mobile Loyalty plan that I love! After this deal goes through (assuming of course, it does) I don't think that AT&T will want to keep me on this 'special' plan.
Just comparing what I have now with AT&T:
Tmobile:
Plan: Unlimited Loyalty $49.99
Includes - Unlimited Whenever Minutes, Unlimited Weekend Minutes, Unlimited Weeknight Minutes, WorldClass International Service
Services:
CallerTunes $1.49
Data and Text: T-Mobile Android Unlimited Web + Unlimited Messages $34.99
TOTAL: $86.47
If I was to try to get something similiar with AT&T
AT&T
Plan: Nation Unlimited $69.99
Services:
DataPro 4GB for HSPA+ Smartphone Tethering $45.00
Messaging Unlimited $20
TOTAL: $134.99
Difference of 1gb less data each month and costing me $48.52 MORE every month.
I don't think so.
More 2/3G towers for TMO users to access and new HSPA+ towers for ATT..
Yeah good deal for signal.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA Premium App
What will happen to T-mobile contracts to those who still have T-mobile when and if AT&T buys it? will we start to pay more? or will we keep the same prices? what's going on :c
caoticpsycho said:
What will happen to T-mobile contracts to those who still have T-mobile when and if AT&T buys it? will we start to pay more? or will we keep the same prices? what's going on :c
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T-Mobile keeps saying that nothing will change.
AT&T says that nothing will change.
But we all know that AT&T is not going to be offering T-Moble rate plans to new customers so they will probably be grandfathered. Which means once you change your T-Mobile rate plan to an AT&T plan... you can't go back. Also when you change your phone by upgrading it is possible that you may have to change your rate plan and services.
So worse case scenario here, you go with the merger, become an AT&T customer and two or three years down the row you want to get the newest and latest phone. By that time AT&T will more than likely NOT be able to allow you to keep your current plan.
But... all of that is just my own personal assumption and again... worse case scenario.
AT&T haven't acquired TMobile. Only T-Mobile USA as I understand it. Either way, my feelings are nothing. I nothing it as I'm English and really don't care nor understand the politics of choosing a phone provider in America!
MarkusPO said:
AT&T haven't acquired TMobile. Only T-Mobile USA as I understand it. Either way, my feelings are nothing. I nothing it as I'm English and really don't care nor understand the politics of choosing a phone provider in America!
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Then why respond to the thread?
My opinion is that it will only benefit AT&T customers (maybe)
T-mobile customers will be screwed. We will be grandfathered in until we want an upgrade and be forced to switch. It will also create a GSM monopoly which will benefit no one (customers, I don't care about shareholders or CEO bonuses) I truly hope they block this merger.
Sent from either my Nexus S, N1 or telepathically using two tin cans and some string.
If i dont see some good deals then im going right to verizon
Binary100100 said:
T-Mobile keeps saying that nothing will change.
AT&T says that nothing will change.
But we all know that AT&T is not going to be offering T-Moble rate plans to new customers so they will probably be grandfathered. Which means once you change your T-Mobile rate plan to an AT&T plan... you can't go back. Also when you change your phone by upgrading it is possible that you may have to change your rate plan and services.
So worse case scenario here, you go with the merger, become an AT&T customer and two or three years down the row you want to get the newest and latest phone. By that time AT&T will more than likely NOT be able to allow you to keep your current plan.
But... all of that is just my own personal assumption and again... worse case scenario.
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As one of the oldest people in this forum, this will not be good for the consumer. I do mergers and acquisitions, and this one will not be a price reduction to us. Bottom line this will not benefit us the consumer. It will help ATT... but for us....... we will come up short and most likely have to look at going to Verizon or Sprint I hope it does not go through.
It is a terrible concept. At&t claims it will save consumers money, but as soon as new phones come out, and T-mobile customers want to upgrade to them, they will have to move to AT&T's expensive plans. I think the reasonably priced underdogs should have teamed up (Sprint and T-mobile) And I mean teamed up not bought out. Then they would be able to afford their cheap plans, they would be given the newest phones, and would make it to number one. Instead At&t will suck everyone dry until Sprint is out of business, and At&t customers realize how much they are getting ripped off. Then it will just be Verizon on top.
IMO
There's a reason Ma Bell was split up in 1984 due to an antitrust suit. Slowly they're sucking up the competition again. I don't think that having a GSM monopoly here in America is a good choice at all. It's bad for consumers because it's taking away our choices. I prefer GSM at this point to CDMA because I like the flexibility of a sim card and the fact that as far as 3G is concerned, the speeds are faster. (I'm not factoring in anything that has to do with LTE sim cards as it's still too new) I don't want to switch to Sprint or Verizon, I get too good of a deal on T-Mobile. I've had AT&T in the past and I lived in an area with a TON of dropped calls. It was horrid, and I hated their customer service. I do NOT want to be a part of AT&T again. I really hope this does not get approved. At least then T-Mobile gets 3 billion dollars from AT&T, some spectrum, and roaming agreements.
