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I got my Orbit 2 last week for valentines day and am loving it! The only problem I have so far is that I cannot connect to HSDPA. I am on O2 UK and in an area where I think there should be coverage (Newcastle/Gateshead area). I have it enabled on the phone yet 90% of the time I get 3G and the rest I get Edge! I got a new sim with the phone so it *should* be compatible....
Does anyone know if this is a problem with the handset? Or is this area not yet covered?
Thanks
Allan
allanmb said:
I got my Orbit 2 last week for valentines day and am loving it! The only problem I have so far is that I cannot connect to HSDPA. I am on O2 UK and in an area where I think there should be coverage (Newcastle/Gateshead area). I have it enabled on the phone yet 90% of the time I get 3G and the rest I get Edge! I got a new sim with the phone so it *should* be compatible....
Does anyone know if this is a problem with the handset? Or is this area not yet covered?
Thanks
Allan
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afaik HSDPA is only available to business customers dude I personally left O2 last year due to the REDICULOUS prices they charge for data. Tmobile webnwalk has HSDPA available to everyone and the bill works out a damn site cheaper.
Check out 3 instead. I swapped from 02 and never looked back
£20 a month for
600 Texts
75 any network minutes
1 gig a month on HSDPA speeds!!!
I have just switched to O2 so leaving them is not an option! Mind you the tarrif aint bad! 600 cross network minutes, 500 texts and unlimited we browsing for £35 pm. Coupled with that, the Orbit2 only cost £49.99 which is pretty good.
mrvanx, I am on a business tarrif so that shouldnt be what is limiting me as far as I know...
Strange - I'm on Online 30 with unlimited txts & internet with my yearly discount) for £20 pm and I get HSDPA no problem...
u need to check coverage - for example - Glasgow is no tcovered at all. Shame
I Don't get HSDPA in Stockton/Middlesbrough, but I was in Luton over the weekend and saw the H symbol a few times.
I'm on the 600 minutes, 1000 texts, and unlimited web bolt-on, and insurance for £42:50. Still deciding whether to keep the handset (Orbit 2) or wait for something with better drivers.
I havn't cancelled my contract with Orange yet, where I get 800 minutes, 400 texts, unlimited data, and Care (insurance) for £52ish.
Decisions decisions.
I managed to find a coverage map for HSDPA (http://www.webmap.o2.co.uk/map.asp) and it looks like there is very little coverage for o2 at the moment. Only major cities South of Leeds have coverage...
I only got a H on my phone when I was in Bristol Temple meads. Anywhere else the post I got was a 3G sign, mostly G tho
Acroding to the HSDPA map, the middle of no where in wales (Search:NP7 0EX) and it's HSDPA, yet somewhere like plymouth is not, how odd
I believe it is just coverage, I'm on O2 and I live and work around Docklands in London and almost permanently have a H displayed.
I've noticed I often get a H too, although more commonly I get an "E"? What's this mean?
~J~ said:
I've noticed I often get a H too, although more commonly I get an "E"? What's this mean?
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It means Edge.
With regards to the 'Middle of nowhere' getting HSDPA you never know that might be where O2 did thier trial for it?? But its more likely they did the trial on the IOM since they hold the contract for telecoms dont they??
Im quite staggered how little HSDPA coverage they have since Tmobile seem to have it nearly everywhere where there is 3G??
H in most of Brighton but on Vodafone
Before I realised the RSS thing had sucked 80mb from my data plan oops .
have to be careful now.
mrvanx said:
With regards to the 'Middle of nowhere' getting HSDPA you never know that might be where O2 did thier trial for it?? But its more likely they did the trial on the IOM since they hold the contract for telecoms dont they??
Im quite staggered how little HSDPA coverage they have since Tmobile seem to have it nearly everywhere where there is 3G??
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Nope, middle of nowhere was not the trial, only seems to have gone HSDPA in the last month or so, as it wasn't HSDPA when I was there on my phone.
I get HSDPA in Bath with O2, works a treat.
Strangely enough HSDPA appeared across the south west just after the outage on boxing day (or was it the 27th? can't remember exactly).
