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I’ve done it, I’ve just ordered a T-Mobile MDA Vario, it should be here tomorrow, I cant wait!!!
I’m new to this forum and new to the world of Windows Mobile Devices, however I am far from a novice with SmartPhones.
I have been a big fan of SonyEricsson for many years and am currently looking for a new phone, but lately have lost my feel for SE and have discovered then marvel that is the Wizard!!! Wow, I’m so much going to have one of them!!!
I’ve been reading through this forum and well what can I say, what a fantastic resource, well done!
But what I really want to know is: software? I know the MDA Vario is T-Mobile branded, but what restrictions do they impose on you?
I’m a great believer that hardware developers know what they are doing and Phone Network Operators should leave the software well alone. I have read about unlocking the phone and moving Cab files etc, but what I would really want is to flash it with its “pure” software, is this possible and easy to do and how do I then set up my MMS and GPRS setting?
And am I correct in understanding what I’ve read, that, an out the box MDA Vario wont run ActiveSync?
Thanks in advance
Nick
Nick, an excellent choice of name, and an excellent choice of device
The units ROMs all seem to be largely the same, it's the extended ROM which is different.
T-Mobile's extended ROM installs a load of customisations such as wallpapers, GPRS settings, etc... Nothing seems to hinder you particularly badly , however if you don't want it, hard reset then do a soft reset before it installs the customisations. You then have a virgin machine
The only lock is a simlock, which means that you have to use a T-Mobile SIM with the device. Lokiwiz, a free unlocker, gets around this nicely with thanks to Machinagod, and all those whose work he improved
Oh, and activesync works fine with it, providing you haven't got any weird firewalls running
Welcome to the world of windows mobile
I have had my Vario for about a week and a half now.
If you used the P910 like I did, you will miss the jog wheel utility desperately. A brilliant device that was only let down by the lack of symbian (UIQ) development (it's harder to program.
I used to have a compaq 2210 and ran Pocketinformant. I've just reloaded it on my unit. It's brilliant, you give up a lot for the jog wheel but you welcome back the world of 'drag and drop' and 'double tap'.
If you use a PIM then Pocketinformant cannot be beaten.
Incidently make sure you load activesync 4.1 on your pc, providing you set your catergories in your outlook master list to the same as your device, syncing is superb.
good luck :lol:
I've just switched to Vodafone with an expansys contrct deal after four years with T-Mobile. They (T-Mobile) told me six weeks ago, they'd no idea what a Vario was, and had no information that they were going to get them even though Germany had announced them to the press. Expansys had the 9100 on Voda so off I went. The Vodafone "data" bundle which is SMS or MMS or GPRS out of the same pot is better for me than T-Mobile who would only offer web'n'walk *and* a separate SMS/MMS bundle :-(
Vodafone have been fine, but the SMS voicemail alerts that don't activate the little "tape" message waiting icon really annoys me... ;-)
Dox..
I have also gone from a P900 to XDA mini. Its a bit of a transition and can agree - the wheel on the P900 was a luxury I do miss but there are alot moe benefits
Now - just need to try and work out if I can change the whole ROM from the O2 one
Scott
Thanks for all the info fellas, cant wait for it to be delivered…
Excuse my ignorance, but, the ROM, is that the basic OS and the extender ROM is just the individual network customizations?
I will almost certainly, as a matter of principle, do the SIM unlock, but what is the purpose of the CID unlock?
And, if I do the Hard reset Soft reset trick how will I set up my GPRS and MMS?
Sorry about all the questions, but I’m very inquisitive.
Hopefully this will also be helping fellow novices.
Thanks again everyone.
You can enter the settings manually, which if you have them in front of you is fairly simple. If you need to know what they are (I've entered Vodafone's so often for people at work I can do them in my sleep, but don't know the T-Mobile ones), google is your friend. To simplify the whole thing, Raphael over at BeyondTheTech has the cab file with the settings in here for you to download and install as normal.
If you're not going to let the rest of the extended ROM install, put this on a memory card in case you want to run it again after a hard reset..
