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I have just upgraded my O2 XDA Mini S to an O2 XDA Orbit. I'm trying to pass the wizard on to my son who currently is in a monthly contract with the UK 3 network. Both the Wizard and Orbit will not recognise the 3 sim. I've searched widely and find a lot of conflicting opinion but some say that the 3g card will work on a 2g phone (albeit talk and text only without the 3g frills). Does anyone have any advice. The wizard is unlocked and accepts O2 and Voda cards. Is it the O2 software that needs replacing or is it that the card will never work on this particular unit.
Thanks
Three Network now has both GSM and 3G coverage for a full UK coverage. As such, it *sometimes* works on non-3G phone. Depending on your area, I think. But, in general non3G phone (i.e. the Wizard) doesnt work well with Three
hanmin said:
Three Network now has both GSM and 3G coverage for a full UK coverage. As such, it *sometimes* works on non-3G phone. Depending on your area, I think. But, in general non3G phone (i.e. the Wizard) doesnt work well with Three
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Click to collapse
Thanks for the rapid reply. Yes, the fact that 3 backs up on to Orange to give full coverage set me wondering. The phone will not even accept the sim - saying no sim or invalid sim. Is there some kind of barring actually operating on the sim to prevent it's recognition by any phone other than a 3 supplied unit? Odd one this.
Well, the common one is SIM-LOCK phone, that the case where the phone is locked to a specific SIM only. i.e. A-SIM in A-Phone, B-SIM doens't work in A-Phone.
However, it is unlikely that you have a Phone-lock SIM, or rather, barred IMEI. That is, the network only works on phone (i.e. with the IMEI) that is registered with the network. Hence, A-SIM will not work on B-Phone because B-Phone's IMEI is not registered with A-Network. Technically, you can do that, but I can't seems to see what's the business benifit of it. Further, you may check this buy going to their website and see if they are selling SIM only package. If so, they are unlikely to be blocking unregistered IMEI, more likely they (the phones) are not compatible with three network.
If you were to go to the Universal forum, there are people using Universal (a 3G phone) with Three Network. I'm not sure if these phones are from them, but my hunch is they are not.
Thanks for the info
Regards
I have this problem on mine too i wan to use a 3 sim in mine, mine is unlocked to all networks but three sims dont work, believe three sims are a different type of sim and thus dont work in phones not designed to take that type of sim, as my bro has a newer pocket pc phone and m sim works ok in that, think iv read somewhere they use different voltages or frequecy or something?!?
Hey all,
This is my first post here; just found the website. I've been looking for something like this!
Anyway, the reason for my post is that my current freebie cellphone dropped from a high perch last night and shattered into a hundred pieces, finally giving me an excuse to pull the trigger on something nicer. I really like Docomo's Touch Pro, but I'm hoping somebody here might answer two questions about it before I drop 50,000 yen.
1.) The menus are all in Japanese and I've been told they cannot be changed to English. My Japanese is decent but I'm sure for such a sophisticated piece of tech, I'd like everything to be in English to take advantage of fine tuning, etc. Would there be a way to reformat the phone to put an English version of Windows Mobile on there, and if I did, could I still input Japanese characters?
2.) I'm going to be in Japan for at least another year and a half or so, but past that there's a chance I might have to go back to the US for work. If I did, what are the odds that the Touch Pro would work on a carrier like AT&T or Verizon? Are the 3G frequencies too different?
Thanks to anyone who replies
-Jonathan
Jonathan24 said:
Hey all,
This is my first post here; just found the website. I've been looking for something like this!
Anyway, the reason for my post is that my current freebie cellphone dropped from a high perch last night and shattered into a hundred pieces, finally giving me an excuse to pull the trigger on something nicer. I really like Docomo's Touch Pro, but I'm hoping somebody here might answer two questions about it before I drop 50,000 yen.
1.) The menus are all in Japanese and I've been told they cannot be changed to English. My Japanese is decent but I'm sure for such a sophisticated piece of tech, I'd like everything to be in English to take advantage of fine tuning, etc. Would there be a way to reformat the phone to put an English version of Windows Mobile on there, and if I did, could I still input Japanese characters?
2.) I'm going to be in Japan for at least another year and a half or so, but past that there's a chance I might have to go back to the US for work. If I did, what are the odds that the Touch Pro would work on a carrier like AT&T or Verizon? Are the 3G frequencies too different?
Thanks to anyone who replies
-Jonathan
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't see why you could't change the language by flashing a new rom on, and if you need to enter japanese characters there are software keyboards that let you input them from memory.
1) You can install a WWE rom just fine, there are XDA members who have done this already. Then use the Japanese display/input cab found here to re-add Japanese support. You may need to do additional tweaking for specific apps or to get the keyboard right, but it shouldn't be very difficult.