Alas, where I live I don't even get Edge. Which is why the Wifi is so useful. If I want to download anything big, I just do it on Wifi.
Watford
I pick it up when working in Watford so would guess it's a coverage issue..
I think its a coverage problem. I'm in london (north, east, and south east usually) and get an almost permanent H symbol.
The only problem for me is that the speed is effectively the same as 3G, in london anyway.
I've disabled HSDPA to test this and get 121-128Kbps for both 3G and HSDPA.
(try http://text.dslreports.com/mspeed or http://www.dslreports.com/mspeed?jisok=1 to test for yourself)
O2 customer support reckons that the number of users in London is overwhelming and this reduces the speed.
Pretty crappy if you ask me....
My friends assure me that data speeds on O2 increase significantly when you get outside london, but I've not had the chance to leave the big smoke since getting my Orbit2.
This is (probably) a stupid question.
I have the Polaris, and live in Fulham, work in the city - yet I only ever get GPRS or Edge... my phone didn't ship with a new sim card, is it possible that I need a new one for 3G or HSDPA?
A.
What's vodafone uk like for updates? I've no experience with them though I can't see them any worse than tmob. Colchester vodafone have 8 in store with only one purchase today... really tempted but not sure about their service and signal
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App
Barff1984 said:
What's vodafone uk like for updates? I've no experience with them though I can't see them any worse than tmob. Colchester vodafone have 8 in store with only one purchase today... really tempted but not sure about their service and signal
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App
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Been a long time since I used Vodafone so I can't really comment on their service but if you are interested in signal why don't you do what I did and get yourself a PAYG SIM and test it out? I put £10 on the card and that got me free Internet for the month plus I still had my £10.
Because I don't have the patience Lol
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Barff1984 said:
Because I don't have the patience Lol
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App
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Lol. Well after going from bad with T-Mobile to atrocious with O2 I'm taking the time to test things out this time.
In terms of signal, Vodafone give you 7 days from the date of receiving your phone to test the signal and you can return the phone and cancel your contract within that time if you're not happy. I have been told this in store, and also via a salesperson using online chat via their website.
I've just gone from T-Mobile to Vodafone, and already I can tell that's it's a better service. Better signal at home, and a "H" symbol in my status bar more of the time.
sjgore said:
In terms of signal, Vodafone give you 7 days from the date of receiving your phone to test the signal and you can return the phone and cancel your contract within that time if you're not happy. I have been told this in store, and also via a salesperson using online chat via their website.
I've just gone from T-Mobile to Vodafone, and already I can tell that's it's a better service. Better signal at home, and a "H" symbol in my status bar more of the time.
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that's a good sign then. Still don't want to have to rely on voda for updates though. But after checking my local's stock, looks like they're branded.
I guess i'm covering all angles because i imagine this phone is going to be locked for a few months before we can start to root it.
They were the fastest to update the desire to 2.2, and have just entered a partnership with google, htc, samsung, sprint verizon and other manufacturers to provide updates for 18 months after released, announced at google io, as far as I saw the only uk network to do so.
Got my sgs2 on vodafone and I get h+ almost everywhere I go.
Best network as far as I'm concerned.
Swyped from my GT-I9100 using XDA App
Good thread. Guys, how's your reception inside the buildings? I mean ones with metal carcass and concrete, like supermarkets, warehouses etc? I don't care about 3g IN the buildings as i have access to wifi, but ANY signal is a must. Thanks.
P.S. Currently with 3uk, and i can't fault them, always treated me well, and had decent signal, but for a few months now loosing reception at work and in certain buildings.
tinky1 said:
P.S. Currently with 3uk, and i can't fault them, always treated me well, and had decent signal, but for a few months now loosing reception at work and in certain buildings.
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Three started turning off their 2G fallback to the Orange network late last year in areas where they believed that their 3G network was strong enough so that could be the cause of your problem.
In addition Orange and T-Mobile are now working to combine their networks and they are switching off transmitters where they believe they have adequate coverage from one network.