Censura_Umbra said:
...It is a terrible concept. At&t claims it will save consumers money, but as soon as new phones come out, and T-mobile customers want to upgrade to them, they will have to move to AT&T's expensive plans...
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Which is EXACTLY what I was referring to in post #7. And I don't look forward to paying $50 or more every month. Yes... it would be ~$50 according to my comparison:
Just comparing what I have now with AT&T:
Tmobile:
Plan: Unlimited Loyalty $49.99
Includes - Unlimited Whenever Minutes, Unlimited Weekend Minutes, Unlimited Weeknight Minutes, WorldClass International Service
Services:
CallerTunes $1.49
Data and Text: T-Mobile Android Unlimited Web + Unlimited Messages $34.99
TOTAL: $86.47
If I was to try to get something similiar with AT&T
AT&T
Plan: Nation Unlimited $69.99
Services:
DataPro 4GB for HSPA+ Smartphone Tethering $45.00
Messaging Unlimited $20
TOTAL: $134.99
Difference of 1gb less data each month and costing me $48.52 MORE every month.
So has anybody heard of any recent updates to this?
well ... i "vomited" online, all over, my rants ( opinions) on this matter, so, all i have to say is :THIS IS CRAP WRAPPED WITH A PRETTY AND SHINY BOW ... BUT AFTER U GET RID OF THE BOW, THE CRAP STILL SMELLS LIKE ...S /-/ iT ...
HERE IS MY REPLY / VIEW ON THIS from another post. We need to show our resent to FCC and DoD to stop this deal. Is there any cases/notices/appeals/votes going on ?? I am no lawer but i seriously believe that we can win the case by just presenting some of the FACTS from these posts.
Every company has flaws. For ATT it happens to be their network. As another member said pick your poison. I will agree with you that verizon is even more expensive than ATT but i wont agree that TMO-ATT merger can be good. I wont compare services as they are location dependent. But just for the competition sake. For e.g. :
1. TMO offers completely different plans than ATT. (and one of the cheapest data plans for $10). Also international users still have a choice of unlimited data plans. Its just what suits you.
2. TMO has more choices of top smartphones. Some of the current and future dual core phones for TMobile are - LG G2X, HTC sensation, Galaxy S2 while Atrix is the only dual core yet announced (Both are supposed to get LG 3Ds). TMO even beats ATT selection in single cores. Almost a year old Iphone 4 and Captivate are next best phones on ATT. While TMO has/had plenty of HTC, Samsung and motorola phones to choose from.
Just answer if GPS on captivate didnt work what choice were ATT customers given - none till this feb, meanwhile all the other companies released tons of android devices to suit everybodys needs. I know ATT supposed to release 15-20 android phones this year but when ? we are done with 1/3 year and all we know is LG thrill 3D and Infuse without any dates. I am sure even then TMO will have more choices to select from.
Its very important for US customers to have GSM competition as all new phone technology in world is first released in GSM. CDMA versions (IPhone, Bionic) are always months late.
3. Again right now TMOs 4G is ON while ATTs not. Atleast some GSM customers have a choice to select a working service.
4. As for what you said "Better coverage, lower prices? ", I seriously doubt less GSM competition will result in lower prices. Plus GSM coverage will still be the same. Its just that ATT will have it all and customers wont have any choice.
To conclude, If TMo-ATT deals is allowed to happen, competition (all the above stated FACTS) will severly degrade with only one GSM player.
I tried to be as neutral as i could & Just presented it from shoppers point of view. I know ATT has many positives over TMo as well. All the more reason the deal shouln't happen. Just to have a choice and maintain competition of devices and services. ATT should improve their network like everybody else by investing in it rather than buying off competition.
P.S: I hate long replies
link12245 said:
The reason HSUPA isn't enable is because android is very finicky with HSUPA. With the captivate, for example, you could change a modem file and get HSUPA, but it would normally knock out Bluetooth, or call quality. They're working to fix this, it's already in testing, so you should have your fix very soon. Also, what's your beef with the T-mo buyout? Better coverage, lower prices? Seems to be a win win for me. Either way, you can't really stop it, so just go to Verizon, get your Thunderbolt which is 1/2 as powerful with 1/4 the battery and twice the bill. Enjoy your 12mb/s (in only about 40 cities) while I'll enjoy my plenty fast 5-8mb/s when the back-haul to the towers is all complete (which in my area is the end of this month). Oh no, it actually takes time for a company to push out a nation wide roll out! Amazing that they can't just nod their head and it be done.