Dox.
I too like to have a fiddle (I had an original O2 XDA and this site was fantastic for upgrading to later version OS) but so far I can't see any compelling reason not to use the T-Mobile UK custo ROM as shipped.
The only addition I've made is MS Voice with the associated Reg change to allow use with BT headset.
Obviously if there is a superior ROM out there please let us know what is recommended?
Thanks
Nick, check out the wiki which has loads of info about roms, extended roms, radio roms and all that good stuff. Not a huge amount is specific to the Wizard yet, but the information applies all the same.
Has it arrived yet, or are you sitting by the front door like an eager puppy waiting for the postman or newspaper boy (or girl, thank you Stan)
Unfortunately I’m at work today and they would only deliver to my home address
AND they need a signature, so first thing tomorrow morning I’ll be stud outside my local Postal Depot waiting for it to open…..
Oh I hate waiting!!!
Welcome to Vario-ness !
Not coming from a previous PPC platform, you won't suffer the same way i did, by installing all the apps i used on my MDA Compadt some of which may not have been compatable with WM5. That ended up with me having a poor view on the Vario.
Fear not though, i've since seen the error of my ways, thanks to the fine folks on this forum...
I have an XDA II, and would like to update if there is a significant improvement.
I have read from the t-mobile site that the Vario does not have vibrate or voice dialling. Is this true, can Fonix be installed?
The most vital things I use are the outlook contacts, calender, isilo reader and avant go. I guess all standard apps that work on windows mobile 2003 work on 5 right?
How big is the screen?
Thanks for any help.
Well, that just goes to show that T-Mobile don't have a clue, really, doesn't it? I thought you must be mistaken, but sure enough it says that it doesn't support voice dial, and doesn't vibrate either.
It does. On both counts. The vibrate is a lot better than the xda2s in that it almost dislocates a hip when it goes off, and voice dialing works very well. With a quick registry hack, voice dialing works with bluetooth headsets too
Some have found the vario sluggish in comparison to the xda 2; i find it to be comparable to the blue angel (2s) that I had running wm2005 - bear in mind you're reading/writing all files from flash rather than RAM, and that explains the performance.
The screen is 2.8 inches diagonal.
Have any of you got vibrate working on M3000 (Orange)?
I have an M3000 from Orange Switzerland, and cannot get my vibrate to work at all.
Not to get 'off topic' but T-Mobile Czech republic were about to sell me a MDA Vario and at the last moment I noticed a sticker on the box saying it doesn't support character recognizer or transcriber .. anyone know if this FOR ME huge negative can be reversed so I can handwrite sms as MDA II let me .. (perfect solution for me)
kgary said:
Not to get 'off topic' but T-Mobile Czech republic were about to sell me a MDA Vario and at the last moment I noticed a sticker on the box saying it doesn't support character recognizer or transcriber .. anyone know if this FOR ME huge negative can be reversed so I can handwrite sms as MDA II let me .. (perfect solution for me)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Both work fine for me on a UK MDA Vario, I don't know why the czech would be different. I must say however that I rarely use them because the slide out keyboard is SO sweet.
On a side note, my brother just picked up the same phone on O2 and personally I like the O2 customisations a lot better than the T-mobile ones. Especially the multiple today screen functionality.
Is it possible to install O2 extended rom and keep t-mobile comms settings? I've only just started to look into this so does anyone with any experience with this have any tips?
Thanks
I have an XDA2 and have been happy with it on the whole. I use a varied apps from Excel, to POP3 mail, to wired GPS with OziExplorer, to textbook readers etc.
I would quite like WiFi, and the Magician / vario looks like it will do all and more. I recently had a flat battery and needed a re-install :-(
What are the main plus and minus points moving from an XDA2. Is the smaller screen a pain, or do you just get used to it?
Could I use a blue tooth GPS easily or are they too unreliable?
My friend went from an XDA2 to a Vario and I haven't heard him complain yet.
I went from an MDA3 to a Pro and sometimes think the Vario would have been the better choice.