They should be doing this for 2G transmitters at the moment and it could be that the Orange 2G fallback transmitter that Three was using is simply no longer functioning in the area where you work.
I think that Orange and T-Mobile will combine their 3G networks sometime this year and then start switching off 3G transmitters too. Three and T-Mobile have a 3G network sharing agreement but at the moment it doesn't extend to Orange and Three so that could put Three in a worse position once it happens since an Orange 3G mast could replace a T-Mobile one.
There is a possibility that all three networks will combine their assets to produce a single 3G network infrastructure but I haven't seen anything about that yet. Without such an agreement, once the consolidation is over, T-Mobile should emerge with the best network of the three since in addition to it's own network it will have a 2G and 3G sharing agreement with Orange plus a 3G sharing agreement with Three.
DuoM said:
Three started turning off their 2G fallback to the Orange network late last year in areas where they believed that their 3G network was strong enough so that could be the cause of your problem.
In addition Orange and T-Mobile are now working to combine their networks and they are switching off transmitters where they believe they have adequate coverage from one network.
They should be doing this for 2G transmitters at the moment and it could be that the Orange 2G fallback transmitter that Three was using is simply no longer functioning in the area where you work.
I think that Orange and T-Mobile will combine their 3G networks sometime this year and then start switching off 3G transmitters too. Three and T-Mobile have a 3G network sharing agreement but at the moment it doesn't extend to Orange and Three so that could put Three in a worse position once it happens since an Orange 3G mast could replace a T-Mobile one.
There is a possibility that all three networks will combine their assets to produce a single 3G network infrastructure but I haven't seen anything about that yet. Without such an agreement, once the consolidation is over, T-Mobile should emerge with the best network of the three since in addition to it's own network it will have a 2G and 3G sharing agreement with Orange plus a 3G sharing agreement with Three.
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If you are affected by this either at home or at work you should call them up and see what they can do for you.
I have. So far got nowhere, they are asking for 99 pounds to terminate contract. Don't think its fair, as I loose reception when I need it most ie when not with the family. Waiting for reply from exec office. I know about Orange agreement they have. They indeed turned off roaming in my area late last year, but reception was still ok'ish, at least I didn't loose it completely. Then early this year I started experiencing problems.
Going to networks again. I does look like T-Mobile is going to have best coverage, but that's on paper, as you know in reality reception can be affected by many factors. My next provider is going to be either O2, voda or T-Mobile as all of them have 2g which has better penetration of the buildings. Hmmm, tough one....
DuoM said:
If you are affected by this either at home or at work you should call them up and see what they can do for you.
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Click to collapse
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App
tinky1 said:
I have. So far got nowhere, they are asking for 99 pounds to terminate contract. Don't think its fair, as I loose reception when I need it most ie when not with the family. Waiting for reply from exec office. I know about Orange agreement they have. They indeed turned off roaming in my area late last year, but reception was still ok'ish, at least I didn't loose it completely. Then early this year I started experiencing problems.
Going to networks again. I does look like T-Mobile is going to have best coverage, but that's on paper, as you know in reality reception can be affected by many factors. My next provider is going to be either O2, voda or T-Mobile as all of them have 2g which has better penetration of the buildings. Hmmm, tough one....
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App
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That doesn't sound fair at all. I would have expected them to allow you to terminate your contract or offer you compensation if you decided to stay with them (or a signal booster). I hope you can sort something out with them.
I forgot that we are in Q2 already and from what I can see the 3G merger is well underway and this includes shutting down 3G transmitters where others cover the same area. It could be that you were using a T-Mobile transmitter at work before and now you are using a Three or T-Mobile transmitter that doesn't penetrate as well due to distance or whatever.
As for networks in general I only meant that it looks like T-Mobile will have the best network out of Three, Orange and T-Mobile. I don't know about Vodafone and O2 although I can say that my experience with O2 has been pretty dismal overall (apart from the deal I got).
