[Q] Any good no data plan required phones left? - General Questions and Answers

We are on the AT&T network, and all the dumb-phones (no-data-phones) really kinda stink that are available. We agreed not to add a data-plan for her. But she does want a new phone. It would be really lovely if one would just work in Wifi, but it seems that is also on At&t's radar.
What I really wanted to get her, was one that had a good camera, but I can't even find that. It is like they are trying to force people to have a data plan, by not making any newer model phones. What is available, is mostly older flip-phones. ..help?
Then on top of that. The data-plans start at $20. They used to have cheaper rates. We just don't want to add another $240/year

robertkjr3d said:
We are on the AT&T network, and all the dumb-phones (no-data-phones) really kinda stink that are available. We agreed not to add a data-plan for her. But she does want a new phone. It would be really lovely if one would just work in Wifi, but it seems that is also on At&t's radar.
What I really wanted to get her, was one that had a good camera, but I can't even find that. It is like they are trying to force people to have a data plan, by not making any newer model phones. What is available, is mostly older flip-phones. ..help?
Then on top of that. The data-plans start at $20. They used to have cheaper rates. We just don't want to add another $240/year
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Click to collapse
We changed our mind, and we are going to go with the data-plan. On the at&t forum site they were giving us some odd options of nokia asha phones from the UK, but nothing that had a decent camera, and still an upfront cost for something that isn't very feature rich.

Related

Will Nokia show a WP tomorrow?

Hope so...
Why not? SeaRay was already leaked so it should at least get a press release.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1197224
wont be in US so really doesnt matter to me. Sad faise
I just want to hear about a CDMA device that will work on Sprint. But I have a feeling that's not going to happen anytime soon.
tiny17 said:
I just want to hear about a CDMA device that will work on Sprint. But I have a feeling that's not going to happen anytime soon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm on Verizon, we'll be the last to hear of CDMA based devices...
DavidinCT said:
I'm on Verizon, we'll be the last to hear of CDMA based devices...
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Click to collapse
I seriously hate this. I have sprint and I am fed up with Android. And there is one wp7 available for sprint. Everyone says Mango, but where is the damn fruit already?
I don't want a small screen with a keyboard. If sprint doesn't get a better phone before/slightly after Christmas, I'm probably going to pick up the GSII.
The GSM carriers are loaded with various WP7 phones. Where is the love with CDMA?
Dj21o said:
I seriously hate this. I have sprint and I am fed up with Android. And there is one wp7 available for sprint. Everyone says Mango, but where is the damn fruit already?
I don't want a small screen with a keyboard. If sprint doesn't get a better phone before/slightly after Christmas, I'm probably going to pick up the GSII.
The GSM carriers are loaded with various WP7 phones. Where is the love with CDMA?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Trust me, I feel your pain, there is only one device with Verizon...and I waited for ever for the base WP7 device.
The problem is that GSM covers about 85-90% of the world, not just the US.
When a company makes a phone for the global market, it will make the GSM models first because that is where the money is. After the profits start slowing down from the GSM models, then will go towards a CDMA market because there will be more profits to make.
Unless your carrier (Sprint in your case or Verizon in my case) wants a big OEM (HTC, Nokia, etc) to create them a custom phone for their network (and WP7 is not big enough for Sprint or vzw yet), you have to wait till the offer models and that does not show up for a year later.
Look at all the old flip phones, Moto for example, the razor, GSM had it over a year before CDMA carriers did, same deal.
So, if you want new phones on their release, you need to be with a GSM carrier or just wait, like most CDMA users have to....
I'm dreaming of a LTE (Verizon 4G) based WP7 device with a 4" SuperLCD/Super AMOLED display, a QWERTY keyboard, front camera with a good 10-12mp rear camera, dual core CPU and better GPU (for newer games), very slim design and a 2-3 day(real world) battery without making the phone huge. Who ever makes it, I'll buy it...
but, I guess one could dream......
That's y I left Sprint because of the lack of cdma love. Never will make that mistake again. T mobile service sucks in my area wish I had my DVP on Sprint Sero. But I hope Nokia shows us something today.
Sent from my Venue Pro using XDA Windows Phone 7 App
solidkevin said:
Hope so...
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Click to collapse
What else would they show, they've made it clear that it's WP7 or burst, they better have one.
When are they debuting it. I've been looking on pocketnow and haven't seen anything
Sent from my Venue Pro using XDA Windows Phone 7 App
937dytboi said:
That's y I left Sprint because of the lack of cdma love.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, wish I could leave Sprint, but $40 a month for unlimited data, text, mobile to mobile, nights and weekends, free roaming, 500 anytime. . . well you get the idea. As much as it pains me to not have as many hardware options, I don't feel as much pain when it comes to bill time.
DavidinCT said:
Trust me, I feel your pain, there is only one device with Verizon...and I waited for ever for the base WP7 device.
The problem is that GSM covers about 85-90% of the world, not just the US.
When a company makes a phone for the global market, it will make the GSM models first because that is where the money is. After the profits start slowing down from the GSM models, then will go towards a CDMA market because there will be more profits to make.
Unless your carrier (Sprint in your case or Verizon in my case) wants a big OEM (HTC, Nokia, etc) to create them a custom phone for their network (and WP7 is not big enough for Sprint or vzw yet), you have to wait till the offer models and that does not show up for a year later.
Look at all the old flip phones, Moto for example, the razor, GSM had it over a year before CDMA carriers did, same deal.
So, if you want new phones on their release, you need to be with a GSM carrier or just wait, like most CDMA users have to....
I'm dreaming of a LTE (Verizon 4G) based WP7 device with a 4" SuperLCD/Super AMOLED display, a QWERTY keyboard, front camera with a good 10-12mp rear camera, dual core CPU and better GPU (for newer games), very slim design and a 2-3 day(real world) battery without making the phone huge. Who ever makes it, I'll buy it...
but, I guess one could dream......
