Database Users

Getting started: where/what to buy?

I just found xda-developers.com, I'm really impressed with this site. The Qtek-2020 looks like everything I want (phone, web, email etc) so I'm ready to buy! However, I havn't even owned a mobile phone before so I would really appreciate any advice/opinions to help me choose the right model and network. I just spent a couple of hours searching this site but couldn't find the answers, so if its ok - below are some questions I need help with:
BEGINNER QUESTIONS:
1.) Which type should I buy?
MDA, Qtek, XDA... Does it matter? Me feeling is to go for the Qtek because it comes unlocked.
2.) Where to buy?
Should I buy from a shop or online? I just discovered the Qtek-2020 in Tottenham Court Road (London UK). It seems like a good place to buy one, or is there a good website I should buy from?
3.) Which GSM Provider to use?
The guy in the shop said Qtek-2020 comes unlocked so I can choose a network. O2, Orange, T-mobile, Virgin, Vodaphone.... Which Network is good for price? And which Network is good for travel? e.g. if I travel to Europe or India.
4.) What kind of bandwith speed can I expect from an XDA/Qtek/MDA? I've heard anything from 12k to 120k. Mostly I want to check emails on a web based mail service I use. (I get like 100 emails a day.)

1) It doesnt matter, the xda will be easier to get hold of in the UK.. and it can be unlocked easily.
2) wherevers cheapest
3) DONT use o2, they charge 2.33 PER MB.. so checking emails can get very expensive.

Thanks Ryanmt
Which GSM Provider has the best prices per KB of download?

im not sure, it depends on the tarrif etc. Your best off going into carphone warehouse etc.

From this board as far as I can tell (correct me if I'm wrong) my choice is:
- O2
- T-Mobile
- Vodaphone
- Orange
and thats it?
If so I guess I just need to ask all of the above what they charge per MB.
Does anyone have this info to hand to post here

My shipment is Missed! your advice please

Gentlemen,
I need your advice.
I purchased HTC Touch HD ,more than one, devices with some accessories from (www. . . . . .co.uk) website last Wed 17-Dec-2008 and it was shipped through a well known courier company. It was expected to be delivered on Dec20.
I followed up with the two parties.
Conclusion: the shipment is confirmed to be missed (lost) and can not be traced.
The sender company representative emailed me today that I should wait until all parties' offices open after Xmas leave and until that they can not assist me.
I live outside UK.
1-What should I do?
2-What compensation I'm entitled to claim?
Your advice please.
Thank you.

aiamb1 said:
Gentlemen,
I need your advice.
I purchased HTC Touch HD ,more than one, devices with some accessories from www.company.co.uk website last Wed 17-Dec-2008 and it was shipped through a well known courier company. It was expected to be delivered on Dec20.
I followed up with the two parties.
Conclusion: the shipment is confirmed to be missed and can not be traced.
The sender company representative emailed me today that I should wait until all parties' offices open after Xmas leave and until that they can not assist me.
I live outside UK.
1-What should I do?
2-What compensation I'm entitled to claim?
Your advice please.
Thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that website don't work for me????????
and i live in the u.k
i get lead to this http://www.hearstdigital.co.uk/ .....well this is where i get to after a bit of reading.....all seams strange to me....how did you pay....
please don't say western union
i hope brought it on a credit card
how much was each phone? if way cheaper than normal....the alarm bells should have been ringing....very loud!

The forum editor changed my writing to a hyperlink.
I have updated my first post.
I prefer not to announce the company name until the matter is closed negatively with them.
FYI, I paid through google check out service.

The company is one of the official listed retail stores in HTC webite:
http://www.htc.com/uk/where_to_buy.aspx

google the company and see if they have any problems in the past.....
with out naming them....i can't help you.....sorry and good luck

Hello,
I am looking to purchase the Touch HD asap. I found a UK seller called Electronics system (Dave Peter) but his price is very low at $330 shipped to Los Angeles. Just emailed him now, to see if he can take credit cards through a PayPal type service. Are there any places you would recommend to purchase from?
Thanks!
Ashton

AshMa said:
I am looking to purchase the Touch HD asap. I found a UK seller called Electronics system (Dave Peter) but his price is very low at $330 shipped to Los Angeles. Just emailed him now, to see if he can take credit cards through a PayPal type service. Are there any places you would recommend to purchase from?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've had very good experience with clove.co.uk.
The $330 price is suspiciously low - significantly lower than what I've paid for with 2 year contract

I bet it was those horrid people at DHL or BusinessPost.

Thanks DigiMagic, I now agree. But with all the pain issues, I've been reading about here, I think I may hold off on a purchase.

Any Advice gentelmen?

so to the OP you live in the U.S.? where did u order from? if need be PM me, i just ordered from a website this past weekend and want to make sure i didn't order from the one you did

Not available in your country - workarounds?

