Database Users

How to get a cheap Universal

Hi,
First off: thanks to this forum and it's users! I am now a happy owner of a Blue Angel AND a Universal.
I thought it would be nice to share with you guy's these facts:
1) The Universal costs in Portugal 799 Euro in stores and providers tend to ask 849 Euro for it.
2) You may start to find some discounts. Currently they are sold a http:\\www.fnac.pt for just 649 Euro. Obviously the end of commercialization is arraving for this great phone...
3) The cheapest way to get one is through eBay: I got one for 255 Euro + shipping (280 Euro total).
How to do it and why it's so cheap:
1) In Germany, many Universal's are sold by T-Online, branded as MDA Pro.
2) People seem to get them cheap there with a 1-2 year contract.
3) After 6-12 month they want to get rid of it because it is probably TO BIG for them (being a BA user, I will have to get used to this oversized phone, as well - it is really big and clumsy to handle).
4) Because it is normally SIM-Locked (unlocking it at T-Online costs 99 Euro) and because it is branded, it's value is not so high for normal users (I am a freak, so I would pay it's weight in gold, if I had any gold...).
5) There are lot's of them being sold on http://www.ebay.de.
How to do it:
1) Take your time and start observing current auctions.
2) Make a search for all MDA Pro's on the german eBay.
3) Ask each seller if they would ship to your country and if the phone is really in mint condition.
4) If they don't answer fast, remove them from your list.
5) If they have negative feedback (more than 1%), remove them from your list.
6) If they have strange remarks on positive feedback (i.e. difficult contact), remove them from your list.
7) From the remaining, select the ones that offer phones in mint condition without accessories like SDCards (they are cheaper new and will make noobs lose their heads when bidding).
8) Monitor the remaining ones and bid only in the last minute!!! Keep two pages open: one to monitor current bid, one with your bid ready to go.
9) You should not spend more than 300 Euro - if you monitor auctions of these devices, you will see many being sold for less than 300 Euro.
BEAR IN MIND THAT THERE IS OBVIOUSLY ALWAYS A RISK WHEN PURCHASING STUFF LIKE THIS AT EBAY!
What to do next:
1) Use the great SIM Unlock tool available from Buzz.
2) Flash WM6 in WWE.
3) Patch the registry so that it matches the german keyboard. The german keyboard is perfectly OK, the only annoyance is the swapped "Z" and "Y".
4) If this is not acceptable, you can by an english keyboard at eBay as well. It will cost you some 25 Euro, though. Also, you will need to dismantle the whole phone for this replacement.
It is always better to get a second hand Universal from a friend you trust, but if you live in Portugal or other periferic country, it might not be easy to find someone willing to sell his Universal for such a low price.
Hope this helps someone.
Cheers,
vma

Ops - wrong forum! Could a Mod or Admin please move this to the Universal - Universal section?
Thanks,
Vitor

Don't these machines then have the wrong (german) keyboard?

doodle you should read
nice guide vma, also nice to see someone else puls the same tricks as i do on ebay with 2 pages open.. bidding with only 3 seconds left ftw

bidsniper ftw, it bids with 0.5 seconds to go

Does this mean shipping is worldwide?
Versand nach: Weltweit

panzer said:
Does this mean shipping is worldwide?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It means the seller will ship to anywhere in the world

For those who can't understand german, here is a nice link for you:
http://babelfish.altavista.com/babelfish/trurl_pagecontent?lp=de_en&trurl=http://www.ebay.de/
Thanks go to Babelfish, Altavista and of course to Douglas Adams.
Regarding eBay-Tools: I have tried them, but are not very fond of them:
1) Most cost money.
2) You need to give an (unknown) software your eBay-passwords
3) I don't feel confortable having a software bidding for me
The thing is: if you loose in the last minute, then just wait for the next auction. never buy completly out of impulse. Take your time to find the right product being auctioned. Settle the price you are really wanting to pay at maximum. Bid in the last 1-2 minutes with your maximum price. That has always worked for me.
Cheers,
vma

I did the same thig as vma and recently got a UNI next to a BA. eBay is a good place to shop for these phones. But instead to look just for MDA Pro, it's also good to look for the other aliases of the UNI. Like the SPV M5000. Less people will know that this is the same phone and the price is likely (hopefully) a bit less then for a MDA Pro. (at least that worked for me when I bough my BA).
vma said:
....
4) If this is not acceptable, you can by an english keyboard at eBay as well. It will cost you some 25 Euro, though. Also, you will need to dismantle the whole phone for this replacement.
....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The german keyboard layout is quite annoying to me. So I would like to opt for the english keyboard, but haven't been able to find it on ebay yet. You have any links to it?? The problem for me is not with the Z and they Y, but with the special character, eg those above the numbers. So, I rather keep the keyboard layout in english, just like the keyboard of my PC. But the 25 euro would be well worth it.
While replacing the keyboard, it's probably also a good oportunity to fix the little plastic thingie that is preventing the pen from falling out. At least that was a small operation I have done on several BAs in the past and plan to do this soon on my UNI as well, since the pen keeps dropping out.
Talking about pens: On ebay, you'll also be able to find a few shops that sell pens for the UNI. One of the shops in Hong Kong sells you a set of 3 for less than 7 euros including shipping. (just search for "Qtek 9000 stylus" and you'll find several shops)