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Click to collapse
I know this sucks lol. Do you think they will go towards CDMA this quarter or no? The phones are in high demand from what I've seen. People are just waiting.
I don't know, I might just go out and buy the arrive. Its just like the android shift, but with a tilting display and running WP7. I don't mind the 3.5" display, but coming from an EVO screen size, do you think that is too small or no?
Dj21o said:
I know this sucks lol. Do you think they will go towards CDMA this quarter or no? The phones are in high demand from what I've seen. People are just waiting. ?
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Click to collapse
No, unless Verizon/Sprint request(aka: Pay big $$$) for a custom phone, no, they wont rush out a model (Note: Carrier or MS, MS could request that CDMA phones are released on the same time).
Think about it, Sprint and Verizon are US companies only and on a global scale, CDMA accounts for around 10% but, I believe it's less. So Verizon and Sprint both combined would be about 4-6% of the worlds sold phones, if that. Even if everyone in Verizon and Sprint was requesting phones, would you as a company put all your effort to companies that account for less than 10% of your market ? I don't think so...
Dj21o said:
I don't know, I might just go out and buy the arrive. Its just like the android shift, but with a tilting display and running WP7. I don't mind the 3.5" display, but coming from an EVO screen size, do you think that is too small or no?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The 4.3" display ? Yea, it is a quite smaller and it might be too small for some people but, in the 3.5-3.8" is a good size for a phone that fits in your pocket.
Want my advice ? If you want WP7, pick up an Arrive off contract. You should be able to get one for under $300 (seen some used go on ebay for under $200 but, for the most part under $300, Just make sure you get one with a clean ESN). So if some new awsome model comes out for Sprint, you don't use up your 2 year contract and still can get a new phone.
That's what I did with my Trophy, still have a $100 credit towards a new phone and I'll hold it till there is a phone that I really want.
My Trophy is a nice phone and it will hold me out till then.....
tiny17 said:
Yeah, wish I could leave Sprint, but $40 a month for unlimited data, text, mobile to mobile, nights and weekends, free roaming, 500 anytime. . . well you get the idea. As much as it pains me to not have as many hardware options, I don't feel as much pain when it comes to bill time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same sero plan I was on. Didn't help that my tp2 was almost non functional either. But I sure do miss my sero plan. Sprint service is better in my area than Tmobile. And I sure wasn't going to wait for that Tp3. I was not at all impressed with It so i just went and got the dvp with no contract.
Sent from my Venue Pro using XDA Windows Phone 7 App
DavidinCT said:
No, unless Verizon/Sprint request(aka: Pay big $$$) for a custom phone, no, they wont rush out a model (Note: Carrier or MS, MS could request that CDMA phones are released on the same time).
Think about it, Sprint and Verizon are US companies only and on a global scale, CDMA accounts for around 10% but, I believe it's less. So Verizon and Sprint both combined would be about 4-6% of the worlds sold phones, if that. Even if everyone in Verizon and Sprint was requesting phones, would you as a company put all your effort to companies that account for less than 10% of your market ? I don't think so...
The 4.3" display ? Yea, it is a quite smaller and it might be too small for some people but, in the 3.5-3.8" is a good size for a phone that fits in your pocket.
Want my advice ? If you want WP7, pick up an Arrive off contract. You should be able to get one for under $300 (seen some used go on ebay for under $200 but, for the most part under $300, Just make sure you get one with a clean ESN). So if some new awsome model comes out for Sprint, you don't use up your 2 year contract and still can get a new phone.
That's what I did with my Trophy, still have a $100 credit towards a new phone and I'll hold it till there is a phone that I really want.
My Trophy is a nice phone and it will hold me out till then.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah that is a really good idea... CDMA phones are always last for everything. If I can pick one up for 200 or less, I'll just do that then. But hopefully one comes out by then.
If not, I guess I'll buy the GSII. Unless I can buy an unlocked trophy and use it on sprint? Is that possible? I don't really like physical keyboards.
The Arrive is a great phone - you will be happy with it, and the screen is big enough, especially since you have a nice keyboard.
But I imagine you are like me, and want a nice candybar form-factor, like the GSII. Hopefully Sprint will get one this holiday season, but until then, the Arrive is a very nice phone.
tiny17 said:
The Arrive is a great phone - you will be happy with it, and the screen is big enough, especially since you have a nice keyboard.
But I imagine you are like me, and want a nice candybar form-factor, like the GSII. Hopefully Sprint will get one this holiday season, but until then, the Arrive is a very nice phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I am going to wait. I for sure do not want any other Android other than the GSII. I personally wish the hardware was up to date with WP7, but what can you do. At least it has a nice HD display.
Probably will check it out again tomorrow. I'm ready for a phone to actually "work" without a hassel of "oh **** I forgot the flash that fix", or "my battery is draining, I need to kill more apps, change kernels, switch CPU settings, blah blah blah blah blah."
Why are Androids even called "smartphones"? They have more problems than a farmer trying to grow crops in the winter. Its just pointless lol. I never play games, I go on facebook, (can't even sync anything = battery dead), check emails, and Reddit time to time.
WP7 would be perfect for me lol.
So, what happened to the Aug. 17th announcement?
tiny17 said:
So, what happened to the Aug. 17th announcement?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
nothing at all ...

US - Switching carriers after 12 years, whats out there?

Hi All,
I'm debating tossing the towel in with Sprint, and am looking for what you guys are suggesting. First and foremost, I need Windows Phone, so right away AT&T is very attractive. But here's my delemia.
Currently, I have Sprint with the following plan.
1500 Anytime + Unlimited Data + Unlimited Messaging + Unlimited M2M + 3G/4G on 4 lines
Total $215 a month (and rising, this was originally $160 with my work discount a year ago)
Well, thier service has been horrid, data speeds are pathetic and I'm just wanting to give up with them.