He uses TT5(Bluetooth) with his Vario without problems.
WiFi is great and the new Web n Walk has unlimited allowance.
Moving to Vario
I moved from a XDAIIs (Blue Angel) to a Vario and it is far better.
No need to panic if you accidentally run out of battery as it is all safe from data loss (being stored in flash - not ram).
I used a BT GPS with my blue angel and now with the Vario - with no problems on either. I also had a wired GPS for the BA - which, of course, is of no use to me at all now!
You get used to the screen being smaller - it isn't a problem.
Plus the web'n'walk plan is fantastic - although I signed up early and only got the 40Mb allowance - not unlimited as they are doing now... with 25% off the line rental also... it makes a good deal... dunno if you can get a vario with thie new web'n'walk deal though !!
Hi,
I hve a friend that has got the web and walk tariff only yesterday, although I belive its down to the contract/retailer to decide based upon their targets I guess.........Im sure you will be very happy with it though.
Cheers!
Bryson
I have a T-Mobile Vario. It was dog slow and unreliable when I got it, but after flashing it with the latest qtec rom, It's fast and rock solid.
I'm looking to purchase one of these devices but not sure which one. I belong to Cingular but I like the look of the T-mobile MDA. Is there anything majorly different from a hardware/software point between these two?
If I get the t-mobile mda will I have any issues using it with Cingular? I know I need to sim unlock it first. My main use of this phone is for calls and text messgs. I rarely use the internet but may do so more later on. Just want to make sure the T-mobile softeware will not interfere with cingular settings. Can someone enlighten me? How about flashing it to a non branded rom? Or a cingular rom if thats possible. lol
Great forum my da way!!!
i bought a tmobile mda for use on cingular because of the keyboard design and general asthetics od the thing. i did unlock it then flashed it to the 217.7.2wwe cingular rom found on this sites ftp section. it works great with text, internet, has great rf reception. only thing i havent tried with it is mms.
rest easy; it works. if you have more questions there are people here much more experienced than i.
hardwares deep inside, they are the same machine. Once you have it (either 8125 or MDA) you can do SIM & CID unlock and put in any ROM for wizard you'd like; if you get MDA you can put 8125 rom on it and has all the cingular settings (which you can set it up manually also with other ROMs)
The main concern is the warranty. You are with Cingular and if you get 8125, whenever you have problem with it within 1 year of purchase, you can get warranty exchange (cingular will send you a new one, and you send the bad one back to them after you recieve the new one, all free)
But if you have MDA, you will have to send it to HTC for repair which might take a long time to come back.
jdub71 said:
i bought a tmobile mda for use on cingular because of the keyboard design and general asthetics od the thing. i did unlock it then flashed it to the 217.7.2wwe cingular rom found on this sites ftp section. it works great with text, internet, has great rf reception. only thing i havent tried with it is mms.
rest easy; it works. if you have more questions there are people here much more experienced than i.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great! just what I was looking for. I did not know you could install a cingular rom over another brand. soo cool. Did you use the lokiwiz program (which version??) to unlock both the sim and cid? Or another program? Same here I like the rounded corners and two tone keyboard. I wish t-mobile online would sell w/o contract since its a decent price. At the store its almost 100 more.
New to PPC coming from the Motorola camp....
Know to search for a MDA....
Be Careful
Be careful, some of the newer Wizards (MDAs & 8125s) have a newer chip inside referred to as the G4 chip. It is my understanding that lokiwiz will SIM unlock the device which will allow you to use your Cingular SIM card. However, lokiwiz won't CID unlock the MDA with the new chip. So you won't be able to use all the new custom ROMs on ths site.
It is pretty easy to manually configure the setting so the MDA will work fully on Cingular. I have the 8125 and am using T-mobile. The internet, text messanging, and MMS work great.
Check out the threads on the Wizard Upgrading forum for more info. on how to tell which chip your phone has.