2) The HT-01A will be locked to DoCoMo, but you can get it unlocked (a quick search on XDA will point you in the right direction) which will allow you to use it with an AT&T SIM card. Important note: DoCoMo uses UMTS 2100 for 3G while AT&T uses UMTS 850/1900, so you will need to make sure the HT-01A supports the latter if you want to use 3G with AT&T. The same goes for SoftBank X05HT. Otherwise you will still be able to use regular GSM/EDGE.
Verizon uses a CDMA network so it will not support either HT-01A or X05HT. au/KDDI (which also runs on CDMA) also has a Touch Pro, the E30HT, however it is next to impossible to switch networks with CDMA devices.
Your other option is to buy an unlocked AT&T Fuze/Touch Pro from the US (eBay?), which supports UMTS 850/1900/2100, and bring it to Japan to use with DoCoMo or SoftBank.
Of course, depending on your situation, you may have an easier time getting a Touch Pro from SoftBank than from DoCoMo due to their contract requirements.
anyone figured out how to get sms working in japan? my friend with his 8525 in tokyo can't sms my fuze in seattle.
Wow, I hadn't even considered importing a Touch Pro from the States. If the AT&T version supports both US and (Docomo) Japanese 3G frequencies, that sounds like a train I need to get on. Any idea if the folks at Docomo will have a fit if I bring in a foreign phone, or will they set me up no questions asked?
I did a quick search and found this (hopefully it's ok to link to ebay here): http://cgi.ebay.com/New-Unlocked-AT-T-HTC-Fuze-Diamond-Touch-Pro-P4600_W0QQitemZ160302176188QQcmdZViewItemQQptZCell_Phones?hash=item160302176188&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1308|301%3A1|293%3A1|294%3A50
Thanks so much for the information, it's incredibly helpful!
-Jonathan
Jonathan24 said:
Wow, I hadn't even considered importing a Touch Pro from the States. If the AT&T version supports both US and (Docomo) Japanese 3G frequencies, that sounds like a train I need to get on. Any idea if the folks at Docomo will have a fit if I bring in a foreign phone, or will they set me up no questions asked?
I did a quick search and found this (hopefully it's ok to link to ebay here): http://cgi.ebay.com/New-Unlocked-AT-T-HTC-Fuze-Diamond-Touch-Pro-P4600_W0QQitemZ160302176188QQcmdZViewItemQQptZCell_Phones?hash=item160302176188&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1308|301%3A1|293%3A1|294%3A50
Thanks so much for the information, it's incredibly helpful!
-Jonathan
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Click to collapse
get setup on the cheapest POS phone you can get from docomo, then transfer your sim to a sim unlocked touch pro. my friend uses his unlocked tytn II in japan without problems.
bani1 said:
anyone figured out how to get sms working in japan? my friend with his 8525 in tokyo can't sms my fuze in seattle.
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Click to collapse
It will depend on his carrier (DoCoMo or SoftBank) and what plan he's using, whether it will support forwarding SMS internationally. Most people in Japan use the hybrid MMS/email services (which are pay per-byte rather than per-message). With it, messages are sent as regular emails (but "pushed" to the phone using MMS delivery); which means you don't have to worry about international routing, just send emails to each other as you normally would.
For SoftBank subscribers, you will need MMSLite (3rd party) or S!Mail (SoftBank). MMSLite is rather limited in functionality, and S!Mail is a little slow (although I hear newer versions are much faster). I don't know specifics for DoCoMo subscribers, but I imagine it's a similar situation.
Of course your friend will probably be able to get more help by going into a store and talking with a representative.
Jonathan24 said:
Wow, I hadn't even considered importing a Touch Pro from the States. If the AT&T version supports both US and (Docomo) Japanese 3G frequencies, that sounds like a train I need to get on. Any idea if the folks at Docomo will have a fit if I bring in a foreign phone, or will they set me up no questions asked?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, as bani1 suggested, you should be able to just buy a cheap phone from DoCoMo (UMTS 2100 network) and transfer the SIM over to a Touch Pro/Fuze (UMTS 850/1900/2100 support). The Touch Pro also includes automatic network configuration profiles for both DoCoMo and SoftBank. For DoCoMo, you will need to subscribe to their "FOMA" service. For SoftBank, you will need their "3G" service. You will not be able to subscribe to eMobile (UMTS 1700 network), au/KDDI (CDMA network), or Willcom (PHS network).
Again, depending on your living situation (non-permanent residency documentation), you may have difficulty getting a phone from DoCoMo, so keep in mind that SoftBank is the other option in case you're unable to subscribe with DoCoMo.
bani1 said:
get setup on the cheapest POS phone you can get from docomo, then transfer your sim to a sim unlocked touch pro. my friend uses his unlocked tytn II in japan without problems.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The last time I was in the Docomo shop, they told me I had to get some business-class data plan to go with the Touch Pro. Should I request that with the freebie phone or can they even differentiate if I get a regular data plan and use it with a different phone? Kind of curious what steps your friend took when he signed up.