So that pretty much leaves me with AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon.
Verizon = out of question, for my plan it's like 360 bucks.
AT&T = most likely, as I can align my package to what I use, plus get roll over and keep that M2M or (anymobile if you will) for relativly 180 bucks, BUT, the kicker.
With TMobile still having an unlimited data plan (ala capped), would you guys think it's worth the risk to sign up with tmobile and hope the plan carries through?
Also, I read alot about congestion on AT&T, and honestly, I can't imagine it's worse than Sprint. Sprint just friggen sucks really bad lately, data speeds are 10x slower than Dial Up.
Anyone else switch from Sprint to another carrier recently want to chime in? This is gonna cost me nearly $1200 so I want to make sure it's worth it.
Thanks!
I recommend us cellular. I have been with them for over 12 years and service has always been great. phone selection isn't always good because they are a small carrier but they have a lot of android phones and at least one windows phone.
Sent from my MIUI SCH-i500
why do you need a windows phone?
Why do people need iPhones?
Really though I have apps to support in marketplace.
so as someone that's been with t-mo for over 10 years now...yes is a good one and worth the risk...
there's still a good chance that att will buy them, but there's a lot of opposition and legal challenges coming up
I think you can clearly get a better deal...and since they don't have larger user bases, the network doesn't tend to be as saturated and they tend to try harder to keep their customers...once you learn the tricks during the every two year renegotiation....
I would suggest, you take as much time as you can to try out their service int eh first 15 days they give you, to see what their network coverage is like in your area, but where I am, it's more than adequet. and the nice thing about them, that I'm experienceing, is while I don't have a 4g phone, my speeds keep getting better as they improve the hspa network speeds, unlike LTE, which if you don't get an lte phone now, you won't get any better performance until you upgrade...
I've been with spring a long time ago, left att to go to t-mobile, and had a verizon work phone a year ago that I gave back...I'm still very happy with t-mo and will stick with them unless att buys them.

What is the difference with whole same name phones?

http://www.everbuying.com/Wholesale-Cell-Phones-b-22.html
Heres a little back story... my phone was stolen, I am with tmobile, I went into the store to replace the phone. Turned out since I had transferred from my contract to prepaid I still owed money on my contract so I wasnt covered with insurance, and they couldnt activate a new phone for me.
I called tmobile in the morning who helped straighten out my balance, but I didnt want to pay for a phone through air mail because I need the phone ASAP immediately. I had an HTC Amaze.
I went into the store where they told me they could still NOT activate me a phone, but they could add my new phone to my previous stolen phones pre paid plan. (its alot more complicated than this, but for the point of this threads sake...)
So basically if I bring in a phone they can activate my old plan and keep my old number. So I found this site http://www.everbuying.com/Wholesale-Cell-Phones-b-22.html but I do not know which phone is which because they are different names than the name brand phones.
I really really want the Galaxy S II from Samsung...or Nexus from Verizon... but which phone is close here? Which is worse? How can I find details of the best phone so I can get this situation straightened out, and get all of this horribke experience behind me?
Three words. Coun ter fit.
If not counterfeit, then if it looks too good to be true...........
85gallon said:
Three words. Coun ter fit.
If not counterfeit, then if it looks too good to be true...........
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://www.everbuying.com/product134739.html
http://www.everbuying.com/product111662.html
http://www.everbuying.com/product117369.html
These three are similar to the GSII Specs Hereut they all lack something. For one they are all 3G speeds. They wont let me buy the GSII at the store without paying full price so I am trying to find something close if not exact that is closer to my price range. They want $600 for the GSII at most I have like $400 and that is double what I prefer to pay...making payments is not a problem.
Here is something similar to the HTC Amaze but it has Android 4.0 on it. I was considering it but I really dont want the Amaze again...thats the one I just had that was stolen.
http://www.everbuying.com/product136232.html
Otherwise thanks for the feedback, I am getting my friend one of the cheap $40 iphones so I guess well find out how fake they are or real. + 1

[Q] Wanting to switch to the blaze questions

Hello all, and first off, let me say congratulations on getting official CM10 and CWM support!
Here's my story (and before anyone asks, I have searched the forums for an answer, but was unsuccessful with finding my specific questions): I am currently on AT&T (was Alltel before they were bought out) with an HTC Aria and my contract for a grandfathered plan was up long ago. It is time for me to upgrade to something a little more modern and I have settled on the Blaze because of its size (I'd like a GNex, but my hands are too small) and a number of reasons. But the biggest reason is that, as I understand, it has full compatibility with both AT&T and T-mobile's 3g (4g for t-mobile) and 2g/EDGE networks.
I don't really like AT&T as a company and I also really like the monthly 4g plans that t-mobile offers. My problem is that according to t-mobile's prepaid coverage map, I won't have data service for most of the area I travel back and forth in (upper midwest USA). And as much as I dislike AT&T, they have good 3g service almost everywhere I go. So, I'd like to be able to take my current sim card and switch it and a t-mobile sim at will while I test out both service providers.
Therefore, my questions are as follows:
1) Where is the best place to buy a blaze off contract? I'd like to get one on ebay because of the price (~$200 is what I have set aside for a new phone), but there aren't that many there, and even fewer that specifically say they are unlocked - which leads to question 2.
2) Can I unlock any phone that is not on a contract (basically anything I would buy used online)? I spoke with a rep from T-mobile and he seemed to indicate that I could only unlock a phone if I was the original purchaser of it and the plan (and account) to go with it. Therefore, according to him, I would have to make sure the phone I bought was already unlocked, otherwise there would be no chance of unlocking it in the future. I would think (possibly incorrectly) that as long as I have a t-mobile account (I plan on buying and activating the $30 monthly 4g plan as soon as I receive the device to compliment my current ATT service), they shouldn't have a problem with giving me the unlock code because they did not subsidize the phone. Could anyone clear this up?