Thanks for the tip. I've read some threads about the dreaded G4 chip. Hopefully someone will crack it soon. There is a website that can unlock the G4 chip both sim and cid but it costs like 40 bucks. Worst case I can send it to them.
jdub71: How is the ear piece sound level on the MDA when on a call? how do you rate it? loud, med. or could be louder despite on full volume.
rambo6: Same question. How is you're ear piece volume level on the 8125?
PC mag suggested that the MDA had a lower ear piece volume than the 8125. I wanted to hear from actual users. Louder the better for me. Is there a reg. hack to make the ear piece volume louder? Thanks
I'm running an MDA on Cingular with no problems. Got it a week ago with every intention of flashing to 8125 cingular, but it seems to have figured out most Cingular settings automatically.No problems.... yet.
I don't see how one Wizard could be louder than another.
Have turn it down on both my plantronics bluetooth and wired earphones.
Couple of other quality control concerns with the MDA versus the 8125, I've heard that the MDA is more prone to having the paint come off the keys and that they are also more prone to having the stylus come loose after prolonged usage.
Don't have a MDA, only a 8125, but that's what I have gathered from reading the forums.
[double post]
How do you go about finding out what ROM version you have and also how do you tell if you have successfully unlocked your MDA?
Also how do you tell if you have the "G4" chip?
Thanks
Good question. I want a custom rom too.
8125ppc (and htc just updated)
You can go to the thread below to learn how to tell which chip is in your Wizard.
Also, I have great sound through the 8125's earpiece. Sometimes I have to turn it down.
My suggestion is buy whichever phone you want. The MDA has keys that are a little closer together. I'd suggest you look at both in person. You can buy either in the US through letstalk.com without a contract but the phone will be set up for either Cingular or T-mobile and you'll need to unlock it to use another carrier.
If you can hold off a few months, the TyTN or some UMTS form thereof should be offered in the U.S.
T-mobile is great but it will be at least a year before they get a 3G network going. Cingular is the only carrier in the U.S. with a 3G UMTS network in major cities. It's significantly faster than Edge but not as fast as Verizon's evdo.
I hope that HTC offers some phone to work on both the US and European UMTS/HSDPA networks soon. Some form of TyTN or the Trion would do it.
Once you start surfing the web and texting with a Wizard, you'll get addicted and want more speed. Verizion's evdo is so damn fast. I miss verizon's speed but love my Wizard and hope to have the newest HTC phone soon
http://forum.xda-developers.com/viewtopic.php?t=54030
After read many many threads on these it does seem like the 8125 has a better build quality than the MDA. Sound quality may also be superior since alot of MDA owners are complaing about sound issues. I was going to get the MDA but now I'm leaning on the 8125. Main reason is availability. Its easier for me to get the 8125 since I'm on cingular. I'm just worried about the sound volume being too low. I've read about the slider not working and such.....many requests to boost the sound but no real answer.
Hmm. New phone called the TyTN? Made also by HTC? May look into that also.
My friend has a T-Mobile MDA and I have the Cingular 8125. He has the original rom that came with the phone and I have the latest one 2.25. We were at my friends basement he had 3-4 bars of connection while I had non or 1 bar. He always has better connection then me.
ZzFDKzZ said:
My friend has a T-Mobile MDA and I have the Cingular 8125. He has the original rom that came with the phone and I have the latest one 2.25. We were at my friends basement he had 3-4 bars of connection while I had non or 1 bar. He always has better connection then me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay,let's see here.....
1) Are you both using the same carriers ?
If yes to above, it is a Rom issue.
If no to above, then it is pretty obvious as to the reason for the different signal levels!
I have a Qtek 9100 Wizard with the summiter custom Cingular 2.24 rom and can tell you for a fact that different roms DO act differently.Even roms from the same carriers, I might add! LOL
Later........
Yeah like I said he has T-Mobile and I have Cingular. He has the original rom and I have that new one http://forum.xda-developers.com/viewtopic.php?t=54726 Even with summiter 2.24 rom that I had last month he still had way better connection in my friends basement.