O2 problems I (and others) have experienced include the phones not ringing for 1/2 -> 2/3 of the of the period that the caller hears them ringing for, calls being sent to voicemail or callers being told that they cannot be connected and then not being given the option of going to voicemail even though the phone is sitting there with full connectivity (e.g. I can then make calls and I have full data connectivity and can download at 2.5 Mbps). I think they have general network capacity problems. For me, with O2, data is poor voice is worse.
I started testing a Three SIM last night and it seems about as good as T-Mobile in my house for data downloads (poor) but with strangely fast for uploads; plus it stays on HSDPA all the time while the T-Mobile SIM flips between 3G and HSDPA meaning that the data flow keeps pausing on T-Mobile but not on Three. Signal strength appears to be the same though but it just works better on Three. So now I just have Orange to go. The problem with choosing any of those three is that things could change tomorrow as Orange and T-Mobile adjust their networks and if I choose the strongest of the three I could suddenly end up in a worse position.
EDIT: I forgot to add that so far Vodafone have been head and shoulders above the other networks in my testing.
For the original poster. Voda siginal used to be good in colchester, but i moved to tmobile and they are better still, especially now they use orange too.
Sent from my Milestone using XDA App
im absolutely amazed at how many wind users have purchased the sensation, considering all the other phones that work on AWS, and the fact that it came out not too long ago in the states
the funny (more like sad) thing is that this phone isnt available in canada until next year, and its on Bell, of all networks i feel sorry for the people who jump on that bandwagon...if you thought TMO bloatware and OTA's were bad, be ready to bang your head against the wall still no news if its gonna be CDMA or GSM on bell, might be both, they're assinine like that...
so, wind users, my question to you is, how is the network performance and coverage treating you so far?
its been really quick for me, compared to my HD2, the speedtest.net dl speed has doubled from 2mbps to 4, and the upload went from 60kbps to 600!
(thats enough out of you, everyone else in the world canadians always get shafted with data speeds, mobile or home :/)
Question!
I would love to tell you how my WIND Mobile experience is, As SOON As i find out WHAT HTC Sensation will work on Wind.
If i buy it from bell, can i get it to work fully with wind? Or would i have to get an Unbranded version Online?
As soon as i find out, ill be purchasing the VERY NEXT DAY!!!! so ide LOVE to hear what you have to say!
I'm using the T-Mobile USA Sensation on WIND, and I get 8mbps at Waterloo, Ontario (1MB/s). 30$/month for unlimited texting, calling, and data.
That's the highest I've gotten. The average is somewhere from 300kB/s to 500kB/s.
I have the Asian version. I live in Brampton and coverage is here sporadic. I frequent the Bramalea City Centre and coverage there is patchy. Signal there constantly switches from wind home to roaming just walking around inside the mall. Luckily, at home, I get a good signal with constant "H" when connected to mobile data network. I have the $15 clever pay before use with additional $5 50Mb social mobile data. I use wifi most of the time so 50Mb is enough for me just to retrieve my e-mails. My speed with wind network here at home is 3-4 mbps download and upload around .5 mbps
spereira88 said:
I would love to tell you how my WIND Mobile experience is, As SOON As i find out WHAT HTC Sensation will work on Wind.
If i buy it from bell, can i get it to work fully with wind? Or would i have to get an Unbranded version Online?
As soon as i find out, ill be purchasing the VERY NEXT DAY!!!! so ide LOVE to hear what you have to say!
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Click to collapse
No, don't get the Bell version, it will not work. Get either T-Mobile, European or Asian version.
HiImGrey said:
No, don't get the Bell version, it will not work. Get either T-Mobile, European or Asian version.
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agree, those use AWS and work amazing
whats stunning to me is that i posted this thread on June 28th, a week or so after i got it
NOTE* its still AMAZING on wind, wifi teather is a saviour, and no cutoff or extra billing from wind WHATSOEVER!
plus 5 devices can teather to the S4G with ease
At home (close to Dundas Square), I get about 2 Mbps but that's mostly because of the height of my building. As soon as I step out, I get about 4 Mbps. Down by the lake where my girlfriend lives, I get close to 7 Mbps.