3) There are a number of sites claiming to sell unlock codes for a myriad of devices. I would consider something like that if there was no other way to unlock a second hand phone, but only if I was sure it would work and the site was legit. Are any of these sites legitimate and have you had experience with any of them?
It would be considerably cheaper and easier to find a used device that isn't unlocked, but like I said, I'm not sure if that would bite me in the rear because there is a strong chance that I will stick with AT&T due to them having service where I travel. Thanks for taking the time to read this text wall, and I can't wait to join the Blaze community! Keep up the good work!
Goodbye_Alltel said:
Hello all, and first off, let me say congratulations on getting official CM10 and CWM support!
Here's my story (and before anyone asks, I have searched the forums for an answer, but was unsuccessful with finding my specific questions): I am currently on AT&T (was Alltel before they were bought out) with an HTC Aria and my contract for a grandfathered plan was up long ago. It is time for me to upgrade to something a little more modern and I have settled on the Blaze because of its size (I'd like a GNex, but my hands are too small) and a number of reasons. But the biggest reason is that, as I understand, it has full compatibility with both AT&T and T-mobile's 3g (4g for t-mobile) and 2g/EDGE networks.
I don't really like AT&T as a company and I also really like the monthly 4g plans that t-mobile offers. My problem is that according to t-mobile's prepaid coverage map, I won't have data service for most of the area I travel back and forth in (upper midwest USA). And as much as I dislike AT&T, they have good 3g service almost everywhere I go. So, I'd like to be able to take my current sim card and switch it and a t-mobile sim at will while I test out both service providers.
Therefore, my questions are as follows:
1) Where is the best place to buy a blaze off contract? I'd like to get one on ebay because of the price (~$200 is what I have set aside for a new phone), but there aren't that many there, and even fewer that specifically say they are unlocked - which leads to question 2.
2) Can I unlock any phone that is not on a contract (basically anything I would buy used online)? I spoke with a rep from T-mobile and he seemed to indicate that I could only unlock a phone if I was the original purchaser of it and the plan (and account) to go with it. Therefore, according to him, I would have to make sure the phone I bought was already unlocked, otherwise there would be no chance of unlocking it in the future. I would think (possibly incorrectly) that as long as I have a t-mobile account (I plan on buying and activating the $30 monthly 4g plan as soon as I receive the device to compliment my current ATT service), they shouldn't have a problem with giving me the unlock code because they did not subsidize the phone. Could anyone clear this up?
3) There are a number of sites claiming to sell unlock codes for a myriad of devices. I would consider something like that if there was no other way to unlock a second hand phone, but only if I was sure it would work and the site was legit. Are any of these sites legitimate and have you had experience with any of them?
It would be considerably cheaper and easier to find a used device that isn't unlocked, but like I said, I'm not sure if that would bite me in the rear because there is a strong chance that I will stick with AT&T due to them having service where I travel. Thanks for taking the time to read this text wall, and I can't wait to join the Blaze community! Keep up the good work!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1.) Good luck. Not many people are willing to sell their blaze, especially after the past couple weeks three weeks ago you could have had a lot of takers ebay would be your best bet
2.) Tmobile rep led to you like they're supposed to. anybody can request an unlock code for their phone. Naturally if you're on their plan, they'll verify that you are the owner of the account, but still. That being said, just because you can ask doesn't mean they'll give out. If you had a plan (not prepaid) for a year or two in good standings with no late payments and said you were going out of the country for a couple months and want to use your phone on a foreign gsm network, they'd bee more inclined. As a brand new prepaid customer, good luck. Best of buying it unlocked or getting the unlock code elsewhere.
3.) I've had success and failure here. Most places are what they say, but some won't deliver. Always do research. Google that site or business to see if anybody has complained. And use paypal when you can, you could always claim you didn't get the service you paid for. Same goes with ebay buyer protection.
that chapter book out of the way, always always always research as much as you can. For all you know, I could be lying through my teeth right now
Sent from my CM10 powered Galaxy S Blaze 4G
jparnell8839 said:
1.) Good luck. Not many people are willing to sell their blaze, especially after the past couple weeks three weeks ago you could have had a lot of takers ebay would be your best bet
2.) Tmobile rep led to you like they're supposed to. anybody can request an unlock code for their phone. Naturally if you're on their plan, they'll verify that you are the owner of the account, but still. That being said, just because you can ask doesn't mean they'll give out. If you had a plan (not prepaid) for a year or two in good standings with no late payments and said you were going out of the country for a couple months and want to use your phone on a foreign gsm network, they'd bee more inclined. As a brand new prepaid customer, good luck. Best of buying it unlocked or getting the unlock code elsewhere.
3.) I've had success and failure here. Most places are what they say, but some won't deliver. Always do research. Google that site or business to see if anybody has complained. And use paypal when you can, you could always claim you didn't get the service you paid for. Same goes with ebay buyer protection.
that chapter book out of the way, always always always research as much as you can. For all you know, I could be lying through my teeth right now
Sent from my CM10 powered Galaxy S Blaze 4G
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the advice. I would also consider buying one brand new from t-mobile if I knew I could unlock it right away. Do you think they would unlock a prepaid blaze if I bought it brand new and at full price from them through this link? http://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/prepaid-phone/Samsung-Galaxy-S-Blaze-4G-No-Annual-Contract
Otherwise I'll be sure to buy one unlocked off ebay, as it seems that most unlock codes are $25 to $50, which would negate pretty much any cost savings by buying one off ebay that wasn't unlocked.