I know many people outside of the chosen few countries want to get their hands on this latest android offering from the G-mothership. Down here in New Zealand we have the network through Vodafone to use the phone, but what I'm wondering is the following...
Is there a technical reason why the phone want work in countries outside the current lucky ones?
Does the online Activation require you to be in one of those countries, or limited to those countries? Or is activation optional?
Can anyone think of any other reasons or workarounds?
I'm planning to get the phone through the UK and send it back to NZ. All I really need to know is that I'm not shipping a $800NZ "superphone" paper weight.
Any help appreciated, I know other people will find this info useful in other countries.
Currently using a HTC Touch Diamond 2 that I got shipped from Hong Kong and its been working fine. Hoping the same applies to the Nexus One

Hey I live in New Zealand also. Currently I am waiting for my nexus one to be shipped from California to Auckland, there's more details at geekzone.co.nz under Android

Sweet as, good to hear someone else is trying.

You can use a reship service like shipitto or demail
http://demailbox.com/
demail is probably the best because they're based in delaware which doesnt add tax. Also I think shipping to the US is free when you order a nexus.
So you would pay demailbox a fee for handling your package and providing a 'virtual' US address in delaware, and the shipping from there to your country.
You would pay google just for the phone and free shipping to the virtual US mailbox.
Then you'd pay tax/duty when it enters your own country. Really the only extra here is the demailbox fee, as you'd have to pay the rest even if google shiped to you.

mtyp said:
I know many people outside of the chosen few countries want to get their hands on this latest android offering from the G-mothership. Down here in New Zealand we have the network through Vodafone to use the phone, but what I'm wondering is the following...
Is there a technical reason why the phone want work in countries outside the current lucky ones?
Does the online Activation require you to be in one of those countries, or limited to those countries? Or is activation optional?
Can anyone think of any other reasons or workarounds?
I'm planning to get the phone through the UK and send it back to NZ. All I really need to know is that I'm not shipping a $800NZ "superphone" paper weight.
Any help appreciated, I know other people will find this info useful in other countries.
Currently using a HTC Touch Diamond 2 that I got shipped from Hong Kong and its been working fine. Hoping the same applies to the Nexus One
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had no clue it was region locked =/ or am i understanding this wrong. I thought they were just selling it in those countries but not just enabling them in those countries. I'm also waiting on mine

babijoee which country are you in?

There's no region lock, but you need to look at the frequencies that are supported.
Its also unclear if the phone is linked to the google checkout account it was bought from for activation.

I went through the standard prompts on the N1 and didn't see anything about a specific "registration".. I imagine I could have used any of my Gmail accounts to setup the device. The word "registration" never came up.

We were unable to find any Nexus One phones to activate.
If you purchased your phone as an upgrade, you should transfer your SIM card from your old T-Mobile phone to your Nexus One. Only ported phone numbers require activation. Contact T-Mobile Customer Care with further questions.

Ahh that makes sense So activation isnt an issue

kam187 said:
You can use a reship service like shipitto or demail
http://demailbox.com/
demail is probably the best because they're based in delaware which doesnt add tax. Also I think shipping to the US is free when you order a nexus.
So you would pay demailbox a fee for handling your package and providing a 'virtual' US address in delaware, and the shipping from there to your country.
You would pay google just for the phone and free shipping to the virtual US mailbox.
Then you'd pay tax/duty when it enters your own country. Really the only extra here is the demailbox fee, as you'd have to pay the rest even if google shiped to you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey i live in Delaware. Think there is a business in this for me..lol. I will be an intermediary ;-)
Edit: Not to mention I work at UPS

Dears,
here is what you need to do..
Get a US proxy ... or you cant order via Google Checkout (IP checking)
They accept none US Credit Cards... well at least they took my Kuwaiti... (your bank my stop this not them !!!)
Ship to your "US" address ... I use BorderLinx (Owned by DHL !)
They (G) shipped mine overnight to "OH" (Seems they ship from nearest warehouse so that they Raise US TAX... !)
Mine "arrived" on Friday.. and is currently on route to Kuwait... I'll get it on Tuesday..
So the whole thing including US TAX, Shipping(Express->US->Q8) and customs (Here) cost $678...
No issues with the Freq - 3G as the N1 supports ROW (Rest of World) it only has issues with the US...
BTW the Shipping weight is 1.57KG (Fedex AWB stated 0.9KG) as stated by DHL..

Working one
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=42261066#post42261066

sivasagaru said:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=42261066#post42261066
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks! has been looking for this for long time.

[Q] How Do I order on online?

Damn, was counting the minutes to the sale and ...
I'm not from the US, but was planning to get one online and shipped to my aramex box in the US. This is my first purchase online and so in all earnest I created registered with bestbuy.
I know how to get the "Shipping address" filed in. The trouble is when I come to the credit card details.
At the point of country, there is a drop down, but the only item in the drop down list is USA!!!
Their FAQ's list:
Can I order the Nexus S from a non-U.S. location and have it shipped to an address in the United States?
Yes, but keep in mind that all Best Buy purchases are intended for use in the U.S. only.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Forget the intention, but how do I order from a non-U.S location if the site does not permit me to enter the card details? :-s
Would appreciate any help

It doesn't go on sale for another 30min, so not sure yet

First: As far as i know they only accept US-Cards and Paypal.
But cant tell that for sure.
Second: I suppose, they will cancel your order. Correct me, if i am wrong, but amarex is a freight forwarder, isnt it?