I am so glad I switched away from Rogers. Unlimited text+call+data for $35 is a wonderful thing. I don't care that the Wind Home Zone is so small because my life only takes place in the GTA anyway.
hell yeah, i consistantly get 5mbps, im @ high park, and since the network refresh, there are almost no more black holes and the wind zone is MUCH larger, i visit hamilton frequently, and thats now a wind HOME zone which is really nice
Anybody tried viber on wind? I can't seem to get my access code from viber via sms or call back. Anyone from wind tried receiving international sms? or international call?
brusko1972 said:
Anybody tried viber on wind? I can't seem to get my access code from viber via sms or call back. Anyone from wind tried receiving international sms? or international call?
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i have got the code on mine and it is setup but i never actually tried using it.
Did you set up viber before you updated to 2.3.4 or after? I have been trying for a couple days but somehow wind will not forward the access code sms from viber. Do you have custom rom, rooted, or completely stock? I just don't know what to do. I can't finish the registration without the access code.
Are there any US Tmobile users out there that have gone/moved to the Bahamas and used their devices on BTC's network? Will our phones work at all, like if we input the proper APNs? I'm using an HTC Glacier...irrespective of whether we are on roaming or not...just want to know if they work at all, and if anyone can share their experience about this
tnpapadakos said:
Are there any US Tmobile users out there that have gone/moved to the Bahamas and used their devices on BTC's network? Will our phones work at all, like if we input the proper APNs? I'm using an HTC Glacier...irrespective of whether we are on roaming or not...just want to know if they work at all, and if anyone can share their experience about this
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We do have US users down here, the coverage is based on the island though. Currently BTC has its 4G network on New Providence (Nassau), and some parts of Freeport, Grand Bahama and are still working to properly cover the entire island. We're hoping it's on every island by the middle to late part of this year.
As for your phone, it won't get data other than EDGE, but the voice should be just fine. Also, I really would suggest going for a SIM card from BTC. It's $15, and you have the choice of prepaid or postpaid, this also affects which APN you put into your phone. Trust me when I say roaming charges come hard.
Data's 4G frequency is 900 MHz for HSPA+.
Tutsumi said:
We do have US users down here, the coverage is based on the island though. Currently BTC has its 4G network on New Providence (Nassau), and some parts of Freeport, Grand Bahama and are still working to properly cover the entire island. We're hoping it's on every island by the middle to late part of this year.
As for your phone, it won't get data other than EDGE, but the voice should be just fine. Also, I really would suggest going for a SIM card from BTC. It's $15, and you have the choice of prepaid or postpaid, this also affects which APN you put into your phone. Trust me when I say roaming charges come hard.
Data's 4G frequency is 900 MHz for HSPA+.
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or use google voice and wifi calling...that should avoid the roaming charges, right?
It should, but you'd also have to make sure roaming data is off and quite honestly I'd suggest you turn off your mobile network.
I'd have to agree, I also live here in The Bahamas and the roaming data alone might cost more than your vacation. Get a SIM while here, pay $24.99 get up to 7Mbs (lcapped of course, to about 10Gb I believe) and have a good time lol use googe voice etc and be happy!
krazie1999 said:
I'd have to agree, I also live here in The Bahamas and the roaming data alone might cost more than your vacation. Get a SIM while here, pay $24.99 get up to 7Mbs (lcapped of course, to about 10Gb I believe) and have a good time lol use googe voice etc and be happy!
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Can you show me how to get this, please? can i buy it while still in US?
thanks
Btc bahamas simcard
norman505 said:
Can you show me how to get this, please? can i buy it while still in US?
thanks
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Click to collapse
Go here to get what your looking for ( mrsimcard.com/s-batelco.html )
Hey XDA-lers,
I think it's an unusual question because it's not directly related to tech... But maybe it can be answered here (hope it's the right forum?).
My girlfriend and me want to travel to USA next month for 5 weeks. We want to rent a car and drive through california, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Wyoming, Idaho - typical touristic thing everybody does .
Since we need internet (for navigation and everything else), we search for a data plan. We don't need SMS or phone - only data. 5gb would be perfect.