Code:
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Goodbye_Alltel said:
Thanks for the advice. I would also consider buying one brand new from t-mobile if I knew I could unlock it right away. Do you think they would unlock a prepaid blaze if I bought it brand new and at full price from them through this link? http://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/prepaid-phone/Samsung-Galaxy-S-Blaze-4G-No-Annual-Contract
Otherwise I'll be sure to buy one unlocked off ebay, as it seems that most unlock codes are $25 to $50, which would negate pretty much any cost savings by buying one off ebay that wasn't unlocked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Like the other reply. If you bought it from t mobile and said you had to go out of county for work. And would appreciate the unlock code to use other GSM networks. While away. They get commission, so if unlock is the deal breaker, they'll prob give it to you. Or if you ask enough pple. Nicely I'm sure someones bound to give it to you.
I don't recall an unlock code thread here on xda
I've been with t mobile for 12 years if I happen to stop at a t mobile (which I plan too) ill ask for code
Goodbye_Alltel said:
Hello all, and first off, let me say congratulations on getting official CM10 and CWM support!
Here's my story (and before anyone asks, I have searched the forums for an answer, but was unsuccessful with finding my specific questions): I am currently on AT&T (was Alltel before they were bought out) with an HTC Aria and my contract for a grandfathered plan was up long ago. It is time for me to upgrade to something a little more modern and I have settled on the Blaze because of its size (I'd like a GNex, but my hands are too small) and a number of reasons. But the biggest reason is that, as I understand, it has full compatibility with both AT&T and T-mobile's 3g (4g for t-mobile) and 2g/EDGE networks.
I don't really like AT&T as a company and I also really like the monthly 4g plans that t-mobile offers. My problem is that according to t-mobile's prepaid coverage map, I won't have data service for most of the area I travel back and forth in (upper midwest USA). And as much as I dislike AT&T, they have good 3g service almost everywhere I go. So, I'd like to be able to take my current sim card and switch it and a t-mobile sim at will while I test out both service providers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you considered a carrier like StraightTalk? StraightTalk is a MVNO which resells both T-Mobile AND AT&T service. You can specify what kind of SIM you want when you order it online. Their service prices are pretty good, and in theory their network is basically either AT&T or T-Mo depending on which one you pick.
I've seen mixed reviews on their service and whether or not they'd throttle you on excessive service... some great, some bad, so it'd be caveat emptor, but if your usage pattern doesn't change, you'll likely be fine. Either way, it's up to you to do your own research (as someone else mentioned).
Goodbye_Alltel said:
Therefore, my questions are as follows:
1) Where is the best place to buy a blaze off contract? I'd like to get one on ebay because of the price (~$200 is what I have set aside for a new phone), but there aren't that many there, and even fewer that specifically say they are unlocked - which leads to question 2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I like eBay. Craigslist can be a little scary because the phone may or may not be stolen. T-Mobile and AT&T have already started disabling phones by their IMEI that have been reported stolen by the user or by the insurance. Soon they'll also start sharing that database, so the phone won't work anywhere in North America if that's the case. There are plenty of scams when it comes to craigslist where a "brand new phone" is purchased and then suddenly reported stolen because it was noticed missing from a back room.
This was my biggest fear in buying my S3. On eBay you get to see things like ratings on the sellers so you can find someone trustworthy, like I did Also, make sure to exercise common sense. If something's too good to be true, it very well may be.
Goodbye_Alltel said:
2) Can I unlock any phone that is not on a contract (basically anything I would buy used online)? I spoke with a rep from T-mobile and he seemed to indicate that I could only unlock a phone if I was the original purchaser of it and the plan (and account) to go with it. Therefore, according to him, I would have to make sure the phone I bought was already unlocked, otherwise there would be no chance of unlocking it in the future. I would think (possibly incorrectly) that as long as I have a t-mobile account (I plan on buying and activating the $30 monthly 4g plan as soon as I receive the device to compliment my current ATT service), they shouldn't have a problem with giving me the unlock code because they did not subsidize the phone. Could anyone clear this up?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can unlock any phone you buy, legal or otherwise. T-Mobile has never cared if I was the original purchaser or not, and they shouldn't. They'll only care if it's an original T-Mobile phone or not. T-Mobile will give you an unlock code for a phone as long as you've had 90 days of uninterrupted service. On prepaid they want you to have 60 days (I think) with enough of a balance in your account to pay for another month's service. Not sure about the prepaid requirements, but you can look those up online.
Also, if you just wanna test service, I wouldn't do the monthly 4g $30, I'd do a daily. $3/day gets you relatively unlimited access, and you only need a few days worth to make a decision. Plus, you likely wanna switch to one of the better all-you-can-eat plans, and wouldn't want to be stuck for a month with the cheaper plan. It isn't easy to switch until the month is up.
Goodbye_Alltel said:
3) There are a number of sites claiming to sell unlock codes for a myriad of devices. I would consider something like that if there was no other way to unlock a second hand phone, but only if I was sure it would work and the site was legit. Are any of these sites legitimate and have you had experience with any of them?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've had good luck purchasing codes from eBay. Never had them not work. But with everything eBay, make sure you're using someone reputable.
Goodbye_Alltel said:
It would be considerably cheaper and easier to find a used device that isn't unlocked, but like I said, I'm not sure if that would bite me in the rear because there is a strong chance that I will stick with AT&T due to them having service where I travel. Thanks for taking the time to read this text wall, and I can't wait to join the Blaze community! Keep up the good work!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If it's cheaper to find it locked, then just get it locked and buy an unlock code later. If you aren't going to use AT&T service, then you don't need to SIM unlock the phone anyways. The phone will automatically work on t-mobile, unlocked or not. Finding a good carrier is difficult, I know.
If you decide to try straight talk, you could probably go with a T-Mobile SIM that wouldn't require unlocking the phone. If you find the service lacking, you could switch to an AT&T sim and then deal with unlocking the phone.
Hope this helps.