Look here for example: item # 300098533646
This seems to be a black one, but I have seen many silver ones as well. Beware that they come from Hong Kong!
I don't know how much customs charge for something like this.
Cheers,
vma

Thread moved as requested.

not a reallygood idea since the German keyboard is in QWERTZ!!

Read what I wrote! I mentioned that fact.
Also, you can configure WWE through a registry hack to this keymap, so the only annoyance is that the Z and Y key's are swapped. But they will correspond to the labels on the keyboard.
Also, you can purchase a keyboard at eBay and replace the german one.
Cheers,
vma

i got my pro from t-mobile for sale...,so who ever is interestet please pm me for this..

Hermes for Sale - Link inside

Not sure if I'm allowed to post this here so please remove mods if I've gone against any rules.
Otherwise I have my HTC Hermes up for sale. Just fancy something different, I get bored with mobiles easily.
Click here for details.

Too bad your shipping to the UK only. We can't that nice looking dark case here in the States.

I bought the plain black HTC housing from Hong Kong I think, cost about £40 inc postage (about $75 - $80).
Sold it now anyway! Just wondering what mobile to get next.
I was put off by the Artemis specs (No 3G & only 200mhz processor) in another thread but I heard the processor can be overclocked slightly to improve performace, otherwise I also like the HTC trinity. I just think having GPS is a good gadget to have on a phone!
Well it's good to show off with anyway! I don't think I'd buy anything that wasn't HTC now though, I love these mobiles!

Refurbishing my phone! Case needed

Im refurbishing my mda vario III to sell it. Does anyone know anywhere i can buy a new case from? I don't mind whether its a HTC case or any others... Thanks
EDIT: Delete this post please thanks.

glad to see that you've found what you were looking for.
can you tell us what and where did you find?
thanks

golden_m said:
glad to see that you've found what you were looking for.
can you tell us what and where did you find?
thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
try cnn.cn

You can get Wizard front & back sets off ebay for a fairly decent price - tips: do a search , then reorganize results by 'most recently listed'. Any really good 'Buy It Now' deals that are 'about to end' have been picked clean. Only deal with sellers with positive feedback of 99% or higher. Only deal with sellers that can be paid with Paypal - your purchase is protected when you use Paypal. And make sure seller has a return policy stated in the terms of the auction. Avoid sellers based in China or Canada - neither has anything close to fast shipping for a decent price - you'll wait forever!
For a complete case, you'll probably have to get a 'broken' unit off ebay where you can tell that the case is not the 'issue' (busted LCD, missing USB port, etc.).
And then, the service manuals are available here for just about any of the phones represented on the XDA-Developer's Forums. Good Luck!
BigDad_1

Is there a guide to stripping one of these down?

About buying Universal

Hello,
Im thinking about buying Universal, but i have some questions about it.
1.Where to buy it, i would like to get it in good shape/now, not some old cheese.
2.Has it any defects or easy brokening parts.? Warranty after buying via. internet is a pain.
3. I read somewere that there are some fake models avabile?
Is it real talk or some WomensInSaunaToldMe story?

Your best bet would either be eBay or the Marketplace. I think the latter is a better choice because you'll probably find it much cheaper with details.

Just looked, at the ebay.
I could get for 350$ from there.
Now i need some info abot the fake thing.
And one question more:
Is this mobile still sustainable (this may be wrong word ) or is there a hope for support in XDA nexr 2-3 years?
But yeah, Wallaby is much older

Do not hessitate on buying an Universal!
Is one of the best devices ever!!
Thanks to the Chefs and Devs here you´ll have Universal for a long time!
Have a look here to see another buy options
http://forum.xda-developers.com/search.php?searchid=25385196

jaank said:
Just looked, at the ebay.
I could get for 350$ from there.
Now i need some info abot the fake thing.
And one question more:
Is this mobile still sustainable (this may be wrong word ) or is there a hope for support in XDA nexr 2-3 years?
But yeah, Wallaby is much older
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haven't heard of this "fake" business you speak of but i'm pretty sure eBay is safe. I'm also sure you can get one for much cheaper than that.

kareem9nba said:
I'm also sure you can get one for much cheaper than that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cheaper than the Ebay?
Where?I think 350usd for that kinda High-End device is pretty cheap.
All im worried about is, that maybe it doesn't fit into my pants pockets, because im only 12 and my pocket's arent very big.
edit: Orb3000 could you please fix the link. I like'd to read it.