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What's going to happen is just like what happened when alltel got baught out by verizon. Here's the scoop when your grandfathered in with tmobile and the switch happens, you can still keep your plan when you upgrade. You can still have the tmo plan but att is billing you. So it won't hurt people I don't think. Just better signal all around. Besides when the buy out is complete there will still be tmobile stands in some markets, if it goes accordingly as it did with alltel and verizon. Good or bad? I say good! Now America will have a good gsm network. Very much comparable to verizon.
they dont even have their own network together to be trying to buy someone else out!!!!
Someone needs to buy AT&T out! Even though it will never happen!
http://www.seednonym.com/2011/10/sprint-nextel-bets-its-future-on-yet-to.html
Risky business? You bet.
How is that risky? That's the best business move they've made in some time. The last moderately revolutionary device sprint had was the evo 4g and that's been awhile. They even got the overall worst of the wp7 devices. Sprint has become a joke and this really is their best shot at redemption. Honestly, of the big 4 I see the survivors being the ones that offer iPhones. As much as I hate it, T-mobile has become a joke which sucks with their awesome hardware and rate plans but they don't have the iPhone and being the smallest of the big 4, likely won't get it unless apple makes a last ditch effort at market share and that's only if t-mobile accepts it. T-mobile has always been the most 'indie' of the providers so I wouldn't put it past them to reject such a proposal. At this point, what I want to see is t-mobile behind wp7 and the other three backing iOS, everyone sells android, but there's no specific primary carrier for it because it's so loose you could have it running on a toaster. Att would still likely be getting as good, if not better windows phones as well, and lets face it, if you're using sprint or Verizon you dont swap out phones that often and i think that's left to the less nerdy who make more sense on ios. Eventually, ATT realizes they're offering nothing special and likely aren't getting all the great cuts the larger carrier (Verizon) is so they move to wp7 as a primary market which at this point will be wp8 or so and with the integration with home PCs coming in windows 8/windows phone creates an almost new market. IOS is tossed aside because they can only offer such things to a meager percent of the population who want to pay 3 times as much for the same hardware. Android and windows phone become the big competitors, and while android retains customization, WP has flawless integration which will be poorly copied with android apps but never duplicated. From there, it will be a matter of choice.
That's how I see the whole thing going anyway
Haha, thanks for the information! I don't live in the US so I don't that much information you see.
No.
No way Apple would sell out to that, because that would just make them lose profit.
Right now, all the iPhone users are on AT&T and Verizon, and lots of people are waiting for the new phone to upgrade, and do NOT want to switch carriers, so why would they risk losing sales just so Sprint can have the iPhone 5 exclusive for a few months? Not going to happened.
Sprint would be willing to do it, Apple, not so much. They don't need to be exclusive to one carrier, because every single carrier in the world wants the iPhone. AT&T got the exclusive 4 year contract because it was a new phone, iPhone is known by everyone now, Apple won't sell out.
Longcat14 said:
No.
No way Apple would sell out to that, because that would just make them lose profit.
Right now, all the iPhone users are on AT&T and Verizon, and lots of people are waiting for the new phone to upgrade, and do NOT want to switch carriers, so why would they risk losing sales just so Sprint can have the iPhone 5 exclusive for a few months? Not going to happened.
Sprint would be willing to do it, Apple, not so much. They don't need to be exclusive to one carrier, because every single carrier in the world wants the iPhone. AT&T got the exclusive 4 year contract because it was a new phone, iPhone is known by everyone now, Apple won't sell out.
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Perhaps Apple would agree due to the fact that Sprint offered an agreement of purchase regardless of sale statistics? I'm not sure.
Thanks for the tip!
When I was working for Verizon last year there was talk of congress possibly cracking down on phone contracts and forcing service providers to get rid of them.
Now, that would make it impossible to get high end devices at subsidized rates.
The only alternative (i can think of) would be either ads inherint on the phone, like what KDDI is doing with the ads in the dropdown status bar, or company branded phones, like an HTC Pepsi Evo or a Samsung Ford Motors Galaxy.
Of course the phone's casing would sport the company logos, and such, and rooting would probably be much more difficult seeing as these major corporations have a big vested interest in making sure people see their stuff.
So, would an outside company's branding piss you off?
Sent from my Samsung Droid Charge 4G-LTE
I don't see that happening.
Sent from my DROID RAZR using xda premium
If that happened I'd go back to dumb-phones and forget all about smartphones. That's far too intrusive for my liking. (Incidentally, I see 0% chance of this happening.)