Good point about Straight Talk. I didn't mention it in my original post, but that was my third option for service. As for getting an unlocked device, I'll probably have to buy one whether it's locked or not pretty soon, after seeing how much activity has been going on here lately, lol. Ebay again seems to be the cheapest route for getting an unlock code, and I'll have their buyer protection and Paypal in case the code does not work. (I will first, of course, call and/or online request t-mobile for an unlock after I get my T-mo account setup. Maybe I'll get lucky about unlocking before their traditional 60 days of prepaid service - if not, off to ebay it is cause I need to get my current ATT sim + number on it asap)
As for ebay codes, I've seen some cheap services that promise to unlock a phone by setting up some software on my computer and plugging the phone into the computer. They then do the unlock online. They are a lot cheaper than the regular "give us carrier and IMEI and we email code" services also found on ebay and the like. Can I trust this unknown software to be running on my computer and hacking into my phone?
I have not seen or heard of T-mobile's daily plans (like the $3/day you mention). Could you provide a link to where I can find more info on these plans? Also, if you think the $30/monthly unlimited text, data, and 100 minutes plan isn't that great, what plan(s) would you recommend? I am certainly never going to sign another contract, so prepaid or monthly is the only long term option if I decide to kill my grandfathered AT&T data plan (which is looking less likely as I know that I can expect good service where I go). I'm thinking you may be pointing me to one of their plans that allows data roaming on T-mobile affiliates? Because their post-paid data map looks a lot better, even comparable to AT&T.
If it's a T-Mobile phone and you have T-Mobile as your carrier, you can call customer care and tell them you just got service with them and are going overseas and need it unlocked so you can use a foreign sim card in it. Thay usually works well.
If not, ask to speak to a supervisor. When transferred, ask the person if they are a supervisor or just an escalation rep. If they are not a supervisor, ask them if they can help you still.
If they won't, ask to speak to an actual supervisor and try again. If all else fails, you do have a window of time to cancel, so you can always tell them you are thinking of canceling and they will probably transfer you to a retention rep. That one's a gamble since you're bluffing.
If retention won't help, hang up in the middle of a sentence and call back. Chances are, you will get a different call center and you can say you got disconnected and try the process again.
That gives you up to 6 potential reps who can help... and they can. I was customer care for a couple years and then in corporate engineering for several years. They are flexible, you just have to play the game.
Probably not the answer you want, but it's what you will have to do to get it unlocked quickly
Goodbye_Alltel said:
Good point about Straight Talk. I didn't mention it in my original post, but that was my third option for service. As for getting an unlocked device, I'll probably have to buy one whether it's locked or not pretty soon, after seeing how much activity has been going on here lately, lol. Ebay again seems to be the cheapest route for getting an unlock code, and I'll have their buyer protection and Paypal in case the code does not work. (I will first, of course, call and/or online request t-mobile for an unlock after I get my T-mo account setup. Maybe I'll get lucky about unlocking before their traditional 60 days of prepaid service - if not, off to ebay it is cause I need to get my current ATT sim + number on it asap)
As for ebay codes, I've seen some cheap services that promise to unlock a phone by setting up some software on my computer and plugging the phone into the computer. They then do the unlock online. They are a lot cheaper than the regular "give us carrier and IMEI and we email code" services also found on ebay and the like. Can I trust this unknown software to be running on my computer and hacking into my phone?
I have not seen or heard of T-mobile's daily plans (like the $3/day you mention). Could you provide a link to where I can find more info on these plans? Also, if you think the $30/monthly unlimited text, data, and 100 minutes plan isn't that great, what plan(s) would you recommend? I am certainly never going to sign another contract, so prepaid or monthly is the only long term option if I decide to kill my grandfathered AT&T data plan (which is looking less likely as I know that I can expect good service where I go). I'm thinking you may be pointing me to one of their plans that allows data roaming on T-mobile affiliates? Because their post-paid data map looks a lot better, even comparable to AT&T.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have always stayed away from anything that requires a cable. If they can't get you a code based on your IMEI, I don't bother. I used one of those once and I don't remember if it ever worked or not.
The daily plans don't seem to be well advertised on the site. I found them this time around by going to the "no annual contract plans" and then scrolling down to the bottom for daily and other services. Check it out here. I believe their prepaid coverage map hasn't been updated in ages on the site. Supposedly their prepaid coverage map is about 98-99% like their postpaid one. The main difference between the two is that prepaid doesn't allow you to do conditional call forwarding. This is necessary if you want to use another service for voice mail instead of T-Mobile's crappy voicemail.
When I signed up for Tmo they gave me 30 days to confirm if I wanted the contract. You can get a plan and if you dont like it you can just return it before the first 30 days are up and only pay for the minutes you used. This was a big deal for me as I cam from ATT like you, but needed to knwo how well the Tmo service was. I would suggest getting the unlimited everything for $60 a month. Tmo I must say has pretty good customer service. I have had a few problems with them but all it takes is a little social engineering on the phone (saying sprint/whoever will pay your ETF) and you can get some pretty good stuff
I got $10 knocked off my bill for the duration (18months or so) off my bill for an overcharge I got. I also got two free blazes 2 months before my contract was up for free as well. Plus, when/if they are bought out there is a good chance contracts will be altered/changed allowing you to get out of your contract early
Thanks for all the advice, guys. I feel like I have all the knowledge I need to go ahead with my plans. Now I just have to play the waiting game for the "right" one to pop up on Ebay. I will report back to this thread when I receive my blaze and whether I was successful with unlocking it, and any first impressions.