Thanks guys, I really appreciate your help. Importing an AT&T version from ebay would seem to bypass a lot of the headaches of reflashing the rom, and I have a foreigner registration card so making a contract with Docomo shouldn't pose any problems. This is exciting! I left the store so disappointed last week when they told me it the menus couldn't be switched to English.
Yo!
1. NTT docomo's touch pro is like all of ours and can change the language within your phones settings.
2. NTT docomo can roam on US's GSM network and whether it will take a US sim card you'd have to ask the sales rep(hopefully he knows what a sim card is, doubtful).
Japan and Korea are the 2 only countries in the world that can't be roamed to. They use a different system called W-CDMA, but do have GSM bandwidths in the phone itself and can and DO roam in the states. I have seen some NTT phones with SIM card slots that are being used here.(US) You might want to also check out Softbanks model and see who's Data charges are lower. Japan is notorious for Data charges. Both NTT and Softbank are the same network and phones are identicall (touch pro that is).
Anyways, thats my 2 cents.
MauiKeitai said:
Yo!
1. NTT docomo's touch pro is like all of ours and can change the language within your phones settings.
2. NTT docomo can roam on US's GSM network and whether it will take a US sim card you'd have to ask the sales rep(hopefully he knows what a sim card is, doubtful).
Japan and Korea are the 2 only countries in the world that can't be roamed to. They use a different system called W-CDMA, but do have GSM bandwidths in the phone itself and can and DO roam in the states. I have seen some NTT phones with SIM card slots that are being used here.(US) You might want to also check out Softbanks model and see who's Data charges are lower. Japan is notorious for Data charges. Both NTT and Softbank are the same network and phones are identicall (touch pro that is).
Anyways, thats my 2 cents.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, I looked through the X04HT rom and it's missing most (if not all) of the 0409 (English) MUI files. Almost all of the apps include only 0411 (Japanese) MUI files. I'm sure it's the same with X05HT, as well as DoCoMo versions. You may be able to change localization to US (which will change the names of days/months and various units to English), but most of the text menus will remain in Japanese.
W-CDMA is the baseband, UMTS is the network system. In the US, AT&T also runs a W-CDMA/UMTS network. But DoCoMo and SoftBank run W-CDMA/UMTS 2100mhz, whereas AT&T runs W-CDMA/UMTS 850/1900 (in addition to GSM 850/1900).
These days you can bring any unlocked UMTS 2100-capable phone to roam in Japan. SoftBank even lets you rent SIM cards at ￥500/day if you're just making a short visit. But you are still right that you need to pay careful attention to your data usage, at least for the first month or any month thereafter if you make changes to your service, so that you don't unwittingly end up with a ￥50,000+ bill.
hey there! Wow, do you live in Japan? One thing ,how would I roam with a sim card from softbank? When I say roam I mean roam with my phone and my phone number. Also w-cdma is the regular radio network. UTMS is the 3G bandwidth. And I thought AT&T was GSM?
MauiKeitai said:
hey there! Wow, do you live in Japan? One thing ,how would I roam with a sim card from softbank? When I say roam I mean roam with my phone and my phone number. Also w-cdma is the regular radio network. UTMS is the 3G bandwidth. And I thought AT&T was GSM?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AT&T runs both W-CDMA (UMTS 850/1900) and GSM (850/1900) networks. Of course their GSM network has wider coverage. Any phone that does not have UMTS 850/1900 will fall back to regular GSM.
SoftBank SIM rentals are not intended for roaming. If you rent a SoftBank SIM, you will receive a Japanese phone number, and all calls and data connections will be made locally through SoftBank (as per their rental SIM rate plan). You can still make international calls but they will be charged at SoftBank's rates.
If you want to keep your original phone number, you do not need to rent a SIM card. Just keep your original SIM card in your phone. For example, if you have an AT&T SIM (and therefore a US phone number), your AT&T SIM will roam while in Japan. AT&T has roaming agreements with both SoftBank and DoCoMo, so your phone will simply connect to whichever network has greater coverage in the area you travel. You will be subject to AT&T's roaming charges, as detailed here:
http://www.wireless.att.com/travelguide/coverage/coverage_details.jsp?CIDL=392&MNC=CING
Of course, the only way to be able to roam in Japan is with a phone that supports UMTS 2100. As mentioned earlier, it is not possible to connect to eMobile (UMTS 1700), au/KDDI (CDMA), or Willcom (PHS) networks.