ZzFDKzZ said:
Yeah like I said he has T-Mobile and I have Cingular. He has the original rom and I have that new one http://forum.xda-developers.com/viewtopic.php?t=54726 Even with summiter 2.24 rom that I had last month he still had way better connection in my friends basement.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's just to compare Cingular v.s. Tmobile signal, NOT 8125 v.s. MDA.
If your 8125 is SIM unlocked, try put in your friend's SIM card and see how is the signal on your phone; should be much better than your SIM.
.....Like I said, different carriers= different towers =different signal strength. As was said above, if sim unlocked, swap sims and see what happens.
Later.......
I never tought about that, I'll try the sim change next time.
I have an o2 branded (hardware and software) XDA Exec (it's unlocked). My current contract is coming to an end, so I am looking for a new contract. I am thinking about buying a contract with 3. However, I would like to keep my current phone even if the new contract includes a phone. My question is: can I put the sim in my XDA Exec? What functionality would I be able to expect? Would I be able to make phone calls, send and recieve text messages, make video calls, send and recieve picture messages etc.?
Yep, works fine, i've used my 3 sim before! Just need to add the correct connection details for the 3 portal etc.
though the three network will work . i will not recommend it because three network states do not use anyother phone with there sim cards.
Also my nokia 6230i and nokia 3220 both were working with three but they blocked them after two weeks.
so think before you use it;...
3 now have the Qtek version of Exec on their network so theres no reason why you cant use your exec now. I've never had a problem with another 3G phone on the network. The only problem that sometimes seems to occur is when the 3G SIM is put in a non 3G phone - itworks for a while then after draining too much power (as 3G SIM is higher rating than GPRS SIM) it kills the phone.... Why not just pop into a 3 shop though or call customer services?
i'm trying to dig out connection details to three. Could anybody shed some light? I've x-series addon and it would be nice if i can get it on my universal
thanks, sorted out! excellent one, i'm able to use msn messenger & web browsing. now it's time to check skype
Edit:SKYPE also works perfectly.
suniil said:
i'm trying to dig out connection details to three. Could anybody shed some light? I've x-series addon and it would be nice if i can get it on my universal
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Working on Skype etc.?! Is that on a standard XDA Exec? What are the settings? How much do the add-ons cost?
I want to try this out! Ive ordered the contract...
adamelphick said:
3 now have the Qtek version of Exec on their network so theres no reason why you cant use your exec now. I've never had a problem with another 3G phone on the network. The only problem that sometimes seems to occur is when the 3G SIM is put in a non 3G phone - itworks for a while then after draining too much power (as 3G SIM is higher rating than GPRS SIM) it kills the phone.... Why not just pop into a 3 shop though or call customer services?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I have just been speaking to 3 and they will NOT support any non 3 handset nor will they give out sms, mms, or internet settings, morever if they discover that you are using a NON 3 handset then they will suspend service immediately... their customer service is absolute crap... major row on phone vowing never to return or continue to spend in excess of 100 GBp each month as pay as you go customer
Hi,
I have been using 3 sim for 9 months now. U can use video calling , internet etc without any problems.
Jatt
Can u share, please
suniil said:
thanks, sorted out! excellent one, i'm able to use msn messenger & web browsing. now it's time to check skype
Edit:SKYPE also works perfectly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, Can u share your 3 settings for GPRS , MMs and web browsing, please . I am on 3 and have not been able to get the gprs working , nor the MMS. Thus can't get on to the net or msn etc on my O2 XDA Exec. Just for the info I have been using 3Sim on this for the past 7 months no problems with the phone functionality.
Thanx in advance
Tunndoc
Can anybody help with this query? I'd be interested to know too.
Thanks
you might find http://forum.xda-developers.com/archive/index.php/t-266774.html useful it shows the settings.
I am on 3 with a XDA Exec and I can get almost all functionality aside from buying stuff from 3 online as it doesn't have the correct root certificates from 3 (and 3 never had the exec as a phone anyways!)
For the CORRECT settings to get you running on 3 click here
Psi
Actually, the title is misleading. It only struggles to get a good signal in my house (and about 20metres around it - very annoying!)