On a side note, does anyone know if the new 64 GB microSDXC cards are supported by the blaze? I just know that I'm gonna feel the pinch of 32 GB eventually, lol. (I already had to be picky and choosy about what was on my 16 GB card before it died)
dispozable said:
When I signed up for Tmo they gave me 30 days to confirm if I wanted the contract. You can get a plan and if you dont like it you can just return it before the first 30 days are up and only pay for the minutes you used. This was a big deal for me as I cam from ATT like you, but needed to knwo how well the Tmo service was. I would suggest getting the unlimited everything for $60 a month. Tmo I must say has pretty good customer service. I have had a few problems with them but all it takes is a little social engineering on the phone (saying sprint/whoever will pay your ETF) and you can get some pretty good stuff
I got $10 knocked off my bill for the duration (18months or so) off my bill for an overcharge I got. I also got two free blazes 2 months before my contract was up for free as well. Plus, when/if they are bought out there is a good chance contracts will be altered/changed allowing you to get out of your contract early
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
when I had tmo a couple years ago it was 30 days. I just signed up early september, its down to 7 days :/
Goodbye_Alltel said:
Thanks for all the advice, guys. I feel like I have all the knowledge I need to go ahead with my plans. Now I just have to play the waiting game for the "right" one to pop up on Ebay. I will report back to this thread when I receive my blaze and whether I was successful with unlocking it, and any first impressions.
On a side note, does anyone know if the new 64 GB microSDXC cards are supported by the blaze? I just know that I'm gonna feel the pinch of 32 GB eventually, lol. (I already had to be picky and choosy about what was on my 16 GB card before it died)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
nope. there's not many devices out there that support SDXC yet. As time goes on, it'll gain more popularity, but lets face it, as awesome as it is, the blaze is only a mid range device. I wouldnt trade it for any other phone out there, i love my blaze, but still.
jparnell8839 said:
when I had tmo a couple years ago it was 30 days. I just signed up early september, its down to 7 days :/
nope. there's not many devices out there that support SDXC yet. As time goes on, it'll gain more popularity, but lets face it, as awesome as it is, the blaze is only a mid range device. I wouldnt trade it for any other phone out there, i love my blaze, but still.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, that's mildly disappointing, but it doesn't affect my decision making about the phone. I'll have to somehow get by with only 32GB of storage. Speaking of which, how close is a solution to the camera only being able to save to the paltry internal storage? I do like to take lots of pictures with my phone, so this is obviously something I would hope to find a solution to.
Goodbye_Alltel said:
Well, that's mildly disappointing, but it doesn't affect my decision making about the phone. I'll have to somehow get by with only 32GB of storage. Speaking of which, how close is a solution to the camera only being able to save to the paltry internal storage? I do like to take lots of pictures with my phone, so this is obviously something I would hope to find a solution to.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can do that with cm9. Idk why cm10 doesn't have it :/
Sent from my CM10 powered Galaxy S Blaze 4G
jparnell8839 said:
You can do that with cm9. Idk why cm10 doesn't have it :/
Sent from my CM10 powered Galaxy S Blaze 4G
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah. In a sense, CM9 has a bunch more features. When CM10 started, they basically started from scratch, and the focus was on project butter and some other things. Then they had to start forward porting their CM9 additions into CM10. There are a bunch of things in CM10 now that weren't there just a week or two ago. I think the camera thing will come, just like other features. It seems like the features are starting to come quicker too.
Keep an eye on the changelog. It lists the changes with each release
Goodbye_Alltel said:
On a side note, does anyone know if the new 64 GB microSDXC cards are supported by the blaze? I just know that I'm gonna feel the pinch of 32 GB eventually, lol. (I already had to be picky and choosy about what was on my 16 GB card before it died)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bought a 64gig card off Newegg about 3 months ago and it's been working just fine in this phone. In fact, what I read online indicated that just about every "recent" Android phone had no problems reading them at all.
So hey, ther'es that.
And yeah, having 64gigs is nice, especially since this phone has such small amount of user storage on the phone.
Cirkustanz said:
I bought a 64gig card off Newegg about 3 months ago and it's been working just fine in this phone. In fact, what I read online indicated that just about every "recent" Android phone had no problems reading them at all.
So hey, ther'es that.
And yeah, having 64gigs is nice, especially since this phone has such small amount of user storage on the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is it standard sd or sdxc? I read the specs said it doesn't support it :/ but, trial and error trumps all I suppose
Sent from my CM10 powered Galaxy S Blaze 4G
jparnell8839 said:
Is it standard sd or sdxc? I read the specs said it doesn't support it :/ but, trial and error trumps all I suppose
Sent from my CM10 powered Galaxy S Blaze 4G
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
all 64gb microsd are categorized as sdxc, and most of recent android phones do work with them.
I just switched to T-Mobile and got 3 Blaze phones. They should arrive today. I only took them because they were free, and I didn't want to pay for GS3's. I'll be selling one right away after the Note 2 is released. If your still looking for one in a couple weeks, lemme know.
Rob the plumber said:
I just switched to T-Mobile and got 3 Blaze phones. They should arrive today. I only took them because they were free, and I didn't want to pay for GS3's. I'll be selling one right away after the Note 2 is released. If your still looking for one in a couple weeks, lemme know.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dude, can I ask a HUGE favor? can you not root them immediately?
I'm trying to help the dude that's been helping me with the CM access. He wants to get a copy of a partition in a virgin state (ie... not rooted or modified at all). He's trying to find a way to reset the flash counter. I'm trying to assemble a stock ROM that will be pre-rooted and won't trigger the counter.
If you can avoid rooting 1 (or better yet, 2 in case more testing necessary), I'd really appreciate it. And it'll help the community in the end
I won't root them. What do you need?
Sent from my SGH-T769 using Tapatalk 2

Old guy buying technology needs help finding phone.

I know this is will more than likely be wide open to opinion but I am gonna give it a try. I have rooted and messed around with several phones in the past so I am kinda hip on things but it has been a long time and seems as though now I am light years behind the times so here I am seeking opinions on my possible next phone.