SoftBank X05HT
hi there! another newbie here. i'm living in japan and yesterday i purchased my SoftBank X05HT but wasn't told english was not available on it! being such a hi-tech piece of kit i really need to get english on it. i've been follow the advice given to Jonathan24 but being a novice i'm a bit concern that i will muck it up in some way. i understand that the japanese phone network is slightly different to european/american networks and am worried about installing a WWE rom. will my phone's services still fully function on the softbank network, S! Mail, 3g internet, etc?
Hi,
I moved from Germany to Japan 2 month ago, and brough my European Touch Pro (sim free version from HTC, not one of the T-Mobile sim locked ones).
I have a WWE rom flashed and run it on Softbanks network without problems.
My rom does not have S!Mail, but so far, I do not miss it.
One thing I have learned in Japan is, that people in tech stores like Bic Camera, or in mobile stores like Softbank or DoCoMo normally have no clue what they are talking about.
Whatever you ask, that is a little more than their standard, the answer you will get is: "That is not possible." 10min on google or here in the forum, and you will find a solution.
One thing that I am interested in is the radio rom which comes with Softbanks Touch Pro.
If anybody has it, please share.
Thanks.
fhsieh said:
Actually, I looked through the X04HT rom and it's missing most (if not all) of the 0409 (English) MUI files. Almost all of the apps include only 0411 (Japanese) MUI files. I'm sure it's the same with X05HT, as well as DoCoMo versions. You may be able to change localization to US (which will change the names of days/months and various units to English), but most of the text menus will remain in Japanese.
.
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Click to collapse
This is correct.
You can change Tocuh-Flo to English relatively easily - there is a patch on this site, cant remember where, but search will find.
I have a DoCoMo HT-01A (X05HT, Touch Pro). I dumped the orginial JP ROM to raw files, (haven't cooked it yet) and flashed using ROMeOS2_140_1_ENG_19974_15112008 with Raphael HardSPL first and then booting the ROM from the SD card. Flashing was a piece of cake.
I haven't extracted NaviTime, the GPS app, cause I downloaded Garmin and Japanese maps from a certain swash buckling place
dazzerjp said:
I haven't extracted NaviTime, the GPS app, cause I downloaded Garmin and Japanese maps from a certain swash buckling place
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In the X04HT ROM, NaviTime is included simply as a CAB installer (rather than OEM package). But I tested it and was not particularly impressed. Garmin has better routing, and PocketMapple has more detailed maps.
Oh, and Diamond TF3d Config will take care of the TouchFlo language setting (among all sorts of other tweaks) -- no need to search for the MUI patch.
brendino888 said:
hi there! another newbie here. i'm living in japan and yesterday i purchased my SoftBank X05HT but wasn't told english was not available on it! being such a hi-tech piece of kit i really need to get english on it. i've been follow the advice given to Jonathan24 but being a novice i'm a bit concern that i will muck it up in some way. i understand that the japanese phone network is slightly different to european/american networks and am worried about installing a WWE rom. will my phone's services still fully function on the softbank network, S! Mail, 3g internet, etc?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Flashing a ROM does not change your phone's radio, so it will still be able to connect to SoftBank (calling, 3G internet, etc) just fine. You will be able to find more information on flashing a WWE ROM in the Touch Pro ROM section, but just to confirm, you will need to install HardSPL through ActiveSync, then choose a ROM and place the .nbh file on your microSD card, and follow the steps for hardresetting/loading new ROM.
Of course you will probably lose any 3rd party apps that come pre-installed with your phone, so you may need to use the Application CD that came with your X05HT to reinstall them. As for S!Mail, you should be able to download the CAB and reinstall it by accessing your My SoftBank page from your phone using Internet Explorer. Here are the instructions for the X01HT, but it should be similar for the X05HT. I recommend getting the S!Mail CAB and any other necessary files first before flashing a new ROM (or at least performing a full backup).
You should also make a note of the connection settings so that you can make sure they are correct once you flash a new ROM. In the past, SoftBank has used different connection settings for different rate plans (I don't know if it's still the case), and some people have used the wrong settings after flashing their ROMs only to be faced with a huge bill at the end of the month. So this is another fair warning to be mindful of your data usage for the first month (or any subsequent month after you make major changes to your phone) -- unless of course you are confident you're using the correct settings.
So I went ahead and ordered an unlocked AT&T Fuze off of Ebay last night and it's on its way to my family's house where they'll repackage and send it off to me. I thought I should confirm something while I still have the chance, however.
I'm a resident in Japan so rather than roaming, I'd like to be able to use this with a regular Docomo subscription plan. If I get that crappy starter phone and then switch the SIM out to the Fuze, will it work the same (same phone number/email address, etc) with a regular subscription instead of trying to roam? Are there steps I need take to ensure that it uses the radio/data plan in the same way, or is all of the information contained in the SIM?