Enter here and do a search with the word "Universal"
You´ll see many options:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=476

price and size
jaank said:
Cheaper than the Ebay?
Where?I think 350usd for that kinda High-End device is pretty cheap.
All im worried about is, that maybe it doesn't fit into my pants pockets, because im only 12 and my pocket's arent very big.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi jaank.
On Ebay in the UK, Universals are selling for £100-£130. that is 1840-2390 Krooni (you live in Estonia, right?) You could probably get a better deal on this site in Marketplace.
If you are worried about the size for your pocket. A Uni is 130mm X 78mm X 23mm. Maximum. make up a cardboard one and try it out. that was what I did before I bought my Athena.
A Uni is pretty tough but so is school.(at least mine was) you need to be careful. You already have a Wizard so you know that. Best of luck. let us know how you get on.

Oh, cool answer
But, has Universal some weak spots?
Like the screen turning system or so?Im thinking about some other mobile, at the weekend.
Im in Middle schoool , so im pretty peaceful and im pretty peaceful at all, but im sportly active and so having second phone is pretty good idea I think.
And the point for buying Uni IS school.
Im a boy, so i sit at the back and our school has wifi.
And as you all know (I hope) is school pretty booring.
Thank you for the help, and sorry for my English.I started learning English in third grade and Im going to Six't grade so I'm not really experienced about english.
Thank you, and i love PayPal.
EDIT: Where did you see NEW uni for 2000eek. I talked to my parrents and it's have to be new
EDIT2:About future Is there some roms wiht the latest Manila as in the Touch Pro/Hd

SorryForDouble
Looking for the Cheapest NEW uni.
My old mobile battery is diening so needed fast.

Uni's can be bought cheap at the German eBay. Current prices are at about 100 Euro, I saw auctions finishing at 90 Euro. This is madness, for such a great device.
You need to search for "MDA PRO", as this is the name given by the German phone operator.
I actually own two of them, so that is a good sign on how much I like this phone!
Drawbacks: whilst driving, my phone holder does not allow the Universal to be placed such that the keyboard is accessible. This means, I can't type while driving (one shouldn't do that anyway). Also, Internet Explorer will render quite small fonts.
When I am driving, I do prefer the form factor of my VDA GPS (like a Motorola Q9).
Other than that, this phone is simply great.
No known issues.
You should consider:
- new battery
- screen protector
- proper car holder
Cheers,
vma

i got mine about a month ago. i got it off ebay germany, i paid 88eur for the universal g3, plus a 3200mah battery, a tomtom mkii sirf3 gps receiver and a docking station.
that was about the best 90eur i ever spent, although i didn't get a stylus, a case or a handsfree, which i thought, was standard accessories, the gps alone is priced at 75eur in germany

VMA:
- new battery- IDK, I'm scared about weight.
- screen protector- Shure
- proper car holder- Dont have a car so not needed.
If you buying MDA Pro than you can still flash it?
EDIT: Is MDA pro software in germany?

Hi,
With new battery I meant the fact that most MDA PRO's sold nowadays at eBay are over two years old, so you should not expect to much from the shipped battery. You certainly will need to purchase a new one soon to get a full day of heavy usage out of your device.
I agree that the extra capacity batteries increase the size and weight of the Universal beyond reasonable lilmits (for me at least), so I would stick with the normal sized batteries.
Basically I wanted to alert you that you should not spend *ALL* your money on the Universal - save some for an extra battery...
The German MDA PRO will in most cases come with a German falvour of WM5 and with a SIM lock.
You can, however, unlock the SIM by following the procedure of the Unlocker (search forum) and you can certainly flash a different ROM. I personally like Tomal's modified WM6.1 ROM's a lot.
The only remaining issues you will have with the German version of the Universal:
- MDA / T-Mobile logo on the inside, T-Mobile logo on the outside
- German keyboard: essentially you will have the "Y" and "Z" keys swapped - and no, you can't physically exchange the keys, because they have different size
I can live perfectly well with both issues and they don't affect the usability or the value of the device at all.
Cheers,
vma

Now it's about Ebay safety.
How to chose seller?
http://cgi.ebay.com/Brand-New-O2-XD...trkparms=65:12|66:2|39:1|72:1205|293:1|294:50
What do you think about that?