Does anybody know a cheap plan with good coverage in this region?
I found this one:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Tmobile-30-Wireless-Airtime-Card/15443357
But I think, you need to buy a phone at Walmart to get it?!
Something in this direction would be perfect!
Thank you very much!
snoK
snoK123 said:
Hey XDA-lers,
I think it's an unusual question because it's not directly related to tech... But maybe it can be answered here (hope it's the right forum?).
My girlfriend and me want to travel to USA next month for 5 weeks. We want to rent a car and drive through california, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Wyoming, Idaho - typical touristic thing everybody does .
Since we need internet (for navigation and everything else), we search for a data plan. We don't need SMS or phone - only data. 5gb would be perfect.
Does anybody know a cheap plan with good coverage in this region?
I found this one:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Tmobile-30-Wireless-Airtime-Card/15443357
But I think, you need to buy a phone at Walmart to get it?!
Something in this direction would be perfect!
Thank you very much!
snoK
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is not what you want or need. This is merely a plan/minutes refill to an existing pre-paid account.
First you need a pre-paid SIM. Often called a "starter kit". You'll have to pick one up somewhere, like a Wal-Mart or a cell-phone store. I'd be very surprised if you couldn't find them for sale within 100 feet of baggage claim. And then you'd have to chose a plan. Most pre-paid plans that have 4G data allotments already include unlimited talk/text. Not necessary, as you say, but it might be helpful if you and your girlfriend get separated.
Whatever service you go with, the actual network will be either T-Mobile or AT&T. Your phone will be a GSM phone (I'm assuming), and AT&T and T-Mo are GSM networks. So assuming your phone isn't locked to a carrier within Germany/EU, it'll work just fine on AT&T or T-Mo or their MVNOs and you don't have to buy a new phone.
I would definitely recommend using an AT&T MVNO. The American West has huge tracks of land, deserts, mountains, etc. AT&T will have plenty of dead zones, but it'll be way better than T-Mobile. For what it's worth, you can get data in T-Mobile's dead-zones because they partner with AT&T with them for coverage. But it'll be "roaming" (T-Mobile doesn't charge for roaming), and at 2G speeds. I honestly don't know if this carriers over to T-Mobile's MVNOs though.
With that in mind, there are a number of AT&T MVNOs (as well as AT&T's GoPhone). I would recommend Cricket Wireless. They have outlets everywhere. Right now you can get set up with pre-paid SIM for $.99, and then choose the $50/mo plan which gives you 4gb of high-speed data, after which you get throttled to 2G speeds. If you need more high-speed, you can purchase another GB for $10. Don't let them charge you an activation fee - you can do it yourself (unless you can't).
Unfortunately, any plan with data will be monthly and will be purchased along with talk/text. Perhaps it's possible in the EU, but you can't simply purchase 5gb data that lasts until you use it up regardless of how long it takes. Unless there's something I'm unaware of. So that means in a 5 week trip you're pretty much stuck paying for 2 months unless you go a few days without service.
Regarding data and GPS navigation though, remember that navigation requires either the map to be downloaded beforehand, or a data connection. Using Google Maps on your phone to find a restaurant, site-of-interest, or hotel within a city is one thing. Using GPS to drive from Los Angeles to the Grand Canyon is another thing. Get a rental car with GPS and make sure the maps are all pre-loaded. You won't be able to rely on a phone's GPS for this unless you get an app that allows you to purchase the maps for the states you'll be traveling through and download them to your phone before you embark (find a public hotspot for this). Google Maps allows you to download maps for off-line use, but you're rather limited in the size. For example, I can fit all of Tucson in one map, but that's it. A city like LA or Phoenix wouldn't fit. Never mind all the miles inbetween.
Any questions, I'm happy to answer as best I can. Hope you enjoy your stay. I've lived in both Arizona and Colorado for many years, and I'm sure you'll be impressed by the west half of the US.
Wow, thank you very very much for this great explanation!
Cricket Wireless sounds great, think we will get it there.
Have a nice weekend!
snoK