I have an unlocked Touch HD which was on Orange. After cancelling the contract, I now have an O2 Simplicity pay per month sim which gets perfect signal in my old backup phone (Nokia 5140). When I put it in my Touch HD, it gets a very weak signal and the little G/3G/H/E symbol to the left gets greyed out. I though this would mean I couldn't use the internet but still make calls but the phone won't connect or receive calls with the O2 sim.
I've called O2 to get the exact settings for the device but they say they don't support it. The device seems to set the sim up ok on insetion with the wizard program. I know the sim works cause it works in the nokia. Is the Touch HD known to struggle for signal when other phones seem to work ok? Anyone have this problem?
O2 are sending me out another sim just in case but say that I have to speak to HTC to get the right settings. I know the sim works in the phone because it works when I'm at work, travelling around Northants in a car but just doesn't work in my house. O2 did ask if I have lead in the roof which may cause problems - the house is 120yrs old so it might.
Help! anyone?
My Touch HD works fine in and around Northampton, I am sitting near Rectory Farm with a 3 bar HSDPA signal. So a few things to check.
At the bottom of Comm Manager, touch the 3G bar, are both 'Network Type' and 'Band Frequency' set to auto?
What radio version are you using?
When you get a signal is both MMS and SMS working OK?
matt_not_andrew, just like you, I have just cancelled my Orange for an 02 Simplicity pay per month! Hopefully I'll get the PAC code on Wednesday, so I'll be interested in seeing how reception is.
Any clue what it's like in Wellingborough? Haha locals on the forum tonight!
No idea on Wellingborough but works well on Orange and O2 in pretty much all of the south part of the county.
I'll check those settings later when I'm finished DIY around the house.
I've done the exactly same thing, cancelled orange contract & now on o2 simplicity and my reception is loads better than before.
I use to have dead spots in my house and they've all gone.
Running dutty's wm6.1 v4.0 rom & used the standard connection set up.
Jake
The same trouble with HD in Russia
Hi, I live far from our capital city. IN the area with weak radio signal, htc hd has 1-2 sticks.. aven worse - lost connection, at the same time Nokia and SOnyErricsson works fine 4-5 sticks. Previously my HTC ELF works aroun 3-4 sticks in the same area. I tried to check Diamond2 - the same situation as with HTC HD.....
The same in Russia.
The details: Phone from UK, Radio 1.4, ROM - BlackStone Rus 2.0, WM 6.5. Settings - Full automate regarding GPRS detection and choosing.
I switched from orange to O2 pay as you go and I found that some of the Roms (Dutty's and NRGZ's in particular) don't configure the Mobile internet settings correctly for PAYG. The O2 settings vary from the contract ones and therefore you can never get connected unless they are set up correctly.
I recommend checking the following details in settings/ connections/ manage existing connections:
Access point name: payandgo.o2.co.uk
User name: payandgo
Password: password
Its never failed on me yet - although the mobile internet service from O2 has been a little intermittent over the last couple of weeks because of network problems they have been having.
Can't fault the O2 reception on the phone, I get much, much better signal than I ever did on Orange.
I did exactly the same thing last week! ie cancelled my Orange contract and moved to O2 sim only!
When I put the O2 sim in my Touch HD, after a few minutes I got a message saying that the data settings were wrong for the network and if I wanted to download the correct settings (or something to that effect). I then had to fill in a couple options to do with the country and network. A few mins later it asked to reboot and afterwards everything just worked as if by magic! I can get on the internet and mms works etc..!
=)
In terms of reception, I've found that generally my O2 2G signal is much better than 3G.
I've given in and cancelled the O2 plan and going back to Orange - at least I know that the Touch Hd will work on their network in my house.
I phoned O2 again and again and they said they couldn't give me any settings for the Hd as they didn't know how to support it?
Anyhow, got a brand new N86 on Racoon 35 18months for £25 (reduced from £35) so even with the data bundle thats £30pm which means I save further on my broadband - result!
The Hd will be the work SATNAV phone and the N86 will be for going out (photo's) and games.
Thanks for the help.