I don't think there is a reason for carriers to have ad-supported devices since consumers are still purchasing devices that are $199 and $299 with a 2-year contract. I don't know 100% what the numbers are but considering the rapid growth of a smartphone adoption, the carriers won't employ ad-supported devices so they can capitalize on a profit. Now in 10-years when carriers are looking for ways to further differentiate themselves from competitors, I could see the smaller guys offering ad-supported devices to try to get a leg up on the competition with a larger customer base (i.e. A T-Mobile or Sprint offering free devices to compete with Verizon because they can't compete on tower spectrum or device selection).
Archer said:
If that happened I'd go back to dumb-phones and forget all about smartphones. That's far too intrusive for my liking. (Incidentally, I see 0% chance of this happening.)
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This.
Maybe I could try living with it, but in the end I would just try flashing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xtuxax8Dtk4
Here in Canada, we now get rid of those contract for telecom. Now the contract only apply to the price of the phone. So if you bought a phone that worth 300$ but the operator give it to you for 0$ with a contract of 3 years, if you break the contract after only 1 year, you would have to pay 2/3 of the phone, 200$.
As simple as that.
That is a simple solution. Makes a lot of sense
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
I don't care about a contract but the way phones are getting EOL'ed so quickly and new stuff is flying around, contracts need to be dropped down to 1 year.
if they were required to eliminate contracts i would expect ad's in phones to become the norm in order to help subsidize the price of the phone will still attracting consumers.
I Am Marino said:
I don't care about a contract but the way phones are getting EOL'ed so quickly and new stuff is flying around, contracts need to be dropped down to 1 year.
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You can still get 1yr contracts, but pay a little more for your phone. One of the reasons I switched to T-mo years ago was that their offerings were just as good with only 1 yr contracts vs the rest having 2 yrs. Most of the time now if I get a new to me phone is it used, or at least previous gen to offset the cost. Nice being to upgrade on occasion tho.
papabear said:
You can still get 1yr contracts, but pay a little more for your phone. One of the reasons I switched to T-mo years ago was that their offerings were just as good with only 1 yr contracts vs the rest having 2 yrs. Most of the time now if I get a new to me phone is it used, or at least previous gen to offset the cost. Nice being to upgrade on occasion tho.
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I don't mean 1 year contracts as an option and your phone is pricier, I mean 1 year is standard, and 2 year is the extended option.
The phones retail or discounted is still more than it costs to make them.
papabear said:
You can still get 1yr contracts, but pay a little more for your phone. One of the reasons I switched to T-mo years ago was that their offerings were just as good with only 1 yr contracts vs the rest having 2 yrs. Most of the time now if I get a new to me phone is it used, or at least previous gen to offset the cost. Nice being to upgrade on occasion tho.
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a lot of carriers no longer have one year contracts
http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/mobile/04/11/verizon.contracts.mashable/index.html
http://www.mobilemag.com/2011/09/30/sprint-drops-1-year-contract-option/
If the federal government mandated that a private corporation not be allowed to offer contractual subsidized phones there would be a libertarian uprising. Give them an inch and they take a mile. They have no business mandating a thing.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using XDA App
Yeah i think the Ads would be a horrible idea, just another thing to bog down the phone and waste user data, and the government should stay out of the tech market anyway before they screw it up like everything else they touch and control
Can't see this happening. There's no way the ads could generate enough income to justify a £500 phone for every customer? Thought I could definitely live with it if it saved me a few hundred!
I hate Ads...thats why I use the AdAway app! Don't see the contracts going away...
I don't see it happening either, mostly because ad generated revenue would never be as consistent as X number of monthly plans at $Y. Big corporations like being able to predict their future revenue, especially if that's what they're used to.
Rominucka said:
When I was working for Verizon last year there was talk of congress possibly cracking down on phone contracts and forcing service providers to get rid of them.
Now, that would make it impossible to get high end devices at subsidized rates.
The only alternative (i can think of) would be either ads inherint on the phone, like what KDDI is doing with the ads in the dropdown status bar, or company branded phones, like an HTC Pepsi Evo or a Samsung Ford Motors Galaxy.
Of course the phone's casing would sport the company logos, and such, and rooting would probably be much more difficult seeing as these major corporations have a big vested interest in making sure people see their stuff.
So, would an outside company's branding piss you off?
Sent from my Samsung Droid Charge 4G-LTE
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This would also lead to more encrypted bootloaders. If the only way carriers could make money from the phone itself was to advertise, then they would take measures to insure you couldn't just load a new clean rom on the phone. So as a result of ads in phones, I think we would lose custom roms also. Not exactly the ideal scenario.
i want to try that, let see what will happen