Also, what would technically happen if I walked into the Docomo shop the day I made my contract and said "Hey, I already have this nice smart phone, can I just use this?"
Thanks again, especially to fhsieh! You're a lifesaver!
-Jonathan
Jonathan24 said:
I'm a resident in Japan so rather than roaming, I'd like to be able to use this with a regular Docomo subscription plan. If I get that crappy starter phone and then switch the SIM out to the Fuze, will it work the same (same phone number/email address, etc) with a regular subscription instead of trying to roam? Are there steps I need take to ensure that it uses the radio/data plan in the same way, or is all of the information contained in the SIM?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The phone number will automatically be transferred to whichever device has the SIM. The basic network settings are contained within the SIM, and the Fuze contains an app (Start > Settings > Connections > Connection Wizard) that will automatically set up any additional connection settings for DoCoMo (the app is also part of most other TouchPro ROMs, in case you want to flash a different ROM). A DoCoMo SIM inside Japan will not roam.
You will have to enter email settings manually, but I have no experience with DoCoMo so I don't know if they use a specific app (like SoftBank does with S!Mail), or if you can simply enter it as a standard POP/IMAP account through WM6.1's default messaging app. Of course, with data access, you can simply tell your contacts to use your own email (and not a docomo email) for messaging -- you should not incur any additional charges for that.
For your reference, here is the full manual for the HT-01A:
http://www.nttdocomo.co.jp/support/trouble/manual/download/pro/ht01a/index.html
One note: you may want to take a look at section 14: "データ通信／ワイヤレスLAN" (pages 171-186). It contains connection settings for DoCoMo's "mopera U" data plan. You may need to set it up accordingly if you subscribe to that rate plan. And on that note, I would suggest taking a look at which plans are intended for use with the HT-01A, and then choosing the cheapest phone that uses the same plan(s). You wouldn't want to just buy the "most basic plan" and be caught off guard with high data charges if the plan isn't intended for use with a data-heavy device.
If you feel adventurous, you might also buy one of the models that can be hypersim-unlocked (for use overseas) and sell it on eBay.
And a last thought: if you have multiple DoCoMo stores in your area, you may want to "test the waters". Some stores/clerks might give you the cold shoulder while others might be very helpful. Although IMO, saying "I already have this phone, can I just use it?" won't do much because either way they're not required to support non-DoCoMo phones (the worst that would happen is they might refuse to open an account thinking you're trying to circumvent their plans; at which point you could just go to another DoCoMo store). But you shouldn't need any extra help -- your cheap phone should have all the necessary connection settings, and it's just a matter of copying them over to the TouchPro.
DoCoMo Bizhodai Data Plan
The data network plan I was told I have to use with the DoCoMo HT-01A phone is called Bizuhodai. (Mopera U is their email plan.) I bought the phone and flashed an English ROM on it and now I can't get the phone to connect to the data network.
Any DoCoMo users able to flash an English rom and get it to work with the Bizuhodai data plan?
Thanks,
Hello,
I read a few articles on the net indicating that the HTC Droid Incredible and the Evo 4g may have problems working correctly in canada. My service provider is FIDO and i'm looking to get a new phone for myself. The two listed above are the ones that most interest me. I wanted to know if there were any known issues with unlocking these phones and getting them to work with a FIDO sim card and if there were any known issues with surfing the internet with these phones in Canada (FIDO specifically)
Thanks!
In short: Evo and Incredible will NEVER work with a sim card. They are CDMA phones, and therefor don't use sim cards . Sorry
well thats very disappointing news. thank you for making me aware of this.
I have another follow-up question. Since the droid and the evo are out, what about the HTC legend? I was reading that the frequency that fido operates on is different than what this phone does. I dont pretend to understand what that means so i would greatly appreciate if someone could explain and perhaps let me know if this phone is an option for use on FIDO's network.
i have a htc desire Z currently and i recently went to california to spend some time with my gf's family but my phone just did not work over in america....
im in a 18 month contract with Orange (or EE now) and when I got to america i was not registered to any UK carrier so I tried to connect to the two possible carriers available T-mobile and AT&T but both said my sim card was unable to register with these carriers.
i have no idea why or what causes this issue but i want to make sure that next time when i leave to go to the US my phone is going to work...
im getting a new phone soon and want to know what the fix is before i get a phone that wont work in the US again...