Check on marketplace first!
I saw yesterday a great Uni selling from a trustable member

There is always a risk involved in any internet related purchase...
At eBay you should look for:
- sellers with more than a minimu of 5 feedbacks
- sellers with 100% rating - in case of 99.x% rating, check what was the cause of the negative feedback (sometime's it is not the sellers fault)
- check what other products the seller has been selling
- pictures of the real device, not just standard marketing images
- ask the seller a question and see how long it takes him to respond - avoid sellers who dont respond
- avoid sellers accepting Western Union or similar payment forms
- don't relay totally on PayPAL - it is not that secure
- check shipping costs
- check taxes - specially in case of imports from other economic areas
If nothing is strange so far, nothing fishy, then you can take the risk.
Regarding the Marketplace here at XDA-DEVELOPERS: I have never purchased anything, but would do so from respected members. Check how long they are registered and how many postings they have. No crook would be wasting time with hundreds of posts over years just to sell you a broken Universal...
However, in case things go wrong and if you bought something from someone on the other side of the world, there is nothing much you can do.
That is the price you pay, for getting the device with a discount of aproximatly 50%.
Cheers,
vma

OK - sellers with more than a minimu of 5 feedbacks
OK - sellers with 100% rating - in case of 99.x% rating, check what was the cause of the negative feedback (sometime's it is not the sellers fault)
OK - check what other products the seller has been selling
OK - pictures of the real device, not just standard marketing images
OK - ask the seller a question and see how long it takes him to respond - avoid sellers who dont respond
OK - avoid sellers accepting Western Union or similar payment forms
OK - don't relay totally on PayPAL - it is not that secure
OK - check shipping costs
OK - check taxes - specially in case of imports from other economic areas
So look's pretty good.
I was just asking your opinion .What do you think about him.
Gonna order soon.

[Q] how to know u have a genuine product?

Hi XDA,
i ordered a Nexus 10 from Valuebasket as it isnt available in my country. Now im a little bit worried as it took over a month before they send it and it should arrive tomorrow. The shipping adress is from Hong Kong and this is what gets me worried as to my knowledge Nexus isnt sold in China.
I would like to know how i could easily check if the product i will get is actually a real Google Nexus 10 and not a fake one made in China.
Thanks alot for any help on this
Gvdn

Gvdn said:
Hi XDA,
i ordered a Nexus 10 from Valuebasket as it isnt available in my country. Now im a little bit worried as it took over a month before they send it and it should arrive tomorrow. The shipping adress is from Hong Kong and this is what gets me worried as to my knowledge Nexus isnt sold in China.
I would like to know how i could easily check if the product i will get is actually a real Google Nexus 10 and not a fake one made in China.
Thanks alot for any help on this
Gvdn
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess all you should do is go into Settings - Info about tablet and also could check in bootloader mode if all the options are the same. But in case it was fake, im sure you could easily see it on the box. And also, the tablet wouldn't look the same.

Could also try opening AnTuTu and see if it can verify you have a Nexus 10. Not 100% sure how sure AnTuTu is though.

Upload a pic of the box

Also check all the FCC credentials underneath the textured panel on the back.
Sent from my GT-I9210T using xda app-developers app

I looked up the items you mentioned... Their website shows the corrects specs and branding for everything (MIMO+HT40, pogo pin charger, dual side nfc, 9000mAh batt. ). These are things easily checked that aren't found in combination on other tablets. The ad looks completely legit except the price... If it's Euro, it's just slightly more than msrp... Pound it is extremely high (don't know from the £)
The month delay in shipping? I wouldn't read anything into this since I get stuff from overseas (uk and Taiwan) that takes that long all the time getting through U. S. customs. Especially if they ordered it from another country and then are sending it to you. I think that is what they may be doing since the price is so much higher.. An authorized reseller should have it at the MSRP.
You should be able to tell if it is legit just by checking it visually and then under menu/about for system versions.. Run a free hardware info app to check the hardware/sensors.

metaled222 said:
I looked up the items you mentioned... Their website shows the corrects specs and branding for everything (MIMO+HT40, pogo pin charger, dual side nfc, 9000mAh batt. ). These are things easily checked that aren't found in combination on other tablets. The ad looks completely legit except the price... If it's Euro, it's just slightly more than msrp... Pound it is extremely high (don't know from the £)
The month delay in shipping? I wouldn't read anything into this since I get stuff from overseas (uk and Taiwan) that takes that long all the time getting through U. S. customs. Especially if they ordered it from another country and then are sending it to you. I think that is what they may be doing since the price is so much higher.. An authorized reseller should have it at the MSRP.
You should be able to tell if it is legit just by checking it visually and then under menu/about for system versions.. Run a free hardware info app to check the hardware/sensors.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have to correct you, im from Spain and it costed me 400€ the 16gb version, and I think it also costs 400$? If the conversion was done from € to $ I should have paid 308€, as always there isn't any conversion made