I have the same problem. I will ship it to my friend's place who will bring me the phone on 23rd. I watched BB site, and it tells you to enter some address in Houston if you have international shipping address. Will see in 30 minutes what happens

kabumm ,
Not sure if they are freight forwarders, but, I live in Kuwait and here, Aramex offers a service that allows us to have a US post box.
When my friends buy from the US, they give the Post Box address and the guys from whom they order post it to this post box.
Aramex for their part regularly checks the postbox and anything found in their is delivered to the owner of the box in Kuwait.
About 15 minutes more ... will wait and see!

Paparasee said:
kabumm ,
Not sure if they are freight forwarders, but, I live in Kuwait and here, Aramex offers a service that allows us to have a US post box.
When my friends buy from the US, they give the Post Box address and the guys from whom they order post it to this post box.
Aramex for their part regularly checks the postbox and anything found in their is delivered to the owner of the box in Kuwait.
About 15 minutes more ... will wait and see!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://forums.bestbuy.com/t5/BestBuy-Com/2-Orders-Both-Canceled/m-p/57052

Paparasee said:
kabumm ,
Not sure if they are freight forwarders, but, I live in Kuwait and here, Aramex offers a service that allows us to have a US post box.
When my friends buy from the US, they give the Post Box address and the guys from whom they order post it to this post box.
Aramex for their part regularly checks the postbox and anything found in their is delivered to the owner of the box in Kuwait.
About 15 minutes more ... will wait and see!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am considering using the same method to order my nexus s.
please let us know once you succeed.

Best way - CALL THEM.
+1-281-742-5268
I'm from Singapore and I ordered it thru the phone.
They WILL need a US registered phone number though and a US mailing address.
I shipped it to a colleague's place there.
One option is to apply for those call forwarding services which gives you a US number, either toll free or non.

Shop and Ship Account
Hello, i work for Aramex Shop and Ship. You can use Shop and Ship for your US and UK purchases. Once you register with us, we will give you a US and UK based account for all your purchases. for more details please visit our site aramex.com/shopandship/ If you have any questions you can email me at [email protected] com. Thx

Shipping to Kuwait

I understand this is not exactly a Nexus S related query, but any help will be appreciated.
I'm not from the US ... live in Kuwait. I've asked a friend to get me the phone as I tried my best to get it ... proxy, bestbuy, paypal ... all of it gave me a lot of NOs.
As per the tracking no. my friend will be getting the phone tomorrow. I've asked him to use it for 2 days to check for the known problems (I've send him a list)
My query/ questions is:
He lives in Saratoga, CA (the phone was shipped from Palatine, IL (almost across). Now, once he has done his testing, I would like him to ship it to an Aramex mailbox I have got in Springfield Gardens, NY (yeah again, all the way back across the US). Can someone tell me which would be the cheapest, safest and yeah quickest way for it to be shipped from CA to New York?
I really don't want to trouble him and tell him to check out which is the cheapest, so if one of you'll know, I'd really appreciate guidance.
Thanks & Cheers

Paparasee said:
I understand this is not exactly a Nexus S related query, but any help will be appreciated.
I'm not from the US ... live in Kuwait. I've asked a friend to get me the phone as I tried my best to get it ... proxy, bestbuy, paypal ... all of it gave me a lot of NOs.
As per the tracking no. my friend will be getting the phone tomorrow. I've asked him to use it for 2 days to check for the known problems (I've send him a list)
My query/ questions is:
He lives in Saratoga, CA (the phone was shipped from Palatine, IL (almost across). Now, once he has done his testing, I would like him to ship it to an Aramex mailbox I have got in Springfield Gardens, NY (yeah again, all the way back across the US). Can someone tell me which would be the cheapest, safest and yeah quickest way for it to be shipped from CA to New York?
I really don't want to trouble him and tell him to check out which is the cheapest, so if one of you'll know, I'd really appreciate guidance.
Thanks & Cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
US Postal Service (aka the mail) is the cheapest shipping out there, especially across country.
Fed Ex and United Parcel Service can be a little quicker, but they charge a big premium for it.
If your friend does use Postal Service, tell him to buy the extra insurance coverage...it will be a small amount, and a waste of money in the end, but better to be safe than sorry if it's lost or damaged...
edit: PS, you can go online for any of the big three and check rates yourself, by the way...

Thanks distortedloop
Like you've advised, I'll ask him to go the postal service route with insurance.
Went to the usps.gov site, but could not figure out how things work so gave up on it. Will tell my friend to do it.
Thanks again.

Paparasee said:
Thanks distortedloop
Like you've advised, I'll ask him to go the postal service route with insurance.
Went to the usps.gov site, but could not figure out how things work so gave up on it. Will tell my friend to do it.
Thanks again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmmm...try this link: http://postcalc.usps.gov/
Should take you straight to the Domestic Rate calculator. Enter to and from zip codes, package size/weight, and class of mail.

FedEx Charged me 170 US From states to Kuwait.
I asked in Ebay some told me 125 some 150.
I payed 170 cause combined price was cheaper than the others.
Peace.