PS. im rooted and using a custom rom called mimicry if that has any foot on the problem.
thanks in advance
Are you still using the SIM card from the UK? If so, you need a US SIM card to communicate with the GSM towers here.
syung said:
Are you still using the SIM card from the UK? If so, you need a US SIM card to communicate with the GSM towers here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i brought my gf a phone a Tesco mobile carrier in the uk and hers worked over there... so some work, i just need to know which ones do or how i can connect to the gsm towers. i dont actually care about using the phone service too much because i mostly do my networking via skype and whatsapp but i was unable to access the wireless connection too (probably related as well)
no access to any signal was available. my gf had no troubles though, she texted and called and used internet on wifi but internet didnt work outside of wifizone which is the same thing im looking for.
bump - does anyone have any information on this?
I hear sth about it usa doesnt use umts and they have different frequency than Europe probably this is the reason
Wysyłane z mojego GT-I9300 za pomocą Tapatalk 2
penfold1992 said:
i have a htc desire Z currently and i recently went to california to spend some time with my gf's family but my phone just did not work over in america....
im in a 18 month contract with Orange (or EE now) and when I got to america i was not registered to any UK carrier so I tried to connect to the two possible carriers available T-mobile and AT&T but both said my sim card was unable to register with these carriers.
i have no idea why or what causes this issue but i want to make sure that next time when i leave to go to the US my phone is going to work...
im getting a new phone soon and want to know what the fix is before i get a phone that wont work in the US again...
PS. im rooted and using a custom rom called mimicry if that has any foot on the problem.
thanks in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Before you buy your new phone, check on GSMArena for the full specs and see what frequencies it supports - then make sure those match with the frequency your planned provider in the US uses.
And, please don't 'bump' your own posts - there's no need and it's contrary to the rules of XDA to do so within 24 hours.
SimonTS said:
Before you buy your new phone, check on GSMArena for the full specs and see what frequencies it supports - then make sure those match with the frequency your planned provider in the US uses.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
is there a possibility to change the radio part of a rom in order to use frequency to at least get onto a network?
my phone
gf's phone
it appears as though my phone has the ability to work in the US however it appears to work with either one or the other and not both at the same time... if i got that correct?
(seeing as USA coverage accepts UMTS 850, 1900, 1700 and 2100 and the UK uses UMTS 900 and 2100 i need to look for a phone that runs on 2100)
Hello,
I bought my HTC Sensation about a year ago on Ebay. The seller claimed the phone was purchased outright and paid off. I checked the imei and it showed clean. When I got it, I popped my Airfire sim card into it and it worked fine. A month ago, I switched to Cricket as Airfire was going out of business. Cricket made me enter my imei. It said it was bad. I called T-Mobile and they said the seller defaulted on payments. They refused to help in any way. They told me to buy the phone direct from them next time. I told them I had proof I was buying it in good faith. They didn't care and apparently have no problem punishing the victim.
Anyways, when I got my Cricket sim and popped it in, my phone said I was roaming. It has said I was roaming for a full month now. I can send and receive calls, but my data is stuck at EDGE and some of the programs don't work since the phone thinks its roaming. I need to have "data roaming" enabled for data to work. Cricket ran some tests and eventually said I needed to do a factory reset.
So, I switched from the Android Revolution rom to the ViperS 5.2.1 rom. I did a full dalvik and cache wipe and reformatted everything but the sd card. I installed the new rom and kernal. Same thing. Phone still says I am roaming. Odd thing is, when I go to manually select carrier, my options are Cricket (current carrier), Airfire (previous carrier) and TMobile (stock carrier). Also, when I am using data, it has an "E" above the data. E is what Airfire used. Is there somehow somewhere a place that the phone is storing info through wipes?
I am s-off, rooted and debranded. I sim unlocked the phone myself. I am so stuck and think that only one of the geniuses on XDA are my only hope. I have went mental spending hours and hours on this. Some XDA peeps are smarted than HTC and Cricket combined, so please help me out here.
Thanks,
Grant
SuperGrant said:
Hello,
Thanks,
Grant
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Hi grant, this is a very odd situation your in. With my sensation when I leave the UK and connect to another EU "partner network" is the only time my phone would jump into roaming mode. Is it possible that cricket is not directly supported in your area? Maybe they rent their local connection from another carrier and thats why your getting connected as roaming? Have you tried any other sim cards to see if they come up as roaming?
Sent from my HTC Desire S using Tapatalk
Hi heavy_metal_man
I am quite sure that At&t is Cricket's parent company so all of the towers should be At&t's networks. Also, I have checked it when in other cities and I get the same message, though I haven't traveled more than 30 miles away.
The previous sim with AirFire worked fine. I also popped out the sim for Cricket and put it in my mom's phone to see if it was the sim. Her's worked fine. She got the automatic Cricket update settings right away and was not roaming. Mine never got the Cricket pop-up so I had to manually enter all of the data info. Yes, odd indeed and I am lost.
SuperGrant said:
I am quite sure that At&t is Cricket's parent company so all of the towers should be At&t's networks. Also, I have checked it when in other cities and I get the same message, though I haven't traveled more than 30 miles away.