What I was "rocking" a Motarola M XT907 fully rooted w/custom rom. Seems like I had my old friend since I was a lad but now it has given up the ghost and put to pasture. So now I have a temp XT907 NON rooted, fully updated, all stock and has a cracked camera lens. I searched and found it might still be able to be rooted but may involve spending money (not sure on all this). So if I am going to spend any $$ on a phone I thought I would go for a different one unless I can get this thing to my needs. So here are my needs 1.) Must be usable with Verizon, 2) able to have free (non subscription) wireless tethering capabilities.
That's pretty much it for necessities. If this one can still be made to do that great, if not or not feasible to do so what would be the best phone to get to be able to do this. Also I don't want a HUGE phone but a little bigger would be fine. Also buying outright so not to give up any data plan so cheapest way to go would be a huge +.
Thanks all and remember to be kind
Your Criteria of Size does tend to reduce the options. But I guess you know that already.
First Criteria, being able to work with VZW. That's pretty easy, especially considering you are going to buy it outright. What you are looking at is a phone that is marketed as for Verizon network. Or is "Unlocked". Just so we get the terms right, a unlocked phone represents a device that was originally meant for a different carrier but can now be under on Any Carrier. Some phones are Factory Unlocked by the Manufacturer. That means the same thing. Phones sold for Verizon Network are "Locked" to that Carrier and will only work with that Carrier's active account. Now Verizon has some attractive offers, you might want to consider those too.
As to your Other criteria of Tether, depending on which phone you are getting, the phone will have Out of Box tether capability. Now, I personally do not have experience on Verizon Network, but with other Carriers, you do get Tether enabled out out box. Only thing is, it costs extra per month. However If you are willing to Root, whatever phone you choose, you can add Tether Capability without monthly charges.
So that brings us to main question, which phone ? Your current Droid Razr is 4.82 x 2.40 x 0.33 in. The phones relatively similar sized and come to mind in no particular order are
Nexus 5 - All time favorite phone with several people, especially since its a Nexus. It comes factory unlocked and is pretty versatile. Released in 2013, its not the latest either but is only slightly bigger.
HTC One M9 - Released in April 2015, this is pretty newish phone. I am not that familiar with it, to say for a fact if it offers Tether. You might want to ask that question here if you wish. It too has people who swear by it.
Samsung Galaxy S4 - Its a 2012 phone, not the very latest but extremely rugged and decent jump from your Razr. The Galaxy s4 or s5 are better options but are larger sized. Also there's potential trouble of not being able to Root later versions of Samsung Phones. So trade carefully. If in doubt ask.
There are several other phones that come to my mind. however, they don't fit into either criteria so Skipping them for now.
You might be able to browse these phones either in BestBuy or elsewhere. All of phones mentioned above can be obtained on ebay or amazon. Should you choose to go with a preowned one, you can consider our sister site swappa.com
As you said, each person has a different opinion and you will get a plethora of opinions. the above is my 2 cents.
Perseus said:
Your Criteria of Size does tend to reduce the options. But I guess you know that already.
First Criteria, being able to work with VZW. That's pretty easy, especially considering you are going to buy it outright. What you are looking at is a phone that is marketed as for Verizon network. Or is "Unlocked". Just so we get the terms right, a unlocked phone represents a device that was originally meant for a different carrier but can now be under on Any Carrier. Some phones are Factory Unlocked by the Manufacturer. That means the same thing. Phones sold for Verizon Network are "Locked" to that Carrier and will only work with that Carrier's active account. Now Verizon has some attractive offers, you might want to consider those too.
As to your Other criteria of Tether, depending on which phone you are getting, the phone will have Out of Box tether capability. Now, I personally do not have experience on Verizon Network, but with other Carriers, you do get Tether enabled out out box. Only thing is, it costs extra per month. However If you are willing to Root, whatever phone you choose, you can add Tether Capability without monthly charges.
So that brings us to main question, which phone ? Your current Droid Razr is 4.82 x 2.40 x 0.33 in. The phones relatively similar sized and come to mind in no particular order are
Nexus 5 - All time favorite phone with several people, especially since its a Nexus. It comes factory unlocked and is pretty versatile. Released in 2013, its not the latest either but is only slightly bigger.
HTC One M9 - Released in April 2015, this is pretty newish phone. I am not that familiar with it, to say for a fact if it offers Tether. You might want to ask that question here if you wish. It too has people who swear by it.
Samsung Galaxy S4 - Its a 2012 phone, not the very latest but extremely rugged and decent jump from your Razr. The Galaxy s4 or s5 are better options but are larger sized. Also there's potential trouble of not being able to Root later versions of Samsung Phones. So trade carefully. If in doubt ask.
There are several other phones that come to my mind. however, they don't fit into either criteria so Skipping them for now.
You might be able to browse these phones either in BestBuy or elsewhere. All of phones mentioned above can be obtained on ebay or amazon. Should you choose to go with a preowned one, you can consider our sister site swappa.com
As you said, each person has a different opinion and you will get a plethora of opinions. the above is my 2 cents.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Appreciate the reply, Used is not a problem. I'm not afraid to root and I guess that's why I came here some phones have a lot more options, (rom's , tether work arounds) or in general more dev interest than others. About the only two things I do on a phone these days are use it for home internet service (unlimited data with no tethering service plan) and talking to my friend google. Looks like the M9 may be a fit. Thanks again.
malloneem said:
Appreciate the reply, Used is not a problem. I'm not afraid to root and I guess that's why I came here some phones have a lot more options, (rom's , tether work arounds) or in general more dev interest than others. About the only two things I do on a phone these days are use it for home internet service (unlimited data with no tethering service plan) and talking to my friend google. Looks like the M9 may be a fit. Thanks again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you are talking about Developer interest and Rom choices, I think any of the Nexus would be your better bet. As to the M9, there are 8 LP Roms and 6 MM roms that I see over here. Seems like Decent Choice to me. Wish you well.

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