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
hi all,
i have just bought a new O2 Exec.. I was wondering what software/tweaks you guys recommend.
Regards,
frz
i also just have my dopod 900, similar to o2 exec and i still dont know what to install. I saw something about AKU2 or AKU3 on the forum but dont know where to download, can someone please advice/help us as my device was sometimes cannot received data signal while connecting to internet.
I just download TCPMP player to the device and it was a great staff to play with and I will not use the WMP for movie/tv.
Guys, I've just bought myself a new suit.
Would you like to come over and try it on for me?
Come on - a little work on your side will be necessary, and searching is the best way to show that you've tried.
Have a read through this thread for guidelines on using the board:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/viewtopic.php?t=4534
And then have a look here for a starter:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/viewtopic.php?t=32698&start=0&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=
AKU stuff - get started slowly before you start modifying the OS too much, as a lot of the stuff on the board can make your system unstable if used incorrectly. Configure your basics, get yourself some good backup software, and then check out the wiki and the ftp.
Most of the newer roms will have some AKU support already in, I think.
V
Thanks a lot bro Vijay555. Will try to surf now and get more info.
danlee: as a friend from Malaysia, you might want to check out my buddies on www.ppcsg.com and www.gadget.sg
V
Danlee....
Just out of curiosity....how much is internet connectivity in M'sia?
I'm planning on coming home during the CNY and would like to use the service if it's not too expensive.
Would you mind posting the cost of the internet connection and who the provider is?
Will it be available prepaid?
Thanks.
Fellow M'sian in US.
To vijay555,
Thanks a lot but i cant do downdoading now cause i am on GPRS connection now. But i will visit your site when i got back home.
To Moden man,
The cost for GPRS connection will be 1 cent for 1kb. You can only use 3G in KL area. You can access by using DiGi, Celcom and Maxis as your service provider.
Got my HTC TyTN(Hermes-Titan) in China and was using it with great satisfaction for a couple of months. With great satisfaction when landed in Germany, I could still automatically get all my emails and cals without making any adjustment using GPRS and UMTS. Once landed in Spain with strong disapointment and then I have not been able to connect anymore in any of the networks available. Aparently I could not swith from the UMTS2100 to GSM1900(which is used in Spain). The HTC Technical support team there proposed to change the mother board ... may some one know an other way to solve the problem? May an update of ROM work?
Help, Help with China Mobile GPRS settings/Setup
Hi,
I have the Hermes (Softbank Hermes 200 bought in HK with latest QTek South Africa ROM on it - for WWE usage) but I can't seem to figure how to connect to local GPRS to use internet or get email, etc.
It's driving me nuts! I've tried many combos And I'm pretty computer literate too.
Evidently I have all the information I need, maybe, but I can't seem to get the settings right. I've scoured the web and read a couple of moderately useful (but not 100% applicable) posts on outlining the process but I still can't make it happen.
Is there anyone who has successfully set up their Hermes with the China Mobile GPRS settings? Please pass on your knowledge to me.
For background, I have a local Shanghai SIM chip with GPRS function enabled by the central China Mobile authorities, whoever they may be. I'm on a pay-as-you-go service.
The settings (as sent to me from China mobile) are supposed to be:
APN: cmwap
IP: 010.000.000.172
Port: 9201
Domain(?): http://wap.monternet.com
They said no PW or user needed, but some sites list "WAP" for both.
I understand there are also dial-up options but I've had no success either.
The closest I've come is to make the network appear to connect (a timer counts connection time) but when I try to pull up a webpage it doesn't load and says the connect was lost.
I also don't know which PAP/CHAP setting to use and my phone does not have a convenient "Network Wizard" app.
Thanks in advance for your kindness. And thank you to the moderators for this great site. I've learned a wealth of information about my phone and even upgraded the ROM.
Pere
Does anyone know if the UK networks are blocking ports to prevent VOIP usage? I've followed all the advice to get VOIP up and running on my TyTn's and P3600's but no luck at all. All my handsets still say 'Service Blocked'.
I have two TyTn's, both with PAYG sims (one from T-Mobile and one from O2 and three P3600's. All of them report Service Blocked.
Any ideas?
tmob definitely block them, i would be surprised if O2 didn't. if you did a search you'd find that a lot of people have found this too.
OK,
O2 say they don't but in my experience they do
T-Mobile tell you that they a) will do everything they can to stop you and b) tell you that they close your account/charge you a lot if you try. However, this can be remedied by using the `Web'n'Walk Max` subscription instead of the normal or plus version. This is what I use and have had no problems.
Vodafone basically told me, very politely, where to go if I didn't want to spend around £120/month, this was a few months ago and I don't know how the situation may have changed.
Virgin don't seem to be interested in this subject at all, I've failed to find anyone who wasn't reading off Autocue to talk to and so haven't discovered what I wanted to know.
Orange have a reputation for filtering, they also wanted to charge me per KB so I never really found out if it was possible.
I'm sorry but I have no experience of other carriers. Currently I use T-Mobile Flex 35 and Web'n'Walk Max; the only issues I've come across has been with dialing up through bluetooth and 3G, this is probably a lack of correct settings.
Regards, R.
So i got my X1 yesterday.
Still trying to get my head round it all - First WinMo phone.
I know on previous phones they blocked certain features e.g. SIP, so i had to un brand it for it to work.
So i am interested what Vodafone have done to this phone (the X1). What features have they blocked etc so i know then what to expect when things don't work
Paul
Vodafone have applied a few tweaks stopped things working over wifi and force the use of gprs/3g on a few programs. The vodafone rom is not that bad but for best results I would follow the guides posted in the forum to unbrand the device. I did mine on day one it was released and have not looked back.
OK, so things like MSN, facebook panel etc i will need to use GPRS or 3G - not too much of a prob as i have their unlimited (not so unlimited) browsing and email package.
Does the WiFi work at all then? Can i use WiFi to browse the web?
What about installing things apps like Skype, Gmail etc will that work on the phone?
And (sorry for the many questions) if i unbrand the phone and 'brick it' can i rebrand it again with the vodafone ROM thats doing the rounds, or once it's bricked its bricked?
WiFi works fine (just Live which runs over GPRS).
No problem with anything else, although you might want to read up on the other Vodafone threads about some internet settings you might want to change.