The previous sim with AirFire worked fine. I also popped out the sim for Cricket and put it in my mom's phone to see if it was the sim. Her's worked fine. She got the automatic Cricket update settings right away and was not roaming. Mine never got the Cricket pop-up so I had to manually enter all of the data info. Yes, odd indeed and I am lost.
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OK, the info your adding manually, is that the same info as is registered when the card is in your mums phone? Same APN etc?
Sent from my HTC Sensation using Tapatalk
heavy_metal_man said:
OK, the info your adding manually, is that the same info as is registered when the card is in your mums phone? Same APN etc?
Hi heavy_metal_man. Yup. Same info. Only difference is that the info all loads automatically on hers. I do get automated texts from Cricket when I put the sim in my phone as did she, but I had to get the APN info from Cricket the first time because it didn't auto load. I am still wondering if it is a sim issue, but I expected my mom's phone to be roaming when I put the sim in hers. I was shocked when it wasn't. She just has a free stock phone from Airfire btw. Nothing fancy and nothing done to it.
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SuperGrant said:
heavy_metal_man said:
OK, the info your adding manually, is that the same info as is registered when the card is in your mums phone? Same APN etc?
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Click to collapse
Hi heavy_metal_man. Yup. Same info. Only difference is that the info all loads automatically on hers. I do get automated texts from Cricket when I put the sim in my phone as did she, but I had to get the APN info from Cricket the first time because it didn't auto load. I am still wondering if it is a sim issue, but I expected my mom's phone to be roaming when I put the sim in hers. I was shocked when it wasn't. She just has a free stock phone from Airfire btw. Nothing fancy and nothing done to it.
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Hmm. Are those 3 carriers the only ones available to you? I think the imei may be key here, if cricket know its a T-Mobile phone they may register that you are roaming. I think your previous carrier (airfire) was a Virtual mobile network, much like giffgaff in the UK ( which runs on the o2 network.) As such they may not have inforced the same imei policy's that cricket does. But this is just a hunch as I am on UK networks and we do things much differently. If you could ask about any friends and colleges that have different carrier simcards from our previous 3 you could gauge what carriers your phone is compatible with.
Worst case scenario you could maybe buy another broken htc sensation and perform a motherboard swap. This would solve your imei issue, assuming that it was the primary issue. But check the simcards first and report back
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
heavy_metal_man said:
Hmm. Are those 3 carriers the only ones available to you? I think the imei may be key here, if cricket know its a T-Mobile phone they may register that you are roaming. I think your previous carrier (airfire) was a Virtual mobile network, much like giffgaff in the UK ( which runs on the o2 network.) As such they may not have inforced the same imei policy's that cricket does. But this is just a hunch as I am on UK networks and we do things much differently. If you could ask about any friends and colleges that have different carrier simcards from our previous 3 you could gauge what carriers your phone is compatible with.
Worst case scenario you could maybe buy another broken htc sensation and perform a motherboard swap. This would solve your imei issue, assuming that it was the primary issue. But check the simcards first and report back
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
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Hmm... There are only 3 carriers available. Should there be more? It's not tied to the sim? Everyone I know either still has Airfire and plans on switching to Cricket or has cdma so I have been out of luck with trying another sim. The only other thing I thought about was 4ext recovery. No matter what I flash; roms, kernals, firmware or radios, the recovery always survives of course. So, if the previous carriers are surviving the flashes, perhaps there is a place on the phone like the recovery where they are surviving.
SuperGrant said:
Hmm... There are only 3 carriers available. Should there be more? It's not tied to the sim? Everyone I know either still has Airfire and plans on switching to Cricket or has cdma so I have been out of luck with trying another sim. The only other thing I thought about was 4ext recovery. No matter what I flash; roms, kernals, firmware or radios, the recovery always survives of course. So, if the previous carriers are surviving the flashes, perhaps there is a place on the phone like the recovery where they are surviving.
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Its unlikely to be to do with the recovery, no reason for it to keep anything like that. It's most likely the phones imei at this point, though im unsure as to why this was not an issue for airfire.
Do you know what firmware version you have? Have you flashed 3.33 by yourself?
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
heavy_metal_man said:
Its unlikely to be to do with the recovery, no reason for it to keep anything like that. It's most likely the phones imei at this point, though im unsure as to why this was not an issue for airfire.
Do you know what firmware version you have? Have you flashed 3.33 by yourself?
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
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Yup, I flashed 3.33 universal after doing a super Cid. Well, maybe its time to just get a new phone, although I would really like to figure out this problem first. I am not the kind of person who can just drop things, lol.
SuperGrant said:
Yup, I flashed 3.33 universal after doing a super Cid. Well, maybe its time to just get a new phone, although I would really like to figure out this problem first. I am not the kind of person who can just drop things, lol.
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I know how you feel. Maybe its because they cricket know the sensation 4g is a T-Mobile device and force you into roaming mode by default. I think its possible to overwrite the devices mid and cid, flash a sensation XE rom and effectively have a sensation XE. But such things can be quite dangerous and i couldn't say for definite if it would work to fix your issue :/ (not recommending anyone tries this without proper research and understanding :/)
Can you get access to another cricket sim without a contract? Just for testing?
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
heavy_metal_man said:
I know how you feel. Maybe its because they cricket know the sensation 4g is a T-Mobile device and force you into roaming mode by default. I think its possible to overwrite the devices mid and cid, flash a sensation XE rom and effectively have a sensation XE. But such things can be quite dangerous and i couldn't say for definite if it would work to fix your issue :/ (not recommending anyone tries this without proper research and understanding :/)
Can you get access to another cricket sim without a contract? Just for testing?
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
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I believe I have already done that. When I go into info about my phone, it says Sensation XE. It also registers as Sensation XE in the Google play store. I was thinking about telling Cricket to send me a new sim. Otherwise, I have no access to one at this time.
SuperGrant said:
I believe I have already done that. When I go into info about my phone, it says Sensation XE. It also registers as Sensation XE in the Google play store. I was thinking about telling Cricket to send me a new sim. Otherwise, I have no access to one at this time.
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I think that it would be your best bet, although your device is probably showing up on the play store as an XE because of its build.prop from your custom rom, not any advanced MID changes. although you can check by using the command
Code:
fastboot getvar all
this will show your your mid, cid and your imei among other things.
SuperGrant said:
I believe I have already done that. When I go into info about my phone, it says Sensation XE. It also registers as Sensation XE in the Google play store. I was thinking about telling Cricket to send me a new sim. Otherwise, I have no access to one at this time.
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I've worked it out! Its a frequency issue. Cricket apparently only support cdma frequency's, while the sensation only uses gsm frequency's. So in order to connect your phone is bunnying onto a local gsm service, which is then redirecting you to cricket. Hence the roaming! If you want off the data roaming you will need to either swap to a different phone carrier or buy a cdma phone
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
Hi heavy_metal_man,
Cricket did use CDMA for most of the time, but they have switched to GSM. They send a sim now and are trying to switch all of their old customers to GSM. What I am having trouble figuring out is what frequencies they use. Perhaps my phone is not quite compatible. I am having trouble with that as well. GSM arena, Phonescoop and the other major sites kind of have different data as far as my phone goes. My phone is called "HTC Sensation 4G" as far as I know. Yet, they list no 4g capability or frequencies. Of course, I believe that would only affect data and I still should not show as roaming.
I have been unable to figure out fastboot since switching to the viper rom. It doesn't use usb mass storage anymore. It uses the new system in which the whole phone is recognized as a storage device by the computer. Forgot what they called it. I wish they hadn't changed it, and apparently Windows 7 should recognize it by default, but it does not. I am sure if I get enough time to put into it I will figure out how to use the fastboot commands again.
I am ready to give up and just get a new phone pretty soon. Would be nice if Cricket's customer service wasn't so worthless. It could still be the IMEI or something on their end that I can do nothing about but they have failed to provide any solution.
SuperGrant said:
Hi heavy_metal_man,
Cricket did use CDMA for most of the time, but they have switched to GSM. They send a sim now and are trying to switch all of their old customers to GSM. What I am having trouble figuring out is what frequencies they use. Perhaps my phone is not quite compatible. I am having trouble with that as well. GSM arena, Phonescoop and the other major sites kind of have different data as far as my phone goes. My phone is called "HTC Sensation 4G" as far as I know. Yet, they list no 4g capability or frequencies. Of course, I believe that would only affect data and I still should not show as roaming.
I have been unable to figure out fastboot since switching to the viper rom. It doesn't use usb mass storage anymore. It uses the new system in which the whole phone is recognized as a storage device by the computer. Forgot what they called it. I wish they hadn't changed it, and apparently Windows 7 should recognize it by default, but it does not. I am sure if I get enough time to put into it I will figure out how to use the fastboot commands again.
I am ready to give up and just get a new phone pretty soon. Would be nice if Cricket's customer service wasn't so worthless. It could still be the IMEI or something on their end that I can do nothing about but they have failed to provide any solution.
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Sorry for my delayed reply, I noticed that cricket swapped out to gsm and I discovered that their gsm tech is actually supplied at&t as they bought them out.
So I looked at their coverage map for the area airfire operated and I noticed that they had 2 or 3 area that were only providing 3g support via a partner, so I assume that would put you into roaming. It might be worth a look at their map and confirm if you reside on one of these black areas ?
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